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1 Corinthians
Paul’s first letter to the church at Corinth was written from the city of Ephesus. Earlier, Paul had founded the church in Corinth, and he wrote the letter of 1 Corinthians because he’d heard about some problems there.
The city of Corinth in those days was a cosmopolitan Greek city and the capital of a Roman province. It was known for its:
- thriving commerce
- proud Greek culture
- widespread immorality
- many different religions
Paul wrote about several subjects in the short letter of 1 Corinthians:
- divisions and immorality in the church
- questions about sex and marriage
- church order
- the gifts of the Spirit
- and the resurrection body
The best-known chapter in the letter is 1 Corinthians 13, where Paul described love in such a beautiful way. Since these same issues are still important today, Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians still deserves to be studied closely.