About First and Second Corinthians
The overview of First and Second Corinthians is grouped together because the two letters are to the same church written by Paul.
First Corinthians is different from any of Paul's other letters because of the variety of practical issues going on within the church among the Corinthians. First Corinthians is more to get the people to behave while Second Corinthians is more about Paul's heart toward them. In fact, Second Corinthians is one of Paul's most personal letters. Both letters reveal how Paul identified with the church at Corinth. He was concerned about how the Christians could live in a non-Christian environment.
When Did Paul Write 1 Corinthians?
Paul started the Corinthian church while on his second missionary journey. He wrote the letter three years after leaving the church. He was staying in Ephesus on his third missionary journey when he heard disturbing news about what was going on in the church.
Why Paul Wrote to the Corinthians?
Paul heard about strife and division that were threatening the young church. Some people had become spiritually arrogant which led to serious problems of wrongs against other believers, abuse of spiritual gifts, misunderstanding of Christian teachings, and sexual misconduct. Paul's intention was to address those issues and restore balance to the church. Therefore, Paul wrote the first letter to the Corinthians to correct moral laxity among members of the Corinthian church and to establish some direction and order.
Paul addressed the following issues:
---idolatry
---fornication
---prostitution
---love
---marriage
---circumcision
---strife
---morality
---the Lord's Supper
---the resurrection
Well-Known Chapters
---Chapters 12 and 14: Spiritual Gifts
---Chapter 13: The Love Chapter
---Chapter 15: Paul's Explanation of the Resurrection
Second Corinthians was written because people did not take the advice Paul gave in the first letter. Instead of the original problems being solved, more problems occurred.
Understanding Corinth
In order to understand First and Second Corinthians, you must know something about the city of Corinth.
---1. It was the capital city of the region called Achaia.
---2. It was Greece's most important trade city.
---3. The city had two harbors so merchants could come and go in and out of the city.
---4. Corinth was a busy center for trade.
---5. Because people were coming and going all the time, it was a good place to spread the gospel.
---6. There was a temple to Aphrodite, the Greek female god of love.
---7 There were thousands of prostitutes in the city.
---8. Corinth became well-known for bad sexual behavior.
---9. Every imaginable sin took place in Corinth, including legal temple prostitution. That's why Corinth is sometimes described as "the sin-sick city."
-10. People flocked to Corinth for business adventures and amusements.
-11. Corinth was a wealthy city.
-12. The Isthmian Games took place near Corinth. They were famous and only second in importance to the Olympic Games.
--13. Corinth became a melting pot for about 500,000 people who lived there.
--14. People who visited or lived in Corinth included merchants, sailors, gamblers, athletes, former slaves who had no other place to go, and male and female prostitutes.
--15. Paul was the most important city in Greece during Paul's day.
Paul Starts a Church in Corinth
Paul’s first visit to Corinth is recorded in Acts 18:1-17. On his second missionary journey, he visited Corinth to take tell people the good news about Jesus. He stayed in Corinth for 18 months, longer than in any other city except the time he stayed in Ephesus.
While in Corinth, Paul stayed with Aquila and Priscilla, who were tentmakers like himself. He preached first in the synagogue. When the Jews opposed him, he used the home of Titius Justus to preach the gospel. Titius Justus lived next door to the synagogue. Paul preached very successfully. Crispus, the ruler of the synagogue, became a Christian. When a new Roman ruler arrived, the Jews took Paul to him. They said that Paul was teaching against the law. But the ruler refused to listen to the Jews.
Contents of 1 Corinthians
1:1-9 ~ Greetings and thanksgiving
1:10–4:21 ~ Quarrels about leaders in the church
5:1-13; 6:9-20 ~ Bad sexual behavior
6:1-8 ~ Christians at the law courts
7:1-40 ~ Marriage
8:1-11:1 ~ Meat that people have offered to idols
11:2-34 ~ Problems in Christian worship
12:1-31 ~ Spiritual gifts
13:1-13 ~ Love
14:1-40 ~ Prophecy and tongues
15:1-58 ~ Resurrection
16:1-24 ~ Money for Jerusalem; Paul’s plans and greetings
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