Part One: How Paul Confronted Division, Sin, Spiritual Confusion, and Called the Church Back to Christ Introduction: A Church Surrounded by the World When I read 1 Corinthians, I see a church that had been wonderfully reached by the Gospel but was struggling to separate its new life in Jesus Christ from the culture surrounding it. These believers had heard the truth from the Apostle Paul himself. They had experienced the grace of God, possessed spiritual gifts, and gathered together as a church, yet serious problems had developed among them. Division, pride, sexual immorality, lawsuits between believers, questions concerning marriage, disagreements over Christian liberty, disorder at the Lord’s Supper, confusion surrounding spiritual gifts, and even questions about the resurrection had entered the congregation. That is one reason I believe 1 Corinthians remains so important for the church today. The world around us has changed tremendously since the first century, but human nature has not. Churches can still become divided over personalities and preferences. Christians can still allow the standards of the surrounding culture to influence what they accept. Spiritual gifts and knowledge can still become sources of pride rather than opportunities to serve others. We can still become so occupied with what everyone else is doing that we fail to examine ourselves. Paul did not respond to the problems at Corinth by giving up on the church. Neither did he pretend that their problems were unimportant. He loved them enough to confront what was wrong and patiently teach them what was right. Throughout the letter, he continually brings them back to Jesus Christ and reminds them that the Gospel should affect not only what they believe but also how they live. 1 Corinthians 1:10 KJV “Now I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you; but that ye be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment.” Paul was not writing to a perfect church. He was writing to a troubled church that needed correction, instruction, and spiritual growth. In many ways, that is what makes this letter so valuable to us. Corinth shows us what can happen when believers begin allowing the attitudes of the world to enter the church, but it also shows us how the Word of God can confront those problems and call God’s people back to Christ. Corinth: Understanding the City Behind the Letter To understand 1 Corinthians properly, I believe we need to know something about the city itself. Corinth was located in an important position in Greece near the narrow stretch of land connecting the northern and southern portions of the country. Its location made it a natural center for trade and travel, and people from many different backgrounds passed through the area. Commerce brought prosperity, but it also brought an enormous mixture of cultures, religions, philosophies, and moral practices. Corinth was therefore a place where the Gospel could spread in many directions, but it was also a difficult environment in which to establish a Christian congregation. Pagan religion was deeply rooted in the surrounding society, and sexual immorality was widely associated with the city’s reputation. The believers in Corinth had been saved out of that environment, but becoming a Christian did not mean that every influence of their former lives immediately disappeared. That background helps us understand why Paul speaks so strongly about the change salvation should produce. 1 Corinthians 6:9-11 KJV “Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God.” The words “And such were some of you,” are especially important to me. Paul does not pretend these people had no past. Some had come out of very sinful lifestyles, but their past was no longer supposed to control their future. They had been washed, sanctified, and justified in the name of Jesus Christ. Grace had not simply changed their destination. Grace was supposed to change their direction. That principle is just as important today. Christians still live in a world that constantly pressures us to accept its standards, values, and definitions of right and wrong. The church cannot isolate itself completely from the people it is called to reach, but neither can it allow the culture it is trying to reach to determine what it believes. God’s Word must remain our standard. How the Church at Corinth Began The beginning of the Corinthian church is recorded in Acts 18 during Paul’s second missionary journey. When Paul arrived in Corinth, he met Aquila and Priscilla, a Jewish couple who had recently come from Italy because Emperor Claudius had ordered the Jews to leave Rome. Because they shared Paul’s occupation of tentmaking, he stayed and worked with them while continuing to preach. Acts 18:2-3 KJV “And found a certain Jew named Aquila, born in Pontus, lately come from Italy, with his wife Priscilla; (because that Claudius had commanded all Jews to depart from Rome:) and came unto them. And because he was of the same craft, he abode with them, and wrought: for by their occupation they were tentmakers.” Paul initially reasoned in the synagogue every sabbath, seeking to persuade both Jews and Greeks. When opposition increased, however, the ministry continued. During this difficult period, the Lord spoke directly to Paul in a vision. Acts 18:9-10 KJV “Then spake the Lord to Paul in the night by a vision, Be not afraid, but speak, and hold not thy peace: For I am with thee, and no man shall set on thee to hurt thee: for I have much people in … Read more
