1–Corinthians
Introduction to the book of 1–Corinthians
First Corinthians complements and contrasts Paul's doctrinal epistle to the saints in Rome. Romans emphasizes matters of biblical theology, while First Corinthians is concerned with practical theology and its application to a particular local assembly. Biblical theology seeks to discover what the biblical writers, under the divine guidance of the Holy Spirit, believed, described, and taught in the context of their times. The book of Romans emphasizes matters based on what happened in Rome during the early church ages. Paul gives the early church Christians, both Jewish and Gentile Christians, the "Constitution of Christianity" and that God chose to provide grace and mercy to everyone that believes in Jesus Christ. Another explanation of Biblical theology is an attempt to tell the theology of what the Bible writers addressed during their generation or setting. Practical theology is the study of theology intended to make it useful or applicable. In other words, people can actually practice or apply those teachings in their daily lives. It goes behind understanding or comprehending the theological doctrines, but Christians must use or apply them in everyday Christain life. So, if the early church could use those teachings by Paul and apply it to their daily lives, then we, too in our generation in this day and time, can apply those same teachings in our lives. Theme & Overview
The theme of this epistle is that believers are called into the fellowship of Jesus Christ (1 Cor. 1:9). There are many vital concerns in this theme, and Paul addresses problems in the church and answers questions from the church. This letter or epistle addresses many ethical problems, including division and unity, the role of Christian workers, church discipline, incest, civil litigation, sexual immorality, divorce and remarriage, weak and strong Christians, and spiritual gifts. Also, First Corinthians integrates doctrinal concerns like "the cross of Christ, the resurrection, and the nature of the Chruch" with practical issues. The NIV Quest Study Bible says few other books of Scripture reveal the human weaknesses of Christians as vividly as this book does. Some other topics include: How do you deal with a sex-crazed society? Divorce—when is it justified? Can Christians sue? Get ready! You're about to encounter God's perspective on some hot topics. You'll also read about how the church must seek unity as we learn to love one another—with all of our shortcomings. And in the process, you'll see how the church can impact today's world. The book is perhaps most popular for its chapter on love (Chapter 13) and the resurrection (Chapter 15). Specific terms are repeatedly used, such as "knowledge, wisdom, discern, love, holy, and sanctify."Author
There is no doubt about who wrote 1 Corinthians, for all scholars agree that the Apostle Paul wrote it on his third missionary journey while living in Ephesus. Paul the Apostle, also called the Apostle Paul, Saul of Tarsus, and Saint Paul was one of the most influential early Christian missionaries, with his writings forming a considerable portion of the New Testament.Date
Paul indicates that he is writing from Ephesus (1 Cor. 16:8, 19). If this letter comes at the end of Paul's stay there, as seems likely, the time would be around AD 55. King James Version Study Bible ., electronic ed. (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1997).
Background #1
The City of Corinth. Corinth was a wealthy commercial center located on a narrow neck of land (four miles wide) that connected the Peloponnesus and northern Greece. Corinth became a crossroads for travel and commerce, north and south, east and west. (My thoughts is that all types of people from all over the land were traveling to the city of Corinth. I can only imagine that many people were not living a Holy life. So, the Christians living in Corinth must have been exposed to all sorts of living or customs. So, Christians in Corinth would have to apply the correct standards of living in their life to keep them from falling into an unrighteous lifestyle). The city of Corinth had two harbors, one (Lechaeum) facing Italy and the other (Cenchrea) facing Asia. The wealth of Corinth was acquired by hauling freight and smaller vessels across the isthmus and by levying tolls on such commerce. The original city of Corinth rose to wealth and fame during the period of the Greeks (This happened before the Romans took over and became rulers of that city). Corinth was known for its cosmopolitan culture and luxurious temples. In paraphrasing, the Merriam-Webster online dictionary defines "cosmopolitan' as a place "composed of persons, or people from all or many parts of the world." In other words, many people from diverse backgrounds with different beliefs or views of life were traveling to the city of Corinth. I believe that this environment provided the people of that time an opportunity to learn from each other cultures and beliefs and exchange ideas about life. The city of Corinth even had a shining sanctuary dedicated to Aphrodite, a Greek goddess of love and beauty. The sanctuary or temple was located on the gray, rocky hill to the south of the city called "Acrocorinth." It must have been huge because it was visible far out to sea. A thousand slave girls served in the temple as prostitutes and entertainers for the city's nightlife. I like how the "Tyndale Bible Dictionary" phrases it, " ...Acrocorinth contained the temple of Aphrodite, where 1,000 females slaves were dedicated to the service of this goddess of love. This distinctive cult of Corinth was dedicated to the veneration of Aphrodite, goddess of love, beauty, and fertility, who is identified with the Roman Venus." (Walter A. Elwell and Philip Wesley Comfort, Tyndale Bible Dictionary, Tyndale Reference Library (Wheaton, IL: Tyndale House Publishers, 2001), 313). The city's fortunes fell dramatically in 146 B.C. when Rome besieged and sacked the city. But, Julius Caesar built a new city on the same site in 46 B.C. When Paul came to Corinth in about A.D. 51, it was again a thriving metropolis, the capital of the senatorial province of Achaia. It was ruled by a Roman proconsul ("deputy," Acts 18:12). Religiously, the city of Corinth was a pluralistic society. A pluralistic society can be defined as a situation in which people of different social classes, religions, races, etc., are together in a society but continue to have their different traditions and interests. I could only imagine what it was like for a Christian of that era to be surrounded by prostitutes, sex, pressure from different social classes, other religions, people, etc. Perhaps because of all the things that were going on in the city of Corinth, Paul felt that( by divine guidance) he needed to bear testimony to such a city and preach the gospel. There was also a synagogue and a large contingency of Jews. The moral depravity or iniquity of Corinth became a moral cesspool. In other words, Corinth was a breeding ground for corruption and wickedness. "Easy" women roamed the streets, and the atmosphere was polluted with the alluring aura of sin. As you read First Corinthians, remember some of these things that were happening in the city of Corinth. Perhaps knowing the background setting will help you understand why Paul wrote this letter to the church at Corinth and why he said what he said in this book. Ancient Corinthians worshiped a wide range of deities (fake deities). There was a large temple dedicated to Apollo, the sun god, and Corinthians would seek healing from Asclepius, the god of healing and medicine. There were also temples dedicated to the Roman imperial personalities, such as a temple to Octavia, the sister of the Roman emperor Augustus. People also worshiped Dionysius, Neptune, Pan, Artemis, Zeus, Athena, Poseidon, and Aphrodite. Finally, The Graeco-Roman society in Corinth valued status and power. Wealth was a key to social standing, and many Corinthians worshiped it like a god. The citizens competed for honor, and each promoted their own accomplishments and possessions to win praise from others. Background #2
Corinth was the commercial center of Greece. It was four times larger and about fifty miles west of Athens. It had a population of 400,000 people, making it the fourth largest and wealthiest city in the Roman Empire. It was also one of the wickedest. In the years 52-53 AD, Paul established a church right in the shadow of Athenian philosophy. Athena was the patron of Athens; she was the goddess of wisdom, arts, and crafts. It was believed that her wisdom created the cosmos. After establishing this congregation and moving on to other works, a delegation from Corinth came to Paul with news of serious disputes and problems in the Corinthian church. I Corinthians is one of several letters Paul wrote to this church to deal with its many problems. One of the main problems stemmed from the fact that this church primarily consisted of Greek (or Gentile) converts. Unlike the Jews, who were well trained in moral living and religious worship to God, Greeks came from a highly immoral sexual background and had many false ideas about God and religion. This had been planted in them by a long history of Greek philosophers and pagan religious teachers. Because of this, they had more difficulty adapting to the Christian lifestyle than the Jews did. They were either slow in maturing, or they tried to mesh their former pagan ideas and philosophies with the teachings and practices of Christ. And so, the delegation from Corinth reported problems such as sexual immorality, poor conduct during worship, misuse of spiritual gifts, and the dangerous issue of divisiveness. In writing to them about all these problems, Paul tackles the issue of divisiveness first, seeing it as the most dangerous. If the church divides, there is no opportunity to work on the other issues because people are too filled with anger and resentment.1st Corinthians 1:10 says: " Now, I exhort, you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ that you all agree, and there be no division among you."
As you continue to read Paul's letter to the church in Corinthians, you will see and understand some of the habits of that culture, and you will learn the nature and cause of their division. In those days, various trained speakers called orators would develop a following by staking out a position on "a philosophy" or political idea and debating others on the merits of their position. Paul encountered this system when he was in Athens, invited to speak on Mars Hill. These debaters would build up a following based on their public speaking and formal debate skills. They were like verbal gladiators; the better they were, the bigger their following. This type of thing was beginning to happen in the church, with different teachers staking out positions that they claimed were endorsed by an Apostle or church leader. Some would say, "I am arguing the position of Peter," and another would say, "My position is consistent with Paul's teachings." The Greek Christians in the church were "adopting" a familiar form of intellectual exercise to "the practice" of their faith in Christ. In dealing with this problem, Paul states in verse 17 that his preaching was not based on "cleverness of speech." This was a direct reference to the debating style and practice beginning to take hold of Corinth. Paul goes on to say that their system not only produced division, but it also made "void" or "empty" or "useless" the cross of Christ. His idea was that by relying on "the power of" persuasion and debate to convince men to believe, they took away the power of the cross of Christ to draw men or people to faith. Paul shows how it is very tempting to use human methods to bring people to Christ because God's methods (preaching the cross) seem so foolish by comparison. In verses 18-31, he gives the Corinthians three reasons why God's way of saving people seems foolish to human understanding.The Purpose & Audience
At least two factors prompted Paul's letter. First, he had received word from two sources of division in the church. Paul received a report from Chloe's household at Corinth and learned there was quarreling and factions in the church. (1st Corinthians 1:11 & 16:17). Paul shows them that this is totally incompatible with the gospel of Jesus Christ. Second, Paul had apparently received a letter from the assembly requesting answers to a series of questions (1st Cor 7:1). He felt obliged to respond. Furthermore, other reports were not recorded but mentioned in 1st Cor 5:1. Paul was concerned in First Corinthians about the unity of the church. There was self-centeredness in Corinth that resulted in making cliques within the church, flaunting knowledge and liberty in the face of others scandalized by it, and in selfish displays in the worship services. His primary concern was with the divisions in the church and the spirit of factiousness that these divisions proclaimed to all. So he took a good deal of time to make clear that such divisions are completely unworthy of a body of Christians and to urge the brethren to return to a godly unity He was as concerned with the lax moral standards of which he was hearing. There was a case of incest, an easy attitude toward fornication, and a tendency to indulge in litigation before pagan judges. Paul saw all these things as incompatible with the Christian profession, and he wrote to say so plainly. He also had in mind the questions asked by the Corinthians, and in due course, he turned his attention to them. These questions included among other things marriage, complicated as it sometimes was by the conversion of one of a pagan pair. Did the standard for Christian marriage apply to this pagan union? Some evidently had a high regard for celibacy, and Paul wrote to help them on such points. There were other questions. Some pertained to the right conduct with respect to meals in idol temples and to meat offered in sacrifice. Some concerned Christian worship, including such difficult matters as the place of women and the proper estimation of speaking in "tongues." There was a question about the resurrection of the body, and Paul gives us his most important treatment of the subject in reply. Finally, the Corinthians had inquired about the collection Paul was making for the poor in Jerusalem. Paul's purpose, then, was first to deal with grave irregularities he perceived in the Corinthian church, and second to clear up certain difficulties that the Corinthians had encountered and on which they sought his guidance.Characteristics & Key Verse(s)
1st Corinthians 5:9-13
9 When I wrote to you before, I told you not to associate with people who indulge in sexual sin. 10 But I wasn’t talking about unbelievers who indulge in sexual sin, or are greedy, or cheat people, or worship idols. You would have to leave this world to avoid people like that. 11 I meant that you are not to associate with anyone who claims to be a believer yet indulges in sexual sin, or is greedy, or worships idols, or is abusive, or is a drunkard, or cheats people. Don’t even eat with such people. 12 It isn’t my responsibility to judge outsiders, but it certainly is your responsibility to judge those inside the church who are sinning. 13 God will judge those on the outside; but as the Scriptures say, “You must remove the evil person from among you1 Corinthians Outline
Introduction (1:1-9)Divisions in the Church (1:10;4:21)The Fact of the Divisions (1:10-17)The Causes of the Divisions (1:18;4:13)A wrong conception of the Christian message (1:18;3:4)A wrong conception of Christian ministry and ministers (3:5;4:5)A wrong conception of the Christian (4:6-13)
The Exhortation to End the Divisions (4:14-21)
Moral and Ethical Disorders in the Life of the Church (chs. 5-6)Laxity in Church Discipline (ch. 5)Lawsuits before Non-Christian Judges (6:1-11)Sexual Immorality (6:12-20)
Instruction on Marriage (ch. 7)General Principles (7:1-7)The Problems of the Married (7:8-24)The Problems of the Unmarried (7:25-40)
Instruction on Questionable Practices (8:1;11:1)The Principles Involved (ch. 8)The Principles Illustrated (ch. 9)A Warning from the History of Israel (10:1-22)The Principles Applied (10:23;11:1)
Instruction on Public Worship (11:2;14:40)Propriety in Worship (11:2-16)The Lord's Supper (11:17-34)Spiritual Gifts (chs. 12-14)The test of the gifts (12:1-3)The unity of the gifts (12:4-11)The diversity of the gifts (12:12-31a)The necessity of exercising the gifts in love (12:31b;13:13)The superiority of prophecy over tongues (14:1-25)Rules governing public worship (14:26-40)
Instruction on the Resurrection (ch. 15)The Certainty of the Resurrection (15:1-34)The Consideration of Certain Objections (15:35-57)The Concluding Appeal (15:58)
Conclusion: Practical and Personal Matters (ch. 16)