Sermon Tone Analysis

Andrew Hodge                                                                                                      20th April 2007

 

 

New Testament Survey NTES 111

 

 

Seminar 9

 

 

The Corinthian Epistles

 

 

/1 and 2 Corinthians/; /Libronix DLS/; Irving L. Jensen /Jensen’s Survey of the New Testament /1981, Moody Press, Chicago Ch 12; Guthrie, Donald  /New Testament Introduction  /Apollos, Leicester, England 4th Ed  1990 Ch 10

 

 

/Analyse the Church at Corinth:/

/            /See below under “Paul’s relationship with the Church at Corinth”.

/ /

/ /

/Examine Paul’s opposition in the Church:/

/            /See below - multiple places.

Although opposition may not be attributable to a specific group(s) of individuals it is “undeniable that he (Paul) had to deal with various groups of Christians with tendencies which were leading to an inadequate view of Christianity.

Among these may be noted such groups as libertines, who had misunderstood Christian freedom, ascetics who had adopted too rigid an approach to Christian behaviour, and ecstatics who were allowing their spiritual experiences to lead to disorderliness.”[1]

“It has been suggested that the Corinthians had adopted a kind of realized eschatology in which they had imagined that the parousia had already taken place.

This inevitably led to a confused view of the resurrection.”[2]

/ /

/Trace Paul’s relationship with the Church at Corinth:/

/            /The word church(es) is used 30 times in these two Books, almost half of all the use of this word that Paul makes in all of his Epistles (62).

Jensen (p 263) states that this word is used in the NT in three different ways:

* Invisible Church - all believers, alive or dead, members of Christ’s body (Ephesians 1:22-23; Eph 5:23, 25-27) = Kingdom of Heaven~/God?

* Visible Church at large - a constituency of all believers living at any one time (Romans 16:16; Galatians 1:13; Philippians 4:15) = Universal Church?

* Visible local Church - a fellowship of believers who worship in a given locality (eg Corinth: 1 Corinthians 1:2).

Note that Paul uses the word in all of these ways.

An important verse is 1 Corinthians 10:32 “Give none offence, neither to the Jews, nor to the Gentiles, nor to the church of God:” This verse breaks up humanity into three parts, not the two based on salvation (ie saved~/unsaved), and indicates the fundamental nature of the Church - equal to, but added onto two supposedly globally inclusive groupings - Jew and Gentile.

The addition of this third group was made possible by the Cross (Jensen Chart 69 p 264).

Not all Jews were believers, just as not all Gentiles were unbelievers; this makes necessary the third category and distinguishes the three kinds of Church (as above, containing only believers) from the rest of humanity (unbelievers - whether Jew or Gentile).

Of course this definition treats ‘Church’ in the narrowest sense of containing only believers.

Even in Paul’s time the local Churches had ‘members’ who were not believers.

Given this background, Paul addresses the “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” (1 Corinthians 1:1-9).

He calls them ‘saints’ because he knows that in Christ that is what they are, even though in themselves he knows they are dirty, rotten, public and private sinners who are spoiling the testimony of Christ.

These evil activities of Church members - believers - should not surprise the readers of this Book.

Corinth was a major trading city similar to our mega-cities today, and full of the same kinds of sinners expected in such a place.

When we sin we reap what we sow; when we are saved we are not made sinlessly perfect; change takes time.

The Corinthian Church was not only young in itself and possibly had no mature leadership, but also it existed in the infancy of Christianity and had little idea of what was expected of it.

The concepts of “salt of the earth” and “the light of the world” and the standards of the ‘Sermon on the Mount~/Plain’ were not yet even written down; even if they were and were available to all, not every believer would have immediately fallen into line.

This concept of Corinth makes it easy to apply the teachings of 1 and 2 Corinthians to the Churches and Christians of today.

We are no less sinful, and as will be seen, the Church and the world around it are subject to the same sins.

Paul visits Corinth about 50 AD on his second journey, when he himself was in his early 50’s.

It is a /koine/-speaking Greek city, but acknowledged as the hub of the Roman Empire’s commerce, having been rebuilt by Julius Caesar in 46 BC after being razed by Rome in 146 BC for an anti-Roman uprising.1a

This commercial advantage gave it particular importance as a centre for the propagation of the Gospel (Jensen p 265).

The Greek /Korinthos// /means “ornament” (Jensen p 265) or “satiated” (Strong’s Concordance in Libronix although this is qualified by being ‘of uncertain derivation’).

Perhaps at one time Corinth was the “Jewel of the Aegean” but in 55 AD it bore all the hallmarks of being morally bankrupt, if the Corinthian congregation is anything to go by ie some were satiated by sin.

The city was strategically located between the Ionian and Aegean seas, with two ports, and was largely established so that cargo and small ships sent between these two regions could be carried over the 4 mile isthmus between the Peloponnese and the rest of Greece, instead of enduring the long and dangerous journey around the west and south coasts.

A canal for all ships was not built until 1881-1893, along the route originally planned for it by Nero (66 AD).2a Jensen’s Map R p 266 implies that the canal was already in place in Paul’s time.

1a/The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia / G.W.Bromiley General Editor, Fully Revised 1988, William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company  Grand Rapids, Michigan *I*, 773

2aibid

 

 

 

In 55 AD the city had between 100,000 and 700,000 inhabitants, polyglot, transient, with many slaves (Jensen p 266).

Rome had made it the capital of Achaia, and in Paul’s day it was ruled by the proconsul Gallio (Acts 18:12).

It did not acquire the fame of Athens in art or philosophy[3]a, but its sinful profligacy put it on an inevitable collision course with Christianity.

There was a mountain near Corinth (Acrocorinth to the south of the city) on the summit of which was built the Temple to Aphrodite~/Venus.

It is said that much wealth came into the city in addition to its primary trading role, by the activity of the temple prostitutes who numbered up to 1000 (stated by Strabo who was in Corinth in 29 BC and who thought that prostitution was the primary means of Corinthian income3).

A common saying at the time “to act the Corinthian” or to “Corinthianise” meant to fornicate.

“A seaman’s paradise, a drunkard’s heaven, and a virtuous woman’s hell”.4a

The implication from Jensen p 273 is that the pinnacle of religious superiority was to be celibate (supreme self-control in the midst of an ocean of temptation?)

            Corinth had some of its own manufacturing businesses - pottery and brass - but these were small in comparison to shipping movement and prostitution.

Apparently study of the arts and sciences flourished (Jensen p 267).

This is another parallel to our situation today where man’s pursuit of knowledge substitutes for the real spiritual knowledge of God which actually does bring wisdom.

Paul had attended tertiary institutions in Tarsus and Jerusalem - in terms of education he was up there amongst the best.

But he makes it clear that he does not compete with the Corinthians on their philosophies or intellects.

Instead, (1 Corinthians 2:2) “For I determined not to know any thing among you, save Jesus Christ, and him crucified”[4] and (1 Corinthians 2:7-8) “But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery,/ even/ the hidden/ wisdom/, which God ordained before the world unto our glory: 8 Which none of the princes of this world knew: for had they known/ it/, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.”[5]

See also 1 Corinthians 1:20-21, 27.

Jensen calls the intellectualism of the Corinthians “smug and superficial” (p 267).

Corinth accented sports - as we do - holding Isthmian Games similar to our Olympics, every two years.

Paul uses this interest to demonstrate a point (1 Corinthians 9:24-27), but Jensen notes that in sport, as in most other aspects of Corinthian life, corruption was rife.

Corinth was not short on religion and worshipped many gods within many cults.

There was at least one synagogue (near the northern entrance to the city 5a) which, after Aquila and Priscilla (Acts 18:1-4) was Paul’s first port of call.

3aibid

4aJoseph M. Gettys  /How to study 1 Corinthians  /p 10 quoted in Irving L. Jensen /Jensen’s Survey of the New Testament /1981, Moody Press, Chicago p 266 footnote 7

5a/The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia / G.W.Bromiley General Editor, Fully Revised 1988, William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company  Grand Rapids, Michigan  *I*, 774

Paul ministers to Jews and Greeks in the synagogue every sabbath (1 Corinthians 2:4) but was substantially encouraged when Silas and Timothy arrived from Macedonia (1 Corinthians 2:5) to preach to hard-core Jews.

When they vigorously opposed his doctrine, Paul gives them up to reap what they sowed, and determines to witness primarily to the Gentiles (1 Corinthians 2:6).

He goes to live with Justus - a Christian whose house was right next door to the synagogue (!) - and as a consequence (perhaps after some seeds were sown by Justus?) Paul leads the chief ruler of the synagogue, Crispus, to Christ.

At this point Jesus chooses to encourage Paul with direct verbal revelation (1 Corinthians 2:9-10) for God does not want to have Paul’s ministry in Corinth short-circuited - there are many conversions to be made (1 Corinthians 2:10).

Paul stays 18 months (v 11).

It can be assumed that the nucleus of the church at Corinth was initially small (migrants from elsewhere and inter-city business folk eg Aquila and Priscilla, Justus, Crispus, their families and converts that were possibly from lower socio-economic groups 1 Corinthians 1:26) and probably meeting in a house (Aquila’s?).

This is in considerable contrast to the beginnings of the Jerusalem Church, but is much closer to experience today.

Apollos was the Church pastor-teacher during Paul’s absence between the second and third journeys (Acts 18:24-19:1).

There were 5 years between Paul’s first visit to Corinth and the writing of 1 Corinthians.

There may have been two more possible contacts during these years - “to combat an incipient opposition….and

to correct other evils” (2 Corinthians 2:1; 12:14; 13:1-2 - note reference to ‘third’ visit - Jensen p 268).

The first visit apparently was ineffective.

In 1 Corinthians 5:9 a letter is referred to, now lost, also written to correct existing evils in the Corinthian Church and presumably likewise ineffective.

It is obvious that Paul wrote a lot during his ministry but only a portion was accepted as canonical.

See below re ‘compilation’.

Paul writes 1 Corinthians from Ephesus in 55 AD, where he was enjoying a fruitful ministry.

It is a testimony to his relationship with the Corinthians and the burden he took upon himself as the ‘founder’ of numerous Churches that he takes time out to assist the Corinthians with their difficulties.

/Compare and contrast Paul’s two canonical letters to the Church at Corinth:/

/            /*1 Corinthians*: Problems of a local Church.

~~55 AD.

From Paul and Sosthenes at Ephesus.

Who is Sosthenes?

Same as in Acts 18:17?

Why not just Paul?

            *2 Corinthians*: Primarily Paul’s defence of his apostolic ministry.

~~56 AD.

From Paul and Timothy in Macedonia.

Why not just Paul?

Timothy is referred to in 1 Corinthians twice when Paul is urging the Corinthians to accept him when he arrives among them.

In 2 Corinthians, Paul places Timothy more or less on an equal level with himself (2 Cor 1:19).

Also in brief, Jensen summarises W. Graham Scroggie in a table, p 285 6, in a comparison of these two Books, together with his primary survey Charts (70 and 73).

6 W. Graham Scroggie  /Know// your Bible  /2:142-143 quoted in Irving L. Jensen /Jensen//’s Survey of the New Testament /1981, Moody Press, Chicago footnote 27 p 284.

 

 

 

 

1 Corinthians has been called “The Book of Sanctification”.

An equally appropriate title might be “Victory in Jesus” using 1 Corinthians 15:57 as the key verse: “But thanks/ be/ to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.”[6]