For the next five weeks we will be reading the extant letters of Paul to the Church at Corinth. Paul established this church near the end of his second missionary journey. You’ll want to reread Acts 18:1-18 as the background for studying these letters. Paul spent over 18 months working to establish this church (Acts 18:11). Most Bible Dictionaries will have a good article on the city of Corinth that will help in understanding the issues Paul faced with this church. In these letters you’ll read about trips Paul makes to Corinth to handle some crisis that Luke doesn’t mention in the book of Acts. You’ll also read of letters Paul has written to this church that were not preserved and are not in our cannon of Scripture. He wrote this letter from Ephesus while on his third missionary journey.
Paul hears of divisions and factions in the church from Chloe’s household/people (1 Cor. 1:11). John MacArthur comments on this verse,
As we saw in the book of Romans, unity in the church is a priority. Paul will continue to discuss this subject through chapter 4. It is that important.
The next problem Paul deals with is sexual immorality in chapter 5. Some have said that the problem wasn’t that the church was in Corinth but rather that Corinth was in the church. Corinth in its distant past was known for its immorality. To be called a Corinthian was an insult. Strabo the Greek geographer said the temple of Aphrodite or Venus had 1,000 temple prostitutes. He stated, “Masters of ships freely squandered all their money, and hence the proverb, It is not in every man’s power to go to Corinth.” Whether this was still the case in Paul’s day is disputed. One Bible Encyclopedia says, “The degree to which Corinth was given over to vice is apparent as early as the time of Aristophanes by the coining of the word korinthiázomai (lit “Corinthianize”), meaning “practice immorality”; similarly “Corinthian girl” (Gk. Korinthia kórē) designated a prostitute. That the situation continued into Paul’s day is evidenced by the evils he attacks in his Corinthian letters.” The Corinthian Church was apparently mostly Gentile which makes 1 Cor. 5:1 even more interesting. He says this sexual sin is so grievous that it isn’t mentioned or doesn’t exist among the Gentiles. It would seem that the Corinthians somehow believe that salvation gives them some type of license to sin. The Old Testament spoke explicitly on this subject in Lev. 8:8 and Deut. 27:20.
Paul hears of divisions and factions in the church from Chloe’s household/people (1 Cor. 1:11). John MacArthur comments on this verse,
Quarreling is a reality in the church because selfishness and other sins are realities in the church. Because of quarreling the Father is dishonored, the Son is disgraced, His people are demoralized and discredited, and the world is turned off and confirmed in unbelief. Fractured fellowship robs Christians of joy and effectiveness, robs God of glory, and robs the world of the true testimony of the gospel. A high price for an ego trip!
Among the Corinthian church’s many sins and shortcomings, quarreling is the one that Paul chose to deal with first. In unity lies the joy of Christian ministry and the credibility of Christian testimony.
As we saw in the book of Romans, unity in the church is a priority. Paul will continue to discuss this subject through chapter 4. It is that important.
The next problem Paul deals with is sexual immorality in chapter 5. Some have said that the problem wasn’t that the church was in Corinth but rather that Corinth was in the church. Corinth in its distant past was known for its immorality. To be called a Corinthian was an insult. Strabo the Greek geographer said the temple of Aphrodite or Venus had 1,000 temple prostitutes. He stated, “Masters of ships freely squandered all their money, and hence the proverb, It is not in every man’s power to go to Corinth.” Whether this was still the case in Paul’s day is disputed. One Bible Encyclopedia says, “The degree to which Corinth was given over to vice is apparent as early as the time of Aristophanes by the coining of the word korinthiázomai (lit “Corinthianize”), meaning “practice immorality”; similarly “Corinthian girl” (Gk. Korinthia kórē) designated a prostitute. That the situation continued into Paul’s day is evidenced by the evils he attacks in his Corinthian letters.” The Corinthian Church was apparently mostly Gentile which makes 1 Cor. 5:1 even more interesting. He says this sexual sin is so grievous that it isn’t mentioned or doesn’t exist among the Gentiles. It would seem that the Corinthians somehow believe that salvation gives them some type of license to sin. The Old Testament spoke explicitly on this subject in Lev. 8:8 and Deut. 27:20.
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