The Book of I Corinthians addresses the challenges faced by the church in Corinth, a city known in Paul's time as a wealthy, influential Roman hub of trade, diverse peoples, and ideas, marked by a freewheeling, sensual, multi-cultural society. This environment mirrors the attitudes and ethics of modern Western culture, despite the span of 2,000 years, revealing that human nature remains unchanged. The same issues Paul confronted in Corinth—carnal behavior, sexual sins, legal and business disputes among brethren, marriage concerns, fears of demonic defilement, questions about a paid ministry, and disputes over personal appearance and church service formats—persist today. Paul's epistle to the Corinthians tackles these problems head-on, with major themes explored in this series. During his eighteen-month stay in Corinth, as detailed in Acts 18:1-18, Paul refined his approach to preaching the gospel without causing offense, a strategy honed from past experiences of being driven out of other cities. By the time he reached Corinth, likely around AD 52, he had developed an effective method. After Paul's departure, Apollos also ministered in Corinth for a similar duration, fostering close relationships with the congregation, which explains Paul's knowledgeable and authoritative tone in I Corinthians. In the opening of the epistle, Paul emphasizes the centrality of Jesus Christ, mentioning His name repeatedly to ground his arguments. He affirms the Corinthians as members of the church of God, sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints alongside all who call on His name, regardless of their location. Paul encourages them, asserting they lack no gift and are no less members of Christ's body despite living in a corrupt city. He reminds them that God is faithful, capable of completing the work He begins in them, instilling confidence as he prepares to address their issues. A primary concern in I Corinthians is the party spirit, or partisanship, within the church. Factions had formed, aligning with different leaders—Paul, Apollos, Peter, or even claiming to follow Christ alone. These divisions, though not yet schisms, had led to heated contentions and quarrels among members meeting together on the Sabbath. Paul pleads with them, invoking the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, to speak the same thing, to be unified in doctrine and belief, presenting a united front in preaching the gospel. He urges them to be perfectly joined together, mending divisions so thoroughly that no trace of discord remains, achieving unity in opinion, understanding, purpose, and action. Paul challenges the Corinthians to make deep, painful changes in attitude, demanding they strive for the pinnacle of Christian virtue rather than superficial reconciliation. He recognizes the difficulty of overcoming factions, requiring significant faith and effort from each individual to shed selfish ambitions and embrace humility. He points to Christ's example of service and sacrifice as the model for unity, stressing that true unity among many demands all follow this path of lowliness and outgoing concern. Addressing the ministry, Paul insists that ministers build wisely on the foundation of Christ, ensuring their work aligns with His teachings. Their efforts will be tested, revealing the quality of their service, and while faithful ministers will be saved even if their work lacks skill, those who defile or destroy the church face God's judgment. Paul warns against deception in partisanship, urging the use of godly wisdom over carnal reasoning to discern God's work through His servants. Ultimately, Paul calls the Corinthians to maturity, to abandon the childishness of party spirit, recognizing that aligning behind men for their own sake is destructive. True servants of God point always to Christ and the Father, focusing on bringing glory to Them rather than themselves. Divisions, he notes in I Corinthians 11:19, are inevitable and serve to clarify who is spirit

The book of I Corinthians provides significant insight into the principles of order and authority within the church of God. It reveals the apostolic guidance given by Paul, who, despite being physically distant, maintained charge over the Corinthian church through his authoritative writings. His epistle is filled with instructions and commands on various matters, including judging, lawsuits, fornication, marriage and divorce, meats offered to idols, idolatry, the Passover service, preaching, church services, taking up a collection for the Jerusalem saints, and the treatment of the ministry. In I Corinthians 4, Paul establishes his role as a spiritual father to the Corinthians, emphasizing his authority and the prerogatives that come with it. He could speak gently or command with sternness, depending on their response to his guidance. His instructions on church administration are primarily found in chapters 9, 11, 12, and 14, covering ministerial rights and privileges, the principle of headship, conduct during the Passover service, the organized division of labor within the church, and order in church services. In I Corinthians 9, Paul defends his authority and rights as a minister, using rhetorical questions to affirm his position and citing examples from the law to support the principle that a servant of God who preaches the gospel should receive support from those he teaches. However, he chose not to exercise this right among the Corinthians to avoid hindering the gospel. I Corinthians 11 addresses the principle of headship, outlining a God-ordained order of authority from God the Father to Christ, to man, and to woman. Paul emphasizes maintaining church traditions and notes that one person's contentions are insufficient to overturn long-standing practices. This chapter also corrects the Corinthians' unchristian practice of the Passover service, instructing them to observe it with solemnity, focusing on the symbols of bread and wine as representations of Christ's body and blood, rather than treating it as a feast. In I Corinthians 12, Paul uses the analogy of the body to illustrate the organization and division of labor within the church. Christ, as the Head, directs the body through His Holy Spirit, with each member having a specific place and function determined by God the Father. Paul stresses contentment with one's role and the importance of discerning that differences in gifts and functions are guided by the same Spirit, as long as they do not profane Christ. Finally, in I Corinthians 14, Paul establishes order in church services, addressing the chaos caused by multiple languages in Corinth. He sets rules to ensure services build up the church, limiting speakers to two or three, requiring interpretation for foreign languages, ensuring sequential speaking, restricting women from preaching, and mandating that all preaching conform to the message from Christ through the apostles. This structure ensures that church services teach and encourage the brethren in an orderly manner, glorifying God.

In the exploration of the apostle Paul's first epistle to the Corinthians, it becomes clear that the culture of Corinth deeply influenced the new converts, leading them to bring attitudes, ideas, and sins into the church. Paul, as the founding apostle with authority over this church, felt compelled to correct these issues out of love, desiring them to live uprightly before God. He addressed their divisions into factions based on Greek notions of wisdom and rhetoric, their tolerance of perverse sexual sin, their worldly judgments, and their disorderly conduct during Passover and Sabbath services, labeling them as carnal and in need of basic instruction. Paul's teachings in I Corinthians also delve into personal and domestic relationships within the Corinthian church, set against the backdrop of a society influenced by both Greek and Roman customs. He faced the challenge of teaching a new way of life, radically different from the surrounding philosophies like Cynicism, Stoicism, Epicureanism, and emerging Gnostic ideas, which were underpinned by human nature and the adversarial influences against God. Paul often started from the basics, using Greek philosophies either to contrast with godly principles or to highlight occasional alignments with God's way, as seen in his approach throughout the middle chapters, six through ten. In I Corinthians 6, Paul tackles relationships among brethren, particularly regarding lawsuits. He emphasizes that the church and its members must operate separately from the world, using the term "saints" to signify their set-apart status. He argues that worldly judges are unqualified to settle disputes between brothers in Christ, asserting that taking a brother to court is a spiritual failure. Paul urges Christians to accept wrong and even be defrauded rather than pursue legal conflict, which he likens to war, promoting division and rancor. He elevates the standard further by reminding them that they are redeemed by Christ, owning no rights as His bond slaves, and must follow His example of submission and self-sacrifice out of love. Regarding sexual relationships in I Corinthians 6:12-20, Paul counters popular Greek sayings like "all things are lawful for me" by stating that not all things are helpful or should bring one under their power. He challenges the notion that sexual acts are merely natural and inconsequential, asserting that the body is for the Lord and the Lord for the body, with a higher purpose of serving God. Paul warns against sexual immorality, highlighting its defilement of the intimate union with Christ, and stresses that such sins affect the body and spirit, contradicting philosophies claiming sins are external and harmless. He concludes that the chief aim is to glorify God in body and spirit, which belong to Him. On marriage relationships in I Corinthians 7, Paul addresses extremes of promiscuity and asceticism within Corinth. Responding to the idea that it is good for a man not to touch a woman, he advocates for sexual relations within marriage to avoid immorality, affirming that God created such intimacy as good. He teaches that each spouse has authority over the other's body, second only to God's ownership, making sexual purity doubly important to preserve relationships with both God and spouse. Paul advises resuming marital relations after periods of abstinence for spiritual reasons to prevent temptation, offering balanced guidance on maintaining focus on God while acknowledging human needs. Finally, in I Corinthians 10, Paul lays down principles for Christian conduct, emphasizing seeking others' well-being and doing all to the glory of God. He instructs believers to consider whether their actions are helpful, profitable, or edifying to others, refraining from anything harmful or against God's law. As witnesses of God, redeemed from bondage, they are to proclaim His righteousness in word and deed, prioritizing His interests and the good of others over personal desires.

The book of I Corinthians holds significant relevance for us today, despite being separated from its inception by nearly two millennia. Its teachings closely parallel our present circumstances, offering valuable insights for navigating the challenges of our time. Unlike a systematic doctrinal text, I Corinthians focuses on the practical application of Christian teaching, emphasizing not just the knowledge of God, but the daily living of His will to develop character. Its primary focus is on Christian living, addressing the question of how a member of God's church, a called-out saint, should conduct himself in an unchristian world, or how a Christian is to live in this present, evil age. The situation in cosmopolitan first-century Corinth provides answers for living confidently in our current era. The epistle was written during a time of cultural and religious diversity in Corinth, a prosperous city and major commercial hub in Greece, comparable to Ephesus and Antioch. Located on an isthmus connecting central Greece and the Peloponnesus, Corinth thrived as a transit point between its two port cities, Cenchrea and Lechaeum, facilitating Mediterranean shipping and commerce. This strategic position made it a melting pot of Romans, Greeks, Jews, Egyptians, Syrians, and others, creating a diverse, multi-cultural society. Corinth's religious landscape was equally varied, with temples to numerous gods and goddesses, including Aphrodite, Isis, Artemis, and Zeus, alongside mystery religions and the Roman imperial cult. This eclectic environment, combined with a laissez-faire attitude where anything was permissible as long as peace and commerce were maintained, shaped the backdrop against which Paul ministered. Arriving in Corinth around 50 or 51 AD during his second missionary journey, after a disappointing experience in Athens, Paul adapted his approach to this volatile, diverse audience. He initially worked as a leather artisan with Priscilla and Aquila, integrating into the Jewish community by reasoning in the synagogue on the Sabbath, building trust before proclaiming the gospel more openly. Paul's strategy in Corinth, as reflected in I Corinthians 9, was to become all things to all men, adjusting his methods to his audience while remaining under the law toward Christ. He aimed to persuade rather than confront directly, recognizing the potential for hostility in such a varied setting. Despite initial resistance and conflict with some Jews, leading to a legal confrontation before the proconsul Gallio in AD 51, Paul persisted. Gallio dismissed the case as an internal Jewish matter, reinforcing Paul's later advice in I Corinthians to settle disputes within the church, as the world's legal systems are often unworthy to judge spiritual matters. Paul's ministry in Corinth eventually bore fruit, with influential converts like Crispus, the synagogue ruler, and Justus, possibly from a prominent family. Encouraged by a vision from God affirming that He had many people in the city, Paul continued preaching fearlessly, establishing a significant congregation despite ongoing challenges. The epistle of I Corinthians, written later from Ephesus, reflects these experiences and the lessons learned, offering guidance for the church of God today in navigating a world with striking similarities to ancient Corinth.