The book of 1 Corinthians
The Book of 1 Corinthians
What is the book of 1 Corinthians about?
The book of 1 Corinthians outlines Paul's attempt to restore the Corinthian church. This book is a letter to the church in the city of Corinth that was founded by Paul. He left the church a few years after he founded it and was receiving reports of serious problems in the congregation. This book was written to respond to those problems.
It is clear that the church was gifted (see 1:4-7) but it was also immature and unspiritual. Paul's purpose for writing were to:
- Instruct and restore the church in its areas of weakness (1:10 - 4:21)
- Address immorality (ch. 5, 6:12-20), litigation/lawsuits in pagan courts (6:1-8), and abuse of the Lord's Supper (11:17-34)
- Correct false teaching of the resurrection (ch. 15)
- Answer questions addressed to him
- Call the church to obedience in the light of a growing challenge to Paul's authority.
Who wrote the book of 1 Corinthians?
The author of 1 Corinthians is the apostle Paul with the assistance of Sosthenes (1:1).
Who is the audience?
Believers at Corinth whose church was torn apart by factions and spiritual immaturity.
Timeframe 1 Corinthians was written:
Written sometime around AD 55.
"In short" (One sentence summary):
The book of 1 Corinthians tells us of the letter written by Paul to the church at Corinth addressing their problems and answering their questions.
Fun facts about 1 Corinthians/Did you know?
Corinth was a thriving city at the time. It was a chief city both commercially and culturally. Important aspects of the city include:
- Commerce - The city of Corinth was a crossroads for travelers and traders. It had two harbors by which trade flowed to/from Italy and Spain (to the west) and from Asia Minor and Egypt (to the east).
- Culture - The people of Corinth were interested in Greek philosophy and placed a high premium on wisdom.
- Religion - Corinth contained at least 12 temples and a synagogue.
- Immorality - Corinth was plagued by sin and immoral behavior. The worship of the greek god of Aphrodite fostered prostitution in the name of religion.
