**N.B. This is a transcript of my complete chapter on I Corinthians taken from "Sixty-Six Books - An Overview of the Bible Book by Book"
First Corinthians is Paul’s longest letter and is viewed by many as a letter of reprimand. It is powerfully practical in its outlook and recognized by many as containing some of the greatest passages in the New Testament.
Author
Paul wrote 1 Corinthians he identifies himself as the author many times throughout the letter. There is also strong early witness to the Pauline authorship of 1 Corinthians. In 95 AD, Clement of Rome wrote to the Corinthian church quoting and crediting Paul’s first letter several times.
Recipients
Corinth was a prosperous manufacturing centre and seaport in the southern part of Greece. A main road connected it with important towns to the north, and sea routes connected it with other ports to the east, west and south. The city was so well known for its immorality to the point that people commonly referred to a person of loose morals as one who 'behaved like a Corinthian'. Yet Paul planted a church there, and it soon, perhaps not surprisingly became one of the most colourful and troublesome churches of all the early churches.
Paul established the church in Corinth during his second missionary journey. He began his work there by preaching in the synagogue each Sabbath and working during the week at his trade of tentmaking (Acts 18:1-4). When the Jews forced him out of the synagogue, he went and preached in the house next door. During the eighteen months that Paul stayed in Corinth he suffered constant opposition, but by the time he left he had firmly established the Corinthian church.
First Corinthians itself says Paul wrote 1 Corinthians from Ephesus. (1 Cor 16:8). He says was planning to stay there until Pentecost and visit the Corinthian church when passing through Macedonia. From Corinth. He was planning to go to Jerusalem with an offering, which he was raising for the believers there (1 Cor 16: 3-4). It is generally agreed that this epistle was written in the spring of the last year of Paul’s ministry at Ephesus. Paul was in Ephesus from 53 to 57 AD. Thus, he wrote 1 Corinthians in the early spring of 57 AD. While Paul was at Ephesus on his third missionary journey, he received reports from the household of Chloe concerning quarrels in the church of Corinth (1 Cor1:11). The church sent a delegation of three men (1 Cor 16:17), who apparently brought a letter requesting Paul’s opinion on several issues (1 Cor 7:1). From these events it is obvious that:
1) There were factions among the believers at Corinth.
2) There was gross immorality in the church, even incest is referred too.
3) They were taking each other to court.
4) There were other practical matters that troubled them.
Message
The message of this book is mainly about how to deal with disorder in the church. This includes personal divisions among people, discipline problems, and various other difficulties and how they should be dealt with according to the characteristics of each problem. The ultimate aim of the letter is to get believers to live harmoniously in love with one another.
Structure
The overall structure of 1 Corinthians follows the format of an ancient letter with greetings, thanksgiving, prayer, the main body of the letter, then finally personal greetings, and blessing.
Outline
I. 1:1-9 Introduction
II. 1:10-4:21 Divisions in the church
III. 5:1-6:20 Moral faults in the church
IV. 7:1-40 Christian marriage
V. 8:1-11:1 Food offered to idols
VI. 11:2-34 Order in public worship
VII. 12:1-14:40 Spiritual gifts in the church
VIII. 15:1-58 The doctrine of the resurrection
IX. 16:1-24 Final instructions including greeting and benediction
Purposes
The first purpose of 1 Corinthians is to correct the disorders existing in the church. Paul heard about the divisions from the household of Chloe. Other things that had gone wrong had been commonly reported. He wrote this letter as a corrective response to these reports. Paul also intended to teach a doctrine rejected by some (1 Cor. 15).
The second purpose of 1 Corinthians is to answer questions they had submitted to him. The Corinthians wrote Paul asking him questions dealing with marriage, meats offered to idols, the veiling of women, the Lord’s Table, spiritual gifts, the resurrection, and the collection for the poor saints in Jerusalem.
He addresses these issues by instructing, rebuking, condemning, yet at the same time, encouraging them.
Summary:
In response to a report from Chloe’s household, and information elsewhere, Paul wrote to the Corinthians to correct disorders and to answer their questions on a variety of subjects. Dealing according to the unique circumstances of each problem with the aim of getting believers to live harmoniously in love. Believers, he teaches should deal with problems according to the individual characteristics of each problem with the aim of living harmoniously in love.