1 Corinthians Context + Greetings (1:1-9)

Intro

Q: What do you know about 1 Corinthians? Anything at all, who is involved, famous verses or chapters you know.

Outline

Historical Context

Read Acts 18:1-17

Q: Other than Paul, who are some key characters here and what do we learn about them?

About the city of Corinth

Corinth was a wealthy city.

Known for it’s sexual promiscuity.

1 Corinthians Context

Written by Paul during the third missionary journey (16:8) from Ephesus. Written before the anniversary of pentecost.

Anywhere between 53-56 AD.

Corinth Timeline:

First Visit and church plant (Acts 18) - 50-52 AD

The first letter: Corinthians A (1 Cor 5:9) - 52-53 AD

The second letter: 1 Corinthians, Corinthians B (1 Cor 16:8) - 53-54 AD

Second visit: The Painful visit (2 Cor 2:1) - 53-54 AD

The third (?) letter: The severe letter (either 1 Corinthians, or a seperate Corinthians C) (2 Cor 2:4, 7:8) - 54-55 AD

The fourth letter: 2 Corinthians, Corinthians D (2 Cor 7:5, 2 Cor 9:2) - 54-56 AD

The third visit (Acts 20:2) - 56-57 AD

Book Theme

What is different about 1 Cor?

More topical than a developed theological argument (as apposed to Romans, Ephesians, or Galatians).

Paul is addressing a people that really value worldly wisdom. That wisdom has become a voice in their mind just as big as God, and they are blind to ways those two voices are incompatible.

Their life has Christian ideas, but then those Christian ideas get blended with worldly ideas. Or they just live according to worldly thought.

Q: What are some examples that come to mind of us witnessing the same today?

Theme: A Right View of all Life in the Church

The wisdom of Christ lends to conclusions on every issue of life.

Christ desires a wise, unified, and pure church.

Seeking him affects every area (Boasting, wisdom, ministry, gain, immorality, lawsuits, conflict, marriage, singleness, gender roles, identity, eschatology, etc.)

Book Outline

Two halves

Responding to oral reports (1-6)

Responding to their letter (7-16)

Bigger sections (9 Total)

Divisions (1-4)

Immorality (5)

Lawsuits (6:1-11)

Marriage and Singleness (6-7)

Food and idols (8-10)

Worship (11)

Gifts (12-14)

The Resurrection (15)

Collection (16)

Greetings: 1 Cor 1:1-9

Read 1 Cor 1:1-3

Q: Why does he start it this way? What things are mentioned that you see that could have to do with anything we have learned?

He uses many titles to describe himself (slave, apostle brother, etc.)

Read 1 Cor 1:4-9

He desires wisdom, knowledge, so that they lack nothing. He is prepping their hearts to show that the answers to their life problems are not in the world, but rather in Christ and his word.

Conclusion

As we approach 1 Cor, pray that the Lord would open your eyes to see ways the wisdom of the world has crept in, and ways the wisdom of Christ may triumph over it.