THE FIRST EPISTLE OF PAUL THE APOSTLE TO THE CORINTHIANS
AUTHOR: Paul
DATE: A.D. 56
THEME: Resolving Doctrinal and Practical Church Problems and Growth of a Church in Christ
KEY WORDS: The Cross, Sexual Sins, Spiritual Gifts, Love, the Resurrection
AUTHOR: The authenticity of 1 Corinthians has never seriously been challenged. In style, language, and theology, the letter belongs to Paul.
OCCASION AND DATE
Paul established the church at Corinth about A.D. 50–51, when he spent eighteen months there on his second missionary journey (Acts 18:1–17). He continued to carry on correspondence and exercise care for the church after his departure (see 1 Cor. 5:9; 2 Cor. 12:14). During his three-year ministry in Ephesus, on his third missionary journey (Acts 19), he had received disturbing reports concerning moral laxity among believers in Corinth. To remedy the situation, he sent the church a letter (1 Cor. 5:9–11), which has since been lost. Shortly afterward, a delegation sent by Chloe, a member of the church in Corinth, reported to Paul concerning the existence of divisive factions in the church. Before he could write a corrective letter, another delegation from Corinth arrived with a letter asking him certain questions (1 Cor. 7:1; 16:17). Paul immediately sent Timothy to Corinth to help correct conditions there (1 Cor. 4:17). He then wrote the letter that we know as 1 Corinthians, expecting it to reach Corinth before Timothy (16:10). Since Paul apparently wrote the letter near the end of his Ephesian ministry (16:8), it may be dated about A.D. 56.
PURPOSE: Corinthians is a pastoral letter, written to resolve doctrinal and practical problems within the local church. Paul’s authorship gives the letter apostolic application to all “the churches of God” (11:16).
BACKGROUND
The letter reveals some of the typical Greek cultural problems of Paul’s day, including the gross sexual immorality of the city of Corinth. The Greeks were known for their idolatry, divisive philosophies, spirit of litigation, and rejection of a bodily resurrection. Corinth was one of the most important commercial cities of the day and controlled much of the shipping between the East and the West. It was located on the narrow neck of land which served as a land-bridge between the mainland of Greece and the Peloponnesian peninsula. The city was infamous for its sensuality and sacred prostitution. Even its name became a notorious proverb: “to Corinthianize” meant to practice prostitution.
The city’s chief deity was Aphrodite (Venus), the goddess of licentious love, and a thousand professional prostitutes served in the temple dedicated to her worship. The spirit of the city showed up in the church and explains the kind of problems the people faced.
It also reveals some of the problems the former pagans had in not transferring previous religious experiences to the ministry experience of the Holy Spirit. They may have associated some of the frenzied antics of paganism with the exercise of spiritual gifts (see 12:2).
CONTENT
The letter consists of Paul’s response to eight separate problems: a sectarian spirit, sexual immorality, marriage and divorce, eating food offered to idols, wearing of the veil, the Lord’s Supper, spiritual gifts, and the resurrection of the body.
PERSONAL APPLICATION
No epistle in the New Testament gives a clearer insight into the life of the first-century church than 1 Corinthians. In it Paul provides straightforward instructions for such moral and theological problems as sectarianism, spiritual immaturity, church discipline, ethical differences, the role of the sexes and the proper use of spiritual gifts. Where these same problems exist in the modern church, the remedies are the same. This letter challenges churches in all traditions to draw upon the rich resources of the Spirit in building up the life of the community in unity and love.
CHRIST REVEALED
Paul makes reference to the Lord Jesus ten times in the first ten verses of this letter in order to establish the fact that He is the foundation of the church and the only basis for their unity and fellowship together. The letter contains an unmatched revelation of the cross of Christ as a counter to all human boasting (chs. 1–4). Paul cites Christ as our example in all behavior (11:1) and describes the church as His body (ch. 12). Especially important are the powerful consequences of Christ’s resurrection for the whole of creation (ch. 15).
THE HOLY SPIRIT AT WORK
The manifestations or the gifts of the Spirit make up the best known passages about the Holy Spirit (chs. 12–14). But we should not overlook the role of the Holy Spirit in revealing the things of God to the human spirit in a way that prevents all grounds for pride (2:1–13). Perhaps most illuminating amid current debate in the church at large is the way the apostle leads the Corinthians into a balanced employment of speaking with tongues, affirming this practice and encouraging them to serve each other with the gifts of the Spirit.
OUTLINE OF CORINTHIANS
Introduction with greetings and thanksgiving 1:1–9
I. The problem of a sectarian spirit which arose from a preference for religious leaders because of their supposed superior wisdom 1:10–4:21
A. The contrast between human and divine wisdom over the Cross shows the fallacy of a sectarian spirit which stems from human wisdom 1:10–3:4
B. The role of religious leaders show they are important but never the cause for boasting 3:5–4:5
C. An open rebuke by ironic comparison of the Corinthians’ pride with Paul’s foolishness 4:6–21
II. The problem of internal church discipline brought on by a case of incest 5:1–13
III. The problem of lawsuits between Christians before public courts 6:1–11
IV. The problem of a sexual misuse of the body from a misapplication of Paul’s ethical teaching 6:12–20
V. The problem of the relationship between the secular sphere and the believer’s spiritual life, especially in the areas of sex, marriage, and slavery 7:1–40
VI. The problem of ethical differences between brethren caused by the eating of food offered to idols 8:1–11:1
A. The basic principle of love versus knowledge 8:1–13
B. Paul’s personal example in foregoing his rights 9:1–27
C. The application of the principle in attitude and action 10:1–11:1
VII. The problem of the role of the sexes in light of the removal of the veil 11:2–16
VII. The problem of desecrating the Lord’s Supper 11:17–34
VIII. The problem of desecrating the Lord’s Supper 11:17–34
IX. The problem of spiritual manifestations which arose form a misuse of the gift of tongues 12:1–14:40
A. The need for variety 12:1–31
B. The need for love 13:1–13
C. The need for control 14:1–40
X. The problem of the resurrection of the dead 15:1–58
XI. Concluding personal remarks 16:1–24
AUTHOR: Paul
DATE: A.D. 56
THEME: Resolving Doctrinal and Practical Church Problems and Growth of a Church in Christ
KEY WORDS: The Cross, Sexual Sins, Spiritual Gifts, Love, the Resurrection
AUTHOR: The authenticity of 1 Corinthians has never seriously been challenged. In style, language, and theology, the letter belongs to Paul.
OCCASION AND DATE
Paul established the church at Corinth about A.D. 50–51, when he spent eighteen months there on his second missionary journey (Acts 18:1–17). He continued to carry on correspondence and exercise care for the church after his departure (see 1 Cor. 5:9; 2 Cor. 12:14). During his three-year ministry in Ephesus, on his third missionary journey (Acts 19), he had received disturbing reports concerning moral laxity among believers in Corinth. To remedy the situation, he sent the church a letter (1 Cor. 5:9–11), which has since been lost. Shortly afterward, a delegation sent by Chloe, a member of the church in Corinth, reported to Paul concerning the existence of divisive factions in the church. Before he could write a corrective letter, another delegation from Corinth arrived with a letter asking him certain questions (1 Cor. 7:1; 16:17). Paul immediately sent Timothy to Corinth to help correct conditions there (1 Cor. 4:17). He then wrote the letter that we know as 1 Corinthians, expecting it to reach Corinth before Timothy (16:10). Since Paul apparently wrote the letter near the end of his Ephesian ministry (16:8), it may be dated about A.D. 56.
PURPOSE: Corinthians is a pastoral letter, written to resolve doctrinal and practical problems within the local church. Paul’s authorship gives the letter apostolic application to all “the churches of God” (11:16).
BACKGROUND
The letter reveals some of the typical Greek cultural problems of Paul’s day, including the gross sexual immorality of the city of Corinth. The Greeks were known for their idolatry, divisive philosophies, spirit of litigation, and rejection of a bodily resurrection. Corinth was one of the most important commercial cities of the day and controlled much of the shipping between the East and the West. It was located on the narrow neck of land which served as a land-bridge between the mainland of Greece and the Peloponnesian peninsula. The city was infamous for its sensuality and sacred prostitution. Even its name became a notorious proverb: “to Corinthianize” meant to practice prostitution.
The city’s chief deity was Aphrodite (Venus), the goddess of licentious love, and a thousand professional prostitutes served in the temple dedicated to her worship. The spirit of the city showed up in the church and explains the kind of problems the people faced.
It also reveals some of the problems the former pagans had in not transferring previous religious experiences to the ministry experience of the Holy Spirit. They may have associated some of the frenzied antics of paganism with the exercise of spiritual gifts (see 12:2).
CONTENT
The letter consists of Paul’s response to eight separate problems: a sectarian spirit, sexual immorality, marriage and divorce, eating food offered to idols, wearing of the veil, the Lord’s Supper, spiritual gifts, and the resurrection of the body.
PERSONAL APPLICATION
No epistle in the New Testament gives a clearer insight into the life of the first-century church than 1 Corinthians. In it Paul provides straightforward instructions for such moral and theological problems as sectarianism, spiritual immaturity, church discipline, ethical differences, the role of the sexes and the proper use of spiritual gifts. Where these same problems exist in the modern church, the remedies are the same. This letter challenges churches in all traditions to draw upon the rich resources of the Spirit in building up the life of the community in unity and love.
CHRIST REVEALED
Paul makes reference to the Lord Jesus ten times in the first ten verses of this letter in order to establish the fact that He is the foundation of the church and the only basis for their unity and fellowship together. The letter contains an unmatched revelation of the cross of Christ as a counter to all human boasting (chs. 1–4). Paul cites Christ as our example in all behavior (11:1) and describes the church as His body (ch. 12). Especially important are the powerful consequences of Christ’s resurrection for the whole of creation (ch. 15).
THE HOLY SPIRIT AT WORK
The manifestations or the gifts of the Spirit make up the best known passages about the Holy Spirit (chs. 12–14). But we should not overlook the role of the Holy Spirit in revealing the things of God to the human spirit in a way that prevents all grounds for pride (2:1–13). Perhaps most illuminating amid current debate in the church at large is the way the apostle leads the Corinthians into a balanced employment of speaking with tongues, affirming this practice and encouraging them to serve each other with the gifts of the Spirit.
OUTLINE OF CORINTHIANS
Introduction with greetings and thanksgiving 1:1–9
I. The problem of a sectarian spirit which arose from a preference for religious leaders because of their supposed superior wisdom 1:10–4:21
A. The contrast between human and divine wisdom over the Cross shows the fallacy of a sectarian spirit which stems from human wisdom 1:10–3:4
B. The role of religious leaders show they are important but never the cause for boasting 3:5–4:5
C. An open rebuke by ironic comparison of the Corinthians’ pride with Paul’s foolishness 4:6–21
II. The problem of internal church discipline brought on by a case of incest 5:1–13
III. The problem of lawsuits between Christians before public courts 6:1–11
IV. The problem of a sexual misuse of the body from a misapplication of Paul’s ethical teaching 6:12–20
V. The problem of the relationship between the secular sphere and the believer’s spiritual life, especially in the areas of sex, marriage, and slavery 7:1–40
VI. The problem of ethical differences between brethren caused by the eating of food offered to idols 8:1–11:1
A. The basic principle of love versus knowledge 8:1–13
B. Paul’s personal example in foregoing his rights 9:1–27
C. The application of the principle in attitude and action 10:1–11:1
VII. The problem of the role of the sexes in light of the removal of the veil 11:2–16
VII. The problem of desecrating the Lord’s Supper 11:17–34
VIII. The problem of desecrating the Lord’s Supper 11:17–34
IX. The problem of spiritual manifestations which arose form a misuse of the gift of tongues 12:1–14:40
A. The need for variety 12:1–31
B. The need for love 13:1–13
C. The need for control 14:1–40
X. The problem of the resurrection of the dead 15:1–58
XI. Concluding personal remarks 16:1–24