© 1998 "Yes Lord" Minsitries
I Corinthians
Lesson 1
The book of 1 Corinthians is actually a letter and is just as appropriate to us today as it was to those who first received it over 2000 years ago. So, as we do this study of 1 Corinthians, we will do so with the purpose of considering the universal and fundamental truths presented in this letter and we will see how these truths are still important and applicable to us today. God's Word is timeless and unchanging. 1 Corinthians truly confirms and illustrates this fact.
So, let's begin! Let's see what God is saying to you and to me as we study, consider, understand, and apply the principles and truths of this very important and relevant portion of the Bible.
For those of you who have never done a "Yes Lord" Ministries Interactive Bible Study, let me WELCOME you and tell you how thrilled we are that you have decided to do this study with us.
Also, let me tell you HOW we do these studies. As you know, in some, if not most, "Bible Studies" you just passively read comments, thoughts, or insights that someone else has discovered and prepared for you. In "Yes Lord" Ministries Interactive Studies, however, you are not just a spectator reading what someone else has learned or been taught. Instead, you are actively involved in the study. Therefore, in this Interactive study, you will be participating by marking words, making lists, discovering the meanings of various Greek or Hebrew words, and doing various other interesting and appropriate assignments as we go through the course. Why? Because it has been shown that when a person is actively involved they learn more and retain what they learn for a longer period of time. WOW! Plus, it is fun to do the various assignments. But, the most important reason why we use this Interactive method of studying God's Word is because, through this method of interacting and participating by doing, we (you and I) are actually taught by God Himself through His Holy Spirit! He will reveal truths to you! As we are reminded in 2 Timothy 3:16, the purpose of scripture is to teach, rebuke, correct, and train us as we read, study, understand, and apply the truths and principles in His Word.
Sound exciting?! Want to try it? OK! Let's begin our study of 1 Corinthians. And, since I have told you that you'll be interacting and doing assignments as you do this Bible study, you guessed it -- we will begin with an assignment! So, get out your Bible and some colored pens or pencils and let's begin!
Your First Assignment, should you choose to accept it, is to read 1 Corinthians 1:1-3 and, as you read, look for the answers to the following questions:
1. Who wrote this letter (book) of 1 Corinthians? (1:1) ___________&______________
2. To whom was it written? (1:2) ________________________________
3. Are the recipients of this letter Christians? (Believers in God / Jesus) (1:2)
........................Circle your answer......................Yes..............No
4. What was the reason for your answer to question 3? (1:2) (Write your answer here:)
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************Pause while you do this assignment**********
Finished with your assignment? Great! And I see that you correctly discovered that Paul and Sosthenes wrote the letter to the Church in Corinth. And that, yes, the people to whom it was written are Christians; they are believers in Christ. We know they are believers because in 1:2, Paul says that they are "sanctified in Christ Jesus and called to be holy"...and also that they "call on the name of the Lord Jesus Christ..." Hmmm. So, is that what a believer is and does? Yes. And for those of you who may not fully understand what a Christian is and how he/she lives a holy life, not to worry, we will go into more detail about that later in this course. So, let's just continue on for now. Ok? Ok!
Paul I know, but, who is Sosthenes?, you ask. Good Question. And to tell you the truth, I don't really know either. However, some commentaries I have read think that Sosthenes may have been the ruler of the Jewish Synagogue in Corinth. But no one really knows for sure who Sosthenes is.
And speaking of things we don't know -- we also don't know yet WHY Paul wrote this letter. But, we will soon. However, before we find out WHY Paul is writing this church, it will be VERY helpful if we know something about the city of Corinth and the conditions and situations in which these people were living. Then, the things that Paul says to the people receiving this letter will make a lot more sense.
So, if you have a Bible Dictionary or some other resource book which tells you about the City of Corinth, great! Get it out and read about this city! But, for those of you who do NOT have such a resource book (or are too lazy to get it out), let me give you just a brief "visitor's guide summary" of Corinth at the time Paul was writing this letter in about 55 AD.
CORINTH, GREECE
Corinth was a very old, large, and important city in the nation of Greece. It is thought that over a half million people (actually about 650,000) lived in Corinth and the adjoining area. Of this number, approximately 250,000 were free persons and 400,000 were slaves. The reason so many people lived here is because Corinth was a very busy and thriving center of commerce, located on a 4 mile strip of land between 2 very busy seaports (Cenchrea 6 miles to the east and Lechaeum 1.5 miles to the west.) The cargoes from the ships of the two seaports were transported into Corinth or on to the other harbor by being hauled, sometimes ship and all, on a road between the two seaports. In this way, cargoes of all types of products and goods from such places as Spain and Italy on the west and Egypt, Asia Minor, and other locations on the East passed through Corinth.
In addition to the seaports on the E and the W, Corinth was also on a major North South Highway. Since it was on these major land and water trade routes, the city was large and impressive with wide and magnificent streets and contained temples, marketplaces, theaters, statues, fountains, the meat market (macellium), and the Bema. Also, the famous Spring of Peirene ("...drink deep or not at all...") was located here.
Corinth, having been a major commercial center, dating as far back as the 8th century BC and earlier, was still a place where everything crossed and passed and, at the time Paul was writing to the Church located there, it was the largest commercial City in Greece
In addition to the commerce, tourists, and travelers, which brought much wealth into the city, Corinth was also very wealthy because of the surrounding fertile farm lands which produced olives, grapes, dates, and other fruits.
Of course, commerce was not all that passed through Corinth. Obviously with travelers from all over the world passing through its streets, markets, and shops, with them came the beliefs and cultures of those other countries. Furthermore, being located in Greece, the culture of Corinth was the typical Greek culture with its emphasis on learning and philosophy, so its citizens were very interested and involved in oratory, in discussing and debating concepts and philosophies, and in learning about new beliefs and gods. Indeed, they placed a very great value and premium on knowledge and intellectual wisdom. They also were very involved in participating in or watching all types of athletic sports and games. (As you will recall, the Olympics originated in Greece.)
Concerning the religions in Corinth, there were many! Some sources say that as many as 12 Temples were located in Corinth. Some of these temples were in the city, while others were located on the Acrocorinth, a 500 foot high hill (high place) that rose above the city. On the top of this hill was the temple and statue of Aphrodite (Astarte), the goddess of love and fertility, whose worshipers practiced religious prostitution, with over 2,000 pagan priestess-prostitutes, as a part of their rituals! The Temple of Asclepius, the god of healing, was also located in Corinth. And in the center of the city was the temple of Apollo, which dated back to the 6th century BC. There was also a Jewish Synagogue.
Therefore, Corinth, like any big city, was a place of varied beliefs, cultures, religions, and of open and unrestrained immorality. It was a very wealthy, proud, and wicked city!
And it was to the Christian Church in this old, famous, large, vile, and wicked city that Paul is writing the letter known to us as 1 Corinthians, the letter that we will be studying in this Bible Study.
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Hmmmmm. Very interesting!
Now, based on what you just read about Corinth and the conditions in which these Christians lived, answer the following questions:
? Corinth was a city in what country? ___________________
? Approximately how many people lived in Corinth and its 'suburbs'? _______________
? Thinking now about where YOU live, is Corinth larger or smaller than the town or city in which you live? ______________________________________
? Let's think about why Corinth was such a large city of over « million people (actually about 650,000):
Was it a "college" town such as Athens, Greece? .................Yes...........No
Was it a big commercial center...............................................Yes..........No
Was it on a major trade route with highways and seaports?.....Yes...........No
? What was its predominant "culture"? (Circle your answer from the choices below.)
.............Babylonian..........Hebrew.............Roman...........Greek...........Egyptian.....
? Since Corinth's culture was based on the Greek way of living and thinking, what kinds of things were important and emphasized in Corinth? (Circle your answer from the choices below. ... Hint: More than 1 answer may be correct.)
............Greek Philosophy............Man's Wisdom.............Man's Knowledge.........
............Art and Culture................Intellectual pride...........Oratory.............
............Worship of many gods & goddesses.....................education......
............learning...........................sacrificing to pagan gods and goddesses...
............immorality.......................physical beauty.............Sports..................
............worship or adulation of men who are wise and knowledgeable............................
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Hmmmmm. Verrrry interesting! And, I assume that you circled ALL of those things. I did.
Now, with that background information in mind, it is time for another assignment.
Let's imagine that YOU are a member of that church in Corinth. Indeed you personally know Paul, because he had visited Corinth 3 years earlier, in about 52 BC. He had come to Corinth while on his 2nd Missionary journey and remained in Corinth for about 18 months, teaching and preaching the Gospel, while supporting himself by being a tent maker. During that time, you were one of the first who had accepted Christ as Savior and Lord under Paul's teaching and you had been one of the first members of this Church when it was established by Paul. Now, 3 years later, you are still attending and active in this Church in Corinth. Paul has sent this letter to your Church and you have been asked to read it aloud to the congregation at the Sunday morning Worship Service. So you stand up before your friends and fellow members, holding this letter in your hands and begin reading....
Let's Do that now! Your assignment is to begin to Read the letter (book) of 1 Corinthians. Now, don't panic! You are not going to read ALL of the letter right now. We are going to do this in sections. But, by the time you have finished this Bible Study you will have read the entire letter. So, for this first section, the INTRODUCTION and GREETINGS from Paul, let's read 1 Cor. 1:1-9. And, as you read these 9 verses, whenever you see the name of Jesus or any word used to refer to Jesus (Jesus, Christ, Lord, he, him), mark that word by putting a BLUE CROSS on the word or a BLUE CIRCLE around the word. (Of course, if you want to use any other color or symbol to mark the Jesus words, feel free to do so. This is only a suggestion. I mark my Jesus words with a BLUE CROSS, but you do what you prefer.)
When you have finished this assignment, there will be a few questions for you to answer, so pay attention.
**********pause while you read 1 Cor. 1:1-9 and mark your Jesus words ************
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Finished? Great!
Now, based on what you read,
? Does Paul seem to have concern and love for the Church and its members?
...........................................................................Yes.........................No
? Does Paul want the best for them? ....................Yes.........................No
? How can you tell? What does he say to them that makes you think that he loves them and is very concerned and interested in their Spiritual growth? (Write your answer in the space below:)
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Yes, you are correct, several verses, and especially 4-9 show us that Paul is very interested in their
continued Spiritual growth. And it will be very important that you keep this fact in mind as you read through the rest of the letter, for Paul is going to have some very severe warnings and messages for them. But first, he reminds them that he does care for them and wants to see them to continue to grow in their fellowship with and love for the Lord Jesus Christ.
So, with that thought in mind, let's end this lesson and let you think about what you have learned. In the next lesson we will build upon what we have read and studied when we read Paul's first words of warning and correction.
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Scriptures unless otherwise indicated are taken from
the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION. Copyright C 1973,1978,1984 International Bible Society.
Used by permission of Zondervan Publishers.
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