Verse 23
All the Corinthians belonged to Christ, not just those of the "Christ party" (1 Corinthians 1:12). They belonged to Him, not to one of His servants. Even Christ belongs to God in the sense of being under the authority and protection of the Father (cf. 1 Corinthians 8:6; 1 Corinthians 11:3; 1 Corinthians 15:28). This is functional rather than ontological subordination. All things belong to the Christian because the Christian belongs to Christ, and all things are His. Thus in Him we possess all things, but it is only in Him that we do.
Paul made several references to the administrative order of God when correcting disorders of various kinds in the Corinthian church. This order is the Father over the Son, the Son over the man, and the man over the woman (e.g., 1 Corinthians 8:6; 1 Corinthians 11:3; et al.). The apostle stressed divine order because the Corinthians were disorderly, having failed to submit to the Holy Spirit’s control.
"On this high note Paul’s response to the Corinthian pride in man and wisdom has come to a fitting conclusion. But the problem is larger still; so he turns next to deal with their attitudes toward him in particular." [Note: Fee, The First . . ., p. 155.]
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