I Corinthians : 50 Shades Of Sanctification

The Book of 1st Corinthians is letters written by Paul to the church in the city of Corinth. Paul sent these letters as a response to a letter he received from the Corinthian Church. The city of Corinth was a wealthy trading center located on the Mediterranean Sea. Corinth was a city known for its wickedness. The people lived very sinful lives. The church consisted of converted idolaters, adulterers, male prostitutes, thieves, drunkards and swindlers.(6:9-11)The new church in Corinth faced tribulation because Christians struggled to act differently than the people around them. They were not getting along with one another, and they were taking sides.

Paul’s letter to the Church in Colossae is powerful as well as informative, it not only addresses the specific problem of heresy, but Paul is stating himself to be specifically chosen by God to demonstrate the role of intercessory prayer and suffering as demonstrated in Colossians 1:9-14.

Sometime after his initial visit to Corinth, probably while he was ministering in Ephesus, Paul wrote a letter to the church, a letter to which he alludes in 1 Cor. 5:9, “I wrote to you in my epistle not to have any company with fornicators.” As D. Guthrie points out (p. 426), the gist of the contents of that previous letter may be inferred from 1 Cor. 5:9-13.

Traditionally, 1 Corinthians is attributed to Paul, as are many of the New Testament letters. Paul was writing to a church in Corinth, a church and town that would have been primarily Gentile. This means the congregation would likely have been familiar with, and influenced by, pagan practices. Paul had since left Corinth and it seems that other Christian leaders had visited after Paul’s departure. Paul writes to correct and address issues that have arisen in the church. It seems the Corinthians have written Paul with a list of questions, but this has been lost. Some of the issues seem to have arisen from poor reports of the church reaching Paul. It is important to read this letter in the context of a church asking for direction regarding specific issues. This letter allows us to eavesdrop on Paul’s side of the conversation, but we not not privy to the other side of the conversation.

1 Corinthians 6:9-11 is part of a larger literary unit that deals with unholy conduct. It begins in 5:1 and ends at 6:20 and is discernible by an antithetical inclusio: 5:1-13 sexual immorality and 6:12-20 glorifying God in your body. 6:1-11 is the mid-section, a sub unit that deals with lawsuits between believers. In 6:9-11 Paul weaves in the wrongdoing and rightful judgement of it from Chapter 5. This is evident in the repetition of all of the items of 5:11 in the catalogue of 6:9-10. This list builds upon the listed items in 5:11 which builds upon 5:10. 6:11 acts as a lead in to the opposite end of the inclusio of 6:12-20 - being washed, sanctified and justified in the name of Jesus is what makes the body the temple of the Holy Spirit. Therefore, Paul exhorts the Corinthians to at the

When looking at the 1 Cor. Passage, it is important to realize that Paul’s letters are occasional, they were meant for a specific audience. In this case, the Christians in Corinth were taking other Christians to court. Court cases in this context were extremely public, something

Paul continues to instruct Christians in how they should live. He begins by stating that Christians should respect and honor the governing authorities because they have been appointed by God. Also, Paul commands us to love one another. As he explains, all of the other commandments will be fulfilled by loving our neighbor. Therefore, “love is the fulfilling of the law” (13:10). Finally, Paul urges Christians to live in preparation for the day that Christ returns. Constantly fighting sin, we must put on the mindset and character of Jesus Christ, in preparation for that day.

In this passage of the second letter to the Corinthians, Paul addresses several concerns. He is addressing the situation of a man who has sinned not only against himself, but against the Corinthian Church as well. He explains why he wrote a letter rather than bringing sorrow upon them. Paul is sensitive to the Lord’s leading, and in love, writes to the church encouraging them to discipline this man in love for the purpose of restoring him. He urges the Corinthians to be obedient and love the man through forgiving and encouraging him. Paul shares with them his trust in the Lord for the outcome of this matter and how burdened he was for restoration to take place. He warns them of the need to not allow Satan a foothold through this

Paul’s letter to the Romans can be broken down into four major sections. Within each of these sections there is a single compelling issue. Within the context of these respective issues, several interpretive questions can be answered through the interpretative process. These answers help us to understand how to apply the spiritual principals to our lives, as well as, help us compel other individuals to apply these spiritual principles within their lives.

Corinth was a large and prosperous city south of Thessalonica, the capital of the Roman province of Achaia. It was a major center of trade and communication, served by two ports. In Paul’s time, it was a cosmopolitan place, the home of a wide range of religious and philosophical movements.

The Corinthian books were written as letters to the Corinthian people. While focusing on specifically 1 Corinthians 13, this letter is full of eye opening wisdom for its readers. While reading this passage, readers should approach this genre as a letter of advice, as did the Corinthians. In short, Chapter 13 speaks solemnly on love. God gave Paul these words to speak to the people, as they were found to be heartless in their idea of living as a Christian. The Corinthian people were reckless and possessed no love in their hearts. To begin, Paul starts with the revelation that if one has great faith in God (enough to move mountains), but has no love- they are nothing. This was a big deal for the spiritually blind Corinthians to hear, as they

Paul was strong in his Faith. Jesus wanted him to stay strong in his faith, and he did. Paul wants, just as much as Jesus did, for us to stay strong in our Faith. He saw what the Corinthians were doing and he wanted them to follow the right way. He saw all the wrong was happening and he knew that he needed to help

Paul relates to some opponents as “superlative apostles” who invaded the congregation with accusations about Paul’s teaching, as they quickly gained influence over the church in Corinth. Specifically, the apostles worked to sabotage the Corinthian’s belief in Paul’s teachings and trust in his personal righteousness. The deceitful acts were performed by the apostles because Paul refused to be compensated for his apostolic services, and they disputed his qualifications as a Christian leader (Harris, 2014, p.349). As a result, Paul writes an emotional and somewhat heartless defense of his apostolic supremacy. Boldly, Paul responds by conveying that his apostolic qualifications are attributed to him being known as the mystic and to his mystical

The previous section of the letter is the introduction and Paul’s note of thanks for the Corinthian believers. There is a distinct note of commendation and love in the first section before Paul begins to condemn and exhort the Corinthians for their poor behavior. Much of this behavior is linked to their boasting about their wisdom, or the wisdom of those whom they choose to follow. Therefore, much of Paul’s teaching is in relation to true wisdom, as opposed to worldly wisdom. Paul continues to address the issue of factions in the church by further concentrating on the issue of wisdom, before he begins approaching other issues from the report in chapters 5 and 6. Following this, Paul begins to address the questions posed by the

Our source of knowledge of the apostolic work of Paul comes first from the Book of Acts. The epistles written by Paul serve to further our knowledge of his mission. These letters were written to churches that he had founded or churches that were known to him. Luke’s account of Paul introduces us to the basic facts about this important biblical figure. A more complete understanding of Paul’s journeys can be gleaned from his letters. These epistles were written almost at the time they occurred and they comprise some of the earliest works contained in the New Testament.