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Ask God: Paul developed a deep love for the churches he started. When one was in trouble, he was ready to advise and help them; and that is the reason for his first letter to the Corinthian Church.

Good Evening Reader,

I hope you had a good week. Today we will continue to study the advice Paul gave the church in Corinth. It was God inspired advice to them.

Know that God is with you always!

All Glory to God.

Elvin

Paul's Desire to Revisit the Churches He Established

Paul loved the people he had come to know during his first missionary journey and decided to revisit them to encourage them and strengthen the believers (Acts 15:36). It was during his second missionary journey that he visited Athens and Corinth. He started a new church in Corinth, but not in Athens. Why? We will examine Paul's time in both Athens and Corinth.

Before coming to Athens and Corinth, Paul started churches in Philippi, Thessalonica, and Berea. Paul looked for people in cities who were receptive to the Good News. In Philippi, the leading city of Macedonia, Paul and Silas met Lydia, a worshiper of God, whose heart the Lord opened (Acts 16:14). She and her household were baptized. Her home became a base for the church.

It was often difficult, and opposition from non-believers formed against him. While In Philippi, after casting out a spirit from a slave girl, Paul and Silas were beaten and imprisoned. Yet, even in chains, they sang hymns to God, and a miraculous earthquake opened the prison doors (Acts 16:25–26). This led to the jailer's dramatic conversion.

Even in Thessalonica, where some Jews and many Greeks believed, persecution forced them to flee to Berea. Opposition followed them to Berea, and Paul had to escape to Athens.

Paul in Athens

When Paul arrived in Athens, Greece, he found himself in a city teeming with idols and false gods. This troubled him deeply because he believed in the one true God. So, Paul started telling people about Jesus and the resurrection everywhere he went. He talked with Jews and God-fearing Gentiles in the synagogue and reasoned with others in the marketplace daily (Acts 17:16–17).

Many people in Athens were curious about new ideas. Some were philosophers, such as the Epicureans, who believed life was about pleasure, and the Stoics, who emphasized self-control and harmony with nature. They heard Paul talking and asked him to Mars Hill to explain his beliefs (Acts 17:18–19).

Paul gave a powerful message. He pointed out that they had many altars to gods—even one that said, "To an Unknown God" (Acts 17:23). He used that as an opportunity to tell them about the one true God who made everything. Paul said that God doesn't live in temples or need anything from people. He also told them that God raised Jesus from the dead and that one day, God would judge the world through Jesus (Acts 17:30–31).

Some people laughed at Paul, but others wanted to hear more. A few believed and became believers (Acts 17:32–34). Paul left Athens and went to Corinth. Even though he didn't start a church in Athens, he shared the truth boldly with wisdom and love. (Acts 17:16-34)

From Athens, Paul Traveled to Corinth

After leaving the city of Athens, Paul traveled to Corinth, a large and wealthy city in Greece. Corinth was renowned for its extensive trade, numerous idols, and its notorious immoral lifestyle.

When Paul arrived, he met a Jewish couple named Aquila and Priscilla. They were tentmakers like Paul, so he stayed and worked with them (Acts 18:1–3). On the Sabbath, Paul went to the synagogue. He tried to persuade both Jews and Greeks about Jesus being the Christ (Acts 18:4). But many Jews rejected his message and even became abusive. Paul said to them, "Your blood be on your own heads… From now on, I will go to the Gentiles" (Acts 18:6).

So, Paul went next door to the house of Titius Justus, a Gentile who worshiped God. There, many people began to believe, including Crispus, the leader of the synagogue, and his entire household (Acts 18:8).

One night, Paul had a vision. “And the Lord said to Paul one night in a vision, ‘Do not be afraid, but go on speaking and do not be silent, for I am with you, and no one will attack you to harm you, for I have many in this city who are my people.’" And he stayed a year and six months, teaching the word of God among them" (Acts 18:9–11).

Paul started the church in Corinth because God had a plan to save people there—even in a city full of sin. Through Paul's faithfulness and God's power, a strong group of believers was formed.

"And many of the Corinthians who heard Paul believed and were baptized" (Acts 18:8).

Why Paul Wrote First Corinthians

After spending 18 months in Corinth planting the church (Acts 18:1–18), Paul moved on, carrying with him deep affection for the believers there. However, while ministering in Ephesus during his third missionary journey, troubling news reached him—news that the Corinthian church was struggling with division, immorality, and confusion.

Paul's heart was heavy. He had poured himself into these people, yet the young church was being pulled apart by pride, worldly thinking, and a loss of focus on Christ. The house of Chloe had sent word that the believers were quarreling—some claimed allegiance to Paul, others to Apollos, Cephas, or even Christ Himself (1 Corinthians 1:10–12). Paul knew immediately: they were forgetting that the church is one body, and Christ is its only true foundation.

Worse still, Paul had heard cases of shocking sexual immorality. Other reports poured in: believers were suing each other in pagan courts, disgracing the name of Christ (1 Corinthians 6:1–8). There was confusion about marriage, singleness, and purity (chapter 7). Some wondered, "Is it okay to eat food sacrificed to idols?" Others were abusing their freedom in Christ, forgetting that love must guide liberty (chapters 8–10).

Paul also received a letter from the Corinthians themselves, filled with questions about worship, spiritual gifts, and the role of women in the church. Their gatherings had grown chaotic, and spiritual language and prophecy were being misused. Paul's overpowering message was love, the greatest gift (chapters 12–14).

And then came the most pressing doctrinal error: some were denying the resurrection of the dead. For Paul, this was unthinkable. If there is no resurrection, then Christ has not been raised—and if Christ has not been raised, their faith is futile (1 Corinthians 15:14–17). With great passion and clarity, Paul defended the bodily resurrection of Jesus, anchoring their hope in the victory over death.

Finally, Paul urged them to give generously to support the poor believers in Jerusalem (1 Corinthians 16:1–4), reminding them that the Gospel produces love in action.

Paul's Objective for His First Letter to the Corinthians

Paul wrote First Corinthians to correct serious problems in the Corinthian church and to answer questions they had raised. His objectives were to address divisions among believers, confront moral sin, bring clarity to marriage and Christian liberty, restore order in worship, and defend the resurrection of Christ.

He urged the church to pursue unity, holiness, and love, reminding them they were the body of Christ. Paul's desire was to build up the church spiritually, correct their errors, and lead them to reflect Christ in their behavior, relationships, and doctrine. His tone was firm, yet deeply pastoral.

Elvin

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Paul's Second Missionary Journey.

Ask God For Help

Christian faith

Reader,

Hosea said his people were destroyed for lack of knowledge. Knowledge give believers and non-believers a choice. When a person does not know, they cannot choose.

Feel free to forward this lesson to your friends and family.

Grow in the knowledge of God.

Elvin

Send your comments to elvin.aycock@AskGodForHelp.net and let me know what you think of the lessons.

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