Notes: 1 Corinthians 1:1-9

1. Why did Paul emphasize that he was an apostle (v1) ?
   Because he was about to give them some strong correction and wanted them to know his authority.
   
2. What did Paul mean when he called the believers “saints” as the ESV and NKJV says in v2: “ 2To the church of God that is in Corinth, to those(C) sanctified in Christ Jesus,(D) called to be saints together with all those who in every place(E) call upon the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, both their Lord and ours: “
   · Saint – not special self-sacrificing Christian selected by a church process
   · Greek for “saint” – hagios, meaning “set apart one” or “holy one”
   · All believers have been sanctified in Christ and are “saints” by calling. The Corinthian believers were holy in God’s sight, regardless of their sinful living.
   · Saints - because they had been sanctified (hagiazo), made holy in Christ Jesus. Saint ~ sanctified
   
3. Based on what you know about Corinth, what do people in the Triangle (or our church) have in common w/ the Corinthians?
   · Wealth? Immorality? Divisions?
   
4. What are some of the spiritual gifts inferred in v7? Which one(s) do you believe you have?
   · Romans 12: giving, leadership, mercy, prophecy, service, teaching
   · 1 Corinthians 12: administration, apostle, discernment, faith, healing, helps, knowledge, prophecy, teaching, tongues
   · Ephesians 4: apostle, evangelism, pastor, prophecy, teaching
   · Misc. Passages: celibacy, martyrdom, missionary, voluntary poverty
   
5. What benefits of grace are you thankful for in the…
   · Past? v4… grace of salvation
   · Present? v5-7… enriched with spiritual gifts, not lacking
   · Future? v8… strong to the end

Bottom Line Point(s):

• When we follow Jesus, we are made holy.
• Christ has got us covered, past, present, and future… We have salvation, are not lacking gifts, keep us strong to the end.

How can you apply what you’ve learned here?

• We need to recognize that we each play a part in the church.
• Need to find our gifts and use them.

Bibliography

1. Barton & others, "Life Application Bible Commentary: 1&2 Corinthians"
2. MacArthur, "1 Corinthians: Godly Solutions for Church Problems"
3. "Serendipity Study Bible for Groups"
4. Tyler Jones, Sermon on same topic