What makes 1 Corinthians unique?
Paul's letter to the
church at Corinth provides a clear idea of the kind of questions one
early group of Jesus' followers faced. It also shows Paul's teaching on
a number of issues. This letter is well-known for its chapters that
discuss the gifts of the Holy Spirit and for Paul's teaching that love
is the best gift of all (12 - 14). Chapter 15 includes Paul's
encouraging words about how God has defeated death and promises new
life and a "spiritual" body to all who have faith in Jesus.
Why was 1 Corinthians written?
Paul
had visited Corinth and spent time there teaching the good news about
Jesus Christ (see Acts 18:1-17). During this time he became close to
the followers of Christ who lived in Corinth. He wrote to them because
they were his friends and because he had heard about certain arguments
and disputes among them. He was especially concerned about the way the
Corinthian Christians were dividing themselves into different groups
(1:10 - 4:21) and about the way they were treating one another (5:1 -
6:20). He also wrote to answer their questions about marriage (7:1-40)
and about whether it was appropriate to eat food offered to idols (8:
1-13; 10:23 - 11:1; cf. Romans 14). They had sent these questions to
Paul in an earlier letter (7:1). Finally, Paul wanted to let the
Corinthians Christians know that he intended to return to Corinth and
stay with them for a while (16:5).
What's the story behind the scene?
Although
this letter is called 1 Corinthians, it is not the first one that Paul
wrote to this church. We know this because he mentions in this letter
that he had written one before (5:9; see also the Introduction to 2
Corinthians). The city of Corinth was located on a narrow strip of land
that had a seaport to both the east and west. It was a very worldly
city influenced by people of many cultures. People who lived in Corinth
had a long tradition of devotion to the love goddess, Aphrodite. Paul's
letter addresses some of the struggles the Corinthian Christians
continued to face because of the many influences present in the city.
(Click here to read the Wikipedia article on the ancient city of
Corinth. Click here to visit the Corinth Computer Project at the
University of Pennsylvania.)
How is 1 Corinthians constructed?
First
Corinthians is probably one single letter, but may include portions of
other letters Paul wrote to the followers at Corinth. Even so, it does
begin with a greeting and ends with closing greetings in the style of
other letters of that day. Most of the letter deals with the problems
and questions the Corinthian Christians faced. Near the end of the
letter, Paul provides some personal information about his future plans.
The letter can be outlined in the following way:
- Greetings and a prayer of thanks (1:1-9)
- Be united by the cross of Christ (1:10 - 2:16)
- Trust the teaching of God's apostles (3:1 - 4:21)
- Advice about problems in relationships (5:1 - 7:40)
- Honor God and not idols (8:1 - 11:1)
- Guidance for worship and the use of spiritual gifts (11:2 - 14:40)
- The meaning of Christ's victory over death (15:1-58)
- Future plans and final greetings (16:1-24)
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