Episode 2803 - 1st and 2nd Corinthians - Introduction - 3rd Quarter 2026

The Essence of Christian Life and Witness - an introduction Writing letters is an age-old activity that has not become obsolete. We’ve merely changed the way that letters are written.Yes, social media superseded paper. However, in their essence,emails and other forms of electronic letters exert basically the same function: theyconnect people by exchanging information, feelings, and thoughts.Why do people write letters? A possible answer is that they have something tosay. So it was with the apostle Paul. Although he had so much to say, he did notalways have the chance to be face-to-face with those whom he wanted to talk.So, he wrote letters instead—such as to the Corinthians, which contain some ofScripture’s most profound truths. Among them are: “I decided to know nothingamong you except Jesus Christ and him crucified” (1 Cor. 2:2, ESV), and “For youknow the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sakehe became poor, so that you by his poverty might become rich” (2 Cor. 8:9, ESV).And what about the stunning hymn to love in 1 Corinthians 13?On the other hand, whoever reads Paul’s letters to the Corinthians will inevitably get perplexed, not only because of some substantial problems within thechurch—such as sexual immorality—but also because of the nitpicking that resultsfrom cheap factionalism among the members. If you think your church has challenging issues, get ready to see the avalanche of quarrelings Paul had to deal within Corinth. Perhaps your local church’s problems are not as significant as you imagine! Very likely, you will see that things in Corinth had been much worse.As disturbing as the problems in Corinth had been, the letters to the Corinthianscapture our attention, not because of the problems but because of the remarkableway Paul faces them. By exhorting the church members to evaluate themselves,their behavior, and the surrounding culture in the light of the gospel of JesusChrist, he exalts the message of the Cross. To use thewords of Paul himself elsewhere, any standard lowerthan the gospel message is to be seen as “anathema”(Gal. 1:8, 9, ASV).In Paul’s time, Corinth was famous for its wealthand strong commerce, all thanks to its port, architecture, shipbuilding, and ceramics. The city was animportant financial center. Nevertheless, it was alsoknown for its sexual immorality, religious cacophony, and shrines dedicated to various gods. Indeed,daily life in Corinth was marked by flagrant idolatry. This historical-culturalbackground helps us understand Paul’s main concerns regarding the Christians inthat city and, consequently, his exhortations to them.This quarter, we will survey Paul’s letters to the Corinthians. In these tworemarkable New Testament books, the apostle presents the gospel message as theessence of Christian life and witness, the lens through which everything else isto be judged. No matter the challenges each of us individually or the church ingeneral faces in our journey to heaven—the answer to the most puzzling issuesin our work for Christ is the same as for the Corinthians: “Jesus Christ and Himcrucified” (1 Cor. 2:2, NKJV).Jesus is coming soon. This is a time for more unity in Christ, for an openness tothe Holy Spirit as never before, for diligent use of the spiritual gifts, and for a moreprofound experience with our resurrected Lord. It is time for a genuine Christianministry, engagement in stewardship and mission, spiritual warfare against falseteachings, and growth in grace, love, and fellowship. This is a time to hold fastand be faithful to the message of the Cross, and Paul’s letters to the Corinthiansteach us to do just that.Adenilton Tavares de Aguiar, PhD, is a professor of Biblical interpretationat the Theological Seminary at the Adventist University Center of São Paulo in Brazil.