The basic Idea of this study is to gain a better understanding of the Bible through an understanding of the background information of the church Paul is writing to.

By through the cultural makeup of the church we will be able to gain a better understanding of the particular church that Paul is writing to which in turn will give us better insight into the letter.

I. ROMANS

A. Paul has yet to visit Rome (no Apostolic foundation)

1. Romans 1:11 & 15:24

2. Acts 19:21

B. Who Started the Church in Rome?

1. It was probably founded by God fearing Jews from Rome that heard the gospel in Acts 2 from Peter, then went back to Rome and founded a church in Rome. This was written down by Ambrosiaster (Church father).

2. The other possibility is that Christian slaves traveled to and from Rome and set up a place of business or fellowship.

C. Composition of the Church

1. The majority of the church was Jewish with some gentile influence until the edict of Claudius 49 A.D. (see Acts 18:2)

2. Therefore the church is left in the hands of the gentiles. This then would have impacted the church in many ways. This is the group that Paul is writing to.

3. Furthermore, when Paul mentions the Jews in chapters 9–11 and draws many references from the Old Testament, it is to give the gentiles a better understanding of their foundation in comparison to their own history and to see how they fit in to the scriptures.

D. General Themes and focus of the letter.

1. Numerous themes are intertwined throughout the book: Grace, Obedience, The Revelation of God’s Righteousness, Salvation and the Ruined Man, Justification leads to Righteousness, Gospel

2. Warning: Romans 16:17-19.

Why does Paul write in a rhetorical style?

Paul is answering anticipated questions throughout the entire letter. He is expecting false teaching to be following his letter, and is not only warning them about it but preparing the church to strengthen them (cf. Rom 1:11).

II. CORINTHIANS

A. Paul Founded this Church (See Acts 18). Paul provided the foundational teachings to this church.

B. Location and Societal Makeup

1. Due to the location of the city of Corinth (see a map), it holds a very strong position. There are ports on both sides of the city which caused it to become commercially strategic as well as militarily; for if Corinth falls so does Greece.

2. The multicultural aspect of this city led to it become a city with few morals. Corinth was the temple city of Aphrodite, there were over 1,000 temple priestesses; sacred prostitutes. There were deities for every aspect of life.

C. Focus of the First Letter

1. The Letter is a corrective letter, Paul is focusing of behavior. The Corinthians have a skewed view of grace. Grace should teacher you how to live not allow you to live your life as you choose.

2. There were many problems in the church (due to the society that surrounded the church):

i. The Problem of Division (1-2)

ii. The Problem of Carnality (3:1-4)

iii. The Problem of Filthiness (5-6)

iv. Problems with Marriage (7)

v. The Problem of Selfishness (11)

vi. The Problem of Doubt (15)

3. Christian Liberty (disputable matters)

i. Principle of Edification 8:1-13

ii. Principle of Promotion 9:1-23

iii. Principle of Protection 9:24-27

iv. Principle of Association 10:1-23

v. Principle of Glorification 10:29-33

4. If the rest of First Corinthians is about correcting the church why then do we take 12–14 (i.e. tongues and spiritual gifts) as non-corrective? Answer: there was a problem with how the church viewed the spiritual gifts and Paul was also fixing that.

D. The Second Letter

1. While Paul appears to be correcting other aspects of the church, the attack is not as strong. Therefore, a conclusion is drawn that the church fixed many of the problems that Paul wrote about in his previous letter.

2. Not all problems were fixed because Paul personally defends his apostolic position (see 2 Cor 10-13).

Paul, His Letters and the Background of the Churches