1 Corinthians overview pt.1

On a bed of grass, a chameleon's skin turns green. On the earth, it becomes brown. The animal's skin changes to match its environment. Many creatures blend into nature with God-given camouflage to aid their survival. It's natural for us to want to fit in and adapt to our current environment too. Followers of Jesus, however, are new creations, born from above and changed from within. They have values and lifestyles that challenge the world and often clash with accepted morals. True believers don't usually blend into the world very well.

The Christians in Corinth were struggling with their environment. Surrounded by corruption and very conceivable sin, they felt the pressure to adapt by joining in. They knew that as followers of Jesus they had been given new life, but they were having a hard time giving up their old sinful ways. And even within this young church, they were wrestling with what it meant to enjoy the freedom of following Jesus in this "new covenant" He had spoken about. Did this mean that they no longer needed to follow the many Jewish laws and rituals? How should they view idols or sexuality? What should they do about marriage, women in the church, and the gifts of the Spirit? What makes a church different than a synagogue? These were more than theoretical questions - the church was being undermined by immorality, legalism, and spiritual immaturity. The believer's faith was being tried in the crucible of their immoral environments, and some of them were failing the test.

Paul heard of their struggles and wrote this letter to address their problems, heal their divisions, and answer their questions. Paul confronted them with their sins and their need for repentance and a clear commitment to Christ. After a brief introduction (1:1-9), Paul immediately turns to the question of unity (1:10-4:21). He emphasizes the clear and simple gospel message around which all believers should rally, he explains the role of church leaders, and he urges the believers to mature in their faith. Paul then deals with the immorality of certain church members and the issue of lawsuits among Christians (5:1-6:8). He tells the believers to exercise church discipline and to settle their internal matters themselves. Because many of the problems in the Corinthian church involved sex, Paul denounces sexual sin in the strongest possible terms (6:9-20).

Next, Paul answers some of the Corinthians' questions. Because prostitution and immorality were pervasive, marriages in Corinth were in shambles, and Christians weren't sure how to react. Paul gives them pointed and practical answers (7:1-40). Concerning the question of meat sacrificed to idols, Paul suggests that they show complete commitment to Christ and sensitivity to other believers, especially weaker brothers and sisters (8:1-11:1). Paul goes on to talk about worship, and he carefully explains the role of women, the Lord's Supper, and spiritual gifts (11-2-14:20). Sandwiched in the middle of this section is his magnificent description of the greatest give - love (1 Corinthians 13). Then Paul concludes with a discussion of the resurrection (15:1-58), some final thoughts and greetings, and a benediction (16:1-24).

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[SOURCE: Life Application Study Bible]