1 Corinthians (WK 8, Handout 1) PDF

1 CORINTHIANS (WK 8, HANDOUT 1) 1 Corinthians is part of Paul’s correspondence with the church he established at Corinth. They wrote to him for input on a number of disputes and confusing points—and before answering, Paul takes the opportunity to addr...

1 CORINTHIANS (WK 8, HANDOUT 1) 1 Corinthians is part of Paul’s correspondence with the church he established at Corinth. They wrote to him for input on a number of disputes and confusing points—and before answering, Paul takes the opportunity to address the plethora of issues about which they should be genuinely concerned (and contrite), but avoided to tell Paul! If there is a common denominator to how Paul addresses all the problems in Corinth, it would be that theology is meant to be lived out, in community, in a christlike manner that puts both holiness and others first—and that God is able to continue working upon even the messiest community of faith! Contents: Critical Issues (Corinth, the Corinthian correspondence, etc.) Structure and Content Examples of Theology that Emerges During Paul’s Discussions in 1 Corinthians I. Critical Issues A. unique/distinctive features of the Corinthian correspondence 1. multi-topical letters—not a single sustained argument or a single sustained exhortation a. e.g. 1 Cor comes in two segments (chs. 1–6 & 7–15), and each segment has several sections b. 2 Cor: a very tender/intimate personal letter (to a group, but similar to e.g. 2 Tim) 2. little explicit theology; Paul gives theological support on each topic as he goes along (1 Cor 15 the exception, but even that relates to an occasional concern) 3. characterized by the tension in the relationship between Paul and the audience ! hard to be patient with the Corinthian church, since they have so many problems that take so much effort to correct B. destination: Corinth – newly prosperous, decadent, cosmopolitan city 1. at isthmus that connected the Peloponnesos to mainland Greece: major commerce port both E-W and N-S 2. money/economy: a. riches becoming a new tradition/new normal—artisans, funded philosophers and sophists b. religious landscape: collected gods from all peoples passing through for commerce—26 shrines and temples c. a combination of modern Hollywood + New York City/Hong Kong (+ a healthy dose of Las Vegas or Reno) 3. the church at Corinth a. visited by Paul 3 times; Corinthian correspondence comprises 4 letters (some argue 5; see below) Page 1  b. church founded by Paul (Acts 18), ca. AD 50; Paul stays for 18+ mos. (where and when Paul wrote 1–2 Thess) c. Corinthian believers were mostly Greek/Gentile (cf. pagan/Greek sins listed in e.g. 6:10– 11; 8:7; 2:2): a congregation that reflected the demographics of the city (cf. 1 Cor 12:13; ch. 16) – Jews with Roman names like Aquilla, Priscilla, Crispus – Romans like Fortunatus, Quartus, Gaius, etc. – Greeks like Stephanus, Achaicus, Erastus – mix of slaves and freemen – a few wealthy, but many attracted to the gospel were those economically struggling (1:26; cf. 11:21) C. date and occasion 1. establishing the church, Paul leaves and handing off to the church to Apollos " Paul writes his first letter in the Corinthian correspondence (cf. 5:9; Acts 18—not in the NT) 2. the Corinthians write a letter to ask Paul various questions (cf. 1 Cor 7:1) a. Paul responds by writing 1 Corinthians, ca. AD 52-55 b. as Paul receives the Corinthians’ letter, Chloe’s delegation (probably not of Corinth, but travelling through Corinth, from Ephesus; cf. 1:11) reaches Paul with news of current problems that the audience conspicuously failed to report, which is confirmed by the Corinthian couriers (16:17) 3. …so Paul also pens corrections to those issues 4. part of the Corinthians’ issues: divided over their opinions of Paul a. he did not accept the money and subordinate relationship to them that they expected, according to Graeco-Roman custom (9:3–18) b. so they are debating whether he should be an apostle according to their standards (cf. 4:1–5; 9:1–3; 14:37) ! Paul responds to the audience’s rationale for rejecting him c. the audience’s profile: viewed themselves as philosophically wise and super-spiritual— probably a few intellectual elites who persuaded many others (4:18; 9:3; 15:12) – inferred an over-realized eschatology: spiritual gifts from the Spirit meant that they already have some kind of angelic status (13:1) – merged Hellenistic worldview elements into Christian theology: material/spirit dualism and prioritization of knowledge(/Greek ‘wisdom’) " felt that gave them license to divorce theology from ethics (e.g. reject marriage relationships and accept visiting prostitutes; cf. judgment of Paul’s apparently inferior spirituality, rejection of the doctrine of resurrection, etc.) Page 2  ! Paul writes 1 Corinthians (his second letter to that church) – to address the issues about which they ask (7:1); – and before that to address the issues they were trying to hide (chs. 1–6), – and to correct, and to reassert his apostolic credibility in the face of their disagreement with Paul’s commands (cf. 5:9ff.) II. Literary Structure and Content of 1 Corinthians – 1:1–3: Greetings A. emphases upon both Paul’s apostolic authority; B. and upon the Corinthian believers’ connection to churches in other cities: they are not a Christian authority unto themselves (or exempt from care of God’s people) – 1:4–9: Thanksgiving and Prayer: emphasizes godly knowledge and maturity – 1:10–16:11: Body Part 1—chs. 1–6: Paul addresses issues that the audience concealed by omission A. divisions among the church (chaps. 1–4) 1. principles regarding divisions (1:10–17): the audience’s divisions are a result of their thinking that they have superior wisdom and the right to evaluate the situation 2. the true nature of Christian wisdom, exposing the audience’s lack of wisdom/foolishness (1:18–2:16) a. “a crucified messiah”: not wisdom from a Hellenistic perspective, and a scandalon of a weak God from the Jesus-less Jewish perspective (1:18–25) b. the audience themselves were accepted by God when they were weak and foolish—God wanted and still wants that version of them, desperate for him (1:26–31) c. Paul’ preaching that they received was God-esque, since it was truth that did not seem strong or wise (2:1–5) d. God’s wisdom comes rather through the Spirit, and conforms to the shameful/despicable cross (2:6–16) 3. Paul’s apostolic authority and Christian leadership as essential to unity/preventing division, since Paul is their model of true Christian wisdom (chs. 3–4) a. the audience’s jealousy and quarreling is evidence that they are spiritually immature, rather than hyper-spiritual (3:1–4) b. Paul’s admonition: accept a corrected view of leadership: those who are servants (not to elevate as faction mascots; 3:5–9); who build cautiously (3:10–15, 18–23); who are answerable for the care of the church qua God’s temple (3:16f.) ! correspondingly, Paul is God’s servant (he can judge Paul, the audience cannot, 4:1– 5), who looks more like Jesus than his detractors (4:6–13) and who will appropriately correct the audience as their spiritual father (4:14–21) Page 3  B. a church member cohabitating with his father’s ex-wife(/widow?) (ch. 5) = incest (by the ancient definition)—and the Corinthian church boasts (vv. 2, 6) that they are morally enlightened enough to tolerate/welcome such incest ! something not even the pagans can stomach! 1. Paul’s intervention: put out the man committing incest (vv. 2, 5, 7, 13; cf. Deut 17:7) 2. somewhat unclear dynamics; presumably understood (we get half of the communication)—includes: a corporate response, in God’s presence by the Spirit, allowing Satan’s impact with a redemptive intent (vv. 3–5) C. intra-church lawsuits over money (trivial!)—in front of non-Christians observers! (6:1–11) 1. when one brother cheated another, and the second outed him before the bema (in the open), the reputation of the entire church—and God/Christ—incurs a loss 2. Paul’s response: a. how can those who will judge angels debase themselves over an earthly matter of money, subject to earthly evaluation? (vv. 1–6) ! yet one more way the audience are not genuinely wise b. the plaintiff can suffer wrong in a trivial matter (cf. Christ’s substantive unjust suffering), and the cheat endangers himself trivially (vv. 7–10) c. believers in the audience were the same way prior to Christ, so a word of grace (v. 11) D. faulty understanding of Christian freedom leading to sexual immorality (6:12–20) 1. specifically, some men consider joining with temple prostitutes to be theologically unproblematic (not general or widespread sexual immorality) 2. based on a distortion(/misquote) of Paul: “everything is permissible” + a denigrated view of matter (food and sex merely appetites of the mere body, which is destined for destruction and does not affect the spirit) 3. Paul’s response: illicit sex is a sin against the Spirit, who make one’s body his temple – the body belongs to the Lord/is destined for resurrection – indwelling by the Spirit joins one’s body with the Lord, so there is no room to further join with another body yet of a prostitute Part 2—7:1–16:12: Paul addresses issues about which the audience did ask A. the relevance of marriage (raised because of the audience’s assumption that their over- realized eschatology was correct) (7:1–24) 1. the issue: pagan dualism says sex is bad, so the audience are betraying marriage commitments (vv. 1, 5)—possibly related to the influence of women who are exercising charismatic gifts in a chaotic fashion (see below) Page 4  2. Paul’s answer to their concern: because of immorality and weakness of resolve, a man who is already married should “have” (! a polite euphemism) his wife (vv. 1–2) a. it is not about one’s right to take conjugal rights, but the service of giving them: practice mutual giving (and suspend only mutually and temporarily; vv. 1–7) b. marriage is fine, but it may be better for those unmarried to pursue service over marriage (vv. 8–9) c. married believers must stay married, per the Lord’s directive; and any unbelievers in the congregation with their believer spouses who are listening, Paul advocates for them in not allowing their believing spouse to separate from them (vv. 10–16) d. Paul’s logic: God works in whichever situation one is in—there is no inherent reason to alter it (vv. 17–24) B. a related issue: the question of the “virgins” (very likely: betrothed young women) ! should they carry through with their marriages? (7:25–40) 1. Paul’s answer contextual, rather unclear to us—missing half of the conversation; also has to speak carefully, because he does not want his reasoning on the last topic of marrying to be confused with his new reasoning here) 2. Paul tends to support the inclination to remain single, but for other reasons a. it may be best, considering their “present distress” (referent uncertain; v. 26) b. singleness allows for “undivided devotion” (v. 35) c. regardless, Paul’s guiding principle is the virgins’ welfare, since marriage is part of God’s plan (as singleness may be, case by case) NB: points C-F all relate to problematic worship practices — theology is for the sake of doxology: ! the audience asked because factions want to know who is ‘right,’ and/or to learn the right answer and the right rules/practice ! Paul answers to correct both the audience’s (mis)understanding (of idolatry, spiritual gifts, etc.), and their demotion of love as the highest principle within the Christian ethic C. food sacrificed to idols: Christians are not to participate in pagan worship (8:1–11:1) [Note: Paul’s longest sustained discourse anywhere on one single topic] 1. context: – pagan temples were also (sort of) restaurants ! social norm of eating inside the temple, presumably along with the deity—especially in an archetypical Hellenistic setting like Corinth – meat sold in marketplaces was most often sourced from pagan temple sacrifices (Jews had imperial dispensation perform their own butchering, making meat a semi-religious issue for those coming from a Jewish religious/biblical perspective) a. the audience’s argument: “all know” the commonplace that idols are empty (8:1ff.); and food is not a salvific matter (v. 8); therefore, eating is harmless (v. 10) ! moreover, Paul does not seem to give consistent prohibitions (9:19–22) Page 5  b. Paul’s answer (cf. precedent of “no idolatry” in 5:9) divides into addressing eating food in temples, which matters because of the location (8:1–10:22); and the question of marketplace meat, which matter regarding food in general (10:23–11:1) 2. Paul’s response in 4 parts: the basic universal principle for all such questions, is that love takes priority over knowledge a. theological precision applied in a way that destroys the weak is anti-theological: love, rather than creating a stumbling block (8:1–13) b. Paul does have authority in such theological matters—proven on Christ’s standard (and not discredited according to Hellenistic standards) of freely giving to the audience the gospel owned by God, rather than exercising his right of support (like sophists) ! the Corinthians do not own Paul, and he would not let them (client/patron dynamics; 9:1–18) ! Paul’s assessment: he does not have a double standard regarding e.g. food practices, but rather prioritizes accommodation for the sake of evangelization (vv. 19–23; with self- discipline underneath it all, vv. 24–27) c. idol food in the temples: love and do not confuse others by associating in pagan temples (10:23f.); + real demons stand behind unreal idols ( vv. 14–22), and prior idolatry led to God’s judgment of his people (vv. 1–13; cf. Exod 32; Num 25) d. re: marketplace food: since everything belongs to God, act for God’s glory and to not offend fellow believers (10:23–11:1) D. the freedom versus uncontrolled abuse of freedom of newly empowered women in Christian worship services (11:2–16) [note: a matter of debate among scholars; and only a partial picture given by Paul] 1. Fee: women asserting equality/authority by mimicking the dress of the dominant partner in a Hellenistic lesbian pairing (cf. v. 6 “mannish,” and conflating equality to men with emulation of men, which dishonors the husbands & defies God’s creational distinction) 2. new empowerment: a. Hellenistic women are socially inferior, unempowered b. the Spirit is democratic, indwelling and giving power/charism to both men and women among God’s Jesus-centric people c. sudden equality + charisms = (apparent) over-exuberant and disruptive exercise of gifts? ! disruptive prayer and prophecy/worship (presuming angels’ level of status? V. 10) [NB: not about subordination or headship; also, Paul does not allow the fact of the women’s authority to entail complete license) 3. Paul’s answer: speaking in public on God’s behalf requires some approval a. socio-cultural appropriateness: the women must not use theology (truth of their freedom, authority, empowerment) to cause dishonor to their husbands (vv. 3–6) Page 6  b. husbands aside, the Lord is head over all the Corinthian believers " rather than utter independence, even the ‘free’ women should remain veiled in the presence of God’s glory (vv. 7–12) c. God’s created order and social custom play into the ethic of how the women should conduct themselves in this particular context (vv. 13–15, 16) E. inequity at the Lord’s table/supper (11:17–34) 1. yet another communal issue, but one that does not require introspection: the rich shame the church by eating well while the poor go hungry in the communal meal (eaten in God’s presence, a declaration of allegiance)? (vv. 20ff.) 2. Paul’s answer: keep allegiance by keeping the covenant by—once again—caring for one another (vv. 23–34; esp. vv. 27–32 re: the liability of working against God’s redemptive efforts) F. the abuse of tongues and other spiritual gifts in worship services (chs. 12–14) 1. the problem: tongues of angels is viewed superior gift, such that the Corinthians have reached the pinnacle of Christian spirituality " has led to disorder (14:21ff., 26–40: accidentally displaying God’s judgment upon idolatry!) 2. Paul’s response a. the content of an apparent gift determines what is of the Spirit (vs. the experience of exercising a gift; 12:1–3) b. despite a diversity of the gifts, the unity of the Spirit entails a unified body of Christ(/the church) (vv. 3–41) c. love is the all-encompassing goal, and believers’ only appropriate motive (chap. 13) d. when the principle of love applied to community worship and the issue(s) of spiritual gifts (14:1–25) " do what is intelligible, and therefore edifies one another (v. 6); and ensure that supposed spirituality does not drive people away from God’s Kingdom (vv. 21ff.) 3. finally, guidelines on proper order: be orderly, and not domineering/oppressive (14:26–40) [Note on 14:34f.: problematic — may refer to inappropriate chit chat in a formal setting; also, Fee argues these verses are an unoriginal interpolation] G. along with over-realized eschatology: incorrect theology about the Resurrection (ch. 15) 1. as above, pagan[/Platonistic] spirit/material dualism " a denial of a future bodily resurrection 2. Paul’s response the Resurrection has begun with Christ, and will culminate—if there is no resurrection, then what of Jesus? …then what of believers…? a. Paul proclaimed and the audience believed Christ’s bodily resurrection—no other kind of resurrection in the biblical heritage of God’s people (which fails if there is no resurrection) (15:1–11) Page 7  b. Christ’s resurrection is all that gives believers hope, and also certain and inevitable (vv. 12–19, 20–28, with concluding argument in vv,. 29–34) c. the mystery of resurrection: no parallel, but “spiritual” body instead of a physical one, appropriate to the coming ‘environment’ of God’s Kingdom (vv. 35–58) H. the Jerusalem collection and Paul’s itinerary (16:1–11) 1. the Jerusalem collection: an obligation to the first Jewish Christians, from whom came the gospel that the audience received—money for gospel (in kind, if not comparable), needed because of famine and the persecution of economic marginalization in Judea 2. instructions regarding Timothy’s reception – 16:13–24: Final Greetings: III. Assorted Theology in 1 Corinthians A. various, disparate issues covered, all occasionally determined 1. reflects the problematic character of the Corinthian saints’ walk in the Lord—and Paul’s displeasure on several issues 2. to be continued: an unfolding drama that gets some more context as the Corinthian correspondence extends into 2 Cor (next) B. some examples of Paul’s points: 1. Christ-like weakness a. who looks more like a crucified Messiah, the haughty, religiously sophisticated Corinthians or Paul who is embarrassing as an apostle by non-Kingdom standards? b. the Christian ethic of love, expressed in self-abandonment for the sake of serving fellow believers (and which may be situationally dictated by the Spirit’s guidance, rather than absolute ethical logic) 2. the community of faith as the Jesus-centric Israel/people of God a. deferring to one another: not causing scandal b. sound theology regarding sensitivity in the issue of idolatry, worship, community order and abuse, holiness and admonishment, blending of un-Kingdom values with the gospel, etc. 3. the Resurrection, and matter matters—the body is important (esp. for Christian practice/living) a. both spirit(/mind)/body dualism and the notion of an immortal soul are both pagan— extra- or anti-biblical (e.g., only the uncreated living God is ‘immortal’) b. death is the enemy because it robs human creatures of their body c. but Jesus’ resurrection ties into our coming resurrection " dying with Christ, including to Torah, means that believers are free regarding Torah d. in the final resurrection, believers’ bodies will catch up with their Spirit-augmented spirits Page 8  4. an example of application: 1 Cor 8:1–10:22 — believers are always meant to treat one another with gentleness and charity a. in this instance, that means lovingly deferring to one another, when the Spirit shepherds a fellow believer’s conscience (cf. 1 Cor 10:28–31) b. relevant application(s): – Scripture instructs that it’s inevitable that complex, unclear issues will arise—issues that are important, but even so are not central to the faith or the gospel – when such issues arise, believers may arrive at differing theological interpretations; or they may share theology but arrive at different practices " such expected differences do not automatically make either side unbiblical or un-Christian – sometimes, then whichever view one eventually judges to be correct, all parties ought to exhibit toward one another the kind of charity commanded when negotiating a challenge like the one faced by the Corinthians – and last, since charity is commanded amidst disagreement, neither party ought to instigate division by revoking the Christian credentials of the other " on to 2 Corinthians Page 9