Read for This Week’s Study: 1 Cor. 1:1, Gal. 1:1, Acts 17:16-34, 1 Cor. 5:9-11, Acts 18:4-10, 2 Cor. 2:4.

Memory Text: “One night the Lord said to Paul in a vision, ‘Do not be afraid, but speak and do not be silent; for I am with you, and no one will lay a hand on you to harm you, for there are many in this city who are my people‘ ” (Acts 18:9, 10, NRSV).

An Opening Question: “Why do you think Paul went to the ancient city of Corinth in fear and trembling?”

Hello, and welcome to Good Word. I am David Thomas, your host for the next 13 weeks. Over the next 13 weeks, we will be looking at the Apostle Paul’s letters to the Corinthians, letters that will give us ample opportunity to do a lot of thinking and talking about church!

I am pleased to have two conversation partners, Carl Cosaert and Mike Barnett.

Let’s begin by talking a bit about letters. Why do people write letters? Usually, it is because they have something to say and cannot be present to say it in person. That was the case with Paul’s letters to the church in Corinth. He had heard from some distance of various goings on in the Corinthian church and therefore felt it necessary to write to them. We know Paul wrote at least three letters to the Corinthians, maybe even four. The New Testament has two of them, maybe three as some people believe that part of 2 Corinthians is actually made up of the third letter that somehow got incorporated into the writings we have.

We should also talk a bit about the ancient city of Corinth. In the Apostle Paul’s day, it was a thriving city made wealthy mostly by its general commerce, shipbuilding, and ceramics. It was an important financial center, too. But Corinth was also known for its rampant sexual immorality to the point the name Corinth was a byword for lasciviousness. Corinth also had a lot of religious activity with shrines all over the place resulting in what Paul and other Christians would have seen as blatant idolatry. One can only imagine the effect of all this public immorality and idolatry on the lives of Corinth’s citizens, including, as we will see, those who became Christians.

According to the biblical record, Paul came from Athens to Corinth “in fear and trembling,” Determining to know nothing among them “save Jesus Christ and him crucified.” There are many commentators who think this fear is because of his attempts at arguing with the philosophers in Athens resulted in a failed ministry. Others think it is because of the fear of doing well in a new place. I tend to agree with the second opinion.

There are a lot of things to talk about here:

• Paul describes himself as an apostle, one called by God. This matter of calling is a very important one not only in the life of Paul, but also in the lives of all Christians. A sense of God’s calling provides not only a sense of purpose, but also the resilience necessary to persevere even when hard times come. It can be said that Christians experience several callings from God:
  • A call to salvation that goes out to all humans.
  • A call to service that goes to all Christians.
  • A call to a special task that goes to some Christians.
  • A call to a place of work.
  • A call to enter relationships, some of which are temporary, that result in someone coming to a knowledge of the gospel.
• It is amazing that Paul refers to the believers in Corinth, in spite of all their troubles and woes, as “saints.” In light of this, how shall we define what a saint is?
• It is touching to read the comment the Lord made to Paul, to the effect that God would be with him “for there are many in this city who are my people.” (Acts 18:10). What can we say about God’s desire to redeem humans even those who live in unsavory situations!
• One of the most interesting things to think about when thinking about the church in Corinth, is the various kinds of trouble that were to be found in full flower within the congregation! Can you list them? What constitutes a congregation? At what point is a congregation no longer a Christian one? Do you think the Corinthian church, were it to be in existence today, would be accepted into a conference of Christian churches, or would they be disbanded as being beyond being called Christian?
• Then there is the most significant consideration to come from Paul’s letters to the Corinthians, namely the focus he places on Jesus and Calvary. It seems Paul sees that proper attention given to Christ and his sacrifice and mission is a key factor to be used in correcting the errors and misdoings of believers. Can you describe what Jesus did for us at Calvary, followed by the Resurrection?