Sessions with Corinthians is a ten-session study unit designed to provide insight into two of Paul's most important letters. Within these truly "opposite" letters one will find foundational teachings on Christian service, unity, worship, conduct, marriage, spiritual gifts and the exercise of love as a basis for living. In 2 Corinthians one will experience Paul's most personal writing and encounter his theology embedded in virtually every verse.

The genuine beauty of studying these two uniquely different letters together is to be found in Paul's focus upon the centrality of God's love. In the first letter God's love is taught through the need for proper action, while in the second letter Paul personally demonstrates his love through patience and compassion to the troubled Corinthian church. This is no doubt the best back-to-back treatise on complete faith development and practice in scripture.

Sessions with Corinthians is designed for personal study, for use in classes and seminars, and as a preaching guide. Each session is followed by resource pages with several questions. Use the resource pages to allow for a deeper exploration of 1 & 2 Corinthians. The resource pages may also be used by seminar leaders and teachers as facilitation points in session preparation.

It has been said that James is the New Testament book most applicable to day-to-day faith living. If this is true, the Corinthian letters serve the opposite purpose. The letters of Paul to the church in Corinth are filled with discord, petty thinking, rivalry, deviant sexuality, gross inequalities, and drunken communion services. These are definitely not the type of reports churches would enjoy receiving, but they do aptly describe the first century church in Corinth.

We can learn much from the problems and issues found in these letters. The universal church benefits greatly from Paul's bold stand and, in the end, the willingness of the Corinthian leaders to accept his teachings. All churches have problems, obviously some more so than others. The key to long-term church success is to learn from problems and mistakes and not to repeat them in the future. First and Second Corinthians provide us with a host of problems, issues, and mistakes from which we can learn and grow.

Corinth was captured by Rome in 146 BC and completely destroyed. The area lay in waste for more than 100 years until Julius Caesar decreed it to be rebuilt in 44 BC. Due to its unique and advantageous location, it quickly became a commercial boon for Rome. Corinth was located on an isthmus adjacent to the Adriatic and Aegean Seas. This strategic layout made east-west sea travel easy and provided for a commercially rich economic base. Over time, "Corinth grew to become the third most important city in the Roman Empire after Rome and Alexandria" (Coleman & Reace, 9).

History teaches that the Corinth of Paul's day was a cosmopolitan center for empire-wide commerce. Talbert cites the following for the bulk of Corinth's wealth: "Trade, travel, banking, bronze making and from the Isthmian games held every two years" (4). Due to the cosmopolitan culture of the city, it was home to many peoples and to many religions. Corinth was famous for shrines and temples to Poseidon, Apollo, Athena, Hera, Hercules, Jupiter, Isis, and Aphrodite. Worship of Aphrodite, the Goddess of Love, was said to have 1,000 prostitutes in service to the temple.

Religion was pervasive in Corinth, due mainly to the aforementioned Greek practices and to those unique to the empire. The abundance of pagan outlets provided both Judaism and the new church with many obstacles. Claman puts it this way: "Judaism and Christianity existed as minorities in a sea of pagan Roman beliefs, as well as other Eastern religions" (25).

The diverse landscape of religions and people groups also led to loose social and cultural morals. To Corinthianize was a common term of the day meaning to engage in immoral sexual practices. This no doubt was strengthened by the sexual practices involved in worship and service to the many pagan deities. In describing the vice and licentious behavior, Gordon Fee writes that Corinth was "the New York, Los Angeles and Las Vegas of the ancient world" (3).

There is great unity in declaring Paul as the author of both Corinthian letters. It is also easier to assign dates to these writings in relation to other New Testament letters. "First Corinthians was written in the third missionary journey from Ephesus and in the spring of AD 55 and 2 Corinthians may be placed in the fall of AD 56" (Gaebelein, 180). A lengthy stay by Paul in Corinth predates both letters as he helped found the church (AD 49-51).

First Corinthians was written in response to reports and letters received from Chloe's household (1:11). The news from Corinth was not good, as several members were having difficulty breaking with their past practices. The church was fractious and was seemingly choosing sides over the most prominent faith leaders of the day. There was also an overall quarrelsome attitude, both within the church and toward Paul. The letter Paul received from Corinthian church leaders is thought to have contained certain questions and focused on specific issues. Paul's framework in 1 Corinthians seems designed as a response to specific instances, issues, and questions.

The second Corinthian letter is crafted much differently than the earlier one. A rising level of resistance and antagonism toward Paul is evident in the tone of the second letter. The bulk of 2 Corinthians deals with Paul's defense of his ministry, of his apostolic authority, and of his theology.

It is believed Paul wrote four letters to the Corinthian church. The first letter would have preceded the scriptural first letter and is referred to in 1 Corinthians 5:9-10. A third letter is often called the "severe letter" and is referred to in 2 Corinthians 7:8-9. Both the actual first letter and the third or middle letter between our 1 & 2 Corinthians are lost. There are scholars who believe the "severe letter" was added to the end of 2 Corinthians at a later date, if not in whole, at least in part.

There seems to be little disagreement over 2 Corinthians being the body of Paul's work that is most difficult to understand. This is due in no small part to the aforementioned belief that the second letter is most likely multiple letters, but also due to the obvious stained relationship between Paul and the Corinthian church. It is difficult to estimate the amount of ill will in place surrounding the occasion of the other letters. From the point of Paul's departure, after one and a half years, both the church and their views of Paul regressed greatly. The final letter(s) play out against this backdrop.

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