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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1 Corinthians Introduction: KJVAE
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King James Version 1611, spelling, punctuation and text formatting modernized by ABS in 1962; typesetting © 2010 American Bible Society.
1 Corinthians Introduction
Introduction
The book of Acts tells us how Paul preached the good news about Jesus the Messiah in northern Greece. But Paul had to leave that area quickly because it wasn’t safe. So he went to Achaia which is an area in southern Greece. Paul went to the city of Corinth where he would be safe. Corinth was a center for trade and business. It was a very wealthy city. While he was there, Paul began preaching the good news about Jesus. Many people became believers. So Paul stayed for one and a half years to teach them.
After he left, the people of Corinth wrote Paul a letter. We do not have that letter now. But we do know some of the questions that were in it. The people of Corinth had accepted a common Greek idea that physical things are bad. They thought that only things of the spirit or soul were good. They wanted to free the human spirit from the body. This idea affected the way the people of Corinth thought and behaved. It affected the way they thought about marriage. It affected how they thought about taking part in special meals offered to false gods. It even affected the way they thought about the resurrection of Jesus. Paul speaks about all of these things in his first letter to the Corinthians. Paul also answers questions about the true worship of God.
Paul tells the people of Corinth that this form of the world is passing away. He tells them to spend their time working for the Lord. Paul tells them that a new world is coming. They will rise from the dead. All this will make their work for the Lord worthwhile.
Paul’s advice to the people of Corinth is also helpful for us. Paul’s words can be used to guide us. They are useful as we daily seek to follow Jesus today.
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