1 Corinthians: A Commuity Not of This Age

By Christopher R. Hutson

Insights into the book of 1 Corinthians.Life in the Kingdom of God is life lived in and for community. This principle guides Paul as he writes his first letter to the fractious, class-conscious, and sometimes-unruly Christians in Corinth. The apostle calls them to consider how their actions - here and now - reflect the realities of God's rule, which will be unveiled fully only at the end of time. This difficult struggle to bring the eternal realities of the Kingdom into the daily grind of life is a problem as great today as it was in the first century.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Leafwood Publishers
• Release date: Jul 29, 2013
• ISBN: 9780891129844

Christopher R. Hutson

Chris Hutson is Associate Professor of New Testament at Hood Theological Seminary. He teaches adult Bible classes at the Central Church of Christ in Salisbury, North Carolina

Book preview

1 CORINTHIANS

A COMMUNITY NOT OF THIS AGE

Christopher R. Hutson

1 Corinthians: A Community Not of This Age

1648 Campus Ct.

Abilene, TX 79601

www.hillcrestpublishing.com

Cover Design and Typesetting by Sarah Bales

Cover photo of the Temple of Apollo at Corinth by Christopher R. Hutson

Copyright © 2003

Christopher R. Hutson

Scripture quotations, unless otherwise designated, are the author's own translation.

All rights reserved. Except as provided in the Copyright Act of 1976, no part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transcribed, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without prior written permission from HillCrest Publishing.

Printed in the United States of America

ISBN 0-89112-241-9

1,2,3,4,5

for my mother-in-law,

Osbal (Ozzie) Ervin Ratliff,

a Sunday School teacher for

forty-three years and counting

FOR TEACHERS AND CLASS LEADERS…

The word of God is powerful. This belief is the driving force behind the Streams of Mercy Study Series. Assigned reading, brief commentary, and questions for reflection and class discussion are presented for each section of the biblical book. The goal is changed lives–changed by the power of the Word.

Consider the following suggestions as you prepare for class:

Even though class members may have read the passage assigned for the week, select some verses to be read aloud in class: let the Word speak.

Give a brief summary of the points made in the lesson, then begin working with the questions. As you prepare for your class, explore the possibility of a variety of answers to the questions. Don't be afraid of momentary silence when you ask the questions; give people a chance to think, but be prepared to prompt the discussion.

Be creative with your classroom time. Sometimes, have the class work in small groups to discuss the questions. Consider having someone prepare to comment on a particular question for the next scheduled class meeting. Perhaps, you could ask someone to be prepared to share his or her experience with finding time to work on the lesson in the middle of work and family obligations–in this way we acknowledge the struggle to make time for Bible study. Give someone the task of praying for the whole class throughout the coming week as they all find time for study. Let the class know this will be happening.

Ask class members to make a plan of action that puts into practice the things the text calls for. This may be a service project or a commitment to pray for help in overcoming specific problems the text brings to light. Be prepared to suggest plans of action and to get the class involved in brainstorming about this. Avoid taking charge too much, let the class get involved.

Find out if anyone in the class would like to create banners or any kind of visuals pertaining to the study. This is a good way to validate the gifts of others.

Try to inspire excitement about the class working together each week to hear and understand the word of God. Stress that this is one of the ways we are in fellowship with one another.

Be sensitive to people who don't want to speak in class. Encourage those who want to speak, but who may be a little tentative. Practice good leadership by not allowing any one person to dominate the discussions.

Try to keep the discussions on target. One complaint we often hear about Bible classes is that the group too easily gets off the subject. These volumes are designed to promote discussion of the biblical text. Pray for help to keep the class focused without preventing healthy discussion.

Nothing is more important than seeking God's guidance as you prepare for class. Ask him to open your heart so the text speaks to you and convicts you, then you will be more prepared to lead the group. May the Lord bless all of you as you seek his will, and may you know the everflowing streams of his mercy.

The Editors

INTRODUCTION

READING FIRST CORINTHIANS

Why Study 1 Corinthians?

When you think about what your congregation should be, which New Testament congregation would be the best model? Would you want your congregation to be like the Thessalonians, steadfast under pressure (1 Thess 1:2–10; 2:13–16)? Or do you admire the communal living in Jerusalem (Acts 2:43–47; 4:32–37) or the Philippians' strong support for missions (Phil 4:14–20)?

From Paul's letters and Acts, we know more about early Christians in Corinth than we do about those of almost any other city. Yet the Corinthian Christians had such appalling problems that we may think of them as an example of what our congregations should not be. Still, this letter can profit 21st–century churches in two ways.

First, many Corinthian Christians came from pagan backgrounds, so Jewish ideas were foreign to them. Since our western culture has adopted Greek—not Jewish—ways of looking at the world, we too may misunderstand Paul's gospel. Like the Corinthians, we may need to learn Jewish ideas so as to see anew how the gospel has meaning for our lives. In particular, we need to understand what it means to be endtimes-oriented people.

Second, the Corinthians were socially, ethnically, and religiously diverse. Likewise, in our mobile society, members of the same congregation may come from different backgrounds and may misunderstand one another's customs and assumptions. In 1 Corinthians, Paul brings the gospel to bear on the sorts of problems that can arise in such a context. In particular, we need to understand what it means that we are a community of believers.

Roman Corinth

In Paul's day Corinth was a cosmopolitan city, the capital of the Roman province of Achaia. The ancient city had been destroyed by the Romans in 146 BC, but in 44 BC Julius Caesar rebuilt Corinth as a Roman colony for retired veterans and freedmen. Some of those freedmen were ethnically Greek, but they had lived in Rome for one or more generations, so they spoke Latin and had absorbed Roman culture. Furthermore, they were Roman citizens, since the Romans normally granted citizenship to freed slaves. Thus, the colonists who formed the aristocracy of Corinth in the first century were Romans, but the city also included local Greeks and other people from around the Mediterranean.

Located on the Isthmus, Corinth controlled the road between Athens to the east and Olympia to the west. Through the harbors at Cenchreae to the south and at Lechaion to the north passed people and goods from around the Mediterranean. Commerce, banking, pottery, and bronze manufacturing brought wealth to the city.

The city supported a rich and varied religious life. There were temples of the traditional Greek and Roman gods. The Isthmian Games, held every other spring in honor of Poseidon (god of the sea), were second only to the Olympics in importance for Greeks. There were also non-Greek religions, including the Egyptian cult of Isis, and a thriving Jewish community.

Paul was in Corinth for 18 months during his second mission tour, overlapping with Gallio's term as proconsul (governor) of Achaia (Acts 18:12–17). Gallio was proconsul in (most likely) AD 51-52, which allows us to date Paul's first visit to about AD 50-52. By the time he wrote this letter, Paul had heard several troubling reports from Corinth. There were problems indicating that the Corinthians had not fully absorbed his gospel. The letter is organized topically, taking up issues of schisms (1–4), sexual immorality (5–6), celibacy (7), meat offered to idols (8–10), attire (11:2–17), the Lord's Supper (11:17–33), spiritual gifts (12–14), and the resurrection (15).

We’ll consider each of these questions