Christ And Him Crucified

Faith only groups use I Cor 1 to claim we do not have to be justified by works to be sayed. We have to be justified in faith and works to be justified by Christ. Christ justifies us legally through the cross.

The cross fulfills our legal justification.

This is the point of Paul in I Corinthians 1. Members were causing division based upon the superiority of one teacher over another. 

Paul refuted this idea by showing the cross was necessary to make anyone sanctified to be a teacher.

In Jewish teaching a person became a prophet as they grew spiritually and improved enough to be called a prophet. Paul refutes this by showing the cross made all teachers able to be Apostles or teachers. Paul was refuting the Jewish concept.

The following is from a Jewish website teaching a person became a prophet when becoming holy and scholarly.

Many people today think of a prophet as any person who sees the future. While the gift of prophecy certainly includes the ability to see the future, a prophet is far more than just a person with that ability.

A prophet is basically a spokesman for G-d, a person chosen by G-d to speak to people on G-d's behalf and convey a message or teaching. Prophets were role models of holiness, scholarship and closeness to G-d. They set the standards for the entire community.

Paul wasn't denying baptism, he was refuting a person had to be baptized by a superior Christian. He was saying all teachers are in need of the cross. All fall under Christ, all need his sacrifice to be saved.

Jews taught you became a prophet when you became good enough as an example of holiness, men like Peter and Paul were chief sinners having imprisoned christians and denying Christ. They were made acceptable by the cross. Peter was a man without formal learning.

Paul then says not to glory in men,

So the usage by men to refute baptism and any other work to complete the faith isn't accurate. It actually disproves their contention they became good enough through seminary education and growth in good works. As Paul wrote to Timothy he was called based on God's grace, not of his works.

Of course the Jews were refuting Christianity by stating these men were sinners and never attended their higher education program.

Paul was also juxtaposing the truth of the Gospel with the traditions handed down by rabbis.

1Co 1:19  For it is written, I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and will bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent. 

1Co 1:20  Where is the wise? where is the scribe? where is the disputer of this world? hath not God made foolish the wisdom of this world? 

Christ, and him crucified means Christ's example and teaching as recorded with the cross.

This included baptism, but excluded the need for rabbinic wisdom as was being introduced in Corinth.