At the conclusion of yesterday's lesson, we looked at the many problems in the Corinthian church. Today we continue to explore the depth of their struggles. Chapter 6 of 1 Corinthians talks about lawsuits. Here were Christians suing one another in the church, the very fellowship of the people who were called by the name of Christ, suing one another because they could not agree on matters concerning property and such things.
We are looking at the opening of Paul's first letter to the Corinthians. In verse 7 he says that they had spiritual gifts. In the context of this book, that is really quite something to say. Here at the very beginning of his letter he begins to address himself to these Christians saying, "Yes, and among all those other gifts that are yours of God, there are certainly these gifts of the Spirit with which God has enriched you and does so to such a degree that you lack nothing that is essential for the health and well-being of your Christian fellowship."
Today we continue our close examination of 1 Corinthians 1:2. Although Paul uses the same word hagioi in the first two phrases of this verse, there is a slightly different meaning between the two uses. The first phrase, "sanctified in Jesus Christ," talks about our separation, which is what it means to be a saint. In the second phrase, "called to be holy," Paul is not repeating himself, saying exactly the same thing. He is saying that you are separated unto Christ, and you are called now to go on in terms of what that separation means and become increasingly holy in the context of your life.
Yesterday we learned how Paul established himself in the city of Corinth. During those early months in Corinth the Jews were stirring up trouble against Paul. The Lord appeared to Paul on one occasion and said, "Do not worry. I am not going to let anything happen to you here. I have many people in this city." Paul took courage from that, in spite of having been mistreated - even stoned - in other places, and carried on his ministry there in Corinth for eighteen months.
The city of Corinth was a city with an interesting location and a long history. It was located on the narrow isthmus of land that divided the upper, northern, main portion of Greece known as Attica, from the southern portion of Greece, the Peloponnese. The capital of the northern portion was Athens. Sparta was the capital city in the southern portion. Between, on this narrow isthmus, lay the city of Corinth. It was a city of commerce, a great city for the mixture of races.
