1st Corinthians


  1. Background
    1. 1 Corinthians written by Paul during 3rd Missionary journey from Ephesus about 55 AD.
      1. Paul had written them a previous letter (according to 5:9)
      2. one which was misunderstood by the church, 
      3. there is no surviving copy (hence it’s not in our Bible)
      4. So, 1 Corinthians is really the 2nd installment in the conversation between the church and Paul.
    2. Reason for writing
      1. In response to two reports Paul received about the church
        1. oral report from the household of Chloe (1:11)
        2. written report from the church itself brought by Stephanus, Fortunatus, and Achaicus (16:17).
      2. The church at Corinth was having serious difficulties
        1. struggle to find its identity as the Church of God in a complex and sophisticated urban setting
        2. moral and spiritual confusion, 
  2. The City and Church of Corinth 
    1. The City
      1. Located on the narrow isthmus between the Adriatic Sea and the Aegean Sea. 
      2. strategic location for land and sea trade. 
        1. All land traffic between Greece and the Peloponnese came through Corinth
        2. Much of the sea commerce between Rome and the East passed through its harbor. 
      3. Because it was a seaport, the city was quite developed and diverse 
        1. and had a reputation for sexual immorality
      4. The city contained many temples, 
        1. Most important: the temple of Aphrodite-the goddess of love 
        2. Also important: Poseidon, the god of the sea
          1. many Corinthians earned their living from the sea
      5. Corinth had a bad reputation even among the rest of the Roman world
        1. Temple prostitution and other acts of sexual immorality
        2. The city was a by-word for excess and sexual immorality. 
        3. There was even a word for it: to 'Corinthianize'
        4. This of course makes it understandable why the church struggled with the same issues.
          1. It’s surrounded by this culture
          2. It’s made up of people who grew up in this culture
    2. History with Paul
      1. Paul first came to Corinth on his 2nd missionary journey
      2. Came to Corinth from Athens
        1. "in weakness and fear, and with much trembling" (2:3)
      3. Paul stayed for 18 months (Acts 18:11). 
      4. He worked with Priscilla and Aquila, 
        1. two converts who, along with other Jews, had recently been expelled from Rome by Emperor Claudius (Acts 18:2). 
      5. Preached in the synagogue
        1. Paul converted the synagogue ruler, Crispus, 
        2. Many Gentile converts
      6. He left Corinth with Priscilla and Aquila 
      7. Apollos came to Corinth and became a leader there for a time, 
        1. a Jew from Alexandria,
        2. instructed by Priscilla and Aquila in Ephesus. 
        3. apparently he was an excellent preacher and teacher
          1. we think the book of Hebrews was probably written by him
        4. He also was considered an apostle by the early church
          1. traveled the world preaching the gospel and planting churches.
    3. The Church
      1. Members of the church came from a variety of backgrounds: 
        1. Jewish and Gentile, 
        2. rich and poor, 
        3. upper and lower social classes. 
      2. These differences caused all sorts of difficulties in the church
        1. It’s hard enough to get along when we all have similar backgrounds
      3. Difficulties caused by the gifts of the Spirit
        1. Impressed by the powers given them by the Spirit (1:5-7), over-enthusiastic members were less concerned with understanding them (2:12) than with using them. 
        2. As a result, a form of "spiritual elitism" infected the community, 
          1. resulting in factions among the people. 
      4. Defined themselves by their differences rather than their common life. 
        1. this is clear from 1 Corinthians 1:10-17
      5. Moral and Ethical Problems
        1. Some recent converts carried on their pagan lifestyles and practices 
          1. food and sex are issues the letter specifically addresses
          2. thinking that what you did with your physical body didn’t matter because it was your spirit that was important
        2. The "spiritually mature" judged these people to be weak and immature
          1. causing division and tension within the community. 
        3. They turned to Paul for advice. 
  3. The Letter
    1. Contents of the Letter 
      1. The· outline of the letter to the Corinthians is fairly straightforward and can be given as follows: 
        1. Letter Opening (1:1-3) 
        2. Thanksgiving (1:4-9) 
        3. Response to Oral Report 
          1. Factions within the church (chs. 1-4) 
          2. Immorality and lawsuits in pagan courts (chs. 5-6) 
        4. Response to Written Report 
          1. Marriage, celibacy and divorce (ch. 7) 
          2. Food offered to idols (chs. 8-11:1) 
          3. Problems in worship (ch. 11) 
          4. Spiritual gifts (chs. 12-14) 
          5. The resurrection, Christ's and ours (ch. 15) 
        5. Letter Closing (16:19-24) 
    2. Factions Within the Church (chs. 1-4) 
      1. Factions within the Corinthian church came from hero worship (1:12) 
      2. There were followers of Paul, Apollos, Cephas (Peter), and Christ 
        1. some were loyal to Paul as the founder of the church; 
        2. some were impressed by the eloquence of Apollos; 
        3. others were loyal to Peter because he was the lead apostle
          1. after James died 
      3. Paul sided with none of these factions; 
        1. he encouraged the community to be followers of Christ, 
          1. whose death on the cross "is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved, it is the power of God ... the wisdom of God ... our righteousness, holiness, and redemption" (1:18-31). 
      4. Although the community was called into a fellowship through Jesus, they were destroying that unity by their divisions. 
      5. Paul exhorted them (encouraged, urged, advised, admonished, recommended, etc), to have the same mind-- the "mind of Christ" (2:16). 
        1. Having the mind of Christ means more than simply thinking the same way. 
        2. When people’s identities are defined by their knowledge, power, popularity, etc there are always divisions and rivalries
          1. because you being intelligent and popular threatens my place in the community
        3. The Christian community is not meant to be defined in the same way.
        4. Those who have the "mind of Christ" use their gifts for the building up of God's community, and not for self-glorification. 
          1. Rather than limiting your influence, my job would be to help you gain as much influence as possible. 
          2. When others step into what God has created them to be, the entire community benefits
    3. Paul’s preaching
      1. Paul did not use logical reasoning or eloquent speeches when he preached, he performed signs and wonders to convince the people what he said was true. 
        1. Paul’s attempt at logical reasoning in Athens did not yield very impressive results
          1. only ‘some’ believed (Acts 17: 34)
        2. In Corinth Paul changes his tactics (1 Cor 2:4,5)
          1. “My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit’s power, so that your faith might not rest on human wisdom, but on God’s power.”
      2. With fear and trembling, he brought the message of the cross, 
        1. foolishness to the world but the power of God to those who believe
    4. Immorality and Lawsuits in Pagan Courts (chs. 5-6) 
      1. The "mind of Christ" must be applied to the real problems of life
      2. Paul insisted on the need for separation from the world's values, but he denied the need to withdraw from society into an isolated community. 
        1. The church must be holy or they are not God's people 
        2. The church must maintain its integrity while interacting with the world
          1. establishing boundaries, 
          2. exercising discernment 
          3. helping its members base their actions on life in the Holy Spirit 
        3. At the time of Paul's letter, the boundaries were becoming blurred. 
      3. The problems:
        1. There was incest in the church
          1. even pagans detested this behavior (5:1). 
        2. Members were suing each other in pagan courts. 
      4. Paul’s response
        1. There was to be no sexual immorality of any kind among God's people 
        2. "the body is not meant for sexual immorality but for the Lord" (6:13), 
        3. sex is more than just a physical action, it is also spiritual
          1. the two become one flesh
          2. this is similar language to when Jesus prayed for the church (John 17)
            1. That the church would be one just like the Father and Son are one
        4. Paul ordered the church to discipline the wrong-doer for his own sake (5:5) and also for the sake of the community's integrity (5:6, 7). 
        5. Lawsuits in pagan courts is wrong on several levels
          1. It means the church is operating contrary to the community of the spirit
          2. The church is ignoring its responsibility for judging within the community
            1. The idea that we are never supposed to judge one another is bogus
            2. When we judge, we are to judge rightly and understanding the responsibility which comes along with the action
              1. How we judge others is how we will be judged 
    5. Marriage, Celibacy, and Divorce (ch. 7) 
      1. Marriage
        1. The church had asked a question about marriage in its original letter to Paul
        2. Paul’s response
          1. Paul makes certain distinctions, but refuses to give simple answers.
          2. He forces his readers to move through a serious reflection on the meaning of sex in the kingdom of God. 
          3. His first and most important step is distinguishing between the call of God and different states of life (7:17-24). 
          4. Everyone is called to live righteously no matter their station in life
            1. Therefore, there must be a way to live for God whether you are married or not
          5. Paul speaks of both marriage and celibacy as gifts from God
          6. And just like every aspect of your personal life, they are intended for the good of the entire community. 
            1. nothing in the Christian life is just for you
          7. Christians should only marry Christians
            1. This applies to widows as well
            2. otherwise you are setting yourself up for conflict and heartache
            3. becoming one in spirit with someone who is not of the same spirit
      2. Celibacy (i.e. not getting married and not having sex)
        1. voluntary celibacy is good 
        2. marriage is good
          1. God gave humans sexual desires
          2. God instituted marriage to be the proper place for expression of those feelings.
        3. That does not mean everyone ought to get married. 
          1. Paul repeatedly says choosing either way is not a sin
          2. However, for many, marriage keeps them from sin because they cannot control their sexual desires
        4. Nor does Paul suggest that celibacy is a superior way of life. 
          1. this became distorted several hundred years after Paul’s writings
          2. hence forced celibacy for all Catholic clergy
      3. Divorce
        1. Paul's instructions about divorce assume Jesus’ teaching on the subject
          1. (Matthew 5:32; Mark 10:11; Luke 16:18). 
          2. don’t get divorced unless your spouse has been unfaithful
          3. if you divorce do not remarry unless you reconcile with your previous spouse
        2. If you become a Christian and your spouse does not
          1. if they want to leave you because of it let them
          2. if they will stay with you, do not divorce them
          3. When you become a Christian, you do not try so much to change your situation in life as to redeem it; bringing it under the rule of the Kingdom.
    6. Food Offered to Idols (chs. 8 - 11:1) 
      1. Most meat people ate in the ancient world was sacrificed to a god.
        1. Thus, most of the meat in the butcher shops had been dedicated to idols. 
        2. The gods received a token portion which was burned on the altar, and the priests offered the excess meat for sale to the public. 
      2. Jews usually bought their meat in Jewish butcher shops where the meat had definitely not been dedicated to pagan gods. 
        1. This is how the whole idea of “Kosher” came about.
      3. The question: 
        1. Must Christians abstain from meat altogether as they must abstain from immorality? 
        2. Or, like the Jews, must they operate their own meat markets? 
      4. Paul advocates freedom to eat, with a catch
        1. We are held responsible for what we understand
          1. Sinning is a heart issue
          2. If you think it is a sin to eat meat sacrifice to idols, then eating the meat is sinning for you. (8:7)
          3. If you thank God for the meal, you have rededicated what was meant for demons to God. So to eat the meat is not sinning (10:28, 29)
        2. However, " 'Everything is permissible' - but not everything is beneficial. 'Everything is permissible' - but not everything is constructive" (10:23)
          1. If our freedom causes others to sin, we should voluntarily refrain from our freedom to help the weaker person in the faith
      5. Paul’s teaching on the issue
        1. Eat whatever you buy in the market without worry (10:25)
        2. Eat whatever is put in front of you at someone’s house (10:27)
        3. Don’t eat in the idol temples (8:10)
          1. Not because the meat is bad, but because a new Christian might see you and fall back into sin because of it
          2. And because the pagans in the temple will not understand your freedom as a Christian. They may think you agree with them.
        4. Don’t eat meat when someone says “this has been sacrificed to an idol”
          1. not because the meat is bad but for the sake of the person who told you.
        5. “So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God” (10:31)
          1. our own personal freedom in the Lord should be used for the community around us
          2. We do not focus on what benefits us only but also those around us
    7. Problems in Worship (ch. 11) 
      1. Head coverings for women
        1. Historical context of head coverings and shaving: 
          1. In those days, it was proper for a respectable woman to veil herself in public. 
            1. much like current conservative Arabic society
          2. Only those with loose morals appeared unveiled or with their hair exposed. 
            1. prostitutes and adulterous women 
          3. Women who had been caught in an act of disgrace had their heads shaved. 
        2. Paul encourages the women of the community to adhere to the customs of the times, lest anyone accuse the Christian community of impropriety or loose morals.
          1. The gospel must be presented within the social structure of the community
          2. Mr. Busch’s opinion:
            1. This is the same reason why Paul does not outright condemn slavery and push for equality for women.
            2. The culture of the time was not ready for God’s intended purpose for women and slavery—equality.
            3. If the early church had simply jumped ahead of the culture too far, the whole gospel would be lost.
            4. Unfortunately, the later church misinterpreted this cultural constriction as infallible truth and used it to oppress women and condone slavery even after the culture was ready to deal with both issues.
        3. Paul is not necessarily suggesting that women "are fundamentally subordinate to men (11:11) but wants to establish order and decency in the liturgical assembly, 
        4. He uses the social customs of his day to achieve that, especially the common custom in the churches (11:16). 
          1. Aside: The church has the same discussions about Creation and the interpretation of Genesis 1 and 2
          2. Mr. Busch’s opinion:
            1. God spoke to the ancient Israelites in a way they could understand.
            2. He said “okay, I know you think the universe is like this, but it’s more like this”
              1. Ancient near east view (i.e. Egyptian cosmology)
                1. Every different aspect of the world is a god
                  1. sun, moon, sky, ground, sea, etc
                2. creation is a byproduct of the cosmic struggle between the gods 
              2. Mosaic view
                1. there is only one god
                2. he created the universe intentionally and with order
                3. we are meant to be in relationship with him
                4. everything was made good but is now broken and twisted from its original intention by sin
            3. His intention was not to completely correct their faulty view of cosmology and physics but to reveal timeless truth about himself in a way they could understand.
              1. There is a great book on this topic called “Origins” by Deborah and Loren Haarsma. It looks at creation, design, and evolution from a Reformed Christian perspective. It is determined to claim all truth as God’s truth and wrestle with Scriptural interpretation.
                1. I think it’s a must-read for all Christians going into the sciences.
            4. The same thing is happening when Paul talks about women in the church
              1. At this point in time, the church’s treatment of women is revolutionary in the broader culture.
              2. Only now does it seem antiquated
                1. because in the epistles it is (it’s 2000 years old)
                2. God’s revealed truth in Scripture is revealed within a specific time and context. 
                3. Those must be taken into account when we distill the ‘timeless’ truths from the Bible.
      2. The Lord’s supper (Communion, Eucharist)
        1. From what we see in the text, the Corinthian church celebrated the Lord's Supper in conjunction with a potluck supper. 
        2. The problem:
          1. Some members of the community would come early, eat their meal and eat the Lord's Supper on their own. 
          2. Some were even getting drunk (11:20-22), 
          3. and others would go hungry (because they were poor?)
        3. Paul recommends 
          1. Wait until everyone arrives to celebrate communion
          2. If your hungry eat at home before you come.
        4. The purpose of the Lord's Supper is not to satisfy our physical hunger but to remember and proclaim Jesus’ death for our sins (11:26). 
        5. Paul’s warning
          1. taking part in the Lord’s supper in an unworthy manner brings judgment on yourself (11:29)
          2. this can result in sickness and death (11:30)
    8. Spiritual Gifts (chs. 12-14) 
      1. Spiritual gifts are given to each believer for the common good (12:7)
        1. not simply for individual use or selfish advantage
      2. We are to eagerly desire spiritual gifts and operate in them in love (14:1)
        1. especially prophecy
        2. I think part of our responsibility in desiring them is to ask for them
      3. The gifts
        1. Message of wisdom
          1. wisdom for specific situations and courses of action
        2. Message of knowledge
          1. Knowing something about someone or a situation without being told.
        3. Faith
        4. Healing
        5. Miracles
        6. Prophecy
          1. A message imparted to a believer by the Holy Spirit
          2. Could be a prediction
          3. Could be the will of God in a certain situation
        7. Distinguishing between spirits
        8. Tongues
          1. The ability to speak in different languages without learning them (public use)
          2. Prayer languages (personal use)
        9. Interpretation of tongues
      4. The Problem:
        1. The gifts were not being used properly in the church
          1. Paul is not giving a play-by-play account of how to operate in all the gifts. 
          2. He is addressing a specific problem within the church and adding to teaching he previously did with them in person.
        2. The gifts were being used as status symbols or to create rivalries
        3. From what we gather, the ability to speak in tongues was considered to be the superior gift. 
        4. Church services were not being run orderly
          1. Everyone sharing a message from God at the same time is not helpful to anyone
      5. Paul’s response on gifts:
        1. Paul concentrates on only two kinds of spiritual gifts
          1. the gift of prophecy
            1. edifies the community
            2. for strengthening, encouragement, and comfort (14:3)
          2. the gift of speaking in tongues. 
            1. edifies the individual
        2. Paul favors prophecy because 
          1. it engages the mind (14:14)
          2. edifies the community (14:4)
          3. is useful in evangelism
            1. an outsider would not understand tongues (14:16-17)
            2. if an outsider was prophesied over, they would have to acknowledge God’s presence in the church (14:25)
              1. i.e ‘there is no way you should know that about me, God must have told you’
        3. Chapter 13, the love chapter
          1. Paul is not losing his train of thought. He’s explaining how the gifts of the spirit work.
          2. The proper use of all the gifts of the spirit is in the context of the benefit of the one receiving the ministry not the one doing the ministry
            1. We do not pray/pastor/serve/give advice to others to make ourselves look good or to make us feel needed. 
              1. It’s not about you.
            2. All true Christian ministry is founded on and is an expression of love.
              1. We love because God loves. 
              2. We’re his kids and we look like our Heavenly Daddy.
      6. Paul’s response on orderly worship
        1. Paul recommends the community conduct orderly worship services, 
          1. using the customs of their time
            1. as in his instructions to the women
            2. He says women should remain silent in church (14:33,34) but he assumes they pray and prophesy in public (11:5)
              1. These are seemingly contradictory
            3. There is a cultural-historical aspect to this we don’t understand in our current social settings
        2. When addressing the entire church, speaking in tongues should be accompanied by an interpretation
        3. 2 or 3 prophets should speak and others should weigh what was said
        4. Only one person speaking at a time
        5. He does not condemn speaking in tongues, but suggests that "everything should be done in a fitting and orderly way" (14:40). 
      7. When studying the gifts, it’s good to read Ephesians 4:1-16
          1. Ephesians 4 lays out the 5-fold ministry of the church
            1. These are the offices of the church, not the gifts of the Spirit
              1. apostles, 
              2. prophets, 
              3. evangelists, 
              4. pastors, 
              5. teachers
          2. The purpose of these 5: 
            1. to “prepare God’s people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of god and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ” (4:12, 13)
              1. so these are in operation until we look like Jesus
              2. which means they must still be in existence
                1. even if we’re ignoring them.
      8. New Testament verse Old Testament prophecy (by Kris Valloton)
        1. Jesus fulfilled the both the Law and the Prophets
          1. our relationship to the Law changed
          2. it makes sense that prophecy would also change
        2. O.T.
          1. A prophet’s primary function was to remind people they needed a savior.
          2. Sin needs to be dealt with.
          3. They pronounced judgment on the people
        3. N.T.
          1. Prophets judge prophecy not people
          2. In Malachi 4, Elijah is coming again with the ministry of reconciliation. But this was not his Old Testament function.
          3. As Christians, we are ambassadors of reconciliation (2 Cor 5:16-21)
          4. God is not counting people’s sins against them and neither do we (2 Cor 5:19)
            1. At least it’s not our job to say God is judging you
            2. Though there will be a day of judgment
    9. The Resurrection, Christ's and Ours (ch. 15) 
      1. The gospel: Christ died for our sins, he was buried, he was raised up on the third day, and he appeared to a bunch of people (15:3-8)
        1. Paul appeals to the witness aspect of the resurrection. 
        2. People saw Jesus die. He actually went into a grave. Then people saw him alive again. 
        3. A lot of people saw him alive again—too many to just be wishful thinking or group hallucinations
          1. more than 500 people at the same time
      2. The problem:
        1. Greek culture is logic oriented
          1. philosophy and math reign supreme
        2. Rationally speaking, resurrection is really a silly idea. 
          1. people don’t just come back to life
          2. it’s a thing of fairy tales and children’s stories
          3. people in ancient Rome did not come back to life any more often than they do now (Acts 17:32)
        3. Christianity becomes much more palatable if Jesus did not rise from the dead.
          1. less superstitious sounding and more educated sounding
      3. Paul’s response:
        1. He concludes the main body of his letter with a lengthy explanation of the resurrection of Christ and its importance to the Christian faith. 
          1. Paul wants to prevent the rejection of a bodily resurrection, such as he experienced in Athens (Acts 17:32). 
        2. Paul asserts the resurrection is not only real but central to the gospel
          1. recounts the post-resurrection appearances of Jesus, 
          2. Salvation is conditional upon belief in the bodily resurrection of Christ. 
            1. The resurrection is part of "the gospel [by which] you are saved if you hold firmly to it" (15:2)
            2. If Jesus is not alive, then we are still living under our sins
            3. “If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are to be pitied more than all men” (15:19)
            4. For as in Adam all die so in Christ all are made alive (15:22)
              1. Jesus first died, then rose to a new life (15:3-5), and became "a life-giving spirit" (15:45). 
            5. If Jesus did not rise from the dead, there is no hope for us rising from the dead.
        3. The future resurrection is our hope that things will not always be like this
          1. We are living in the “now and not yet”
          2. Jesus has come and conquered sin, yet Satan is somehow also in control.
            1. “ruler of the kingdom of the air” (Eph 2:1-2)
            2. “The god of this age” (2 Cor 4: 4)
            3. “the whole world is under the control of the evil one.” (1 John 5:19)
            4. As Christ’s ambassadors in this world, our job is to enforce his victory
        4. The resurrection of Jesus and outpouring of the Spirit are not the fulfillment of God’s work; they are just the beginnings
          1. The first-fruits, the down payment
          2. Jesus is the first-fruit (15:20) of those to rise from the dead. Death must still be overcome for others (15:21) when he returns to establish God's kingdom on the new earth (15:23-28). 
  4. Applying the Epistles to Our Times 
    1. 1 Corinthians brings up the problem of application: What does this letter mean for God's people here and now? 
      1. The problem exists because all of God's Word is culturally conditioned; 
        1. the text was written by a real author to a particular historical people. 
      2. It is not, however, culturally bound: 
        1. no part of the Bible is "stuck" in its original historical setting with no message for us. 
        2. Every part of Scripture is still applicable and important for us, but we do not always agree on how it is applicable. 
      3. The problem is 
        1. first to find out what the text meant for the original author and reader then (this is called exegesis), and 
        2. secondly to find out what it therefore means for us now (application). 
    2. All Christians do apply God's Word, and a scripturally enlightened common sense gets us a long way. 
      1. Some texts clearly apply - "Always give yourselves fully to the word of the Lord" (15 :58)
      2. Other texts clearly do not apply - "when you come, bring the cloak I left with Carpus" (2 Timothy 4:13). 
      3. Most of the matters in the epistles fit into these categories, but our problems come with texts that lie in between. 
      4. However, our common sense is learned from our own culture and traditions and leads to differences among Christians. 
    3. Every application must start with sound exegesis: 
      1. careful, systematic study of the Scripture to discover the original intended meanings. 
    4. This leads to two basic rules: 
      1. A text cannot mean what it never could have meant to its author or his/her readers.
        1. This may not tell us what a text meant but it does set limits as to what a text cannot mean. 
      2. Whenever our life situations are similar to the first-century setting, God's Word to us is the same as His Word to them.
        1. When competent exegesis gives us confidence that our situations are comparable, we are then brought under that same Word. 
        2. Exegesis must include a careful reconstruction of the problem originally addressed in the epistle. 
    5. Four problem areas in application and some guidelines: 
      1. Extended application: 
        1. Is it legitimate to extend an application to other contexts? 
          1. Generally not
          2. God's Word to us must be limited to its original intent. 
      2. Particulars that are not comparable: 
        1. What do we do for issues that have no counterparts, or situations that are highly unlikely to occur now? 
          1. Do your exegesis well and you will likely find a clear principle articulated
          2. this principle must then be applied only to genuinely comparable situations. 
      3. Cultural relativity: 
        1. To what extent does the cultural conditioning of the text influence our application today? 
        2. The following guidelines are helpful: 
          1. distinguish between the central core of the Bible's message and what is not central; 
          2. distinguish between what the Bible identifies as moral and what is only cultural; 
          3. note where the biblical witness is uniform and consistent, and where it is not; 
          4. distinguish between principle and application. 
      4. Task theology: The letters do not give a systematic theology, but theology applied to particular problems. 
        1. Our systematic theology must come from the whole of Scripture
        2. The theology we find in a particular passage may be limited and directed to answering questions which may not be our questions. 
Lesson Activities 

1. 1 Corinthians reading questions.

Read 1 Corinthians and complete the reading questions. I suggest 3 chapters a night. 


2. Research Topic (1 page) 

Choose from one of the topics below to research. You will research one of the issues with which Paul deals in his letter and write a one-page report. The report should focus on exegesis: understanding what the letter meant for the church at Corinth (not for us today). I suggest using some Bible commentaries to help get your mind around the ideas.

The issues are: 

• factions within the church (3:1 - 4:21) 

• sexual immorality and lawsuits in pagan courts (5:1 - 6:20) 

• marriage, celibacy and divorce (7:1-40) 

• food offered to idols (8:1 - 11:1) 

• propriety in worship and at the Lord's Supper (11:2-34) 

• spiritual gifts (12:1 - 14:40) 

• the resurrection of Christ and believers (15:1-58). 


3. Class Discussion

• How is it possible to strike a proper balance between the unity and purity of the church without the one canceling out the other? 

• What current questions of Christian conduct fall within the area of private freedom and public responsibility? 

• How should a church discipline its wayward members?