1. NT 101C-03: A Survey of the New Testament
“Blessed is the man who has found wisdom and the mortal who knows prudence.”
NT 101C-03: A Survey of the New Testament
Chapter 18
1 & 2 Corinthians and Galatians:
Apostolic Counsel for Confused Churches

2. 1 Corinthians: Church Problems 19 – Corinthians and Galatians
Theme: This writing of the apostle Paul deals
with the theme of struggles in Christian life and church manners. The letter is consistent with ongoing holiness which is the developing of a consecrated character in Christ.  sanctification transfer motif
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Purpose: To solve problems in Corinthian church and answer questions from that church.
Previous Ministry in Corinth: Acts 18:1-18a
reports that Paul made tents, preached in Sabbaths & stayed in the city for 1-½ years.

3. 1 Corinthians: Church Problems 19 – Corinthians and Galatians
Time and Place of Writing: During Paul’s 3rd missionary travel he wrote his first correspondence to the Corinthians in Ephesus at about the spring of A.D. 55/56.
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Occasion and circumstances of writing: There was a report of Chloe’s household and a letter to Paul from the Corinthian church. (see 1 Cor 1:11, 5:1 , 7:1, 8:1, etc.)

4. 1 Corinthians: Church Problems 19 – Corinthians and Galatians
Reading First Corinthians with Interpretation  in 1 Cor 1:2 the Corinthian believers are called holy/sanctified/saints even though they were not acting so…
Church Problems Include: Factions. Immorality. Lawsuits. Meat Offered to Idols. Abuses of the Lord's Supper. False Apostles. Problems about Marriage. Disorderly Conduct of Assemblies. Woman's Part in the Church. Heresies about the Resurrection.  ad hoc
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5. 19 – Corinthians and Galatians
Introduction: Greeting and Thanksgiving (1:1-9)
I. 1 Cor 1:10-6:20: Rebukes in Answer to Reports
A. Divisions in the Church and necessity of healing by acknowledging weakness (1:10-4:21)
B. Incestuous case in the congregation wherein a man must be put into Church discipline (5:1-13)
C. Lawsuits between the brethren and settling the differences within the Church (6:1-8)
D. Immorality in general must be stopped and the importance of virtuous living in Spirit (6:9-20)
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6. 19 – Corinthians and Galatians
II. 1 Cor 7:1-16:9: Replies to Questions Raised
A. Marriage, celibacy, divorce and appeal for reconciliation (7:1-40)
B. Food offered to idols and Christian freedom that must not be abused (8:1-11:1)
C. Worship order in public meetings dealing with women’s head covering, Lord’s Supper celebration and spiritual gifts’ manifestations (11:2-14:20)
D. Resurrection of Christ and the future of believers to be resurrected (15:1-58)
E. Collection of money for Jerusalem Church (16:1-9)
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Conclusion: Timothy, Apollos, Various Others & Final Benediction (16:10-24)

7. 1 Corinthians: Church Problems 19 – Corinthians and Galatians
The Church problems and  Paul’s solutions in response to the report:
divisions based on personality cults  the cross as unitive of all believers
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a man’s cohabiting with his stepmother  ostracism from church fellowship
external lawsuit between Christians  settlement within the church
sexual immorality  the body as the temple of the Holy Spirit

8. 1 Corinthians: Church Problems 19 – Corinthians and Galatians
The question of the Christian Community and
 Paul’s answers to questions in the Corinthians’ letter
Marriage against celibacy  its goodness, the advantage to some of staying unmarried, restriction of divorce, reconciliation
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Meat offered to idols  it is alright to eat this food if in doing so does not damage another’s weak conscience

9. 1 Corinthians: Church Problems 19 – Corinthians and Galatians
Public worship  head apparel for women who pray and prophesy, unity in celebrating the Lord’s Supper apart from love feasts, diversity of spiritual gifts, limitation of tongues, supremacy of love
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Resurrection  future for Christians on basis of Christ’s past resurrection from the dead
Collection for Jerusalem  get the money ready through gathering in the church

10. 2 Corinthians: Glory through Suffering 19 – Corinthians and Galatians
Genre of 2 Corinthians is apologetic in nature
The tone of 2 Corinthians is autobiographical
Inner feelings of Paul
Apostolic ministry of Paul
Church relationships of Paul
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The suggested rivals or opponents of Paul
Liberal Jewish Christians
Gnostics
Legalists
Pneumatics
Combinations of the above

11. 19 – Corinthians and Galatians
Key idea: SUFFERING/S
asthéneia (noun) - 2 Cor 11:30; 12:5, 92X , 10; 13:4
 weakness, sickness, neediness
asthenés (adjective) -2 Cor 10:10
 weak, sick, needy
asthenéō (verb) - 2 Cor 11:21, 29; 12:10; 13:3, 4, 9
 to be weak, sick, needy
thlíbō (verb) - 2 Cor 1:6; 4:8; 7:5
 to be in tribulation, affliction, distress
thlípsis (noun) - 2 Cor 1:42X, 8; 2:4; 4:17; 6:4; 7:4; 8:2, 13
 tribulation, affliction, distress
lúpē (noun) - 2 Cor 2:1, 3, 7; 7:102X; 9:7
 pain, grief, sorrow
lupéō (verb) - 2 Cor 2:22X, 4, 5; 6:10, 7:82X, 9, 11
 to be in pain, grief, sorrow
páthēma (noun) - 2 Cor 1:5, 6, 7
 suffering, enduring, misfortune
páschō (verb) - 2 Cor 1:6
 to suffer, endure, have a misfortune
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12. 19 – Corinthians and Galatians
The Painful Visit. “After writing 1 Corinthians from Ephesus, Paul found it necessary to make a ‘painful visit’ to Corinth and back—painful because of the strained relationship between him and the Corinthians at the time. Luke does not record this visit in Acts. It is to be inferred however, from 2 Corinthians 12:14; 13:1-2, where Paul describes his coming visit as the ‘third.’ Apart from the inferred painful visit, he has visited Corinth only once before. The statement in 2 Corinthians 2:1, ‘For I decided not to make another painful visit to you,’ implies a past painful visit that can hardly be identified with his first coming to give them the joyful tidings of salvation through Jesus Christ.” R. H. Gundry
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13. 19 – Corinthians and Galatians
Purposes of writing 2 Corinthians:
To express relief and joy at favorable response of majority in the church
To exhort for the forgiveness of the offending brother
To endorse Paul’s apostolic authority to still recalcitrant minority
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To emphasize collection for the Jerusalem church
Theme of 2 Corinthians: The glory of God through suffering in Christ is apostolic ministry.

14. 19 – Corinthians and Galatians
Key verses of 2 Corinthians and announcement of the theme: 3Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, 4who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. 5For as we share abundantly in Christ’s sufferings, so through Christ we share abundantly in comfort too. 6If we are afflicted, it is for your comfort and salvation; and if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which you experience when you patiently endure the same sufferings that we suffer. 7Our hope for you is unshaken, for we know that as you share in our sufferings, you will also share in our comfort.
(2 Cor 1:3-7 ESV)
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15. 19 – Corinthians and Galatians
Time, place and occasion of writing:
Having founded the church in Corinth, Paul and the Corinthians had frequent contacts. The writing of 2 Corinthians happened when Paul was in Macedonia during his 3rd missionary travel.
In chapter 13 Paul's intended visit to Corinth brought about the writing of this epistle in the summer of A.D. 55/56. He got to Corinth in the fall. Spent the winter there. And, in the following spring departed for Jerusalem.
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16. 19 – Corinthians and Galatians
Characteristics of 2 Corinthians:
The most personal and intimate of Paul’s writings to the churches with much details.
Suffering, weakness, tears, peril, sorrow, pain as well as comfort, boasting, truth, ministry and glory are the terms that hold Paul’s thought of a developed theology on Christian suffering.
The argument of the letter and Paul’s train of thought is hard to follow because much of 2 Corinthians is his response to the words and feelings of others which are not recorded in the writing.
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17. 19 – Corinthians and Galatians
*Lost “Earlier Letter” before 1 Cor (1 Cor 5:9)
*Lost “Severe Epistle” before 2 Cor (2 Cor 2:4; 7:8)
**Identity of “earlier letter” and “severe epistle”
**Unity of the Writing of 2 Corinthians as a whole
**Authenticity of the Epistle as Totally Pauline
Did the apostle Paul write at least 4 epistles to the Corinthians during his lifetime and that 2 survived and the other 2 were totally lost?
Were the other 2 supposedly lost writings of Paul became part of the edited 2 Corinthians, or at least one of them if not both survived within the canonical “The Second Epistle of the Apostle Paul to the Corinthians”???
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18. 19 – Corinthians and Galatians
The Content of 2 Corinthians:
What is apparent is that the epistle has 3 noticeably marked sections.
Chapters 1-7 generally comprise a description and clarification of the apostolic work of Paul among the Corinthians.
Chapters 8-9 explicitly contain the reason and manner of a collection of resources directed among the Gentile Christians for the need in the Church of Jerusalem.
Chapter strongly defend and substantiate the apostolic authority of the apostle Paul in the midst of its rejection by some people in Corinth.
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19. 19 – Corinthians and Galatians
Key verses of Galatians: Gal 1:8-9 & 3:3
Key word: GRACE
(Gal 1:3, 6, 15; 2:9, 21; 5:4; 6:18)
Tensions in the sustained argument:
flesh vs S/spirit; works vs faith; law vs grace
Theme of Galatians: The freedom in Christ from any kind of teaching on salvation that requires human effort in addition to God’s grace.  Holy Spirit as the sign of covenant
*Subtheme: The Spirit/spiritual unity of all believers in Christ because of God’s grace.
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20. Galatians: Against the Judaizers 19 – Corinthians and Galatians
Background of Judaizing controversy: Should Gentile Christians be required to submit to circumcision and practice the rest of the Jewish law?  boundary marker for Jews vs Gentiles
North Galatia – Paul wrote to the N. Galatians whom he did not visit until his 2nd missionary journey on his way from Pisidian Antioch to Troas. (Acts 16:6)
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South Galatia – Paul wrote to the S. Galatians after the 1st missionary journey but before the Jerusalem Council in Acts chapter 15.

21. Paul wrote Galatians: AD mid-50’s vs AD 49
North Galatian Theory vs
South Galatian Theory
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22. 19 – Corinthians and Galatians
***North Galatian Theory 1st missionary travel of Paul General Council in Jerusalem in Acts 15 2nd missionary travel of the apostle Paul Galatians was written in AD mid-50’s
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***South Galatian Theory
1st missionary travel of Paul
Galatians was written in AD 49
General Council in Jerusalem in Acts 15
2nd missionary travel of the apostle Paul

23. 19 – Corinthians and Galatians
An Analysis of the Main Sections of Galatians Introduction: Greetings to the Galatians and Curse to the Judaizers (Gal 1:1-10) I. Autobiographical Contention for God’s Free Grace Message of Paul (Gal 1:11-2:21) II. Theological Reason for God’s Free Grace Message of Paul (Gal 3:1-5:12) III. Spiritual Argument for God’s Free Grace Message of Paul (Gal 5:13-6:10) Conclusion: Judaizers’ Fear of Persecution and Boastful Pride
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24. 19 – Corinthians and Galatians
Extremity and Heresy (not the same) 1). Corinthian Heresy (no false teachers) Sexual immorality is acceptable 2). Corinthian Extremity (misunderstandings) Abuse of spiritual gifts 3). Galatian Heresy (presence of false teachers) Salvation is by works of the law 4). Galatian Extremity (experiences) Manifestations and the fruit of the Spirit
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