1 Corinthians: The Authentic Christian Life

INTRODUCTION TO

The Letter of 1 Corinthians

I plead with you, brethren . . . that there be no divisions among you, but that you be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment (1 Corinthians 1:10). Parents who have watched their children fight with one other may recognize the tone of Paul’s first letter to the Corinthian church. This is a spiritual father pleading, confronting, and reasoning with his wayward offspring to get along with one another. Paul founded the church and personally led many of its members to the Lord. He had watched them take their first steps in Christ and had a personal interest in their spiritual wellbeing. So imagine his alarm when he began to receive reports of their dysfunction and misbehavior—and when he received letters from them with questions that revealed they had matured little in the years since his departure. Paul’s stern but loving words reveal that he wanted to hold the Corinthian believers accountable for their actions but also show them their immense potential in Christ.

AUTHOR AND DATE

The writer of this letter identifies himself as Paul (see 1:1 and 16:21), and the epistle contains a number of details about his life that fit with what we know of the apostle based on his other letters and the book of Acts. Clement of Rome, an early church father who lived c. AD 35–99, attested to Paul’s authorship as early as AD 96, and today nearly every scholar agrees with this assessment. It is likely that Paul wrote the epistle in AD 56, four years after he had founded the church in Corinth, toward the close of his three-year residency in Ephesus (see 16:5–9 and Acts 20:31). It is possible that a man named Sosthenes, a respected member of the Corinthian church whom Paul mentions (see 1:1), contributed to certain parts of the letter.

BACKGROUND AND SETTING

Corinth was a sprawling seaport with a history of pagan idolatry. The city contained at least twelve temples, including one dedicated to the Greek god Aphrodite that at one time employed more than 1,000 prostitutes in its worship rituals. Paul arrived in Corinth during his second missionary journey, c. AD 52, after a failed attempt to establish a church in Athens (see Acts 17:16–18:17). At first he preached in the Corinthian synagogue on the Sabbath, but when most of the Jewish audience there rejected his message, he reached out to the Gentiles and witnessed many converts to the Christian faith. When Paul’s journeys took him away from Corinth, he left the congregation in the capable hands of Aquila and Priscilla. As was the case with other churches he founded, Paul stayed in contact with the believers in the city. He often checked on their progress in the faith when he encountered other missionaries who had visited the city.

KEY THEMES

Several key themes are prominent in Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians. The first is that believers must remain united (see 1:10–4:21). The congregation in Corinth had broken in factions that each supported a favorite Christian teacher—including Paul, Apollos, Cephas (Peter), and a group known only as the Christ party (see 1:12). Furthermore, the believers were suing one another in public courts. Paul urged the Corinthian believers in the church to embrace their unity as members of the body of Christ.

A second theme is that believers in Christ must remain separate from the world (see 5:1–6:20). The Corinthians had allowed the pagan practices in the city to infiltrate the church. They had developed a tolerance for idolatry and sexual immorality within their fellowship, even taking pride in their tolerance that a man has his father’s wife (5:1). Paul confronts them on this spiritual immaturity and offers instructions on how to honor God in all aspects of their lives.

A third theme is that believers must be cautious in exercising the freedom they have received in Christ (see 8:1–11:1). Some of the believers were testing the limits of freedom they had received in Christ by attending feasts where food was sacrificed to idols. They reasoned that because the idols were not real, there was no harm in eating the meat. However, Paul pointed out that this attitude had proved to be a stumbling block to others in the congregation who believed that Christians should steer clear of anything remotely associated with idols. He instructed the Corinthians to put the needs of others ahead of their own freedom.

A fourth theme is that believers receive certain spiritual gifts from God to serve the church (see 12:1–13:13). The believers were evidently placing greater value on certain gifts of the Spirit and holding those who possessed such gifts in higher esteem than others. Paul corrects this mindset by stating that God gives the gifts He chooses to individuals in the church—and all of these gifts are necessary for the body of Christ to function. He adds that, above all, the believers must practice love—for without it all of the other gifts will be used in vain.

A final theme is that the resurrection is the cornerstone of the Christian faith. Some of the believers were questioning whether their own resurrection would occur. Paul reminds them that Jesus is the firstfruits and proof of their own resurrection to come. He stresses that without the resurrection of Jesus, their faith is completely in vain—as is his ministry as an apostle of the gospel.

KEY APPLICATIONS

The believers in Corinth faced many issues as they struggled to maintain their Christian identity in a city filled with immorality, idolatry, and competing philosophies. In many ways their situation was similar to ours. For this reason, we would do well to listen to Paul’s warnings and advice and apply them to our lives. Paul’s letter rebukes and corrects—but it also serves to focus our attention on Jesus. In the end, we come to realize the incredible love Jesus has for us as we take confidence in the fact that His victory over the grave guarantees our own future resurrection.

LESSON one

A CHURCH DIVIDED

1 Corinthians 1:1–31

GETTING STARTED

What are some reasons that divisions occur today in the church?

[Your Response Here]

SETTING THE STAGE

Imagine for a minute that you were a resident of this busy seaport back in the first century. As the day drew to an end, the streets would fill up with revelers intent on a night of pleasure. In the warm congenial climate, the old and young alike would congregate outdoors, enjoying the evening hours while the last rays of the sun fell on the many temples, shrines, and palaces located throughout the city.

As this was taking place, the members of the church would be making the trek to their place of worship—most likely a large room in a private house or a warehouse that some Christian merchant had cleaned up and made available for the congregation to use. The space would have been plain and unassuming . . . certainly not like the gorgeous pagan temples or even the local Jewish synagogue in the city. Those who attended this church would have found the differences to be striking.

The congregation itself was composed of a mixed group of people from many different backgrounds of life. Some would have been members of the Jewish race, while the rest of the body would have consisted of Gentiles from various nationalities. Some would have worn rings that denoted they were free, while those without such jewelry would have been slaves. The occupations of the members would have ranged from day workers, to merchants, to nobles, to even government officials and soldiers.

This is the diverse group of people to whom Paul wrote 1 Corinthians. As you look at the composition of this congregation, you begin to understand why there were so many issues for Paul to address. We can be thankful that he did, for his advice guides us even today.

EXPLORING THE TEXT

Paul’s Greeting (1 Corinthians 1:1–9)

¹ Paul, called to be an apostle of Jesus Christ through the will of God, and Sosthenes our brother,

² To the church of God which is at Corinth, to those who are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints, with all who in every place call on the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, both theirs and ours:

³ Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

⁴ I thank my God always concerning you for the grace of God which was given to you by Christ Jesus, ⁵ that you were enriched in everything by Him in all utterance and all knowledge, ⁶ even as the testimony of Christ was confirmed in you,