Striving for Unity: A Study on 1 Corinthians (Focusing on Diverse and Divided People Coming Together in Unity Because of Their Common Love for God)

By Jenny Fulton

"In Striving for Unity, Jenny shows us Paul's heart for unity, a common theme of his, by walking us through his first letter to the church at Corinth. Open your eyes to the greater Church, and examine the big and small ways we make choices to further unite us or divide us. This would be an excellent study to go through with a small group, Bible study, or in a classroom setting." - Traci Rhoades, author of Not All Who Wander (Spiritually) Are Lost

We live in a divided world.

People argue, friendships end, families separate, and churches split. Christendom is as splintered as the secular sphere. These conflicts are not a novel occurrence. What is happening now has happened before. We know it shouldn’t be this way. Almost 2,000 years ago the Apostle Paul wrote his first letter to the Corinthian church for the same issues.

They lived in another time, another place, another culture. And yet, in many ways, they faced the same challenges we are facing today.

Like us, the Corinthians were a diverse group whose differences began to divide them. When word of their quarrels reached Paul, he wrote a letter in which he addressed some of the controversial matters and encouraged them to be unified. Once we understand what Paul was saying to the church, then we can find common principles that apply to our lives and circumstances today.

Striving for Unity: A Study on 1 Corinthians begins each chapter with prayer, guides the reader to examine the context of the Corinthian world, gives an overview of the letter as a whole, then progresses chapter by chapter and verse by verse to help the reader gain a better understanding of how to more effectively handle differences in our day.

“Fulton's book bridges the gap between the conversational tone of a devotional book and that of a study book. Her purposeful research and questions provoke deeper thought and interaction with the Text and spark insight and fellowship with our spiritual ancestors.” -Dr. Latayne C. Scott, award-winning author and speaker

“Fulton explores the unifying, timeless truths Paul uses to address the Corinthian church, a diverse society embroiled in conflict and bickering. As she herself has a diverse cultural background, her study reads as heartfelt. It is well researched and filled with thought-provoking questions. She guides you to an understanding of Paul’s central message—that Jesus Christ unites believers of all generations. It is my pleasure to recommend this study, Striving for Unity. Fulton’s message is manna for the soul that will equip you to navigate the torrid waters of today’s society.” -Diane Virginia (Cunio), Founder/Director of Song of Solomon Expeditions, author of The Kiss of Peace: A Contemporary Exploration into Song of Solomon

“A very creative and useful unique approach that is a welcomed combination of a traditional commentary and a college class. This book would greatly benefit people whether they study alone or in a group. Readers will be blessed and challenged by the inductive approach and the guidance of the many thoughtful questions.” -Dr John Holmes, Lead Pastor at Grace Life Bible Church

“Having led Bible studies for women from a variety of church backgrounds, I know the importance of making everyone feel welcome. Jenny accomplishes this through her gift of teaching that invites all participants to start from the same place. Then she leads them into a deep understanding of 1st Corinthians using heartfelt and intellectual questions that evoke rich discussion. Each chapter is relevant for today’s Christian.” -Jennifer Henn, The Homeschooler’s Helper and Bible Study Leader

• Language: English
• Publisher: Foundations Books Publishing Company
• Release date: Apr 16, 2024
• ISBN: 9798224477708

Book preview

Chapter 1

Personal Introductory Questions

Begin With Prayer

Begin each study session by asking the Holy Spirit to help you understand what the chapter means and to reveal what God wants you to learn and apply from it. I’ve included a short prayer that you can use as a starting point for yours, or you can skip past my prayer and spend a couple of minutes connecting with God before you delve into the study portion.

Dear Father, Lord Jesus, Holy Spirit, I thank You for all the ways in which You have worked in our lives. I pray that You give us eyes to see how our past experiences have impacted or may impact our understanding of who You are and what Your Word means. Amen.

Personal Background

As much as we wish we could approach Scripture with neutrality, the fact is, our past experiences influence our view and interpretation of what is written. Most of the time, we may not even recognize this is the case. Identifying these aspects of our life and mindset from the get-go can help us better study the book by alerting us to passages with which we may struggle. You may also discover sections you already understand quite well.

In addition, there’s an interesting phenomenon that happens when we think we know something: our brains shut off. Why engage the thought process and critical thinking skills with something you already know? Identifying what we already know, or think we know, can help us be watchful of those moments where we may actually need to work harder to re-engage our minds.

For example, here’s a little about my background. I’m a quarter Navajo and grew up hearing stories about supernatural happenings on the Navajo Reservation. This gave me an early awareness of the reality of a spiritual world and the ways in which God can protect us and work in our lives.

My family attended the Dunkard Brethren Church up until the time I went to college. This is a conservative denomination in which the girls wear long skirts and dresses and, after they are baptized, wear a head covering. This impacted my understanding of several Biblical passages. Because this church emphasized the need for women to wear a head covering, I knew I would struggle with understanding 1 Corinthians 11, where it talks about the woman having her head covered. It was challenging to read that passage objectively. My brain told me I already knew what it meant even though another part of me screamed there was more to know/find. Due to my mental block in this area, I asked my husband, who didn't grow up with that background, to help me. Studying the section with someone whose experiences were different enabled me to see the chapter with fresh eyes.

After graduating from high school, I moved to Omaha, Nebraska, where I attended Grace University and received a Bachelor of Science in Bible, a Bachelor of Science in elementary education, and an endorsement in English as a Second Language (ESL). My education/work/training taught me how to study the Bible and gave me a better big-picture understanding of it. In my ESL classes, I gained an appreciation for how languages are structured, how much they communicate, and how they each have their limits. This foundation assisted me in studying the Greek words in some of the 1 Corinthians passages.

While in Omaha, I served with a South Sudanese ministry and attended a Spanish Speaking church. I also spent a few months in Mexico, where I fellowshipped with Mexican Christians. After college, I moved to China, where I attended an international church with people from all over the world. Three years later, I moved to the Navajo Reservation and had the opportunity to attend some Navajo Christian churches. I moved to Albuquerque the next year, where I met my husband, who was raised in the Catholic church. Several years ago, we felt God calling us to visit different churches in the city to see His People. And so, over the course of about two years, we attended a wide variety of denominations. These experiences gave me a great appreciation for the many ways in which God is worshipped all around the world. God showed me His love for all people of every nation, tribe, and tongue. I see this same love shine through in 1 Corinthians.

Questions for Reflection and Discussion

What is your background? What experiences have you had that might shape the way in which you approach this text?

Listed below are a few questions to help you identify the ways in which your own perspective and experiences may impact your understanding of this book. Whether or not you choose to share your answers with a peer or study group, think about these questions, write down the answers, journal about them, or find some other way to spend time reflecting on them.

How long have you been a Christian?

What is your religious background?

What is your experience with church? Has it been primarily good? Has it been a struggle? A little of both?

How familiar are you with the Bible?

What are your experiences with 1 Corinthians?

Do you have any favorite passages in it?

Are there any passages you already know you will struggle with?

Do you have any questions you’d like answered by the end of this study?

Chapter 2

Background Information

Begin With Prayer

Dear Father, Lord Jesus, and Holy Spirit. As we delve into Your Word, I ask You give us insight into the lives and culture surrounding Paul and the Corinthians. Show us what we need to know to better understand Your message to the people of Corinth and Your message to us now. Amen.

Dive In

Commentaries can be very useful in providing us with background cultural information that we don’t get directly from the text. Rather than track down the ancient documents and historical resources, we can rely upon someone else’s footwork to provide us with this contextual data. However, we can sometimes receive context from Scripture itself. In these cases, we can, as I’ve heard others say, let Scripture interpret Scripture. So before we consult the commentaries, let’s go directly to the Bible to see what it has to say about 1 Corinthians.

Read Acts chapters 18 and 19. Answer the following questions:

Where is Corinth located? In the province of:

Who were the following people? Aquila and Priscilla Titius Justus Crispus Gallio Sosthenes Apollos

In Acts 18:9-10, what did God tell Paul?

How long did Paul stay in Corinth?

What happened in Acts 18:12-17?

Who met Apollos?

Describe their interaction.

What was Apollos originally teaching, and how did that change?

What does Acts 18:27-28 say about Apollos’ interaction with the Corinthians?

Putting It Together

Paul’s journey to Corinth was significant in several respects. It was in this city he met Aquila and Priscilla (referred to in other places as Prisca). This couple would go on to minister to Paul and would join him in ministering to churches he established in cities around the Mediterranean Sea (Romans 16:3, 1 Corinthians 16:19, 2 Timothy 4:19).

Two more notable people mentioned in Acts 18 are Crispus and Sosthenes. They were synagogue leaders who believed in Jesus and left their post to join Paul and the Corinthian church. Crispus was baptized by Paul, along with the rest of his household. Sosthenes apparently accompanied Paul, as he is mentioned in 1 Corinthians 1:1. The conversions of these two men show not every Jewish leader was hardened to the truth of the Gospel.

The church at Corinth was a mixture of Jewish leaders and attenders from Corinth and Rome (Acts 18:2). There were Greeks who had likely grown up with their city’s polytheistic religion, then converted to Judaism and begun worshipping at the synagogue (Acts 18:4) before leaving to follow the Christian faith. Some of the church members were Greeks who weren’t exposed to the Jewish faith but converted to Christianity after Paul left the synagogue to go to the Gentiles (Acts 18:6). It also seems there were Greek Romans in the Corinthian church since Rome occupied the territory and Titius Justus is a Roman name. This group included both the wealthy and the poor. Crispus, the synagogue leader, and Titius, who owned the house Paul went to after he left the synagogue, were obviously wealthy while Priscilla and Aquila, Jewish tentmaking refugees from Rome, would have been on the poor side. Members of Crispus’ household who were baptized would have included not only his family but also his servants (based on the cultural definition of ‘household’ at that time). This was definitely a religiously, culturally, and economically diverse group that was coming together to learn about and worship God–to hear the life-changing news of His Son Jesus and the significance of Jesus’ life, death, resurrection, and ascension.

In Acts 18:9-10, we read two key verses about this church. And the Lord said to Paul in the night by a vision, ‘Do not be afraid any longer, but go on speaking and do not be silent; for I am with you, and no man will attack you in order to harm you, for I have many people in this city.’

Isn’t that a great commentary from God about the city and the church within it? I have many people in this city. Paul had already experienced many hardships prior to Corinth, and here, God told Paul he was safe. Many of those at Corinth were on God’s side. In addition to the care He would give Paul, it appears God also knew His people in the city could be trusted to take care of this traveling apostle.

Although a year and a half may not seem long to be living in one place, this time period would have allowed Paul to become familiar with the people and teach them all he could about the ways of God. I mean, seriously, wouldn’t you love to be under Paul’s instruction for a year and a half?

Paul’s time certainly seems to have been well spent. This church consisted of people from diverse cultures, religious backgrounds, and socio-economic statuses. They came together as one to follow Christ and were helped and encouraged by the teachings of Paul and Apollos. They were free and united. Would they remain so?

Chapter 3

Overview

Begin With Prayer

Dear Father, Lord Jesus, Holy Spirit, please give us a deeper understanding of the culture at the time and the significance of it in the lives of the Corinthian Christians. Show us Your heart. Reveal any similarities to our own culture, and open our hearts to receive what You want us to learn. Amen.

Research Assignment:

In the commentary or Study Bible of your choice, find the following information. ¹ If you don’t own a commentary or Study Bible, you can use online commentaries such as those found at Bible Hub, Christianity.com, or Enduring Word. Where is Corinth located?

Is there anything significant about its location?

When was 1 Corinthians written?

What was the primary religion of Corinth?

What other cultural information did you learn about the city and its people?

Reading Assignment:

Read through the entire book at least once from the version included with this study at the end of the book. Since there weren’t punctuation or chapter breaks in the original writings, I removed all the chapters, verses, and dividers. This enabled me to see the book as a whole, better read it as a letter, and form my own conclusions about where the subjects within it begin and end.

If you can read through 1 Corinthians two or three times, even better. You may want to read different versions or listen to an audio version of it. Reading multiple versions gives you an idea of the various ways some of the passages are translated. One translation may resonate with you more than others or cause an idea to stand out. The reason for listening to an audio version is that we sometimes pick up on different things when we listen than we do when we read. If you can’t find a good recording, you can also get the same effect by reading the book out loud or listening to someone else read it.

Take as much time as you need, but don’t try to study or research anything at this point. The idea is to allow the letter as a whole wash over you.

Complete the Following:

As you read, take notes about what stands out to you. Write down any questions that come to mind. Observations can be anything you think is interesting: names, words, phrases, instructions, or anything else that catches your eye. Repeated words can give you an idea of some of the themes in the chapter and book. Questions prepare our minds to learn, reveal what’s important to us, and point to what we may want to study further.

Observations

Repeated Words

Questions You Have

Putting It Together

The ancient city of Corinth was located in the southwest corner of Greece, on the isthmus between the Greek mainland and the Peloponnese. This location, with its two harbors, made it a vastly important trade center that people of all nations passed through. For this reason, Corinth became known for its cultural diversity, commerce, and wealth. It was also an administrative center for the Romans.

Like most Greek cities, the primary religion was polytheistic, centered on the Greek pantheon of gods. There were at least 12 temples in the city. Aphrodite, the goddess of love and beauty, was the most celebrated. Hundreds of prostitutes filled her temple to aid dedicated followers in worship.

Although Corinth was apparently deemed one of the most beautiful cities of its day, it was also known for its immorality, largely in association with the worship of Aphrodite. According to the NIV Study Bible, So widely known did the immorality of Corinth become that the Greek verb ‘to Corinthianize’ came to mean ‘to practice sexual immorality.’

God called Paul to preach the Gospel in the midst of this morally corrupt city. When I think about the culture of this place, it makes God’s word in Acts 18:9-10 (I have many people in this city) that much more astounding. A sinful environment didn’t keep God away, and it didn’t prevent His people from following Him.

The Point:

God and His people were still present in a culture saturated with sexual immorality. God’s people were there before Paul arrived but lacked leadership and guidance.

Paul spent a year and a half with the Corinthian church, teaching them everything he could. And then Apollos showed up to pick up where Paul left off and to teach and encourage them even more.

God’s Heart:

When I read 1 Corinthians, I hear God’s heart crying out for a church that is being painfully torn apart. They have been given everything but aren’t united in their love for each other. While Paul affirms their spirituality in Chapter 1, he later refers to them as spiritual infants.

Paul begins his letter by addressing the conflicts he has heard about and provides some general principles and lessons he longs for the church to grasp onto. He makes a big point of distinguishing between the wisdom of the world and God’s wisdom.

Partway into his letter, Paul seems to transition from discussing general principles to addressing specific concerns and questions that have been brought to his attention. He uses the phrase, Now concerning the things about which you wrote, to indicate he’s responding to a particular conflict in their day and age. It’s especially important in those sections to understand, as best we can, the cultural context that prompted the Corinthians’ questions and Paul’s response. Within that context, we can then pull out the key principles and ask the question, ‘Did these principles only apply to that time and place, or are there universal lessons that carry over into today?’

The Corinthian Christians lived in a time, place, and culture that is vastly different than most of us know.