Introducing the church at Corinth

As we begin this study, one important thing to understand is the context of the churches to whom Paul was writing. Corinth was a city in Greece, famed for its wealth, trade, diversity, intellectual environment, and culture. In fact, in Paul's day, it was the preeminent city in Greece. Unfortunately, it was also a very evil and wicked place. In fact it was so depraved, that even among the Greeks the saying "corinthianize" was slang for "go to the devil."

It was in this pagan environment that Paul founded the church at Corinth (Acts 18). As a thriving metropolis and a gateway through which much of the ancient world traveled, as well as a clear need for the message of the gospel, Corinth seemed an ideal location for a thriving church. But sadly the church ended up little different from the culture, and was a congregation full of division, pride, sexual immorality, and carnality. 1 Corinthians is a letter of rebuke and exhortation to the church to live worthy of the call of God.

Suggested reading: Acts 18