A Focused Life
Paul wrote this letter to the believers in Corinth after hearing of problems within their community. The church was gifted (1:4-7) but immature and unspiritual (3:1-4).
They suffered from divisiveness in the body, immorality, legal dealings in the pagan courts, and disrespect in participating in the Lord’s Supper.
Given the environment of Corinth, Paul might have been tempted to resort to worldly arguments.
It was a major city of its day. Its location on the narrow isthmus connecting the Greek mainland with the Peloponnese, the southernmost part of Greece, afforded it a dominant place in world trade.
It had two harbors and was the crossroads for travelers and traders.
Corinth was also a cosmopolitan place. Its people placed a high value on wisdom and were interested in the philosophies of Greek scholars.
Corinth was also a religious center with at least twelve temples. One of the most famous was the temple dedicated to Aphrodite, the goddess of love.
Corinth was so widely known for its practice of sexual immorality in the name of religion (related to the worship of Aphrodite) that the practice of sexual immorality was known as “Corinthianizing.”
Paul understood the power of knowing Jesus to turn people from their sin, even in a city so filled with ungodliness.
In 1 Corinthians 1, Paul presented his argument for this power by speaking out against the “wisdom” of men, including the Greek philosophers.
Then in the opening of 1 Corinthians 2, he gave a disclaimer so that no one would think he was trying to persuade them in the same way the Greek philosophers were.
“My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit’s power, so that your faith might not rest on men’s wisdom, but on God’s power.”
The truth of the crucifixion and the resurrection confounded the worldly wisdom of the age. The same is true today.
We live in an advanced society that greatly values intellect and wealth.
We are inundated with persuasions to buy more, to be better than the next guy in just about anything, to discover self and indulge it.
It’s tempting to talk about our faith in ways that promise the same kind of presumed satisfaction that the world offers.
But Paul told us that focusing on Jesus and what he did for us is the way to penetrate minds filled with lies.
Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians lifted Christ up high and taught that his wisdom had the power of the Holy Spirit behind it.
Father, we live in a world full of temptations, not unlike those in Corinth. Help us to guard our hearts and focus on Jesus.