First Epistle to the Corinthians

Definition and Meaning

First Corinthians is one of the Pauline epistles of the New Testament and consists of sixteen chapters. The opening of the letter (1 Corinthians 1:1) names Paul as its sender, and scholars widely accept it as an authentic letter of Paul. The name means "the first letter to the church at Corinth," and the letter that follows it is Second Corinthians. However, because 1 Corinthians 5:9 mentions an earlier letter, it is generally understood that this was not actually Paul's first letter to the church.

Biblical and Historical Background

According to Acts 18, Paul stayed in Corinth for a year and six months during his second missionary journey and founded a church there. Corinth was a cosmopolitan city that prospered through trade, and many religions and cultures mingled there. Paul later wrote this letter while staying in Ephesus (1 Corinthians 16:8). It is generally dated to the mid-50s AD. The letter is written as a response to reports and questions from the church, and its main topics are as follows:

• Factions within the church aligned with Paul, Apollos, and Cephas (chapters 1–4)
• Sexual immorality, lawsuits among believers, and marriage and celibacy (chapters 5–7)
• The question of eating food offered to idols (chapters 8–10)
• Order in worship and the Lord's Supper (chapter 11)
• The gifts of the Holy Spirit and love (chapters 12–14)
• The resurrection of the dead (chapter 15)

Practice in the Korean Church

Chapter 13 is commonly called the "love chapter." It is frequently read at wedding services and is also widely used as a sermon text. In many denominations, 11:23–26 is read as the words of institution in the celebration of Holy Communion. Chapter 15, known as the "resurrection chapter," is often read at Easter services and funeral services. The instruction in 16:2 to give "upon the first day of the week" is sometimes cited as the basis for the Sunday offering.

The book is also frequently cited in debates between denominations. With regard to chapters 12–14, Pentecostal denominations such as the Full Gospel churches hold that gifts such as speaking in tongues and prophecy continue today. By contrast, some Reformed theologians interpret 13:8–10 and other passages as teaching that the revelatory gifts have ceased (cessationism and continuationism). The passage in 14:34–35, "Let your women keep silence in the churches," is a key text in the debate over women's ordination. Denominations that do not ordain women as pastors, such as the Presbyterian Church in Korea (Hapdong) and the Kosin Presbyterian Church in Korea, cite this passage in support of their position. Denominations that do ordain women, such as the Korean Methodist Church, the Presbyterian Church of Korea (Tonghap), and the Presbyterian Church in the Republic of Korea, understand the passage as an instruction addressed to the particular circumstances of the Corinthian church at that time. The teaching of 3:16 and 6:19 that "your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost" is also often cited as the basis for the Korean church tradition of abstaining from alcohol and tobacco.