1 Corinthians 1:6
because our testimony about Christ was confirmed in you.
because
The word "because" serves as a conjunction, linking the preceding thoughts to the explanation that follows. In the context of 1 Corinthians, Paul is addressing the church in Corinth, explaining the reason for the spiritual gifts and grace they have received. This word indicates causality, suggesting that the spiritual enrichment of the Corinthians is a direct result of the testimony about Christ. It emphasizes the interconnectedness of faith and the transformative power of the Gospel.

our testimony
The phrase "our testimony" refers to the apostolic witness and proclamation of the Gospel by Paul and his companions. The Greek word for testimony, "μαρτυρία" (martyria), implies a witness or evidence. In a historical context, this testimony is not merely a personal account but a divinely inspired declaration of the truth about Jesus Christ. The apostles' testimony was foundational for the early church, serving as the bedrock of Christian belief and practice.

about Christ
This phrase centers the testimony on Jesus Christ, the Messiah. The focus on Christ is crucial, as it underscores the centrality of Jesus in the Christian faith. Historically, the early church faced numerous challenges and heresies that sought to distort the understanding of Christ's nature and work. By emphasizing "about Christ," Paul reaffirms the core message of the Gospel: the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus as the means of salvation for humanity.

was confirmed
The term "was confirmed" comes from the Greek word "βεβαιόω" (bebaioō), meaning to establish or make firm. This suggests that the testimony about Christ was not only preached but also validated and solidified within the believers in Corinth. The confirmation of the testimony can be seen in the transformation of lives, the manifestation of spiritual gifts, and the growth of the church. It implies a divine endorsement of the message and its effects.

in you
The phrase "in you" personalizes the message, indicating that the confirmation of the testimony occurred within the individual believers and the collective body of the Corinthian church. This internalization of the Gospel message highlights the intimate and transformative relationship between the believer and Christ. It suggests that the evidence of the truth of the Gospel is seen in the lives of those who have embraced it, reflecting the work of the Holy Spirit in their hearts and actions.

Persons / Places / Events
1. Paul the Apostle
The author of the letter, addressing the church in Corinth. Paul is a key figure in the early Christian church, known for his missionary journeys and epistles.

2. The Church in Corinth
A diverse and dynamic early Christian community located in the city of Corinth, known for its cultural and economic significance in ancient Greece.

3. Jesus Christ
The central figure of Christianity, whose life, death, and resurrection are the foundation of the Christian faith. The testimony about Him is what Paul refers to in this verse.

4. The Testimony of Christ
The message of the Gospel that Paul and others preached, focusing on the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

5. Confirmation of the Testimony
The evidence of the Gospel's truth and power in the lives of the Corinthian believers, demonstrated through their spiritual gifts and transformation.
Teaching Points
The Power of the Gospel
The Gospel is not just words but is confirmed through the transformation and spiritual gifts in believers' lives.

The Role of Testimony
Our lives should reflect the truth of the Gospel, serving as a testimony to others about Christ's work in us.

Spiritual Gifts as Evidence
The presence of spiritual gifts in our lives is a confirmation of the Holy Spirit's work and the truth of the Gospel.

Community and Growth
Like the Corinthians, we are called to grow in our faith and allow the Gospel to be confirmed in us through our actions and community life.

Faithfulness in Witness
We are encouraged to remain faithful in our witness, allowing the testimony of Christ to be evident in all we do.
Bible Study Questions
1. How does the confirmation of the testimony of Christ in the Corinthian church encourage us in our own faith journey?

2. In what ways can we see the evidence of the Gospel being confirmed in our lives and communities today?

3. How do spiritual gifts serve as a confirmation of the testimony of Christ in the life of a believer?

4. What steps can we take to ensure that our lives are a true testimony of the Gospel to those around us?

5. How can we support and encourage one another in our church community to grow in faith and allow the testimony of Christ to be confirmed in us?
Connections to Other Scriptures
Acts 18:1-11
Describes Paul's initial visit to Corinth and the establishment of the church there, providing context for his relationship with the Corinthian believers.

1 Corinthians 12:4-11
Discusses the spiritual gifts given to the Corinthian church, which serve as evidence of the testimony of Christ being confirmed among them.

2 Corinthians 1:21-22
Speaks about God establishing believers in Christ and anointing them, further affirming the confirmation of the Gospel in their lives.
The Testimony of ChristJ. Waite 1 Corinthians 1:6
Divine BlessingsJ. Lyth, D. D.1 Corinthians 1:1-9
Grace and PeaceC. Hodge, D. D.1 Corinthians 1:1-9
No Peace Without ChristJ. Pulsford.1 Corinthians 1:1-9
Paul's Claim to ApostleshipR. Tuck 1 Corinthians 1:1-9
Sosthenes a BrotherA. Scott.1 Corinthians 1:1-9
St. Paul and the ApostleshipC. Lipscomb 1 Corinthians 1:1-9
The Apostolic SalutationsDean Stanley.1 Corinthians 1:1-9
The Approach to RebukeE. Hurndall 1 Corinthians 1:1-9
The Authority of the Christian MinisterJ. Lyth, D. D.1 Corinthians 1:1-9
The Call of God IsJ. Lyth, D. D.1 Corinthians 1:1-9
The Church in CorinthM. Dods, D. D.1 Corinthians 1:1-9
The Peace of the Christian1 Corinthians 1:1-9
The SalutationThe Study1 Corinthians 1:1-9
The SalutationF. W. Robertson, M. A.1 Corinthians 1:1-9
Three Notes of the ChurchPrincipal Edwards.1 Corinthians 1:1-9
Threefold SanctificationProf. Godet., C. H. Spurgeon.1 Corinthians 1:1-9
Gifts are Signs of GraceR. Tuck 1 Corinthians 1:4-7
Thanksgiving on Account of Their GiftsH. Bremne 1 Corinthians 1:4-9
Apostolic Congratulation and WarningF. W. Robertson, M. A.1 Corinthians 1:4-13
Apostolic Thanksgiving ForJ. Lyth, D. D.1 Corinthians 1:4-13
Bearing Witness to the TruthR. K. Smoot, D. D.1 Corinthians 1:4-13
Christian ExcellenceJ. Willcox.1 Corinthians 1:4-13
Enriched by ChristMethodist Times1 Corinthians 1:4-13
Exemplary Gratitude and Precious ConfidenceD. Thomas D. D.1 Corinthians 1:4-13
Life Enriched Through ChristChas. Gore, M. A.1 Corinthians 1:4-13
Our Lord Jesus Christ IsClerical World1 Corinthians 1:4-13
Spiritual Riches by ChristJ. Cornford.1 Corinthians 1:4-13
The Blessings Which the GospelC. Simeon, M. A.1 Corinthians 1:4-13
The Enriching Power of GodN. Schenk, D. D.1 Corinthians 1:4-13
The Grace and Gifts of GodT. H. Barnett.1 Corinthians 1:4-13
The Power of UtteranceH. E. Channing, D. D.1 Corinthians 1:4-13
Utterance and KnowledgePrincipal Edwards.1 Corinthians 1:4-13
People
Apollos, Cephas, Chloe, Corinthians, Crispus, Gaius, Paul, Peter, Sosthenes, Stephanas
Places
Corinth
Topics
Christ, Confirmed, Experience, Testimony, Thus, Witness
Dictionary of Bible Themes
1 Corinthians 1:6

     8105   assurance, basis of

1 Corinthians 1:4-6

     6668   grace, and Christ
     7915   confirmation

1 Corinthians 1:4-7

     5325   gifts
     7726   evangelists, ministry

Library
Father and Child
Eversley. 1861. 1 Cor. i. 4, 5, 7. "I thank my God always on your behalf, for the grace of God which is given you by Jesus Christ. That in every thing ye are enriched by Him, in all utterance, and in all knowledge . . . So that ye come behind in no gift; waiting for the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. Who shall also confirm you unto the end, that ye may be blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ." This text is a very important one. It ought to teach me how I should treat you. It
Charles Kingsley—All Saints' Day and Other Sermons

Eighteenth Sunday after Trinity Treasure Christians have in the Gospel.
Text: 1 Corinthians 1, 4-9. 4 I thank my God always concerning you, for the grace of God which was given you in Christ Jesus; 5 that in everything ye were enriched in him, in all utterance and all knowledge; 6 even as the testimony of Christ was confirmed in you: 7 so that ye come behind in no gift; waiting for the revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ; 8 who shall also confirm you unto the end, that ye be unreprovable in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9 God is faithful, through whom ye were called
Martin Luther—Epistle Sermons, Vol. III

Second Day. God's Provision for Holiness.
To those that are made holy in Christ Jesus, called to be holy.'--1 Cor. i. 2. 'To all the holy ones in Christ Jesus which are at Philippi. Salute every holy one in Christ Jesus.'[1]--Phil. i. 1, iv. 21. HOLY! IN CHRIST! In these two expressions we have perhaps the most wonderful words of all the Bible. HOLY! the word of unfathomable meaning, which the Seraphs utter with veiled faces. HOLY! the word in which all God's perfections centre, and of which His glory is but the streaming forth.
Andrew Murray—Holy in Christ

Twenty-Second Day. In Christ Our Sanctification.
'Of God are ye in Christ Jesus, who was made unto us wisdom from God, both righteousness and sanctification and redemption; that, according as it is written, He that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord.'--1 Cor. i. 30, 31. These words lead us on now to the very centre of God's revelation of the way of holiness. We know the steps of the road leading hither. He is holy, and holiness is His. He makes holy by coming near. His presence is holiness. In Christ's life, the holiness that had only been revealed
Andrew Murray—Holy in Christ

Perishing or Being Saved
For the preaching of the Cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God.'--1 COR. i. 18. The starting-point of my remarks is the observation that a slight variation of rendering, which will be found in the Revised Version, brings out the true meaning of these words. Instead of reading 'them that perish' and 'us which are saved,' we ought to read 'them that are perishing,' and 'us which are being saved.' That is to say, the Apostle represents the
Alexander Maclaren—Romans, Corinthians (To II Corinthians, Chap. V)

Corinthians. Calling on the Name
'All that in every place call upon the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, both theirs and ours.'--1 COR. i. 2. There are some difficulties, with which I need not trouble you, about both the translation and the connection of these words. One thing is quite clear, that in them the Apostle associates the church at Corinth with the whole mass of Christian believers in the world. The question may arise whether he does so in the sense that he addresses his letter both to the church at Corinth and to the whole
Alexander Maclaren—Romans, Corinthians (To II Corinthians, Chap. V)

The Wisdom of God in the Means Used to Propagate the Gospel.
"But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and god hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty; and base things of the world, and things which are despised, hath God chosen, and things which are not, to bring to nought things which are." * * The two discourses on this text were originally one, and preached before Windham Association, at Thompson, October Session, 1798. Probably some of the ideas which they contain, may have been
Andrew Lee et al—Sermons on Various Important Subjects

Christ Crucified
Wisdom had had its time, and time enough; it had done its all, and that was little enough; it had made the world worse than it was before it stepped upon it, and "now," says God, "Foolishness shall overcome wisdom; now ignorance, as ye call it, shall sweep away science; now, humble, child-like faith shall crumble to the dust all the colossal systems your hands have piled." He calls his armies. Christ puts his trumpet to his mouth, and up come the warriors, clad in fishermen's garb, with the brogue
Charles Haddon Spurgeon—Spurgeon's Sermons Volume 1: 1855

The Fourfold Treasure
To-night we have before us a text which is extraordinarily comprehensive, and contains infinitely more of meaning than mind shall grasp, or tongue shall utter at this hour. Considering it carefully, let us observe, first, that the apostle here attributes the fact that we are in Christ Jesus to the Lord alone. He shows that there is a connection between our very being as Christians, and the love and grace of God in Christ. "Of him" (that is of God) "are ye in Christ Jesus." So we will first speak
Charles Haddon Spurgeon—Spurgeon's Sermons Volume 17: 1871

Christ --The Power and Wisdom of God
Now, this morning, we shall try to bring out these two thoughts of the gospel; and it may be that God shall bless what we shall say to the removing of the objection of either Jew or Greek; that the one requiring a sign may see it in the power of God in Christ, and that he who requireth wisdom may behold it in the wisdom of God in Christ. We shall understand our text in a threefold manner: Christ, that is, Christ personally, is "the power of God and the wisdom of God;" Christ, that is, Christ's gospel,
Charles Haddon Spurgeon—Spurgeon's Sermons Volume 3: 1857

Firm to the End.
(Eighteenth Sunday after Trinity.) 1 COR. i. 8. "Who also shall confirm you unto the end." Steadfastness is one of the most important characteristics of a Christian. Perhaps you will tell me that love, and self-denial, and patience, and faith are the chief marks of Christ's followers. And I answer that these things are useless without steadfastness. It will not avail us to be very loving, and self-sacrificing, and patient, and trustful for a little while, and then to fall away, and be selfish,
H. J. Wilmot-Buxton—The Life of Duty, a Year's Plain Sermons, v. 2

The National Preacher.
Go ... Teach all Nations.... Matt. xxviii. 19. VOL. II. NEW-YORK, DECEMBER, 1827. NO. 7. SERMON XXVI. By AARON W. LELAND, D.D. CHARLESTON, S. CAROLINA. THE PURE GOSPEL REJECTED BY THE PERISHING. 1 COR. I. 18.--For the preaching of the cross is, to them that perish, foolishness. In the Christian revelation, there is an evident purpose of infinite wisdom, that in all the provisions for man's salvation, his moral agency should be left free and uncontrolled. Instead of accommodation to human
Aaron W. Leland—The National Preacher, Vol. 2 No. 7 Dec. 1827

Good Friday, 1860
(Good Friday, 1860.) 1 Corinthians i. 23-25. But we preach Christ crucified, unto the Jews a stumbling-block, and unto the Greeks foolishness; but unto them which are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God, and the wisdom of God. Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men; and the weakness of God is stronger than men. The foolishness of God? The weakness of God? These are strange words. But they are St. Paul's words, not mine. If he had not said them first, I should not
Charles Kingsley—Town and Country Sermons

The Introduction, with Some General Observations from the Cohesion.
Doubtless it is always useful, yea, necessary, for the children of God to know the right way of making use of Christ, who is made all things to them which they need, even "wisdom, righteousness, sanctification, and redemption," 1 Cor. i. 30. But it is never more necessary for believers to be clear and distinct in this matter, than when Satan, by all means, is seeking to pervert the right ways of the Lord, and, one way or other, to lead souls away, and draw them off Christ; knowing that, if he prevail
John Brown (of Wamphray)—Christ The Way, The Truth, and The Life

How Christ is to be Made Use Of, as the Way, for Sanctification in General.
Having shown how a poor soul, lying under the burden of sin and wrath, is to make use of Jesus Christ for righteousness and justification, and so to make use of him, go out to him, and apply him, as "he is made of God to us righteousness," 1 Cor. i. 30, and that but briefly. This whole great business being more fully and satisfactorily handled, in that forementioned great, though small treatise, viz. "The Christian's Great Interest," we shall now come and show, how a believer or a justified soul
John Brown (of Wamphray)—Christ The Way, The Truth, and The Life

With How Great Reverence Christ must be Received
The Voice of the Disciple These are Thy words, O Christ, Eternal Truth; though not uttered at one time nor written together in one place of Scripture. Because therefore they are Thy words and true, I must gratefully and faithfully receive them all. They are Thine, and Thou hast uttered them; and they are mine also, because Thou didst speak them for my salvation. Gladly I receive them from Thy mouth, that they may be more deeply implanted in my heart. Words of such great grace arouse me, for they
Thomas A Kempis—Imitation of Christ

Of the Effects of those Prerogatives.
From these prerogatives there will arise to the elect in heaven, five notable effects:-- 1. They shall know God with a perfect knowledge (1 Cor. i. 10), so far as creatures can possibly comprehend the Creator. For there we shall see the Word, the Creator; and in the Word, all creatures that by the Word were created; so that we shall not need to learn (of the things which were made) the knowledge of him by whom all things were made. The most excellent creatures in this life, are but as a dark veil
Lewis Bayly—The Practice of Piety

Sanctification.
"Of Him ye are in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption."--1 Cor. i. 30. Sanctification is one of the most glorious gifts which, by the Covenant of Grace, the Mediator bestows upon the saint. It covers his entire mental, spiritual, and physical nature. We should, therefore, thoroughly understand it, and learn how to obtain it, and every believer, whatever the measure of his faith, should be fully aware of his attitude toward it; for
Abraham Kuyper—The Work of the Holy Spirit

Christ Our Sanctification.
"Christ Jesus who of God is made unto us...sanctification."--1 Cor. i. 30. The redeemed soul possesses all things in Christ. He is a complete Savior. He lacks nothing. Having Him we are saved to the uttermost; without Him we are utterly lost and undone. We must earnestly maintain this point, especially with reference to sanctification; and repeat with increasing clearness that Christ is given us of God not only for wisdom and righteousness, but also for sanctification. It reads distinctly that Christ
Abraham Kuyper—The Work of the Holy Spirit

The Joyful Sound
C. P. C. I Cor. i. 23, 24 O that Thy Name may be sounded Afar over earth and sea, Till the dead awaken and praise Thee, And the dumb lips sing to Thee! Sound forth as a song of triumph Wherever man's foot has trod, The despised, the derided message, The foolishness of God. Jesus, dishonoured and dying, A felon on either side-- Jesus, the song of the drunkards, Jesus the Crucified! Name of God's tender comfort, Name of His glorious power, Name that is song and sweetness, The strong everlasting tower.
Frances Bevan—Hymns of Ter Steegen, Suso, and Others

Christian Churches.
The large number of churches in Rome.--The six classes of the earliest of these.--I. Private oratories.--The houses of Pudens and Prisca.--The evolution of the church from the private house.--II. Scholae.--The memorial services and banquets of the pagans.--Two extant specimens of early Christian scholae.--That in the Cemetery of Callixtus.--III. Oratories and churches built over the tombs of martyrs and confessors.--How they came to be built.--These the originals of the greatest sanctuaries of modern
Rodolfo Lanciani—Pagan and Christian Rome

St. Augustine (Ad 354-430)
PART I The church in the north of Africa has hardly been mentioned since the time of St. Cyprian (Chapter VIII). But we must now look towards it again, since in the days of St. Chrysostom it produced a man who was perhaps the greatest of all the old Christian fathers--St. Augustine. Augustine was born at Thagaste, a city of Numidia, in the year 354. His mother, Monica, was a pious Christian, but his father, Patricius, was a heathen, and a man of no very good character. Monica was resolved to bring
J. C. Roberston—Sketches of Church History, from AD 33 to the Reformation

Additional Introduction.
Towards the close of 1875, at Constantinople, Philotheus Bryennius, Metropolitan of Serræ, published the first complete edition of the epistles ascribed to Clement. This he was enabled to do by the discovery of a ms. in the library of the Holy Sepulchre at Fanari in Constantinople. This ms., of vellum, consists of one hundred and twenty leaves in small octavo, nearly seven and a half inches in length and six in breadth. The ms. bears the date 1056, and was written by one Leo. Its contents
Rev. John Keith, D.D.—The Epistles of Clement

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