Paul wrote to the Corinthians because the believers there had written to him with questions and problems they could not handle.
In 1 Corinthians 7:1, Paul says, "Now concerning the things whereof ye wrote unto me," showing the letter was an answer to a letter from Corinth. Les Feldick explains that these believers, recently out of paganism, were plagued by problems and asked Paul how to deal with them. 2 Corinthians then followed up with reproof, correction, and a defense of Paul's apostleship.
1 Corinthians 7:1 — This verse records Paul's own statement that the Corinthians had written to him, revealing the immediate reason for the letter.
1 Corinthians 7:1 gives the direct scriptural answer: the Corinthians wrote to Paul. The exact text reads, "Now concerning the things whereof ye wrote unto me." This demonstrates that Paul did not write cold; he was answering a congregation that had appealed to him with questions. The Bible shows that Paul's correspondence with Corinth was not a one-way lecture. Paul was responding to what the congregation had already communicated. Throughout 1 Corinthians he takes up matters they raised, answering them point by point.
Les Feldick teaches that the Corinthians prompted Paul's letters. In 1 Corinthians, Paul is responding to a question-and-answer letter sent by the congregation. Les repeatedly points to 1 Corinthians 7:1 — "Now concerning the things whereof ye wrote unto me" — as the proof that all the topics Paul addresses in the letter are answers to questions the Corinthians asked. The believers were recent converts just out of paganism, they had no background in Scripture, and they were "as ignorant as ignorant could be," so they had a whole batch of questions. Les also explains that the Corinthian church was the most carnal and least spiritual of all the churches Paul had anything to do with. This is why 1 Corinthians is so full of practical problems — marriage, food offered to idols, lawsuits, and other day-to-day issues. Paul deals with these things because they were the problems the church had written about. 2 Corinthians, by contrast, is a follow-up letter. Les describes it as a letter of reproof and correction, not commendation. Paul also has to defend his apostleship because of snide remarks and attacks coming out of Corinth.
Yes. In 1 Corinthians 7:1 Paul says, "Now concerning the things whereof ye wrote unto me." Les Feldick points out that the Corinthian congregation sent Paul a letter with a whole series of questions. They were across the Aegean Sea from Paul at Ephesus, and they asked him how to deal with their problems. Paul answers them one by one.
Les explains that these believers had just recently come out of paganism. They did not have a background of Sunday school or catechism, and they could not suddenly become spiritual giants. According to Les, the Corinthian church was the most carnal and least spiritual of all the churches Paul had anything to do with. Their questions and problems prompted a letter of reproof rather than commendation.
Les teaches that 2 Corinthians is Paul's follow-up to his first letter. The first letter was a letter of reproof and correction. 2 Corinthians continues that follow-up, but Paul also defends his apostleship in it because snide remarks and attacks were coming out of Corinth against him.
Les points out that Paul's epistles always appear in the same order in the manuscripts, but they are not in chronological order. Thessalonians was written first, and Galatians and Corinthians were written before Romans. The order in the New Testament was set by the Holy Spirit for doctrinal sequence, not by date.
Paul's Epistles in Doctrinal Order
Les explains that Paul's letters appear in the same order in every manuscript, but not in chronological order; the order is the Holy Spirit's doctrinal sequence, which is why Corinthians sits where it does.
The Carnal Corinthian Church
Les describes the Corinthian church as the most carnal and least spiritual of all the churches Paul had contact with, which explains why the letter is full of problems.
A Letter of Questions
Les shows from 1 Corinthians 7:1 that Paul's letter was prompted by a whole batch of questions from believers recently out of paganism who had no biblical background.
Reproof Under Inspiration
Les says Paul was responding to the Corinthians' letter asking how to deal with certain issues, and under Holy Spirit inspiration he unloads reproof; the same problems still exist today.
Response to Their Inquiry
Les emphasizes that 1 Corinthians is Paul dealing with problems in the local church that the Corinthians had written to him about, and he points to 1 Corinthians 7:1 as proof.
New Believers From Paganism
Les explains that the Corinthian congregation was small, recently out of paganism, and full of problems, so they sent Paul a letter with a series of questions that he answers one by one.
2 Corinthians as a Follow-Up
Les teaches that 1 Corinthians was a letter of reproof and correction, and 2 Corinthians is a follow-up in which Paul defends his apostleship because of attacks from Corinth.
Predominantly Problems
Les says the letter to the Corinthians is Paul's response to a question-and-answer letter, dealing with all kinds of problems in the church rather than commending them.
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 is the key verse in which Paul says the Corinthians had written to him, providing the scriptural basis for why he writes.
Yes. First Corinthians 7:1 records Paul saying, "Now concerning the things whereof ye wrote unto me." Les Feldick explains that the Corinthian congregation sent Paul a letter with a series of questions, and Paul's letter is his answer to them one by one.
According to Les Feldick, the Corinthian church was the most carnal and least spiritual of all the churches Paul had anything to do with. This is why the letter deals with so many practical problems rather than being a letter of commendation.
Les teaches that 2 Corinthians is a follow-up to the first letter. The first letter was one of reproof and correction, and 2 Corinthians continues while Paul also defends his apostleship against attacks from Corinth.
Watch the Teaching: What Most Christians Miss About Grace — 1 Corinthians Explained