Topic 91 Corinthians

1
Topic 9 1 Corinthians

• Church in Corinth
• City
• Strategically located.
• Cosmopolitan and syncretistic.
• Proverbial for immorality (to Corinthianize).
• Church
• Founded on Second Journey 18-month stay (Acts
  181-18).
• Thriving Gentile church with many problems 4-7
  letters.
• Authenticity of 1 Cor.
• Undisputed.
• Except isolated verses (cf. 1434-35).

2

• Date and place of writing.
• From Ephesus (cf. 1 Cor. 168).
• Third Journey c. 54.
• Previous letter
• Mentioned/clarified in 1 Cor. 59-11.
• Unpreserved (unless 2 Cor. 614-71 is a fragment
  of it).
• Occasion
• Responds to information from two sources
• By word of mouth from Chloes people (111).
• By letter from Corinth (71).
• Now concerning the matters about which you
  wrote
• Each Now concerning (peri de) may introduce a
  new topic raised in the letter (cf. 71, 25 81
  121 161 1612).
• Delegation of Stephanas, Fortunatus, Achaicus may
  have brought the letter (1617).

3

• Occasion cont.
• Church in turmoil three kinds of problems
• Ecclesiastical problems quarreling factions
  disorderly worship and Lords Supper
  over-emphasis on tongue-speaking etc.
• Ethical problems sexual immorality lawsuits
  questions about marriage/divorce eating of
  idol-meat etc.
• Theological problems underlying misguided
  theology.
• Gnosticizing spiritual enthusiasm/wisdom
  theology.
• Special wisdom/knowledge makes one
  spiritual/mature.
• Claimed salvation of spirit already in full
  (overly realized).
• Expressed in ecstatic experiences (overly
  spiritual).
• Devalued body free for immorality (libertinism).
• Lack of love (1614) no sense of community
  (overly individualistic).
• Corinthians ignore Cross and already live beyond
  Resurrection.
• Paul we live between Cross (ch. 1) and
  Resurrection (ch. 15).

4

• F. Content of 1 Corinthians
• 11-3 Salutation readers are sanctified set
  apart for divine service saints holy
  ones.
• 14-9 Thanksgiving mentions speech, knowledge,
  spiritual gifts.
• 110-1612 Body
• ch. 1-4 Problem of factions (boasting of
  superior wisdom/spirituality)
• Boasting of the factions (110-17) champion
  various leaders
• Paul charter members
• Apollos loftier wisdom
• Cephas Jewish Christians?
• Christ rhetorical?
• Theology of the Cross Gods foolish wisdom
  (118-31)
• Gods wisdom/power is wisdom/power of
  self-sacrificial love revealed in Cross.
• Appears to world as weakness/foolishness.
• Undercuts all boasting about wisdom/spiritual
  power.
• Corinthians were nobodies, but God chose them.

5

• ch. 1-4 Problem of factions cont.
• Contrasts lofty words of wisdom with simple
  preaching of crucified Christ in fear and
  trembling (21-5).
• Claims to have a special wisdom revealed by
  Spirit and teachable only to the spiritually
  mature (26-16).
• Factionalism as sign of immaturity (31-4)
• Wisdom-boasters denounce Pauls baby gospel.
• Real babies are those who promote division
  through arrogant claims of maturity.
• 6) Proper regard for leaders (35-23)
• Paul and Apollos are servants of God.
• Not competitors each has role both depend on
  God.
• Ministers held accountable on Judgment Day.
• Church is temple of God beware of destroying it.
• 7) Suffering service as the mode of ministry
  (48-13)
• Sarcastically contrasts Corinthians supposed
  glory with his own suffering as apostle.
• Christian life takes form of sacrificial service
  (Cross theology).

6

• ch. 5-6 Problems of immorality
• (incest lawsuits fornication/prostitution)
• A case of incest (51-8)
• Even pagans dont condone such behavior.
• Corinthians boast of it because it demonstrates
  freedom (cf.612).
• Rebukes church orders to expel offending member.
• Clarification of previous letter (59-13)
• Did not prohibit association with immoral pagans,
  but with immoral Christians.
• Church must live in world must not allow world
  to live in church.
• Lawsuits among believers (61-8)
• Should not be such lawsuits suffer loss rather
  than sue (Cross theology).
• Should be settled within church, not taken to
  court.

7

• ch. 5-6 Problems of immorality cont.
• 4) Sexual immorality and Christian freedom
  (69-20)
• Vice list reflects licentious character of
  Corinth (v. 9-11).
• Slogan of Corinthian libertines All things are
  lawful for me (v. 12).
• Principles of Christian freedom (v. 12-20)
• Do what is helpful avoid things that enslave (v.
  12).
• Not food for the belly and the belly for food
  but the body for the Lord (not fornication) and
  the Lord for the body (v.13-14).
• Bodies are members of Christnot of a
  prostitute (v. 15-18).
• Body is temple of Holy Spirit within/among you
  (v. 19).
• You are not your own you were bought with a
  price (v.19-20).
• Do what brings glory to God in your body (v.
  20).

8

• ch. 7 Questions about marriage
• Problem in Corinth negative view of sex and
  marriage.
• Their slogan It is well for a man not to touch
  a woman (v. 1b).
• Flesh is evil already living spiritual life of
  heaven.
• Abstaining from sex or seeking divorce, esp. if
  spouse is unbeliever, to enhance spirituality.
• Paul also prefers celibacy for
  practical/eschat. reasons.
• I wish that all were (single) as I myself am
  (v. 7).
• Remain in the condition in which you were
  called (v. 17-27).
• Detachment from this world which is passing away
  (v. 29-35).
• Advice to the married
• Sexual relations should continue any abstinence
  should be temporary (v. 2-7) note mutuality of
  rights/authority.
• Should not seek divorce (v. 10-11).
• Even if spouse is unbeliever (v. 12-16)
  believer sanctifies unbeliever.
• Divorce allowed if initiated by unbeliever (v.
  15).
• Note command of Lord (v. 10) vs. Pauls opinion
  (v. 12, 25).
• Advice to the unmarried
• Better to remain single to be free for Lords
  work in view of nearness of End (v. 7-9, 25-28,
  32-40).
• Marriage ok if one lacks gift of
  celibacy/self-control (v. 8, 28, 36).
• Not laying down timeless rules for
  marriage/divorce but dealing with particular
  situation note flexibility.

9

• ch. 8-10 Questions about idol-meat
• Problem in Corinth May Christians eat idol-meat?
• Most meat ritually slaughtered in pagan temples,
  sold in market also served at civic, social, and
  business banquets.
• Weak refused for fear of idolatry (strong)
  ate freely superior knowledge gave them freedom
  (84, 8).
• G. Theissen prob. was division of rich vs. poor,
  since poor had little access to meat.
• Pauls view is highly nuanced
• Idol-meat in principle is indifferent (84-6, 8)
  very different from Apostolic Decree (Acts
  1519-20).
• Must not insist on freedom to eat if it harms
  weaker brother (87, 9-13).
• Principle freedom must be exercised in love
  (81).
• Ch. 9 illustrates principle of forgoing rights
  for sake of others.
• Paul has right to be supported by churches but
  forgoes it to be more effective.
• Principle of sacrificial living for sake of
  others (Cross theology).
• Ch. 10 warns against outright idol-worship.
• Sacraments do not free for idolatry/immorality
  (cf. Israel).
• Lords Supper binds us together as body of
  Christ, united to him, obligated to exclusive
  devotion and obedience (v. 16-24).
• Koinonia (v. 16) sharing, participation,
  fellowship, Communion.
• Closes with guidelines on how idol-meat may/may
  not be eaten (1023-111).

10

• 112-16 Veiling of women in worship
• Problem in Corinth women praying/prophesying in
  worship with uncovered heads (or improper
  hairstyle).
• Paul allows womens participation insists on
  proper attire.
• Order of Creation (male first) establishes
  distinction between sexes which must be respected
  (v. 3-9).
• Redemption in Christ relativizes that
  distinction men and women are interdependent
  (v.11-12) woman has new status in Christ (Gal.
  328).
• M. Hooker Paul says authority in v. 10, where
  we expect veil, because for him the veil is a
  sign of the new authority women have in Christ to
  participate in ways not allowed before.
• Hermeneutical issue How do we apply text
  today?
• Literally imposes veiling on modern women (or
  dismiss whole text as irrelevant).
• Culturally conditioned read in context of Pauls
  culture ask, what in text belongs to gospel
  and what belongs to Pauls culture?
• Permission to participate in worship is womans
  new freedom in Christ.
• Requirement to wear veil is concession to Pauls
  culture.
• We should apply gospel, not culture Paul pushes
  his culture toward greater freedom for women we
  should too, without stopping where Paul stopped.

11

• 1117-34 Conduct at Lords Supper
• Problem in Corinth Lords Supper was drunken
  revelry, dividing rich and poor.
• Rich arriving early, before working class and
  slaves.
• G. Theissen Hellenistic social banquets hosted
  by wealthy typically seated rich and poor
  separately and offered different menus.
• Eating this way is not really Lords Supper (v.
  20).
• Quotes tradition of origin of meal as remembrance
  of Jesus death for us (v. 23-26).
• Earliest recorded tradition of institution of
  Lords Supper.
• Gave thanks (v. 24) eucharisto Eucharist.
• Meal looks back to Jesus death and forward to
  his return (v. 26).
• Self-sacrifice of Jesus is contrary to selfish
  divisiveness of the Corinthians.
• Guidelines eat only after scrutinizing your own
  conduct (v. 24) wait for one another (v. 33).

12

• ch. 12-14 Problem of spiritual gifts
• Problem in Corinth over-emphasis on
  tongue-speaking (glossolalia) was disruptive and
  divisive.
• ch. 12 Variety of gifts, unity of church
• All gifts are for the common good (v. 4-11).
• Analogy of Church as the body of Christ (v.
  12-31).
• ch. 13 Pauls Love Hymn The More Excellent
  Way
• Necessity of love (v. 1-3) Apart from love
  other gifts are pointless.
• Qualities of love (v. 4-7) Agape
  unconditional, self-giving love.
• Permanence of love (v. 8-13) Faith, hope, and
  love abide.
• ch. 14 Putting tongue-speaking in its place
• Tongues is private prophecy is
  community-building (v. 2-5, 12, 18-19).
• Guidelines for controlling practice of
  glossolalia (v. 26-33).
• Silencing of women in church is problematic (v.
  34-35).
• Problems interrupts context at odds with
  earlier permission to pray/prophesy (ch. 11)
  some mss. place after v. 40.
• Possible solutions
• Added by later copyists, based on 1 Tim. 211-12.
• Dealing with specific situation in which
  husband-wife discussions were disrupting worship.
• Statement of the Corinthians which Paul quotes
  and corrects.

13

• ch. 15 Resurrection of believers
• Problem some in Corinth denied resurrection of
  believers.
• Gnostics typically scoffed at future resurrection
  of body.
• Preferred spiritual resurrection already now
  through gift of gnosis (cf. 2 Tim. 217-18).
• Paul argues from resurrection of Christ (v.
  1-11), which is essential (v. 12-19), to
  resurrection of believers (v. 20-28).
• Insists on a future, bodily resurrection (v.
  42-44, 50-57)
• Bodily salvation is of whole person basis for
  ethics (cf. 614).
• Future salvation is not yet complete basis
  for sanctification.
• ch. 16 Collection for Jerusalem wrapping up
• Let all that you do be done in love (v. 14).
• Maranatha Aramaic for our Lord, come (v.
  22).