1 Corinthians 1:6 ~ 20121125 ~ Pastor Rodney Zedicher ~ Ephraim Church of the Bible ~ www.ephraimbible.org

11/25 1 Corinthians 1:6 The Testimony Confirmed

¹ Παῦλος κλητὸς ἀπόστολος ⸂Χριστοῦ Ἰησοῦ⸃ διὰ θελήματος θεοῦ καὶ Σωσθένης ὁ ἀδελφὸς ² τῇ ἐκκλησίᾳ τοῦ θεοῦ, ⸂ἡγιασμένοις ἐν Χριστῷ Ἰησοῦ, τῇ οὔσῃ ἐν Κορίνθῳ,⸃ κλητοῖς ἁγίοις, σὺν πᾶσιν τοῖς ἐπικαλουμένοις τὸ ὄνομα τοῦ κυρίου ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ ἐν παντὶ τόπῳ ⸀αὐτῶν καὶ ἡμῶν· ³ χάρις ὑμῖν καὶ εἰρήνη ἀπὸ θεοῦ πατρὸς ἡμῶν καὶ κυρίου Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ.

⁴ Εὐχαριστῶ τῷ θεῷ ⸀μου πάντοτε περὶ ὑμῶν ἐπὶ τῇ χάριτι τοῦ θεοῦ τῇ δοθείσῃ ὑμῖν ἐν Χριστῷ Ἰησοῦ, ⁵ ὅτι ἐν παντὶ ἐπλουτίσθητε ἐν αὐτῷ, ἐν παντὶ λόγῳ καὶ πάσῃ γνώσει, ⁶ καθὼς τὸ μαρτύριον τοῦ Χριστοῦ ἐβεβαιώθη ἐν ὑμῖν, ⁷ ὥστε ὑμᾶς μὴ ὑστερεῖσθαι ἐν μηδενὶ χαρίσματι, ἀπεκδεχομένους τὴν ἀποκάλυψιν τοῦ κυρίου ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ· ⁸ ὃς καὶ βεβαιώσει ὑμᾶς ἕως τέλους ἀνεγκλήτους ἐν τῇ ἡμέρᾳ τοῦ κυρίου ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ. ⁹ πιστὸς ὁ θεὸς δι’ οὗ ἐκλήθητε εἰς κοινωνίαν τοῦ υἱοῦ αὐτοῦ Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ τοῦ κυρίου ἡμῶν.

1 Corinthians 1:1 Paul, called by the will of God to be an apostle of Christ Jesus, and our brother Sosthenes, 2 To the church of God that is in Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints together with all those who in every place call upon the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, both their Lord and ours: 3 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

4 I give thanks to my God always for you because of the grace of God that was given you in Christ Jesus, 5 that in every way you were enriched in him in all speech and all knowledge-- 6 even as the testimony about Christ was confirmed among you-- 7 so that you are not lacking in any spiritual gift, as you wait for the revealing of our Lord Jesus Christ, 8 who will sustain you to the end, guiltless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9 God is faithful, by whom you were called into the fellowship of his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.

Paul opens this difficult letter to the church of God in Corinth with a note of extended praise. Paul is continually offering up thanks to God for the grace that God freely gave to the saints in Corinth. In this beautiful passage of thanksgiving, he lists 5 specific ways that God's grace had been given to the Corinthian church, and then points them forward to the ongoing future grace of their faithful God. First, in verse 5, God's grace was evidenced in that the Corinthian believers were enriched in every way; they were filled up with all the fullness of Christ, they were given every spiritual blessing, specifically in all word or speech or utterance, and in all knowledge or insight or understanding. In Jesus Christ, because of their relationship to Jesus Christ, they had been enriched in every way.

In verse 6 he looks upstream of this enrichment and looks to the source of where this enrichment came from – just as the testimony of Christ was confirmed in you.

It is so easy to float over the words on the page and assume that we know what is meant without taking time to interrogate the text. If God's word is nutrient for our souls, if all Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable (2Tim.3:16); if every word of God proves true (Prov.30:5), if we live by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God (Mt.4:4), then we must dig in to the words on the page to find the nourishment our spirit craves. We must take time to meditate on the words of Scripture, and learn to put them under the bright lights of investigation, to interrogate the text, to ask questions to draw out the truth that they carry. As I prepared to teach this passage, I breezed over verse six as if I already knew what it meant. It wasn't until I was reading an older commentary interacting with the text that I began to slow down and ask questions of the text. Exactly what is the testimony of Christ? In what way is the testimony of Christ confirmed in you? How is this sentence connected with the paragraph, and how is this a ground for giving thanks?

The Testimony of Christ

What is the testimony of Christ? To understand this, we need to examine the word 'testimony'. What is a testimony? Testimony translates the Greek word 'μαρτύριον'. It is translated as a testimony or a witness. This is a legal term that comes from the courtroom setting. When you are presenting the evidence for deciding a case, you call in eyewitnesses to testify or give their testimony of what they saw and heard. The person giving their eyewitness account is a 'μαρτυς' or witness. The deacon Stephen and many of the Apostles of Jesus were executed because what they testified about Jesus was unpopular and dangerous. So the word 'μαρτυς', from which we get our word 'martyr' came to mean someone who sealed their testimony with their own blood. The word 'μαρτύριον' referred to the content of what the 'μαρτυς' said, their testimony, their witness, or legal statement. This testimony, the content of what the witness said, became legal evidence for deciding the case.

So what is the testimony of Christ? This could be taken in two ways; what is the testimony of Christ - what did Jesus himself testify, or what is the testimony of Christ – what did others testify about Jesus.

What did Jesus testify about himself?

Jesus claimed to be the promised Messiah (Jn.4:26). He claimed to be the bread of life (Jn.6:35, 41, 48, 51) who would give his flesh for the life of the world. He claimed to be the light of the world (Jn.8:12). He claimed to be the great I AM (Jn.6:20, 8:58; 18:5-6, 8) who pre-dated Abraham, and that those who do not believe in him would die in their sins (Jn.8:24). He claimed to be the door of the sheep who will save those who enter through him (Jn.10:7,9). He claimed to be the good shepherd (Jn.10:11, 14). He claimed to be the resurrection and the life (Jn.11:25), and that those who believe in him will live. He claimed to speak prophecy to authenticate his claims (Jn.13:19). He claimed to be the way, the truth and the life, and the only way to the Father (Jn.14:6). He claimed to be the true vine in whom we must abide in order to bear fruit (Jn.15:1, 5).

Jesus said:

Matthew 18:3 and said, “Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.

Mark 10:15 Truly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it.” (cf. Lk.18:17)

John 3:3 Jesus answered him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.”

John 5:24 Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life. He does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life. 25 “Truly, truly, I say to you, an hour is coming, and is now here, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live.

John 6:47 Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes has eternal life.

Jesus claimed that his testimony about himself was valid because he knows where he came from and where he is going (Jn.8:14), but under law every testimony must be confirmed by two or three witnesses (Jn.5:31). Jesus bore witness about himself (Jn.5:31; 8:14, 18); John bore witness about Jesus (Jn5:32-36); The Spirit bore witness about Jesus (Jn.1:32-33; 15:26; Mt.3:16; Acts 5:32); The Father bore witness about Jesus (Mt.3:17; Jn.5:37; 8:18); the works of Jesus bear witness of Jesus (Jn.5:36; 10:25); the Scriptures bear witness about Jesus (Jn.5:39); the crowds bore witness about Jesus (Jn.12:17); the apostles would bear witness about Jesus (Jn.15:27; 19:35; 21:24; Lk.24:48; Acts 1:8, 22; 2:32; 3:15; 5:32; 10:39, 41; 13:31; 22:15; 26:16). In Revelation, Jesus is called the faithful witness (Rev.1:5; 3:14).

What did others testify about Jesus?

John bore witness that Jesus is the light (Jn1:7-8) that Jesus pre-existed (Jn.1:15); that Jesus was filled with the Spirit (Jn.1:32); that Jesus is the Son of God (Jn.1:34); that Jesus is the Messiah (Jn.3:26-28). After his resurrection in Luke 24, Jesus commissioned his disciples to be witnesses of the prophecies fulfilled, that the Messiah should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead, and that repentance and forgiveness in his name should be proclaimed to all nations. In Acts 1, when the disciples chose a replacement for Judas, they said:

Acts 1:21 So one of the men who have accompanied us during all the time that the Lord Jesus went in and out among us, 22 beginning from the baptism of John until the day when he was taken up from us--one of these men must become with us a witness to his resurrection.”

On the day of Pentecost, Peter testified

Acts 2:32 This Jesus God raised up, and of that we all are witnesses.

After healing the lame beggar, Peter testified:

Acts 3:15 and you killed the Author of life, whom God raised from the dead. To this we are witnesses. ...17 “And now, brothers, I know that you acted in ignorance, as did also your rulers. 18 But what God foretold by the mouth of all the prophets, that his Christ would suffer, he thus fulfilled. 19 Repent therefore, and turn again, that your sins may be blotted out, 20 that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord...

When Peter and the other apostles were brought before the high priest and the council and all the senate of Israel, they testified:

Acts 5:30 The God of our fathers raised Jesus, whom you killed by hanging him on a tree. 31 God exalted him at his right hand as Leader and Savior, to give repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sins. 32 And we are witnesses to these things, and so is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey him.”

When Peter bore witness to the gentiles in Cornelius' house, he said:

Acts 10:36 As for the word that he sent to Israel, preaching good news of peace through Jesus Christ (he is Lord of all), 37 you yourselves know what happened throughout all Judea, beginning from Galilee after the baptism that John proclaimed: 38 how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power. He went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with him. 39 And we are witnesses of all that he did both in the country of the Jews and in Jerusalem. They put him to death by hanging him on a tree, 40 but God raised him on the third day and made him to appear, 41 not to all the people but to us who had been chosen by God as witnesses, who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead. 42 And he commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that he is the one appointed by God to be judge of the living and the dead. 43 To him all the prophets bear witness that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name.”

Paul testified in the synagogue in Pisidian Antioch:

Acts 13:23 Of [David's] offspring God has brought to Israel a Savior, Jesus, as he promised. ... 26 ...to us has been sent the message of this salvation. ...28 And though they found in him no guilt worthy of death, they asked Pilate to have him executed. 29 And when they had carried out all that was written of him, they took him down from the tree and laid him in a tomb. 30 But God raised him from the dead, 31 and for many days he appeared to those who had come up with him from Galilee to Jerusalem, who are now his witnesses to the people. 32 And we bring you the good news that what God promised to the fathers, 33 this he has fulfilled to us their children by raising Jesus, ...38 Let it be known to you therefore, brothers, that through this man forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you, and by him everyone who believes is freed from everything 39 from which you could not be freed by the law of Moses.

The testimony of Jesus, what Jesus said about himself, what his witnesses testified about him, was that Jesus is God, the Son of God, the promised Messiah of Israel, who died for our sins, and God raised him from the dead. All who believe in him receive forgiveness of sins. This is the gospel message, the testimony about Jesus. In 1 Corinthians 2:1, Paul says that he proclaimed the testimony of God, which is Jesus Christ and him crucified.

Confirmed in You

Paul thanks God that this testimony about Jesus was confirmed in the believers in Corinth. 'Confirmed' means to be made firm or solidly grounded, to be legally valid and guaranteed. The author of Hebrews uses this word to point us to the certainty and validity of the message:

Hebrews 2:2 For since the message declared by angels proved to be reliable [steadfast] and every transgression or disobedience received a just retribution, 3 how shall we escape if we neglect such a great salvation? It was declared at first by the Lord, and it was attested [confirmed] to us by those who heard, 4 while God also bore witness by signs and wonders and various miracles and by gifts of the Holy Spirit distributed according to his will.

In chapter 6 of Hebrews we are told:

Hebrews 6:17 So when God desired to show more convincingly to the heirs of the promise the unchangeable character of his purpose, he guaranteed it with an oath, 18 so that by two unchangeable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled for refuge might have strong encouragement to hold fast to the hope set before us. 19 We have this as a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul, ...

God's word to us is good. It is legally binding, valid and guaranteed. The gospel message, the testimony of Christ is true, objectively true.

6 even as the testimony about Christ was confirmed among you--

In what way was the gospel message confirmed among the believers? How was this firm solid valid message shown to be solid and legally valid in them? We have only to look down a few verses to see how the testimony of God was confirmed in them. Paul says that this gospel that he preached, this testimony of Christ, this word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing. Paul says that the message of a crucified Christ is a stumbling block to the Jews and foolishness to the Gentiles. But to those who are being saved, to those who believe, to those who are called, this offensive foolish message is the power of God and the wisdom of God and salvation to all who believe. Paul's testimony about Jesus was proved to be genuine and solid and legally valid because when he preached this foolish offensive message, some of the Jews and some of the Greeks were saved. They believed in Jesus. The message worked! It was confirmed that it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes! Some of the sexually immoral in Corinth, some of the idolaters, some of the adulterers, some of the homosexuals, some of the thieves, some of the greedy, some of the drunkards, some of the revilers, some of the swindlers in Corinth believed the message of the cross and were transformed! (1Cor.6:9-11) Those who believed were washed, sanctified, justified, filled with the Holy Spirit of God. Sinners became saints! The testimony about Jesus was confirmed among you. This is where the enriching in every way in verse 5 came from. Those in Corinth were enriched in every way, they experienced the fullness of God's blessing, they experienced the riches of the grace of God freely given to them as the message of Christ crucified was proclaimed to them, and their blind eyes were supernaturally opened to see the light of the good news of the glory of Christ (2Cor.4:4), and they believed. The testimony about Christ was demonstrated to be solid and legally binding to all who believe when sinners in Corinth believed and were transformed. This is grounds for rejoicing! This is grounds for thanksgiving! Has the testimony of Christ been confirmed in you? Has the gospel, the message of Christ crucified, been shown effective in your life? Have you believed?