Exegetical Study on Corinthians

In 1 Corinthians 14, Paul starts out by saying that believers ought to desire gifts of the Spirt, but especially prophecy. When someone prophesies, everyone around them can hear and understand the message that God has given through a chosen person. Through prophecy, Paul says that the church can gain knowledge, revaluation, or instruction. Therefore, Paul would rather have people prophesy, than speak in tongues (unless someone can interpret them). Paul say that prophesy is for believers. If an unbeliever comes into a place where prophesy is happening, then they will become convicted by their sin and be led toward repentance. Paul also addresses what should happen if there are many who come to prophecy or share words of encouragement.

A prophet speaks exquisitely encouraged words to others. Prophets are willing to give up their life for what they believe in. They bring new ideas to situations, and don’t follow other’s work. They are gifted with the ways of God, and have spiritual insight on certain problems. To be a prophet takes hard work. If you do something so immense, and it helps people around you, doesn’t mean you automatically fall under prophecy. You have to have the full criteria. That is why it’s hard to find a modern day prophet today. Many people in the world today have done something big, but are not viewed as prophetic, because of their power, or personality.

Acts of the Apostles chronicles the rapid advancement of the Gospel by way of the gift of the Holy Spirit. “The Holy Spirit in the Acts of the Apostles: The Charismatic Community in Mission” takes into account the narratives succeeding Pentecost including Spirit Baptisms from Samaria to Ephesus (Acts

The prophets are difficult to interpret mainly due to misunderstandings about their function and form (Fee/Stuart p182). Most dictionaries define the word “prophecy”as ‘foretelling or prediction of what is to come. Using the prophets in this way is highly discerning, for less than 2% of OT prophecy is messianic; less than 5% describes the new covenant age and less than 1% concerns future events (Fee/Stuart p182). The prophets usually announced the immediate future of Judah, Israel and the surrounding nations, rather than our future. Those events were forthcoming for them but past for us (Fee/Stuart p182). The primary function of prophets as a spokesperson was to speak for God to their own contemporaries. Of the hundreds of prophets in

First, what must be looked at is who is a prophet and what is a prophet’s message. A prophet is an Israelite called on by God to express in poetic form the vision of God, His kingdom, the messianic age of peace, the work of the Holy Spirit, a new community of people, and the transformation of creation and humanity (VanGemeren 16). One example of a prophet is Amos, where the feeling of prophetic sense of an inner compulsion, “Surly the Lord God does nothing unless He reveals His secret counsel to His servants the prophets. A lion has roared! Who will not fear? The Lord God has spoken! Who can but prophesy?” (Amos 3:7-8).

Second Corinthians was also written to encourage the people of Corinth to be followers of Jesus Christ.

The Gifts of Prophecy and tongues are still important Gifts that the Holy Spirit uses within us today. Prophecy is a message inspired by God and used to encourage, strengthen and build up people in their faith by the Holy Spirit, 2 Peter 1:20-21. It’s a way for God to communicate to His people however we must be aware at how people translate prophesy’s because it must show the love of God, Corinthians 13:2. Acts 2:4 shows us the power of tongues and that when we are filled with the Holy Spirit we are able to connect to God on a spiritual level and communicate and worship Him. However, Paul gives the church a warning saying that it is better to prophesize in church than to speak in tongues, because if there is no one to interpret the tongues then it would introduce an element of confusion where prophecy is a more effective way to lead non-believers to God 1 Corinthians 14:24-25.

Paul was also concerned how this sin had affected the Corinthian Church. The consequences of our

Vs. 14-13 is about the sins of speech, quoting from Ps. 5:9, Ps. 140:3b, and Ps10:7, and using it to match the organs used for speech such as the, mouth, throat, lips, and tongue, this was Paul’s way to be able to show people how their words can have deadly

Secondly, the belief and practice of teaching how to speak in tongues and believing it is a requirement for one to be saved is unbiblical. There is only one way by which people could be saved and that is by believing in the Lordship of Jesus Christ. Paul and Silas were incarcerated, at midnight they sung melodious hymns and prayed while the prisoners were looking at them. Suddenly there was a strong earthquake which shook the walls of the prison. Immediately, the doors opened and their chains got broken. When the jailor saw that the prison doors had opened, he drew his sword to kill himself thinking that the prisoners had fled in other to avert been punished. Paul called him in a loud voice and told him not to kill himself as none of the prisoners have fled. The jailer

To understand the meaning of the passages about tongues and prophecy, it is important to first discern the reason Paul wrote concerning them. The central idea to 1 Cor. 14 is that God is a God of order, not disorder (1 Cor. 14:33). Paul writes this because the Corinthian church was lacking order in their congregation. For this reason, they were comparable to a symphony in which all the members were playing their own tune and therefore producing a cacophony rather than beautiful music. Therefore, Paul is giving guidelines for the Corinthians in order to bring better unity and structure among them.

In 2 Corinthians chapter 10-13 Paul is challenged by his opponents about the validity of his apostolic authority. His challengers are Jewish Christians that are believed to have had some influence in the community (Harris, 2014, pg. 350). Paul describes them as “superlative apostles” that believed in “another Jesus” as their savior. Paul was known to refuse payment for his services however this would prove to be one on the things they used against him. Instead of viewing it as a man who wanted to spread Christianity they used it a way to say that he was unworthy and unqualified to take payment. In the letters written to counter these arguement Paul told of his mystical experiences citing that he has visited third heaven and were he heard words

Sparks rightly speaks of how prophecy involves spiritual interpretation. This spiritual interpretation causes the prophet to view everything through the lens of spiritual implications. Specifically, this spiritual interpretation comes from the Lord as the

There would be a level of difficulty for the Christians in Corinth to go from their pagan ways, and follow the ways of Christianity. I did not realize that the church at Corinth were so confused on how to worship god and Jesus Christ. This is why Paul wrote two letters to Corinth and he reminded them of how they should conduct themselves and worship. It is interesting to me that this kind of behavior was in the Christian church, and I can see why Paul was writing to the Corinthians as they were lost and confused. This article is very interesting and I like how the authors wrote it. Paul says in his letter to the Corinthians, “But I say, that the things which the gentiles sacrifice, a sacrifice to devils, and not to God: And I would not that ye should have fellowship with devils” (1 Corinthians 10:20). In the ceremonies to pagan gods with the help of mind altering drugs, and repeating chanting results in an out of body experience; This is what Paul is warning the church about worshiping idols is the same thing as worshiping demons. Paul also talks about cup of lord and the cup of demons, and how a Christian cannot drink of two cups. Another problem that the Christians in Corinth had to overcome was eating meals offered to idols. Paul addresses this problem in his letter, and this article talks about it too. What the author says is interesting, “They were uncomfortable over meat that had been offered to idols (8:1-13), and they had to be reminded not to attend sacrificial

1 Corinthians 1:18-25, in many ways offers a measuring stick for what true wisdom and power is, according to Scripture. While the believers in Corinth are looking for, and claiming to have, true wisdom and power, Paul addresses the issue and makes it clear that true wisdom and power are found in Christ and in the message of the cross. In no uncertain terms, Paul states that the wisdom of the world is lacking and is unable to save “those who are perishing.” But, the so-called foolishness of God has the power to save those who believe, and is found only in the cross of Jesus Christ. While Jews and Greeks alike are searching for that which saves, Paul makes it clear that salvation is not found in the wisdom and power of