1 Corinthians: The Troubled Church

By Darrin Yeager

As you examine the often messed-up church remember problems in the church aren't new - they began early in church history. John the apostle in Revelation noted the state of the early church in chapters 2 and 3.

Instead of learning from the past and correcting its errors, churches often invent new methods of division, ruin its w

• Language: English
• Publisher: Frames of Reference LLC
• Release date: Nov 6, 2023
• ISBN: 9780983111771

Book preview

1 Corinthians

The Troubled Church

Darrin Yeager

Frames of Reference LLC

2023

Copyright © 2023 Darrin Yeager. All rights Reserved.

1 Corinthians

Copyright

Preface

Introduction

Trouble With Unity

Trouble With Wisdom

Trouble With Division and Carnality

Trouble With Pride and Stewardship

Trouble With Immorality

Trouble in Legal matters

Trouble In Marriage and Relationships

Trouble With Legalism

Trouble With Giving

Trouble with Overconfidence

Trouble with Order

Trouble with Spiritual Gifts

Trouble in Love

Trouble in Church Services

Trouble with the Resurrection

Trouble with Communication

Trouble with Fluff

Bibliography

Title Page

Cover

Table of Contents

Copyright

Copyright © 2023 Darrin Yeager

978-0-9831117-7-1

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form, known now or in the future, without written permission of the copyright owner, except for brief quotations in reviews or other materials. https://www.dyeager.org/

Unless otherwise noted, Bible passages are from the King James Version of the Bible.

Passages marked NKJV taken from the New King James Version of the Bible copyright ©1979, 1980, 1982 by Thomas Nelson Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked New Living Translation (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved.

31 27 09 20 03

Preface

T

he church at Corinth certainly

had their problems. As you look at the frequently messed-up church today remember these issues aren’t new — they started very early in church history. John the apostle as he wrote Revelation noted the sad state of the early church in chapters 2 and 3 of Revelation; the church began to go off the rails in the first century.

The sad part isn’t that the church has issues, as we’re all imperfect and make mistakes, no the truly sad part is not only does the church not work on learning from the past and attempting to repair its errors, the church invents new ways to create division, ruin their witness, and generally present a poor image of Christ.

Baptism, Bible translations, Calvinism — all are areas the church divides over, and have for centuries.

And at the dawn of the pandemic age (2020—2021) as COVID raged across the globe, some pastors and churches found those old issues weren’t enough to divide over and discovered they could create new divisions and strife in the pandemic age.

If you’ve wondered why and how the church focuses on everything but ministry, then Paul’s letter to the Corinthians at least reminds you you’re not alone — the church experienced divisions and lost focus in the first century.

The only thing we learn from history is the church fails to learn from history; Paul’s words remain as valuable today for the modern church as they did for the Corinthians.

Introduction

T

he church at Corinth certainly

endured many problems. Like many churches today, Corinth succumbed to a long list of problems, including:

Problems with unity.

Problems with pride.

Problems with divisions.

Problems in marriage (and divorce).

Problems with legalism.

Problems with spiritual gifts.

Problems with order.

Unfortunately, today’s church failed learning from Paul’s teaching 2,000 years ago as the list appears throughout history. Many Christians haven’t considered how their actions create hurdles and present a poor image of Christ as people outside the church do watch. How many souls will endure eternity in Hell due to the actions of Christians? That alone should change your outlook — and your actions.

The dawn of the pandemic era (2019–2021) found pastors falling anew into division and legalism. If you scanned news from the period, you watched pastors proudly and boldly abandon their mission for politics, lawsuits, and divisive behavior, walking away from the fruit of the spirit for the fruit of the flesh — hostility, quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, dissension, division… (Galatians 5 NLT).

If you’ve attended church long you’ve witnessed the stunning audacity of off-the-rails pastors’ ability to divide over stupid, non-doctrinal, non-important issues — you can substitute many other issues with the same result (baptism, Calvinism, translations, etc). Why pastors willfully and proudly abandon their post for politics might be the biggest mystery of the age, but certainly not new as Paul confronted divisive issues at Corinth.

The history of the church demonstrates it and its pastors never learn lessons of the past, and instead of repairing and repenting for past divisions, instead create new ones. Emo Phillips has been identified as the author of the following joke, and like most humor, it’s funny (and sad) because it’s so true.

Once I saw this guy on a bridge about to jump. I said, Don’t do it!

He said, Nobody loves me.

I said, God loves you. Do you believe in God?

He said, Yes. I said, Are you a Christian or a Jew?

He said, A Christian. I said, Me, too! Protestant or Catholic?

He said, Protestant. I said, Me, too! What franchise?

He said, Baptist. I said, "Me, too!

Northern Baptist or Southern Baptist? He said, Northern Baptist. I said, Me, too!

Northern Conservative Baptist or Northern Liberal Baptist? He said, Northern Conservative Baptist. I said, Me, too!

Northern Conservative Baptist Great Lakes Region, or Northern Conservative Baptist Eastern Region? He said, Northern Conservative Baptist Great Lakes Region. I said, Me, too!"

Northern Conservative Baptist Great Lakes Region Council of 1879, or Northern Conservative Baptist Great Lakes Region Council of 1912? He said, Northern Conservative Baptist Great Lakes Region Council of 1912.

I said, Die, heretic! And I pushed him over.

The dawn of the pandemic age proved again the church and its leaders continue adding to the list they enjoy dividing over (though they probably won’t admit it). Clearly pastors haven’t learned from either the past, or Paul’s letter to Corinth.

Pastor Greg Locke told members at Global Vision Bible Church in Mount Juliet he will ask anyone with a mask to leave … If they go through round two and you start showing up (with) all these masks and all this nonsense, I will ask you to leave, Locke said during a service on Sunday. I will ask you to leave. I am not playing these Democrat games up in this church. 1

Why be so divisive over political issues? Asking people holding certain political affiliations or those following healthcare regulations to leave? Jesus laid out two principals in Matthew 22:36 which should govern relationships.

Master, which is the great commandment in the law? Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.

Love God.

Treat people nice (so-called Golden Rule).

It’s obvious (and unquestionable) church leadership stumbled wildly out of order throughout history. How you say? Well, assuming we agree on one thing (the Bible is the authoritative Word of God), Paul writes clearly:

When you follow the desires of your sinful nature, the results are very clear: sexual immorality, impurity, lustful pleasures, idolatry, sorcery, hostility, quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, dissension, division… (Galatians 5:19–20 NLT)

Kicking people out of the church over non-doctrinal political issues is divisive and hostile. Arguing and shaming people is hostility. Yelling at those is outbursts of anger. Failure to admit mistakes is self-worship (from of idolatry), pride, and arrogance (as well as failure of leadership). Promoting personal politics over ministry is selfish ambition.

It’s clear many follow that list, almost as if it’s a recipe. And it is … for what not to do. What should the church do instead? Again, Paul writes:

But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. … (Galatians 5:22–23 NLT)

Notice the but used, meaning those following the previous list do not submit to the Holy Spirit, so pastors prioritizing politics aren’t people to emulate or follow.

A voice chimes in from back of the room … but these are super-important issues and if people don’t follow them they’re not really Christians. Sorry, they’re not that important; Jesus provided an example for us to follow on political issues (as well as following the law, an issue Paul detailed in Romans 13).

And when they were come to Capernaum, they that received tribute money came to Peter, and said, Doth not your master pay tribute?

He saith, Yes.

And when he was come into the house, Jesus spoke to him first, saying, What thinkest thou, Simon? Of whom do the kings of the earth take custom or tribute? Of their own sons, or of strangers?

Peter saith unto him, Of strangers.

Jesus saith unto him, Then are the sons free. Notwithstanding, lest we should offend them, go thou to the sea, and cast an hook, and take up the fish that first cometh up; and when thou hast opened his mouth, thou shalt find a piece of money: that take, and give unto them for me and thee. (Matthew 17:24–27)

Jesus wasn’t required to pay the tax, but He did. Why? To avoid offending anyone. Taxes represent minor issues unrelated to the church or its mission, and even if someone is technically correct, it’s a rock better left unturned. Pastors must learn — no reason exists to be divisive for political or personal reasons. Keep the focus on the Gospel, not politics.

What often happens in the church? The Pharisees provide an example of what not to do.

Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For ye compass sea and land to make one proselyte, and when he is made, ye make him twofold more the child of hell than yourselves. (Matthew 23:15)

The modern church — yes, we’re all about reaching the lost and ministry, but when we do, if you don’t use this translation, hold that doctrinal position, or cling to certain political dogma, you’re not welcome anymore.

Christians must never compromise truth, but don’t major in minors either. As those outside the church notice chaos internally — represented by Corinth and repeated throughout history — what do they think? Has the church represented Christ? Or majored in division over trivial doctrine, politics, or personal issues?

Paul begins his letter stating the problem, and ends with the solution (with considerable specific guidance in between).

Now I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you; but that ye be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment. For it hath been declared unto me of you, my brethren, by them which are of the house of Chloe, that there are contentions among you. Now this I say, that every one of you saith, I am of Paul; and I of Apollos; and I of Cephas; and I of Christ. Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Or were ye baptized in the name of Paul? (1 Corinthians 1:10–13)

How many of you have attended a church divided similarly over trivial issues? It’s not a new problem, but the dawn of the pandemic age added to the list of divisive behavior and the problem grows exponentially worse. After many chapters of specific issues, Paul provides the general solution:

For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures. (1 Corinthians 15:3–4)

Divisions over trivial issues, that’s the problem; focusing on the Gospel instead of politics or trivial doctrinal issues illuminates the path to the way out. Christ died for our sins. Was buried. And rose again … according to the scriptures. That’s it. If you accept that not much remains on the have-to-accept list.

It’s not arguing over baptism.

It’s not who uses a certain Bible translation.

It’s not Calvinism or Arminianism (aka free will versus predestination).

It’s not pre-trib, post-trib, or mid-trib.

It’s not screeching tyranny and persecution over healthcare safety during a pandemic.

It’s not the day the church meets on, or the methods it uses to do so (i.e virtual web conferences versus in-person meeting).

Each of those may have a right answer, but should the church exclude and divide over minor issues? Or unite behind the Gospel? How did Jesus respond to minor political issues?

Paul warned the Galatians about messing around with alternative gospels:

I am shocked that you are turning away so soon from God, who called you to himself through the loving mercy of Christ. You are following a different way that pretends to be the Good News but is not the Good News at all. You are being fooled by those who deliberately twist the truth concerning Christ. (Galatians 1:6–7 NLT)

The Gospel isn’t promoting lawlessness (we won’t follow health protections), displaying hyper-legalism over when and how the church meets, translations, petty doctrinal differences, or anything else, and those choosing to divide fellowship over those are undeniably in error, destroy their witness, and … well … look silly while doing all of it.

Examine Paul’s correction of the Corinthian church and consider if today’s church displays many of these issues. While no church can be perfect, if divisiveness, hostility, and arrogance are openly (and many times proudly) on display, do you wonder why some would prefer eternity in Hell than step foot in a church?

It’s time for the church to examine itself, presenting truth to the world while avoiding hypocrisy and an appalling ability to concentrate on everything but the Gospel. Paul literally wrote the book on the troubled church; if more pastors focused on the Gospel and ministry instead of petty non-doctrinal issues, perhaps people might notice a better view of the church, Christians, and by extension, Christ.

---

Miranda, G. (2021)↩︎

Trouble With Unity

C

orinth held a strategic location

on a narrow piece of land between two seas. Instead of traveling the long way around the ocean, ships came to Corinth to be picked up and moved over land the few miles to the other sea. If the ship could not be moved, unloaded cargo was transported to another vessel on the other side. As an important port for commerce, Corinth became prosperous.

But it also became known for its debauchery, so much the phrases to Corinthianize or act like a Corinthian became synonymous in language with debauchery (a feat in pagan Greek culture worshiping many gods).

Corinth contained temples of Aphrodite, Poseidon, and others, where ritual prostitution was the norm. It wasn’t an area you wanted to be in if high moral character was your goal (think of San Francisco and Las Vegas combined). Today, San Francisco represents an area pushing the limits of acceptable behavior — and proud of it, as Isaiah warns.

Woe unto them who draw iniquity with cords of vanity, and sin as it were with a cart rope. (Isaiah 5:18)

They’re proud of their debauchery and want everyone to know it, so hold a parade and celebrate it! That’s the attitude of Corinth. The idea sin is no longer sin, and everyone does what is right for themselves (ideas not working out in the time of the judges, what makes us believe it will work better today?). It’s in this cesspool the church at Corinth existed.

Paul’s first visit to Corinth appears in Acts 18. As usual he went first to the Synagogue, but they were less than receptive, so he set up shop next door. After two years Paul leaves for Ephesus, where he writes his first letter to the church at Corinth; a letter we don’t have.

Scholars call this the previous letter, as it’s alluded to in a few places in letters we do have. Paul receives bad news, prompting a second letter in AD 56 (what we know as 1 Corinthians), visits Corinth again, writes a third letter (the severe letter) we don’t have, and then a fourth letter we call 2 Corinthians, paying the church a final visit; Paul invested considerable time in these people, knew them well, and attempted to help them, and today’s church should continue to learn from Paul’s instruction

Why don’t we have the missing letters? Many people debate why this book or that book is or is not included in the Bible. Those arguments waste time — God preserved everything He wanted us to have. It’s that simple. Arguments over why recently discovered books aren’t included are unproductive, as God collected what He wanted to preserve for us; nothing more is needed, nothing needed is missing.

Paul reprimands them as they became too much like the environment they found themselves in. As we journey through the letter, you’ll see they displayed problems in almost every area — divisions, spiritual gifts, marriage, divorce, legal matters, communion, and more.

Christians should change the world, not the other way around; be careful melding Christian ideas with the world’s philosophy. A popular theme today calls for the church to change to remain relevant. Huh? If God is God, don’t you think He knew what circumstances would exist today when He inspired authors to write? God’s Word doesn’t change, because it doesn’t need to.

The Church at Corinth existed as a troubled and carnal church, but this letter contains practical information, covering divisions, spiritual gifts, communion, marriage, divorce, legal issues, Christian liberty and more. It’s not heavy with theology, it’s practical counsel designed to put out fires. It’s not hard theology (Romans) or prophecy (Daniel), it’s hard (and uncomfortable) because it’s clear; severe problems require severe correction.

Through all Paul doesn’t challenge their salvation. He corrects and provides new instruction, but never says their salvation is in danger. Groups make the case if you’re not living a pure life (whatever that means) or of a certain political party or view you’re not saved (a form of legalism) or can’t fellowship with certain groups. But it’s not for us to judge, and even in troubled churches like Corinth, Paul doesn’t imply they’ve lost their salvation. It’s possible to be carnal, worldly, and unproductive — but still saved. While outward indications may be a sign of the inner condition, they are not always a sign.

Paul, called to be an apostle of Jesus Christ through the will of God, and Sosthenes our brother (1 Corinthians 1:1)

To be isn’t in the original, it’s added by the translators. It reads Paul, called an apostle. Who did the calling? God. What are you called