Paul’s+epistle+to+the+Corinthians+and+the+Jerusalem+Council

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=**Authorship**=

Paul is identified as the author of 1 Corinthians (1:1). Paul addresses the epistle to the “church of God in Corinth” (v. 2). Corinth was located on the isthmus that connects the Peloponnese with the rest of Greece[|[1]]. The port of Lechaeum lay a mile and a half to the north (on the Gulf of Corinth). Cenchreae (Ro. 16:1) was just over seven miles to the east on the Saronic Gulf[|[2]]. It also provided an indispensable land link between east and west. Corinth was a wealthy city, but the Romans destroyed it in 146 B.C.; the citizens were killed or sold as slaves. A century later, Julius Caesar founded the city, this time as a Roman colony, and from 29 B.C. It served as the seat of a proconsul and the capital of the senatorial province of Achaia. Jews, Greek and Romans populated the now Corinth, but it was mostly dominated by Romans. Much of the empire was Hellenized[|[3]].

=**Historical Setting**=

After Paul left Athens, he went to Corinth (Acts 18). This is the first time he preached the gospel in Corinth during his second missionary journey. He stayed with Aquila and Priscilla, and worked as tentmaker. He reasoned in the synagogue every Sabbath testifying to the Jews that Jesus is the Christ. When Timothy ad Silas rejoined him, the ministry increased and also the opposition. Paul moved to Titius Justus and continued the ministry there next to the synagogue. One of the rulers of the synagogue, Crispus, was saved together with his entire household (v. 7); moreover, many Corinthians believed Paul and were baptized (Acts 18:8). Paul stayed a year and a half, and left Corinth by ship crossing the Aegean sea with Priscilla and Aquila heading to Jerusalem. Paul did not remain long in Jerusalem but sooner returned to Antioch and shortly after, returned to Ephesus. He began a fruitful ministry and stayed here for two and a half years. During that period, Paul wrote his letter to the Corinthians (sometime between A.D. 52-55)[|[4]].

As stated earlier, Paul laid the foundation for the “church of God in Corinth” (1 Cor. 1:2) on his second missionary journey. 1 Corinthians 12:2 shows that most of the members of the Corinthian church were Gentiles who turned to God from idols. Most of these Gentiles had no previous background of Judaism. Silas and Timothy aided in the preaching after their arrival from the North (2 Cor. 1:19; Acts 18:5). When opposition came against Paul, he left the synagogue and stayed with Crispus. He continued to minister; his ministry was fruitful among the Gentiles (Acts 18:8). The Jewish opposition brought Paul before Gallio the proconsul. He refused to take up the charge against Paul; he was vindicated and left free to continue his work for sometime[|[5]] (Acts 18:18). In the spring of A.D. 52[|[6]] he left Corinth with his friends Aquilla and Priscilla, and crossed the Aegean to Ephesus. Here Paul finally settles down for his longest ministry (Acts 19). Little is known of his contacts with the Corinthian church during this time. Meanwhile, a Jew named Apollos came to the synagogue in Ephesians. He was an eloquent speaker. He was instructed in the way; he spoke and taught, though he only knew of the baptism of John (18:24-26). Thus, to correct some of his seeming discrepancies, Aquilla and Priscilla invited him to their home in Ephesus, where “they explained to him the word of God more accurately” (18:26b). Apollos proved to be a “tower of strength to the Christian cause in Corinth[|[7]] .” The Corinthians were impressed by his gifts; some even become his disciples. Moreover, it seems that had a quality in his ministry that made him more appealing than Paul’s[|[8]] Because of this, the spiritually immature believers formed partisan groupings that claimed to follow a certain leader (1 Cor. 11). It seems that the church as a whole was dissatisfied with Paul’s ministry (1 Cor. 4:3, 15; 9:1-2). The integrity of its life was marred by abuses at the Lord’s Table[|[9]] (11:17-14). Some of the issues that Paul addressed to the church include: a notorious case of immorality (5:1-5; 6:12-20), public litigation among the members (6:1-8), marital issues (chapter 7), the propriety of eating food sacrificed to idols (chapter 8), infatuation of spiritual gifts without any profound commitment to mutual love (12-14), and a twisted view of the resurrection (chapter 15). Paul mentions a previous letter in 5:9-11. We cannot be sure if this was the first time he heard of these problems that arose from the church, nevertheless, he wrote this “previous letter” in response to disturbing issues he heard from the church. Most of its contents are lost, but Paul mentions that his letter forbade the Corinthians to associate with the immoral brother (1 Cor. 5:9-13). Perhaps the Corinthians misunderstood Paul when he addressed church discipline, “out of a spirit of indifference to moral considerations and a dislike for discipline[|[10]] ”. At some point during his ministry, Paul received reports from “Chloe’s household” (1:11) about the factionalism in Corinth. The three official delegates of the church—Stephanas, Fortunatus, and Achais (16:17) were probably the brought the gift from the Corinthinas but were also bearers of this letter. These events set the stage for the writing of 1 Corinthians. The problems that Paul addressed in 1 Corinthians “reflect the infiltration of Corinthian social values into the church.”[|[11]]

=**The characteristics of the letter**=

1 Corinthians addresses a variety of subjects[|[12]] Nevertheless, the varied material is dealt in a logical and orderly manner. This letter belongs to the soteriological group of Paul’s epistles. Heibert adds, “It[1 Cor.] reveals the burning desire of the apostle that the cross of Christ shall be applied to every problem in the Christian life[|[13]] .” Although the primary intention of this letter practical, it contains passages that are doctrinal—the Lord’s Supper (11:17-34), the metaphor of the body to describe the church (chapter 12), Love (chapter 13) and an exhaustive development of the doctrine of the resurrection (chapter 15).

=**Jerusalem Council**=

//See my article on the Jerusalem Council//

=**Significance of the Jerusalem Council**=

In the Jerusalem Council, they established the parameters for bringing the Gentiles into the family of God. It was designed to ensure table fellowship with the Jews and to keep Gentiles out of harmful idolatrous practices[|[14]]. This point is further stressed in chapter 8 and 10. Table fellowship was the concrete sign of the new identity of the Christian. This fellowship spoke to their new identity in Christ. However, the fellowship is very much affected when the brethren with weaker consciences are stumbled by the actions of the brethren who are stronger. It important to note that Paul was not trying to subject the Gentile churches to the authority of Jerusalem by imposing these rules to them The Gentiles were commanded keep themselves from food sacrificed to idols. These were portions of animal and other meat sacrificed to idols but then removed for consumption in the god’s temple or in the home of someone who participated in the worship or for sale in the meat market. Most of the meat sold in the market would be previously offered to idols[|[15]]. His concern is the damage it may cause to the conscience of Christians who associate food offered to idols with idolatry (v. 7). It is not sin to partake food sacrificed to idols since “an idol has no existence” and that “there is no God but one.” But Paul is concerned with the consciences of the weaker Christians who still continue to associate food offered to idols with their former experience as idolaters[|[16]]. The “knowledgeable” Christians do not realize that they are in danger of doing something that would violate their weaker brothers and sisters in Christ’s conscience. In doing so, Paul says, “you sin against Christ”. Thus, instead of holding on to their religious freedom, it is better “to never eat meat, lest I make my brother stumble.” (v. 13) “For the sake of conscience” Paul says, “do not eat it.”

Genuine Christ-like love, puts others interest first even at the expense of their own personal freedom. But as Bruce succinctly mentions, “One of the most important of these principles was to consider the consciences of weaker brethren so as to assist them gently to a better and more enlightened appreciation of what their faith involved<span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; font-size: 15px;">[|[17]] .”

Nevertheless it seems that Paul is in contradiction to what the decree passed down. But I argue that Paul’s was consistent to the decree made at Jerusalem Council. The Jews were more concerned with placing unnecessary burdens upon the Gentiles rather than caring for the weaker brother. First, he addressed the convert’s struggles regarding their new identity as members of the true Israel. His desire was to see the “Jews and Gentiles adopting the appropriate posture for members of the family of God”<span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; font-size: 15px;">[|[18]] He wanted the Corinthian believers to build up a community through love. His main point here was maintaining this unity between the brethren through eating together, avoiding offense to each other, and caring for the weak<span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; font-size: 15px;">[|[19]].

Along with abstaining from food offered to idols, the next command is to abstain from sexual immorality. Sexual immorality is a major theme in 1 Corinthians. Fleeing sexual immorality and glorifying God with your body is the subject matter of chapters 4:18-7:40. Paul is concerned with purity issues in the church because their body is the temple of the Holy Spirit (v. 16-17). Sexually impurity defiles the person and also the church. News came to Paul regarding sexual immorality that is not even practiced among the Gentiles (5:1). Instead of showing repentance and remorse, they boast. Paul is shocked at the complacency of the church regarding this matter. Again, Paul is largely concerned for the purity of the church and for the witness of Jesus Christ among the Gentiles. Thus he exhorts the believers to flee sexually immorality since to body is meant for God and not for sexual immorality (6:11-13). Also believers are the members of Christ’s body. Committing sexual sin is equal to making Christ’s body a prostitute (6:15). Finally, they should flee sexual immorality because their body is the temple of the Holy Spirit and their bodies had been bought with a price. (6:19-20). Thus, the believers should honor and glorify God—whether they eat or drink (1 Cor. 8, 10)--with their bodies.

In summary, these are the two main themes that are reflected in 1 Corinthians that we find in the Jerusalem Council: Flee from idolatry and sexual immorality. The reason why these two themes are prevalent in 1 Corinthians is because the converts were saved out from idolatry. Some believers still have weak consciences. The issue here is that the more “knowledgeable” cause those who are weak to stumble by taking food sacrificed to idols. Thus, the consciences of the weak are defiled. This disunity in the body does not reflect the gospel. Thus, Paul has to address this problem seriously. The second issue addressed is the issue of sexual immorality. Paul is concerned with the purity of the believers and the church. Paul is disturbed with their actions and also their inaction, which he finds utterly disgraceful. These are some of the reasons why the Jerusalem Council is very important and crucial.


 * Bibliography**

<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">Bruce, F. F. //Paul: Apostle of the Heart Set Free//. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1984.

<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">Bruce, F.F., H.L. Ellison and G.C.D Howley. //The International Bible Commentary//. Grand Rapids: Marshall Pickering/Zondervan, 1986.

<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">Carson, D. A. //An Introduction to the New Testament//. Grand Rapids, Mich: Zondervan, 1992. <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">———. //An Introduction to the New Testament//. 2nd ed. Grand Rapids, Mich: Zondervan, 2005.

<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">Ciampa, E., Roy, and Brian Rosner. //The First Letter to the Corinthians//. City: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2010.

<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">Fee, Gordon. //The First Epistle to the Corinthians//. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1987.

<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">Harrison, Everett Falconer. //Introduction to the New Testament//. Rev. ed. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1974.

<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">Hiebert, D. Edmond. //An Introduction to the New Testament//. Chicago: Moody Press, 1975.

<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">Marshall, I. Howard. //New Testament Theology//. Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 2004.

<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">Moo, Douglas. //An Introduction to the New Testament//. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2005.

<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">N.M, Campbell. “You Are With Whom You Eat.” //scribd//. http://www.scribd.com/doc/44759316/You-Are-With-Whom-You-Eat.

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<span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; font-size: 16px;">[|[1]] Douglas Moo. //An Introduction to the New Testament//. (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2005), 419. <span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; font-size: 16px;">[|[2]] <span style="font-family: 'Cambria','serif';">D. A Carson, //An Introduction to the New Testament//, 2nd ed. (Grand Rapids, Mich: Zondervan, 2005), 263. <span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; font-size: 16px;">[|[3]] <span style="font-family: 'Cambria','serif';">D. A Carson, //An Introduction to the New Testament// (Grand Rapids, Mich: Zondervan, 1992), 263. <span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; font-size: 16px;">[|[4]] Ibid., 264. <span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; font-size: 16px;">[|[5]] <span style="font-family: 'Cambria','serif';">Everett Falconer Harrison, //Introduction to the New Testament//, Rev. ed. (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1974), 283. <span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; font-size: 16px;">[|[6]] <span style="font-family: 'Cambria','serif';">F. F Bruce, //Paul: Apostle of the Heart Set Free// (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1984), 255. <span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; font-size: 16px;">[|[7]] Ibid., 257. <span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; font-size: 16px;">[|[8]] Ibid. <span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; font-size: 16px;">[|[9]] <span style="font-family: 'Cambria','serif';">Carson, //An Introduction to the New Testament//, 264. <span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; font-size: 16px;">[|[10]] <span style="font-family: 'Cambria','serif';">Harrison, //Introduction to the New Testament//, 284. <span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; font-size: 16px;">[|[11]] Roy Ciampa. //The First Letter to the Corinthians//. (Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 2010), 4.

<span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; font-size: 16px;">[|[12]] <span style="font-family: 'Cambria','serif';">D. Edmond Hiebert, //An Introduction to the New Testament// (Chicago: Moody Press, 1975), 114. <span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; font-size: 16px;">[|[13]] Ibid., 114-115. <span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; font-size: 16px;">[|[14]] <span style="font-family: 'Cambria','serif';">Campbell N.M, “<span style="font-family: 'Cambria','serif';">You Are With Whom You Eat, ”<span style="font-family: 'Cambria','serif';"> //scribd//, http://www.scribd.com/doc/44759316/You-Are-With-Whom-You-Eat. <span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; font-size: 16px;">[|[15]] //Ibid//., 373 <span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; font-size: 16px;">[|[16]] <span style="font-family: 'Cambria','serif';">Bruce, //Paul//, 270. <span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; font-size: 16px;">[|[17]] Ibid., 270-271. <span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; font-size: 16px;">[|[18]] <span style="font-family: 'Cambria','serif';">N.M, “<span style="font-family: 'Cambria','serif';">You Are With Whom You Eat. ” <span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; font-size: 16px;">[|[19]] Ibid.

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