Page 46 - New Testament Survey Student Textbook

Study Section 5: Book of 1 Corinthians: A Call to Holy Living

5.1 Connect

According to the Bible book order, this is the second in the series of letters. Do you live in a
culture that forces you to compromise? I believe you do, just as I do. In order to win votes, a
politician would make a few lies. A relative is preferred over a qualified person in granting
jobs. In church, the rich are not rebuked when they error because they will leave the
church. Examples go on and on. First Corinthians is all about living like followers of Christ. A
couple of years after Paul established a group of believers in Corinth, he received word that they were
losing their way. In 1 Corinthians, Paul gives them practical advice on how to live as Christians in the
midst of a culture that pressures them to compromise. Let’s see…

5.2 Objectives

1. The student shall be able to state the author of 1 Corinthians.

2. The student shall be able to locate when and where the book was written.

3. The student shall be able to name the recipients of the book.

4. The student shall be able to describe the occasion under which the book was written.

5. The student shall be able to describe the themes and purposes of the book.

6. The student shall be able to explain the structure and outline of the book.

7. The student shall be able to react to the impact of the book.

8. The student shall be able to name the key passages in the book.

9. The student shall be able to recite the key words in the book.

5.3 The First Epistle to the Corinthians

Background

Paul’s planting of the church in Corinth was around AD 51 (Acts 18:1–11). Paul proceeded to Ephesus
and spent three years there (Acts 20:31). While in Ephesus (1 Cor 16:8), Paul heard that believers
were quarrelling in Corinth (1:11; 5:1). Paul wrote at least one letter to try to help out (5:9), but it
did not solve the problem—so he wrote what we call 1 Corinthians and sent it with his associate Timothy
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(4:17). The letter probably was written toward the end of Paul’s stay in Ephesus, around AD 54–55.

75 Barry, J. D. et al
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