An answer from Paul

Paul, who wrote 1 Corinthians as a letter to a church in the city of Corinth, was a missionary who traveled into Greece and present-day Turkey to tell people about Jesus. He had planted a church in Corinth and then moved on to other areas.

However, he got information that the church in Corinth was having problems. There were arguments and divisions. The believers had many questions about how they were to handle issues within the church and they had written a letter asking Paul for advice.

This letter is his answer.

Corinth in those days was a huge city located near the coast, which meant a lot of merchants and traders traveled through. Many rich people lived in Corinth and many were very religious, worshipping many gods.

Those non-Christians had great confidence in their religious system and in their ideas. Most of the believers in the church in Corinth were new believers who had grown up in the pagan ideas and practices.

So they were tempted to return to their old ways. It probably cost them business and honor to continue to follow Jesus.

It was a problem then – just as it is today

Aren’t we tempted, too, to join the world’s ways? Others seem to be having more success than we are. We might want their acceptance, or their possessions, or their ideas.

We have to choose – just as Paul told the Corinthian believers they had to choose.

We can’t have a foot in both places. Either we follow Jesus or we don’t.