Let’s get straight to it. Lambchow is beginning a new series based on 1st Corinthians. Corinth was a powerful commercial city with strategic importance about 40 miles from Athens. It also had a well-earned reputation for sexual immorality and the worship of Aphrodite. This reputation became cemented through a Greek word for being promiscuous, which means to “live like a Corinthian.” Think of Corinth as a mash-up of New York City and Las Vegas. In the power and wealth department, Corinth had it all.
In the Bible, we first encounter Corinth in Acts 18. “Then Paul left Athens and went to Corinth. There he became acquainted with a Jew named Aquila, born in Pontus, who had recently arrived from Italy with his wife, Priscilla. They had left Italy when Claudius Caesar deported all Jews from Rome. Paul lived and worked with them, for they were tentmakers just as he was.” (Acts 18:1–3, NLT) And there, while in Corinth, Paul, Pricilla, and Aquila planted a church.
We don’t know how long Paul stayed in Corinth. All the Bible says is “some time.” (Vs 18) We do know that 1st Corinthians was written about five years after the church was planted while Paul was in Ephesus. The church of Corinth was a diverse collection of followers of both Jewish and Gentile (non-Jewish) believers. Although not spelled out in Scripture, it seems to be a diverse group with various ethnicities, economic statuses, and backgrounds.
Having heard from Chloe about some troubling issues in the church, Paul wrote the letter we call 1st Corinthians. His goal is simple: to restore unity and order. After his introduction in verses 1-9, he lays out his purpose. “I appeal to you, dear brothers and sisters, by the authority of our Lord Jesus Christ, to live in harmony with each other. Let there be no divisions in the church. Rather, be of one mind, united in thought and purpose.” (1 Corinthians 1:10, NLT) What follows is Paul directly confronting several Corinthian Controversies disrupting unity and order.
In short, the controversies Paul addresses are division in the church, sexual immorality (and related matters), matters of conscience, public worship, spiritual gifts, and the resurrection. Those are the peak controversies, but there are several smaller hills of controversy also included in Paul’s letter.
As we traverse this landscape together, I don’t expect us to agree on all points. Many things Paul writes about are still controversial within the church today. And yet, there is a base of agreement we should all share in Christ. That basic foundational agreement bookends Paul’s letter as he opens with a call to unity and closes with a reminder of our shared belief in Christ’s resurrection.
I will close this “letter” with the same encouragement Paul gave the Corinthian church as he prepared to close his letter. “Be on guard. Stand firm in the faith. Be courageous. Be strong. And do everything with love.” (1 Corinthians 16:13–14, NLT)
- Corinthian Controversies: Hair, Respect, and Value - April 24, 2024
- Corinthian Controversies: Freedom’s Restraint - April 17, 2024
- The Legacy - April 15, 2024