When Paul wrote 1 Corinthians, he was pastoring from afar. Today, we would consider Paul to be a traveling church planter. He had lived in Corinth for eighteen months to establish the church there and then moved on to start other churches.
A few years later, Paul received news that the church in Corinth had problems and questions. Paul wrote a letter, what we know as 1 Corinthians, to answer these questions. The Gospel of Jesus was an entirely new way to live, and the Corinthian believers needed guidance on how to live this new life.
Live Life Through the Lens of the Gospel
Corinth was on an isthmus and had two seaports, one to the east and one to the west. As a result, it was wealthy but also known for its immorality and temple prostitutes. Its trade brought many different ethnicities together, and slavery was common. Social climbing and status were highly esteemed. This pagan society created problems for the believers who lived there.
The people brought their culture into the church. There were divisions based on race and which teacher they followed. Questions about sexuality and how to live among idol worshippers led to confusion. Those who considered themselves more gifted at worship services tried to control others. They even questioned if the resurrection was real.
Paul responded to each of these questions and problems with the Gospel. He explained how to live life through the lens of the Gospel in all of life’s relationships. The Gospel of Jesus isn’t just moral advice or a recipe for individual spirituality but a whole new way to live.
Paul is Pastoring Us
The problems in Corinth still plague the church today. But to get the most from reading Paul’s letters or epistles, we must read them as letters. Often, we see the epistles as a source of “proof verses” and cherry-pick the verses we like. This takes the verse out of context and may lead us to false conclusions.
Paul used a reasoned flow of thought in 1 Corinthians to address the problems. To understand what Paul said, we must follow this flow and read each section as a whole.
This is how the original readers of the letter would have done it. Doing this will enable us to truly understand what God is teaching us in a particular letter or passage.
Paul’s guidance on living out the Gospel in every part of our lives is still relevant today. We may know about Jesus, but Paul gives us practical application of the Gospel. Paul is still pastoring from afar as we read his letters today. To learn more, listen here:
https://podpoint.com/light-of-christ-church-podcast/worship-as-the-body