1 Corinthians

About Corinth

We going to look at the church at corinth and he will address some improper views right off the batt

A lot of times we look at a modern church and we think that they probably not even saved Like lake wood no they have let the world in

Location

Were

Significance

400,00 3 or 4th largest city in Rome Corinth was a commercial center of greece it was 50 miles west of athens and 4 times the size of athens

Estimated at the time to have a population of 400,000 people the 4th largest and richest city in the roman empire

Culture

Most of the social things had to do with worship of a local deity and the meat sold many times was leftovers sacrificed to these local Gods.

The significance of this will be more clear as we go along.

The most significant pagan cult in Corinth was the cult of Aphrodite. The worship of Aphrodite had flourished in old Corinth before its destruction in 146 B.C. and was revived in Roman Corinth. A temple for the worship of Aphrodite was located on the top of the Acropolis.

Summary The city of Corinth as Paul found it was a cosmopolitan city composed of people from varying cultural backgrounds. Being near the site of the Isthmian games held every two years, the Corinthians enjoyed both the pleasures of these games and the wealth that the visitors brought to the city. While their ships were being carried across the isthmus, sailors came to the city to spend their money on the pleasures of Corinth. Even in an age of sexual immorality, Corinth was known for its licentious lifestyle.

About the Church

On his second missionary journey he received the maccidonian call after working his way through several cities he came to Corinth

It was here in the year of 52-53 ad that paul established a church right against the backdrop of

All that idol worship

After these things Paul departed from Athens, and came to Corinth;

He was there briefly and never established a church so iut is possible he left there discouraged

And found a certain Jew named Aquila, born in Pontus, lately come from Italy, with his wife Priscilla; (because that Claudius had commanded all Jews to depart from Rome:) and came unto them.

And because he was of the same craft, he abode with them, and wrought: for by their occupation they were tentmakers.

The jews would say if you did not teach your child a craft than you were teaching them to steal you should have a craft

I believe that a craft is important

And he reasoned in the synagogue every sabbath, and persuaded the Jews and the Greeks.

And when Silas and Timotheus were come from Macedonia, Paul was pressed in the spirit, and testified to the Jews that Jesus was Christ.

There was a jewish settlement in corinth

They found an inscription the meeting place of the Hebrews and a pillar decorated with menoras and palm leaves

This is were paul would always start he was a well known rabbi and learned in the jews customs and cultures

But when he turned it on them and proclaimed that Christ was the Messiah they got angry and put him out of the synagogue

And when they opposed themselves, and blasphemed, he shook his raiment, and said unto them, Your blood be upon your own heads; I am clean: from henceforth I will go unto the Gentiles.

Shake off the dust of feet

I did my part I will find someone who will listen.

He did not keep losing with the same faces.

And he departed thence, and entered into a certain man's house, named Justus, one that worshipped God, whose house joined hard to the synagogue.

And Crispus, the chief ruler of the synagogue, believed on the Lord with all his house; and many of the Corinthians hearing believed, and were baptized.

He refers to him in 1 corinthians

Then spake the Lord to Paul in the night by a vision, Be not afraid, but speak, and hold not thy peace:

For I am with thee, and no man shall set on thee to hurt thee: for I have much people in this city.

And he continued there a year and six months, teaching the word of God among them.

And when Gallio was the deputy of Achaia, the Jews made insurrection with one accord against Paul, and brought him to the judgment seat,

Saying, This fellow persuadeth men to worship God contrary to the law.

And when Paul was now about to open his mouth, Gallio said unto the Jews, If it were a matter of wrong or wicked lewdness, O ye Jews, reason would that I should bear with you:

But if it be a question of words and names, and of your law, look ye to it; for I will be no judge of such matters.

And he drave them from the judgment seat.

Then all the Greeks took Sosthenes, the chief ruler of the synagogue, and beat him before the judgment seat. And Gallio cared for none of those things.

And Paul after this tarried there yet a good while, and then took his leave of the brethren, and sailed thence into Syria, and with him Priscilla and Aquila; having shorn his head in Cenchrea: for he had a vow.

And a certain Jew named Apollos, born at Alexandria, an eloquent man, and mighty in the scriptures, came to Ephesus.

This man was instructed in the way of the Lord; and being fervent in the spirit, he spake and taught diligently the things of the Lord, knowing only the baptism of John.

And he began to speak boldly in the synagogue: whom when Aquila and Priscilla had heard, they took him unto them, and expounded unto him the way of God more perfectly.

And when he was disposed to pass into Achaia, the brethren wrote, exhorting the disciples to receive him: who, when he was come, helped them much which had believed through grace:

For he mightily convinced the Jews, and that publickly, shewing by the scriptures that Jesus was Christ.

And it came to pass, that, while Apollos was at Corinth, Paul having passed through the upper coasts came to Ephesus: and finding certain disciples,

He writes the letter from here

Purpose of the letter.

About the Correspondence

During Paul’s Ephesian ministry a series of disturbing events took place relative to Corinth:

(1) A party spirit arose in Corinth (; ).

(2) A series of reports came to Paul, some by those of Chloe ().

These reports included attacks upon Paul () and problems of immorality ().

(3) Paul wrote a letter warning against fellowship with sexually immoral people (). This letter is lost unless a portion of it remains in .

(4) The Corinthians wrote to Paul () asking about certain problems concerning marriage, fornication, and disorders in public worship.

(5) A delegation came from Corinth (Stephanas, Fortunatus, and Achaicus) with news from Corinth ().

(6) Apollos quit his work in Corinth and returned to Ephesus. Even under Paul’s urging, he refused to go back to Corinth ().

(7) Paul sent Timothy to Corinth () in an effort to heal the problems.

(8) Paul wrote 1 Corinthians from Ephesus (), expecting them to receive the letter before the arrival of Timothy ().

I. GREETING—1:1–3

II. REPROOF: THE REPORT OF SIN IN THE CHURCH—1:4–6:20

A. Divisions in the church—1:4–4:21

B. Discipline in the church—5

C. Disputes in the courts—6:1–8

D. Defilement in the world—6:9–20

III. INSTRUCTION: THE REPLY TO THEIR QUESTIONS—7:1–16:12

A. Marriage—7

B. Food offered to idols—8–10

C. Church ordinances—11

D. Spiritual gifts—12:1–14:40

E. The Resurrection—15

F. The offering—16:1–12

IV. CONCLUSION—16:13–24

So we will go through the greeting

Paul, called to be an apostle of Jesus Christ through the will of God, and Sosthenes our brother,

Am I not an apostle? am I not free? have I not seen Jesus Christ our Lord? are not ye my work in the Lord?

If I be not an apostle unto others, yet doubtless I am to you: for the seal of mine apostleship are ye in the Lord.

Mine answer to them that do examine me is this,

People were questioning him he said God was the one that called me to this this is my job

God set me in the church

1Co_12:28 And God hath set some in the church, first apostles, secondarily prophets, thirdly teachers,

Sothenese

Was the chief ruler of the synagoge at corinth

And when the jews drew him out and beat him he was looking for a new place to worship and went with paul and the other christians

Do not beat people or they might find a new place to worship.

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:

The church at Corinth

Every church has two addresses

Physical at Corinth

And in christ in every place

The church local and universal

Organization and organizam

Upon this rock will I build my church universal

For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit.

He calls them the church of God despite what was going on

To begin with, the church at Corinth was a defiled church.

Some of its members were guilty of sexual immorality; others got drunk; still others were using the grace of God to excuse worldly living.

It was also a divided church,

with at least four different groups competing for leadership ().

This meant it was a disgraced church. Instead of glorifying God, it was hindering the progress of the Gospel.

Even though they were allowing these things he did not question their salvation like he did the galatians.

It is wise to keep in mind that we do not keep the book of life

And we don't know who is saved and who is not.

We can have clues testimony , fruit , works , but we really do not know.

And by the way Pual did not either

The one guy simon the sourcery deceived philip and he baptized him only later to discover the truth.

How did this happen? The members of the church permitted the sins of the city to get into the local assembly. Corinth was a polluted city, filled with every kind of vice and worldly pleasure. About the lowest accusation you could make against a man in that day would be to call him “a Corinthian.

He is straightening them out but he does not say they are not saved.

How can that be

Because we are sanctified in Christ Jesus.

to them that are sanctified in Christ Jesus

In christ we receive that sanctification

That is not saying do whatever you want.

this book is about dealing with things and not allowing things and holding people accountable for their good.

But it is in Christ

You get that going to heaven not because we are good but christ is good if you are in that that is how you made clean before God.

called to be saints

Not after you die but now

1Co_6:1 Dare any of you, having a matter against another, go to law before the unjust, and not before the saints?

1Co_6:2 Do ye not know that the saints shall judge the world? and if the world shall be judged by you, are ye unworthy to judge the smallest matters?

1Co_14:33 For God is not the author of confusion, but of peace, as in all churches of the saints.

1Co_16:1 Now concerning the collection for the saints, as I have given order to the churches of Galatia, even so do ye.

1Co_16:15 I beseech you, brethren, (ye know the house of Stephanas, that it is the firstfruits of Achaia, and that they have addicted themselves to the ministry of the saints,)

You are a saint act like one

No matter how wicked the world is there is no excuse

You are called to be saints and the answer is not questioning their salvation but helping them straighten out problems.

A Christian photographer friend told me about a lovely wedding that he “covered.” The bride and groom came out of the church, heading for the limousine, when the bride suddenly left her husband and ran to a car parked across the street! The motor was running and a man was at the wheel, and off they drove, leaving the bridegroom speechless. The driver of the “get-away car” turned out to be an old boyfriend of the bride, a man who had boasted that “he could get her anytime he wanted her.” Needless to say, the husband had the marriage annulled.

When a man and woman pledge their love to each other, they are set apart for each other; and any other relationship outside of marriage is sinful. Just so, the Christian belongs completely to Jesus Christ; he is set apart for Him and Him alone. But he is also a part of a worldwide fellowship, the church, “all that in every place call upon the name of Jesus Christ” (). A defiled and unfaithful believer not only sins against the Lord, but he also sins against his fellow Christians.

Grace be unto you, and peace, from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ.

Hen dia dys

the expression of a single idea by two words connected with “and,” e.g., nice and warm, when one could be used to modify the other, as in nicely warm.

Grace be unto you

Even though I am straightening out these problems I want grace to be unto you

1:3 Paul’s standard greeting after the salutation identified two persons of the Trinity, God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. “Lord” recalls “LORD God” of the OT, thus making a clear statement about Jesus’s divine identity

6Every sedition and every schism was abominable to you. Ye mourned over the transgressions of your neighbours: ye judged their shortcomings to be your own

Lightfoot, J. B., & Harmer, J. R. (1891). The Apostolic Fathers (p. 58). London: Macmillan and Co.