The Church in Corinth: Congregational Profile

CHURCH ARTICLE | John Hines | Haynesville, Louisiana

“There’s no such thing as a perfect church.” This idea can be espoused as nothing more than an excuse for sin and the overlooking of sin. While all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23), one cannot help but notice something about various local congregations mentioned in scripture. In Revelation, for example, some of the churches are rebuked. Others are not, with the Lord recognizing their faithfulness (Revelation 3:7-13). Does this mean they never had problems? No, but apparently, they had dealt with any issues they faced in a scriptural manner. And now? The Lord does not tell them they need to repent. Instead, they conduct themselves in a way that Jesus commends.

How many local congregations would stand on this same ground? Consider the churches in Philadelphia and Laodicea. Are most congregations like the church in Philadelphia, or are they more like the lukewarm church? We know what answer is possible. We also know what answer is probable. Problems do happen. How a congregation collectively and individually addresses those problems is the question. So before we leave the seven churches of Asia, let us ask a question. Is there a church in scripture that suffered from a lack of love? Faced persecution? Tolerated false doctrine and sexual immorality? Had dead and dying members? Had a few faithful members, but overall were just proud of themselves in the most sickening way? If that does not fit Corinth, nothing does.

Look at the city and the congregation and notice what applications we can make.

The City
Corinth is located roughly 60 miles west of Athens, near the isthmus that joins the Peloponnesus to the mainland. While there is a canal across the isthmus today, none existed in the first century. There are remains of a road/rail system that transported ships overland in Corinth, called the diolcus. The construction of this road and rail system was necessary because of the dangerous seas around Greece. What did this mean for Corinth? It was a hub, and where there is a hub, there is commerce and people from different backgrounds. It is not difficult to see these factors in Paul’s time in Corinth and his letters to them.

Corinth has been described as a working city, contrasting with Athens, where the philosophers gathered. While there were differences, there were similarities as well. If Athens was given over to idols (Acts 17:16), it is not difficult to imagine the same in Corinth. Paganism was strong here. Temples to Apollo and Aphrodite were prominent, with the oft-cited hordes of temple prostitutes in the latter. Corinth became a byword in other cities for an immoral lifestyle because of the rampant sexual immorality and debauchery in the city of Corinth. Anything went in Corinth. Given this, it is little surprise that the church tolerated sexual immorality “not even named among the gentiles” (1 Cor. 5:1). Paganism affected the early church with its sexual immorality and its pick-who-you-follow approach.

While paganism abounded, there was a synagogue in Corinth. In Acts 18, we read of Paul coming to the city and reasoning there. Given the commercial nature of Corinth, it helps us to see why Aquila and Priscilla may have come there, whom we meet in the same chapter. As they had come from Italy due to Claudius commanding all Jews to leave Rome, it seems improbable that they were the only ones in and on that boat. We will say this: Corinth was a metropolitan city. There were people from different backgrounds and different classes. Again, this manifests itself in various issues addressed in Paul’s letters.

The Church
The church begins in Acts 18, as Paul came there from Athens. How long did Paul stay in Athens? He didn’t. Given the environment of Corinth, how long would one guess he stayed there? It is interesting. Looking backward from Acts 18, we see the brevity of some of his stays. Who would have ever imagined that in a city like Corinth, Paul would have been able to stay for an extended amount of time (Acts 18:11), comparatively speaking? There is a great lesson for God’s people here. If the gospel can take root in Corinth, the gospel can take root anywhere. Man’s wisdom would think it would be the deep-thinking philosophical Athens that would be the most receptive to the word. They had their opportunity, but Greek wisdom spurned the call (1 Cor. 1: 18-26). Give people a chance, and what happens may surprise us.

The Lord told Paul, “Do not be afraid, but speak, and do not keep silent, for I am with you…” (Acts 18:9, 10). That is what Paul did. Within the chapter, we read how Paul reasoned (vs. 4), persuaded (vs. 4), testified (vs. 5), and taught the word of God (vs. 11). In the same chapter, Apollos, “vigorously refuted the Jews publicly, showing from the scriptures that Jesus is the Christ” (vs. 28). While Paul performed the signs of an apostle in Corinth (2 Cor. 12:12), the church was founded upon the gospel of Christ crucified (1 Cor. 2:2, 15: 1-10). “So we preach and so you believed (1 Cor. 15:11). If a church is going to have any chance of pleasing the Lord, it must appreciate and utilize God’s word. Staying on the narrow way is difficult enough. When congregations appeal to comedy hour, life experiences, I-thinkers, or some other form of self-help or entertainment, it is nothing but a recipe for disaster. In reality, their goose is already cooked. The foundation must be the message of the cross (1 Cor. 3:11). Paul had laid the foundation, but there was an issue. Someone else was building on it (3:10). The Corinthians, like the Galatians, had started well but were now being hindered (Gal. 5:7). Let God’s people return to the word if they have left it. It is the only way to be pleasing to God.

Problems and Solutions in Corinth
The issues in the congregation are easy enough to see, especially as we look at Paul’s first letter. There were divisions, envy, and strife (3:3). There was a lack of judgment (ch. 5) in some matters and an appeal to the courts for judgment (ch. 6) in other matters. There were marital issues. There were issues involving meat sacrificed to idols and issues of submission. There were issues surrounding the Lord’s supper, spiritual gifts, and doctrinal questions involving the resurrection, namely that some were denying it.

What gave rise to these problems? Several things come to mind. We have already considered the different backgrounds, as far as Jew or Gentile. The Christians had been sanctified and justified (6:11), but that may have given some the misconception they could sin. Also, the widespread debauchery many Christians had formerly participated in, along with the fact that many still had unbelieving spouses, could have led to widespread divorces (7: 10-16). Even the gifts that God gave them caused jealousy, which makes us appreciate what Paul calls “a more excellent way” (12:31). There were many problems, and as Paul warns them (4:14), the Corinthians would heed many of these warnings. They would repent (2 Cor. 7: 9-12). In their newfound zeal, another problem arose, though. They had not forgiven the repentant (2 Cor. 2:7).

While each problem is addressed throughout the letter, there are underlying principles and solutions. The obvious one is love. How many of the problems would vanish if the Corinthians truly learned to love the Lord and others? The contentions would stop, and faithfulness would resume. The lawsuits would cease. Marriage vows would be kept. Liberties would be respected. The Lord’s supper would not be abused. They would appreciate each other even as the various gifts continued for the time being. In the second letter, forgiveness would not be an issue.

If pride was at the center of many problems in Corinth, there needed to be submission along with love. Love facilitates humility and submission. Most issues would be resolved if the Corinthians would humble themselves and esteem others as better than themselves. This will be necessary, not just when it is easy but also difficult, as Paul addresses the lawsuits (1 Cor. 6:7). In the first half of chapter 11, we read about the covering. Many brethren love to argue about the what’s, when’s, where’s, and why’s of the passage. They somewhat miss the underlying principle. The passage is about submission. “The head of every man is Christ, the head of woman is man, and the head of Christ is God” (vs. 3). Throughout the letter, we see how love and submission are necessary.

We also see that a solution to their problems would be their relationship with the truth and sin, otherwise known as discernment. Love “does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth” (1 Cor. 13:6). The Corinthians needed to learn how to judge (1 Cor. 5: 9-13). Liberties needed to be judged as such. The strong brother needed to know discernment. The weak brother did as well as they considered the conscience of others and whether or not something was sinful (1 Cor. 8,9, 10). Not everything was a liberty, though. Paul had already judged the man in chapter 5, and the Corinthians needed to judge (vs. 1, 11-12). Of course, all judging begins with ourselves, and in taking 1 Corinthians 5 and 2 Corinthians 7, we see Paul’s intent. The Corinthians judged themselves, which led to them judging the immoral man. Judging will be required with the lawsuits (6:5), the Lord’s supper (11:21), the gifts (14:29), and in matters dealing with those who were denying the resurrection. “Do not be deceived; Evil company corrupts good habits. Awake to righteousness, and do not sin; for some do not have the knowledge of God. I speak this to your shame” (15: 33,34). Those who were teaching false doctrine needed to be judged.

Conclusion
Yes, the Corinthians had problems, but remember where we began. It is not the issues but how we react to those issues that matter most. “For there must also be factions among you, that those who are approved may be recognized among you” (1 Cor. 11:19). A good amount of housecleaning needed to be done, but they had good brethren there that could spearhead it (1 Cor. 16:15). The church had a zeal for the gifts and passion for helping others (1 Cor. 14:12, 2 Cor. 9:2), with the latter stirring up even other congregations. One of the noblest things they did was this: they accepted Paul’s rebuke and changed. Yes, they had problems, but what congregation would not want to have the following said about them by the Lord: “What diligence it produced in you, what clearing of yourselves, what indignation, what fear, what vehement desire, what zeal, what vindication! In all things you proved yourselves to be clear in this matter” (2 Cor. 7:12).

We may be on this side of the more excellent way (1 Cor. 13:12), but we can still be immature from to time (1 Cor. 13:11). We need to love, have faith, and have hope as we love the Lord, each other, and the truth as we look forward to the resurrection. We need to self-examine, individually and collectively, and make sure the building is made from the right stuff with the proper foundation. Sin and liberties have to be recognized and dealt with scripturally. As we have been blessed, we need to bless others. If there is a take-away from all of these things, it is this: it’s one thing to start well, but it’s another thing to finish well. Israel had to learn this lesson. Corinth had to learn this lesson. Finally, we need to learn this lesson (1 Cor. 10: 1-13). Let us love and be faithful as we look to our reward.

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July 2022 | GROW magazine