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Scripture Reading: 1 Cor. 1:2, 7, 9, 1:12-13, 23-24, 30; 3:1-3, 9, 3:12, 15; 2:14-15; 5:1, 5:7; 6:7; 7:32; 9:1, 4-5, 9:24; 10:3-4, 10:17, 23; 11:3, 29; 12:12-13; 15:3-4, 54; 16:1-2
First Corinthians is composed of basic principles and a number of cases. In order to know its real content and insight, we must first grasp its principles and then see its cases, which illustrate the principles in many ways. There are eleven cases in this book, and in addition to the main principles and cases, there are several secondary principles.
As we examine the cases in this book, we must keep the main principles in mind. As we saw in the previous chapter, the first principle is Christ on the positive side and the cross to deal with the negative things. In the church life these two matters are very basic. If we do not have a vision from God that Christ is everything, it is very difficult to understand what the real meaning of the Christian walk and church life are. Christ Himself is the reality, center, and central vision of our Christian walk and church life. He is the portion to us from God.
God does not intend to give us anything other than Christ. If God has given us other things, those things are not for themselves; they are for us to realize Christ. All things, such as forms, knowledge, gifts, and functions, are to help us realize Christ, know Christ, partake of Christ, apply Christ, and experience Christ. God’s intention is to give us Christ as our full portion. Christ is both theirs and ours (1:2), and we have been called into the fellowship, that is, the participation, of Christ (v. 9). Moreover, God has made Christ wisdom to us, including righteousness for our past, sanctification for the present, and redemption for the future (v. 30). In God’s salvation, purpose, and plan Christ is everything to us as power and wisdom (v. 24). Now we must learn to know Him in such a way. In our daily walk and in the church life we must learn how to apply Christ as everything and to experience Him. This is on the positive side.
On the other side, there are many negative matters. Sin, self, the natural life, the old man, the worldly things, Satan, and darkness all must be dealt with by the cross. Christ is not Christ only; He is “Christ crucified” (v. 23), that is, Christ with the cross. To experience Christ today, there must be the application of His cross. His cross is the only way to prepare the ground for Him to be everything to us. In order to experience Him, apply Him, and take Him as everything, we must experience the cross of Christ to deal with all the negative things.
The first main principle in this book is Christ and the cross. After Paul gives us a general sketch of the Christian life in Romans, he gives us the book of 1 Corinthians to show us the main principles for the life and walk of the universal man — Christ with His Body. This Body of this universal man must realize how to take Christ as everything on the positive side and how to experience the cross daily on the negative side.
The second principle in this book is that no matter how many gifts and how much knowledge we may have received, we are still infants and fleshly if we do not know how to experience Christ with His cross (v. 7; 3:1-3). This is a serious matter, which is made very clear in this book. This is also contrary to the concepts in Christianity today. Many in Christianity insist that what we need are gifts, knowledge, doctrines, and teaching. However, in this book the apostle Paul tells us clearly that regardless of how much knowledge and how many gifts we have, even if we do not lack in any gift and have all knowledge, we are fleshly and infants in Christ if we do not realize how to experience Christ and His cross. This principle must be impressed into us.
In recent years I have been fighting the battle for this principle. I have met many people who have doctrines and teachings in their mentality, and I have met many so-called gifted persons. I also have seen many strange things and many healings. By these I realize that what the apostle Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians is one hundred percent true. People may have much knowledge and many gifts yet still not know how to experience Christ in their daily walk, apply Christ in their church life, and apply the cross in their daily affairs. Regrettably, such persons are still childish, shallow, and on many occasions fleshly.
Although knowledge and gifts help to some extent, the church life and our daily walk are not a matter of knowledge or gifts but a matter of the real and practical experience of Christ under the working of the cross. We all must learn this and pay our full attention to this. If we experience Christ under the working of the cross in such a way, we will be progressively equipped with the proper and adequate knowledge, and whatever kind of gifts we need will be measured to us by God. There is no need for us to covet knowledge and the gifts; we must simply experience Christ under the work of the cross. God, the sovereign One, knows how much knowledge we need and what kind of gifts we need. He will measure a certain amount of knowledge and certain gifts to us to meet the need. This is the proper way to have knowledge and gifts.
In the New Testament there is the record of at least one church that stressed knowledge and gifts more than the real experience of Christ and the cross. They were too much ahead in knowledge and in the gifts. This is why the second main principle is set forth in this book.
Third, a regenerated person can be one of four kinds of Christians. He can be a spiritual man, a soulish or natural man, a fleshly man, or a fleshy man who is like an animal with no shame or feeling. This book gives us many illustrations to show us what a spiritual, soulish, fleshly, or fleshy man is. First Corinthians records all four kinds of people. By his writings, the apostle Paul is spontaneously manifested as a spiritual man. He did not boast in himself, but in order to know the history of this apostle, we must read 1 and 2 Corinthians. These two books may be considered Paul’s autobiography, depicting what kind of person he is. His motive, his intention, his character, his real being, his activities, and his heavenly and spiritual ambition are all portrayed here. Therefore, at least one person in this book, the apostle Paul, is a spiritual person. In this book there are also soulish people, exercising their mentality, reasonings, and knowledge to try to realize the spiritual things. In addition, there are also many fleshly believers in this book, and there are at least a few who are fleshy, as illustrated in chapters 5 and 6.
We must keep the above three main principles in mind when we come to the cases in this book. Then we will understand this book easily and in the proper way.
With these three main principles in view, we can now consider each of the cases. The first case is the problem of division and sects (1:10—4:21). Some in Corinth said that they were of Paul, others were of Apollos, others were of Cephas, and others even claimed that they were of Christ (1:12). These were divisions or sects that arose from the flesh, because their flesh had not been dealt with. Their flesh lacked the real working of the cross. To say, “I am of Paul” proves that a person is fleshly, that there is no mark of the cross on this person. If the cross is applied to our flesh, we will never say that we are of Paul or of anyone else.
On the negative side, the flesh has to be dealt with, and on the positive side, we must know that Christ is not divided. Verse 13 asks, “Is Christ divided?” If we know Christ, apply Christ, and experience Christ, we will realize that He is one. Not only so, but because the Head is one, the Body is also one. Christ is one, and the church is one. To be sure, if we know Christ, we will know the oneness of the Body. Why are there many divisions today? It is simply due to the fact that people do not know Christ on the positive side and do not experience the cross on the negative side. If we know Christ and apply the cross to our flesh, there will be no divisions. Spontaneously, we will realize the reality of the oneness of the Body of Christ. Therefore, the principle that governs the first case is Christ and the cross.
The second case is that of a person who was not only fleshly but fleshy (5:1-13). According to the record of chapters 5 and 6, the fleshy cases were of several shameful kinds. Although they are mentioned in the Word of God, they are not pleasant to read. No doubt, people can be so fleshy because they neglect the experience of Christ, and they forfeit the experience of applying the cross to their flesh. We cannot be fleshy if we are truly under the work of the cross and experiencing Christ.
The next case recorded in this book concerns a lawsuit, in which brothers took one another to the law (6:1-11). It is a shame for brothers to go to court to sue one another. Verse 7 says, “Already then it is altogether a defeat to you that you have lawsuits with one another. Why not rather be wronged? Why not rather be defrauded?” This is the teaching of the cross. Even if a brother defrauds us, we should be willing to suffer loss and take the experience of the cross. We should not lose the experience of the cross by filing a lawsuit. We may win the case and gain some material things, but we will lose the precious experience of the cross. We should choose to suffer and experience the cross rather than to gain from a lawsuit. This is the practical experience of the cross.
We may talk about the cross, but one day a brother may defraud us. Should we go to court and sue him? This is not the proper way. The proper way is to suffer the loss by being defrauded. Although we may suffer the loss of material things, we experience the cross and gain Christ. This is more precious, and in this way we give glory to God. However, if we go to court, that is a real shame to the Lord’s name. Those Corinthian brothers went to the law because they neglected the experience of Christ and His cross. If they had applied the first principle, the principle of Christ and the cross, there would have been no lawsuit.
The fourth case dealt with by this Epistle is the abuse of freedom in foods and in the body (vv. 12-20). In dealing with this problem, Paul tells the Corinthians that our bodies are members of Christ (v. 15), we are one spirit with the Lord (v. 17), and our body is a temple of the Holy Spirit (v. 19).
The fifth case in this book deals with marriage life (7:1-40). In the entire sixty-six books of the Bible there is no other chapter that deals with marriage as clearly and inclusively as this chapter. If we read this portion carefully, we will see that the same basic principle applies to marriage. Without Christ and His cross no problems with marriage can ever be settled. Even if we could settle a problem, it would not be in a proper way. Similarly, whether one marries or does not marry can only be settled by experiencing Christ and the cross. We must apply the cross to ourselves and take Christ as our life even in the matter of marriage. Then we will be clear how to solve the problems.
This is why we emphasize that in reading these chapters, we must realize and apply the principle behind them. Then we can be clear about what they mean. For example, verse 32 says, “The unmarried cares for the things of the Lord, how he may please the Lord.” This is an experience of Christ and the cross. If we experience Christ and the cross, we will know how to please the Lord in the matter of marriage. Whether or not we marry, whom we marry, and how to maintain our marriage life all depend on how we please the Lord by experiencing Christ and His cross.
The sixth case is concerned with the matter of eating (8:1—11:1). The case of division is fleshly, and the cases in chapters 5 and 6 are fleshy. The case in chapters 8 through 10, however, is both fleshy and fleshly. This kind of eating has much to do with the flesh. There were two kinds of believers who had no consideration for others in the matter of eating. Certain believers were addicted to their way of eating, so no doubt they were fleshy. Others, however, were not fleshy but strong in their conscience. They did not care what foods they ate, but neither did they care for the conscience of the weaker ones. They acted independently and thus became fleshly. If we read these chapters carefully, we will see that they deal more with the fleshly aspect of eating.
Some in Corinth were debating about the matter of eating not because they were addicted to a certain way of eating but because of the problem of the conscience. Some believers who were not strong in their conscience felt that food sacrificed to idols had something to do with idol worship and that if they ate it, they would share in the idols. Although this is a good thought, it is according to a weak conscience. Others were strong concerning eating, but they were careless about others’ feelings. It is as if they said, “Idols mean nothing. All things were created by God for us. Even if the food is sacrificed to the idols, it is still good for us to eat.” Toward themselves they were right, but toward others they were careless because they were fleshly. They insisted on eating without caring for others’ weak conscience, so they stumbled the weaker ones. Although they had the right to eat, they should have taken care of others.
Therefore, chapter 9 follows chapter 8 to present the apostle Paul as an example. Although he had the right to do many lawful things, yet for others’ sake, he would not use those rights (vv. 1, 4-5). This is an example to those believers who, though they are strong in their conscience and have the right to eat things offered to idols, need to take care of others.
In the case of eating sacrifices to idols, the first principle of this book is again needed. We need to experience Christ and His cross. To experience the cross is to deal not only with wrong and negative things but also with lawful things, right things, and even our own rights. It was right for certain ones to eat food offered to the idols, and they had the right to do it. Idols mean nothing, and all of those foods were created by God as something good to eat. Moreover, in denying the significance of the idols, they seemed to be eating for the glory of God. Nevertheless, we must learn how to experience the cross even in dealing with lawful things so that we may take care of others.
This is a deeper experience of the cross. We may have the thought that the experience of the cross is mainly to deal with wrong things, wrong attitudes, and other wrong matters. However, this case is an illustration showing us that although we have the full legal right to do certain things, we need to take the dealing of the cross for others’ sake.
In this case as well as in the others, the apostle Paul cared for the building up of the Body (10:17, 23). Although we have the right to do many lawful things, we need to take care of the building up of the Body and the members of the Body. We should not do anything to damage the building up of the Body or the relationships between the members. In this light, the meaning of this case is very transparent.
The seventh case found in 1 Corinthians involves the matter of head covering (11:2-16). The problem of head covering is a debate not only of today; it was there already in the first century.
Head covering is related to the headship, the lordship, of Christ in the universe. Verse 3 says, “I want you to know that Christ is the head of every man, and the man is the head of the woman, and God is the head of Christ.” Therefore, there is the need of the woman to have her head covered. Here again we must apply the first principle of this book. The only ones who are willing to cover their head are those who know how to experience the cross to deal with their self and how to take Christ as everything to be their Head. Covering the head is a matter of experiencing Christ as the Head. This includes taking Christ as life and everything and experiencing the cross.
The best way to help people realize the real meaning of head covering is to help them to experience Christ as life, as the Head, and as everything. It is also to help them to realize the real experience of the cross in order to deal with the natural man and the self. If we are able to help the saints in these two matters, the sisters will be not only willing but also obliged to cover their heads, especially when they pray. However, we must give people the full liberty. On the one hand, we should not be “Pharisees” or make others to be “Pharisees,” and on the other hand, we should not lower the standard.
The next case in 1 Corinthians concerns the Lord’s supper (11:17-34). The case of head covering concerns the Head (v. 3), and the Lord’s supper (the Lord’s table) concerns the Body. In this way, chapter 11 deals with the universal man — the Head and the Body. In principle, we all have to be right with the Head, and we also must be right with the Body. If we are wrong with the Lord’s supper, we are wrong with the Body because we do not discern the body (v. 29).
The loaf on the table has two meanings. The Lord’s supper is for the remembrance of the Lord Himself. Therefore, at the Lord’s supper the loaf signifies the Lord’s physical body crucified on the cross for our redemption. We view the loaf in remembrance of the Lord Himself. The Lord’s table, however, is for the communion, the fellowship, of the saints; it is the Lord’s feast for the fellowship of the Body. Verse 16 of chapter 10 says, “The bread which we break, is it not the fellowship of the body of Christ?” and verse 17 says, “We who are many are one Body.” While we fellowship with one another around the Lord’s table, we view the loaf as the symbol of the universal, mystical Body of Christ, which is the church (Eph. 4:4). Thus, one aspect of the loaf is for the remembrance of the Lord Himself, and the other aspect is for fellowship with all the saints in the one mystical Body.
Therefore, to discern the body in 1 Corinthians 11:29 has two meanings. Whenever we come to partake of the loaf, we must discern that it is not something ordinary, because it symbolizes the Lord’s body crucified for us on the cross. We should not partake of it as we would an ordinary piece of bread in the morning. Rather, we should partake of it with reverence. Moreover, we must also discern the universal, mystical Body of Christ. This is why we should not partake of the “communion” in the denominations, because they are divisions. To partake of their “communion” is to partake of their division. That is not the Lord’s table but a table of division. The Lord’s table must be on the proper ground, representing not a sect or denomination but the Body.
Although there may be a “communion” in a denominational church with thousands of members who are all genuinely saved, that table still does not represent the one Body. Rather, it represents the Lutheran, Presbyterian, or Baptist denomination. Regardless of how large their membership is, it still represents that denomination. On the contrary, if there are only three or four brothers standing on the ground of oneness, representing the Body, what they have is the proper Lord’s table in the discernment of the Body. This is the proper meaning of discern the body in 11:29.
We must have a proper relationship with the Head and the Body. The matter of head covering ensures that we have a right relationship with the Head, and the Lord’s table keeps us in a right relationship with the Lord’s Body. Today many Christians pay attention to the remembrance of the Lord, but they neglect and even oppose the matter of the Body. Therefore, their table does not represent the Body; it represents their denomination. This nullifies this whole portion of 1 Corinthians; the headship is gone, and the Body is gone. This is the subtle will of the devil, the enemy of God. May the Lord be merciful to us. We must be humble to submit ourselves to His headship and be submissive to the Body; that is, we must be right with the Head and with the Body. We can do this only by experiencing Christ and taking the cross.
The ninth case Paul dealt with in 1 Corinthians is the exercise of the gifts (12:1—14:40). Even the spiritual gifts can be a problem to the Body of Christ. It all depends on how we exercise these gifts.
First, we need to realize that all the spiritual gifts and the exercise of the gifts must be for the Body. First Corinthians 12:12 says, “Even as the body is one and has many members, yet all the members of the body, being many, are one body, so also is the Christ.” All the gifts with their functions and exercise must be for the Body. Moreover, we should realize that not only is the Head Christ but the Body also is Christ. Following this, verse 13 says, “For also in one Spirit we were all baptized into one Body, whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free.” This tells us that all the gifts from the Holy Spirit are for the Body. Regrettably, however, the gifts today often distract believers from the Body rather than build up the Body. What should be used for building becomes a distraction; this is wrong. The more we have the gifts, function with the gifts, and exercise the gifts, the more we need to build up the Body. All the believers must be focused on the Body. We should not distract any member from the Body by using our gift.
The best way for us to exercise the gifts is in the way of love (13:1-13). Love is the best, excellent way. Real love is Christ with the cross. In order to exercise the genuine love toward others, we must experience Christ with the cross. Our self has to be dealt with, and we must take Christ as everything. Then we will know how to love others. Even with the exercise of the gifts, we may not have love. On the contrary, instead of loving others, we may simply speak in tongues every day with no concern for others. If we read chapters 12 through 14 carefully, we will see that the intention of the writer is that we would prefer to have love rather than to exercise the gifts. If our exercise of spiritual gifts does not build up others or profit others, we should be willing to drop the gifts and exercise our love toward others. This is the best way for us to exercise our gifts, because their purpose is to build up the Body. If our exercise of the gifts does not fulfill this purpose, we should be willing to drop them. If love builds up others more than gifts do, we should exercise love rather than the gifts.
Here again we must apply the first principle of this book. The person who has the gifts must be dealt with. Then he will have the best way to exercise the gifts, which is love. This love, no doubt, is Christ with the experience of the cross.
The tenth case involves the matter of resurrection (15:1-58). It is surprising that even a real Christian would not believe that there is a resurrection. These were not “modernists”; the Corinthians were genuine Christians, but among them there were some who did not believe in the fact of resurrection. This case is related to the third principle in this book, the principle of being spiritual, soulish, or fleshly. These few were soulish persons because they tried to reason concerning the resurrection by their mental understanding. We cannot understand spiritual things with our mentality, our soulish mind; if we try to, we are soulish.
In this chapter there is a spiritual and heavenly revelation that not only confirms the resurrection but reveals the ultimate consummation of the Body of Christ. The ultimate consummation of the Body of Christ will transpire on the day Christ returns, and life swallows up death (v. 54). Here, therefore, it is not only a matter of resurrection but a matter of life swallowing up death. At that time the Body of Christ will be in its full consummation, testifying what Christ is and how much He is.
The last case dealt with by Paul in 1 Corinthians is the case of giving and receiving material possessions (16:1-9). The matter of giving and receiving material things is very practical. Our Christian life and church service must be filled with giving and receiving. We should not store up for ourselves all the things we receive from God. Rather, we must give to others, passing on what we have and caring for others. If we are not this kind of believer, we are wrong. If with regard to material possessions we are defeated, we are not spiritual believers but fleshly or soulish. If the Lord would give us a certain amount of money, we should give to others to take care of the Body. Even giving and receiving is a matter of the Body life.
In dealing with material possessions, we must learn to pray, seek the Lord’s guidance, and take care of the situation in the Body and of the saints’ needs. We must be concerned for the Lord’s children and His Body to the extent that if we receive a certain amount of money, we would give some to others and then spend the rest, not for ourselves but for the Body.
According to verse 2, we should offer our gifts on the first day of the week. This is the eighth day, which signifies resurrection. That we make our offering on the day of resurrection indicates that our giving should be done in resurrection. We should not offer in an old way but in a new way. We should not offer in the principle of the seventh day, which represents the old creation, but in the principle of the first day, which symbolizes the newness of resurrection. Even if we give something on the Lord’s Day, in the sight of God it still may not be in the principle of the Lord’s Day. It may be something of the first day of the old week, in waste, emptiness, and darkness (Gen. 1:2). There may be no life or light in that giving. This is to add “honey” to our offerings, which is the sweetness of the flesh and of our old nature in our friendliness with others. This is wrong. We must offer whatever the Lord gives as a surplus in material things in the way of resurrection. The flesh and the old creation must be thoroughly dealt with.
Sometimes we may pass on good things to our intimate relatives in order to meet a particular need. Although this may be according to the guidance of the Lord, there may be no imparting of life. Rather, we should be willing to give our surplus to the co-workers, to the Lord’s servants, and to the Lord’s people with whom we have no relationship in the flesh, but with whom there is a real relationship in the Body. We give to others not because we love them in a natural way or out of a friendship or relationship but because of the Lord’s burden, interest, and work. We give not in the old creation but in the new creation, not on the seventh day but on the eighth day. In principle, we give on the Lord’s Day.
Here again, even in the matter of giving and receiving, our self must be dealt with by the cross. We must give all the ground to Christ and give all the praise to Him as our Head. Then our giving will be done in the proper way. Of course, literally speaking, the Christians in the ancient time came together on the Lord’s Day to meet. This is the literal meaning of the Lord’s Day, but there is a spiritual meaning as well, which is that we do nothing in the way of old religion.
In the foregoing eleven cases, there are spiritual persons, soulish persons, fleshly persons, and fleshy persons. We can apply these four conditions to all the persons in this book.
There are also some principles in 1 Corinthians that are important but secondary, comparatively speaking. First, this book gives us a picture of the real condition of the believers. It is very similar to that of the people of Israel in the Old Testament. According to the history of the Jews, they were saved by the Passover in Egypt, delivered out of Egypt, and brought into the wilderness. After wandering in the wilderness, they were commanded to press on into the good land of Canaan. The history of the people of Israel is repeated in 1 Corinthians. In chapter 5 the Corinthians enjoyed Christ as their Passover (v. 7). Now we, like they, are enjoying the Feast of Unleavened Bread, so we must purge out the old leaven.
Chapter 10 again records that the Corinthians were the same as the people of Israel. They enjoyed the Passover, were delivered from Egypt, and were brought into the wilderness. However, almost all of them were fleshly and soulish. Very few were spiritual. The accounts in the Old and New Testaments exactly correspond to one another. Just as God told the people of Israel to press on into the good land, the apostle Paul told the Corinthians to run the race and pursue the goal. We need to read the last part of chapter 9 together with the first part of chapter 10; these two portions should not be separated. The end of chapter 9 tells us that there is a race to run (vv. 24-27), and chapter 10 tells us that the Israelites ran their race and failed (vv. 1-13). Therefore, today we must run the race in a better way. The better way is to forget about the flesh, deny the natural, soulish life, and press on into the spirit. Then we will reach the goal, Christ.
In this book there is the principle that we take Christ as our Passover, our Redeemer, to be saved from God’s condemnation and from worldly occupation. To be saved from Egypt is one thing, but to press on to enter into God’s fullness, to enjoy Christ, to attain to the goal, and to receive the reward are another thing. To receive a reward at the end of the race is an additional matter. Although we may be redeemed, at the end of the race we may suffer loss.
First Corinthians 3:14-15 says, “If anyone’s work which he has built upon the foundation remains, he will receive a reward; if anyone’s work is consumed, he will suffer loss, but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire.” Here it is a matter of receiving not salvation but the reward. If our work does not remain, it will be burned. This work is in the nature of wood, grass, and stubble (v. 12). Fleshly and worldly work will be burned, and we ourselves may suffer loss. When we speak this word, some may accuse us of teaching purgatory. However, regardless of how hard this word sounds, we must receive it. We do not care about people’s accusations. We simply want to present the Lord’s word to His people. We must not be deceived by our human thought. This portion of the word clearly tells us that we can be genuinely saved yet suffer loss through fire. What fire means, only the Lord knows, but there is such a thing.
Here is the principle that to be saved is one thing, but to be rewarded or suffer loss through fire even though we are saved is another. The children of Israel were saved by the Passover lamb and delivered out of Egypt, and they enjoyed the manna and the living water from the riven rock. Chapter 10 tells us that today we too enjoy Christ as manna and the riven rock from whom the living water flows for our enjoyment day by day (vv. 3-4, 11). However, we may be exactly like the Israelites and come short of God’s intention. In this case, we may not receive the reward of the fullness of the riches of the good land but may suffer a certain kind of loss.
This is what the Lord’s word presents in a very pure way. Although we are definitely saved, we must be aware that there is a race before us that we all have to run. Even the apostle Paul himself said that he had to be careful how he ran the race (9:24-27). He was concerned that while others would be helped by his teaching, he himself would lose the race. Salvation is one thing, but to run the race and receive the reward or suffer loss are absolutely another.
Another principle found in this book is in chapter 3. Verse 9 says that we are God’s cultivated land and God’s building. As God’s “crop,” we need to grow. We have Christ as the seed of life sown into us. We also have the Holy Spirit as the living water to water us. Now we need to grow as God’s farm and be built up as God’s building.
