Chapter 6 - 1 AND 2 CORINTHIANS: MORALITY COMES TO AN IMMORAL CITY (1 CORINTHIANS 12–16)

Summary

Review

Thus far in our study of the Corinthian correspondence I have proposed the following: 1 Cor. 1.1-3 is addressed to the whole brotherhood; 1 Cor. 1.4-9 especially to the leaders; 1 Cor. 1.10–6.20 to small groups among baptized converts, except for 1 Cor. 5.1-13 which is addressed to the unbaptized group with the immoral man, with 5.9-13 directed especially to the leaders concerning them; and in 7.1–11.34 Paul deals with problems among the unbaptized group of converts.

1 Corinthians 12.1–15.58 is directed to the baptized converts, with special instruction throughout for the leaders, as is clear from 15.58. 1 Corinthians 16.1-24 is intended for all the converts, as the words ‘each of you’ (16.2), ‘one another’ (16.20), and ‘all of you’ (16.24) indicate. These are phrases Paul uses with reference to members of a particular group, in this instance the brotherhood as a whole. The words in 16.13-14 are a special exhortation for all converts, in contrast to the words in 15.58, which are directed specifically to the leaders. The leaders are to ‘abound in the work of the Lord’ and know that their ‘labor is not in vain’.

Recall that baptized members of the brotherhood, among whom are the leaders, belong to the renewed covenant community of God and are referred to as ‘those on the inside’. Converts referred to as ‘those on the outside’ are not yet baptized and, therefore, not members of the renewed community of God.