1 Corinthians: Grace and truth for a conflicted community

Paul reached the cosmopolitan city of Corinth, on the isthmus connecting southern and northern Greece, around AD49. The city was a bustling trading port. Internationally diverse, with huge wealth inequality, it was full of diverse religions and philosophies, and famous for its sexual immorality. Paul’s ministry there had great success, as you can read in Acts 18. But this diverse and gifted church was also a church full of conflicts and problems. Personality cults, sexual immorality, idolatry, and worship services full of selfish spirituality were causing big problems. So Paul wrote this letter we now call 1 Corinthians, to lovingly and firmly help the Corinthian Christians to unite together around Jesus and following Jesus’ way.

Paul’s message of grace and truth for the conflicted community in Corinth speaks with contemporary relevance to our modern society.