Where was Paul when he wrote 1 Corinthians?
Paul was at Ephesus, which is across the Aegean Sea from Corinth, when he wrote 1 Corinthians. The Corinthian congregation had sent a letter to him there containing a series of questions, and he was answering them one by one in his letter.
Les explains that Paul was over across the Aegean Sea at Ephesus when he wrote to the Corinthians. The Corinthian congregation actually sent Paul a letter with a whole series of questions, and he answers them one by one. Les also reminds us that Corinth was a city saturated in paganism and gross immorality, and the believers were a small group—probably a few dozen at most—who had just recently come out of that pagan background. They couldn't all of a sudden become spiritual giants and had many problems. In chapter 1, some were lifting Paul up as the only man to listen to.