1 CORINTHIANS AN INTRODUCTION CGYG LIFE FELLOWSHIPS JANUARY

1 CORINTHIANS – AN INTRODUCTION CGYG & LIFE FELLOWSHIPS JANUARY 5, 2018

FOR DISCUSSION • What are some reasons that people you know (or yourself) have left churches? In retrospect, do you think the problem was more with the church or with the person (or yourself)

ANCIENT CORINTH • Roman colony in Southern Greece • City of >250, 000 people • Capital of province of Achaia

ANCIENT CORINTH • Strategically located on a narrow isthmus connecting Southern Greece with the rest of the country • Flanked by Corinthian Gulf & Saronic Gulf of Corinth Saronic Gulf

ANCIENT CORINTH • A prosperous centre of commerce • All traffic between to/from southern Greece passed through Corinth • Ships/cargo were often moved across the isthmus, rather than sailing 300+ km around southern Greece Corinth canal, built 1881 -1893

ANCIENT CORINTH • A reputation for debauchery • Lots of merchants & sailors passing through • Temple of Aphrodite (Greek goddess of love) with 1, 000 temple prostitutes • Temple of Apollo (Greek god of music, song, poetry) – the ideal of male beauty • Centre of homosexual practices with young boys serving at the temple Ruins of temple of Apollo at Corinth

ANCIENT CORINTH • “Intellectually alert, materially prosperous, and morally corrupt” • “Corinthian” became synonymous for sexual immorality / loose morals

PAUL IN CORINTH • The Apostle Paul visited Corinth in his 2 nd missionary journey (Acts 18: 1 -17)

PAUL IN CORINTH • Arrived in around A. D. 50 -51 • Dates based on Gallio’s tenure as proconsul (Acts 18: 12) • Worked at first as tentmaker with Aquila & Priscilla (Acts 18: 2 -3) • Switched to full-time ministry when Silas & Timothy came from Macedonia (Acts 18: 5) • Presumably Silas & Timothy brought a gift from the Philippian church to support Paul in his work (cf. Phil. 4: 14 -16)

PAUL IN CORINTH • Paul came to Corinth “in weakness and fear, with much trembling” (1 Cor. 2: 3) • Read Acts 18: 1 -17. Why might Paul have felt weak & fearful? How did God encourage him? • You might also consider also his experiences prior to Corinth, at… • Philippi (Acts 16: 16 -24) • Thessalonica & Berea (Acts 17: 1 -15) • Athens (Acts 17: 16 -18, 32 -34)

PAUL IN CORINTH • Paul came “in weakness and fear, with much trembling” (1 Cor. 2: 3) • Persecution at Philippi, Berea & Thessalonica • Ridicule and few converts at Athens • Corinth’s reputation • God’s comfort – a promise of protection & fruitfulness (Acts 18: 9 -10)

PAUL IN CORINTH • Paul stayed in Corinth 1. 5 years (Acts 18: 11 - 2 nd longest of any city, after Ephesus) • A fruitful time of ministry, with many converts (Acts 18: 8) • Initial outreach to the Jews (Acts 18: 5) • After opposition, moved to the house of Titius Justus (Acts 18: 6 -7) • Attempt at prosecuting Paul dismissed by Gallio, the proconsul (Acts 18: 12 -17)

PAUL IN CORINTH • After Paul, Apollos went to Corinth (Acts 18: 24 -28; 1 Cor. 3: 4) • A Jew & a learned man • Met & taught by Priscilla & Aquila while in Ephesus • A powerful preacher and debater • After Apollos returned to Ephesus (1 Cor. 16: 12), other itinerant preachers arrived • Falsely claimed to be ‘super-apostles’ (2 Cor. 11: 5, 12: 11)

THE CHURCH IN CORINTH • An exciting, growing church with many converts, including • Crispus (ruler of the synagogue) (Acts 18: 8) • Sosthenes (probably the synagogue ruler after Crispus) (Acts 18: 17; 1 Cor. 1: 1) • Erastus (the city treasurer) (Rom. 16: 23) • A church enriched by God with many spiritual gifts (1 Cor. 1: 5 -7)

THE CHURCH IN CORINTH • At the same time, a church with many problems… • • • Pride & arrogance, manifesting in divisions (1 Cor. 1 -4) Sexual immorality (1 Cor. 5 -6) Lawsuits between its members (1 Cor. 6) Abuse of spiritual gifts (1 Cor. 12 -14) Impropriety and disorder in worship (1 Cor. 11, 14) Doctrinal errors (1 Cor. 15) • A church that caused Paul a lot of grief! (2 Corinthians)

THE CHURCH IN CORINTH • After Paul & Apollos, false teachers (the ‘super-apostles’) caused problems in the church • False apostles (2 Cor. 11: 13), working for personal gain • Taught false doctrine – a ‘different gospel’ (2 Cor. 11: 3 -4) • Sought to discredit Paul’s ministry in order to win the church over to themselves (2 Cor. 11 -12) • May have resulted in a 2 nd (unrecorded) visit to Corinth to try to deal with the problems

PAUL’S LETTERS TO THE CORINTHIANS • Paul may have written up to 4 letters to the Corinthians: 1. First letter (now lost), addressing sexual immorality (1 Cor. 5: 9) 2. Second letter - 1 Corinthians (written after his 1 st visit) 3. Third letter – a “severe letter” (alluded to 2 Cor. 2: 4, 7: 8) dealing with major problems in the church after painful (unrecorded) 2 nd visit • Possibly lost; possibly eventually incorporated into 2 Corinthians 4. Fourth letter – 2 Corinthians • A more conciliatory letter, written in advance of his 3 rd visit (2 Cor. 13: 1)

1 CORINTHIANS • Written in mid-50 s A. D. , during Paul’s 3 rd missionary journey • Written from Ephesus (1 Cor. 16: 8) • Carried to Corinth by Timothy (1 Cor. 4: 17; 16: 10) • Pauline authorship widely accepted • Cited by Clement in the 90 s A. D. ,

1 CORINTHIANS – PURPOSE FOR WRITING • An intensely practical book written… 1. To address divisions & other problems in the church (1: 1 -6: 20; 11: 1 -34)

1 CORINTHIANS – PURPOSE FOR WRITING • An intensely practical book written… 1. To address divisions & other problems in the church (1: 1 -6: 20; 11: 1 -34) 2. To address questions raised by the church… • Prefaced by “Now concerning…”

1 CORINTHIANS – PURPOSE FOR WRITING • In small groups, discuss what questions the Corinthian believers had for Paul, as seen in the following passages: • • • 1 Cor. 7: 1 -11 1 Cor. 7: 25 -35 1 Cor. 8: 1 -13 1 Cor. 12: 1 -11 1 Cor. 15: 1 -19 1 Cor. 16: 1 -4

1 CORINTHIANS – PURPOSE FOR WRITING • An intensely practical book written… 1. To address divisions & other problems in the church (1: 1 -6: 20; 11: 1 -34) 2. To address questions raised by the church about • • • Singleness, marriage, and divorce (7: 1 -40) Appropriateness of eating food sacrificed to idols (8: 1 -10: 33) The nature and use of spiritual gifts (12: 1 -14: 40) The resurrection (15: 1 -58) Collection of a love gift to help the church in Jerusalem (16: 1 -4)

1 CORINTHIANS – PURPOSE FOR WRITING • An intensely practical book written… 1. To address divisions & other problems in the church (1: 1 -6: 20; 11: 1 -34) 2. To address questions raised by the church about • Singleness, marriage, and divorce (7: 1 -40) • Appropriateness of eating food sacrificed to idols (8: 1 -13; 10: 14 -33) • The nature and use of spiritual gifts (12: 1 -14: 40) • The resurrection (15: 1 -58) • Collection of a love gift to help the church in Jerusalem (16: 1 -4) 3. To thank the Corinthians for their financial support (16: 17 -18)

THEMES IN 1 CORINTHIANS 1. The wisdom of God vs. the wisdom of Man • The infinite superiority of God’s wisdom to Man’s • as seen particularly in the Gospel and the Word of God • The problems caused when Man’s wisdom creeps into the church • Divisions & factions • Moral laxity / immorality • Judging one another by worldly standards • Doctrinal errors; etc…

THEMES IN 1 CORINTHIANS 2. Life together in Christian community • How we relate to God and to one another • Jesus Christ and the Gospel as the central focus of life in Christian community • The central impetus for living lives of holiness and love

THEMES IN 1 CORINTHIANS 2. Life together in Christian community • The destructive effects of pride, self-centeredness, and spiritual immaturity • The remedy: • Genuine humility based on true understanding of who we are in Christ • A focus on others, flowing out of a God-centered life • Love in our relationships with one another

THEMES IN 1 CORINTHIANS 3. Godly service and leadership in Christian community • Proper exercise of spiritual gifts in the service of the Body of Christ • The example of Paul’s life and ministry as an apostle to the Corinthians

1 CORINTHIANS 1 Corinthians is “an inexhaustible mine of Christian thought and life. Nowhere else in the NT is there a more many-sided embodiment of the imperishable principles and instincts which should inspire each member of the body of Christ for all time. ” - A. T. Robertson