Series: Christians Gone Wild
Text: 1 Cor. 1:10; 18; 22-27
Metaphor: Lordship

Summary:
The city of Corinth was embedded in a culture of craziness and excess where one could have a religious experience worshipping all of the pleasures in life, sex, wine, wealth – whatever.  Paul decides that this would be the perfect place to start a church.  But before long, the culture of Corinth seeps into the church at Corinth and Paul has to write a giant, smack down sermon pointing out their sin and pointing them back to Jesus, thus 1st, 2nd (as well as 3rd and 4th that we don’t have) Corinthians.

In the first chapter Paul points out that the underlying issue in all of their problems – which ranged from sexual craziness like wife swapping, to marriages that were eroding, lawsuits, and political factions in the church –was that these young Christians were still being influenced by their old allegiances.  That is, they were trying to have it both ways: follow Jesus and live for their old “Lords” like sex, greed, feel good philosophies, and personal politics.

The issue that needed to be settled was this: who is your Lord?  Is it Jesus or is it some of this other junk?  Because if it is Jesus, then certain things need to start changing.

Paul concedes that following Jesus is not the sexiest path or most marketable message.  After all, who wants to follow a dude who dies on a cross?  But while Jesus might not be a sexy Lord, he is the saving Lord.  Yes, the cross may look weak and the gospel may seem unattractive to some, but it is, in fact, the most powerful and potent reality in the world.  Because the cross bring forgiveness and eternity and the gospel brings a new purpose to living – getting the focus off yourself and onto where it belongs, being obedient to God and serving your neighbor.

To prove that Jesus is the best Lord, Paul reminds them of who they used to be before meeting Jesus.  That is, they were riddled with sin, soaked with doubt, wandering without purpose and now, they are just the opposite.  Proving that unlike every other lord you can follow or live for in life, Jesus is the only lord that does not demand or leave you let down, but pours mercy and grace upon messed up people.  Thus, you are – with your past, your journey – living proof that Jesus is the best of all lords to love and be led by.

Just as our friends in Corinth, we too must take up the call to become mature in our faith and push out the remnants of old idols that beg for our attention or strive to shape how we see the world and live in the world.  Following Jesus – as a faithful person, a faithful church – means settling the issue, at the dawn of every day, as to who will be your Lord.

————-

Notes:

Who would make a really cool Lord?

• Oprah would make a great Lord: She’d give away free cars and we’d all be in touch with our feelings.
• Right Wing Politics would make a great Lord – made up of the Holy Trinity of Rush, W, and Pat Buchanan.  Rather than go to church we could all just sit at home and watch Fox News.
• My boss makes a great Lord: He can help me climb the ladder.
• My wife would make a great Lord; because when I worship her, all is well in the world.
• Yet, none of those Lord can do what Jesus can: forgive.

Corinth:

• Situated on a narrow isthmus, 4.5 miles wide
• Possessed two large harbors
• Rather than sail in the dangerous waters around the peninsula merchants could have smaller ships placed on wheeled platforms and dragged through Corinth to the other side of the city.
• Thus the city was a wealthy harbor town, lots of people, lots of trade, lots of money.
• Estimates in population run from 100k to 250k
• Important center of Roman culture

Morality:

• The name of the city itself became synonymous with sexual craziness.  So much so, that it became a verb meaning sexual craziness.
• It was a center for prostitution, under the guise of religion.  The temple of Aphrodite employed by one estimate 1k temple prostitutes.  There were 3 temples to Aphrodite in all in the city.
• “Clearly, her beauties, her passions, and her erotic pleasures attract many, as all are bound by pleasure, and all alike are kindled by her to find love, passion, companionship, and allurements.  She beguiles their spirit and the wits from them…with the enchantments of the goddess, for clearly this is Aphrodite’s city.”  Aristeides – author, mid second century

Paul’s list of their vices: (1 Cor. 6:9-10; Rom. 1:18-32)

• Random sex
• Idolatry
• Homosexuality
• Theft
• Greed
• Lying
• Drunkenness
• Murder
• Gossip
• Arrogance
• Pride
• General disrespect and disobedience

Religion:

• In 21st century culture we can relate to Corinth in that we hear a constant call to individualism reminiscent of stoicism, which proclaimed the need for autonomy, independence, self-fulfillment, and putting oneself first, being in charge and in control of one’s life.
• Paul challenges them (us) with the idea that true fulfillment is found only though loving, self-sacrificing fellowship with others – with Christ and Christ’s people. (1 Cor. 1:9)

Corinthian church:

• Young church – made up of mostly former pagans, no Jewish or Christian background whatsoever.
• Paul calls them spiritually immature, that is why he has to write this letter
• Word has gotten back to him about a series of problems in the young church, and one group even writes him with a series of issues and questions to address and answer.
• They had grown up in and in many cases moved to and chosen to live in this pagan culture and now, having met Christ, we have to create a new Jesus-centered culture.

In Paul’s day, philosophers were as popular as rock stars are today, and they had their own groupies who bought their t-shirts, subscribed to their podcasts, and hated the other stars with all of the animosity of the East Coast vs. West Coast hip-hop feud. The Corinthians carried this same immaturity into their Christian faith and Paul identified it as the underlying cause of so much of the trouble in the church (1 Corinthians 1:11–12).

The underlying problem with the Corinthian church is that they became so focused on themselves, their sinful desires, and their confused culture that they lost sight of the primacy of Jesus. Therefore, Paul reminds them of Jesus nine times in his opening nine verses because the only hope for their church and every church to survive and thrive is to never deviate from sincere and focused devotion to the living Jesus who leads God’s people.