The Book of 1 Corinthians

Along with Priscilla and Aquila and his own ministry team, Paul started the Corinthian church during his eighteen month ministry in Corinth on his second missionary journey. The church included Jews, but mostly Gentiles who had come out of a pagan background. After Paul left Corinth, a variety of problems arose in the church requiring his God-given teaching and authority, both in writing and in person.

Paul had two reasons in mind when he wrote this letter: He wanted to correct the serious problems that had been reported to him. Paul saw them as serious violations of God's standards. He also wanted to provide godly counsel and instruction on a variety of issues. These issues included behaviors and moral purity involving specific individuals and the whole congregation. This letter addresses problems that churches have when members remain worldly in their thinking. There were problems of conflicts and divisions based on personality and social class, tolerance of unnatural sexual behavior, sexual misconduct in general, public lawsuits, personal ideas that distorted God's truth and conflicts about questionable behavior.

Among the most important contributions of 1 Corinthians is Paul's teaching on the gifts of the Holy Spirit in the church and worship setting. More than anywhere else in the New Testament, these chapters provide insight into how worship took place in the early church. Paul teaches that God's purpose for the church includes a wide variety of the Holy Spirit's works through faithful Christians who are gifted and appointed by God for certain ministries. In providing guidelines for the exercise of spiritual gifts in the church, Paul makes a distinction between how individuals benefit and how the whole church benefits from the gifts. He insists that all public expressions of spiritual gifts must flow out of love and consideration for others and that they must be used in a way that builds up the congregation.

Five major features characterize 1 Corinthians. 1. It is the most problem centered letter in the New Testament that deal also with modern-day churches. 2. There is an overall emphasis on the unity of the local church as the body of Christ with a unified purpose to honor Christ and spread His message to the community and to the world. 3. This letter contains the most extensive New Testament teaching on such important subjects as celibacy, marriage and remarrying, the Lord's Supper, speaking in tongues, prophecy and spiritual gifts, true godly love and the resurrection of the body. it provides wisdom for pastors and church leaders about methods of church discipline. It emphasizes the real possibility of people turning away from once-genuine faith if they continue in ungodly behavior and do not follow Christ wholeheartedly.