Why did the Corinthian church write to the apostle Paul?
The Corinthian church wrote to the apostle Paul because it was beset with all kinds of problems, including gross immorality. Its members asked what they were supposed to do with these situations and how they were supposed to handle them, seeking apostolic guidance amid difficult circumstances.
Les explains that the Corinthian church was beset with all kinds of problems, and that is why they wrote the letter to the apostle asking, “What are we supposed to do with this? How are we supposed to handle it?” He notes that later in the book, in chapter 5, they were beset with gross immorality. The setting matters: Corinth was probably the most lascivious, immoral, wicked, morally corrupt city in the Roman Empire. It was a double seaport on an isthmus jutting into the Mediterranean Sea, with eastern Mediterranean trade on one side and trade to Rome and Spain on the other. It was rampant with commerce, sailors from all parts of the world, and pagan worship, including a great temple to one of the Greek goddesses above a promenade above the city. The whole society was programmed to this.