https://www.lds.org/manual/new-testament-seminary-teacher-manual?lang=eng
Lesson 103: 1 Corinthians 1–2
Introduction
After learning about problems Church members in Corinth were
experiencing, Paul wrote to these members and exhorted them to eliminate
contention and become united. He also explained that God calls the weak and
humble to preach His gospel and that the things of God can only be known and
understood through the Spirit.
I. 1 Corinthians 1:1–16 Paul writes to the Saints
in Corinth and exhorts them to eliminate contention and be united
---Show the class a picture of a family, a sports team, and a group of
friends (or write family, sports team, group of friends on the board).
•What might cause divisions and contention in
each of these groups?
• How can such divisions and contention
affect a family, team, or group of friends?
• How can such divisions and contention among
Church members affect the Church?
---Invite students to look as they study 1 Corinthians 1 for a truth about
divisions and contention that Paul taught the Saints in Corinth.
---Invite students to turn to Bible Maps, no. 13, “The Missionary Journeys of the Apostle Paul,”
located in the Bible appendix, and find Corinth on the map.
---Ask a student to read the following paragraph aloud:
During his second
missionary journey, Paul traveled to a city called Corinth, where he preached
the gospel. Many people were baptized at that time (see Acts 18:1–18). Later, while Paul was preaching in
Ephesus, he learned that problems had arisen among Church members in Corinth
because some of the converts were reverting to their past beliefs and practices
of idol worship. Paul wrote to the Church members in Corinth to strengthen them
and remind them of their commitment to serve the Lord.
---Invite a student to read 1 Corinthians 1:1–2 aloud. Ask the class to
follow along, looking for how Paul addressed the Church members in Corinth.
• How did Paul address the Church members in
Corinth?
• According to verse 1, what position did Paul hold in the
Church?
---In 1 Corinthians 1:3–9 Paul told the Saints in
Corinth that he thanked God on their behalf for the grace they had received through Jesus Christ, which had blessed them in
every way. Point out that as Paul addressed the Saints he used language
indicating that Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ are separate beings (see verse 3).
---Invite a student to read 1 Corinthians 1:10–11 aloud. Ask the class
to follow along, looking for what Paul exhorted the Corinthian Saints to do.
• According to 1 Corinthians 1:10, what does the Lord
expect us to do as Church members? (Using their own words, students should
identify a principle similar to the following: The Lord expects us as Saints to
be united and to eliminate divisions and contention.)
• What can we do as Church members to
eliminate divisions and contention in our families? In our wards? (Write
students’ responses on the board.)
• What blessings can we receive from being
united and eliminating contention?
• When have you been blessed as a result of
being united in a class, quorum, or ward or branch?
---Refer students to the responses written on the board, and
encourage them to select one way they can eliminate divisions and contention
and to set a goal to implement it.
---1 Corinthians 1:12–16 says that the Saints
in Corinth were dividing into groups based on who baptized them. Contention
developed because they believed their status in the Church was determined by
the importance of the person who baptized them.
II.
1 Corinthians 1:17–31 Paul teaches that God calls
on the weak to preach His gospel
---Explain that during the time of Paul, many Greeks lived in
Corinth. These Greeks placed a high value on philosophical ideas and worldly
wisdom.
• Why might someone who values worldly
philosophies find it difficult to accept the gospel? (You may want to read 2 Nephi 9:28.)
---Invite students to look for a truth as they study 1 Corinthians 1:17–31 that can help them
understand the fallibility of the world’s wisdom.
---Divide the class into four groups. Assign one of the following
scripture references to each group: 1 Corinthians 1:17–18; 1 Corinthians 1:19–20; 1 Corinthians 1:21–22; and 1 Corinthians 1:23–24. Invite students to
read these verses in their groups, looking for what Paul said about the world’s
wisdom versus God’s wisdom. Explain that the phrase “for Christ sent me not to
baptize” in verse 17 suggests that Paul was not sent to
build a reputation based on the number of converts he could get. You may also
want to explain that the phrases “wisdom of the wise” in verse 19 and “wisdom of this world” in verse 20 refer to the flawed philosophical
traditions of the day.
---After sufficient time, invite a student from each group to
summarize for the class what Paul taught the Corinthian Saints about wisdom.
After all of the groups have reported, ask:
• Why do you think nonbelievers considered
the message of Jesus Christ’s Atonement to be foolish?
Invite a student to read 1 Corinthians 1:25 aloud. Ask the class to
follow along, looking for what Paul taught about human wisdom compared to God’s
wisdom. Explain that Paul used the phrases “the foolishness of God is wiser
than men” and “the weakness of God is stronger than men” to convey God’s
ultimate wisdom and power. God is not foolish, nor does He have any weaknesses.
• What truth did Paul teach about human
wisdom compared to God’s wisdom? (After students respond, write the following
truth on the board: God’s wisdom is greater than human wisdom.)
• In what ways might understanding this truth
affect how someone looks for solutions to his or her problems?
---Invite a student to read 1 Corinthians 1:26–27 aloud. Ask the class
to follow along, looking for whom God chooses to preach His gospel.
• Whom does God choose to preach His gospel?
• Why do you think God chooses those whom the
world considers foolish and weak to preach His gospel?
III.
1 Corinthians 2 Paul explains how we learn
the things of God
---Invite a student to read aloud the following account by
President Boyd K. Packer of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles:
“I sat on a plane next to a
professed atheist who pressed his disbelief in God so urgently that I bore my
testimony to him. ‘You are wrong,’ I said, ‘there is a God. I know He lives!’
“He protested, ‘You don’t know.
Nobody knows that! You can’t know it!’ When I would not yield, the atheist, who
was an attorney, asked perhaps the ultimate question on the subject of
testimony. ‘All right,’ he said in a sneering, condescending way, ‘you say you
know. Tell me how you know.’
“When I attempted to
answer, even though I held advanced academic degrees, I was helpless to
communicate. …
“When I used the words Spirit
and witness, the atheist responded, ‘I don’t know what you are talking about.’
The words prayer, discernment, and faith, were equally meaningless to him. ‘You
see,’ he said, ‘you don’t really know. If you did, you would be able to tell me
how you know.’
“I … was at a loss as to
what to do” (“The Candle of the Lord,” Ensign, Jan.
1983, 51).
• What would you have said to the atheist?
---Invite students to look for a truth as they study 1 Corinthians 2 that will help them
know why this man could not understand President Packer and why they can be
confident in their knowledge of spiritual matters.
---1 Corinthians 2:1–8 says that Paul told the
Saints in Corinth that he did not use the world’s wisdom to convince them of
the gospel. He taught them by the Spirit so they would have faith in God. Paul
also told them that unbelievers cannot understand the mysteries of God.
---Invite several students to take turns reading aloud from 1 Corinthians 2:9–16. Ask the class to
follow along, looking for why Paul said some people can know and understand the
“deep things of God” (verse 10), while others cannot.
• According to verses 9–10, why could Paul and other faithful
people understand the things of God?
• According to verse 14, why are some people unable to
understand the things of God?
• What truth can we learn from these verses
about how we can know and understand the things of God? (Students may use
different words, but make sure they identify the following truth: We can only
know and understand the things of God through His Spirit.)
---Refer to President Packer’s account, and explain that President
Packer felt inspired to ask the man sitting next to him on the plane what salt
tastes like. Invite a student to read aloud the rest of President Packer’s
account:
“After several attempts, of
course, he could not do it. He could not convey, in words alone, so ordinary an
experience as tasting salt. I bore testimony to him once again and said, ‘I
know there is a God. You ridiculed that testimony and said that if I did know,
I would be able to tell you exactly how I know. My friend, spiritually
speaking, I have tasted salt. I am no more able to convey to you in words how
this knowledge has come than you are to tell me what salt tastes like. But I
say to you again, there is a God! He does live! And just because you don’t
know, don’t try to tell me that I don’t know, for I do!’
“As we parted, I heard him
mutter, ‘I don’t need your religion for a crutch! I don’t need it.’
“From that experience forward,
I have never been embarrassed or ashamed that I could not explain in words
alone everything I know spiritually” (“The Candle of the Lord,” 52).
---Write the words Things of God on the board and ask students what they would
consider to be things of God that can only be known and understood through His
Spirit. Write their responses on the board.
• Why is it important for us to believe that
we can only know and understand the things of God through His Spirit?
---Refer students to the list on the board, and invite them to
share an experience in which they came to know and understand through the
Spirit one of these things of God. Consider sharing an experience of your own.
---Encourage students to consider what they can do to seek the
Spirit’s help as they strive to know and understand the things of God.
---Conclude by testifying of the truths taught in this lesson.
Commentary and Background
Information
1 Corinthians
1:17–2:13. The wisdom of the world
“When Paul spoke against ‘the wisdom of this world’ (1 Corinthians 1:20), he was referring to the
flawed philosophical traditions of his day and not to the worthwhile pursuit of
learning and education that the Lord encourages (see Matthew 22:37; 2 Nephi 9:29; D&C 88:78–80). Paul used the words wise and wisdom
repeatedly in 1 Corinthians 1:17–2:13 to refer to worldly
philosophies and those who supported them. Philosophical ideas were regularly
the subject of public debates. Paul contrasted limited human wisdom with the
powerful message of God’s crucified Son (see 1 Corinthians 1:17–25). Regardless of those
who scoffed at the gospel, the Saints’ faith should not depend on ‘the wisdom
of men, but … the power of God’ (1 Corinthians 2:5).
“The message of a crucified Messiah was difficult for both Jews
and Gentiles to accept. In the Roman world, crucifixion was a punishment
reserved for criminals or slaves and symbolized shame and defeat. The idea of someone
vicariously suffering and dying for others, then subsequently coming back to
life, was ‘foolishness’ to the philosophically minded Greeks (1 Corinthians 1:23). For the Jews, whose
concept of the Messiah brought the expectation of royalty, power, and victory,
the message that the Messiah had died on a cross was a ‘stumblingblock’ and an
unacceptable idea (1 Corinthians 1:23)” (New Testament Student
Manual [Church Educational System manual, 2014], 364).
1 Corinthians
1:18–29. “God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things
which are mighty”
“While many Jews and Gentiles rejected the gospel message as
‘foolishness’ (1 Corinthians 1:18), Paul taught that ‘the
foolishness of God is wiser than men; and the weakness of God is stronger than
men’ (1 Corinthians 1:19–25). God often performs
His work through individuals whom the world might consider to be ‘foolish’ or
‘weak’ (see D&C 35:13–14; 124:1). In 1 Corinthians 1:28, the ‘base things of the
world’—those who are lowly and humble—are those whom God chooses to accomplish
His work” (New Testament Student Manual [Church Educational System manual,
2014], 364).
1 Corinthians
2:6–16. The “things of God” are “spiritually discerned”
Because “the things of the Spirit of God” can only be “spiritually
discerned” (1 Corinthians 2:14), those who are worldly
minded cannot understand spiritual truths. God has provided a way for us to
obtain spiritual knowledge. Elder Paul V. Johnson of the Seventy taught:
“In the scientific world the scientific method is used to learn
truth and advance knowledge. It has been extremely helpful over the years and
has yielded tremendous amounts of scientific knowledge and continues to push
back the curtain of ignorance about our physical world. Learning spiritual
things, however, requires a different approach than learning scientific things.
The scientific method and intellect are very helpful, but they alone will never
bring spiritual knowledge.
“Learning spiritual things involves the intellect, but that is not
enough. We only learn spiritual things by the Spirit. …
“… Answers to spiritual questions are given to individuals
who don’t harden their hearts; who ask in faith, believing they will receive;
and who diligently keep the commandments. Even when we follow this pattern, we
don’t control the timing of getting answers. Sometimes our answers come
quickly, and sometimes we must place questions on the shelf for a time and rely
on our faith that has developed from the answers we do know” (“A Pattern for Learning Spiritual Things” [Seminaries
and Institutes of Religion satellite broadcast, Aug. 7, 2012], si.lds.org).
Elder Dallin H. Oaks of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles
taught:
“The Lord’s prescribed methods of acquiring sacred knowledge are
very different from the methods used by those who acquire learning exclusively
by study. For example, a frequent technique of scholarship is debate or
adversarial discussion, a method with which I have had considerable personal
experience. But the Lord has instructed us in ancient and modern scriptures
that we should not contend over the points of his doctrine. (See 3 Ne. 11:28–30; D&C 10:63.) … Gospel truths and testimony are
received from the Holy Ghost through reverent personal study and
quiet contemplation” (“Alternate Voices,” Ensign, May 1989, 29).
© 2016 by Intellectual Reserve, Inc. All rights reserved.
Right margin extras:
Invite students to share
Sharing insights and relevant experiences
clarifies students’ understanding of gospel doctrines and principles. As
students share such experiences, the Holy Ghost often leads
them to a deeper understanding and testimony of the very things they are
expressing. Through the power of the Holy Ghost, their words and experiences
can also have significant impact on the hearts and minds of their peers.
Lesson 104: 1 Corinthians 3–4
Introduction
Paul explained to the Corinthian Saints the roles of missionaries
in building up God’s kingdom. He taught that their congregations were places
where the Spirit could dwell and exhorted them not to think that some people
are better than others. (Note: The doctrine that our physical bodies are like
temples will be covered in the lesson on 1 Corinthians 6.)
I. 1 Corinthians 3 Paul explains the roles of
missionaries and Church members in building up God’s kingdom
---Invite students to imagine that a friend signs up to take an
advanced math class, like calculus, but has not taken the prerequisite courses,
like basic algebra.
• How successful do you think your friend
will be in the advanced math class? Why?
• Why is it necessary to understand the basic
ideas of a subject before you can master the more advanced concepts?
---Invite a student to read 1 Corinthians 3:1–3 aloud. Ask the class to
follow along, looking for the analogy Paul used to show the Saints in Corinth
that they were not yet ready for more advanced gospel truths. Explain that the
phrase “but as unto carnal” in verse 1 refers to the natural man, or “a
person who chooses to be influenced by the passions, desires, appetites, and
senses of the flesh rather than by the promptings of the Holy Spirit. Such a
person can comprehend physical things but not spiritual things” (Guide to the
Scriptures, “Natural Man,” scriptures.lds.org).
---Write the words milk and meat on the board.
• Which of these foods would you feed to a
baby? Why?
• What does the phrase “babes in Christ” in verse 1 suggest about the spiritual maturity
of the Corinthian Saints?
---To help students understand that the Saints were not yet ready
to receive greater truths, remind them that the Saints in Corinth were not
unified and that some of them included pagan (ungodly) beliefs and practices in
their observance of the gospel. Explain that Paul used several metaphors to
teach these Saints the importance of being unified, to correct false beliefs
and practices, and to strengthen their faith in the gospel of Jesus
Christ.
---Divide students into groups of three. Assign each person in the
group one of the following teaching outlines. Provide each student with a
handout of his or her assigned teaching outline, and allow students a few
minutes to read it. After sufficient time, invite each student to use the
outline to teach the other two members of the group. (If it is not possible to
have groups of three, you could divide students into pairs and assign two
teaching outlines to one of the students in each pair.)
Student 1
Invite your group to imagine that they attended a sacrament
meeting in which a returned missionary talked about his mission. During his talk,
he related that he had baptized several people. A week later, another returned
missionary talked in sacrament meeting about her mission and related that she
had taught many people who were eventually baptized after she had been
transferred to other areas.
• How would you respond if someone said the missionary who
baptized several people on his mission was more successful than the missionary
whose investigators were not baptized until after she had left the area?
Write the words planted and watered on a piece of paper, and show
it to your group. Explain that Paul compared missionaries to people who plant
seeds and water crops. Remind your group that the Saints in Corinth had begun
dividing into groups based on who had baptized them. They believed their status
in the Church was based on the importance of the person who baptized them. (See
1 Corinthians 1:10–16.)
Take turns with the members of your group reading aloud from 1 Corinthians 3:4–9. Ask the group to follow
along, looking for what Paul said about the missionaries who had taught and
baptized the people in Corinth.
• According to verse 5, what did Paul say he and Apollos
were? (Point out verse 5, footnote a, and explain that ministers
means servants.)
• According to verses 6–7, what did Paul say about missionaries
who plant the seeds of the gospel and missionaries who help those seeds grow?
If necessary, point out the phrases “neither is he that planteth
any thing, neither he that watereth” in verse 7, and explain that Paul used these
phrases to teach that neither of these roles is more important than God’s role.
• What does the phrase “God that giveth the increase” (verse 7) mean? (It is God, through the Holy
Ghost, who causes the changes in people’s hearts that lead to
conversion, not those who teach and baptize.)
• What truth can we learn from 1 Corinthians 3:6–7 about our role and God’s
role in helping others become converted to the gospel of Jesus Christ? (After
your group responds, invite them to write the following truth in their
scriptures next to 1 Corinthians 3:6–7: While we can help
others learn about the gospel of Jesus Christ, it is through the power of the
Holy Ghost that people are converted.)
Clarify that in order for people to receive the Holy Ghost and be
converted, they must do their part by exercising faith and following God’s
commandments.
• How do you think knowing this truth might have helped the
Corinthian Saints become more united?
Ask your group how this truth could help them respond in the
scenario about the two returned missionaries.
• Why is it important for us to understand that it is the Holy
Ghost, not our own power, that converts?
© 2015 by Intellectual Reserve, Inc. All rights reserved.
Student 2
Write the word foundation on a piece of paper, and show it to your
group.
• Why is the foundation an important part of a building?
• What might happen if there is a problem with the foundation?
Invite a member of your group to read 1 Corinthians 3:10 aloud, and ask the rest
of your group to look for what Paul said about his missionary labors among the
Corinthians.
• What did Paul say he did while laboring as a missionary in
Corinth?
• What do you think Paul meant when he said “another buildeth
thereon”?
Invite another member of your group to read 1 Corinthians 3:11 aloud, and ask the rest
of your group to look for what foundation Paul laid for the Saints in Corinth.
• What foundation did Paul lay while he taught in Corinth?
• According to verse 11, who needs to be the foundation of
our lives? (Make sure your group identifies the following truth: Jesus Christ
is the foundation upon which we must build. Consider inviting your group to
mark this truth in verse 11.)
• How can building upon the foundation of Jesus Christ help us
endure temptations and trials? (See also Helaman 5:12.)
• How can we ensure our lives are built on the foundation of Jesus
Christ?
Invite a member of your group to share about someone he or she
knows whose life reflects being built upon the foundation of Jesus Christ. Ask
this student to explain how building upon Christ has blessed this person.
Invite each group member to set a goal that will help him or her
build on the foundation of Jesus Christ.
© 2015 by Intellectual Reserve, Inc. All rights reserved.
Student 3
Write the word temple on a piece of paper, and show it to your
group. Explain that Paul often referred to the temple figuratively. As recorded
in 1 Corinthians 3:16–17, he used the word temple
to refer to the congregations of the Church.
Invite a member of your group to read 1 Corinthians 3:16–17 aloud. Ask the group
to follow along, looking for what Paul said the Church members in Corinth
needed to understand. Explain that ye (verse 16) refers to the congregations of the
Church and that the phrase “if any man defile the temple of God” (verse 17) refers to anyone who tries to
destroy God’s people.
• According to verse 16, what did Paul want the members of
the Church to understand about their congregations?
Although 1 Corinthians 3:16–17 likely refers to the
body of the Church as a congregation, these verses can also be applied to our
physical bodies.
• How might 1 Corinthians 3:16–17 also apply to our
physical bodies? What are the consequences of defiling our bodies?
Summarize 1 Corinthians 3:18–23 by explaining to your
group that Paul taught the Saints that true wisdom is found in Jesus Christ and
worldly wisdom is “foolishness with God” (verse 19).
© 2015 by Intellectual Reserve, Inc. All rights reserved.
---After sufficient time, invite a few students to report what
they learned in their groups and what they will do as a result of what they
learned.
II.
1 Corinthians 4 Paul tells the Saints in Corinth not to think
that some people are better than others
---Based on Paul’s counsel recorded in 1 Corinthians 4:1–3, it appears that some
members of the Church in Corinth had judged Paul’s performance as a missionary
and Church leader. They may have questioned his judgment or thought someone
else might have done a better job.
---Invite a student to read 1 Corinthians 4:3–5 aloud. Ask the class to
follow along, looking for how Paul responded to their judgments.
• How did Paul respond to their judgments?
• Why was Paul not concerned about the
judgment of others?
• What truth can we learn from verse 5 about how the Lord will judge us?
(Students may use different words, but make sure they identify a truth similar
to the following: The Lord will judge us fairly because He knows all things,
including the thoughts and intents of our hearts.)
• How can believing this truth help someone
who is judged unfairly?
---Invite a student to read 1 Corinthians 4:6–7 aloud, and ask the class
to look for what Paul taught the Saints about their relationship with other
Church members, including Church leaders.
• According to verse 6, what did Paul tell the Saints not
to do when they observed differences in missionaries and Church leaders? (They
should not “be puffed up” in pride and think that some people are better than
others.)
• Based on Paul’s questions recorded in verse 7, who gave people different talents
and abilities?
• How can Paul’s counsel help us as we think
about our Church leaders and teachers?
---1 Corinthians 4:8–21 tells us that Paul told
the Saints in Corinth that the Apostles of Jesus Christ are called to suffer
because of the wickedness of the world. The world judges the Apostles and other
Church leaders to be “fools” (verse 10) for seeking to follow Christ.
---Conclude by testifying of the truths taught in this lesson.
Commentary and Background
Information
1 Corinthians
3:16–17. “Ye are the temple of God”
“Paul taught, ‘Know ye not that ye are the temple of God?’ (1 Corinthians 3:16). In this verse, Paul
used ye, a plural pronoun, to refer to the Corinthian Saints collectively as
God’s temple. Paul’s point was that the congregations of the Church functioned
as temples where the Spirit of God could dwell (see 2 Corinthians 6:16; Ephesians 2:21). This analogy is subtly different
from the one that Paul used later in 1 Corinthians 6:19, in which he compared a
person’s physical body to a temple” (New Testament Student Manual [Church
Educational System manual, 2014], 365).
1 Corinthians
4:9–10. Death of the Apostles
“When Paul taught that the Apostles ‘were appointed to death’ (1 Corinthians 4:9), he hinted that his
calling as an Apostle would lead to his death. He also related that many in
Corinth viewed themselves as being wise and strong while considering Paul and
other Apostles to be foolish, weak, and despised (see 1 Corinthians 4:10). These two factors—the
Apostles’ death and Church members’ rejection of apostolic authority—would
ultimately contribute to the Great Apostasy” (New Testament Student Manual
[Church Educational System manual, 2014], 365).
© 2016 by Intellectual Reserve, Inc. All rights reserved.
Right margin extras:
Oversee
group work
During small group discussions and assignments, students can
become distracted from the purpose of the activity, start discussing personal
matters, or become casual in their efforts to learn. Remain actively involved
by moving from group to group and monitoring the activity so that you can help
students stay on task and gain the most from the assignment.
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