Complete Study Of 1 Corinthians

Introduction

The church in Corinth were dealing with some issues, some serious issues, from division, abusing their spiritual gifts, to questioning the resurrection. When the apostle Paul heard about the mess they were in, it must have broken his heart when he had to write them.

He had heard of the abuses and contentions that had arisen among them, first from Apollos, and then from a letter they had written him on the subject, and also from some of the ‘household of Chloe,’ and from Stephanas and his two friends who had visited him.

Paul, therefore, wrote this letter, for the purpose of checking the factious spirit and correcting the erroneous opinions that had sprung up among them, and fixing the many cases of abuse and disorderly practices that prevailed. If this church were in existence today, I’m not sure many would want to be associated with it!

The City Of Corinth

The city of Corinth is located on an isthmus that connects southern Greece to the Peloponnese, Achaia, Acts 18:12. The connecting isthmus is five miles across. Sailors, coming from Athens or Asia Minor, often stopped in Corinth walking the five miles rather than sailing around the Cape of Malea.

Sailing around was, to some extent, a treacherous trip due to the strong Mediterranean winds. Because of the geographic location of Corinth, it was perfect for trade and commerce. Ships, on their way westward, would stop here. Quick population and economic growth were the results.

The city of Corinth was a city of great wealth. Wealth and population explosion gave way to an entertainment industry. The Isthmian games were a main source of entertainment to the Corinthians. The games, similar in nature to the Olympic games of neighbouring Olympia, occurred every other year. The apostle Paul referred to these games in 1 Corinthians 9:24-27.

A city with economic success, a vast population, and world-renowned Olympic style games would naturally attract a variety of religious movements. Most cities of this day were devoted to a particular god or goddess. Ephesus was devoted to the goddess Diana. The principal deity worshipped in the city of Corinth was Venus, the goddess of love and licentiousness.

Just to the south of the city was a giant rock formation rising 1800 feet above sea level known as the Acrocorinth. A temple to Venus was erected on the northern side of this mountain. The temple employed one thousand female prostitutes for the worship of Venus.

The morality of Corinth was infamous. Every sin and vice known to mankind could be found there. It was a city with two seaports, one on either side of the narrow neck of land on which it was situated.

And because of this association with the sea and shipping and sailors, just like any major seaport today, it attracted a certain kind of women who were prepared to accommodate the seamen, and others, of course, who arrived at Corinth with money to spend after long periods at sea.

Drunkenness was commonplace so that whenever a Corinthian was represented on the stage or in the theatre, it was as a drunkard. In fact, there was a well-known saying in those days which was used to describe a person living a wild, reckless life. ‘He lives as they live in Corinth’.

Barnes notes that many merchants lost everything they had in the city of Corinth ‘worshipping Venus’. A common proverb of their day was: ‘It is not for everyone to go to Corinth.’ The city of Corinth reminds us of our modern-day Las Vegas, Nevada. It was the ‘sin city of their day.’

The Date

Paul says that he wrote from Ephesus, 1 Corinthians 16:5-8 / 1 Corinthians 16:19, which correspondents with his third missionary journey. He wrote the letter several years after his initial departure from Corinth in the fall of AD 51/52.

It was written subsequent to Apollo’s stay at the city, Acts 18:25 / Acts 18:27 / 1 Corinthians 1:12, but after Timothy and Erastus had been sent by Paul from Ephesus to Macedonia, Acts 19:22, and after Timothy had been sent to Corinth, 1 Corinthians 4:17. The date was likely AD 55-56

The Author

The author of the letter is the apostle Paul, 1 Corinthians 1:1 / 1 Corinthians 16:21. The letter to the Corinthian brethren was an obvious response to two letters Paul had received during his three-year stay in Ephesus, Acts 20:31 / 1 Corinthians 16:8-9.

Paul refers to a letter he had received from the ‘household of Chloe’ explaining the contentions among the brethren there, 1 Corinthians 1:11. Again in 1 Corinthians 7:1, he alludes to a letter that had reached his hands that was written by the church in Corinth.

These two letters outlined the sinful direction the Corinthian church was headed. Paul was well informed of the problems that were occurring among the brethren in Corinth before writing this first epistle.

The Church

Paul’s previous time in Corinth afforded him first-hand knowledge of what the brethren were faced with in their everyday affairs, Acts 18. The dissolute condition of immorality within the city of Corinth and false teachers brought an evil influence that had far-reaching effects among the brethren.

The church in Corinth had come to be divided with many problems in regard to their following the authorized word of God. Today we may refer to such a church as an open fellowship or liberal congregation.

The brethren were erroneously dividing themselves based on who had baptized them, 1 Corinthians 1:12-16 / 1 Corinthians 3:3-4 / 1 Corinthians 3:21 / 1 Corinthians 4:6.

Some Christians were guilty of tolerating sin in the church, 1 Corinthians 5:1ff, defrauding each other in human courts, 1 Corinthians 6:12-20, committing fornication, 1 Corinthians 6:12-20, and not considering each other’s personal conscience, 1 Corinthians 8-10.

Furthermore, Christian women had lost sight of their God-ordained place in public, 1 Corinthians 11:1-16 and among God’s people in the church, 1 Corinthians 14:34-36. The Corinthians had perverted the Lord’s Supper by dividing up into social classes, 1 Corinthians 11:17ff, and faction was running rampant, 1 Corinthians 11:18.

The Corinthians were performing spiritual gifts for selfish reasons rather than for the profit of the whole church and thereby causing schisms in the church, 1 Corinthians 12:14.

The assembly of saints had come to be chaotic, 1 Corinthians 14:26ff, and there were false teachers telling people that there would be no resurrection of the dead, 1 Corinthians 15:12.

The apostle Paul could have easily given up on these brethren due to their multitude of problems, however, due to a great love for their souls, he systematically deals with each sinful issue. We can do no less today when it comes to the body of Christ.

Though a church may have a multitude of ‘issues’, we nonetheless have the responsibility to systematically deal with each one. From the church at Corinth, because the church consists of human beings, no congregation is ever perfect! ‘Too many hypocrites in the church!’ come inside! There is always room for one more.

Outline

Division. 1 Corinthians 1-4
Immorality. One man was having an affair with his stepmother. 1 Corinthians 5
Litigation. They were taking each other to Court. 1 Corinthians 6
Problems about Christian marriage. 1 Corinthians 7
The eating of meat from Pagan temples. 1 Corinthians 8
Paul’s rights as an apostle. 1 Corinthians 9
Their abuse of Christian liberty. 1 Corinthians 10
Their abuse of the Lord’s Supper. 1 Corinthians 11
Spiritual Gifts. Their purpose and their proper use. 1 Corinthians 12-14
Doctrinal problems resurrection from the dead. 1 Corinthians 15
The collection and final words. 1 Corinthians 16

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