Some thoughts about the church in Corinth
Since March of this year, I have been doing a verse by verse study of the book of 1 Corinthians. I have also listened to the class on 1 Corinthians taught on the bibleproject web site. In that class, the teacher spends some time speaking about the controversy of chapter 11 and Paul's role of women in the church. Though Dr. Lucy Peppiatt has some different views than mine it is a very interesting class that I would recommend.
I have found it encouraging that though the Corinth church had many problems Paul still had a lot of good things to say about them. For example, in chapter 1 verse 4, he says that he always thanks God for them because they have been enriched in every way. It says that they do not lack in any spiritual gift. He never questions their salvation, though he does describe them in chapter 3 as "infants in Christ". Paul may have written another letter to Corinth which remains lost that was possibly more direct and harsh. But, he never gives up on them. In fact, his discipline is proof that he loves and cares for them. Just as God's discipline is proof of his love for us Hebrews 12:7-11.
I have found in my studies that part of the definition of a biblical scholar is someone who wants to argue about a minor point that nobody else has even noticed! When I did a thesis on Colossians it was said that there were over 42 different viewpoints on what problem the Colossae church was dealing with. 42! It helps the student of the Bible to go back and look at what the original readers of the text would have thought about what was written and their world. We mistakenly try to reach the text as if it was written first and foremost to those in the 21st century instead of the first. For example, possibly over 2/3 of the people in Corinth were slaves. Slavery at that time was not limited to a race, but rather it was economic. Many of these slaves were captured or enslaved as a result of their land being conquered by Rome or due to debt that they had to repay. Their world was in some way very different from ours, especially when it came to worship, slavery, temples and idols and social roles.
Paul goes on at length about head coverings in chapter 11 for women. Which most churches obviously don't practice today nor should they. So, why all the fuss about head coverings? If you look at drawings of Corinth you see that there were many temples in Corinth. (I put some links to some sites at the end of this post). Part of the worship of these pagan gods was often sexual immorality and prostitution. Turns out, that the only women in Corinth typically walking around without head coverings were prostitutes of which Corinth had over 1,000 to Aphrodite alone. Most married women in those days covered their heads in Greek as well as Jewish culture. I guess he didn't want the christian women to be mistaken for prostitutes!
As I was reviewing what Paul said in chapter 11 and the chapters before it, I came to the conclusion that I saw four overarching principles here and in the book as a whole. I would like to share them with you.
The overarching principles here is
We are to act in love towards others. Paul will say more about this in 1 Corinthians 13.
We are not to cause a stumbling block. Paul has already said in 1 Corinthians 8:13 that if what he eats causes another to sin he won’t eat meat again. vs.32- do not cause anyone to stumble is the word aproskopos- not causing to stumble, not led into sin, blameless. Paul tells the “do not cause others to stumble'' vs. 32. also in 2 Corinthians 6:3. Jesus warns about being a stumbling block to others in Luke 17:1-2 He says it would be better for you to have a milestone hung around your neck and you thrown into the sea than to be a stumbling block. Sounds like Jesus took it very seriously! The Pharisees were creating stumbling blocks for others Matt 23:13.
Do everything to help others come to Christ and be saved. Paul closes this chapter by saying that he does seek his own good, but the good of the many that others may be saved. vs.33 also see 1 Corinthians 9:22.
To do what you do for the glory of God vs.31. Romans 15:1- Paul says we should bear with the failings of the weak and not just to seek to please ourselves. 1 Corinthians 6:20 says that we were bought with a price and therefore we are to honor God with our bodies