Who was 1 Corinthians written to and what was the city of Corinth like?

Les explains that he always likes to give background because very few people know the circumstances surrounding a particular book or letter, and knowing that background makes all the difference in understanding. Paul is writing to this congregation in the wicked, immoral, pagan, idolatrous city of Corinth, not so much to commend them as to correct them, because they had so many problems. The whole theme of 1 Corinthians, Les says, is to correct problems. Paul does not commend them; in chapter 3, verse 1, he says he has to write unto them as carnal, as babes, not ready for the meat of the word. So this whole letter has to be read or studied in that light, as written to a congregation of weak, carnal, fleshly believers—but they were believers. Among their problems, they had picked personalities: one said he followed Peter, another Apollos, and others even said they would not go by what Paul said but by what Jesus said. Paul had to correct them for that. Another problem was that they were going to the pagan courts and suing each other, and he had to correct them on that basis as well.