Current Study

We begin our study of 1 Corinthians on June 7, 2009. I hope you enjoyed the study of Psalms we just completed. Be prepared to dive in this quarter as we begin to address the issues that the Apostle Paul had with the church in Corinth. The issues he addressed in this letter also apply to today's church. 

Cross But in spite of great obstacles, Paul was able to plant a Christian church there on his second missionary journey (Acts 18:1–17). Though gifted and growing, the church was plagued with problems: moral and ethical, doctrinal and practical, corporate and private. Paul writes the letter of First Corinthians to deal with some of these disorders, and to answer questions which the Christians in Corinth had raised on crucial issues.

Corinth, the most important city in Greece during Paul’s day, was a bustling hub of worldwide commerce, degraded culture, and idolatrous religion. There Paul founded a church (Acts 18:1–17), and two of his letters are addressed “To the church of God which is at Corinth.” First Corinthians reveals the problems, pressures, and struggles of a church called out of a pagan society. Paul addresses a variety of problems in the life-style of the Corinthian church: factions, lawsuits, immorality, questionable practices, abuse of the Lord’s Supper and spiritual gifts. In addition to words of discipline, Paul shares words of counsel in answer to questions raised by the Corinthian believers.

Summer Quarter 2009

Church
    June 2009
  • 7 - Glory in the Lord - 1 Corinthians 1:10-31
  • 14 - The True Wisdom - 1 Corinthians 2:1-16
  • 21 - One Building, One Work - 1 Corinthians 3:1-23
  • 28 - Purifying the Church - 1 Corinthians 5:1-12
    July 2009
  • 5 - Jesus' Body, the Spirit's Temple - 1 Corinthians 6:9-20
  • 12 - The Marriage Bond - 1 Corinthians 7:1-16
  • 19 - Liberty and Love - 1 Corinthians 8:1-13, 9:19-23
  • 26 - My Neighbor's Conscience - 1 Corinthians 10:16-33
    August 2009
  • 2 - Order in the Church and in the Home - 1 Corinthians 11:1-16
  • 9 - The Lord's Supper - 1 Corinthians 11:17-34
  • 16 - The Gifts of the Spirit - 1 Corinthians 12:4-31
  • 23 - The Best Gifts - 1 Corinthians 14:1-28
  • 30 - The Final Victory - 1 Corinthians 15:35-58

 

Author

Pauline authorship of First Corinthians is almost universally accepted. Instances of this widely held belief can be found as early as A.D. 95, when Clement of Rome wrote to the Corinthian church and cited this epistle in regard to their continuing problem of factions among themselves. (Bruce Wilkinson and Kenneth Boa, Talk thru the Bible.)