Introduction To 1 Corinthians

Scripture

1 Corinthians 1:1–3 KJV 1900

1 Paul, called to be an apostle of Jesus Christ through the will of God, and Sosthenes our brother, 2 Unto the church of God which is at Corinth, to them that are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints, with all that in every place call upon the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, both theirs and ours: 3 Grace be unto you, and peace, from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ.

Known among the Jews a Saul.

It was very common for Jews to use one name among their countrymen, and another among the gentiles.

Apostle

In older Gk. (Lysias, Demosth.) and later (e.g. Posidon.: 87 Fgm. 53 p. 257, 21 Jac. [Strabo 3, 5, 5]) ὁ ἀ. is a naval expedition, prob. also its commander (Anecd. Gr. 217, 26). τὸ ἀπόστολον with (Pla., Ep. 7, 346a) or without (Vi. Hom. 19) πλοῖον means a ship ready for departure. In its single occurrence in Jos. (Ant. 17, 300; it is not found elsewh. in Jewish-Gk. lit.) it prob. means ‘sending out’; in pap mostly ‘bill of lading’ (s. Preisigke, Fachwörter 1915), less freq. ‘certificate of clearance (at a port)’ (BGU V §64 [II A.D.]=Gnomon des Idios Logos)

Housing Allowance

Arndt, W., Danker, F. W., & Bauer, W. (2000). A Greek-English lexicon of the New Testament and other early Christian literature (3rd ed., p. 122). Chicago: University of Chicago Press.

Arndt, W., Danker, F. W., & Bauer, W. (2000). A Greek-English lexicon of the New Testament and other early Christian literature (3rd ed., p. 122). Chicago: University of Chicago Press.

Arndt, W., Danker, F. W., & Bauer, W. (2000). A Greek-English lexicon of the New Testament and other early Christian literature (3rd ed., p. 122). Chicago: University of Chicago Press.

Eerdmans Bible Dictionary APOSTLE

An official representative charged with a commission. The designation connotes more the form (the authorization of the sender) than the specific content of the commission. Gk. apóstolos can be considered the New Testament counterpart to Heb. s̆ālîaḥ, which distinguished such Old Testament emissaries as Moses (sent to Pharaoh; Exod. 6:10) and Elijah (sent to Ahab; 1 Kgs. 18:1).

Arndt, W., Danker, F. W., & Bauer, W. (2000). A Greek-English lexicon of the New Testament and other early Christian literature (3rd ed., p. 122). Chicago: University of Chicago Press.

An apostle was an emissary of Christ, called to carry His message to those to whom He would send it.

They had seen the risen Christ.

They were personally called by Christ.

You do not apply for the office of apostle.

You cannot just decide to be an apostle of God.

Sosthenes

Easton’s Bible Dictionary Sosthenes

safe in strength, the chief ruler of the synagogue at Corinth, who was seized and beaten by the mob in the presence of Gallio, the Roman governor, when he refused to proceed against Paul at the instigation of the Jews (Acts 18:12–17). The motives of this assault against Sosthenes are not recorded, nor is it mentioned whether it was made by Greeks or Romans. Some identify him, but without sufficient grounds, with one whom Paul calls “Sosthenes our brother,” a convert to the faith (1 Cor. 1:1).

To the Church at Corinth

Audience

Paul is writing this letter to believers.

It is always important when trying to determine the meaning of a document to know why it was written, the circumstances under which it was written, and to whom or for whom it was written.

In this case, Paul is writing to the church at Corinth.

Not people who meet in a particular building, but people who are saved by the Lord Jesus Christ.

Corinth

When trying to understand a writer’s meaning in writing a letter, it’s often helpful to know something of the writer to have some information about the people to whom he is writing.

In our case, it helps to know some things about the city in which the people to whom Paul is writing live.

Like most of the places where Paul went on his missionary journeys, Corinth was a hub of trade and civilization.

People from many nationalities and many ethnicities swirled in and around the city of Corinth.

Corinth was located on a narrow strip of land connecting 2 larger land masses.

Sailing around the South end of the area where Corinth was located was often a dangerous and unpredictable venture.

As a result, Corinth had 2 sea ports.

Ships were often brought to one of the ports, their goods unloaded, and sent over land to the opposite port to continue on to their destination.

It was located near some large rock formations known as the Acrocorinth.

These rock formations were the highest elevation around.

On top was the temple of Apollo.

There was also the temple of Aphrodite.

Prostitution, both male and female was rampant in the city.

The temple of Aphrodite is said to have been the center for worship for around 1,000 priestesses, all of whom practiced a form of prostitution as part of the worship of their deity.

As you can imagine. there was a large problem with fornication in the city.

What Do We Learn

My friend, who doesn’t share the same faith with me, has asked me to participate in their life.

They don’t share a common world view, which will, inevitably, lead to conflicts. How do I handle this?

My culture holds a value system that I don’t not share.

At times, participating in their cultural events seems to be ok, but most of the time it’s not. What should I do?

The Holy Spirit has been moving in some incredible ways in our community, but I’m afraid things are getting a little out of hand. What do you recommend?

There is a person in the church who won’t stop practicing gross immorality, even when confronted with their sin.

They claim to be saved, but refuse to live up to the standards set out in Scripture. What do we do? How do we handle this?