The Corinthian church was obsessed with spiritual gifts. They loved to see God in action, working supernaturally in their lives. Spiritual gifts are good, but the Corinthians were imbalanced. They focused on the outward signs of God’s Spirit but neglected His inward work in their hearts. In 1 Corinthians 12 – 14, Paul gives an extended teaching on the topic of spiritual gifts. Here in the middle of that, in Chapter 13, he tells them what they should make their highest priority.
The Corinthian church needed correction on a number of issues. In this chapter Paul deals with the appearance of women while praying or prophecying and an irreverent appraoch to the Lord’s Supper.
The Israelites saw God do amazing things in the Exodus from Egypt. That didn’t mean they would be powerfully used by God from that time forward. As it happened they succumbed to various forms of temptation and disqualified themselves from their ministry. Nate Medlong gives us Paul’s explanation in this chapter.
1 Cor 10.mp3 (Nate Medlong)
The Corinthian Christians were very interested in their rights and freedom. They didn’t appreciate anyone telling them what to do. An overly narrow legalism was not a problem in this church. Without advocating a system of specific rules governing the details of Christian behavior, in chapters 8 – 10 Paul explains how limiting our freedom can further the cause of the gospel.
Central Reflections 