Love Letters
Introduction: The letters to the Corinthians are some of the longer letters that Paul writes. There is a reason for this. The Corinthians had serious problems that took time to resolve. In my opinion, these two letters are some of the most relevant advice found in scripture for our modern times because in many ways, the people of Corinth and modern western society share similar backgrounds and have similar failings. As we read of the problems faced by these early Christians, we see ourselves in their weaknesses, and we find answers to our struggles in the solutions written in these ancient epistles. We also become aware of the gut-wrenching love that Paul felt for these backsliding Christians who he had mentored and nurtured for so long.
Background Information for 1 and 2 Corinthians:
The city of Corinth was located about 40 miles west of Athens on the island of Achaia. Thus, it was Greek in origin. On the other hand, because it was located on two harbors and was one of the most important centers of trade in the Roman Empire, it was the cosmopolitan home of a multitude of people from a variety of cultures. These immigrants saw Corinth as their own land of opportunity. In addition to being known as a center for trade, the city of Corinth had a reputation for indulging in sensual pleasures. In other words, it was a city of orgies and pushing the limits of sex outside of any boundaries. Whether as the cause or the effect, it was a major site for the worship of Aphrodite. “According to legal requirements 1,000 beautiful young women officiated as courtesans, or public prostitutes, before the altar of the goddess of love. They were supported chiefly by foreigners, and from the proceeds of their vice the city derived a steady income” (SDA Commentary). “In classical Greek, to act like a Corinthian was to practice fornication, and a Corinthian companion was a prostitute” (Guzik). Another source says that whenever ancient authors inserted a Corinthian into a play, he was always drunk. In other words, sensual pleasures and money were the prime motivating factors of the city government, as well as the people who were drawn to the opportunities of the wealthy metropolis.
Paul started the church in Corinth on his second missionary journey in A.D. 51 (probably). After spending a relatively short time in Athens, Paul had chosen to travel on to Corinth. At this time, Paul was alone because he had left his traveling companions, Silas and Timothy, in Macedonia to continue teaching the new converts there. It was here in Corinth that Paul met Aquila and Priscilla and began an association that would last for years. They were all in the same trade, so Paul lived with them and supported himself with his tentmaking skills while he spent his free time evangelizing. Eventually, Silas and Timothy rejoined him, and he was able to spend more time preaching the gospel.
During this first time in Corinth, Paul stayed eighteen months, which is one of the longest periods that he spent in any one place during his mission trips although not as long as he stayed just across the Aegean Sea in Ephesus. It was while he was staying in Ephesus that the problems in Corinth came to a head, and Paul began writing letters to address the situation.
The Problems: Although Paul started the church in Corinth alone, God used other faithful servants to guide the fledgling Christians of Corinth, including the silver-tongued Apollos. This should have been a blessing for the church, but instead, the argumentative Corinthians turned it into a divisive issue where each faction proclaimed their loyalty to Paul, Apollos, Peter, or Jesus. Secondly, indulging sensual appetites remained a temptation, whether sexual gratification or gluttony that perverted the Lord’s Supper. Also, greed had raised its ugly head, and the Corinthians were taking each other to court to resolve their disagreements. As if this were not bad enough, the Corinthians also had other issues of doctrinal error and questions about incorporating their beliefs into daily life, e.g. eating meat offered to idols. In short, the Corinthians had so perverted love in their past lives before their conversions that they had difficulties in understanding how to interact with others in a Christ-like manner and resolve their differences as Christian brothers and sisters. Thus, in trying to reach these quarrelsome former degenerates, Paul penned one of the most beautiful definitions of love ever written as he attempted to enlighten the Corinthians about how to relate to each other as sons and daughters of God.
1 Corinthians: First Corinthians was written during Paul’s third missionary journey while he was living in Ephesus about three years after the establishment of the Corinthian church. The letter was written in response to reports that came to Paul from visiting church members about the divisions in the church of Corinth. This letter is not the first letter written to the Corinthians, but the first has disappeared. We know of its existence from a reference that Paul makes in 1 Corinthians 5:9 which states that Paul had advised the Corinthians about associating with a brother or sister Christian who was indulging in sexual sin. Paul had two purposes in his second letter that we know from the Bible as First Corinthians. He wanted to get the quarreling backsliders to return to their devotion to Jesus and to give instruction in points of confusion. Before reading First Corinthians, it is a good idea to read chapter 18 of the book of Acts to gain background information.
My Own Personal Question: There is one name repeated in both Acts and 1 Corinthians that poses a bit of a mystery. There is a leader of the synagogue in Acts 18 named Sosthenes, who led the persecution against Paul in Corinth and ended up getting beaten by a mob. In First Corinthians 1:1, Paul gives greetings from himself and his “brother Sosthenes.” Are these the same individual, or are there two Sosthenes known to the people of Corinth? If this is the same man, he must have had an incredible and powerful untold conversion story that I would love to know more about.
Context! Context! Context! Because of the many issues that Paul was dealing with in this letter, it is important to keep the context of the problems in mind as you read Paul’s admonitions and solutions. Some beautiful principles for today can be extrapolated from the letter, but care needs to be taken not to indiscriminately overgeneralize Paul’s words to situations that are not within the context of the original problem. For example, one of the issues that Paul addresses is the misuse of the spiritual gifts causing chaos in the church. During this discourse, Paul says “For God is not a God of confusion but of peace. As in all the churches of the saints, the women should keep silent in the churches. For they are not permitted to speak, but should be in submission, as the Law also says. If there is anything they desire to learn, let them ask their husbands at home. For it is shameful for a woman to speak in church” (1 Corinthians 14:33-35). Some readers have taken these verses to mean that women should not speak as leaders in the church. However, the context within the letter itself demonstrates that this was not Paul’s intended message. Previously, in 1 Corinthians 11:5, Paul spoke of women praying and prophesying. Thus, he could not have been saying that women should always be quiet in public worship. Another example of not overgeneralizing and using modern concepts to interpret ancient ideas is in the section that I just referred to. It contains advice about head coverings. From our modern perspectives, we might view this as a sign of subservience as in Muslim culture, but there are several other verses in the same passage that show that Paul is speaking of ways that respect is shown in the culture of the day and saying that the head covering for a woman adds to her authority rather than taking away from it. As you can see, these verses require deeper thought than a simple “Paul did not want women to speak or go without a head covering,” and trying to apply this rule today. The context itself tells us that we need to look deeper for the principles involved rather than trying to force previous cultural practices into present circumstances. Remember, Paul was not writing to people in the 21st century. He was addressing specific problems in a specific church using comparisons that the people he was writing to could understand. He was writing under the inspiration of God, so he was not giving an erroneous message, but like all Biblical passages in both the Old and New Testament, Paul’s writings must be viewed within the context of the time period and understood within the genre they belong to.
Outline of 1 Corinthians:
1:1-9 Greetings
1:10-4:21 Rebukes: Unity within the Church and Discipline
Chapter 5 to 6 Rebukes: Sexual Immorality within the Church and Lawsuits among Believers
Chapter 7 Answers to Questions: Marriage
Chapter 8 Answers to Questions: Food Offered to Idols
Chapter 9-11:1 Answers to Questions: Discipline and Self-Control
Chapter 11 Proper Worship: Veiling and the Lord’s Supper
Chapter 12 Proper Worship: Spiritual Gifts
Chapter 13 Proper Worship: Definition of Love
Chapter 14 Proper Worship: More about Spiritual Gifts
Chapter 15 Resurrection and Christ’s Second Coming
Chapter 16 Conclusion: Future Plans, Practical Details, and Greetings
2 Corinthians: Paul is writing to the Corinthians in conjunction with Timothy. This is because Timothy is now the friend of the Corinthians. Paul had sent Timothy to bear his second letter (I Corinthians) to the Corinthians so that they might have a counselor who could guide them through the process of repentance and growth. Timothy had become dear to many of them also. Second Corinthians also reveals that Paul had visited the Corinthians a second time after sending the First Corinthians letter, and he had sent Titus to minister to them also. However, Paul is unsure if the work of repentance has been completed among the Corinthians. There are still some who criticize Paul in order to ignore the admonitions given in person and by letter in First Corinthians. Most of Second Corinthians is taken up with Paul’s reassurance that he loves the Corinthians and has dealt fairly with them and reminders of Paul’s authority. Paul had planned a previous visit, but was unable to come to Corinth, so part of the letter speaks of the reasons that he never showed up in person. However, Paul is about to visit, so he wants the reformation of the Corinthians to be complete so that he will not have to exert his apostolic authority to discipline the defiant rebels.
Outline of 2 Corinthians:
II Corinthians 1:1-2:4 Introduction: Greetings, Paul in Danger, Changes of Plans
2:5-11 Forgiving the Repentant Sinner
2:12-17 Joy at News from Corinth
Chapter 3 Paul’s Credentials I and Enlightenment by the Spirit
Chapter 4 Life, Struggles, and Death through the Lens of the Gospel
Chapter 5 and 6 An Apostle’s Ministry of Reconciliation
Chapter 7 Paul’s Happiness at the Corinthians’ Response
Chapter 8 and 9 Collection for Judea
Chapter 10 to 13:10 Paul’s Credentials II
13:11-14 Conclusion
Final Thoughts: First Corinthians is extremely negative, objective, and practical. It has many profound truths that uplift us still today. Second Corinthians is less negative and more hopeful. It gives us insight into how much Paul loved his spiritual children and some relevant knowledge of his background not found elsewhere. Taken together, the two letters to the Corinthians help us to understand that Paul was only negative and stern because he loved his backsliding spiritual children so much. He was willing to try both threats and pleading if it would rescue these beloved ones from destruction. The two letters also demonstrate that sanctification takes time, and if people slip back into sensual practices, greed, or being quarrelsome, there is still hope for them. They need to be pointed back to Jesus as the center of their lives instead of focusing on self and self-gratification. Through the transforming love of Jesus, they can learn to love each other as well.