Overview of the Epistle
The biblical accounts (Acts 18:1-18) and the early church history records agree that the church at Corinth was founded by Apostle Paul and his ministry associates. According to the Acts of the Apostles, Apostle Paul stayed at Corinth for a year and half during his second missionary journey (Acts 18:11). His ministry associates/companions in Corinth include Aquila and his wife Pricilla who had come from Rome because Claudius had ordered all Jews to leave Rome (Acts 18:2), and Silas and Timothy who had come from Macedonia (Acts 18:5), and perhaps some others who accompanied him from time to time.
The City-state of Corinth was one of the prominent cities in the ancient Greece. In BC 338, the Macedonians captured Corinth and brought it under their power. Later on, the Roman Regime captured Corinth and destroyed the city in BC 146. However, Corinth was rebuilt by the Roman emperor Julius Caesar in BC 44 and it became a prominent Roman Colony in the province of Achaea. Subsequently, the City-state of Corinth became the administrative headquarters of the Roman province of Achaea. During Apostle Paul’s time, Corinth was a prominent destination for people to travel for trade/commerce, investment, earning a livelihood, and so on. On the one hand, the people of Corinth were known for their material prosperity, intellectual egotism, and self-centeredness; and, on the other hand, they were morally weak, mentally impolite, and spiritually poor. Corinth was filled with idols of all kinds of so-called gods/goddesses, and known for its idol worship and unreasonable activities, which gradually influenced its people to choose a lifestyle that is socially, culturally, and morally wrong in every sense. Despite all such practices, people from across the regions and various nationalities and languages and cultures would come there and make their home in Corinth due to its prosperity and affluence.
Regarding the church at Corinth, a majority of its members were converts from the local Corinthian community who were of pagan background (1 Corinthians 1:26; 7:21-24; 8:7; 12:2). There was also a large number of religious Jews who had come to faith in Jesus Christ and became a part of the Corinthian church (1 Corinthians 7:17-20). In addition to these groups of believers, people from several other nationalities who accepted Jesus as their Lord and savior might have also been a part of the Corinthian church. Women also had an integral part to play in the church activities (1 Corinthians 11:2-16). Though these members accepted Christian faith and became part of the church, everyone did not give up fully their old way of living and religious traditions, rather they brought some of those religious traditions with them and practiced it alongside their newly found Christian faith (1 Corinthians 6:9-11; 11:17-34). Most of these believers mixed up their old religious traditions with biblical truth and lived a double faith-life simultaneously. As a result, the church shuffled between the realities of the godliness and the worldliness. These non-biblical factors caused divisions and chaos in the church and kept the church from impacting their society with the biblical truth and Christian values. In addition to this, some of the non-biblical practices that crept in to the church caused the believers to slip away from the God-given purpose of fulfilling the mission of God in and through the church as it was expected.
This was the situation when Apostle Paul intervened with the church, and he, trusting in the Lord, did his best to clear their doubts and questions regarding Christian faith and made them aware of all the unnecessary religious practices they carry alongside their faith in Jesus Christ. Most of the Epistle is set apart to discuss the issues and problems that are troubling the church, especially the evil practices, such as: divisions in the church, quarrels among the believers, lawsuits among the believers, believers’ immoral way of living, and everything else that was standing against the spiritual growth of the genuine believers in the church at Corinth. Apostle Paul also talked about some of the stumbling blocks – the problem of sin that was widespread in the church, the spiritual leadership crisis in the church, the commitment of believers towards God and their duties in the world, and so on. All these factors were holding the church back from spiritual growth within (qualitative growth) as well as from the numerical growth of the church (quantitative growth). In addition to these, Paul communicated the significance of Christ’s resurrection, Christ’s relation to the church and believers’ relation to Christ, and Christ’s return to the earth to take the believers with Him. Paul also discussed matters related to marriage, the benefits of being single, the spiritual freedom that Christ offers, spiritual order in worship services, the guidelines to take part in the Lord’s Supper properly, the use of spiritual gifts in a right manner to build up each other in faith; and the list goes on and on. Apostle Paul also gave some suggestions/solutions to overcome the situations (issues and problems) the church had been going through, which will help the church of all ages to avoid such problems and focus on their God-given mission.
The Authorship of the Epistle
Regarding the authorship of the First Epistle to the Corinthians, most New Testament scholars, theologians, and the Bible historians unanimously agree that the Epistle was written by Apostle Paul. There are several hints in the Epistle itself that it is written by Apostle Paul. For instance, Apostle Paul very specifically writes:
1 Corinthians 1:1-4 Paul, called to be an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and our brother Sosthenes, 2 To the church of God in Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ Jesus and called to be his holy people, together with all those everywhere who call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ—their Lord and ours: 3 Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. 4 I always thank my God for you because of his grace given you in Christ Jesus.
1 Corinthians 16:19-21 The churches in the province of Asia send you greetings. Aquila and Priscilla greet you warmly in the Lord, and so does the church that meets at their house. 20 All the brothers and sisters here send you greetings. Greet one another with a holy kiss. 21 I, Paul, write this greeting in my own hand.
Paul, being the instrumental in starting up the Corinthian church, had every reason to write an Epistle to the believers in Corinth to advise them, correct and discipline them, and strengthen them in their faith-life.
Place of Writing
We have learned from the above discussion that Apostle Paul along with his associates started the church at Corinth during his eighteen months stay at Corinth on his second missionary journey (Acts 18:1-18), which was approximately in AD 51. Following that, Paul visited several other places preaching, teaching, and strengthening the believers and returned to Antioch (Acts 18:18-22). Again, Paul set out from Antioch and traveled from place to place throughout different regions and reached Ephesus (Acts 18:23; 19:1). During this trip (which was counted as his third missionary journey), he had a long ministry-stop-over in Ephesus and he stayed there about three years (19:8-10; 20:31). Since he had a long ministry-stop-over in Ephesus, and based on the biblical references we examined, it is believed that the First Epistle to the Corinthians was written by Apostle Paul while he was in Ephesus (Acts 18:23-21:16).
Date of Writing
There is no unanimous decision among the Bible scholars up until now to pin-point when exactly Apostle Paul wrote the First Epistle to the Corinthians. However, there are few suggested dates available for our references. We have discussed above that Apostle Paul, along with his ministry associates, founded the church during his one and a half year stay at Corinth during his second missionary journey (Acts 18:1-18). Most Bible scholars and historians believe that this stay might have happened sometime between AD 51 and 52. After which Paul left Corinth and traveled to various ministry locations and returned to Antioch (Acts 18:18-22). After staying sometime in Antioch, Paul started another mission-trip (his third missionary journey) to preach, teach, and strengthen the believers across the regions; and finally reached Ephesus, where he stayed about three years (Acts 19:8-10; 20:31). Most Bible scholars and historians believe that this visit happened during the time period between AD 54 and 56. All these direct us to the conclusion that the First Epistle to the Corinthians was written during the time-span between AD 55 and 56.
The Recipients of the Epistle
Regarding the recipients of the First Epistle to the Corinthians: From the book of Acts (18:1-18), we can understand that Apostle Paul (and his ministry associates) preached the gospel in the city of Corinth and some of his hearers accepted the gospel and believed in the name of Jesus Christ. As a result, Paul, along with his ministry associates, formed a group of believers and later it grew to be a prominent church in the first century. After his departure from the church, he heard that the church was going through a wide-range of spiritual issues, including backsliding, divisions, idolatry, immorality, and so on; in addition to the personal and community crisis within the church (1:10-12; 7:1ff). Spiritual backsliding and smugness were the common factors that caused the church go astray. Such a situation triggered apostle Paul, being the founder of the church, to deal with the Spiritual crisis the church was going through. Since he led the spiritual squad to found the church, he had the authority and the ability to correct and admonish the members in the church at Corinth. As a result, he wrote to the believers in the church at Corinth this Epistle to strengthen them spiritually in their faith-life. From the title of the Epistle [First Epistle to the Corinthians], we can understand that the Epistle was written to the church/believers in Corinth. Also, we can know from 1 Corinthians 1:1-3 that the First Epistle to the Corinthians is written to the Church of God in Corinth. Later, the Epistle was included in the Biblical Canon, so that it will be beneficial to all the churches (believers) in the world until the Lord’s return to take the church with Him.
The Purpose of Writing the Epistle
When someone writes an important letter or a will paper or a document or an article, or anything as such, there will be one or more clear purposes behind it. Similarly, when Apostle Paul wrote the First Epistle to the Corinthians, he was writing to the believers at Corinth with definite purposes. Although, there might be several purposes (reasons) one can dig out from the Epistle, two of those purposes stand out as important for Paul to deal with. They are:
- Apostle Paul is responding to the reports Apostle Paul received from the household of Chloe regarding quarrels and divisions among the believers (1 Corinthians 1:11); and
- Apostle Paul is responding to the letter the congregation wrote to clarify some of the issues they are facing as a church, such as immorality and evil behavior (1 Corinthians 7:1ff); eating food sacrificed to idols (1 Corinthians 8:1); using the gifts of the Spirit appropriately (1 Corinthians 12:1); about the collection for the Lord’s people (1 Corinthians 16:1); and so on.
As it is discussed earlier, the church at Corinth was founded by Apostle Paul with the help of his ministry associates during Paul’s second missionary journey (Acts 18:1-17). However, he was not in a position to stay there for a longer period (he stayed about eighteen months during his second missionary journey) to take care of the church as he had to move from place to place to preach the gospel and strengthen the existing churches because he was on a mission. What we can understand from the contents written in the Epistle is that Apostle Paul was trying to deal with a wide range of issues affecting the community of believers in Corinth and to find solutions to bring spiritual stability in the church. It is for sure that such issues and problems must have risen in the church after he departed from the church to go to various other places to teach and preach the gospel. At the moment, the church was struggling with disunity and divisions, immorality and vileness, spiritual corruption and double-dealings, idolatry, false teachings and doctrinal issues, and so on. Apostle Paul instructs the believers in Corinth to:
- Repent of their conflicts, divisions, and correct their behavior (1:10-17; 3:3; 6:1; 11:18)
- Keep away from doing wrong knowingly or unknowingly (10:13-14; 15:33-34)
- Maintain the purity of heart and body in the sight of God and people (3:16; 6:19-20; 10:13)
- Build up the faith of those who are weak (8:7-12)
- Counsel each other the importance of following the Christian doctrine faithfully (10:13, 23; 14:12, 26; 15:58)
- Keep the Christin character and behave well in all circumstances (1:9, 27; 3:13; 15:33)
- Witness effectively to the unbelievers around them (9:22; 15:1-4)
- Be faithful to the gospel, and be guiltless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ (1:8)
Since this study has limited space and time, we may not be able to include all the issues or problems the church at Corinth faced or all of Apostle Paul’s recommendations to the church in our discussions. However, we will highlight some of the important topics in this brief study.
Issues and Problems Arise in the Corinthian Church
The church at Corinth was founded by Apostle Paul and his associates on the solid foundation of Christ Himself and it brought glory and honor to God right from its inception. However, as time passed, numerous non-biblical and pagan practices crept into the church, and this caused the believers to take the biblical doctrines easy and sin against the will of God. There might be numerous such non-biblical activities are to note here, but due to lack of space and time just a few are mentioned below for our information:
- Divisions in the church (1:10-12)
- Immorality in the church (5:1-11; 6:12-20)
- Lawsuits between the believers (6:1, 7)
- Sinful activities among the believers (6:9-10)
- Failure in leading exemplary married life (7:1-16)
- Practical problems of eating meat offered to idols (8:1-6)
- Improper participation in taking the Lord Supper (11:17-34)
- Disorder in the worship service in the Corinthian Church(14:33-36)
- Questions regarding resurrection of the dead (15:12-22)
- Confusion regarding women’s role in the church (11:3-16; 14:36-38)
- Lack of effort in leading fruitful Christian life (3:9-15; 9:19-23)
- Deficiency in practicing brotherly love among the believers (8:12; 16:14)
- Failure in following their commitment to Christ (16:22)
Paul’s Recommendations in 1st Corinthians to the Believers (of all time)
Apostle Paul, who founded the Corinthian church, came to know through some reliable sources (1:11; 7:1) that some of its believers are not keeping up with the preachings and teachings he shared with them while he was in Corinth. In his absence, the church practiced certain things (as seen above) that were against the gospel he preached to them.
So, he was writing to instruct them to stick with the Biblical doctrines and teachings they received from him as well as other servants of God who had been ministering to them. Below mentioned are some of the recommendations of Apostle Paul to the believers at Corinth:
- Paul instructed believers to honor and glorify God (6:19-20)
- Paul instructed them that there is only one God and one Lord, so live a life worthy of His calling because we exist through Him (8:6)
- Paul instructed the believers to display christlikeness in their dealing with others and lead an exemplary life among the nonbelievers who have not yet accepted Jesus as their personal savior (11:1; 8:9-12; 9:22)
- Paul instructed the believers to care for the poor and the underprivileged (1:26)
- Paul instructed the believers to lift up the name of Jesus in a society where Jesus was not acknowledged (11:1)
- Paul instructed the believers to live out their commitment to Christ faithfully and glorify Him among the nonbelievers (3:1-3; 7:17)
- Paul instructed believers to be imitators of Christ (11:1-2)
- Paul instructed the believers to be light in the places where darkness blind people from seeing the gospel’s light (1:18-19; 2:14)
- Paul instructed the believers not to engage in legal battles in pagan courts of law (6:1-11)
- Paul instructed the believers not to become a stumbling block to the weak (8:9)
- Paul instructed the believers that they are accountable to God as well as to one another (4:2)
- Paul instructed the believers to pursue purity in life rather than social or cultural or religious traditions (6:19-20)
- Paul instructed the believers to guard themselves, stand firm in the faith, to be courageous, and to be strong (16:13)
- Paul instructed the believers to do everything in love (16:14 [13:1-13])
- Paul instructed the believers that the community of believers must hold on together to the hope of our bodily resurrection (15:35-58)
Spiritual Principles with Universal Effect in 1st Corinthians
- Believers’ unity within congregation/community
1:10 I appeal to you, brothers and sisters, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree with one another in what you say and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be perfectly united in mind and thought.
Believers’ unity with Jesus Christ
6:17 But whoever is united with the Lord is one with him in spirit.
- Believers must honor God because they are redeemed by the blood of Jesus
6:20 You were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies.
- Believers’ are blessed with spiritual gifts by Heavenly Father
7:7b Each of you has your own gift from God; one has this gift, another has that gift
- Believers must live to fulfill God’s purpose in and through their life
9:24-27 Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. 25 Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last, but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. 26 Therefore I do not run like someone running aimlessly; I do not fight like a boxer beating the air. 27 No, I strike a blow to my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize.
- Believers should not seek their own good alone but the good of others also
10:31-33 So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God. 32 Do not cause anyone to stumble, whether Jews, Greeks or the church of God— 33 even as I try to please everyone in every way. For I am not seeking my own good but the good of many, so that they may be saved.
- Believers must desire/long for the gifts of the Spirit
14:1 Follow the way of love and eagerly desire gifts of the Spirit.
- Believers live forever through Christ – the source of life
15:22-23 For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive. 23 But each in turn: Christ, the first-fruits; then, when he comes, those who belong to him.
Key Teachings in the First Epistle to the Corinthians
As the founding pastor of the church at Corinth, Apostle Paul was very eager to lead and guide the believers in the way of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ who is the absolute head of the Church. However, in the absence of his presence from the church and the gradual infiltration of worldliness into the church, many believers began to lead a life of double standard; which means, many of them lived their spiritual life mixed up with their worldly passions. Apostle Paul through his teachings tried to make them understand that Christian behavior is founded on the love and fellowship that Jesus showed rather than following worldly passions; and the goal of Christian life is achieved through obeying the commands of Jesus Christ rather than following earthly pathways (desires). Below mentioned are some of Apostle Paul’s teachings to the believers in Corinth in order to edify them in their spiritual journey, and they are equally beneficial for Christians of all generations across the globe:
The Sovereignty of the Lord God Almighty
God is above all and He is sovereign over all His creation is one of the key highlights in the First Epistle to the Corinthians. He is the Lord over creation and His authority and power proves that He is sovereign. Even though Apostle Paul does not specifically stress on the topic of God’s sovereignty, it is reflected all across the Epistle. There are several examples to mention here:
- First of all, Apostle Paul is thanking God for His faithfulness towards His chosen ones (1 Corinthians 1:4): especially …
- for enriching them with all kinds of speech and with all knowledge and spiritual gifts (1 Corinthians 1:5, 7a);
- for keeping them firm to the end (1 Corinthians 1:8a);
- for His promise to keep them blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ (1 Corinthians 1:8b).
- Secondly, when there were divisions in the church in the name of leaders like Paul, Apollos, Cephas (1 Corinthians 3:4-5); Apostle Paul wrote to them that these leaders are just servants in the vineyard of the Most High God and they are just doing what they are called to do (1 Corinthians 3:8). Also, Paul made it clear that they are not the ones making it grow but God is the one who makes the seed grow (1 Corinthians 3:6-9).
- Thirdly, the power of God and the wisdom of God is highly emphasized throughout the Epistle (refer: 1 Corinthians 1:18-31).
- Fourthly, all created things (living and non-living) are accountable to God. For instance, mankind who is created in God’s image and likeness was given authority to rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over livestock and all the wild animals, and over all the creatures that move along the ground (Genesis 1:26-28). Accordingly, the created beings are subject to mankind, mankind is subject to Christ, and Christ is to the Father, the Lord God Almighty (1 Corinthians 3:21-23). Ultimately, all of God’s creation is accountable to God, as the author of the Hebrews states: Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account (Hebrews 4:13).
- Fifthly, the return of Jesus Christ is in the hand of God the Father (Matthew 24:36; Mark 13:32). Although, Apostle Paul notes the urgency of Christ’s return, only the Father knows exactly when Christ will return – soon or later (1 Corinthians 7:29-31).
- First of all, Apostle Paul is thanking God for His faithfulness towards His chosen ones (1 Corinthians 1:4): especially …
As we have discussed about God’s sovereign involvement in the church at Corinth, He is involved in everyone who loves Him across the world because the church is bought with a price – the price of His One and only begotten son’s blood. He promised His presence will go with His people at all times and for all time.
Our Body -The Dwelling of the Holy Spirit
On one occasion, Jesus responded to the question of which commandment is the greatest one in all of the commandments: He said, Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind (Matthew 22:37; Mark 12:30; Luke 10:27a). This shows that we need to love the Lord with our whole being, which includes our body, soul, and spirit. Apostle Paul wrote, our body is the temple of the Holy Spirit:
1 Corinthians 6:19-20 Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies.
- We, the followers of Christ, must keep away from all kinds of unholy things and keep our bodies holy and pure because it is the temple of the Holy Spirit (6:19)
- We must keep our body holy and pure for the Holy Spirit to dwell in it
- We are called to honor/glorify God with our bodies (1 Corinthians 6:20).
As the followers of Jesus Christ, we need to keep our entire being (body, soul, spirit) holy and pure for the Holy Spirit to dwell in our lives. Also, we need to keep our conscious clear before the Lord, which is possible only when we practically live-out our life based on what we believe; and practice what we preach. We need to do everything to keep our body, soul, and spirit holy and pure.
Invitation to sow the Seed of Unity in the soil of Disunity
Apostle Paul is encouraging the believers in Corinth to keep away all kinds of divisions and differences that exist among them and come together in faith to bring unity among them. There might be differences in each person’s attitudes or interests, but as the believers in the Lord, everyone needs to have the mind of Christ and stand together in one accord as one body. Each person in the body is chosen and appointed by the Lord. Thus, it is not that we choose Him but He chose us; and He chose us while we were unworthy to be chosen (refer, 1 Corinthians 15:9). Therefore, the followers of Jesus Christ (the believers) are responsible for establishing unity and practicing it inside the church as well as outside the church. Paul wrote:
26 Brothers and sisters, think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth. 27 But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. 28 God chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things—and the things that are not—to nullify the things that are, 29 so that no one may boast before him. 30 It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God—that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption. 31 Therefore, as it is written: “Let the one who boasts boast in the Lord” (1 Corinthians 1:26-31)
21 Were you a slave when you were called? Don’t let it trouble you—although if you can gain your freedom, do so. 22 For the one who was a slave when called to faith in the Lord is the Lord’s freed person; similarly, the one who was free when called is Christ’s slave. 23 You were bought at a price; do not become slaves of human beings. 24 Brothers and sisters, each person, as responsible to God, should remain in the situation they were in when God called them. (1 Corinthians 7:21-24)
God wants all of His chosen ones to stand in unity as ‘one body’ in the Lord Jesus Christ because unity between believers plays a vital part in carrying out the ministry fruitfully. Apostle Paul appealed to the believers in Corinth saying: I appeal to you, brothers and sisters, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree with one another in what you say and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be perfectly united in mind and thought (1 Corinthians 1:10).
The Community of Believers form the Body of Christ
The believers at the church in Corinth were divided among themselves for numerous reasons – based on one’s support towards certain spiritual leaders (1 Corinthians 1:10-12; 4:6), power and wisdom (1 Corinthians 1:18-21), social status in the church (as Jewish Christian or Gentile Christian, etc [1 Corinthians 1:22-25]), spiritual gifts (1 Corinthians 12:7-11, 26-31), and so on. In the midst of all such behavioral problems among the believers in Corinth, the church is neither expanding in its God-given ministry, nor glorifying God in word or deed, nor exalting Christ’s name among the Gentile community. In the light of such situations, Apostle Paul is trying to make them understand who they are in the Lord and outline their spiritual responsibilities to fulfill God’s purpose through their calling.
Apostle Paul is using the example of the human body as one unit with various parts in it with different functions in order to illustrate the church as one unit (body) with a community of individual believers who each have different gifts and roles. As the various parts in a body work together for the smooth functioning of the body for inward growth (inner strength) and outward growth (height and weight), the community of believers work together for the smooth functioning of the church for spiritual unity inwardly and expansion of the church outwardly. 1 Corinthians 12:12-31 talks about the various parts that exist in one’s body. The passage highlights the fact that just one part does not make the entire body but all the parts together form a body. Each part is important in the body and they all have a specific function to fulfill within the body. While all these different parts maintain unity in the body, they also display diversity in their functions and appearances. Like all the parts together form the body, all the individual believers in the Lord form the body of Christ – the church. As Apostle Paul states:
Just as a body, though one, has many parts, but all its many parts form one body, so it is with Christ. For we were all baptized by one Spirit so as to form one body—whether Jews or Gentiles, slave or free—and we were all given the one Spirit to drink. Even so the body is not made up of one part but of many (1 Corinthians 12:12-14)
Thus, individual believers form the community of believers and the community of believers form into a single entity, which is called the Church – the body of Christ (1 Corinthians 12:27). So, Apostle Paul is writing to the body of Christ (the church) in Corinth that the lack of love for God and each other is the root cause of all the evil behaviors among them, but if they have love for God and love for each other, it covers even the wrongs among them (1 Corinthians 12:25-27; 13:4-6).
26 If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it. 27 Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it. 28 And God has placed in the church first of all apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then miracles, then gifts of healing, of helping, of guidance, and of different kinds of tongues. 29 Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Do all work miracles? 30 Do all have gifts of healing? Do all speak in tongues? Do all interpret? 31 Now eagerly desire the greater gifts (1 Corinthians 12:26-31)
In the same way, similar to how all the parts in a body need to work together efficiently for the proper functioning of that body, all the members in the church need to work together for the inward growth and outward expansion of the church, all of which will bring glory and honor to God!
Divine Judgment and the Day of the Lord
There is a brief discussion about the Day of the Lord in the First Epistle to the Corinthians. During Jesus’ earthly ministry, He foretold to His followers that He will return to establish His Kingdom, so that they can be with Him forever and ever (1Thessalonians 4:16-17). It is certain that He is going to come back to take the Church with Him, but the question is ‘when is He coming back?’ Perhaps, most believers who lived in the First Century AD, thought that Jesus would return during their lifetime itself. There are many reasons why the early Christians might have believed this. For instance: on one occasion, Jesus’ disciples asked Him that when would He establish His Kingdom (Acts 1:6)? He said to them: It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority (Acts 1:7). Yet, on another occasion, when Jesus told Peter to follow Him (John 21:19b), as he was following Jesus he saw the disciple whom Jesus loved was also following them, immediately Peter asked Jesus ‘what about him (John 21:21)? Jesus answered Peter: If I want him to remain alive until I return, what is that to you. You must follow me (John 21:22). Jesus’ statement made those early believers think that Jesus will return during their lifetime (John 21:23). Apostle Paul’s statement in 1 Corinthians 1:7 that ‘as you eagerly wait for our Lord Jesus Christ to be revealed’ also sounds like the return of Jesus is imminent.
Jesus Christ, being the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, will return to establish His kingdom. At the same time, He will judge the ungodly and everyone/everything that stand against His Kingdom. He will also judge sin and death and destroy them forever. The church at Corinth was in a lukewarm situation – they were neither spiritually strong nor weak, but they were in-between – they were following Christian faith partially as well as following some of the pagan practices. There were divisions in the church, idol worship, immorality, competition about who is great and who is not, and there existed all kinds of sinful behaviors among the believers. Prophet Isaiah prophesied that The Lord Almighty has a day in store for all the proud and lofty, for all that is exalted and they will be humbled (Isaiah 2:12). By knowing the severity of God’s judgement upon the ungodly, Apostle Paul encourages them saying that if they live a life worthy of His call, He will also keep you firm to the end, so that you will be blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9 God is faithful, who has called you into fellowship with his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. (1 Corinthians 1:8-9). Apostle Paul sternly warned the believers in Corinth that on the Day of the Lord, their faith and practices will be evaluated and rewarded:
10 By the grace God has given me, I laid a foundation as a wise builder, and someone else is building on it. But each one should build with care. 11 For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ. 12 If anyone builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw, 13 their work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each person’s work. 14 If what has been built survives, the builder will receive a reward. 15 If it is burned up, the builder will suffer loss but yet will be saved—even though only as one escaping through the flames (1 Corinthians 3:10-15; [5:5])
The Characteristics of Divine Love Explained
The core of Christian faith is love. Love, being the inner core of Christian faith, is very much rooted in the Biblical (Christian) doctrines and its association to the church. The factor that connects the books of the Bible, from Genesis to Revelation, is the reality of love, the factor that connects God with humanity is nothing but love; the factor that connects one human being to other human beings is love, the factor that connects humankind to the rest of the creation is love (nature and the animal world, etc). If anyone tries to take love out of any activity, there will be chaos and disorder. Apostle John wrote to the early Christian believers that God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them; We love because he first loved us (1John 4:16b, 19). This means, the source of love is God Himself; and the love that we experience (love that we receive from others and give to others) started from God, manifested in and through Jesus’ life, and is continually displayed through the work of the Holy Spirit in our days. John 3:16 states that For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. The love that God promised to us is demonstrated in this way: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us (Romans 5:8). Apostle Paul gives much importance to the reality of love, especially the love that is divine (Godly love). Although, the concept of love is reflected throughout the First Epistle to the Corinthians, he dedicated one full chapter (chapter 13) to describe all about love from a Biblical perspective. He tries to make the believers in Corinth understand ‘what does love do and what does love not do.’ Let us examine what does love does and what does love does not do, according to 1 Corinthians 13:4-8a
- Love is patient (13:4a)
- Love is kind (13:4b)
- Love does not envy (13:4c)
- Love does not boast (13:4d)
- Love is not proud (13:4e)
- Love does not dishonor others (13:5a)
- Love is not self-seeking (13:5b)
- Love is not easily angered (13:5c)
- Love keeps no record of wrongs (13:d)
- Love does not delight in evil (13:6a)
- Love does rejoice with the truth (13:6b)
- Love always protects (13:7a)
- Love always trusts (13:7b)
- Love always hopes (13:7c)
- Love always perseveres (13:7d)
- Love never fails (13:8a)
The followers of Christ (believers) must love one another because Jesus commanded us to do so, as mentioned in the John’s gospel: Jesus said, A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another (John 13:34-35). In a similar way, Apostle Paul encouraged the believers in Rome to Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves (Romans 12:10).
The believers at Corinth were taught in the way of Christ’s sacrificial love and they understood it, but somehow somewhere in the middle of their faith-journey they lost its divine significance and failed to practice it in their daily walk with Jesus. So, Apostle Paul is writing to them to practice the kind of love that they had been taught to follow – that is, in the place of their selfish ambitions and non-biblical behaviors, they must uphold one another in love in the same way Jesus displayed His love for us through His submissive life before the Father and expiatory death for sinful humanity. This is the kind of love that reconciles us to God in Christ Jesus and unites us with the Father and one another (2 Corinthians 5:19). Such love is unconditional and eternal in nature.
Orderly Worship
The church at Corinth was in so many ways affluential if one looks at it through the lenses of worldly standards. It was situated in the center of the city of Corinth (one of the key administrative centers of Roman political, socio-cultural, and religious activities, a hub for international trade, etc), economically well-to-do, socially influential, spiritually well balanced according to the worldly standards, and had a mixed or contemporary worship style. However, if one looks through the lens of Biblical standards, the church was an utter failure – it slipped away from its original God-given purpose and godly standards. The church was originally founded by Apostle Paul and his ministry associates on Biblical truth and Christian principles. As days passed, all kinds of pagan traditions crept inside the church and disregarded the biblical values in the church and disrupted the God-given pattern of the churchly functions. Most of the time, the church functioned on pagan traditions and neglected godly values. Over all, the church at Corinth was infested with spiritual complacency and immaturity.
Apostle Paul is addressing all the issues in the Corinthian church one after another and helping them to come out of all the individual and collective problems they had been facing. Disorderliness in the worship service, especially the Lord’s Supper, use of spiritual gifts, caring for others were some of the major issues the Corinthian church faced, all of which materially disrupted the purpose of the spiritual gatherings and everything else that was going on in the church:
- The believers were supposed to be selfless in their attitude and approach, but many of them became selfish and acted wickedly
- The believers were supposed to be standing united and in one accord, but many influential ones made their own groups and brought divisions in the church
- The believers were supposed to be caring for each other, but many of them disregarded others and acted based on their own conviction and convenience
- The believers were supposed to be putting their efforts together to bring order in the church services, but many of them caused chaos and disorder in the church
Apostle Paul advised the Corinthian church that everything should be done in a fitting and orderly way (1 Corinthians 14:40) because God is not a God of confusion but of peace (1 Corinthians 14:33). Also, he encouraged them to follow his lead and imitate him as he imitates Christ (1 Corinthians 11:1).
The Teachings on Resurrection from the dead
Apostle Paul also responded to the believers in the church at Corinth who were confused with the teachings on resurrection. Paul gives mainly three sets of teachings on Resurrection: First of all Paul talks about the resurrection of Christ (1 Corinthians 15:1-11), secondly, he talks about the resurrection of the dead (1 Corinthians 15:12-34), and thirdly, he talks about the resurrection of the body (1 Corinthians 15:35-58).
In today’s context, we are so blessed to have the gospels included in our Bible that confirm the prophecies regarding Jesus Christ’s life, ministry, death on the cross, burial, resurrection, ascension, and His promise to return to earth to take us to be where He is. However, during Apostle Paul’s time (i.e., in the first century AD), details regarding the life and ministry of Christ were not available in written form but the good news about Jesus was proclaimed by means of preaching and teaching in person and through the preacher’s lifestyle in their midst. Apostle Paul and his ministry associates thoroughly proclaimed the gospel of Jesus Christ to the people in Corinth by being in their midst and by the word of mouth. The gospel they preached was the message they received from Christ Himself by the help of the Holy Spirit, and they also shared their own testimony (life-experience) based on their personal relationship with Christ. As a result, many people believed in Jesus Christ and the church in Corinth was founded. However, as years passed and the church expanded, along with the biblical doctrines, false teachings (especially pagan teachings) also entered the church and confused the believers. There was also so much confusion and misunderstanding about the teachings on resurrection. In the First Epistle to the Corinthians Apostle Paul tries his best to give them an understanding on the topic of resurrection in written form. He begins his teaching on resurrection by focusing on the resurrection of Christ, the firstborn from the dead (1 Corinthians 15:1-11; also refer Colossians 1:18). What I mean here is that Apostle Paul, in addition to his preaching on Jesus’ life and ministry, he also focused on Jesus’ death and resurrection from the dead (1 Corinthians 15:1-11). Paul’s emphasis to the Corinthian believers regarding the believers’ resurrection is that just as Jesus resurrected from the dead as the first-fruit of those who have fallen asleep, the believers also will resurrect from the dead but that will happen at the coming of the Lord (1 Corinthians 15:20, 23).
Spiritual Gifts
Apostle Paul writes to the members in the church (the assembly of the followers of Christ) at Corinth to follow the way of love and eagerly desire gifts of the Spirit (1 Corinthians 14:1). Through his writings, Apostle Paul made the church at Corinth aware of the gifts of the Spirit that exist among the Christian believers (1 Corinthians 12:1 [also refer 1 Corinthians chapters 12-14]). Apostle Paul eagerly wanted to teach these believers about the different kinds of gifts of the Spirit because they were the first generation Christian believers in Rome who had converted from the pagan background, and, thus, they were not familiar with the gifts of the Spirit:
4 There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit distributes them. 5 There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. 6 There are different kinds of working, but in all of them and in everyone it is the same God at work (1 Corinthians 12:4-6)
1 Corinthian 12:7 states that Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good. The gifts of the Spirit one receives (whatever the gift one receives) will help the believers edify themselves, as well as other believers, spiritually (1 Corinthians 14:1-5). Apostle Paul writes about the different kinds of the gifts of the Spirit one may receive, such as the message of wisdom, word of knowledge, faith, gifts of healing, gift of working of miracles, gift of prophecy, gift of distinguishing spirits, various kinds of tongues, and the gift of the interpretation of tongues:
8 To one there is given through the Spirit a message of wisdom, to another a message of knowledge by means of the same Spirit, 9 to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by that one Spirit, 10 to another miraculous powers, to another prophecy, to another distinguishing between spirits, to another speaking in different kinds of tongues, and to still another the interpretation of tongues. 11 All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he distributes them to each one, just as he determines (1 Corinthians 12:8-11).
The church (also called as: the body of Christ [Ephesians 1:23] or the congregation/assembly of Christian believers [Acts 4:32]) is made up of many believers just as a body is consists of many parts and all work together for the smooth functioning of the entire body, as Apostle Paul writes:
12 Just as a body, though one, has many parts, but all its many parts form one body, so it is with Christ. 13 For we were all baptized by one Spirit so as to form one body—whether Jews or Gentiles, slave or free—and we were all given the one Spirit to drink. 14 Even so the body is not made up of one part but of many … If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it (1 Corinthians 12:12-26 [also refer to: 1 Corinthians 14:1-5).
Similarly, the church, consisting of people from different kinds of backgrounds, must edify each other with the unique gifts of the Spirit each one receives and work together for the advancement (growth) of the church in the world. In his letter, Paul especially encourages them to exercise the gift of prophecy during the worship services because prophecy reveals the secrets of one’s heart (1 Corinthians 14:5).
Outline of The First Epistle to the Corinthians
1:1-9 Introduction
1:1-3 Paul’s Apostle Greetings to the church in Corinth
1:4-9 Paul Thanks God for confirming their message about Christ among the Corinthians
1:10-6:20 Apostle Paul dealing with the Problems/Issues in the Church at Corinth
1:10-4:21 Causing divisions in the Corinthian Church by holding on to one’s favorite leaders (elevation of human leaders)
1:10-17 The reality of various Groups existing in the church
1:10-12 Existence of various Groups in the Church (the groups of Paul, Apollos, Cephas, and Christ)
1:13-17 Paul’s invitation for unity in the Church
1:18-4:13 Misinterpretation of godly wisdom causes division in the church
1:18-3:4 Paul Differentiates Divine Wisdom from Human-centered wisdom
1:18-2:5 Godly wisdom revealed in Christ Jesus: a stumbling block for Jews and foolishness for Gentiles
2:6-3:4 Godly wisdom revealed through the ministry of the Spirit
3:5-23 Church Leadership and Leaders relationship with one another and with God
3:5-15 Church Leaders as co-workers with God
3:16-17 Church (also individual believers) as the temple of God where the Spirit of God dwells
3:18-23 As believers, do not deceive oneself nor boast about their leaders (deceivers and people who boast themselves do not belong to Christ/God)
4:1-13 Apostle Paul identifies and shares the nature of true apostleship
4:14-21 Apostle Paul’s appeal and warning to the believers in Corinth
4:14-17 Paul’s invitation to imitate him as he imitate Christ
4:18-21 Paul’s earnest desire to visit the church at Corinth to correct them and guide them in to right spiritual path
5:1-6:20 Dealing with immorality and lawsuits in the Church
5:1-13 The church must take disciplinary action against any immoral activities going on among the believers
6:1-11 The church must take steps to solve disputes within their own members instead of one brother taking another to court in front of unbelievers
6:12-18 Paul counsel the believers to take complete control of one’s body in regards to food and fleshly desires
6:19-20 As followers of Christ, our bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit
7:1-16:4 Discussions on the questions the believers at Corinth asked Paul regarding Marriage and food sacrificed to idols, Worship service, Resurrection, and collection for the needy
7:1-40 Informative Teachings on Marriage and Married Life
7:1-7 General instructions regarding marriage
7:8-9 Instructions for the unmarried and the widows
7:10-11 Instructions to the married couples
7:12-16 Instructions to the married people who has unbelieving spouses
7:17-24 Instructions regarding change of one’s status
7:25-38 Instructions to maintain unmarried status and Christian service
7:39-40 Instructions regarding Marriage and remarriage
8:1-10:33 Informative Discussions on whether to eat food sacrificed to idols
8:1-3 Paul’s discussion on Principles of love and Knowledge
8:1-2 Knowledge is good
8:3 Knowledge without love is dangerous because Christian life is rooted in the love of God
8:4-6 Paul’s response to eating food sacrificed to idols
8:4-5 Idols represent gods who do not exist
8:6 The One who created all things and the One gives life is the true God (8:6)
8:7-13 Paul’s advice to care for the Christians with a weak conscience
9:1-27 Paul sharing his own example of his Rights and Restrictions as an Apostle
9:1-18 Paul’s Rights as an apostle and his self-discipline
9:19-27 Paul’ advice and illustrations for the need of self-discipline
10:1-10:33 Paul reminding the Corinthian Church about God’s leading Israel through the wilderness and their failure to keep God’s commandments
10:1-4 God’s provision during the wilderness journey
10:1a They were under the Cloud of God’s glory
10:1b God parted the Red Sea for them to pass through
10:3 They all ate spiritual food from heaven
10:4a They drank from the spiritual Rock – the Christ
10:4b The presence of Christ accompanied them
10:5-10 Israel’s failure in keeping God’s commandments and God’s judgement upon them
10:5-6 They failed to follow God wholeheartedly
10:7 They worshipped idols of pagans deities
10:8 They led an immoral life and God punished them severely
10:9 Due to their unfaithfulness to God many of them died with snakebites
10:10 They grumbled and many of them were killed by an angel
10:11-13 Exhortation to overcome temptation through trust in the Lord
10:14-22 Difference between the Lord’s table and the table of demons
10:23-10:33 Invitation to use believers’ freedom to glorify God
11:1-14:40 Special Advice regarding believers’ approach towards public Worship Services
11:1-16 Teachings on Veiling/Covering the head during Worship Services
11:1-2 Invitation to follow Apostle Paul’s examples just as he follows Christ’s example
11:3-16 Significance of women veiling the head and men not veiling the head during worship services
11:17-34 Special Instructions to institute and participate in the Lord’s Supper
11:17-22 The mistakes they had been repeating during the Lord’s Supper by forming personal small groups within the large group of believers, causing division among the believers
11:23-25 The model Jesus established to partake in the Lord’s Supper
11:26 The purpose of Lord’s Supper is to proclaim the Lord’s death until He comes
11:27-30 Judgement upon those participating in the Lord’s Supper in an unworthy manner
11:31-34 The blessings upon those participating in the Lord’s Supper in a proper manner
12:1-14:40 Special Instructions on using Spiritual Gifts appropriately during the Worship services
12:1-3 Awareness regarding the existence of Spiritual gifts among the believers
12:4-6 Existence of different kinds of spiritual gifts that are distributed by the Holy Spirit
12:7-11 Diversity in the manifestation of the Spiritual gifts in believers’ life
12:12-27 Comparison of the body of Christ (the Church) with many members to the human body with many parts (the parts/members do not functions independently in a human body or in the body of Christ/the Church)
12:28-31 The distinct functions of the members in the church and the use of Spiritual gifts
13:1-13 The Gift of Love: the most excellent way to share the Gospel of Christ
13:1-3 The significance of love: Ineffectiveness in obtaining/exercising spiritual gifts without practicing love
13:4-7 The characteristics of True Love
13:8-13 Superiority and invincibility of love over the spiritual gifts
14:1-40 Intelligibility and Orderliness in using spiritual gifts in the public worship service
14:1-25 The superiority of the gift of prophecy over the gift of tongue
14:26-33 Orderliness in using spiritual gifts during the worship service
14:34-35 The women are to maintain silence during the worship service
14:36-40 Recommendation to use spiritual gifts in a fitting and orderly way
15:1-58 The Historical Factors and Insights about the resurrection of Christ and the resurrection of believers
15:1-11 The Truth/Reality about the Resurrection of Christ from the dead
15:1-2 The reminder of the Gospel preached to the Corinthian believers based on Christ’s resurrection from the dead
15:3-4 Christ’s death, burial, and resurrection from the dead
15:3 Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures
15:4a Christ was buried according to the Scripture
15:4b Christ was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures
15:5-10 Examples of Christ’s post-Resurrection appearances
15:5a Christ appeared to Peter
15:5b Christ appeared to the apostles (when Thomas was absent)
15:6 Christ appeared to more than five hundred disciples
15:7a Christ appeared to James (brother of Jesus)
15:7b Christ appeared to all the apostles including Thomas
15:8-10 The power of the Gospel of Grace emerges from Christ who rose from the dead
15:8 Last of all, Christ appeared to Saul/Paul
15:9-10 Paul’s testimony about himself
15:9a He was least among the apostles
15:9b He once persecuted the church
15:10a He was saved by the Grace of God
15:10b He received unmerited favor from God
15:11 The Gospel of God’s Grace remains the same at any given time
15:12-19 Paul’s defense against those who deny the resurrection of the dead
15:20-34 The sequence of the resurrection of the dead and the reign of Christ until death is destroyed and the beginning of the Everlasting Era
15:35-49 Clarifications on the Resurrection Body
15:35-41 Analogy to differentiate the earthly body and the heavenly body
15:42-49 Comparison between the earthly body and the heavenly body
15:50-57 Believers’ final victory through the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ
15:58 Paul’s counsel to the brothers and sisters in Corinth
15:58a Invitation to stand firm in faith
15:58b Invitation to give oneself fully to the work of the Lord
15:58c Assurance that the labor in the Lord will be rewarded
16:1-4 Suggestions regarding the collection for the Lord’s People in Jerusalem
16:5-24 Paul’s concluding statements to the believers in Corinth
16:5-7 Paul’s promise to visit the Corinthian church as he travels to Jerusalem
16:8-9 Paul’s immediate plan to stay on at Ephesus and focus on the ministry
16:10-12 Timothy’s (soon) and Apollos’ (later time) visits are planned
16:13-14 As the founding pastor, Paul personally encourages the believers at Corinth
16:15-18 Paul’s appreciation to his co-workers in ministry
16:19-24 Final greetings and Benediction
