The letters of Paul were not arranged in the order of the time they were written; they were arranged in the amount of their content. Romans, the largest of Paul’s letters which have been preserved for us in the New Testament, is the first that appears although it was the sixth of his thirteen letters. First and Second Corinthians were his fourth and fifth, and both written before Romans.
The first letter Paul wrote to Corinth was written in A.D. 56 or 57. It was followed a few months later by his second letter. That letter was written from Ephesus. First Corinthians 16:8-9 tells that a great, effectual door was opened unto him, but there were many adversaries. Those adversaries were the reason why he left shortly after he wrote the first letter. Paul’s anxiousness of those adversaries materialized in a riot which was provoked by Demetrius. Paul taught that idols were not real gods and that preaching had a very negative impact upon Demetrius’s business: he made images of the goddess Diana. Demetrius caused a great riot which resulted with Paul fleeing Ephesus to save his life.
First Corinthians 1:1 reads, “Paul, called to be an apostle through Jesus Christ through the will of God and Sosthenes our brother …” The inclusion of the phrase “our brother” provokes an intriguing question. When Paul had first preached in Corinth in the synagogue there, Crispus, the ruler of synagogue, was converted to the gospel, and when Paul separated the brethren from the synagogue, Crispus would have left with them. Then, the text speaks of one “Sosthenes” as the ruler of the synagogue (Acts 18:17). Now, in this letter to Corinth he joins Sosthenes, “our brother,” with him in writing these Corinthians. Had that “ruler of the synagogue” also been converted to Christ as the former ruler (Crispus) had been? We do not know, of course, but had he been, it would but have been another example or the power which is contained in the gospel.
The recipients of the letter was the “church of God which is at Corinth” (1 Corinthians 1:2). The expression “church of God” shows that the church at Corinth belonged to God, just as the churches which sent greetings to Roman Christians were “churches of Christ.” They belonged to Christ (Romans 16:16). Sometimes brethren were identified as components of the church in the region or city to which the letter was sent; i.e. “churches of Galatia” (Galatians 1:2) and “church of the Thessalonians” (1 Thessalonians 1:1).
Brethren at Corinth were not only identified as the “church of God;” they also were those who were sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints (1 Corinthians 1:2). They were therefore “set apart:” they belonged to Christ. However, this letter was not exclusively for Corinthian brethren, it was also for the benefit of “all that call upon the name of the Lord Jesus Christ in every place” (1 Corinthians 1:2). “Calling on the name of the Lord” is not just a one time act, all who call upon the name of the Lord will be saved (Acts 2:21; cp. Joel 2:28). It is used to describe man’s primary obedience to Christ. Paul was expressly commanded: “And now, why tarriest thou? Arise, and be baptized, and wash away thy sins, calling on the name of the Lord” (Acts 22:16). Yet, it is not a deed once done in the past. It describes the continued life of Christians who follow Jesus, for although those in Corinth had been baptized, they were still “calling upon the name of the Lord” as Paul commanded in Colossians 3:17, “whatever ye do, in word or in deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus.”
The church at Corinth had been blessed in “that in everything you were enriched in him, in all utterance and knowledge … so that ye came behind in no gift …” (1 Corinthians 1:5, 7). These gifts included miraculous powers, utterance and knowledge (as chapters 12-14 shows), but the possession of those gifts did not prevent error and improper thoughts and deeds from arising. There were divisions among them, tolerance of immorality (chapter 5), lawsuits against brethren (chapter 6), and other grievous sins. The church needed this letter to remind them that although they were richly endowed with God’s spiritual gifts, they grievously had neglected to apply the truths contained in those gifts. And, although Paul had written this letter (which they badly needed), he could not help having apprehensions about how they would receive it. Thankfully, as the second letter showed, it had its proper effect upon them and brought most of the transgressors to genuine sorrow and repentance.
As has already been observed, in his opening words Paul wrote that this letter was intended not only for Corinthians but also for “all that call upon the name of the Lord Jesus Christ in every place.” The ills addressed by the apostle were not unique to the first century; those same ills rage in many areas and churches today. Truly these two letters could appropriately be called, “Modern Problems in an Ancient Church.”
Jim McDonald