FROM KINGSTOWN TO CORINTH...and back

The church at Corinth was adversely affected by the immoral environment found in the city. Pride caused division and disruption in the services. Immorality and immodesty surfaced. Brethren were taking each other before the heathen courts instead of working issues out among themselves. There were questions about marriage, meats sacrificed to idols, women praying and prophesying with heads uncovered, abusing the Lord's Supper, the use of spiritual gifts, the resurrection, and collection. The church was one beset with problems and questions that needed to be answered. Does this sound like any congregation you know? Paul's instruction and  advice apply to Kingstown as much as they did to Corinth. Take this multimedia journey, From KINGSTOWN to CORINTH!

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Chapter Selection

Introduction to First Corinthians

AUTHOR
Paul, the apostle (1 Corinthians 1:1; 16:21), joined by Sosthenes, who some think may be the same as mentioned in Acts 18:17. The authorship of this epistle is attributed to Paul by Clement of Rome in 95 A.D. 
PLACE OF WRITING
The city of Ephesus (16:8). Ephesus was about 200 miles to the east of Greece. It is located in modern-day Turkey. At the time of writing, Ephesus was in the area called Asia Minor.
TIME OF WRITING
Probably in the spring of 57 A.D., shortly before the Jewish feast of Pentecost (16:8), during his third missionary journey (Acts 19:1-41). The date is estimated by calculating forward from Acts 18:12.
BACKGROUND OF THE CITY OF CORINTH
Corinth was situated on the Isthmus of Greece (called Achaia in the Bible) between the Ionian Sea and the Aegean Sea, above the Mediterranean Sea. About 50 miles to the east was the city of Athens.
The Corinth of Paul's day was relatively new. The old Corinth, which was famous and powerful in the days of the Peloponnesian War, was burned in 146 B.C. by the Roman proconsul, L. Mummius. Because it was a city devoted to the gods, a hundred years were required to pass before the city could be rebuilt. In 46 B.C., Julius Caesar rebuilt the city, populated it with a colony of veterans and freedmen, and named it Julia Corinthus. It soon became a very important commercial center.

With a population of 400,000 and being a prominent center of commerce in the Mediterranean world, it was a place for all sorts of vice. An example of its immorality was found in the temple of Venus (Aphrodite), which hosted 1000 priestesses dedicated to prostitution in the name of religion. The city's close proximity to the city of Athens probably added the problem of intellectualism. As noticed in the epistle, such an environment had its effect upon the church in Corinth. It is amazing that a church existed at all in such a city.

Background of Church at Corinth

The establishment of the church occurred during Paul's second missionary journey. It is recorded by Luke in Acts 18:1-18, which can be divided into three sections: 
  • Abiding with Aquila and Priscilla, fellow tentmakers; reasoning in the synagogue every Sabbath (Acts 18:1-6).
  • In the house of Justus, abiding there and teaching for a year and six months (Acts 18:7-11).
  • An incident before Gallio, proconsul of Achaia (Acts 18:12-18).
It appears from reading the epistle that the church was adversely affected by the immoral environment found in the city. Pride caused division in the church and disruption in the services (Chapters 1-4, 11). Immorality and immodesty found its way into the church, which gave it a bad reputation (Chapter 5). The brethren were taking their personal problems with each other before the heathen courts instead of working them out among themselves (Chapter 6). Other issues affecting the church included questions about marriage (Chapter 7), meats sacrificed to idols (Chapters 8-10), women praying and prophesying with heads uncovered (Chapter 11), abusing the Lord's Supper (Chapter 11), the use of spiritual gifts (Chapters 12-14), the resurrection from the dead (Chapter 15), and the collection for the saints in Jerusalem (Chapter 16). Thus the church was one beset with problems and questions that needed to be answered. 

Paul's Purpose of Writing

PURPOSE OF WRITING 
  1. The bad news concerning the problems at Corinth had reached Paul in Ephesus. It seems that this news came from at least two sources: the household of Chloe (1 Corinthians 1:11); and
  2. a letter sent to him (1 Corinthians 7:1), possibly by the hands of Stephanas, Fortunatus, and Achaicus (1 Corinthians 16:17). 
Therefore, in answer to these reports Paul writes: TO CORRECT SINFUL PRACTICES AND REFUTE FALSE DOCTRINE

Theme: 1 Corinthians 1:10

"Now I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment."

Outline
(Outline adapted from Dextor Sammons)
INTRODUCTION, GREETINGS AND OPENING REMARKS BY PAUL (1:1-9)

PROBLEMS REPORTED BY THE HOUSE OF CHLOE (1:10-6:20)
PROBLEMS MENTIONED IN THE LETTER FROM CORINTH (7:1-16:9)
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