1 Corinthians

Paul’s Theology of Slavery – Part 2 of 2

3. Paul’s Rhetoric of Slavery i. Slave of Christ In using the imagery of slavery Paul had a lot with which to work, and he could expect his reader to follow his nuanced rhetoric without engaging in hermeneutical gymnastics.[1] All knew that slavery did not automatically entail humility and a lack of empowerment. Quite the [...]


1 Corinthians 1:18, 19

18 For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. 19 For it is written: “I will destroy the wisdom of the wise; the intelligence of the intelligent I will frustrate.” If Christianity is about the cross, and [...]


A Riff on 1 Corinthians 12:12-26

A few years back, I sat in a lecture about ancient trade routes. More than scholars could have imagined, trade in the Greco-Roman world has been conducted vastly and effectively. By examining pottery shards and other detritus, the lecturer made this point. I was convinced. However, what interested me most was his use of an [...]


1 Corinthians 2:6-16 Outline

1 Corinthians 2:6-16 I. Two Types of Wisdom 1. Paul’s strong repudiation of the wisdom of the world may give the impression that he is opposed to any kind of wisdom. To draw this conclusion would be to misread Paul. 2.  In 1 Corinthians 2:6, he points out that his message is one of wisdom. [...]


1 Corinthians 1:18-2:5 Outline

1 Corinthians 1:18-2:5 I. Wisdom and Foolishness 1. With Paul’s emphasis on wisdom and foolishness, it may appear that he is leaving the topic of divisiveness. However, it is best to view this section as laying the theological groundwork for why divisions are incompatible with Christian communities. 2. The wrong type of wisdom leads to [...]


1 Corinthians 1:10-17 Outline

1 Corinthians 1:10-17 I. Thesis of Letter 1. A number of scholars argue that 1 Corinthians 1:10 is the main point of Paul’s letter to the church of Corinth based on the insights of rhetorical analysis. a. Commenting on 1:10, Ben Witherington writes, “In Greco-Roman rhetoric the propositio is the thesis statement of the entire [...]


1 Corinthians 1:1-11 Outline

1 Corinthians 1:1-9 I. Paul’s Remarkable Introduction 1. “Paul, called to be an apostle by the will of God…” a. God calls people to do his work. 2. “To the church of God in Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ Jesus and called to be holy” a. Is Paul being sincere? b. The church of [...]


1 Corinthians Background – Outline

1 Corinthians Background I. The Ancient City (Pre 146) 1. The city of Corinth has a complex past and as with all ancient cities the history in a bit murky. a. By the 4th century the city was already prosperous. As early as Homer’s Iliad, Corinth was called “wealthy.” Hom. IL 2.570, 8.664. b. This [...]


Gal. 1:10; 1 Thes. 2:4; 1 Cor. 9:19-23; Phil. 2:5-11

Does Christian love call us to please people? This is a more complex question that it first appears. On the one hand, we might say, of course, we should please people and not ourselves, but Paul is rather emphatic that a servant of God cannot in the end be a people-pleaser. He writes in Galatians [...]


1 Corinthians 2:6-16 – Commentary

Paul’s strong repudiation of the wisdom of the world may give the impression that he is opposed to any kind of wisdom. To draw this conclusion would be to misread Paul.[1] In 1 Corinthians 2:6, he points out that his message is one of wisdom. In 2:7, he even goes further and states that he [...]


1 Corinthians – Commentary – A Brief History

Corinth is an ancient city with a complex past. The origins of the city go back well before historical sources to time immemorial, but a brief sketch of the history of Corinth will help to give a sense of the city by Paul’s day.[1] By the fourth century B.C., Corinth was already a prosperous city.[2] [...]


1 Corinthians 1:18-2:5 – Commentary

With Paul’s emphasis on wisdom and foolishness, it may appear that he is leaving the topic of divisiveness. However, it is best to view this section as laying the theological groundwork for why divisions are incompatible with Christian communities.[1] The wrong type of wisdom leads to boasting, rivalries, and divisions, whereas the wisdom of God [...]


1 Corinthians 1:10-17 – Commentary

A number of scholars argue that 1 Corinthians 1:10 is the main point of Paul’s letter to the church of Corinth based on the insights of rhetorical analysis.[1] Commenting on 1:10, Ben Witherington writes, “In Greco-Roman rhetoric the propositio is the thesis statement of the entire discourse. In a deliberative discourse it is the main [...]


1 Corinthians 1:1-9 – Commentary

It is easy to overlook the remarkable way in which Paul opens his letter to the Corinthians. Paul not only states that his apostleship rests on the call and will of God, which assumes that God calls people and has a will, but he also describes the Corinthians as the church of God (ekklesia tou [...]


The Irony of Impurity – 1 Corinthians 5:1-11

From a common sense point of view, most Christians would probably say that impurity comes from contact with the outside world. Flee the “immoral world” is the idea. Stay out of cities is the slogan, at least a generation ago. In a word, there seems to be a protectionist undercurrent in much of Christianity. However, [...]