1 Corinthians Introduction
The book of First Corinthians contains difficult passage upon difficult passage. What does it mean to escape judgment as through fire (3:15)? Should we pronounce judgment (4:5) or not (5:3,12)? What does it mean to hand someone over to Satan and yet still his spirit is saved (5:5)? How will we judge angels (6:3)? Are all things truly lawful (6:12;10:23)? Which is better, to be married or single (chapter 7)? How is an unbelieving husband made holy through his believing wife (7:14)? Is it okay to eat meat sacrificed to idols (chapters 8 and 10)? In what sense do we become all things to all people (9:22)? Can a man pray or prophesy with his head covered, and can a woman pray or prophesy with her head uncovered (11:4-5)? How is man the glory of God, but woman the glory of man (11:7)? What do the “angels” have to do with head coverings (11:10)? If we eat the Lord’s supper in an unworthy manner, might we get sick and die (11:30)? And we have not even begun to raise the controversial questions regarding spiritual gifts, prophesy, and speaking in tongues (chapters 12-14) and baptism for the dead (15:29)!
First Corinthians is a book of the Bible full of controversy, which has led to confusion about its teachings and application. As New Testament scholars Ciampa and Rosner explain:
First Corinthians is a book of the Bible full of controversy, which has led to confusion about its teachings and application. As New Testament scholars Ciampa and Rosner explain:
[First Corinthians] is, in fact, one of Paul’s most difficult letters. Many factors weigh against a confident and appropriate reading of this ancient text. It is far removed from our world in terms of language, geography, economics, social customs and religious practice. It talks with little or no explanation of human wisdom, law courts, prostitution, meat markets and pagan worship, not to mention head coverings and baptism for the dead. It apparently treats an assortment of topics in no particular order. It carries forward a conversation, but what the other parties were saying is no longer available. (1)
With all this in mind, how are we to approach this complex letter? It is part of the inspired Word of God, and useful for teaching and training in righteousness (2 Timothy 3:16-17), but like all Scripture, we must rightly interpret it, using appropriate hermeneutics (the study of how to interpret the Bible).
To begin, we must understand the genre. First Corinthians is a letter. In short, we are reading someone else’s mail. But that’s not all! We do not have all the correspondence between Paul and the Corinthian church. You see, First Corinthians, unlike its name implies, is not actually the first letter Paul wrote to this church. He wrote them a “previous letter” (5:9), and they replied back to him in another letter with questions and concerns (7:1). The book of First Corinthians is then Paul’s second letter to the church, in response to their letter. We have neither Paul’s first letter nor the Corinthians’ response and must do our best to put the pieces together as we read the Corinthians’ mail. Add to this that the contextual issues are two thousand years removed from us, and we can begin to grasp the difficulty of interpretation.
Good hermeneutics also takes into consideration the audience: Who were the Corinthians and what was Paul’s relationship to them? In Acts 18, we learn that Paul first came to Corinth on his second missionary journey, and he spent eighteen months there. It was not a quick visit but rather one in which he would have established relationships and truly known the people. In writing this letter then, he was familiar with many of the faces, personalities, character traits, strengths, and weaknesses of this church body. The church was located in the city of Corinth, a Roman colony known for its commerce and wealth (Fee, 2). It was full of religious diversity and accompanying sexual immorality. Corinthians scholar Gordon Fee explains,
To begin, we must understand the genre. First Corinthians is a letter. In short, we are reading someone else’s mail. But that’s not all! We do not have all the correspondence between Paul and the Corinthian church. You see, First Corinthians, unlike its name implies, is not actually the first letter Paul wrote to this church. He wrote them a “previous letter” (5:9), and they replied back to him in another letter with questions and concerns (7:1). The book of First Corinthians is then Paul’s second letter to the church, in response to their letter. We have neither Paul’s first letter nor the Corinthians’ response and must do our best to put the pieces together as we read the Corinthians’ mail. Add to this that the contextual issues are two thousand years removed from us, and we can begin to grasp the difficulty of interpretation.
Good hermeneutics also takes into consideration the audience: Who were the Corinthians and what was Paul’s relationship to them? In Acts 18, we learn that Paul first came to Corinth on his second missionary journey, and he spent eighteen months there. It was not a quick visit but rather one in which he would have established relationships and truly known the people. In writing this letter then, he was familiar with many of the faces, personalities, character traits, strengths, and weaknesses of this church body. The church was located in the city of Corinth, a Roman colony known for its commerce and wealth (Fee, 2). It was full of religious diversity and accompanying sexual immorality. Corinthians scholar Gordon Fee explains,
The religious expression of Corinth was as diverse as its population. Pausanias describes at least 26 sacred places (not all were temples) devoted to the “gods many” (the Roman-Greek pantheon) and “lords many” (the mystery cults) mentioned by Paul in the present letter (8:5). (3)
He goes on to say, “Paul’s Corinth was at once the New York, Los Angeles, and Las Vegas of the ancient world” (ibid). It is not surprising then that Paul had to address many issues such as worldly philosophies, sexual immorality, idolatry, and pride.
Understanding the difficulties of the letter, as well as the genre and audience, will help us as we tackle two main sections of First Corinthians. In this article, we will first unpack 1 Corinthians 7 so that we can rightly understand what Paul says about circumcision and its application to the Corinthians, and then to us today. Second, we will study chapters eight through ten, with the framework that these chapters are a unit and contain a central theme of a willingness to give up our rights for the sake of the gospel.
Understanding the difficulties of the letter, as well as the genre and audience, will help us as we tackle two main sections of First Corinthians. In this article, we will first unpack 1 Corinthians 7 so that we can rightly understand what Paul says about circumcision and its application to the Corinthians, and then to us today. Second, we will study chapters eight through ten, with the framework that these chapters are a unit and contain a central theme of a willingness to give up our rights for the sake of the gospel.