BIBL 110: New Testament Survey
7 1-2 Corinthians
1-2 Corinthians
Authorship
o1 Corinthians is an ________ Pauline letter
oPauline authorship of ________ is ________ seriously contested
External evidence: Letters of Ignatius, Epistle of Barnabas (135
AD), Polycarp (98-117 AD), Marcion (160-225 AD), Moratoria
Canon (2nd C.)
Internal evidence: There is a noticeable change between
________ and 10-13. It is likely that Paul received ________ to
address
Date:
oDating 1-2 Corinthians is best determined based on the total number
of ________ sent in this series of ________.
Destination:
oThe church at Corinth was the primary recipient of the letters, which
were then to be ________ to other congregations
oPaul established the church on his ________ missionary journey
(18:1-22).
oCorinth was destroyed by the Romans in 146 BC and rebuilt by
________ in 44 AD as a Roman ________.
oCorinth was the most important ________ and ________ city in
________.
oCorinth’s location on an important isthmus made it a busy ________
for commercial and personal ________
oCorinth’s landscape was dotted with ________ and ________. The
city was known throughout the empire for its immorality.
oThe rampant ________, prominence of pagan religion and economic,
social and cultural diversity within the city of Corinth explain
________ that Paul faces and addresses.
Paul’s Opponents
o________ : believe soul is superior to the ________
o________ Jewish missionaries: interested in demonstrating their own
power and authority.
oLegalistic ________: hold to a strict keeping of the ________
Genre
oOpening:
Identification of sender/addressee
Salutation
Prayer and often health wish
oBody
oClosing:
Benediction
Commendation of co-laborers
Final instruction
1 Corinthians
oStructure:
Introduction (1:1-9)
Response to Oral Reports (1:10-6:20)
Response to a Letter from the Corinthians (7:1-16:4) [*notice
7:1, 8:1, 12:1, 15:1]
Conclusion
o1 Corinthians addresses:
Distorted ideas about ________ ________ and ________ roles
Harmful manner in which they were celebrating the ________
________ disputes among church members
Confusion about the nature and purpose of ________
Centrality of the doctrine of the ________ resurrection of Jesus
and resurrection hope of believers
Challenges to Paul’s ________ authority
oThe Importance of Christian Unity and the Proper Perspective on
Ministry (1:1-4:21)
Key passage - 1 Cor. 1:10-11: “I appeal to you, brothers, by the
name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you all agree and that there
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be no divisions among you, but that you be united in the same
mind and the same judgment…”
Those who are ________ in the faith are those who seek the
________ of the body. ________ is often a sign of immaturity
and ________.
Christians should find strength in ________, ________ in the
Holy Spirit and ________ through the model of the cross.
oImmorality in the Church (5:1-13)
The church must not overlook ________ of Christians. The
church is ________ to take ________ in these situations.
5:11-13 - ““I am writing to you that you must not associate with
anyone who claims to be a brother or sister but is sexually
immoral or greedy, an idolater or slanderer, a drunkard or
swindler. Do not even eat with such people. What business is it
of mine to judge those outside the church? Are you not to judge
those inside? God will judge those outside. ‘Expel the wicked
person from among you.’”
oDisputes Among Believers (6:1-11)
Paul condemns the practice of some Corinthians of taking other
church members to ________.
1 Cor. 3:18 - “Is it so, that there is not a wise man among you?”
Paul asked the congregation this after noting that many
Corinthians believed they were wise.
________ is the application of ________ principles in
________ situations. Paul was not calling for the eradication of
the judicial system, but for disputes to be settled “________”
rather than in an unjust spectacle.
oLimitations on Freedom in Christ (6:12-20)
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1 Cor. 6: 19-20 “You are not your ________: you were
________ with a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies.”
A Christian should abandon behavior that is damaging to
his/her or another’s spiritual ________.
oMarriage, Singleness and Divorce (1 Cor. 7)
Paul understood the ________ of singleness (v. 8), but he
recognized that ________ is preferable for those whom God has
designed for marriage.
As a general rule, Paul instructs those who are married to avoid
divorce and remarriage (v. 10-11). However, when an ________
spouse ________ a believer, Paul writes that the believer is no
longer bound (v. 15-16)
Overriding principle: The ________ is near and there is much
work to do for the ________. In whatever your state, ________
all you can in ________ to Christ and Kingdom advancement.
oMatters Related to Idol Feast (8:1-11:1)
What guides a Christian’s activity in a culture heavily
influenced by pagan practices: the call to bow to personal
concience and ________.
oMatters of Christian Worship (11:2-14:40)
The Lord’s Supper cannot be properly observed when there are
divisions in the body (11:17-19)
Love ethic is the primary and controlling of the Christian
Spiritual Gifts:
1 Cor. 12-14 contains the most extensive treatment of spiritual
gifts in the New Testament
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Spiritual gifts serve to edify (build up) the church: “each is
given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good (1
Cor. 12:7)”.
If God-given spiritual gifts are not practiced out of love for
others, they are useless (13:1-2)
oMatters Related to the Resurrection (15:1-16:18)
1 Cor. 15 contains the most extensive discussion of the
resurrection in the NT.
The entire Christian faith rests on the reality of Christ’s
resurrection (15:14-19).
Among those who encountered the resurrected Christ include
Cephas, the 12 disciples, ________, and “more than five
hundred brothers at one time, most of whom are still alive”
(15:6). ________ revealed that Jesus had also personally
appeared to him (15:8-9).
A denial of the resurrection leads to:
1. Empty faith (15:14)
2. Futility in Christian ministry (15:15)
3. No hope that the dead in Christ will rise (15:18)
Conversely, Christ’s resurrection serves as a guarantee that His
saints will also rise (15:20).
The resurrection will take place in the future when the Lord
returns (15:51-58).
The hope of the resurrection provides the believers with hope,
motivation, and purpose.
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1 Corinthians 15:58 - Therefore, my beloved brethren, be
steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of
the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in
vain.
2 Corinthians
oPaul’s purpose in writing:
Confront the false prophets and their message
Announce his plans to make a future visit to Corinth
Urge the Corinthians to examine their faith in order to
determine whether it was authentic
oPaul’s Relationship with the Corinthians (1:1-2:11)
Paul’s pure conduct
Paul’s change of plans
Paul’s forgiveness of a repentant sinner
oPaul’s Defense of his Ministry (2:12-7:16)
Paul’s power in weakness
The nature of Paul’s commendation
The ministry of the new covenant
oCollection for the Believers in Jerusalem (8:1-9:15)
The instruction for the collection and eventual distribution of
the offering for the Jerusalem church
oPaul’s Renewed Defense of his Apostleship (10:1-13:13)
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Paul takes on his opponents
Warns of the danger of “false apostles”
Theological Themes
oThe nature and importance of the resurrection
Jesus’ resurrection has many implications for the believers in
both the present life and the life to come
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