Of all the churches Paul planted, the one at Corinth is by far the most interesting, in that she caused him the greatest heartache. Of all the cities in which Paul labored, this one was the most famous for her sins. Thus, the church members as a whole struggled through more and greater barriers to the gospel truth than any other for which we have any significant information.
Hellenist culture was always bad enough in its own right. Corinth was the epitome of all that could go wrong, and in many ways a microcosm of where Western Civilization was headed morally. The city had long been the perfect place to build a city, on a narrow neck of land between two seas, and between Achaia (lower Greece) and Macedonia (upper Greece). Just about everything a Greek could do was done in Corinth, whether it be business or the various hedonistic pursuits such trade afforded. The city's name came to be a by-word for drunken excess and sexual perversion. A "Corinthian girl" was the euphemism for a slut. Corinth was the home for the Temple of Aphrodite, with its thousand or so temple prostitutes.
Destroyed by a Roman general in 146 BC, it was rebuilt as a Roman colony and regional capital a century later. Paul visited the city after roughly another century of thriving trade and on-going expansion and construction. Perched on a wide coastal shelf on the western coast of a low and narrow rocky ridge, from ancient times the wagon road across from the eastern coast had long been cut deep through that ridge. People from every nation on the Mediterranean shores, and somewhat beyond, could be found there. Cosmopolitan as a word was defined by this city. Paul found the typical Jewish synagogue here, where he always began his church planting in any city.
In our study, we tie the two letters together because it is utterly necessary to see them as reflections of the harsh tale of the church born there. Our best guess of the chronology goes like this:
Chapter 1 -- After a gracious greeting, Paul jumps immediately into the issue of partisan divisions.
Chapter 2 -- Paul bluntly dismisses human intellect as wholly incapable of grasping God's revelation.
Chapter 3 -- Paul also bluntly dismisses human measures of what matters.
Chapter 4 -- Paul contrasts the Corinthian obsession with worldly measures and authority versus those of the Kingdom of Heaven.
Chapter 5 -- It's hard to imagine the sexual libertine attitude at Corinth.Chapter 6 -- God has called us to leave behind petty wrangling and sexual immorality.
Chapter 7 -- Paul discusses the Laws of God regarding sex and marriage.
Chapter 8 -- Discussing the issue of food sold in temple markets, Paul attacks doctrinaire elitism.
Chapter 9 -- The gospel life called for massive doses of self-denial.
Chapter 10 -- Paul explains where to draw the line in dealing with food and pagan offerings.
Chapter 11 -- The Corinthians found the symbolism in worship highly confusing.
Chapter 12 -- Spiritual gifts in Corinth had become an excuse for divisions.
Chapter 13 -- The answer to everything, according to Paul, is agape.
Chapter 14 -- Paul points out a major problem with the Corinthians is the vast gulf between their sophisticated and worldly ways compared to the ancient heritage of the Bible.
Chapter 15 -- Corinthian intellectual habits were a threat to walking in Christ, doubting the very message of His gospel.
Chapter 16 -- Though little more than a collection of routine matters, this last chapter nonetheless reveals some interesting points we should note.
Chapter 1 -- Paul greets them with the assurance God calls us out of our fallen existence and into the higher, spiritual realm, and they needed more of that before he came.
Chapter 2 -- The primary issue which dogged the Corinthian church and kept Paul away is revealed.
Chapter 3 -- Paul reminds the Corinthians of the very real difference between things of this world, and things of Heaven.
Chapter 4 -- The lesson in mortification continues.
Chapter 5 -- Paul explains why and how we can't wait to see Jesus.
Chapter 6 -- We must recognize the claims and demands of grace while living in this fallen world.
Chapter 7 -- Paul celebrates joyfully the Corinthians' powerful response to his messages.
Chapter 8 -- An explanation of how the funds for relief of the Jerusalem church would be handled, and why.
Chapter 9 -- Paul reminds the Corinthians of the richness of God's divine economy of giving.
Chapter 10 -- The contrast between human abilities versus the spiritual authority which comes from God.
Chapter 11 -- Were Paul to submit a resume as men in that day regarded such things, his would be lacking in human accomplishments, but full of grace.
Chapter 12 -- Paul reveals his unutterable experience in the literal Presence of God, but refuses to boast of it. Rather, he made much of his weaknesses because that made room for God's strength.
Chapter 13 -- In closing, Paul warns he will arrive in the full power and authority of the Lord, and it would save them much sorrow to reconsider whether they are on the spiritual path, or that of the flesh.
By Ed Hurst
06 March 2010
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