Paul arrives in Corinth after his visit to Athens, and stays there for about eighteen months between AD 50 and 52.

In Ephesus he gets news from Corinth that various problems have arisen. It is to deal with these problems that he writes the letter we know as 1 Corinthians.

There is pride, selfishness, jealousy and immorality. There are splits between different groups and there is rivalry between the leaders.

He gives guidelines for holiness in a pagan society. He puts spiritual gifts in their proper perspective

Corinth is the capital of the Roman province of Achaia, the southern part of Greece

But in 146 BC the city was destroyed by the Romans, and not refounded until Julius Caesar made it a Roman colony in 44 BC.

The city Paul knows is a busy, wealthy, cosmopolitan centre. The population of 100,000 includes people of many races, classes, cultures and religions

People have come to Corinth from many races and nations, thrown together by the search for business and the quest for pleasure. Anything goes! In the ancient world, a ‘Corinthian’ is a proud extrovert with a larger-than-life appetite for strong drink, wild parties and easy sex.

He had travelled from Athens, where he had made very little impact with the gospel. He had found that city steeped in idol-worship, with high-minded philosophers resistant to God’s truth

Paul supported himself in Corinth by working as a tentmaker. He met a Jewish couple, Aquila and Priscilla, who had been expelled from Rome for their faith.

When Silas and Timothy arrived from Macedonia, they brought with them a gift of money from the churches. This gift enabled Paul to give all his time to his gospel work.

All the old gods of paganism are alive and well and living in Corinth. Overlooking the city is Acrocorinth, a hill of some 1,850 feet. Built on its summit is the great temple of Aphrodite, the Greek goddess of love. She is a sex goddess like Ashtoreth

in the centre of Corinth, is the temple of Apollo—god of the arts and homosexuality.

Then, while he is in Ephesus, he hears from Chloe’s people that there are splits and rivalries in the church. He writes 1 Corinthians 1–4 to tackle the problem.

Before he sends this letter, Paul receives further news of scandals and chaotic behaviour at Corinth. He receives a letter from the Corinthians, in which they ask his opinion on matters of marriage and eating ‘idol meat’. He adds 1 Corinthians 5–16, and follows the letter by visiting them himself.

This visit turns out badly, with both sides getting hurt. Paul gives the Corinthians stern warnings, but they refuse to respect him as a true apostle.

But there is a happy ending. Titus arrives with the good news that the Corinthians regret their behaviour and are longing to see Paul again (2 Corinthians 7:6–7).

Sosthenes is a synagogue leader who gets beaten up by a crowd that was really waiting to attack Paul (Acts 18:17)

The believers are naming themselves after their favourite leader—Paul, Apollos, Cephas (Peter) or even Christ.

Peter has a big personality and Apollos is a brilliant speaker. But Paul disappoints them. He is a small man with poor health and a stammer

Paul tells the Corinthians that they are looking for the wrong things in their leaders—and in themselves. The message of Jesus is that God takes foolish, humble and weak people and gives them the wisdom and power of Christ.

And if we’re looking for something to boast about, then let’s boast that Jesus died for us.

It is God’s Spirit who knows God’s wisdom, just as a person’s thoughts are known to that person alone. But this same Spirit has been given to every Christian. It is God’s Spirit within us that gives us spiritual wisdom and shows us the thoughts and purposes of Christ.

Paul means that the Corinthian believers should all agree on how the Spirit works among them and the type of values that Christ would have them to hold

likely based on personalities rather than theological disputes.