The important letter we know as I Corinthians gives the fullest portrayal of Christian worship that has come to us in the New Testament. Written probably in the spring of a.d. 55, it brings us living glimpses of the early Christians—their common meals, their prophesying and their speaking with tongues; it touches on the status of the women in the Corinthian congregation and deals with pressing problems of morality and marriage—all in the light of one overriding concern: commitment to Christ and Christian love.
After the customary opening, with its greeting and thanksgiving, the apostle turns to the business on hand: "Now I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ ... that there be no divisions among you" (1:10). Instead of their being a coherent group, some were claiming to be "of Paul," some "of Apollos" or "of Cephas" (Peter), and others "of Christ." Paul rebukes this wrangling. "Is Christ divided? was Paul crucified for you? or were ye baptized in the name of Paul?" (vv. 12, 13).
In his introduction he had praised their excellence of speech and knowledge; now he warns them not to let human wisdom supersede the message of the cross. As the letter continues, Paul elaborates this theme, contrasting the boasted wisdom of the world with the supreme but simple revelations of the Spirit.
To him the Corinthians' dissension over teaching shows lack of spiritual maturity. He draws a vivid contrast between the worldly arrogance and wealth of the Corinthians and the humbling privations that he and the other apostles have had to undergo in the cause of Christ.
As for morality, had not the Corinthians been washed, sanctified, reformed, by becoming Christians? Their old ways can be in no way countenanced in the light of the new. "Glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's" (6:20).
It was perhaps at this point that messengers arrived from Corinth with the long-delayed reply to his original note (see 16:17), for Paul makes a fresh start: "Now concerning the things whereof ye wrote unto me" (7:1). They had asked whether it was wrong for Christians to marry, to which he replied that it was certainly allowable, and advisable when necessary to maintain morality, though "I would that all men were even as I myself. But every man hath his proper gift of God" (7:7). He then deals with various points concerning marriage and divorce—all in the setting of the imminent coming of Christ. "For the fashion of this world passeth away" (v. 31).
Another knotty problem in the early Christian community concerned food that had been offered to idols. Any meat available for purchase would almost certainly have been presented before the gods in some temple. Should Christians refrain from eating meat altogether?
Some of the Corinthians, at least, were sure they had the answer: there was no harm in eating food offered to gods that did not exist. But Paul was thinking in terms of the Christian fellowship. What might be the effect of exercising one's complete freedom? How might it affect the conscience of a weaker member, perhaps recently converted, who had an uneasy sense that in eating such food he was taking part once more in a pagan rite? As an apostle, Paul explains, he himself might have felt free to do many things, but he voluntarily relinquished his liberty in the service of Christ. "Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God" (10:31).
Paul's brief answer to the next question—whether women should wear veils in church—may seem merely traditional. He insists on maintaining this custom, which had been inherited from the Jews by Christian women and was a symbol of modesty. He even cites Genesis 2 to support it—pointing out that God had created woman second, therefore subordinate to man—but from this he veers off quickly to touch on the Christian position of man and woman, neither separate from the other "in the Lord" (11:11).
It was the custom of the early churches to hold an agape, or "love feast," from time to time, at which the disciples gathered for fellowship. Instead of keeping this as a brotherly occasion, the Corinthians had allowed it to become an excuse for rivalry and gluttony. Here Paul holds up the pattern of that other communal meal, the Lord's supper, the original Christian celebration, giving a solemn and impressive description of its sacred import. Celebration of the Lord's supper was not to satisfy hunger but to serve as a memorial to Christ Jesus.
Each member of the Christian fellowship, Paul goes on to say, has his own share of "spiritual gifts" (12:1). One may be preeminent for wisdom, another for knowledge, one for faith, another for his ability to heal; one may be distinguished as a prophet or able to discern what is true prophecy; another may speak with tongues or interpret them. All these come from the one Spirit; like the parts of the body, each member has his own important work to perform for all. "But covet earnestly the best gifts"—later Paul will explain that intelligible prophecy is much more useful to the church as a whole than uninterpreted glossolalia—"and yet shew I unto you a more excellent way" (12:31). Then begins that memorable essay on love, which might more truly be described as a poem—the thirteenth chapter of I Corinthians.
The translation "charity," familiar to readers of the King James Version, was in common use in the seventeenth century, but the literal translation of the Greek word agape, "love," had been adopted by most modern translators. In that one word "love" Paul provided an answer to the problems of his readers. What more perfect antidote could the apostle have offered to counteract the dissension, jealousy, and pride in human wisdom of the Corinthians? All the various gifts that had occasioned such unseemly rivalry among Paul's converts at Corinth seemed of little moment when viewed in the searching sunlight of love, which would shine forever when all these things had vanished into oblivion.
Now Paul has almost finished his letter, but he has one final teaching to clarify for his readers: concerning the resurrection of the dead. What he says here about Jesus' own resurrection is our earliest and most important witness; he lists those who had seen the Master after that event, including himself among them because of his conversion experience. Some of his readers had doubted the possibility of resurrection, so he makes it plain that Jesus had not only risen from the dead himself but had led the way for others, becoming "the firstfruits of them that slept" (15:20). When the mortal finally puts on immortality, the prophecy will be fulfilled that says (v. 54): "Death is swallowed up in victory."
The final chapter of this epistle, as of others, is largely concerned with greetings and practical matters. Paul calls on the Corinthians, as he had the Galatians, to provide for those in need at Jerusalem. He expects to visit Corinth soon—perhaps to spend the winter with them. After various instructions and exhortations he closes this important letter with the gentle words: "My love be with you all in Christ Jesus. Amen."
