Living in Corinth - Again

This is a special edition article for a new sermon series we’re doing at my home church, The Well, in 1 Corinthians. That said, while this article will be introducing 1 Corinthians, it will still be devotional in nature. 

All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable (2 Tim. 3:16-17). None of it is outdated – we often just have to do a tiny bit of “bridge” work to see how it relates (see an example on Leviticus here). That said, it is easier to see how some stories and books of the Bible relate to modern times. One of the books that takes very little bridge work is 1 Corinthians. 

1 Corinthians: Postmodernity before Modernity

Everything happens in cycles. I mean, Kendrick essentially wore bell bottoms during the Superbowl and even mullets are trying to be hot again (Lord, please no!). This isn’t just true with fashion trends though, it is also true with how societies interpret truth and the world around them. 

The Corinth we see in the Scriptures was established around 44 B.C. as a Roman colony. Corinth was around for centuries before this, but it was a Greek city-state before. Old Corinth was the center of political struggles related to Sparta and Rome. So, around 146 B.C., Rome destroyed Corinth and left the city in ruins for about a century. Julius Caesar resettled the city primarily as a refuge for Roman soldiers. However, after just a few decades, the city began to swell. The new name, Corinth, was named after Julius Ceasar, Colonia Laus Julia Corinthiensis, or Corinth for short! 

As the city grew quickly, so did the various views of culture and the world. Different ethnic and cultural people groups migrated to this bustling city looking for employment or fun. This turned the city into a cultural melting pot, which invited religious and cultural pluralism. In short, what was once a very structured, political Roman colony turned into a metropolitan city that mimicked many US and Western city centers today. Before modern modernity ever came into being, Corinthian post-modernity was in full effect, and this is where Paul planted one of the most…interesting churches in the New Testament! 

What Made Corinth, Corinth: International Trade, Industry, & Tourism

If you look up a map of Corinth, you’ll see why it was such a popular and desirable location. Cenchreae was just to the East, the Roman province of Asia and Ephesus were right across and Lechaeum was on the west. This made Corinth a favored trade spot between the east-west, but also between northern and southern Greece. This made trading highly valuable as Corinth was the port to pass between important cities and provinces. All of this made Corinth rich in products. 

Tourists also flocked to Corinth for the famous Isthmian Games, which were every two years, and second to the Olympic games. This brought a multitude of international visitors to Corinth. In fact, the games would have been in full effect when Paul did his ministry there in A.D. 51! To put into perspective some of the cultural advancements and progression in Corinth, these Isthmian games were the first and only games (for a long time!) to have female athletes, holding multiple athletic contests for women. 

Along with a slew of natural resources for manufacturing, it is easy to see how Corinth could likely compare with many of our Western, particularly American, cities today. It’ll become more obvious in a moment, but it reminds me aggressively of the city where I live – Austin, Texas. Corinth was home to a lot of international food (Austin), to new technology (Austin), and was in-between “old” Rome and a “progressive” way of seeing the world (Austin in Texas). Quick success (or failure) was a part of the ecosystem (Austin). 

Competition, consumerism, government, and cultural diversity were some of the trademarks of Corinth, and they are deeply embedded in Austin as well. Corinth was a city where new ideas flourished and where young, ambitious people migrated to make a name for themselves—just as Austin attracts entrepreneurs, artists, and free-thinkers. The Corinthians valued status and self-promotion, a mindset that often parallels modern Austin’s start-up and influencer culture and social media-driven brand-building. The city was also known for its entertainment industry (Isthmian Games), which, much like Austin’s South by Southwest (SXSW) or Austin City Limits (ACL), brought in waves of people and shaped the city's reputation as a cultural hub.

Politically, Corinth was a place where power and influence could be quickly gained or lost, making it a hotbed for ambition and activism. Similarly, Austin is a city where grassroots movements thrive, political engagement is high, and societal trends often take shape before spreading to the rest of the country.

Ultimately, Corinth was a city of tension—between old and new, between ambition and humility, between wealth and exploitation, and between community and individualism. These same tensions define Austin, making Paul’s letter to the Corinthians incredibly relevant for us today.

The Ethos of Corinth

Self-promotion was the ethos of Corinth! It is no wonder the gospel was difficult for the Corinthians to embrace, for while they loved the triumphal parts of the message, the cruciform parts were difficult to embrace. The “why not rather be wronged” (6:7) and Paul intentionally not using eloquence, but keeping things simple (1:18) would have grated against the very fabric of their nurtured DNA. Corinth loved success, winners… Jesus intentionally lost that we might win. Who wants to embrace dying, humility, and giving up riches for others… the gospel grated against the Corinthian culture! 

In every culture throughout church history, there will always be some “parts” of the gospel that are beautiful to that culture, and easy to embrace (for Corinth, Jesus defeated death). There will also always be parts of the gospel that swim upstream from the culture, and the church, like Paul, will have to intentionally work against this. 

The Corinthians carried many of their pre-conversion beliefs into their Christianity, as is almost always the case. Whether they saw it or not, much of their church was still steeped in this Corinthian mentality (look at how they treated communion… or their mothers-in-law!). 

Competitiveness, Self-Achievement, and Self-Promotion was the name of the game.  Competitiveness leads to not valuing spiritual gifts the same, and therefore finding some better in the Kingdom, an anti-gospel truth (12-14). Christ did not seek achievement but rather suffering for our sake, something the Corinthian church had difficultly modeling in their discipleship (ch. 8-11). 

Interestingly, since self-promotion was so valued in that culture, people who “persuaded” the most won the day. In their social media culture (literally, there were social events and ancient media that helped sway people in what to think!) the “influencers” held the day. If it sounded good, and the right person was saying it, it must be true… It isn’t hard to draw comparisons to today. 

Anthony Thiselton in his commentary on 1 Corinthians said this about the culture, “The fame of media stars and sports heroes is contrived and constructed by audience votes and consumer purchases in the marketplace. Value is determined by a consumer market. But the consumer market is not “free” or value neutral. It is manipulated and shaped by sophistic rhetoricians in ancient Corinth, and by the “spin” of the mass media in the postmodern world… Sophistic rhetoricians were like the mess media of today: they do not describe, they promoted.¹”

Application: What Does This Mean for Today?

Hopefully, you can see how Corinth was similar to pretty much any large city in America. Therefore, the issues laid out in Corinthians, though they may need slight framing, have a much shorter “bridge” than, say, Leviticus, where you have to have much more cultural understanding. The church in Corinth was planted and seeking to thrive in the midst of a culture that was very hostile to the gospel. 

• Any truth was “good” truth as long as it didn’t infringe on a person’s individual beliefs. The gospel worked against this. Today it is easy to think the exclusivity of Christ’s Kingdom is worthy to “slim down” to be accepted by our culture. If we’re not careful, we’ll fall into the same Corinthian trap.

• True advancement is not self-promotion and endless working for success, but building up Christ’s Kingdom and others. The Corinthians had a hard time believing this. We too focus much of our efforts on promotion and “making it.” If we’re not careful, we’ll fall into the same Corinthian trap.

• Identity was often built on status, wealth, and influence rather than on Christ. Paul had to remind the Corinthians that their worth was in being "in Christ," not in worldly achievements. Today we often find our value in our jobs and how successful we are. If we’re not careful, we’ll fall into the same Corinthian trap. 

• Division in the church came from following personalities rather than Christ alone. Today, we can be tempted to align more with influential Christian voices, movements, or political ideologies than with the gospel itself. If we’re not careful, we’ll fall into the same Corinthian trap.

• Sexual ethics were highly permissive and seen as a personal choice, much like today. Paul calls the church to a radically different, counter-cultural view of holiness and purity. This can feel “outdated” to us just like it did to the Corinthians then! If we’re not careful, we’ll fall into the same Corinthian trap.

• The Corinthians valued eloquence over true wisdom. Today, we can be tempted to believe that the most charismatic, popular, or loudest voices have the truth, rather than looking to the wisdom of God in Scripture. If we’re not careful, we’ll fall into the same Corinthian trap.

• The temptation to separate faith from daily life was strong in Corinth. They had their faith “on Sundays” and their business on Mondays. Many Christians today struggle to live out their faith in every sphere of life, rather than compartmentalizing it. If we’re not careful, we’ll fall into the same Corinthian trap.

• Love was often transactional—what people could gain from relationships. Paul’s teaching on love was counter-cultural then and remains just radical today. However, in wanting Corinthian-like love, we can be duped into thinking just like them! If we’re not careful, we’ll fall into the same Corinthian trap.

• Worship gatherings became about performance and personal expression rather than edification. We, too, can be tempted to approach worship as consumers rather than as people offering ourselves to God. If we’re not careful, we’ll fall into the same Corinthian trap.

We can continue the comparison for days! It is easier for us to fall into this Corinthian trap far more than we realize. 

In our church’s last series on the book of Jonah, we said over and over again, “We’re more like Jonah than we’d like to think…” We’re more like Corinth too. And if we’d see this, we can receive the loving encouragement from God and from the Apostle Paul. We can continue to let the gospel transform us and be as free as Paul was, and even more, as free as Christ is. 

Many books have strong culture ties, few as direct as Corinthians. Hopefully, if you journey with us throughout this series, you can see the beauty of Christ and learn to apply Him into your life in this cultural moment! 

¹Thiselton, Anthony C., 1 Corinthians: A Shorter Exegetical & Pastoral Commentary. William B Eerdmans Publishing Company, Grand Rapids, MI. 2006. Pg. 16. Much of this article had bits and pieces taken from this commentary, as it was extremely helpful in framing the context of 1 Corinthians!