The book of First Corinthians was authored by the Apostle Paul (1Cor. 1:1). The letter was written about A.D. 55 toward the end of Paul's three year ministry in Ephesus (1Cor. 16:8).
The story of the successful founding of the Corinthian Church by Paul is found in Acts 18. Paul spent a year and a half in this ministry at Corinth.
In Paul's time, the city of Corinth is estimated to have had 250,000 free citizens and an additional 400,000 slaves. Thus the total population approximated 650,000 people. Corinth was a large city.
The worship of Aphrodite, the goddess of love, was a main feature of Corinthian religious life. This worship advocated prostitution in the name of religion. Is it any wonder that the people saved out of such an evil culture had problems in their young church?
Paul received information about several difficult issues that had arisen in this church since his departure. Thus he wrote First Corinthians to guide this young church in matters of Christian conduct.
The following topics are addressed: Disunity in the fellowship, immorality in the church, lawsuits among the members, marriage or singleness, food sacrificed to idols, personal rights, the Lord's Supper, spiritual gifts, Divine love, the practice of tongues, and the resurrection of the dead.
Paul begins this letter by expressing his confidence in the grace of God operating in the lives of the people in the Corinthian church. The key verses are 1st Corinthians 1:8-9 “He will keep you strong to the end” Nevertheless, Paul is concerned about the lack of unity in the church.
The heart of the Church is the message of Jesus Christ. In 1st Corinthians 2 Paul writes of our message, our wisdom and our Spirit.
What is a church? It certainly is not seen in the divisions that often frequent the church. The genuine church is God's temple. There is a fullness in the true church embracing all God's people and centered in Jesus Christ.
What is the Christian minister like? Here we find the minister's task, the minister's review and the minister's role. The Christian minister/pastor is to be faithful, humble, and gentle.
What to do when there is sexual immorality in the church. There was lots of immorality in the Corinthian culture. It had entered the Christian church as well. We find it in the world and the church of today as well. A Christian theology of the body is given.
How do we solve church fights? Do we go to secular courts? Do we solve the problem internally? Can we ever accept personal disadvantage? How can God's grace change us?
This chapter is about Christian marriage. It might seem from this chapter that Paul is anti-marriage. That can be explained. Otherwise, he writes about the purity of marriage, the permanence of marriage and the power of marriage. Finally, he speaks of the privilege of singleness.
Some things are always wrong. But there are areas of life that may be right or wrong, depending on the situation. Or, something might be right for one person but wrong for another. A guiding principle is given.
Christianity was bringing about cultural change in Corinth. But, this also caused some negative reaction. Then there was an issue about how to celebrate communion. What is dynamic worship about?
Chapter 12 is covered in more detail. Chapter 14 (all about tongues) is only briefly touched upon. Are the nine gifts of the Spirit found in Chapter 12 helpful today?
Agape Love is the theme of 1st Corinthians 13. The contents of this lesson are: the necessity of love, the description of love and the permanence of love. The gifts of the Spirit will disappear, but faith, hope and love will survive. The greatest of these is LOVE.
Those who die in the Christian faith will rise again to eternal life. Paul asserts: Christ was raised; we shall be raised; we shall be changed.
Paul gets very practical here. He talks about financial giving to the needs of others. (He'll come back to this theme in 2nd Corinthians 8-9.) Principles of giving are suggested. He then writes about seizing opportunities. Finally, he expresses love for people even naming many.