Corinth

To the church of God that is in Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints together with all those who in every place call upon the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, both their Lord and ours…

1 Corinthians 1:1-3

As we begin to look into Paul’s letter to the church he established in Corinth, we must know something about the original context of a biblical book to interpret it properly, and understanding the historical context of 1 Corinthians is particularly helpful for understanding this letter. The city of Corinth was the capital of the province of Achaia. It was one of the most important cities in the first-century Roman Empire, being located on a narrow isthmus that connected the Peloponnesian territory to the rest of Greece. Corinth was a point of entry into Europe for those traveling from the east. Sailors would transport goods overland, a short distance, through the city from one port to another because going around the Peloponnesian peninsula exposed them to hazardous sailing conditions. Thus, all kinds of people came to the city to benefit from its commercial significance, bringing with them their various religions, philosophies, ethnicities, and more. As such, Corinth was a major city that featured all the benefits and drawbacks one might expect from an important metropolis such as New York, Los Angeles, and Las Vegas today. Corinth may be properly described as all these present day cities rolled into one. If one could succeed in Corinth, one could succeed anywhere. Multitudes of people, with all their virtues and vices, flocked to the city for the prospect of economic gain. Because of Corinth’s strategic location for reaching many different people from around the world, it is little wonder that Paul planted a church in the city. According to Acts 18:1-18, he spent eighteen months there sometime between AD 49 and 52. First Corinthians is actually the second letter Paul sent to Corinth after leaving the city. We know this because 1 Corinthians 5:9–10 references an earlier letter Paul sent to that church before writing 1 Corinthians. 1 Corinthians is Paul’s response to a letter sent to him from the Corinthian believers, asking the Apostle to take up several matters and questions. Throughout this letter, we read of the common sins in Corinth that made their way into the church. One reading this letter might think that it is remarkable that Paul, in our verses today, writes that the Christians there were “sanctified in Christ Jesus.” The fundamental reality for believers of all time is, even in our sin, we have been set apart as holy unto God in Christ. Having been set apart as holy, we are then called to be holy in our practice. We do not make ourselves holy but we must live out the holy identity that we possess in Christ. Part of the good news of the gospel is that if we are in Christ, we are regarded as holy. We do not have to make ourselves holy for we cannot make ourselves holy. But, having been set apart to God in Christ, we are to live out that reality. By pursuing personal holiness, we act according to what we truly are in the Lord, and when we sin, we are acting against what the Lord has done for us. Praise God that He knows we are still inside sinful flesh and He forgives us and calls us “saints” despite our sinful nature.

Source: S C Ball October 18, 2023