By Steven Dick and Copilot
Each time I go to perpetual adoration, I like to study the daily readings. It is nice to take the time with the readings and try to understand them. In the past, I have used my own interpretations and understanding. Unfortunately, I am not a Bible scholar, and so I found myself guessing.
In this age of artificial intelligence, I can ask questions and explore meanings. This post comes from a complicated discussion about Corinthians. I do not present it as authoritative, but I find it enlightening. In my ignorance, I asked my AI who the Corinthians were and why they deserved two “books” of the bible.
Many readers come to 1 and 2 Corinthians thinking of them as Bible books, but Paul originally wrote them as real letters to a real church facing real problems. Reading them that way changes how the letters feel: less like abstract doctrine and more like pastoral guidance written into a complicated community. When Paul wrote it around A.D. 55, he was writing a long letter to the Christian community in Corinth, much like a pastor might write a detailed letter to a church today.
In the first century, Paul’s letter would likely have been written on papyrus, carried by messengers to Corinth, read aloud to the gathered congregation, and then shared among believers. It was not originally divided into chapters and verses; later readers added those reference numbers to help locate passages.
What we call 1 Corinthians is one surviving letter from Paul to the Corinthian church, and 2 Corinthians is a later surviving letter to the same community. The numbers identify the order in which these letters appear in the New Testament, not necessarily every letter Paul ever wrote to Corinth. Paul starts by greeting them, thanking God for them, addressing reports he has heard, answering questions they sent him, and closing with personal remarks and travel plans.
Many scholars think 1 Corinthians was not the first letter Paul ever wrote to the Corinthian church, because Paul refers to an earlier letter in 1 Corinthians 5:9. That means the labels 1 Corinthians and 2 Corinthians are best understood as the first and second Corinthian letters preserved in the New Testament, not necessarily Paul’s first and second attempts to communicate with them.
The city behind the letters
The Corinthians were Christians living in Corinth, a wealthy and influential city in ancient Greece. Because Corinth sat on major trade routes, it brought together people from many cultures, religions, and social backgrounds. That setting helps explain why the church faced issues involving status, competition, division, and moral pressure.
Paul had a personal history with this church. According to Acts 18, he helped establish the Christian community in Corinth and lived among them for about 18 months, teaching and strengthening the new congregation.
Why did Paul write to them?
After Paul left Corinth, reports reached him that the church was struggling. The congregation also sent him questions. First Corinthians brings those two streams together: Paul responds both to problems he had heard about and to matters the Corinthians had asked him to address.
Some of the problems addressed in 1 Corinthians include:
- Divisions and factions within the church
- Pride and rivalry
- Sexual immorality
- Lawsuits among believers
- Questions about marriage and singleness
- Disputes over Christian freedom
- Disorder during worship services
- Misunderstandings about spiritual gifts
- Confusion about the resurrection
Second Corinthians has a different feel. While 1 Corinthians focuses heavily on problems within the church, 2 Corinthians is more personal, showing Paul defending his ministry, explaining his suffering, encouraging generosity, and working to repair trust after a difficult period.
- Defends his apostleship against critics
- Explains his suffering and ministry
- Encourages generosity for a collection being taken for poor believers
- Rebuilds his relationship with the church after a difficult period
Why are they important today?
The Corinthian church was messy, divided, and imperfect, which is exactly why Paul’s letters still feel relevant. They show Christians working through conflict, leadership struggles, worship problems, moral confusion, spiritual gifts, and questions about resurrection in the middle of a difficult culture.
That context also changes how we hear 1 Corinthians 13, the famous “love chapter.” Paul was not writing a sentimental poem for weddings; he was teaching a divided church that spiritual maturity is measured not by knowledge, power, or gifts, but by love.
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