First Corinthians chapter 13 is known as the ‘love chapter.’ The Greek word agapē translated ‘love’ in most translations is found nine times in this chapter. The King James Version translates agapē twenty-seven times as charity or charitably and one time as ‘dear’ in Col. 1:13 where the Greek literally reads ‘the son of his love.’ If you are reading the KJV note that every time you read the word ‘charity’ in the N.T. it is translating the Greek word agapē. The English word ‘love’ translates numerous Greek words so you can’t assume that when you read the word ‘love,’ in any of our translations, that it is the Greek word agapē. Beginning in 1 Cor. 13:3 Paul tells us what love is and what it is not. If you use a translation that italicizes words that are not in the original text like the KJV, NKJV, NASB and a few others, you will notice in verse 3 that the poor is not in the original text. Regardless of how this verse is translated, giving away all of one’s possessions would seem like some form of charity and an act of love to most of us. But Paul says that doing so gains you nothing without love. He then begins to tell us what love is. In 1 Cor. 13:10 he discusses gifts that are not permanent and writes, “but when the perfect comes, the partial will come to an end”1. Through the years various opinions have been put forth identifying who or what the perfect coming refers to. Suggestions include “(1) the completion of the canon of Scripture, (2) the maturity of the church at the close of the apostolic age, (3) the death of believers and their immediate presence with the Lord (cf. 2 Cor. 5:8), (4) the rapture of the church, (5) the return of Christ, (6) the eternal state, or (7) the eschaton (i.e., end time events) as a unified whole.”2 Asking how the Church at Corinth in the first century would have understood this passage will eliminate many of these options.
In chapter 14 Paul takes up the proper use in the church of the Spiritual gift of speaking in tongues. Controversy over the use of this gift, including what it is and how it should be used in the church and whether it is a gift for today i.e., has the ‘perfect’ already come and made it obsolete, has been debated for centuries. The practice of speaking in tongues is only found in the book of Acts and this letter to the church at Corinth. Some argue that the gift of tongues is a gift of being able to speak in another known language that the speaker had previously not known. Others argue for an unknown spiritual language that is not used by any people group. Some believe in both these options and only the context can determine which meaning is meant in any specific passage. If you are interested in pursuing more information on this topic an article discussing the various possibilities is available on the Internet at The Gospel Coalition.
In chapter 15 Paul defines what he understands the ‘good news i.e., gospel’ to be. In Acts 2 at Pentecost Peter preached essentially the same message. However, some in Corinth were saying that there was no such thing as a resurrection from the dead. Paul will try to convince them of their wrong theology. In verse 29 he writes about the practice of some in the church at Corinth being baptized for the dead. A difficult verse to understand. This is certainly descriptive and not prescriptive language. This practice is not mentioned in any other place in Scripture. One possible explanation is, “people who are baptized (as part and parcel of their conversion) on account of the influence of believers who are now deceased.”3
1Christian Standard Bible. 2020. Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers.
2Criswell, W. A., Paige Patterson, E. Ray Clendenen, Daniel L. Akin, Mallory Chamberlin, Dorothy Kelley Patterson, and Jack Pogue, eds. 1991. Believer’s Study Bible. Electronic ed. Nashville: Thomas Nelson.
3Ciampa, Roy E., and Brian S. Rosner. 2010. The First Letter to the Corinthians. The Pillar New Testament Commentary. Grand Rapids, MI; Cambridge, U.K.: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company.p782
In chapter 14 Paul takes up the proper use in the church of the Spiritual gift of speaking in tongues. Controversy over the use of this gift, including what it is and how it should be used in the church and whether it is a gift for today i.e., has the ‘perfect’ already come and made it obsolete, has been debated for centuries. The practice of speaking in tongues is only found in the book of Acts and this letter to the church at Corinth. Some argue that the gift of tongues is a gift of being able to speak in another known language that the speaker had previously not known. Others argue for an unknown spiritual language that is not used by any people group. Some believe in both these options and only the context can determine which meaning is meant in any specific passage. If you are interested in pursuing more information on this topic an article discussing the various possibilities is available on the Internet at The Gospel Coalition.
In chapter 15 Paul defines what he understands the ‘good news i.e., gospel’ to be. In Acts 2 at Pentecost Peter preached essentially the same message. However, some in Corinth were saying that there was no such thing as a resurrection from the dead. Paul will try to convince them of their wrong theology. In verse 29 he writes about the practice of some in the church at Corinth being baptized for the dead. A difficult verse to understand. This is certainly descriptive and not prescriptive language. This practice is not mentioned in any other place in Scripture. One possible explanation is, “people who are baptized (as part and parcel of their conversion) on account of the influence of believers who are now deceased.”3
1Christian Standard Bible. 2020. Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers.
2Criswell, W. A., Paige Patterson, E. Ray Clendenen, Daniel L. Akin, Mallory Chamberlin, Dorothy Kelley Patterson, and Jack Pogue, eds. 1991. Believer’s Study Bible. Electronic ed. Nashville: Thomas Nelson.
3Ciampa, Roy E., and Brian S. Rosner. 2010. The First Letter to the Corinthians. The Pillar New Testament Commentary. Grand Rapids, MI; Cambridge, U.K.: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company.p782
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