The church in Corinth had its beginning during the time of Acts 18. On his second missionary journey, Paul came to Corinth, later met by Silas and Timothy, and immediately began teaching the people in the synagogue every Sabbath. The result of their work was that many obeyed the gospel, thereby establishing the church of Christ in that city (Acts 18:8). Corinth was home to a number of well-known Bible characters including Aquila, Priscilla, Crispus, Gaius, and Stephanas; all of whom were great assets to the work. Paul stayed and worked in Corinth for a period of eighteen months before finally moving on in his journeys and work, but obviously left thinking the church was well prepared for the challenges it would face shortly.
It is believed that by the time Paul arrived and stayed in Ephesus for three years that he received word of the problems the church in Corinth was facing. Certain contacts he had maintained in the Corinthian church informed him of the divisions and evil practices of certain of the members (I Corinthians 1:10-11). In order to remedy these problems and reestablish doctrinal unity and faithfulness among these brethren, Paul writes a discourse to them, essentially in the form of a sermon, in which he dealt with around ten problems (depending on how they are counted). Among the issues discussed are:
1. Divisions in the church based on “party-ism” and “preacher-itis” (I Corinthians 1-4).
2. Adultery (I Corinthians 5:1-8).
3. A lack of church discipline (I Corinthians 5:9-13).
4. Going to law with one another (I Corinthians 6).
5. God’s law concerning marriage (I Corinthians 7).
6. Eating of meats offered to idols (I Corinthians 8-10).
7. Sporadic behavior in worship assemblies (I Corinthians 11:1-15).
8. Perversion of the Lord’s Supper (I Corinthians 11:16-34).
9. Contention over spiritual gifts (I Corinthians 12-14).
10. False views and doubts over the resurrection (I Corinthians 15).
The reason so many in this church fell into outright apostasy so quickly is virtually unknown, but the following might give some degree of insight into a possibility:
“Since many of the members were converts from heathenism, the church was far from perfect. However, there were among them true Christians who were ideal in their faith and character (I Corinthians 1:4-8). For the most part they were poor and without pride of birth or learning (1:26). They were rich ‘in all utterance and knowledge’ and ‘behind in no gift.’ Yet, it was difficult for them to adjust to a life of godliness and chastity in the midst of idolatry and every kind of evil practice” (Dunn).
Essentially, then, those in Corinth who departed the faith did so for the same reason that many continue to depart: the strong pull of sin. Sin has no inherent power, but its appeal is in man’s twisted desires. Those in Corinth simply had not forsaken sin altogether, and it easily pulled them back from the sacrificial life of Christianity.
It is important to note, though, that amid the great problem of sin and the resulting apostasy evident in Corinth, Paul did not write in order to throw up his hands and give up. If Paul had given up on Corinth, he likely would not have bothered addressing them. First Corinthians was not written as a letter of resignation, but a letter of reproof. Paul still saw great potential in the lives of these brethren and thus determined to do all he could to help them work through these problems and reenter the pathways of righteousness once more.
In the closing chapter of the book, Paul addresses the Corinthian Christians with a challenge. He says, “Watch ye, stand fast in the faith, quit you like men, be strong. Let all your things be done with charity. I beseech you, brethren, (ye know the house of Stephanas, that it is the firstfruits of Achaia, and that they have addicted themselves to the ministry of the saints,) that ye submit yourselves unto such, and to every one that helpeth with us, and laboureth” (I Corinthians 16:13-16). Paul knew they were able to do right, it was just a matter of having the resolve to do it. Such is the potential of all children of God. Sin must be handled, but lives should be changed. This was Paul’s mission, and thus should be the mission of all servants of the Lord today.