1 Coríntios 1

1 Coríntios 1

1 CORINTHIANS - PROBLEMS OF A LOCAL CHURCH Charts from Jensen's Survey of the NT - used by permission FROM CHART: Note 2 major divisions: FIRST DIVISION - Chapters 1-6 = Problems of Congregation - Divisions & Depravities, SECOND DIVISION - Chapters 7-16 = Personal Problems, Worship Problems KEY VERSES - 1 Corinthians 1:10 (divisions), 1 Corinthians 7:1 (personal and corporate problems), 1 Corinthians 15:57 Ray Stedman feels that 1 Corinthians 1:9+ is "the key verse of First Corinthians. The rest of the letter centers around it. It is a statement that God had called them to a very important relationship, and, by implication, here at the very beginning of this letter we learn that this is the reason for all of the problems in the Corinthian church. They had not understood the implications of their calling, and the relationship they personally and individually had with Jesus Christ Himself." PURPOSE: Paul’s purposes for writing the Corinthians were several. (1) His first purpose was to deal with several moral problems and the divisions that had formed as people had divided into fan-clubs and were proclaiming themselves followers of Paul, Apollos, Peter or Christ (1 Cor 1:10). (2) His second reason was to deal with several questions that had been asked in a letter the Corinthians had sent to him (1 Cor 7:1). (3) A third purpose that appears throughout the book is Paul’s defense of his apostolic authority. (Paul Apple's Commentary - 445 pages - recommended) OUTLINE of 1 Corinthians 1:1-2:5 - Thomas Constable 1 Cor 1:1-9 Introduction 1 Cor 1:10-17 The manifestation of the problem THE GOSPEL AS CONTRACTION OF HUMAN WISDOM - 1 Cor 1:18-2:5 1 Cor 1:18-25 The Folly of a Crucified Messiah 1 Cor 1:26-31 The Folly of the Corinthian Believers 1 Cor 2:1-5 The Folly of Paul's Preaching D Edmond Hiebert - WE POSSESS more detailed information about the actual conditions within the church at Corinth than about any other church in the New Testament. The picture given us of this church shows that even apostolic churches were not perfect churches. Our picture of the Corinthian church is drawn, not by an enemy of the church, but by the founder of that church himself, as contained in his two epistles to that church which have been preserved for us....Corinth was a wicked city, even as large cities in the Empire went. The term "a Corinthian" meant a profligate, and "to Corinthianize" (Korinthiazomai lit., to act the Corinthian) meant to engage in prostitution (to practice fornication). In the Greek plays Corinthians were usually represented as drunkards. Carson on 1 Cor 2:1-5 - Now comes an illustration of the insufficiency of secular rhetoric and wisdom. ‘And I’, in the original text links this passage with the last statement about boasting only in the Lord (1:31). Vs 1–2 and 3–4 both begin with ‘and I’ and describe Paul’s activities, in this case, his original entry to Corinth. Orators followed certain well-established conventions when they entered a city. They were expected to give flowery speeches in praise of the city and their own personal achievements. They did this is order to establish their reputation and reap financial rewards as political orators and teachers of the rich. (New Bible Commentary) Henry Alford (see his biography) in his introduction - “This Epistle ranks perhaps the foremost of all as to sublimity and earnest impassioned eloquence. Of the former, the description of the simplicity of the Gospel in 1 Cor 2:1-16.—the concluding apostrophe of 1 Cor 3:16 to the end—the same in 1 Cor. 4:9 to the end—the reminiscence of the shortness of the time 1 Cor 7:29–31—the whole argument in ch. 15 are examples unsurpassed in Scripture itself; and of the latter 1 Cor 4:8–15, and the whole of 1 Cor 9, while the panegyric of love in 1 Cor 13 stands a pure and perfect gem, perhaps the noblest assemblage of thoughts in beautiful language extant in this world. About the whole Epistle there is a character of lofty and sustained solemnity, an absence of tortuousness of construction, and an apologetic plainness, which contrast remarkably with the personal portions of the second Epistle.” (1 Corinthians 1 Commentary) Word in Life Study Bible entitles Corinthians "A Collection of Sinners" asking "Have you ever sighed, “I wish my church could be more like the church of the first century”? Perhaps you have in mind a small, closely knit community of believers who are radically committed to each other and, despite their number, are turning the community upside down with the gospel. What an exciting ideal! Unfortunately, the reality of the first churches probably wouldn’t match it. The church at Corinth is a good case in point. It had several excellent teachers and leaders, yet it struggled with the same problems many churches face today. The Corinthian church was an example of what churches look like, made up as they are of sinners saved by grace. Depending on your expectations, the two Corinthian letters can make for encouraging reading. They point to the fact that there is no instant spirituality. Discipleship is a process. So if you and other believers around you sometimes seem less than Christlike, take heart! The Corinthians have walked this path before you. Despite their shortcomings, they held a special place in the heart of those who knew them best and helped them get started in the faith. To read 1 & 2 Corinthians is to read someone else’s mail. In contrast to Romans, these letters of Paul are very personal, and perhaps for that reason, very enlightening." 1 Corinthians 1:1 Paul, called as an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, and Sosthenes our brother,