Corinth Corinth was one of the oldest cities of Greece, with evidence of settlement going back to at least 3000 BC. Its prime location along both east-west and north-south trade routes enabled it to become a center of commerce and trade, and it reached the height of its strength and power between 800 and 600 BC. When in the mid-100s BC the Roman military machine began a relentless march to forge a vast empire, Corinth led the Hellenic League to oppose Roman dominance in Greece. They were no match for the Romans, and in 146 BC Corinth was completely destroyed, its men executed, its women and children sold into slavery. Corinth lay in ruins for a century. In 44 BC Julius Caesar established a Roman colony at Corinth. The colony attracted a mixed group of Italians, freedmen (freed former slaves) from Rome, and dispossessed Greeks. With great industry and ingenuity the new inhabitants quickly reestablished the city as a prosperous center for trade, commerce, and industry. By the time Paul came to Corinth, it was a bustling cosmopolitan city with a population of almost 700,000, including many wealthy people, and many others who were struggling to become so. Corinth attracted trades...

The Church as a Dynamic Body Paul viewed the church as the living body of Christ comprised of believers. Paul made no formal distinction between professional clergy and laity, in which the ministry was done only by the clergy. The community had leaders (see, e.g., 1 Tim 3:1-13), but every believer had a ministry in building up the body (1 Cor 12:12-31). When the early believers gathered together, usually in someone’s home, everyone brought something from God to share with the others (14:26-33). Paul understood God’s Spirit as gifting people for their specific ministries (12:7-11, 28; Rom 12:6-8; Eph 4:11) and leading them when they came together for worship. Guided by the Spirit, every believer was to use their spiritual gifts for the benefit of the church. Paul wanted believers to be sensitive to the empowering of the Spirit in all that they did (1 Cor 14:26-33). When believers meet together, every individual is important and each one has an active role to play. Believers must listen for God speaking his word—and be prepared to speak it—in all their relationships. Paul also calls for the others to “evaluate” what is said (14:26, 29). Every believer is a crucial part of th...