Expository Notes on the Bible (Constable)

• 4. John the Baptist's reaction to Jesus' ministry 3:22-30
  The writer next noted the parallel ministries of John the Baptist and Jesus in Judea. John the Baptist readily confessed Jesus' superiority to him even though they were both doing the same things. This was further testimony t...
• The ministry of Apollos 18:24-28
  The purpose of this pericope (18:24-28) seems primarily to be to bring us up to date on what had transpired in Ephesus since Paul left that city.755Luke also introduced his readers to another important servant of the Lord to ...
• Historical Background
  Corinth had a long history stretching back into the Bronze Age (before 1200 B.C.).1In Paul's day it was a Roman colony and the capital of the province of Achaia. The population consisted of Roman citizens who had migrated fro...
• Message10
  A phrase in 1:2 suggests the theme of this great epistle. That phrase is "the church of God which is at Corinth."Two entities are in view in this phrase and these are the two entities with which the whole epistle deals. They ...
• Outline
  I. Introduction 1:1-9A. Salutation 1:1-3B. Thanksgiving 1:4-9II. Conditions reported to Paul 1:10-6:20A. Divisions in the church 1:10-4:211. The manifestation of the problem 1:10-172. The gospel as a contradiction to human wi...
• 1. The manifestation of the problem 1:10-17
  The surface manifestation of this serious problem was the party spirit that had developed. Members of the church were appreciating their favorite leaders too much and not appreciating the others enough. This was really a mani...
• 2. The gospel as a contradiction to human wisdom 1:18-2:5
  Paul set up a contrast between cleverness of speech and the Cross in verse 17. Next he developed this contrast with a series of arguments. Boasting in men impacts the nature of the gospel. He pointed out that the gospel is no...
• The folly of a crucified Messiah 1:18-25
  "This paragraph is crucial not only to the present argument (1:10-4:21) but to the entire letter as well. Indeed, it is one of the truly great moments in the apostle Paul. Here he argues, with OT support, that what God had al...
• Fellow workers under God 3:5-9
  "Besides evidencing a misapprehension of the gospel itself, the Corinthians' slogans bespeak a totally inadequate perception of the church and its ministry."673:5 Paul, Apollos, and, of course, Cephas were only servants of Ch...
• A warning against destroying the church 3:16-17
  This is perhaps the strongest warning in the New Testament against taking the church lightly and destroying it with the world's wisdom and division.3:16 The Corinthian church was a temple that God's Spirit indwelt. Paul was n...
• 7. The Corinthians' relationship with Paul 4:1-21
  The apostle now returned to the subject of himself and the other teachers of the Corinthians as servants of God. He did so to say more about what it means to be a servant of God. In this section he clarified the essential fea...
• Judging God's servants 4:1-5
  "The first paragraph (vv. 1-5) leads the way by making an application of the servant model and showing how that relates to their treatment of him [Paul]. He changes images from farm to household and insists that he is God'sse...
• A final appeal and exhortation 4:14-21
  Paul concluded this first major section of the epistle (1:10-4:21) by reasserting his apostolic authority, which had led to his correcting the Corinthians' shameful conduct and carnal theology. He changed the metaphor again a...
• B. Lack of discipline in the church chs. 5-6
  The second characteristic in the Corinthian church reported to Paul that he addressed concerned a lack of discipline (cf. Gal. 5:22-23). This section of the epistle has strong connections with the first major section. The lac...
• The reason participating in prostitution is wrong 6:18-20
  Sexual immorality is wrong, Paul concluded, because it involves sinning against one's body, which in the case of believers belongs to the Lord through divine purchase.6:18 In conclusion, believers should flee from fornication...
• A. Marriage and related matters ch. 7
  The first subject with which he dealt was marriage. He began with some general comments (vv. 1-7) and then dealt with specific situations."The transition from chapter 6 to chapter 7 illustrates the necessity Paul was under of...
• 2. The basic principle 7:17-24
  At this point Paul moved back from specific situations to basic principles his readers needed to keep in mind when thinking about marriage (cf. vv. 1-7). He drew his illustrations in this section from circumcision and slavery...
• The application of Israel's example 10:6-13
  Though idolatry was the cause of Israel's failure and the focus of Paul's warning to this church, four other evil characteristics of Israel also seem to have marked the Corinthians. These characteristics also resulted in the ...
• E. Spiritual gifts and spiritual people chs. 12-14
  Paul had been dealing with matters related to worship since 8:1. He had forbidden the Corinthians from participating in temple meals but had allowed eating marketplace meat under certain circumstances (8:1-11:1). Then he deal...
• 2. The need for varieties of spiritual gifts 12:4-31
  Paul planned to return to the subject of glossolalia (ch. 14), but first he wanted to talk more generally about spiritual gifts. In the verses that follow he dealt with differences in gifts in the church."Having given the neg...
• Diversity in the Godhead and the gifts 12:4-11
  12:4 Although there is only one Holy Spirit He gives many different abilities to different people. Everything in this pericope revolves around these two ideas. "Gifts"(Gr. charismata, from charismeaning "grace") are abilities...
• Bibliography
  Adams, Jay. Marriage, Divorce and Remarriage in the Bible. Phillipsburg, N.J.: Presbyterian and Reformed Publishing Co., 1980.Andrews, J. N. "May Women Speak in Meeting?"Review and Herald. January 2, 1879. Reprinted in Advent...
• The constraining love of Christ 5:11-15
  5:11 Respect for the Lord since He would be his judge (v. 10) motivated Paul to carry out his work of persuading people to believe the gospel. A healthy sense of our accountability to God should move us to fulfill our calling...
• A. The appointment of elders 1:5-9
  Paul began his instructions with these directions to emphasize the priority of setting qualified leaders over the affairs of the local churches (cf. Acts 6:3).1:5 Titus, like Timothy, served as the agent of an apostle with ap...