Introduction to 1 Corinthians
This first epistle of Paul to the Corinthians is actually not the first letter
that Paul wrote to the believers in Corinth. In 1 Corinthians 5:9, Paul
said that he had written a previous letter. That letter has been lost.
This is the first of two letters that have been preserved.
The book of 1 Corinthians is the second longest of the Pauline
epistles, surpassed only by the book of Romans, which it follows in the
traditional order of Scriptures.
Paul made it clear at the beginning of this letter that his reason for
writing this epistle was because members of Chloe’s household had
informed him of divisions in the church (1 Corinthians 1:11). Paul
mentioned three men by name who had come to him from Corinth (1
Corinthians 16:17), but it is not certain if these were the members of
Chloe’s household to whom Paul referred.
Paul’s main purpose in this book was to correct the carnality that had
damaged the unity of the believers and to answer specific questions. 1
Corinthians 1:10 sums up his intent: “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 dealt with this disunity in three main areas. First, he countered
the division caused over a difference of opinion as to whom the people
should be following (1 Corinthians 1:10-4:21). Some of the church
claimed Paul as their spiritual leader, some Apollos, and some Peter
(1 Corinthians 1:12).
Second, Paul reprimanded the believers for the immoral conduct of
certain individuals (incest, 1 Corinthians 5; lawsuits, 1 Corinthians 6;
marriage relationships, 1 Corinthians 7; eating things sacrificed to
idols, 1 Corinthians 8) and the passivity of the others in not dealing
with these problems (1 Corinthians 5:1-11:16).
Third, Paul dealt with the conduct of the Corinthians in their church
services (1 Corinthians 11:17-14:40). This section includes
instructions for the Lord’s Supper (1 Corinthians 11) and the operation
of the gifts in the church (1 Corinthians 12-14).
Paul concluded this letter with the most complete arguments found in
the New Testament on the resurrection of our bodies (1 Corinthians
15). 1 Corinthians 16 gives instructions for the collection for the poor
saints in Jerusalem as well as miscellaneous instructions and
salutations.
Background
The Corinthian church was the most carnal church that we have
record of Paul dealing with. Paul had established this church during
his second missionary journey (see note 1 at Acts 18:22) when he
spent eighteen months ministering in Corinth. He had already written
them once before to instruct them on church discipline toward an
individual who had committed fornication (1 Corinthians 5:9-10).
Corinth was a Greek city that was unsurpassed in its moral
wickedness (see note 1 at Acts 18:1), and this background had dulled
the perception of the new believers as to what was proper conduct.
Paul dealt with a number of moral and ethical issues to provide these
believers with God’s perspective of right and wrong.
These people’s pagan background was also evident in the way they
turned the Lord’s Supper into a drunken feast and the way they
administered the spiritual gifts in their services.
Spiritual Gifts
Three chapters of 1 Corinthians are devoted to the subject of spiritual
gifts (1 Corinthians 12-14). This is the most information on spiritual
gifts in one place in the entire Bible. This is the only place in the Bible
that guidelines are set forth for the operation of the gifts in an
assembly of believers.
Some people have tried to capitalize on the fact that these believers
had all the spiritual gifts (1 Corinthians 1:7) and yet were carnal (1
Corinthians 3:3), to argue that the gifts of the Holy Spirit are not
necessary or that they are even of the devil. However, Paul never told
these believers that their gifts were of the devil. Despite these flagrant
abuses, Paul told them, “Covet to prophesy, and forbid not to speak
with tongues” (1 Corinthians 14:39). He taught them how to properly
use the gifts, not to dispose of the gifts.
Authorship
Paul has never seriously been challenged as the author of this letter.
The letter begins with a salutation that proclaims Paul as the author.
There are numerous statements throughout the book that link the
writing to the Apostle Paul, and the style and doctrinal beliefs are
nearly universally thought to be those of Paul’s. Clement of Rome
spoke of Paul as being the author of this work as early as A.D. 96.
Date and Place of Writing
This letter to the Corinthians was written after Paul’s second
missionary trip (circa A.D. 51-53 - see note 1 at Acts 18:22), where he
established the church in Corinth (Acts 18:1-17), and before the end of
his third missionary trip (circa A.D. 54-58 - see note 2 at Acts 18:23).
This can be seen by looking at Paul’s statements in 1 Corinthians
16:1-9.
Paul had not yet gone to Corinth the second time (1 Corinthians 16:5),
which Acts records as happening toward the end of his third
missionary trip (Acts 20:1-3). Therefore, the date of writing can be
placed around A.D. 57. Paul clearly stated that he was writing from the
city of Ephesus (1 Corinthians 16:8, see note 3 at Acts 18:19) and
would remain there until Pentecost. This narrows the time that this
book was written even further to be around the end of A.D. 56.
About the Author
Numerous notes about the Apostle Paul are scattered throughout the
book of Acts. A brief history of Paul’s life can be found in note 1 at
Acts 9:1.