Paul wrote I Corinthians in response to a letter of questions from the Corinthian believers.
Les Feldick emphasizes that the letter was prompted by the Corinthians' own inquiries, as seen in 1 Corinthians 7:1 where Paul writes 'concerning the things whereof ye wrote unto me.' These questions arose from various problems plaguing the church, and Paul addresses them one by one by the Holy Spirit's inspiration.
1 Corinthians 7:1 — This verse directly states the Corinthians had written to Paul, and he is responding to their questions.
The Bible reveals that Paul's first letter to the Corinthians was a reply to a letter they had sent him. In 1 Corinthians 7:1, Paul writes, 'Now concerning the things whereof ye wrote unto me.' This indicates that the church had written to him with questions. In 1 Corinthians 8:1, Paul again uses the phrase 'Now as touching things offered unto idols,' continuing the pattern of addressing their written inquiries. The letter itself addresses various issues such as marriage, spiritual gifts, and the Lord's table, all of which appear to be responses to their concerns.
Les Feldick teaches that the Corinthians had a list of questions they sent to Paul, and he answered them in writing, which became the letter we know as I Corinthians. The church faced many problems because they were recent converts from paganism with no prior biblical training. Their questions were prompted by real-life difficulties, and Paul addressed each one under the Holy Spirit's inspiration. Les emphasizes that the Corinthian church was the most carnal of all the churches, and the letter reflects the unspiritual state of the congregation.
Les points out that the Corinthians wrote about various matters that were troubling them. In 1 Corinthians 7:1, Paul says 'concerning the things whereof ye wrote unto me,' indicating a list of questions. In 1 Corinthians 8:1, he addresses 'things offered unto idols,' and in chapter 12, he begins 'concerning spiritual gifts,' showing these were additional questions in their letter. The issues were things they didn't know how to handle, ranging from marriage to spiritual gifts.
Les describes the Corinthian church as 'the most carnal, the least spiritual' of all the churches Paul had dealings with. This is evident in the content of the letter, as Paul has to address serious problems. Les notes that the letter to the Corinthians is very different from his letters to Ephesians, Philippians, or Colossians, which were more spiritual in tone.
What the Bible Really Says About the Lord's Table — 1 Corinthians 10:16
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The Corinthian Letter of Questions
Les shows that 1 Corinthians 7:1 is the key to understanding why Paul wrote, as it reveals the Corinthians had sent him a letter filled with questions.
Corinthians' Lack of Background
Les explains that the Corinthians were recent converts from paganism without foundational teaching, so they had many questions about practical church life.
What the Bible Really Says About Judging Other Christians
As I mentioned a couple of programs ago, Paul is addressing them in response to a letter that they had written to him asking, how are they supposed to deal with these things? And consequently, by Holy Spirit inspiration, Paul is just unloading. And of course the reason is that the things that were a problem in Corinth in A.D. 60 are still the same.
Carnality of the Corinthian Church
Les emphasizes that the Corinthian church was the most carnal and unspiritual, which is why their questions reflected serious problems.
Paul's Response to Their Questions
Les again highlights that Paul's letter was a direct response to the Corinthians' written inquiries, and he uses 1 Corinthians 7:1 as proof.
What It Means to Be Sealed by the Holy Spirit — 2 Corinthians 1:21-22
They had problems like no other congregation under Paul's apostleship, and so he had to get rather hard with them in I Corinthians, but now in II Corinthians he's coming back and in defense of course of his apostleship, but also to encourage these people who had seemingly corrected their problems.
Order of Addressing Questions
Les notes that Paul likely answered their questions in the order they were written, which explains the structure of the letter.
1 Corinthians 7:1: Now concerning the things whereof ye wrote unto me: it is good for a man not to touch a woman.
This verse explicitly reveals that the Corinthians had written to Paul, making it the foundation for understanding why the letter was written.
1 Corinthians 8:1: Now as touching things offered unto idols, we know that we all have knowledge. Knowledge puffeth up, but charity edifieth.
Paul continues to address another topic that the Corinthians had written about, showing the pattern of responding to their questions.
Paul wrote 1 Corinthians in response to a letter from the Corinthians containing questions about problems in their church. He references this in 1 Corinthians 7:1 where he says 'concerning the things whereof ye wrote unto me.'
The Corinthians had questions about various issues such as marriage, spiritual gifts, and idol offerings, as seen in Paul's responses in chapters 7, 8, and 12. Les Feldick notes that these were questions they didn't know how to handle.
Watch the Teaching: What the Bible Really Says About the Lord's Table — 1 Corinthians 10:16