Corinthian Correspondence
For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.
There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit.
There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord
There are different kinds of working, but the same God works all of them in all people.
I Corinthians 12:4-6 (NIV)
For we were all baptized by one Spirit into one body—whether Jews of Greeks, slaves or free—and we were all given the one spirit to drink
I Corinthians 12:13 (NIV)
Therefore if anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation; the old is gone, the new has come.
2 Corinthians 5:17 (NRSV)
I. Background to Corinthian Correspondence
A. Social Status and Stratification
1. Social status was based on honor and came as the result of birth, bestowal by a person of higher rank, or achievement
2. At the top was a small aristocratic group who basically controlled the lower class. There was no dominant "middle class"
3. There arose a set of contractual arrangements of "patron-client" relationships. Patrons were the higher class and clients were those who gave them support, loyalty, and dedication.
4. The Greco-Roman household was dominated by men: husbands over wives, husbands over children, and masters over slaves.
5. Some women had high social standing, but male dominance was more pronounced in patriarchal societies such as that of the Jewish people.
6. These relationships have much to do with understanding the following elements in I Corinthians
a. Competitiveness among the households (I Corinthians 1)
b. Competitiveness among spiritual understandings (I Corinthians 3)
c. Unresolved conflicts (I Corinthians 6)
d. Paul's instruction towards unity. There is no distinction between these classes in Christ. All are one.
B. Travel and Hospitality
1. Correspondence and letters of reference were common for introduction of new individuals into a particular society.
2. Hospitality was an extremely important social virtue. Paul's travels relied heavily upon this.
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C. Life in the City
1. Corinth was a melting pot of the ancient world. It drew from all kinds of cultures, nations and people groups.
2. Statues of gods lined the streets and temples to these gods were popular in the cities. Pluralism was common, i.e. to worship more than one god. The gods didn't care what you did as long as you worshipped them.
3. Agoras, or marketplaces, were meeting places where debates, types of legal proceedings, and public forums were commonly held
4. The ruins of the Roman "Forum" in Rome, are a good picture of this.
D. Philosophers, Pagan Religions and Cults
1. Many philosophical schools functioned much like religions. ie. followers of Plato, Socrates, Cynicism
a. Plato: the material world we perceive is a shadow of true reality (dualism: the division of mortal and immortal, evil and good)
b. Stoicism: all reality is one. Happiness was attained by harmony with nature—inner peace and contentment in a world of troubles
c. Cynicism: (not in the modern sense) These tried to convert people to lives of austere virtue, and away from materiality
2. Syncretism: the mix of all kinds of traditions of gods and godesses (much like today's "new age"
3. Emporer Worship: tended to elevate the ruler of the land to the status of a god.
II. Sequence of Corinthian Correspondence
A. The church in Corinth was established as recorded in Acts 18
B. What has survived for us are two letters which we call I and II Corinthians.
C. In reality, from the text, we learn there were other letters. The sequence may be something like this:
1. First Letter (lost to us, referred to in I Corinthians 5:9)
2. Letters from Corinth to Paul which give rise to what we now know as I and II Corinthians.
A. Correspondence from Chloe's people about factions (I Corinthians. 1:11)
B. A letter to Paul about specific problems (I Corinthians 7:1)
3. Paul's response to all of this is what we know as I Corinthians.
4. Paul learns of opposition to his ministry (2 Corinthians 3:1)
5. Paul's response is what we know as 2 Corinthians.
Note: Some believe 2 Corinthians is a composite of multiple shorter
letters to the Corinthians
a. 2 Corinthians 2:14-7:4
b. 2 Corinthians 10-13
c. 2 Corinthians 1:1 – 2:13
d. 2 Corinthians 8
e. 2 Corinthians 9
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III. Issues addressed in First Corinthians
A. Chapters 1-4:
1. Division in the church: Unity is only in Christ
2. True Spirituality: by the Spirit, not worldly wisdom
B. Chapter 5: Immorality:
C. Chapter 6: Public behavior
D. Chapter 7: Marriage:
E. Chapter 8: Social interaction with Pagans
F. Chapter 9: The defense of ministry, and the rights of those who minister
G. Chapter 11-14: Behavior in the assembly
1. The Lord's Supper
2. Spiritual Gifts
H. Chapter 15: The centrality of faith and the resurrection
I. Chapter 16: The collection for God's people
IV. Issues addressed in Second Corinthians
Paul continues throughout this letter to work out his troubled and somewhat deteriorating relationship with the Corinthian church.
A. Chapter 1: Paul's enduring hardships
B. Chapter 2: Restoration of the sinner (probably a reference to I Cor. 5)
C. Chapter 3: The nature of the new covenant
D. Chapter 4: Treasures in Jars of Clay
E. Chapter 5: On our heavenly dwelling, the new body our ministry of reconciliation
F. Chapter 6: Paul's hardships revisited
G. Chapter 7: Paul's Joy in ministry
H. Chapter 8-9: Generosity encouraged
I. Chapter 10-13: Defense of Paul's ministry
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A. How is diversity in our congregation manifested? Do we maintain unity in Christ amid these differences?
B. What different spiritual gifts can you identify as functioning in our church family? (Describe them in your own words).
C. How does effective communication take place within our church family? Do we know what is going on? How can we improve?
D. How can we support those who labor in all forms of ministry within our church family?
E. Do our worship and assembly times reflect the movement of the Spirit, in terms of content, and orderliness? Are there areas where we can "wait for one another"?