1 Corinthians - Introduction

INTRODUCTION

In Paul’s time, Corinth was the most famous and important city in southern Greece.¹ Like Ephesus, Corinth was a commercial and cultural center. Corinth was also the capital of the Greek province of Achaia, which included most of southern Greece. Thus Corinth, because of its location and importance, was a strategic place in which to preach the Gospel.

In about 50 A.D., at the end of his second missionary journey, Paul traveled to Corinth and lived there for about eighteen months. At first Paul preached mainly to the Jews in Corinth; but when most of them rejected his teaching, Paul left the Jewish synagogue and began to preach among the Gentiles (see Acts 18:1,4-7,911).

After he had established a church in Corinth, Paul left the city in about 52 A.D. and went to Ephesus, where he stayed for over two years. Ephesus was located across the Aegean Sea, three hundred miles east of Corinth, in what is now modern Turkey. Since both cities were important, many people traveled by boat back and forth between them.

While Paul was in Ephesus, he heard some bad reports about the behavior of the believers in Corinth. In addition to that, Paul also received a letter from the Corinthian church asking him some practical questions about the Christian life. For these two reasons, therefore, in about 54 A.D. Paul wrote this, his first letter to the Corinthians. In the first part of the letter, Paul gives them some warning and advice concerning their improper behavior. Then, in the second part, Paul answers their questions.

Because of the stern warnings and rebukes that Paul wrote in this first letter, the Corinthians did not receive the letter happily. Many of them began to speak against Paul. Therefore, Paul sent them another letter from Ephesus (2 Corinthians 2:3-4). However, this second letter has been lost, and no copy of it exists today. (Perhaps, to express their displeasure at receiving the letter, the Corinthians themselves destroyed it.) Regardless of what actually happened to this “lost” letter, once the Corinthians had received it, the situation in the Corinthian church began to improve. When Paul heard this good news, he then wrote a third letter to the Corinthians, which is the New Testament letter called 2 Corinthians.

For further information about Paul’s life, see Romans: Introduction.

OUTLINE

A. Introduction (1:1-9).

1. Greetings (1:1-3).

2. Thanksgiving (1:4-9).

B. The Divisions in the Corinthian Church (1:10-4:21).

1. The Fact of the Divisions (1:10-17).

2. Divisions Concerning the Message (1:18-2:16).

3. Divisions Concerning the Ministry (3:1-23).

4. An Appeal to End the Divisions (4:1-21).

C. The Disorders in the Corinthian Church (5:1-6:20).

1. The Absence of Discipline (5:1-13).

2. Lawsuits before Non-Christian Judges (6:1-11).

3. Immorality in the Church (6:12-20).

D. Paul’s Answers to the Corinthians’ Questions (7:1-15:58).

1. Concerning Marriage (7:1-40).

2. Concerning Meat of fered to Idols (8:1-13).

3. Concerning the Rights and Duties of an Apostle (9:1-27).

4. Concerning Questionable Practices (10:1-33).

5. Concerning Women in Public Worship (11:1-16).

6. Concerning the Lord’s Supper (11:17-34).

7. Concerning Spiritual gifts (12:1-14:40).

8. Concerning the Resurrection (15:1-58).

E. Final Instructions (16:1-24).

1. The Collection for the Poor (16:1-4).

2. The Planned Visit of Paul (16:5-12).

3. Final Greetings and Prayer (16:13-24).