1 Corinthians

Author: The apostle Paul

Audience: Believers at Corinth whose church was torn apart by factions and immaturity

Date: ad 55

Theme: Through Paul, God gives guidance to the spiritually gifted but immature Corinthian church.

Introduction

Paul is acknowledged as the author both by the letter itself (1:1–2; 16:21) and by the early church fathers. His authorship was attested by Clement of Rome as early as ad 96, and today practically all NT interpreters concur. The letter was written c. 55 (see chart) toward the close of Paul’s three-year residency in Ephesus (16:5–9; Ac 20:31). It is clear from his reference to staying at Ephesus until Pentecost (16:8) that he intended to remain there somewhat less than a year when he wrote 1 Corinthians.

The City of Corinth

Corinth was a thriving city; at that time it was the chief city of Greece both commercially and politically. See map and model.

(1) Its commerce. Located just off the Corinthian isthmus (see map), it was a crossroads for travelers and traders. It had two harbors: (a) Cenchreae, six miles to the east on the Saronic Gulf, and (b) Lechaion, a mile and a half to the north on the Corinthian Gulf. Goods were transported across the isthmus on the Diolkos, a stone road by which smaller ships could be hauled fully loaded across the isthmus, and by which cargoes of larger ships could be transported by wagons from one side to the other. Trade flowed through the city from Italy and Spain (to the west) and from Asia Minor, Phoenicia and Egypt (to the east).

(2) Its culture. Although Corinth was not a university town like Athens, it was nevertheless characterized by typical Greek culture. Its people were interested in Greek philosophy and placed a high premium on wisdom. Particularly important were the Sophists, who came to be known for their rhetorical skills.

(3) Its religion. Corinth contained at least 12 temples. Whether they were all in use during Paul’s time is not known for certain. About a fourth of a mile north of the theater stood the temple of Asclepius, the god of healing, and the sixth-century bc temple of Apollo was located in the middle of the city (see photo). In addition, the Jews established a synagogue there, the inscribed lintel of which has been found and placed in the museum at old Corinth.

(4) Its immorality. As a crossroads of commerce and trade, Corinth was plagued by immoral behavior. The worship of Aphrodite fostered prostitution in the name of religion. In a setting like this it is no wonder that the Corinthian church was plagued with numerous problems.

Founding the Church

Paul, together with his associates Silas and Timothy, established the church in Corinth on his second missionary journey (see map). After revisiting the churches of Galatia on his first missionary journey, Paul had a vision of a man beckoning the group across the Aegean Sea from Troas in Asia Minor to Macedonia (northern Greece). The team crossed and established churches in Philippi, Thessalonica and Berea (Ac 16:6—17:12). When persecution pushed Paul out of Macedonia, he went south to Athens in Achaia (southern Greece), where he delivered his famous Mars Hill address (17:16–34). From there Paul went on to Corinth, where he met and worked with fellow tentmakers Aquila and Priscilla, a Jewish-Christian couple who had come to Corinth from Rome because of the expulsion of the Jews by the emperor Claudius (18:1–4). When opposition forced Paul out of the synagogue in Corinth, he continued his ministry next door in the home of Titius Justus, a worshiper of God. In Corinth Paul received a vision from the Lord, encouraging him to continue preaching boldly and promising divine protection. Paul remained in the city establishing the church for a year and a half (18:5–11). Sometime during this time, the Jews took Paul to court before Gallio, the Roman governor of the province. Viewing the issue as religious rather than political, Gallio dismissed the charges (18:12–16). Since we know that Gallio served in this position for only about a year, we can date Paul’s ministry in Corinth to c. ad 51–52.

Occasion and Purposes

First Corinthians was written from Ephesus during Paul’s third missionary journey. He had received information from several sources concerning the conditions existing in the church at Corinth. Some members of the household of Chloe had informed him of the factions that had developed in the church (1:11). There were three individuals—Stephanas, Fortunatus and Achaicus—who had come to Paul in Ephesus to make some contribution to his ministry (16:17), but whether these were the ones from Chloe’s household we do not know.

Some of those who had come had brought disturbing information concerning moral irregularities in the church (chs. 5–6). Immorality had plagued the Corinthian assembly almost from the beginning. From 5:9–10 it is apparent that Paul had written previously concerning moral laxity. He had urged believers “not to associate with sexually immoral people” (5:9). Because of misunderstanding he now found it necessary to clarify his instruction (5:10–11) and to urge immediate and drastic action (5:3–5,13).

Other Corinthian visitors had brought a letter from the church that required counsel on several subjects (see 7:1 and note; cf. 8:1; 12:1; 16:1).

It is clear that although the church was gifted (1:4–7), it was immature and unspiritual (3:1–4). Paul’s purposes for writing were: (1) to instruct and restore the church in its areas of weakness, correcting erroneous practices such as divisions (1:10—4:21), immorality (ch. 5; 6:12–20), litigation in pagan courts (6:1–8) and abuse of the Lord’s Supper (11:17–34); (2) to correct false teaching concerning the resurrection (ch. 15); (3) to answer questions addressed to Paul in the letter that had been brought to him (see previous paragraph); and perhaps also (4) to call the church to obedience in the light of a growing challenge to Paul’s authority—an issue that would provide the immediate context for 2 Corinthians.

Theme

The letter revolves around the theme of problems in the church with respect to Christian conduct. It thus has to do with sanctification, the development of one’s holy character. Obviously Paul was personally concerned with the Corinthians’ problems, revealing a true pastor’s heart. The central problem was the Corinthians’ focus on self rather than a focus on others. Paul redirects their attention to Christ, who gave himself for others.

Relevance

This letter continues to be timely for the church today, both to instruct and to inspire. Christians are still powerfully influenced by their cultural environment, and most of the questions and problems that confronted the church at Corinth are still very much with us—problems like immaturity, instability, divisions, jealousy and envy, lawsuits, marital difficulties, sexual immorality and the misuse of spiritual gifts. Yet in spite of this concentration on problems, Paul’s letter contains some of the most familiar and beloved chapters in the entire Bible—e.g., ch. 13 (on love) and ch. 15 (on resurrection).

Paul was personally concerned with the Corinthians’ problems, revealing a true pastor’s heart. Paul redirects their attention to Christ, who gave himself for others.

Outline

I. Introduction (1:1–9)

II. Problems Reported by the Household of Chloe (1:10—6:20)

A. Divisions in the Church (1:10—4:21)

1. The fact of the divisions (1:10–17)

2. The remedies for the divisions (1:18—4:13)

a. Focus on the crucified Christ (1:18—2:5)

b. Seek true wisdom from the Spirit (2:6–16)

c. Be spiritual, not worldly (3:1–23)

d. Understand true, apostolic ministry (4:1–21)

B. Moral and Ethical Disorders in the Life of the Church (chs. 5–6)

1. Laxity in church discipline (ch. 5)

2. Lawsuits before non-Christian judges (6:1–11)

3. Sexual immorality (6:12–20)

III. Questions Raised in a Letter From Corinth (7:1—16:4)

A. Instruction on Marriage, Divorce, Remarriage and Celibacy (ch. 7)

1. The Corinthian slogan (7:1)

2. Application to the married (7:2–7)

3. Application to widows and widowers (7:8–9)

4. Application to the married contemplating divorce (7:10–16)

5. Preliminary conclusions (7:16–24)

6. The problems of the never married (7:25–38)

7. Conclusion: marriage is for life (7:39–40)

B. Instruction on Eating Meat Offered to Idols (8:1—11:1)

1. Eating meat in the temple precincts (ch. 8)

2. Giving up one’s rights (ch. 9)

3. A warning from the history of Israel (10:1–22)

4. Eating meat sold in the marketplace (10:23—11:1)

C. Instruction on Public Worship (11:2—14:40)

1. Propriety in worship (11:2–16)

2. The Lord’s Supper (11:17–34)

3. Spiritual gifts (chs. 12–14)

a. The test of the gifts (12:1–3)

b. The unity of the gifts (12:4–11)

c. The diversity of the gifts (12:12–31a)

d. The necessity of exercising the gifts in love (12:31b–13:13)

e. The superiority of prophecy over tongues (ch. 14)

f. Rules governing public worship (14:26–40)

D. Instruction on the Resurrection (ch. 15)

1. The certainty of the resurrection (15:1–34)

2. The consideration of certain objections (15:35–57)

3. The concluding appeal (15:58)

E. Instructions on the Collection for Jerusalem (16:1–4)

IV. Conclusion: Practical and Personal Matters (ch. 16:5–24)