1 Corinthians An Introduction

Introduction

Greetings…

Today we begin a new series of exegetical lessons on the 2 letters we have preserved to the church at Corinth by the apostle Paul.

The church at Corinth was struggling with a number of spiritual issues they needed addressed.

In this lesson we will look at what is important to know so as to help us have a better understanding of the culture and context of the letters.

With that in mind let’s examine the introductory material now.

The City Of Corinth

The History Of Corinth.

The old Corinth was a large and significant city of the Greek empire that was conquered by the Romans and later became the provincial capital of Greece for the Roman Empire.

It laid waste by the Roman consul, L. Mummius, in about 146 BC and it stayed that way for about a century before Julius Caesar rebuilt it toward the end of his life as a token of respect to Venus, its patron goddess.

Julius Caesar claimed he was a decedent of Venus and so the connection is found.

Because Corinth is found in modern day Greece on the northeast corner of the Peloponnesian Peninsula.

It is about 48 miles west of Athens and is located on a narrow isthmus between the Peloponnesian Peninsula and the mainland of Greece.

This made it ideal for commerce because it was dangerous to sail around the Peninsula and therefore became essential link between Italy and Asaia.

Because of its prominence and commerce value it was a rather large city with roughly 300,000 as its population with about 460,000 slaves.

What about…

The Culture Of Corinth.

Corinth, after Julius Caesar reestablished it, was made up of mostly Roman freeman, military veterans, and laborers.

From archaeological findings we know the Jews were among the first settlers here through it’s obvious in Paul’s day that they didn’t have a major political role there (Acts 18:14-16).

The culture of Corinth is without dispute and this isn’t in a good way.

The temple of Venus was a house of harlotry that sought to promote sexual sin at every turn.

One brother wrote, “The chastity of our age wisely forbids us to unveil the profligacy and licentiousness of the hotbed of vice, with its richly endowed temple of Venus.” (McGarvey)

The sexual culture was so ingrained into the people that even the church struggled with it.

No less than eleven times Paul address the issue in one form or another between the two letters even pointing out in chapter 5 that the church was ignoring a sexual sin that wasn’t even tolerated by the pagans.

Let’s put it this way, you didn’t want to be compared to a Corinthian.

Summary

The city of Corinth could be likened to our modern day “Sin City” Vegas “what happens in Corinth stays in Corinth.”

But as you and I know this simply is not true, God always knows and unrepentant sin follows us wherever we may go.

That brings us then to…

The Church In Corinth

The Church’s Establishment.

Paul first visited Corinth around 49 AD during his second missionary journey.

He lived with Aquila and Priscilla while working as a tentmaker (Acts 18:1-18) until his support came from Macedonia and some other places.

Paul originally taught in the Jewish synagogues and though many Gentiles obeyed fewer Jews did and Paul was eventually expelled from the synagogue.

However, Titius Justus and Crispus the synagogue ruler did believe and obey the gospel.

Acts 18:8 ESV

8 Crispus, the ruler of the synagogue, believed in the Lord, together with his entire household. And many of the Corinthians hearing Paul believed and were baptized.

The early church could very well of met at Titus also known as Gaius or Crispus’ house (1 Corinthians 1:14).

The second “phase” after his rejection from most of the Jews was to turn to the Gentiles.

God spoke to Paul in a vision and encouraged him to continue preaching there.

Acts 18:9–10 ESV

9 And the Lord said to Paul one night in a vision, “Do not be afraid, but go on speaking and do not be silent, 10 for I am with you, and no one will attack you to harm you, for I have many in this city who are my people.”

Paul ended up preaching there 18 months in the city and thus established the church in the city of Corinth.

When Paul left, like any young congregation would do, we come to find out about…

The Church’s Struggle.

The church in Corinth was struggling to unite in the Lord as they should.

In fact we read early on in 1 Corinthians 1:10-11…

1 Corinthians 1:10–11 ESV

10 I appeal to you, brothers, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be united in the same mind and the same judgment. 11 For it has been reported to me by Chloe’s people that there is quarreling among you, my brothers.

As you can see from this text Chloe’s household had sent word to Paul, in Ephesus, that the church was struggling with division and not in fellowship as they should have.

In fact, as we will see in our study the letter is simply a “question and answer” from the church to Paul.

Summary

Though the church had many spiritual issues and many were struggling spiritually Paul never doubted their ability to correct their sin problems and become united in fellowship with God and the other like-minded faithful (1 John 1:7).

Because the church is not an institution but the people, there is always a chance of repentance even when things look dire.

So what do we need to know specifically about…

The First Letter

The Author & Recipients.

The author, without a doubt, is the apostle Paul.

Paul not only address this in his opening statements but to clarify that it is he “God’s apostle” he makes that clear too.

1 Corinthians 1:1 (ESV)

1 Paul, called by the will of God to be an apostle of Christ Jesus…

The recipient is the church in Corinth that Paul helped establish.

It is made up of those that were Jews and those that were Gentiles as we noticed earlier in Acts 18.

So you have a mix between those that “know God” and those that are “getting to know God.”

What about…

The Context.

The context of the letter is simple and is what makes this letter somewhat unique.

This letter is a very business-like letter with a number of subjects he covers as he is answer the questions sent to him concerning various topics.

Due to the church’s struggle and Paul needing to dive so deeply into different subjects the church at Corinth became the best taught church in the apostolic age other than Ephesus (Acts 20:27).

So as we go through this letter we will strive to point out the question or possible question and then look at Paul’s biblical response.

The message is always the same “Christ and his gospel are the answer to every problem and the solution to every question.

Colossians 3:17 ESV

17 And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

That brings us to…

An Outline.

This, of course, is not very easy to do because of the vast number of subjects covered by the apostle.

However, a basic one that think will give us a “guide” if you will.

Outline:

Schisms And Factions (1-4)

Fornication & Lawsuits (5—6)

Marriage With Unbelievers (7)

Food Offered To Idols (8)

Paul’s Earned Respect (9)

Imitating Christ Not Idols (10)

Proper Worship (11-14)

The Resurrection (15)

Supporting The Saints (16)

Summary

This first recorded letter is a treasure trove of spiritual insight into how we are to live spiritually for God and correct the sins in our lives.

Conclusion

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Invitation

Isaiah 59:1–2 ESV

1 Behold, the Lord’s hand is not shortened, that it cannot save, or his ear dull, that it cannot hear; 2 but your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God, and your sins have hidden his face from you so that he does not hear.