Knowing Who You Are Series

Dn Michael gave us the backdrop and overview of 1 Corinthians last Sunday.

• Corinth was a prosperous and bustling city because of its strategic location as a seaport situated at the crossroads of commerce and trade.

• It was a melting pot of many different cultures and the city then was known for their affluence, loose living, immorality and idolatry.

It was in such an environment that the church was established. That probably explains why the church was facing so many problems.

• The believers were influenced by the attitudes and values of the world around them.

Paul was in Ephesus when he wrote this letter, on his third missionary journey, sometime around AD55.

• The church in Corinth was founded by Paul about 5 years back, in AD50 when he first visited the place on his second missionary journey.

Acts 18:1-4 1After this Paul left Athens and went to Corinth. 2And he found a Jew named Aquila, a native of Pontus, recently come from Italy with his wife Priscilla, because Claudius had commanded all the Jews to leave Rome. And he went to see them, 3and because he was of the same trade he stayed with them and worked, for they were tentmakers by trade. 4And he reasoned in the synagogue every Sabbath and tried to persuade Jews and Greeks.

• We read about this in Acts 18. He came to Corinth and met Priscilla and Aquilla, spent a short time working as a tentmaker and preaching in the synagogue.

• Soon the Jews began to oppose him and became abusive.

Acts 18:7-8 “7And he left there and went to the house of a man named Titius Justus, a worshiper of God. His house was next door to the synagogue. 8Crispus, the ruler of the synagogue, believed in the Lord, together with his entire household. And many of the Corinthians hearing Paul believed and were baptized.”

• That’s how the church was started. It was not easy but the Lord encouraged him.

Acts 18:9-11 “9And the Lord said to Paul one night in a vision, “Do not be afraid but go on speaking and do not be silent, 10for I am with you, and no one will attack you to harm you, for I have many in this city who are my people.” 11And he stayed a year and six months, teaching the word of God among them.”

Sometime later on his third missionary trip after visiting Galatia and Phrygia, Paul came to Ephesus and received updates about the church.

• 1 Cor 1:11 “For it has been reported to me by Chloe’s people that there is quarrelling among you, my brothers.”

• Hence the need to write 1 Corinthians, in response to what was happening.

• This was his first concern – to address the divisions that were taking place in the church. We will understand more of this next week as we read on.

The second purpose of this letter was stated in chapter 7 - to reply to the questions they have raised in a letter to Paul.

• 1 Cor 7:1 “Now concerning the matters about which you wrote…”

• He got their letter likely from a delegation that came from Corinth. 16:17 “I rejoice at the coming of Stephanas and Fortunatus and Achaicus, because they have made up for your absence…”

• They are questions dealing with marriage, eating meat offered to idols, the conduct of worship and observing of communion, the use of spiritual gifts, and others.

1 COR addresses practical issues concerning Christian conduct and behaviours.

• It provides us with the wisdom and principles that we need in our relationship with one another in Christ.

• Christians can also quarrel and disagree with one another, but we can still unite and serve God in harmony and with love.

• We can have different views on many things and yet agree to disagree on non-essential matters.

Paul’s opening words set the tone right for all the problems that he is going to address subsequently. Let’s read.

1 Cor 1:1-3

1 Paul, called by the will of God to be an apostle of Christ Jesus, and our brother Sosthenes, 2to the church of God that is in Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints together with all those who in every place call upon the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, both their Lord and ours: 3 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

[If this Sosthenes is the same as that in Acts 18:17, then he is the ruler of the synagogue succeeding Crispus (Acts 18:8) who was converted. Apparently, he has become a believer and is now with Paul.]

1 Cor 1:4-9

4 I give thanks to my God always for you because of the grace of God that was given you in Christ Jesus, 5 that in every way you were enriched in him in all speech and all knowledge — 6even as the testimony about Christ was confirmed among you — 7so that you are not lacking in any gift, as you wait for the revealing of our Lord Jesus Christ, 8who will sustain you to the end, guiltless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9God is faithful, by whom you were called into the fellowship of his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.