1 Corinthians 1:9

Paul, called to be an apostle of Jesus Christ through the will of God and Sosthenes, our brother, writes unto the church of God, which is at Corinth. He addresses those who are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints, with all that in every place call upon the name of Jesus Christ, our Lord, both theirs and ours. Grace be unto you and peace from God our Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ.

I thank my God always on your behalf for the grace of God, which is given you in Jesus Christ, that in everything you are enriched by Him, in all utterance and in all knowledge, even as the testimony of Christ was confirmed in you. So that you come behind in no gift, waiting for the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, who shall also confirm you unto the end, that you may be blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is faithful, by whom you were called unto the fellowship of His Son, Jesus Christ, our Lord.

Now, I beseech you, brethren, by the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, that you all speak the same thing and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment. For it has been declared unto me, my brethren, by them that are of the house of Chloe, that there are contentions among you.

Now, this I say, that every one of you says, "I am of Paul," and "I am of Apollos," and "I am of Cephas," and "I am of Christ." Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? And were you baptized in the name of Paul? I thank God that I baptized none of you, but Crispus and Gaius, lest any should say that I had been baptized or that I had baptized in my own name. I also baptized the house of Stephanus. Besides, I know not whether I baptized any other, for Christ sent me not to baptize, but to preach the gospel, not with the wisdom of words, lest the cross of Christ should be made of none effect.

Let's pray. Lord, we thank You that You have chosen to reveal Yourself to us in Your word. We pray now, as we open Your word, that You would open our hearts and that You would speak.

To us by Your Spirit, that You would give us insight and understanding application. Lord, continue the work of transforming us by the renewing of our minds. We ask in Jesus' name, and all God's people agreed, saying, "Amen." You can be seated.

Paul is writing to a church that he founded, that he planted there in the region of Achaia, the chief city of that region, Corinth. This church, as we discussed briefly last week, had many problems. We can identify with the church at Corinth because certainly there are many problems in our modern-day churches, just as there were 20 centuries ago. In fact, the problems that plagued the church there in Ephesus, in Corinth, and in many of the other cities that Paul visited are very similar to the ones we face today.

Paul confronts the issues of carnality in the church at Corinth, as well as problems of morality or immorality. These are certainly issues that we deal with in our churches today. One great Bible teacher used to call the book of First Corinthians the book of First Californians. Truly, the problems they faced are very similar to what we see in our day and in our state here.

Last week, we covered the first eight verses, wherein Paul really brought the church back to the foundation. In light of all the problems they faced, he wanted to remind them of the foundation: that they had received grace and peace through the Lord Jesus Christ by receiving Him by faith, that they had been enriched by Him, and that they had a testimony because of Him.

As we come to verse nine, there is a great bridge between the opening section and the first eight verses in Paul's first exhortation. We have this bridge here where Paul reminds us that God is faithful. Would you circle those words in your Bible: God is faithful? I believe that's a great reminder to us today. The Bible is that which reveals God. Yes, there is what we call general revelation of God. When you look at the moon, the stars, and the creation all around us, we know that God is.

The heavens declare the glory of God. The earth shows forth His handiwork day after day. They utter speech, as the psalmist says. When we look at creation around us, it cries out to us that there is a Creator. However, the full revelation of the Creator, His will, His nature, and what He is like is found in the Scriptures.

The Bible reveals many things about God. You may remember back in the book of Exodus when Moses was tending the sheep of his father-in-law. He was out in the desert region of Midian and saw a sight that baffled him: a bush that was burning but not consumed. He turned aside to take a look at it. As he drew near to this burning bush, the voice came from the midst of the bush, saying, "Moses, remove the sandals from your feet; the place in which you stand is holy ground." He did so, and as he spoke with God, God revealed to Moses His desire for him to go down to Egypt and bid Pharaoh to let God's people go.

Moses asked an interesting question in Exodus 3: "Who shall I tell them sent me? What's Your name?" In verse 14, God responded, "I am that I am," revealing that God is the ever-existing One. He is revealed in the Scriptures many different times as the One who fills those voids. In Genesis 22, we see that God is the Provider. In Genesis 15, we see that God is a Shield. In Exodus 15, we see that He is a Healer. God is love, as stated in 1 John 4. Exodus 34 reveals that God is merciful and gracious. The Scriptures also reveal that God is just, eternal, and that He is salvation.

When we come to 1 Corinthians 1:9, we see that God is faithful. I am so thankful that God is faithful because even when we are without faith, God remains faithful. The Scriptures reveal that when we have little strength, God continues to work faithfully in our lives. Although the Corinthians had drifted, God would still be faithful in their lives as well. He would be faithful until the end.

Paul told the church at Philippi in Philippians 1:6 that he was confident of this very thing: He who began a good work would be faithful to complete it until the day of Christ Jesus. We are thankful that our God continues to be faithful. It is important for us to remember the faithfulness of God, especially when we consider the mess.

The church at Corinth was going through many problems that plagued them. Aren't you thankful that God is still faithful, just as He was in the first century? He is still on the throne and still in control. Although the carnality and immorality of the church in Corinth were evident, sadly, we look at our churches today and find that it is often commonplace as well.

One great Bible teacher noted that when a church or a people lose sight of the faithfulness of God, they tend to fall completely into a sort of feverish activity. They think, "If only we do this, if only we do that, then we can really make the church better." If only we pray more, if only we sing more, if only we sing hymns, then it will be better. In doing so, we lose sight of the faithfulness of God. This mindset leads us into a works-based relationship where we believe that God's power is dependent upon our actions. We think, "If we only did this a little bit better."

Remember that God was faithful when He first called us and saved us out of darkness when we were still dead in trespasses and sins. He was faithful then, and He is still faithful today. He has not changed. We are often quick to rely more upon ourselves than on the faithfulness of God as we continue on in our walk with the Lord.

In these first three words, we are reminded that we need to rely upon the Lord. Paul states, "God is faithful, by whom you were called into the fellowship of His Son, Jesus Christ, our Lord." Not only is God faithful, but Paul also reminds this divided fellowship in Corinth of the common denominator among them—the common bond. God had called them. The Corinthians had foolishly separated themselves into groups, but Paul reminds them of their first calling.

I want you to note the idea of the first calling. As we walk with the Lord, we tend to become enamored with our specific callings. Some people will say, "I’m called to be a pastor," or "I’m called to youth ministry," or "I’m called to missions work." We can become so focused on those callings that we forget the first calling. More than anything, you and I have been called to be in fellowship with God and also to be in fellowship with one another in Christ.

Paul was called; verse one of First Corinthians 1 tells us that Paul was called to be an apostle. Verse two tells us that the Corinthians were called to be saints.

But more than that, at the basic level, they were called to have fellowship with one another and fellowship with God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. The Apostle John, in First John chapter one, speaks about this as well, stating that in Christ we have fellowship with one another and fellowship with God.

When you go all the way back to the very first book of the Bible, the book of Genesis, you see that one of the prime reasons God created man was for fellowship, not just with Himself. Remember, when God created man and placed him in the garden, it was the first time that we see God overseeing His creation. He looked at man and said, "It is not good." What was not good? It is not good that man be alone. God created man to be a relational being, and He recognized that it was not good for man to be alone. From man, God created woman, establishing earthly fellowship, earthly communion, and earthly relationship.

Not only did God create man to have an earthly relationship, but He also created man to have a heaven-bound relationship as well. The sad fact is that in Genesis chapter three, sin entered in, and both earthly and heavenly relationships were diminished because of sin. Fellowship was nearly destroyed. We see God's desire for His people to enjoy true fellowship—both earthly and heavenly—throughout the Old Testament. Therefore, God instituted the tabernacle and called the people to meet with Him. It was the tabernacle of meeting, the tabernacle of fellowship, where man could come into contact with God. Yet, there was a veil that separated man from God because of sin.

The Greek word that is translated as fellowship here is the Greek word "koinonia." It is not only a cool word; it is actually a beautiful reality because God desires to have communion and relationship with you and me. It has become a rather cliché saying in the evangelical church to say, "I don't have religion; I have a relationship." But what exactly does that mean? I have to be honest: when people say that to me, I think, "Whatever, explain that to me." What do you mean when you say, "I have a relationship; I don't have religion"? Because, in observation of Christianity, in many ways, it can appear to be just a religion. So we have to define what we mean when we say we have a relationship.

Remember when Jesus was on the cross? He gave His last statement there, and what happened in the temple? The veil was torn in two, and the entrance into the Holy of Holies was opened for humanity. Because of the work that Jesus did on the cross, He made the way accessible for us to have fellowship with God. Once we have fellowship with God, we can also have restored fellowship with one another. This is a great reality, yet we are so good at disrupting fellowship. God tore the veil, and we have a tendency to try and stitch it back up again.

We constantly restitch that veil within religion, adding religious formality. What do I mean? Well, we say, "You cannot approach God unless you..." fill in the blank. "You cannot approach God unless you..." whatever. That is not what is revealed in the Scriptures. Our approach to God is secured by God, not ourselves. Because of the work that Jesus did on the cross, we now have access to God by grace through faith. We are able to boldly come before the throne of grace.

Now, I want to address the divisions that arose within the church at Corinth. As we consider what Paul is teaching here, I am not advocating a mass exodus from the denominational structure of the church, nor am I suggesting a wholesale ecumenicalism where we all just get along, in the words of the great philosopher from the Rodney King riots. That is not what I am saying.

The problem at Corinth was not a denominational division; it was a division within the local body of Christ. Yes, there are different denominations, and some people will attend a different denominational church out of preference. The foundational teachings are generally the same, though their practices may differ. One person might prefer a more traditional church over a Calvary Chapel, and that is fine.

However, the real issue in Corinth, and the problem we will be considering this morning, is the divisions within the local body of the church. The way we divide ourselves ultimately destroys fellowship. But God has called us to be in fellowship with Him and with one another. It should be evident within the body of Christ that we are a community.

Of believers, a community in fellowship with God and with one another. Notice what Paul says in verse 10 as he continues. Now I beseech you, brethren, by the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. We were called into fellowship by that name. Paul exhorts the church by the name of the Lord Jesus Christ that they speak the same thing and that there be no divisions among them, that they be perfectly joined together of the same mind and in the same judgment.

We are called into fellowship with God the Father, with Christ the Son, and with one another in Jesus. Paul calls the church at Corinth, by the Lord Jesus, to avoid division and to work toward unity. In Ephesians chapter four, verse three, Paul said that we are to endeavor to keep the unity of the body in the bond of peace. The desire is that there would be no divisions and that they would speak the same thing.

Now, we live today in a divided society. For all that has been tried and done to build community or bring a sense of community, as we look out across the Western world and our nation in general, we see that we live in a divided society. Division is not new; it has been present throughout history. If you examine history, you will see that for millennia, there have been different divisions. However, today there seems to be almost a stirring up of people to be divided.

What do I mean by that? During the 2008 presidential campaign, Barack Obama was presented in many ways as a great racial unifier. That is something we should endeavor toward and hope for in our nation. He was put forward as a racial unifier, but now, nearly two years into his presidency, to disagree with him politically is often met with accusations of racism. I think that is dreadful. To express disagreement with his policies and then be immediately labeled as a racist is not a good thing.

Moreover, as a result of the 2008 economic collapse in our nation and in the Western world as a whole, we now see that the socioeconomic divisions within our society are even more clearly defined.

Not only that, it almost seems as if there's a push among some within the media world to cause us to look at those who are wealthier than us with a certain level of disdain. There is an implication that they must have done something bad to achieve their success. This sentiment appears to be promoted within our society today, suggesting that we should be angry at them because they have succeeded, whatever that may entail. This attitude is clearly a form of greed.

We often point at the wealthy and criticize them for their millions, but to look at them with that kind of disdain is also a form of greed. We are divided on immigration reform, climate change, and ecology. We are so divided as a people that it can be dizzying at times. Such divisiveness has a way of finding its way into the church, does it not?

Now, here's the problem: God is a united relational being, and His body is to be an example of that unity here on earth. When the people of this world, who are divided, see the church—especially within the local body—they should see community. When I say "church," I refer to the word "ecclesia," which is generally translated as "church" in our Bibles. It simply means "the gathering."

When those outside the gathering of the body of Christ look at us, they should see the greatest example of united community. I have to be honest; I am very blessed by what I have seen within our own church. As I look out this morning, I see people of every ethnic background and a wonderful diversity here. Although this world desires diversity, the only place you truly see it is within the body of Christ.

It is God who breaks down the middle walls of separation. It is God who does away with the distinctions between slave and free, and between races—whether Gentile or Jew, or however you want to categorize it. It is God who accomplishes this. Therefore, we should be the greatest example of that kind of community in the world, and we should be the ones pushing this forward more than any politician or social group.

Paul addresses this church that was beginning to be divided, saying, "I want you to speak the same thing." Paul's exhortation must be understood in the context of what was happening there.

In the city, or else there would be confusion. Paul is not saying to that group of believers there in Corinth that they should all just be a group of mimics. If one of them says, "Well, I like Life cereal," somebody else stands up and says, "I like Life cereal." Then another person says, "Well, I like Life cereal," and everybody agrees, saying, "We all like Life cereal." To be quite honest, that is distinctive of a cult. So, that is not what Paul is calling them to when he says, "I want you to say the same thing," to be in agreement.

Now, Paul is also not saying that he wanted them to toss out anything they might disagree on simply to maintain a level of unity. You see, there are many new age philosophies that permeate our society today that are very syncretistic, meaning they want to bring everything in sync, to bring it all together and mesh it all together. I kind of mentioned this last week.

Today, and I believe it will happen more and more, you will hear individuals espousing belief systems that say, "Well, all the major religions agree on things like love, peace, and the golden rule." They suggest that we might as well just throw out everything that causes division and agree on those things. Everything will be hunky-dory. How many of you have heard that kind of thinking in our culture? It’s there. Especially among the monotheistic religions, they all believe in one God, and they all believe in the golden rule, love, and peace. So, they think we should all just get together and have a big kumbaya moment.

That is not what Paul is calling this church to. Remember, he is speaking to a church; he is not speaking to society as a whole. He is speaking to the church. I was confronted with this a little bit just about a week and a half ago. One of the ladies in the fellowship came up to me after the service a couple of weeks ago and said that one of her family members has gotten involved with a ministry called the Agape International Spiritual Center.

This lady said, "Well, I don't really know anything about it. Would you mind looking into it and letting me know what you think about it? Because I don't quite understand it when I'm reading their material." So, I went to their website. I Googled it, jumped on there, and went to their frequently asked questions section, which I appreciated because within about 30 seconds, I determined something about this group. They had a question that asked, "Is Agape Christian? What about the Bible and Jesus?" To that, they answered, "No and yes."

You see, they said some Agape members are Christians, and their personal encounter with the spirit of Jesus as the embodiment of the Christ consciousness richly informs their beliefs.

Their spiritual lives are often shaped by their beliefs. They went on to say that if by Christian you mean the acceptance of Jesus as the only Savior and that Christianity is the only path to God and eternal salvation, then they do not believe in the gospel because that is what the gospel says.

What you get is different groups that say, "Sure, it's okay for you to be a part of our group and be a Christian, or you can be a Jew, a Muslim, or a Buddhist—whatever you want. All of them can gather together here." You can have Christian New Agers, Buddhist New Agers, and Islamic New Agers, and it's okay. Let's just gather together.

However, as soon as you say, "Listen, there is no other name under heaven given among men whereby men must be saved," as the Scripture says, you are guilty of committing the only crime to which there is no pardon in the United States of America today: espousing absolute truth. As soon as you do that, you're vilified. How dare you be so narrow?

In a world where there is absolute truth, and we who hold a Christian worldview believe that there is absolute truth, someone is wrong. Our society doesn't like to impose upon anybody that they might be wrong. This reluctance is so strong that even our education of children today has changed. We don't want to tell them, "Well, you spelled that wrong." Instead, we might say, "Do you think that's the way you spelled it? That's very nice. Let me show you another way to spell that." We can't say, "No, that's wrong," because we might hurt them at some inner core. I would suggest that the inner core is wicked.

Now, we're not talking about spelling here; I'm talking about the gospel. The inner core is wicked and needs to be dealt with, and that's what the gospel reveals. God deals with the heart of the matter because, really, it is the heart that matters. That's the issue.

This does not mean that we should just get rid of anything we might disagree on to achieve unity or to say the same thing. Everyone does not have to agree on secondary issues of preference. It has to do with doctrinal essentials. When it comes to those things that we believe, we ought to speak the same things. We ought not to be divided on essential doctrines within the church, especially as it relates to the gospel of Jesus Christ.

That's why Paul would tell the church at Galatia twice in Galatians chapter 1, verses 8 and 9, "But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel to you than that which we have preached."

Let him be accursed. Again, I say to you that if anyone preaches any other gospel unto you than that which you received, let him be accursed. Paul was serious enough to say it plainly twice. He said, "Listen, there is no other way." We can't just do away with the claims of Christ that are kind of difficult to handle just because we want to have unity.

This is extremely important, as there are those within certain faith communities today that are looking for simple agreement upon things so as to not offend. But simply put, the gospel is an offense. I mean, that's what we're told in this passage. The gospel, in verse 12, or actually verse 18, is foolishness to those who are perishing and is an offense to those who are against God. We cannot, for the sake of unity, dumb down the gospel to make it less offensive to sinful man. The church must speak clearly about sin, about the atonement, about regeneration, about faith, about baptism, etc. On such things, we cannot be divided.

Now, on all the other preferential things that surround the church, it's no big deal. Preference is fine. What do I mean by that? Well, if one group says, "We don't really like guitars and drums; we like organs," great. Destroy the organ. But as it comes to the view of salvation, the view of the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, we must speak the same thing. Make no mistake about it. If you hold a different view about regeneration, about the atonement, about the work that Jesus did, like the Mormons do or the Jehovah's Witnesses, then you are divergent from orthodox Christianity and you are in error.

But we're not talking about those issues. Paul says in verse 11, "For it has been declared unto me of you, my brethren, by them which are of the household of Chloe, that there are contentions among you." Now, as I mentioned last week and kind of prefaced a little bit this morning, Paul is in Ephesus, and he's teaching there at the school of Tyrannus. As he is, there were visitors that came from Corinth to share with him what was happening there in the city of Corinth. Some of them, or one of them, came from the household of Chloe. Now, we don't know anything about Chloe other than her name is mentioned here in 1 Corinthians.

We know that Chloe was a very prominent figure in Corinth because Paul mentions her, indicating that everyone knows who she is. It is very likely that Chloe had a gathering of believers that met at her house. The first-century church predominantly met in homes, so Chloe's home was probably open to those who were fellowshipping within the body of Christ in Corinth.

It is also possible that Sosthenes, who was mentioned in verse 1 where Paul refers to him as "Sosthenes our brother," may have been a part of her home or her home fellowship. It is probable that he is the one who brought the message to Paul. Paul states that it has been shared with him by those of the household of Chloe that there are contentions among the believers. Although the church is to be united in Christ and we are to endeavor to keep the unity of the body, the church in Corinth was anything but a fellowship. They had strife and debate.

When we understand this context, the exhortation that Paul gives in verse 10 becomes clearer. He says to speak the same thing and to ensure that there are no divisions among them. He hears that there are divisions, but what do these divisions look like? In verse 12, Paul states, "Now this I say, that every one of you says, 'I am of Paul,' 'I am of Cephas,' and 'I am of Christ.'"

Where did this quarreling and contention come from? What did it look like in the church at Corinth? The people had divided themselves along the lines of personality. The interesting thing about this division is that it was not merely a preference for personality. We can all identify with this; if you listen to Bible teachings online or on the radio, you might tune in to K-Wave at a certain time to hear Pastor Bob Coy, or you might listen to Greg Laurie at 8:30 in the morning, or John Corson at 9:00. You listen to a specific person because that person connects with you, and that is fine.

However, what was happening in Corinth was different. The people divided themselves into four distinct groups: "I am of Paul," "I am of Apollos," "I am of Cephas," or "I am of Christ." They began to assert that anyone who was not of Peter was simply wrong. Anyone who did not hold their view was considered to be in error or perhaps less spiritual.

It was not a doctrinal issue. The church did not want to bring pagan worship into the body of Christ there at Corinth. If that had been the case, Paul would have said, "Whoa, time out. Don't do that." Actually, it was just these foolish divisions among four different groups, which I quickly mentioned last week: the Paulians, the party of Paul.

Paul had been responsible for the vast majority of the believers in Corinth coming to faith in Christ. When you are instrumental in leading someone to faith in Christ, it's almost like you can do no wrong after that point. When you're the founder, the chief person who brought the gospel there, there is a group of loyalists who say, "Hey, we are of Paul."

Then there was another group, the Apollosians, who followed Apollos. Apollos was like an Ivy Leaguer; he came from Alexandria, was well-schooled, and was eloquent. He was bright, intelligent, forceful, and dynamic. Paul of Tarsus was also bright and smart, but he was not forceful or dynamic like Apollos. Consequently, there was a group of people in Corinth who said, "Yeah, Paul is great, but man, Apollos has really done a good job of intellectualizing the faith. He has made it a bit more mainstream for Corinth. Paul is always talking about the cross, the cross, the cross, but Apollos is our man."

There was another group, the Peterites, or the party of Peter. There is some indication in the book of Corinthians that when Peter came there, he was used by the Lord to perform miraculous signs. So, there was undoubtedly a group that said, "Man, we like that Peter. Remember that sign he did?" Not only that, but this was the guy who walked with Jesus for three years and even walked on water. There had to be some admiration for Peter, or there may have even been those who said, "Hey, he's a real traditionalist. He comes from a Jewish background, and he still keeps the feast days and the Sabbath."

Peter's group was somewhat stuck in a Jewish form of Christianity and may have been trapped in a new form of legalism. They often felt superior.

Then there was a fourth group, which is the interesting one: those who said, "We are of Christ," the Christians among them. You might ask, "Weren't they all Christians?" Yes, sure.

But this group, I think, was comprised of those individuals who say, "We don't need any party of man. No, no, no. We've got a direct line to heaven. We don't have time for groups that are of Paul, Apollos, or Peter. We just follow Jesus. We get our cues from headquarters." They're the kind of people that say, "The Lord told me this," and "The Lord told me that." How can you argue with that? Have you ever had someone tell you, "The Lord told me"? What are you going to say? "No, He didn't"?

You have these four different groups in Corinth, and not only were they preferentially treating these personalities, saying, "I just like the way this guy teaches," but they were also asserting that if you're not of this group, you're not right. It became an issue of wrongness or rightness.

Paul asks the question in verse 13: "Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you, or were you baptized in the name of Paul?" These are great rhetorical questions. Of course, Christ is not divided, and Paul was not crucified for you, nor were you baptized in the name of Paul.

Paul goes on to say, "I thank God that I baptized none of you, except Crispus and Gaius, lest any should say that I had baptized in my own name. And I also baptized the household of Stephanas. Besides, I know not whether I baptized any other."

Most of Paul's letters, in fact, you can make a case that probably all of Paul's letters were written by dictation. This means Paul was likely in the city of Ephesus at the school of Tyrannus, and someone was given a pen and a scroll. Paul would say, "All right, we're going to write a letter to Corinth." I believe that it was probably Sosthenes who helped with this, which is why Paul mentions him in verse one: "and Sosthenes, our brother."

So there is Paul and Sosthenes, and perhaps some of Paul's other students at the school of Tyrannus. He says, "Listen, we need to write a letter to Corinth today." Sosthenes would break out his quill and grab a scroll, and they would start writing. As Paul shared his thoughts, I imagine he was walking around the room, saying, "Well, I thank God that I baptized none of you, except Crispus and Gaius, lest any of you should say I baptized in my name." I think Sosthenes probably interjected, "Well, you also baptized the household of Stephanas."

Those guys too. But whether I baptized any other, I don't know. Verse 17 states, "For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel." Would you lean over and underline that in your neighbor's Bible? Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel.

Now, this does not mean that baptism is unnecessary, nor is it unimportant. We are commanded to go into all the world and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. In Matthew 28, Jesus said this. Also, Peter in Acts chapter two, you remember when the group of people at Pentecost said, "What must we do?" He said, "Repent and be baptized." So clearly, baptism is important, but Paul reveals here that it is not essential for salvation.

Sure, you may come from a background within the church where you have a hard time with that statement, but that's what the Bible reveals. I think a good example or illustration of this has been used many times before, but it's worth repeating. When Jesus was on the cross, one of the thieves next to him said, "Remember me when you come into your kingdom." Jesus replied, "Today, you will be with me in paradise." He did not say, "Oh, timeout, get some water. We need to take care of a minor little issue here."

Similarly, baptism was not at the forefront of Jesus's ministry. It was at the forefront of John's ministry, and it would have been at the forefront of Paul's ministry. Here, Paul states, "God did not send me to baptize." Baptism is important; we are commanded to be baptized and to baptize. We see that we baptize in obedience and in identification with Christ. He himself was baptized in Matthew chapter three, in association with his death, burial, and resurrection. Romans chapter six states that we are buried with him in baptism, that like as he was raised from the dead, we also may rise to newness of life.

But Paul emphasizes that God sent him to preach the gospel. Notice how he finishes that statement: "Not with wisdom of words, lest the cross of Christ should be made of none effect." He preached the gospel, not with wisdom of words.

Now, does this mean that Paul did not speak clearly and intelligently about the gospel? Does this mean that we ought not to speak clearly, intelligently, and eloquently when we preach the gospel of Christ? No. Rather, we ought to speak clearly, intelligently, and eloquently when we preach the gospel. What do I mean by that?

There is a temptation today within churches to talk about everything but the gospel. However, we were commissioned to go and preach the gospel. Churches often discuss having a better life, building better families, improving relationships, and raising better kids. While all of that is good, churches may even talk about building better political candidates. But we weren't sent to do that. We were sent to preach the gospel. Having better families, better relationships, and raising godly kids are all byproducts of the gospel. Ultimately, the gospel is the prime product; it is the important aspect of the ministry.

We have to preach the gospel. We have to preach the Word of God, not just from the pulpit but also through the individuals within the body of Christ, because all of us are ambassadors of Christ. The fact is that we are sinners in rebellion against God. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned everyone to his own way, and God has laid on Jesus our iniquity there on the cross. We are messed up; we are in the wrong. We are on the wrong road. But God came 2,000 years ago. He became a man that He might show us the way. Jesus said, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father but by me."

He commands us to preach this gospel, this good news. He who is sinless died for me, a sinner, that I might be saved. Therefore, we are to preach that Word. Why? Because, as verse 18 states, the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness, but to us who are saved, it is the power of God. Paul, in Romans chapter one, verse 16, says, "I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God unto salvation for everyone that believes, the Jew first and also the Greek."

The preaching of the gospel is important. In Romans 10, verse 9, Paul states that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you shall be saved. For with the heart, man believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth, confession is made unto salvation. The scripture says, "Whosoever believes on Him shall not be ashamed." There is no difference between Jew and Greek, for the same Lord overall is rich unto all that call upon Him. Whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. How then shall they call on Him whom they have not believed?

And how should they believe in Him whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher? We do preach intelligently. We seek to speak the word clearly and in a way that people will understand, meaning culturally understand.

Now, we understand the idea of culturally speaking or contextualizing the gospel when we go overseas to the Philippines or to other places. We want to communicate in a way that they will understand. However, we forget that we are no longer living in America in what we might call a Judeo-Christian culture, especially here in California. We are living in a culture that is wholly and completely different.

The problem is that many of our friends are believers, and we gather together as believers, thinking that everyone else is just like us. But they are not. We speak a language that they do not understand. When we talk about sin and righteousness or being filled with the Holy Spirit, they respond with confusion. Therefore, we want to communicate in a way that they will culturally understand.

However, we must not try to craft or market the gospel in such a way as to make it less offensive or more palatable. In attempting to dress it up to be more appealing, we risk diminishing the power of the gospel. The gospel is foolishness to those who are perishing, and it is offensive to the sinner. It will always be that way. In a world that does not want to offend and desires everyone to like us, we are tempted not to speak the truth of the gospel. Yet, we recognize that it is the power of God unto salvation.

When we dress up the gospel, we dress down its power. In our desire not to be thought foolish, the church often comes up with another message. We can see what happens when the church departs from the pure gospel of God; it creates all kinds of strange messages that appeal to man, aiming to make him feel fulfilled and happy. We certainly do not want to make him feel condemned. However, in trying to ensure that man does not feel condemned, we may inadvertently prepare him for eternal condemnation.

Thus, we must preach the gospel. A young Anglican minister once wrote to his bishop before preaching his first sermon, expressing uncertainty about what he should preach. He received a letter back that simply said, "Preach about God and preach for 20 minutes."

Now you're wishing your pastor understood that second part. He clearly doesn't. However, I have to admit that I was reminded of the importance of preaching the gospel as I considered this passage this week. While I was with a thousand Calvary Chapel pastors at the conference, I was reminded again that this is still the primary place where people will hear the gospel. I want you to be able to bring your unsaved friends here so that they might hear the gospel and put their faith in Jesus Christ to be saved.

The reality is that all humanity abides under the curse of sin. Through one man, sin entered the world, and death through sin. Therefore, sin, being the breaking of God's law, means that the lawgiver, God, not only has the right but the obligation to judge man for his sin. There is only one way to receive a pardon from your sins, and that is through Jesus Christ. That situation on Calvary 2,000 years ago, when He was crucified and said, "It is finished," is the key to salvation.

If you do not put your faith in Him and trust in Him for your salvation, but instead trust in any other thing—your own works or another man's word—you will be condemned. You must put your faith in Jesus Christ, learning from your old life to Him so that you would be saved. He is rich to all those who will call upon Him. There is no national debt in heaven as it relates to grace. There will never be a time when a sinner comes to repent before God, asking for His grace, and God says, "Boy, that last guy needed a lot of grace, and I don't have a lot left." He is rich to all who call upon Him.

Amen. Let's stand together. If you would bow your heads and your hearts with me, as we close our service today, I have to ask because there may be someone in this mixed audience...

There is a multitude today that has not put their faith in Christ Jesus for salvation. Yes, we do believe, as the Scriptures say, that He is the only path to God. If today you want to put your faith in Christ and receive the free gift—not based on your works or who you are, but the free gift that He desires to give to you—then I'm going to ask you to do something that is completely contrary to yourself.

I'm going to ask all the pastors and elders to come up and stand here in front now. If you have not put your faith in Christ, today is the day of salvation. I ask you to step out from where you are and come stand with these pastors and elders up front so that you might receive the free gift that God has made available to you in Christ. If you have not received that today, I petition you to come. Jesus, whoever He called, He called publicly, and so I'm asking you to do the same.

I'm not going to ask you just to raise your hand; I want you to step out publicly if that is you. As I begin to pray, if that is you, step out from where you are.

Father, we come before You and thank You that You are the Savior and that You came as Christ, the Anointed One, to save us for that specific task. Lord, we thank You that in You we can have a right relationship and fellowship with You and with one another.

Today, if there is anyone here, I pray that You would stir their heart to step out, even though the enemy tries to hinder them. Draw them to Yourself. As we close, I thank You that, based on what I see, I am assuming that everyone is saved and that we will be with You eternally. We thank You, Father. Would You continue to stir us to speak boldly the truth wherever we go? We ask in Jesus' name, Amen.