Today we are continuing our conversation through the book of 1 Corinthians, written by Paul to the church—the followers of Jesus—living in the city of Corinth.
Who was Paul? Originally named Saul, he was Jewish by birth and deeply committed to Judaism. He was highly educated, including studying under the respected Jewish teacher Gamaliel, and he belonged to the Pharisees, a strict Jewish religious group devoted to observing the Law. As a Pharisee, he believed he was serving God by opposing the growing Christian movement, including helping with violent persecution of the church. He was on his way to Damascus to do just that when he had a vision or interaction with Jesus. It was a life-changing, trajectory-changing Jesus moment.
As he neared Damascus on his journey, suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him. He fell to the ground and heard a voice say to him, “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?” (Acts 9:3-4)
When he got up again, he couldn’t see, so his companions led him into the city. Meanwhile, there was Ananias:
In Damascus there was a disciple named Ananias. The Lord called to him in a vision, “Ananias!” “Yes, Lord,” he answered. The Lord told him, “Go to the house of Judas on Straight Street and ask for a man from Tarsus named Saul, for he is praying. In a vision he has seen a man named Ananias come and place his hands on him to restore his sight.”
“Lord,” Ananias answered, “I have heard many reports about this man and all the harm he has done to your holy people in Jerusalem. And he has come here with authority from the chief priests to arrest all who call on your name.”
But the Lord said to Ananias, “Go! This man is my chosen instrument to proclaim my name to the Gentiles and their kings and to the people of Israel. I will show him how much he must suffer for my name.”
Then Ananias went to the house and entered it. Placing his hands on Saul, he said, “Brother Saul, the Lord—Jesus, who appeared to you on the road as you were coming here—has sent me so that you may see again and be filled with the Holy Spirit.” Immediately, something like scales fell from Saul’s eyes, and he could see again. He got up and was baptized, and after taking some food, he regained his strength. (Acts 9:9-19)
Shortly after this, Saul, now called Paul, returned to Jerusalem and tried to meet with the disciples of Jesus. It didn’t initially go so well.
When he came to Jerusalem, he (Paul) tried to join the disciples, but they were all afraid of him, not believing that he really was a disciple. But Barnabas took him and brought him to the apostles. He told them how Saul on his journey had seen the Lord and that the Lord had spoken to him, and how in Damascus he had preached fearlessly in the name of Jesus. (Acts 9:16-27)
What is happening here? No reason is given for why Barnabas would stick up for Saul/Paul. He just did it.
Let’s pause for a moment. I am going to give you just a few minutes to share with each other a short story about someone who has stuck up for you. It might be someone who believed in you when you weren’t sure you believed in yourself, or who saw something in you that you didn’t see yet. Maybe someone who gave you a second chance when others had written you off, or someone who defended you when you weren’t even in the room. It might be someone who welcomed you when you felt like an outsider or who took a chance on you when there was some risk involved, or who spoke up for you when you couldn’t speak for yourself. Or maybe it was someone who gave you an opportunity that you hadn’t earned or expected.
Who has stuck up for you?
For some unknown reason, Barnabas stuck up for Paul. Let me invite you to process one more thing before we move on from this:
What is the impact of being stood up for?
Some of the long-term impacts might include the opportunities that come from it, or the way it changes how we see ourselves. It might also impact how we stick up for others. Being stood up for is powerful!
In Paul’s story, a lot of time passed and a lot of things happened after that moment when Barnabas stood up for him. Seventeen to twenty years later, when he was on his first missionary journey, he visited Corinth and started the church there. Three or four years after that, Paul was in Ephesus on his third missionary journey when he received word that the church in Corinth was wandering from Christ, so he wrote this letter of 1 Corinthians to the believers there.
This letter has so many calls to change, but as we said last week, it wasn’t just about those things. Those things were symptoms of a larger issue. And it’s important to address the core issue, not just the symptoms. So in this series, we are repeatedly calling attention to that core issue that Paul is pointing to: Who is at the center? What are you focused on? Where is your trajectory aiming?
We’ve talked a little about who Paul was. I want us to also keep in mind some things about Corinth and the church there.
One important thing to note is that the Corinthian culture was obsessed with status and wisdom. The people of Corinth were trying to build their identity around the things their culture considered impressive. Being impressive was the point. That meant following impressive leaders, listening to impressive words, and being impressive oneself—having impressive understanding and practices and social status and personal gifts. It should all be impressive.
What is the impact of living in a culture where being impressive is the goal? And have you ever had the experience of trying to be impressive and having it backfire? Let’s process this.
What is the impact of living in a culture where being impressive is the goal?
What are some of the impacts? When being impressive is the point, you constantly compare yourself to others, and someone else’s success becomes a threat to your own. You need to prove yourself, so you feel pressure to demonstrate that you are smart, successful, spiritual, attractive, wealthy, or important.
When being impressive is the point, failure becomes devastating; if your identity depends on looking impressive, mistakes feel like personal worthlessness. Relationships become competitive, and instead of asking, “How can I serve you?” you ask, “How do I measure up to you?”
When being impressive is the point, you hide weakness because you don’t want people to see your struggles, doubts, failures, or limitations. And you make decisions based on appearances; the question becomes, “What will people think?” rather than “What is right?”
When being impressive is the point, you use people to increase your status. Friendships, careers, churches, and even relationships can become ways of gaining influence or looking important. And you have difficulty celebrating others, because someone else’s success can feel like your failure. And you lose sight of who you actually are; your identity becomes dependent on how you are perceived rather than who you are before God.
We will see as we walk through 1 Corinthians that these things were ruling them. The symptoms show up over and over again in how they relate with others, how they see themselves, how they see God, and how they make their decisions. Being impressive was the point, so they were putting themselves at the center and pushing Christ out.
Today Paul drops a bomb on the “be impressive” culture. He says that God’s power doesn’t look impressive by the world’s standards. The point isn’t to be impressive. God sees value in and entrusts the unimpressive!
These statements make me think of two moments from David’s life, recorded in 1 Samuel 16 and 17.
The first one was when David was anointed to become king (1 Samuel 16:1-13). God had told Samuel to go to Bethlehem and anoint one of Jesse’s sons as the next king. Samuel saw Eliab, Jesse’s oldest son, and thought, “Surely this is the one.”
But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The Lord does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” (1 Samuel 16:7)
Jesse showed Samuel seven sons, but God chose none of them. Samuel asked if there were any others, and Jesse said that the youngest, David, was out tending the sheep. Samuel told him to call David, and God said, “This one!” so Samuel anointed him. From that day forward, the Spirit of the Lord came powerfully upon David.
Let’s process for a moment.
What is the impact of seeing people as God sees people?
The second moment in David’s life that I want to highlight is when David battled Goliath (1 Samuel 17:1-51). The Philistines and the Israelites were prepared to battle. The Philistine champion Goliath challenged Israel to send out one warrior for single combat. For 40 days he mocked Israel, and everyone was terrified.
David, still working as a shepherd, was sent by his father to bring food to his brothers on the battlefield. He heard Goliath’s challenge, and in spite of his brothers’ opposition, he told King Saul that he would go fight Goliath.
Saul replied, “You are not able to go out against this Philistine and fight him; you are only a young man, and he has been a warrior from his youth.” (1 Samuel 17:33)
David explained that God had already helped him fight off a lion and a bear while protecting his sheep. So Saul tried to equip David for battle.
Then Saul dressed David in his own tunic. He put a coat of armor on him and a bronze helmet on his head. David fastened on his sword over the tunic and tried walking around, because he was not used to them. “I cannot go in these,” he said to Saul, “because I am not used to them.” So he took them off. (1 Samuel 17:38-39)
Instead, David took a staff, sling, and 5 smooth stones. Goliath saw him coming and mocked him.
He said to David, “Am I a dog, that you come at me with sticks?” And the Philistine cursed David by his gods. “Come here,” he said, “and I’ll give your flesh to the birds and the wild animals!” David said to the Philistine, “You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the Lord Almighty, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied.” (1 Samuel 17:43-45)
Then David ran toward Goliath and, with his sling, struck the giant in the forehead with a stone. Goliath fell and was defeated, and the Philistines saw what happened and ran away.
Let’s process this for a moment.
Why would someone trust God’s strength more than their own?
What is the impact of trusting God’s strength more?
What is the impact of trusting our own strength more?
Back in 1 Corinthians, Paul—who is great at saying it straight—says this:
For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. (1 Corinthians 1:18)
What is the message of the cross?
The message of the cross is this: We all have issues and can’t fix our relationship with God on our own. Jesus died in our place to deal with our sin. Forgiveness is costly no matter the situation; Jesus exemplifies this to the full as He pays that cost for us. Jesus rose from the dead, defeating sin and death; His resurrection a sign of victory. Salvation is a gift from God, received through faith, and not something we earn. Right relationship with God is through Jesus’ love and grace, not our personal accomplishment.
Then Paul continues:
Jews demand signs and Greeks look for wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified: a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, but to those whom God has called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. For the foolishness of God is wiser than human wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than human strength. Brothers and sisters, think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth. But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. (1 Corinthians 1:22-27)
Some people look for impressive signs and power. Some look for impressive wisdom. But look at us! We are ordinary, unimportant, unimpressive, uninformed, small, simple, normal people—and yet God chose us.
Therefore, as it is written: “Let the one who boasts boast in the Lord.” (1 Corinthians 1:31)
If we boast about ourselves, that’s a symptom. Who is central? Me. If we demand a sign of power in order to embrace the message of the cross, that’s also a symptom that I’m at the center. If we demand intellectual sophistication in order to embrace the message of the cross, that’s a symptom as well. Who is central? Me.
Think about these things:
Is the target status or righteousness? In Corinth, social status, wealth, and honor determined your value. People constantly jockeyed for position to prove they were important. But in Christ, believers receive righteousness—a complete, unshakeable legal and relational standing before God. When God declares someone righteous based on Jesus’ work rather than social clout, human status symbols become irrelevant. You don’t need to elevate yourself above others when you already possess the highest standing possible in the eyes of God.
Is the target rhetoric and intellectual prestige or divine wisdom and holiness? Corinthian culture elevated dynamic public speakers and philosophical sophistication. Fluent rhetoric was used to win debates, gain followers, and look superior. But Paul explains that Christ is the ultimate wisdom of God and our holiness (sanctification). Human eloquence can impress people, but it cannot change a heart or conquer death. The cross reveals deep truth about God’s love, justice, and human nature that no earthly philosophy can match. Real transformation and moral beauty come from being set apart in Christ, not from sounding clever in a forum.
Is the target partisan loyalty and cliques or redemption and shared belonging? Aligning with key figures (”I follow Paul,” “I follow Apollos”) was a way to borrow prestige and find security in an influential tribe. But Christ provides redemption—the ultimate price paid to set captives free. Partisan loyalty binds people to human leaders and breeds anxiety and division. Being redeemed by Christ buys people out of the worldly system of tribal rivalry altogether. Their security and identity are anchored in the Savior who died for them, making party lines obsolete.
To the people of Corinth, being impressive was the point. Paul calls it out. Let’s process this.
What is impressive to our culture?
What is impressive to God?
When being impressive is the point, we might feel these pressures: I need people to like me. I need to prove myself. I need to keep up with everyone else. I need to be successful. I can’t fail. I need people to notice me. I need to be the best or at least look like I am. I need to protect my reputation. I need to hide my weaknesses.
It doesn’t just change how I feel; it changes my interactions with others. It means I need to compete instead of cooperate; overwork to prove my worth; spend money to look successful; curate my image; avoid situations where I might fail; hide my struggles, doubts, or weaknesses; put others down to make myself look better; become defensive when criticized; take credit instead of sharing it; and say yes when I really want to say no, because I want to look capable.
Now Paul isn’t scolding the people of Corinth. He’s looking out for them. Barnabas stood up for him and gave him a chance to change, and now he is doing the same for the Corinthian church. He’s trying to free them from the weight and impact of being impressive.
What happens when we stop trying to be impressive and instead let the message of the cross impress us?
Take It Deeper Questions
Read Ephesians 2:1-10, Being Made Alive in Christ.
What is life giving to you?
When did you do that thing last? What stands in the way of doing that thing more?
How does this text clarify the value of what Jesus has done for us?
How does this text clarify our value and identity in our relationship with Christ?
How are you challenged, focused, encouraged, and/or confused by this text?
Bible Reading Plan
Romans 5 • Peace with God
Romans 6 • New Life in Christ
1 Corinthians 1 • The Power of the Cross
1 Corinthians 2 • God’s wisdom
Philippians 2 • Christ Humbled Himself
Titus 3 • Saved by Grace