I Corinthians
Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians is the first of two letters to the Christian church at Corinth that became part of the New Testament. It is the longest letter written by Paul, having 16 Chapters. At the time the first letter was written, around A.D. 55 (1 Cor 16:3,19), the church at Corinth was badly split and in revolt against Paul. Paul began his ministry in Corinth, spending between 2 and 3 years before going on to Ephesus (Acts 19:8, 19:10, 20:31).
Corinth was a busy commercial city and the center for Greek culture. Because of its central location and size, people and religious customs from different parts of the world converged. The early Christian church in Corinth had to contend with various Pagan religious beliefs and customs. One Pagan custom in particular, sexual immorality, had infected the Corinthian church. The church at Corinth, because it had members from many different backgrounds that were different from Christian standards of morality, caused Paul to be deeply concerned about the purity of the Corinthian church. It was being compromised by Pagan immorality. In view of these conditions Paul began his Corinthian mission with fear.
The Corinthian church had other problems as well. Divisions within the church, lawsuits, lack of church discipline, an over-emphasis of the gift of tongues, defilement of the Last Supper, questions about marriage, were among the other problems that are dealt with by Paul. Its climax is in chapter 13, where Paul emphasizes the importance of love. Paul writes that the love of others is more important than wisdom.
1 Corinthians contains some of the best-known phrases in the New Testament, such as "without love, I am nothing" (1 Cor. 13:1) and "when I was a child, I spoke as a child, I felt as a child, I thought as a child" (1 Cor. 13:11). Christian love is the greatest of all gifts.
Major Themes
Divisions Within The Church There were four distinct factions within the church: Paul, Apollos, Cephas, and Christ. Each faction held up their own particular leader as being superior to the other church leaders (1:10-4:21). Some followed Paul, the founder of the church. Others followed Apollos (Acts 18:24), known for his eloquent speaking. Some thought that Peter was the best qualified to lead the church, since he had been with Jesus. Others said that they would only follow Christ, lead by the Holy Spirit, and no one else.
Paul begins his letter with reference to these conflicts and other serious spiritual problems within the Corinth church that had been reported to him from several sources: Apollos (Acts 19:1), a letter from the Corinthians, the "household of Chloe," and finally Stephanas and his two friends who had visited Paul (1 Cor. 1:11; 16:17).
Paul states that the divisions within the church were causing carnality and stunted spiritual growth (1 Cor. 3:1-2), a loss of spiritual merit. Someone living in a carnal state would be considered wood, hay and straw (1 Cor. 3:12), and be burned up (1 Cor. 3:15) at the judgment seat of Christ, no matter what “good works” he did. Because the church had focused on the external, rather than the internal, their standards of comparison were false. What counts the most with God is heart, and only God knows the heart and motivation of each individual person. What men see on the outside does not count as much as a person’s heart.
Paul further explains the futility of following men rather than God. The leaders they were exalting were actually weak, despised, persecuted and without honor (1 Cor. 4:10-13). Therefore, the Corinthians are urged to imitate Paul (1 Cor. 4:16).
Paul does not insist that all members of the community need to think alike on every subject. But he does insist on unity of spirit and purpose that will allow each group to learn from each other: "I appeal to you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree and that there be no dissensions among you, but that you be united in the same mind and the same judgment.” (1 Cor. 1:10). Paul attempts to reinforce basic Christian teachings and beliefs, stating that God has given him the opportunity to be a “skilled master builder” by laying the foundation for others to build upon (1 Cor 3:10). Paul’s letter is written as a warning to the Corinth church that God will punished them if they do not change their ways.
Sexual Immorality Paul had heard that there was a man in the church who was having sexual relations with his father's wife, which was approved by other Corinthian church members. These members boasted that what this person was doing was an expression of Christian freedom (1 Cor. 5:1-13). Paul passes judgment on this person casting him out to Satan for his physical destruction. To Paul, all immorality is grievous sin against Christ. Believers are His members and their bodies are the temples of the Spirit (1 Cor. 6.9-20). Paul is very direct on the subject of immorality. Any type of immoral conduct must not be tolerated among church members. If anyone persists in following the low moral standards of the pagans, they should be excluded from membership. Paul realizes that association with these people cannot be totally avoided in the city of Corinth, but it cannot be permitted to exist within the church. The church is based on Christian beliefs, not the low standards of a pagan society like Corinth: “Don’t you know that a little yeast works through the whole batch of dough? Get rid of the old yeast that you may be a new batch without yeast—as you really are.” Paul severely rebukes the congregation for tolerating practices “of a kind that is not found even among pagans” (1 Cor. 5:1) and urges them to “Drive out the wicked person from among you.” Paul is telling church members not to associate with any person who claims to be a Christian and is immoral.
Paul also had to deal with the problem of prostitution. Evidently some of the Corinthians were going to prostitutes and justifying their conduct on the grounds of their liberty in Christ and that is was a natural use of their body (I Cor 6:12-20). Paul points out that these people had a false view of Christian freedom. Paul said that liberty is judged by whether or not it is profitable, and whether or not it will enslave.
The common arguments the Corinthians were using to justify their immorality was enslavement. The phrase “food is for the stomach and the stomach for food” ( I Cor. 6:13) may mean these members were giving the analogy that just like one eats when he is hungry, so one also fulfills sexual desires when such desires exist, as both desires are natural. Paul points out, however, that the body is not to be used for immorality, but to serve God. Hunger and sexual desire are normal desires but they cannot be abused. We should not always give in to these desires, otherwise, as Paul says, one can become enslaved to the power of the prostitute rather than Christ. ( 1 Cor. 6:9-20). Paul then turns to the concept of profitability (1 Cor. 6:14-20). He points out that our bodies no longer belong to us but to Christ. And we should not do anything to harm them. Paul explains that being joined to a prostitute is actually harmful to the body, and we have responsibility to take care of our bodies as they are the temple of the Holy Spirit (1 Cor. 6:19).
Paul's Central Role In the Church Paul had his enemies. Although this is more fully discussed in Second Corinthians, this issue is addressed in his first letter to the Corinthians. Paul describes his central role in the founding the church in Corinth (1 Cor 1:14-17; 2:1-5; 3:10; 4:12-13; 9:12-18; 16:15). He writes that he is the one who laid the foundation for the Corinth church. Upon that foundation the church could exist, and other churches were built on that foundation. Once Paul started a particular church, he would then move on, leaving the church in the hands of others (1 Cor. 3:10). Paul concedes that he came to Corinth "in weakness and in fear and in much trembling," which indicates the state of mind he was in when the letter was written. In addition, he stated that his preaching was not impressive: "not with the eloquence of superior wisdom." Nevertheless, his message came to them "in a demonstration of the Spirit and with power." (1 Cor.9:12-18). Paul says that while he was with the Corinth church, he made a decision to take no financial support from the church. He worked hard with his own hands (1 Cor 4:12). Paul mentions that his first converts were those of the household of Stephanus (1 Cor 6:15), whom Paul also baptized (1:16). He also mentions that he baptized Crispus and Gaius (1 Cor 1:14-15). Paul states, however, that he did not baptize too many of his Corinthian converts, because he saw his task to be that of preaching the gospel (1 Cor. 1:17).
Settling Disputes Among Members Paul also heard that Corinthian church members were taking one another to the pagan courts to settle disputes (6:1-11). Disputes between church members should be settled peaceably without going to a civil court: “To have lawsuits at all with one another is defeat for you. Why not rather suffer wrong? Why not rather be defrauded” (1 Cor 6:7). Paul made it clear that Christians should never appear in pagan courts to settle disputes against one another (1 Cor. 6.4).
Associating with Immoral People Paul wanted to correct a misinterpretation of a "previous" letter he had written, in which the Corinthians were told not to associate with immoral people within the church. However, Paul’s letter was incorrectly understood to mean all immoral people (1 Cor 5:9-12). Paul seeks to correct that misunderstanding. He says “I wrote you in my (previous) letter not to associate with sexually immoral people. In no way did I mean the immoral of this world, or the greedy and swindlers and idolaters, since you would then have to go out of the world. But now I am writing to you not to associate with anyone who calls himself a Christian who is sexually immoral, or greedy, or an idolater, or verbally abusive, or a drunkard, or a swindler. Do not even eat with such a person” (1 Corinthians 5:9-11)
Marriage Paul viewed marriage primarily in the light of his belief in the imminent advent of a new world (1 Cor. 7:29-31). He exhorted Christians to avoid any entanglement, marriage that might “put an obstacle in the way of the gospel of Christ” (1 Cor. 9:12). With this conviction and concern in mind, Paul preferred and advocated celibacy (1 Cor. 7:7-8). To those, however, who cannot bear it, his advice is “But if they cannot exercise self-control, they should marry. For it is better to marry than to be aflame with passion” (1 Cor. 7:9).
Self-Love Paul wanted to address the problem of self-love. The Corinthian church wanted to exalt themselves, so many of them emphasized their spiritual gifts. Paul responds by saying that love does not seek its own (1 Cor. 13:5) and that “love never fails,” or more accurately, “love never ends” (1 Cor. 13:8). Spiritual gifts, according to Paul, will cease, but love is eternal and unchanging.
Eating Of Food Sacrificed to Idols Christian life in a pagan society raised many problems, especially fellowship with pagans, which involved the eating of meat offered in pagan temples. The Corinthians ask Paul about eating food sacrificed to idols. They were asking for his agreement that eating meat sacrificed to idols was not only harmless but actually an exercise of a freedom. Paul agrees that idols are really nothing, but qualifies this by saying that knowledge puffs up whereas love builds up. He instructs them to forego the exercise of their freedom for the sake of the one whose conscience is weak and does not know that idols are nothing. He uses himself as an example for them to follow: he has certain rights as an apostle, but refuses to exercise these rights for the sake of being a more effective apostle. Using the example of Israel in the wilderness, he then warns the Corinthians not to eat food sacrificed to idols in pagan temples, because this is idolatry, a communion with demons ((where no spiritual offense is involved (I Cor. 8.8).) Christian love imposes voluntary restriction on personal conduct (1 Cor. 8: 1-11; 19-23; 10.24,31-33)
The Resurrection Paul turns to a matter, which was a crucial, teaching of the Church and foundational to their salvation. Some Corinthians were denying the resurrection of the dead (1 Cor. 15:12). Paul responds by pointing out the implications of that belief. It leads to a denial of Christ’s own resurrection, and thus, their own salvation. Paul concludes that if there was no resurrection, i.e., there was no life after death, then “we are of all men most to be pitied” (1 Cor. 15:19), because the sacrifices made for Christ in this life would be for nothing. Paul argues that Jesus was raised and is actually the “first fruits” of those who are asleep. Although Jesus was not the first to be raised from the dead, as Elijah, Jesus, even Paul had raised people from the dead, but Jesus was the first to be raised to a life that knew no death, and others would follow. Christ’s resurrection was the basis for our own victory and hope.
The Use Of Spiritual Gifts — Speaking In Tongues The value of spiritual gifts among various members of the church had become a problem. Many Corinthian church members emphasized their gift of being able to speak in tongues, viewing it as proof of their spirituality and superiority over those who could not speak in tongues. This issue had become a serious problem that was dividing members against each other. As a result, Paul devoted a great deal of space to the topic of tongues. He begins with a confusing section (1 Cor 12:1-3) that seems unrelated to the rest of his discussion on spiritual gifts and tongues. Paul is very much against the practice of comparing and evaluating people’s spirituality by whether or not they can speak in tongues. Paul shows through an analogy with the human body that all spiritual gifts are important, in which each organ has its special function to perform and no one of them can be regarded as more vital than another organ, the same principle applies within the church, which is the body of Christ (1 Cor. 12:17). Some members have the gift of prophecy, others that of teaching, and still others that of offering help in carrying forward the work of the church. No one should think of themselves as superior to those who exercise other gifts, for all gifts are necessary, and the church would not be able to function if any of them were missing. To those who boast that they have the gift of tongues and are therefore in a position to exercise lordship over others, Paul writes that this particular gift, like all of the others, should be evaluated in terms of its usefulness in promoting the Christian way of life. He does not condemn this gift for those who might find it useful, but he says that so far as he is concerned, it is better to speak a few words that will be understood by others than to speak at great length in an unknown tongue that is quite unintelligible to those who might hear it. By way of illustration, Paul gives the analogy of music and concludes that as music without melody is useless (1 Cor.12:7-8), so is the speaking in tongues useless if it is not understood by others. Paul also reminds the members that God prefers the weak and humble and insignificant people of the world, because they do not depend on their own ability, but on God’s power (1 Cor. 1:26-29; 4:9-13; 12:23-24). Paul states in Chapter 13 that love is the greatest of all gifts (1 Cor. 13.1-13).
Chrisitan Love The 13th chapter of 1 Corinthians is one of the most loved and quoted chapters of the Bible. What wisdom is to the Greeks, love is for Christians: “If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing. Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never ends. As for prophecies, they will pass away; as for tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will pass away. For we know in part and we prophesy in part, but when the perfect comes, the partial will pass away. When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I gave up childish ways. For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known. So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love”.
Role of Women Several criticisms were directed towards women. Paul rebukes the Corinthians for allowing certain women to violate standards of decency with respect to dress (1 Cor. 11:2-34), he rebukes women in the church who were being disruptive during meetings, those women who were forgetting their subjective role to men, and those who were prophesying or praying and not covering their head which was the normal practice within the church (1 Cor. 11:16).
Divorce Paul also deals with the situation where a believer is married to an unbeliever. God does not want the believer to leave his or her mate. God’s will is not divorce. Instead, the Christian spouse should try to live with the spouse who is not a believer and try to win this person over to Christ. Paul says that whatever circumstance you were in, when you became a Christian, remain in them. Christianity is not designed to take people out of the world, but to help us live in it. Paul also mentions circumcision, because he recognized the tendency of certain factions within the church to exert “pressure to conform to old religious ways in order to gain prestige, a common failing of the Corinthians.” The tendency of the Corinthians is to place too much emphasis on social status, which relates back to one of the main arguments in 1 Corinthians that the Corinthians are focused only on externals. (1 Cor.7:10-24)
The Lord’s Supper He also was told that wealthy members were humiliating the poor during the Lord's Supper by getting drunk (1 Cor.11:2-34). Some members were abusing the Lord’s Supper, a time of special remembrance of Christ and his last meeting with his disciples. The Corinthians had made it into a food feast where many were getting drunk (1 Cor. 11:17-34). Paul reminds them of the significance of the Lord’s Supper and the consequences of not properly respecting it (1 Cor.11:30). Paul concludes by exhorting everyone to examine their lives for sin (1 Cor. 11:28,31) and to partake of the Lord’s Supper as a unified body as it was designed to be (1 Cor. 11:33).
Legacy — Need to work on this
First Corinthians contains many noteworthy passages. Paul's beliefs concerning the crucifixion (1:18-2:2) and the resurrection (1 Cor.15) have, from the beginning, profoundly influenced Christian thought. The hymn about love (chap. 13) and the passage on immortality (1 Cor.15:35-55) are among the most poetic passages in the New Testament.
| New Testament |
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See also
- Second Epistle to the Corinthians
- Third Epistle to the Corinthians
- 1 Corinthians 13:1 - the tongues of men and angels verse
- Pauline privilege
Notes
External links
Online translations of First Epistle to the Corinthians:
Related articles:
- International Standard Bible Encyclopedia: 1 Corinthians
This entry incorporates text from the public domain Easton's Bible Dictionary, originally published in 1897.
| Preceded by: Romans |
Books of the Bible |
Succeeded by: 2 Corinthians |
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