A recent cartoon shows a large older woman sitting in a doctor’s office. The doctor has an astonished look on his face. The caption below the cartoon reads: “Doctor, I identify as a slim 16-year-old, and I find it deeply offensive that you say that my weight at my age is threatening my health.”
As this cartoon humorously shows, perception is a key part of identity. Entities who struggle to define their identity also will struggle to accomplish their purpose or mission in life.
This week’s lesson introduces two mission-driven books of the New Testament: 1 and 2 Corinthians. We are also introduced to the author, Paul himself, particularly his mission and purpose for reaching out to the Corinthians.
Lesson Themes
Beyond an introduction to the background history of the church in Corinth and how it was founded, the lesson will focus on the following issues and themes:
Cultural and Historical Backdrops. We will consider the important cultural and historical backdrops relevant for the study of the epistles to the Corinthians.
2. Strategic Ministry. What was Paul’s strategy for ministry in Corinth? In pursuit of the answer to this question, we will consider Paul’s mission strategy in Corinth within the framework of the early Christian church.
Identity. Identity is key to mission. It bears repeating that entities who struggle to define their identity will also struggle to accomplish their mission. Our discussion of identity will seek to answer the following questions:
Why did Paul identify as an apostle?
What role does identity play in mission?
What kind of identity did the church in Corinth have?
How can we maintain a Christian identity in a world that emphasizes different values and ideals?
Part II: Commentary
1. Background: First Corinthians is one of the longer letters in the New Testament. Like Romans, it consists of 16 chapters, totaling 433 verses. It is a pastoral letter to a recently established church that faces significant ethical, theological, and interpersonal issues. Paul clearly identifies himself as the author of 1 Corinthians (1 Cor. 1:1), and in 1 Corinthians 16:21, he includes a reference to his signature by his own hand. Second Corinthians is shorter (13 chapters, totaling 257 verses) and contains much more personal information about the apostle Paul. The epistle describes comprehensively the apostle’s understanding of his apostolic ministry. Some have used the Latin phrase apologia pro vita sua, “defense of his life,” as an appropriate designation of the content and focus of 2 Corinthians (see Leland Ryken and Philip Graham Ryken, “2 Corinthians: Introduction,” in The Literary Study Bible: ESV [Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2007], p. 1715). In this letter, Paul defends his apostolic ministry to some detractors in the Corinthian church and offers an example of how Christian life and ministry should be lived.
The correspondence between Paul and the young congregation in Corinth has been a matter of scholarly discussion. First Corinthians seems to be an answer to some questions that were sent by mail to Paul (see, for example, 1 Corinthians 7:1)—perhaps in response to an earlier letter the apostle had sent that doesn’t exist anymore, possibly referenced in 1 Corinthians 5:9. It is possible that there were more exchanges between Paul and the Christian community in Corinth, following that first letter, which are not available to us now.
Presumably, these exchanges would have preceded the second letter, which is now part of our biblical canon. First Corinthians was written about A.D. 55 from Ephesus (compare with “1 Corinthians,” Andrews Bible Commentary, ed. Ángel Manuel Rodríguez et al. [Berrien Springs, MI: Andrews University Press, 2022], p. 1613), while 2 Corinthians has a more likely date of A.D. 56.
2. Strategic Ministry in Corinth: Paul’s ministry in Corinth is described in Acts 18. The apostle had ministered there for more than 18 months. The ancient city of Corinth had been destroyed by the Romans in 146 B.C. and was rebuilt in 44 B.C. by Julius Caesar as a Roman colony. It soon became a significant political and economic center that was strategically located in the eastern part of the Roman Empire. Its two ports, Cenchreae in the east and Lechaeum in the west, offered a safe land connection between the Aegean and Ionian seas. Corinth’s control of the two harbors and of the road crossing the 6-kilometer-wide isthmus enabled the city to levy taxes on both north-south and east-west trade (compare with Jerome Murphy-O’Connor, “Corinth,” in The New Interpreter’s Dictionary of the Bible, ed. K. Doob Sakenfeld [Nashville,TN: Abingdon Press, 2006], vol. 1, pp. 732–735).
The city offered great economic possibilities, and the opportunities for upward social mobility attracted many nationalities. Because it was a relatively young city, Corinth also was less controlled by ancient traditions and more open to new ideas. Rome designated the city as the capital of the province of Achaea, thus underlining its political importance. Paul’s strategic decision to invest more than 18 months of his life in ministry in Corinth offers us a good example of his intentional mission planning.
Paul’s ministry in Corinth followed a familiar pattern. He was hosted in the city by Aquila and Priscilla, two Jewish Christian converts who had been forced out of Rome by a decree from Claudius, banning all Jews from the city (Acts 18:2). Aquila and Priscilla were also tentmakers (Acts 18:3). Strategically, Paul visited first the synagogue on Sabbath (Acts 18:4) and focused his teaching—when invited to read the weekly readings from the Torah—on the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus (Acts 18:5).
By showing the true interpretation of well-known Messianic texts, Paul was able to engage the Jewish members of the community on familiar ground. Paul’s interpretation and preaching, however, often created conflict and tension during his missionary journeys, which led him, in Corinth, to refocus his attention on the “God-fearers.” The God-fearers were Gentiles who often resonated with Jewish teachings but who were not proselytes (see Matt. 23:15). Acts 18:7 reports that Paul preached in the house of Titius Justus, a non-Jewish neighbor of the synagogue in Corinth. Among those who were convinced of Paul’s preaching was Crispus, the ruler of the synagogue, along with his entire house, together with many others (Acts 18:8).
3. The Importance of Identity: Identity shapes our beliefs, our understanding of history, and also our own sense of being. After his experience on the road to Damascus (Acts 9), Paul’s identity is anchored in his divine call to follow Jesus and be an apostle (i.e., an envoy and messenger) of Jesus. Paul, together with his co-author Sosthenes, begins his first letter to the Corinthian church by claiming that he was “called by the will of God to be an apostle of Christ Jesus” (1 Cor. 1:1, ESV; compare with 2 Cor. 1:1). The Greek verb apostellein, “to send,” underlies the noun apostolos, which—surprisingly—is seldom used in Greek literature outside of the New Testament. The use of a relatively rare word to identify a crucial ministry in the early Christian church may have been a conscious attempt to communicate the foundational importance of the ministry of the apostles, as well as the unique function of those who were sent, which, including Paul, went beyond the Twelve, as the reference in Romans 16:7 may suggest: “Greet Andronicus and Junia, my countrymen and my fellow prisoners, who are of note among the apostles” (NKJV).
Paul’s identity is rooted in three things: (1) the experience of his calling in which he saw the risen Lord (1 Cor. 15:8, 9; Gal. 1:15, 16); (2) his commissioning by God to proclaim the gospel (Gal. 1:1; compare with Acts 9:15); and (3) the fruits of his apostolic ministry, represented by converts and new churches (1 Cor. 9:2). Acts offers a number of Paul’s testimonies that retell his calling, his commissioning, and his fruit, underlining the importance of these elements for his ministry. While he acknowledges his excellent education at the feet of famous scholars and his membership in the strict sect of the Pharisees, his identity is not based on prestige and accomplishments but on his encounter with Jesus Christ.
Identity seems also to be an important issue in the newly established Corinthian church. Paul reacts strongly to the news that there is division in the congregation in which people now align themselves strongly with several different Christian leaders. Paul reminds his audience that first and foremost, they are followers of Christ, not followers of Paul, Apollos, or Peter (1 Cor. 1:10–12). His argument for unity is based on the undividable Christ, His sacrifice, and His saving grace (1 Cor. 1:13). We will return to the issue of identity in the Corinthian church in a future lesson, focusing on it in more detail.
Part III: Life Application
Many businesses today spend time and money on the question of branding and self-identity. They realize that, in the competitive business world, just doing what they have always done will not guarantee survival. They need to have a clear vision of who they are and of the unique needs they can meet. Paul, too, seems to have known the importance of identity.
In your group, explore Paul’s self-identification as an apostle. What did this identity mean, and what right did he have to claim this distinction for himself? How did his apostleship affect his life’s purpose and mission?
Ponder and discuss how our individual, and corporate, identity as Seventh-day Adventist Christians can help us discover, and meet, the needs of our communities.
The church at Corinth was a unique cultural blend. Most of the group did not have a Jewish cultural background. They could not be identified as a Jewish offshoot or sect. This lack of a clear identity underlies many of the problems that Paul addresses in the Corinthian church. In your group, discuss the relationship between identity and behavior. Why does knowing who we are, where we come from, and where we are going influence what we do and how we live?
Finally, how can we maintain a Christian identity in a world that emphasizes different values and ideals?
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Key Text: Acts 18:9, 10
Study Focus: 1 Cor. 1:1–3, Acts 18:4–10.
Introduction
A recent cartoon shows a large older woman sitting in a doctor’s office. The doctor has an astonished look on his face. The caption below the cartoon reads: “Doctor, I identify as a slim 16-year-old, and I find it deeply offensive that you say that my weight at my age is threatening my health.”
As this cartoon humorously shows, perception is a key part of identity. Entities who struggle to define their identity also will struggle to accomplish their purpose or mission in life.
This week’s lesson introduces two mission-driven books of the New Testament: 1 and 2 Corinthians. We are also introduced to the author, Paul himself, particularly his mission and purpose for reaching out to the Corinthians.
Lesson Themes
Beyond an introduction to the background history of the church in Corinth and how it was founded, the lesson will focus on the following issues and themes:
2. Strategic Ministry. What was Paul’s strategy for ministry in Corinth? In pursuit of the answer to this question, we will consider Paul’s mission strategy in Corinth within the framework of the early Christian church.
Part II: Commentary
1. Background: First Corinthians is one of the longer letters in the New Testament. Like Romans, it consists of 16 chapters, totaling 433 verses. It is a pastoral letter to a recently established church that faces significant ethical, theological, and interpersonal issues. Paul clearly identifies himself as the author of 1 Corinthians (1 Cor. 1:1), and in 1 Corinthians 16:21, he includes a reference to his signature by his own hand. Second Corinthians is shorter (13 chapters, totaling 257 verses) and contains much more personal information about the apostle Paul. The epistle describes comprehensively the apostle’s understanding of his apostolic ministry. Some have used the Latin phrase apologia pro vita sua, “defense of his life,” as an appropriate designation of the content and focus of 2 Corinthians (see Leland Ryken and Philip Graham Ryken, “2 Corinthians: Introduction,” in The Literary Study Bible: ESV [Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2007], p. 1715). In this letter, Paul defends his apostolic ministry to some detractors in the Corinthian church and offers an example of how Christian life and ministry should be lived.
The correspondence between Paul and the young congregation in Corinth has been a matter of scholarly discussion. First Corinthians seems to be an answer to some questions that were sent by mail to Paul (see, for example, 1 Corinthians 7:1)—perhaps in response to an earlier letter the apostle had sent that doesn’t exist anymore, possibly referenced in 1 Corinthians 5:9. It is possible that there were more exchanges between Paul and the Christian community in Corinth, following that first letter, which are not available to us now.
Presumably, these exchanges would have preceded the second letter, which is now part of our biblical canon. First Corinthians was written about A.D. 55 from Ephesus (compare with “1 Corinthians,” Andrews Bible Commentary, ed. Ángel Manuel Rodríguez et al. [Berrien Springs, MI: Andrews University Press, 2022], p. 1613), while 2 Corinthians has a more likely date of A.D. 56.
2. Strategic Ministry in Corinth: Paul’s ministry in Corinth is described in Acts 18. The apostle had ministered there for more than 18 months. The ancient city of Corinth had been destroyed by the Romans in 146 B.C. and was rebuilt in 44 B.C. by Julius Caesar as a Roman colony. It soon became a significant political and economic center that was strategically located in the eastern part of the Roman Empire. Its two ports, Cenchreae in the east and Lechaeum in the west, offered a safe land connection between the Aegean and Ionian seas. Corinth’s control of the two harbors and of the road crossing the 6-kilometer-wide isthmus enabled the city to levy taxes on both north-south and east-west trade (compare with Jerome Murphy-O’Connor, “Corinth,” in The New Interpreter’s Dictionary of the Bible, ed. K. Doob Sakenfeld [Nashville,TN: Abingdon Press, 2006], vol. 1, pp. 732–735).
The city offered great economic possibilities, and the opportunities for upward social mobility attracted many nationalities. Because it was a relatively young city, Corinth also was less controlled by ancient traditions and more open to new ideas. Rome designated the city as the capital of the province of Achaea, thus underlining its political importance. Paul’s strategic decision to invest more than 18 months of his life in ministry in Corinth offers us a good example of his intentional mission planning.
Paul’s ministry in Corinth followed a familiar pattern. He was hosted in the city by Aquila and Priscilla, two Jewish Christian converts who had been forced out of Rome by a decree from Claudius, banning all Jews from the city (Acts 18:2). Aquila and Priscilla were also tentmakers (Acts 18:3). Strategically, Paul visited first the synagogue on Sabbath (Acts 18:4) and focused his teaching—when invited to read the weekly readings from the Torah—on the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus (Acts 18:5).
By showing the true interpretation of well-known Messianic texts, Paul was able to engage the Jewish members of the community on familiar ground. Paul’s interpretation and preaching, however, often created conflict and tension during his missionary journeys, which led him, in Corinth, to refocus his attention on the “God-fearers.” The God-fearers were Gentiles who often resonated with Jewish teachings but who were not proselytes (see Matt. 23:15). Acts 18:7 reports that Paul preached in the house of Titius Justus, a non-Jewish neighbor of the synagogue in Corinth. Among those who were convinced of Paul’s preaching was Crispus, the ruler of the synagogue, along with his entire house, together with many others (Acts 18:8).
3. The Importance of Identity: Identity shapes our beliefs, our understanding of history, and also our own sense of being. After his experience on the road to Damascus (Acts 9), Paul’s identity is anchored in his divine call to follow Jesus and be an apostle (i.e., an envoy and messenger) of Jesus. Paul, together with his co-author Sosthenes, begins his first letter to the Corinthian church by claiming that he was “called by the will of God to be an apostle of Christ Jesus” (1 Cor. 1:1, ESV; compare with 2 Cor. 1:1). The Greek verb apostellein, “to send,” underlies the noun apostolos, which—surprisingly—is seldom used in Greek literature outside of the New Testament. The use of a relatively rare word to identify a crucial ministry in the early Christian church may have been a conscious attempt to communicate the foundational importance of the ministry of the apostles, as well as the unique function of those who were sent, which, including Paul, went beyond the Twelve, as the reference in Romans 16:7 may suggest: “Greet Andronicus and Junia, my countrymen and my fellow prisoners, who are of note among the apostles” (NKJV).
Paul’s identity is rooted in three things: (1) the experience of his calling in which he saw the risen Lord (1 Cor. 15:8, 9; Gal. 1:15, 16); (2) his commissioning by God to proclaim the gospel (Gal. 1:1; compare with Acts 9:15); and (3) the fruits of his apostolic ministry, represented by converts and new churches (1 Cor. 9:2). Acts offers a number of Paul’s testimonies that retell his calling, his commissioning, and his fruit, underlining the importance of these elements for his ministry. While he acknowledges his excellent education at the feet of famous scholars and his membership in the strict sect of the Pharisees, his identity is not based on prestige and accomplishments but on his encounter with Jesus Christ.
Identity seems also to be an important issue in the newly established Corinthian church. Paul reacts strongly to the news that there is division in the congregation in which people now align themselves strongly with several different Christian leaders. Paul reminds his audience that first and foremost, they are followers of Christ, not followers of Paul, Apollos, or Peter (1 Cor. 1:10–12). His argument for unity is based on the undividable Christ, His sacrifice, and His saving grace (1 Cor. 1:13). We will return to the issue of identity in the Corinthian church in a future lesson, focusing on it in more detail.
Part III: Life Application
Many businesses today spend time and money on the question of branding and self-identity. They realize that, in the competitive business world, just doing what they have always done will not guarantee survival. They need to have a clear vision of who they are and of the unique needs they can meet. Paul, too, seems to have known the importance of identity.
In your group, explore Paul’s self-identification as an apostle. What did this identity mean, and what right did he have to claim this distinction for himself? How did his apostleship affect his life’s purpose and mission?
Ponder and discuss how our individual, and corporate, identity as Seventh-day Adventist Christians can help us discover, and meet, the needs of our communities.
The church at Corinth was a unique cultural blend. Most of the group did not have a Jewish cultural background. They could not be identified as a Jewish offshoot or sect. This lack of a clear identity underlies many of the problems that Paul addresses in the Corinthian church. In your group, discuss the relationship between identity and behavior. Why does knowing who we are, where we come from, and where we are going influence what we do and how we live?
Finally, how can we maintain a Christian identity in a world that emphasizes different values and ideals?