Any self-respecting layman, sooner or later gets acquainted with the Holy Scriptures. Fortunately, today this book is available in all languages of the world and in almost every home, however, in different respects, there is a collection of small books - the Bible. And one of them included in this historical and divinely inspired bestseller is the first epistle of the holy apostle Paul to the Corinthians. What is useful in this edition for a modern person? What is its content and why can it be trusted?
What was life like in Corinth
To answer the above questions, first you need to understand the circumstances under which the first epistle of St. Paul the Apostle to the Corinthians was written.
That time is very similar to ours. Corinth was said to be "a city in which all the vices of the east and west met." About 400 thousand people lived in this rich city. More than Corinth were only Rome, Alexandriaand Antioch. Due to its favorable location, it was a shopping center. The map below clearly shows that Corinth is located on a narrow isthmus between the Peloponnese and mainland Greece. This allowed him to control the road to the mainland.
At the time, it was said that we alth, debauchery and immorality literally permeated the city.
The Corinthians worshiped Aphrodite, and this further exacerbated their vices. This means that religion did not make them better, because the named goddess of love and passion encouraged her worshipers to the latter.
In such a city, the first Christians appeared, to whom the first epistle of the Holy Apostle Paul to the Corinthians was addressed.
Why did Paul write Corinthians
The Apostle Paul not so long ago was in Corinth and spread Christianity among the Greeks there. As a result, a Christian congregation of proselytes was formed. A few years later, this congregation began to fade in its devotion to God, which caused alarm and prompted the holy apostle Paul to write the first epistle to the Corinthians.
What was it that bothered the apostle so much about what was happening among the Corinthian Christians? First of all, these are disagreements, sectarianism, leaders appeared who led the students away. He was also very upset that family foundations were undermined, and even immorality reigned. It was simply unthinkable! And this is not all the problems that the holy apostle Paul highlights in the first epistle to the Corinthians.
Message summary
The contents of this book provide a glimpse into what Christians are facing. “Paul, by the will of God, called an apostle of Jesus Christ” - this is exactly how Paul begins his letter, pointing out that he does not address them from himself, but the Lord Jesus Christ himself is interested in their well-being. From him comes loving guidance and edifying advice. For Christians, this was a particularly relevant reminder. After all, divisions began among them. The Corinthians chose leaders for themselves, some revered Apollos, others followed Paul. But who are Apollos and Paul? They are just ministers who made the Corinthians believers.
Further, from the 5th chapter, Paul is outraged that such a sin reigns among Christians, which is even shameful to talk about. One man lives with his father's wife. So Paul tells the congregation that they should cast out of their midst this vice:
Run away from fornication. Because you are paid for. So glorify God in your body!” (6:18, 20).
In order not to fall into fornication, Paul advises to strengthen family ties: those who are not married - to join, so as not to be inflamed; those who are already a family man - to keep the family. In chapters 8-9, Paul advises the Corinthians to focus their efforts on the ministry in order to spread the good news. He says:
"Woe to me if I do not proclaim the good news!"
In chapter 10, Paul warns Christians against idolatry by giving an example from the past with Moses. Chapter 11 gives the principle of headship:
The head of a woman is a man, the headmen are Christ, the head of Christ is God”
Also moves back to divisions, but related to the Supper.
In chapters 12, 13, and 14, Paul lists spiritual gifts, love, and the pursuit of it.
Actually, chapter 13 today is known for its description of love. It is the kind of love that should be among Christians, and not depraved and vicious. For the sake of this description, it is worth reading at least the 13th chapter from the first epistle of the holy apostle Paul to the Corinthians. The content of chapters 15 and 16 conveys Paul's strong evidence for the resurrection hope. The apostle recalls the example of the resurrection of Jesus Christ, who appeared immediately to more than five hundred brothers. And, reasoning in this vein with them, he says, if there was no resurrection, then all their faith is in vain, and he himself suffers in vain for the sake of the good news. Indeed, the Christian faith is based on the hope of the resurrection!
At the end of the letter, Paul advises to help the poor brothers from Jerusalem, warns of his imminent arrival and sends greetings from Asia, assuring them of his love. That was such an edifying and warning message. But why can those who want to be called Christian today trust this message?
Can there be any doubt?
Justin Martyr, Athenagoras, Irenaeus of Lyons and Tertullian quoted him in their writings. Historical writings say that the first epistle of Clement, written in 95 AD, contains six references to the letter to the Corinthians.
If the Letter is confirmed by several more sources, then doubtsmay not arise in its validity. In our case, the first letter to the Corinthians was included in the canonical scriptures by the Christians of the first century, which means that they accepted it not as the word of man, but as the word of God.
Christians today
Those who identify themselves as Christians today do not question this message. Moreover, they are guided by his advice in their lives, showing the same incomparable love for each other, as in the thirteenth chapter of the Corinthians. This is the kind of love that will never pass away, and it is by it that one can recognize a true Christian who is ready to bear his cross of Christ, following in his footsteps.
