1 Corinthians About this letter
About this letter
Although this letter is called the First Letter to the Corinthians, it is not really the first one that Paul wrote to this church. We know this because he mentions in this letter that he had written one before (5.9). The Christians in Corinth had also written to him (7.1), and part of 1 Corinthians contains Paul's answers to questions they had asked.
Corinth is a large city port in southern Greece. Paul began his work there in a Jewish meeting place, but he had to move next door to the home of a Gentile who had become a follower of Jesus (Acts 18.1-17). Most of the followers in Corinth were poor people (1 Corinthians 1.26-29), though some of them were wealthy (1 Corinthians 11.18-21), and one was even the city treasurer (Romans 16.23). While he was in Corinth, Paul worked as a tent maker to earn a living (Acts 18.3; 1 Corinthians 4.12; 9.1-18).
Paul was especially concerned about the way the Corinthian Christians were always arguing and dividing themselves into groups (1.10—4.21) and about the way they treated one another (5.1—6.20). These are two of Paul's main concerns as he writes this letter. But he also wants to answer the questions they asked him about marriage (7.1-40) and food offered to idols (8.1-13). Paul encourages them to worship God the right way (10.1—14.40) and to be firm in their belief that God has given them victory over death (15.1-58).
Love, Paul tells them, is even more important than faith or hope. All the problems in the church could be solved, if all the members would love one another, as Christians should:
Love is kind and patient,
never jealous, boastful,
proud, or rude.
Love rejoices in the truth,
but not in evil.
Love is always supportive,
loyal, hopeful,
and trusting.
Love never fails!
(13.4,5a,6-8a)
A quick look at this letter
1. Paul's greeting and prayer (1.1-9)
2. A call for unity (1.10—4.21)
3. Problems in relationships (5.1—7.40)
4. Honouring God instead of idols (8.1—11.1)
5. Guidance for worship and church life (11.2—14.40)
6. Christ's victory over death (15.1-58)
7. An offering for the poor (16.1-4)
8. Paul's travel plans (16.5-12)
9. Personal concerns and greetings (16.13-24)
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1 Corinthians About this letter: CEVUK
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© British and Foreign Bible Society 2012
1 Corinthians Introduction
Introduction
Paul's First Epistle to the Corinthians is one of the numerous letters the apostle wrote to churches to provide them with his valued theological and practical counsel. It was sent to the congregation he had organized in the southern Greek city of Corinth in the early 50s a.d. This city was a major port, a center of Mediterranean commerce, and the seat of government for the Roman province of Achaia. Corinth was home to people from all over the Empire, a true cultural melting-pot with many religions represented. There was a sizeable Jewish community in Corinth and Paul proclaimed the good news to both Jews and Gentiles as he worked to organize that first church there. At a later point while Paul was in Ephesus on the other side of the Aegean (a.d. 54–55), he received word that the Corinthian church had become divided into factions. Disagreement over whose spiritual gifts were more important had much to do with this.
First Corinthians is actually not the first of his letters to Corinth, but is the first one preserved. He had written at least once earlier (5.9) and the church had replied (7.1), which means that the issues he is addressing are part of an on-going correspondence. When 1 and 2 Corinthians are taken together these two letters comprise the largest body of Paul's existing correspondence to any one church. In this first letter Paul appears to be responding to their questions or comments in the same order as they had written them, and so he presents his counsel regarding their divisions, sexual morality and marriage, matters of conscience, worship and the Lord's Supper, the meaning of spiritual gifts, and the theological meaning of Jesus' resurrection. Paul's teaching in chapter 13 on other-centered love (“charity” in KJV; agape in Greek) is profoundly eloquent and one of the best known passages in the New Testament. He places it right in the middle of his teaching on gifts of the Spirit and says this kind of love toward others is “a more excellent way” (12.31b) to live in community.
Outline
Greetings and a Prayer of Thanks (1.1-9)
Finding Unity in Christ the Crucified (1.10—2.16)
Trust the Teaching of Christ's Apostles (3.1—4.21)
Paul's Counsel on Problems in Relationships (5.1—7.40)
Give Honor to God, Not to Idols (8.1—11.1)
Guidance for Worship and the Use of Spiritual Gifts (11.2—14.40)
The Meaning of Christ's Victory over Death (15.1-58)
Future Plans and Final Greetings (16.1-24)
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King James Version 1611, spelling, punctuation and text formatting modernized by ABS in 1962; typesetting © 2010 American Bible Society.