Countercultural

How to live out this new faith they had embraced? The believers in Corinth had written to Paul asking for specific advice, but Paul first addressed the basics.

The believers didn't appear to be too inconvenienced by their new faith. They didn't seem to be getting any ostracism from the community around them and they didn't appear to be wrestling with any realignment of values.

They seemed to be doing to the Christian faith what others had done with many religions over the years: adding it into the mix of religious teachings. The believers were not very countercultural and Paul addressed that.

He pointed out in 1 Cor 1 that there should not be divisions in the church. The people in the church were choosing which teacher to follow. Should they follow Paul or Apollos or Cephas or....

They were using the wisdom of the world to make decisions within their church and Paul rebuked that idea sharply. He wanted their focus not to be on celebrity preachers but on God, His calling and His wisdom.

This was countercultural, guaranteeing the Christians in Corinth would be different than the culture around them. But, for Paul, the culture was empty. His focus was Christ.

As he said in 1 Cor 1:25, if you're going to boast, boast in the Lord!