Occasion and Purpose

While Paul was in Ephesus, he had received information from several sources concerning the conditions existing in the church at Corinth. Paul heard that some of the Corinthians had moral difficulties, so he wrote them a letter to pass on some helpful advice I Cor. 5:9. This letter has not been preserved. Some scholars believe that this letter is lost without trace.

Paul heard that some of the Corinthians had developed strong feelings against him personally, even to the extent of doubting whether he was really an apostle. He therefore sent Timothy and Erastus to Corinth to try to deal with some of the problems in the church Acts 19:22; I Cor 4:8-13, 18-21.

In the meantime, some believers from Corinth arrived in Ephesus. They gave Paul the disturbing news that factions had developed in the Corinthian church because people had favourites of different teachers 1 Cor. 1:10-13. Paul heard also that there was a serious case of sexual immorality in the church (1 Cor. 5:1) and that there were disputes between Christians in the public law courts I Cor.6:1. Soon after this a group of representatives from Corinth arrived with a letter setting out questions on a variety of issues that needed attention I Cor.7:1; 16:17. Among these issues were such things as marriage, food offered to idols, the use of spiritual gills in the church, the coming resurrection and the collection for the poor Christians in Jerusalem 1 Cor. 7:1; 8:1; 12:1; 15:1; 16:1.With all these matters before him Paul wrote the lengthy letter.

In short, Paul's purpose is to set right disorders which the Corinthians look lightly. Secondly, he wrote to answer some questions put to him. Thirdly, he wrote to give doctrinal teaching. 1 Corinthians is very much an occasional letter directed to the immediate local needs of Paul's converts. But it would be a mistake to regard it as on that account irrelevant to our needs. The heart of man does not change, and the principles on which Paul works are just as important to us as to the Corinthians of the first Century.