Daniela Di Pietrantonio Sophia Ebanks

1. Daniela Di Pietrantonio Sophia Ebanks 1 Corinthians 9-16

2. Background to Letter • Paul • A.D. 55 • Corinth was located on an isthmus connecting to the mainland of Greece • Made the capital of the Roman Province by Ceasar Augustus in 27 B.C. • Colonization and trade throughout the Mediterranean • The church at Corinth encountered numerous problems: - pagan religions with sexual rites - materialism and immorality - divisions within the church - denied the resurrection of the body

3. 1 Corinthians 9 • Corinthian Christians consider themselves mature Christians, which grants them a privileged position to do as they please. • Paul responds by laying out the many privileges that he has a right to claim but does not claim. • Paul regards his ministry as a privilege, duty, and a great reward.

4. 1 Corinthians 10 •  Paul deals with the overconfidence of the Corinthian Christians • They believe since they have been baptized and share in the body and blood of Christ, they can eat meat offered to idols. • The main idea Paul teaches is that those who share in the sacred things of Christ cannot take part in inferior and unworthy deeds.

5. 1 Corinthians 11 • Paul deals with the local problem of whether women had the right to take part in service unveiled. • Paul also discusses the common feast of the early Church called Agape. • Paul informs the Corinthian Christians on the correct observance of the Lord’s Supper.

6. 1 Corinthians 12 • Paul touches on the problem of welding into those who possess all kinds of different gifts into one harmonious Church. • Paul stresses the idea that all special gifts come from God and must be used in service to him. • Paul tells the Corinthian Christians that the action of the Holy Spirit is at work in the Church.

7. 1 Corinthians 13 • Paul introduces the hymn of love. • Paul declares that we may possess any spiritual gift but if it is unaccompanied by love it is useless. • Christian love is permanent, complete, and has absolute supremacy.

8. 1 Corinthians 14 • Paul is dealing with the Corinthians boast of speaking with tongues. • Paul is determined that anyone who possesses a gift should receive every chance to exercise it. • Individuals have received from God whatever gift they may possess, not for their own sake, but for the sake of the Church.

9. 1 Corinthians 15 • Paul states that the gospel of the Risen Lord is received by the people. • Paul claims that if the Corinthians do not believe in the resurrection of the dead then they must not believe in the resurrection of Christ. • Paul speaks of Christ as “the first fruits of those who have died”. • Paul talks on about how those who enters heaven will take on a new imperishable form.

10. 1 Corinthians 16 • Paul tells the Corinthians he will come to Corinth to collect gifts for the poor Christians in Jerusalem. • Paul warns the Corinthians against anyone who does not love Christ. • He sends the men and women the grace of Christ and his own love.

11. Key Verses • 1 Cor 10: 21 - “You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and also the cup of demons. You cannot partake of the table of the Lord and of the table of demons.” • Explanation: Paul explains to the Corinthian Christians that the power behind the idols, with which the pagans commune, consists of demonic powers hostile to our connection with God.

12. Key Verses • 1 Cor 12: 12- “As a body is one though it has many parts, and all the parts of the body, though many, are one body, so also Christ.” • Explanation: This is the first time that the Church is referred to as one body. Paul gives the great picture of the Church as the Body of Christ and each member as a limb in the body that work in service to the body as one.

13. Key Verses • 1 Cor 13: 4-7 – “Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.” • Explanation: This is commonly known as the Hymn of Love. Paul defines love by what it does or does not do. The main idea is that Christian love is permanent.

14. Key Verses • 1 Cor 15: 13-14 – “If there is no resurrection of the dead, then neither has Christ been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, then empty too is our preaching; empty, too, your faith.” • Explanation: The belief in the resurrection of Christ is a big part of the Christian faith. Paul claims that one must believe in the resurrection of the dead in order to believe in the resurrection of Christ. If one does not have faith in the resurrection, then to preach it would be meaningless.

15. Key Verses • 1 Cor 15: 21-22 – “For since death came through a human being, the resurrection of the dead came also through a human being. For just as in Adam all die, so too in Christ shall all be brought to life.” • Explanation: Paul presents Adam as a literary parallel to Christ. He explains that in Christ all mankind is given salvation from the power of sin and death that Adam led us into.

16. Sources • Barclay, William. The Letters to the Corinthians. Louisville: Westminster John Knox, 2002. Print. • Benson, Pete. "An Expository Study On The First Book Of Corinthians." Welcome to Unity in the Body of Christ. Web. 14 Mar. 2012. <http://www.unityinchrist.com/corinthians/cor1-4.htm>. • Hahn, Roger. "1 Corinthians." The Book of First Corinthians. 2011. Web. 14 Mar. 2012. <http://www.crivoice.org/books/1corinth.html>. • LeCompte, Teresa. Journey through the New Testament. Orlando, FL: Harcourt Religion, 2006. Print. • Patterson, Charles H. The New Testament: Notes, including Introduction, Historical Background of the New Testament, Outline of the Life of Jesus ... Lincoln, Neb.: Cliffs Notes, 1996. Print. • The New American Bible: Translated from the Original Languages with Critical Use of All the Ancient Sources, and the Revised New Testament. Wichita, Kan.: Catholic Bible, 1987. Print.