1-CORINTHIANS (A troubled church)
Author: Apostle Paul.
Apostle Paul and Peter were both martyred probably in the month of June 67 AD. As per sources I. Clement writing also Paul was martyred during the reign of Emperor Nero (i.e. after great fire in Rome in July 64 AD but before the last year of Nero’s reign in 68AD).
Date: About AD 55 near the end of Paul’s 3-year ministry in Ephesus, during his 3rd missionary journey.
Key Place: Corinth. Paul founded the church in Corinth in his 2nd Missionary journey about 50 AD, before moving to Ephesus, a city on the west coast of present Turkey.
Purpose: To identify the problems in the church so as to offer solutions and teach the believers how to live for Christ in a corrupt society.
Street in ancient Corinth
Rail-road bridge over the Isthamus of Corinth
Corinth is a Greek ancient but modern city of the Peloponnesus in south-central Greece. The ancient ruins lie about 80 Km west of Athens which is 90 meters above sea level.
To whom written: To the church in Corinth and believers at large.
Key people: Paul, Timothy, members of Chloe’s household.
Special features: Paul writes a very straight forward and sharp letter.
Key verses:
“I appeal to you, brothers, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree with one another so that there may be no divisions among you and that you may be perfectly united in mind and thought.” (1:10)
“For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. 19 For it is written: I will destroy the wisdom of the wise; the intelligence of the intelligent I will frustrate.” (1:18-19)
However, as it is written: “No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him”— but God has revealed it to us by his Spirit. The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God. (2:9-10)
“Flee from sexual immorality. All other sins a man commits are outside his body, but he who sins sexually sins against his own body. Do you not know that your body is a temple 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 honour God with your body. (6:18-20)
“Yet when I preach the gospel, I cannot boast, for I am compelled to preach. Woe to me if I do not preach the gospel!” ( 9:16)
And when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, “This is my body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of me.” In the same way, after supper he took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me.” For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes. (11:24-26)
“And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.”(13:13)
“ And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins.” (15:17-18).