CHAPTER THREE

AN EXPOSITORY ANALYSIS OF 1 CORINTHIANS 6:18-20

Background to the Book of Corinthians

An understanding of historical background is essential in the interpretation of any

document, Biblical or otherwise. The degree of significance is determined by the extent to which

the document deals with the specific problems of a particular situation. 1 to understand the book

of 1 Corinthians, one needs to go through the historical background of the book which can help

to shed more light. On the book

The City of Corinth

Today, Corinth is a small town with little significance other than historical. But in New

Testament times it was a thriving, prosperous, and strategically located city. According to

Spence-Jones, H. D. M, “Corinth was an important city. Its position made it, from a military

point of view, the key of the Peloponnesus and its command of a port on two seas made it the

center of commerce between Asia and Europe. The supremacy enjoyed by one Greek state after

another had at last fallen to the lot of Corinth. It became the chief city of Greece not only in

authority, but in wealth, magnificence, literature, the arts, and luxury. It was characteristic of the

place that while the temple of Minerva crowned the Acropolis of Athens, the Acrocorinth was

the site of the temple of Venus. Of all the cities of the ancient world, it was most notorious for

licentiousness.” 2

1
G. Lacoste Munn, “The Historical Background of First Corinthians” Southwestern Journal of Theology
Vol. 3 - FALL 1960 h ttps://preachingsource.com/journal/the-historical-background-of-first-corinthians.

2
Spence-Jones H. D. M, The Pulpit Commentary: 1 Corinthians. Bellingham (WA: Logos Research
Systems, Inc., 2004),32.
76
 Corinth was not only the political capital of Greece. It was the seat of its commercial and

intellectual life, the place of concourse for the people not only of neighboring cities but of

nations. It was a source from which influences of all kinds emanated in every direction. Irving l.

Jensen, said “Corinth was a colony of the Romans”. 3 According to Alfred Plummer and

Archibald Robertson, the city of Corinth was proud of its political priority, proud of its

commercial supremacy, proud also of its mental activity and acuteness, though in this last

particular it was surpassed and perhaps by Athens greatly surpassed ”. 4 It was, therefore,

especially important for the diffusion of the Gospel. Paul, therefore, leaving Athens, which he

had visited on his second missionary journey, went alone to Corinth, where he was soon after

joined by Silas and Timothy, who came from Macedonia (Acts 18:5). A stranger in this great

city, and without a means of support, Paul associated himself with Aquila, a Jew who recently

arrived from Italy because of Claudius’ edict banishing the Jews from Rome. While Paul was

living in Aquila’s house and working with him at his trade of tent-making, he attended the

synagogue every Sabbath, 5

Today, a canal envisioned by Perisander in the sixth century 6.C., begun by the Roman

emperor Nero in the first century 7.D., but was not completed until the end of the nineteenth

3
Irving l. Jensen, Corinthians: a self-study guide (Chicago: MoodyPpress,1972),5.

4
Alfred Plummer & Archibald Robertson, a Critical and Exegetical Commentary on the First Epistle of
Paul to the Corinthians Second edition (New York: Charles Scribner’s sons, 1941),xii.

5
Hodge Charles, 1 Corinthians Commentaries (Wheaton, Ill. : Crossway Books, 1995),74.

6?
Hayford Jack W. Curtis Gary, Pathways to Pure Power: Learning the Depth of Love's Power, a Study of
First Corinthians. Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1997, c1994 (Spirit-Filled Life Bible Discovery Guides)

7?
The city excelled in the manufacture of a particular fine kind of bronze known as Corinthian brass, some
writers has supposed as corinthiacum to have been the gold, silver and brass melted down in the conflagration which
followed the talking of the city by mummius. But this, which seems intrinsically improbable, is refuted by the fact
that the Corinthian brass was well known before the destruction of Corinth. See note Rev J. J. Lians, Cambridge
77
century connects the two gulfs across the isthmus, greatly facilitating maritime travel. Corinth

was also successful as an entertainment center. The two great athletic festivals of that day were

the Olympian and the Isthmian games, and Corinth was the host city for the latter named after

and played on the Isthmus of Corinth.8

Corinth had been destroyed by the Romans in 146 B.C. and then rebuilt by Julius Caesar a

hundred years later. At first it was a Roman colony, largely populated by Romans, and

eventually became the capital of the Roman province of Achaia. Because of its location it soon

became again a major trade center, with the resulting cosmopolitan population. It was made up

of Greeks, Roman officials and businessmen, and Near Eastern peoples, including many Jews.

Corinth had been a leading center of Greek power before the Romans subdued it in 146 B.C.E.

(although, contrary to Roman propaganda, archaeology reveals that some Greeks continued to

live there). In 44 B.C.E., Caesar refunded Corinth as a Roman colony. 9 Although excavations

suggest that the indigenous population never completely abandoned the site, it was the new

Roman presence that later writers recognized (e.g., Pausanias Descr. 2.1.2). Corinth’s official,

public life in Paul’s day was Roman, as architecture and most inscriptions indicate.10

Like most Greek cities, Corinth had an acropolis (literally, “high city”), called

Acrocorinth, which was used as a place of defense and for pagan worship. From its top on a clear

day Athens can be seen, some forty–five miles away. Situated on a 2,000–foot high granite

Bible for schools and colleges. The first epistle to the Corinthians Cambridge: university press,1899,6.
8
J. B. Phillips, The New Testament in Modern English (William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd, Glasgow 1960,
1970),57.

9
Craig S. Keener, 1–2 Corinthians the New Cambridge Bible Commentary (New York: Cambridge
University Press,2005),6.

10
D. W. J. Gill, 1 Corinth: A Roman Colony in Achaea, Roman Corinth: An Alternative Model for the
Classical City (Chicago: University of Chicago, 1990), 59.
78
mound, Acrocorinth was large enough to hold all the population of Corinth and of its

surrounding farmlands in time of siege. It also held a famous temple to Aphrodite, goddess of

love.11 The temple normally housed some one thousand priestesses, ritual prostitutes, who each

night would come down into Corinth and ply their trade among the many foreign travelers and

the local men.

Even to the pagan world the city was known for its moral corruption, so much so that in

classical Greek corinthiazesthai (“to behave like a Corinthian”) came to represent gross

immorality and drunken debauchery, which means the corruption we have in Nigeria today

started in the Bible days. The name of the city became synonymous with moral depravity. 12 In

Paul’s letter to the church there, Paul lists some of the city’s characteristic sins; fornication

(porneia, from which comes our term pornography), idolatry, adultery, effeminacy,

homosexuality, stealing, covetousness, drunkenness, reviling (abusive speech), and swindling

(6:9–10). The city of Corinth was known for manufacturing different kind of things because it

was a commercial center, so different people from other cities came for treading that it also

became the center of goddess.

Some of the Corinthian believers had been guilty of practicing those sins before their

conversion and had been cleansed (6:11). Others in the church, however, were still living

immorally, some involved in sins worse than those—sins that Paul reminds them that even pagan

Gentiles did not commit, such as incest (5:1). As a wealthy commercial center and port city on

the southern tip of Greece, Corinth was known for its great temple of Aphrodite (the Greek

goddess of love), with its 1,000-ritual priestess-prostitutes. The immoral conditions of Corinth

11
Warren W. Wiersbe, The Bible Exposition Commentary, vol. 1 (Victor Books, Wheaton, IL 1996) 589

12
Barrett. C.K, A commentary on the first epistle to the Corinthians (London: Charles Black, 1971),80.
79
are vividly seen in the fact that the Greek term Korinthiazomai (literally, “to act the Corinthian”)

came to mean “to practice fornication.” Corinth was noted for its carnality.

The Church at Corinth

Paul the apostle of Jesus Christ was the founder of the church at Corinth. Mark A. Copeland

says, the establishment of the church occurred during Paul's second missionary journey. It is

recorded by Luke in Ac 18:1-18, which can be divided into three sections:

1. Abiding with Aquila and Priscilla, fellow tentmakers; reasoning in the synagogue

every Sabbath (Ac 18:1-6).

2. In the house of Justus, abiding there and teaching for a year and six months (Ac 18:7-

11).

3. An incident before Gallio, proconsul of Achaia (Ac 18:12-18)

It appears from reading the epistle that the church was adversely affected by the immoral

environment found in the city.13 H. A. Ironside, wrote “when Paul entered the city of Corinth, he

did not enter the city with any blare of trumpets; he was not advertised as a great evangelist or

Bible teacher; but he simply went as quietly as an unknown craftsman. He was a tent-maker, and

in association with two friends of his, Aquila and priscilla, who engaged in the same business, an

establishment was opened up where they wrought, we are told night and day. We learnt

elsewhere that in this way the apostle Paul was able to support not only himself but for who

labored with him when the church forgot their responsibility to them.”14

13
Mark A. Copeland, The First Epistle to The Corinthians: A Study Guide with Introductory Comments,
Summaries, Outlines, And Review Questions (Michigan: Intervarsity Press, 2001),3-4.

14
H. A. Ironside, Addresses on the First Epistle to the Corinthians (New York: Loizeaux brothers
Inc.,1958),10.
80
 The state of the Corinthian church may be partially inferred from the character and

circumstances of the people, but with certainty only from the contents of this and the following

letter, the population of the city was more than ordinarily heterogeneous. “The organized church

began around A. D. 50 as a small nucleus of believers, most of whom were Gentiles (Justus,Acts

18:7) and some who were Jews, (Acts 18:8) their meeting place must have been an upper

chamber of the house of one of the groups such as Crispus”. 15 The descendants of the colonists

sent by Julius Caesar, the Greeks who were attracted to the principal city of their own country,

and Jews and strangers from all parts of the Roman Empire were here congregated. The

predominant character of the people was doubtless Greek. The majority of the converts to

Christianity were probably also Greeks, as distinguished from Jews. In all ages the Greeks were

distinguished by their fondness for speculation, their vanity and love of pleasure, and their party

spirit. A church composed of people like this, with a large infusion of Jewish converts, educated

in the midst of refined heathenism, surrounded by all the incentives to indulgence, taught to

consider pleasure if not the chief good, yet in any form a good, plied on every hand by

philosophers and false teachers might be expected to exhibit the very characteristics that in this

epistle are brought so clearly into view, according to MacArthur,

The Corinthian church had many serious problems, one of which was
factionalism. After Apollos had ministered in Corinth for a time, some of the
believers developed a special loyalty to him. Friction began to develop between
them and those whose loyalty was to Paul. Others were loyal to Peter (Cephas, his
Aramaic name) and still another group identified itself as belonging only to
Christ. The apostle strongly rebuked all of them for quarreling and having such
unspiritual divisions (1:10–13; 3:1–9). Their most serious problem, however, was
in not detaching themselves from the worldly ways of the society around them.
They could not understand, and perhaps did not want to understand, the principle
of “Do not love the world, nor the things in the world” (1 John 2:15). They could
not get “decorinthianized. ” In his previous lost letter, Paul specifically had

15
Irving l. Jensen, Corinthians: a Self-study Guide,7.
81
 warned them “not to associate with immoral people” (1 Cor. 5:9). Some of the
Christians thought he meant for them not to associate with unbelievers who were
immoral. But the sexually corrupt, the covetous, swindling, and idolatrous people
to whom Paul referred were fellow church members who refused to give up, or
had fallen back into, the debauched life–style of Corinth (5:9–11). The faithful
believers were not to associate with such as those. Such wicked brethren were, in
fact, to be put out of the fellowship in order to purify the church (5:13).16

Their party spirit is seen in 1 Corinthians 1:12 “One of you says, ‘I follow Paul’; another, ‘I

follow Apollos’; another, ‘I follow Cephas’; still another, ‘I follow Christ.” Much ingenuity and

learning have been expended in determining the nature of these party divisions. Merrill C.

Tenney wrote, “The Corinthian church was a vexing problem to Paul because of its instability.

Since it was largely composed of gentiles who had no training in Old Testament scriptures, and

whose religion and moral antecedents were the exact opposite of Christian principle, much

teaching was required to bring them up to the place of spiritual maturity (1 Corinth 3:1-3). 17

Another great evil in the Corinthian church was the violation of the seventh

commandment in various forms. Educated as we are under the light of the Gospel, in which the

turpitude of such sins is clearly revealed, it is impossible for us to appreciate correctly the state

of feeling in Corinth on this subject. Heathen philosophers regarded offenses of this kind as

scarcely deserving of censure, and the general public considered them altogether unimportant.

Such acts were in fact so associated with their religious rites and festivals as to lose their

character as immoralities. With such previous training, and under the influence of such public

opinion, and surrounded by all incitements and facilities to do evil, it is surely not a matter of

surprise that many of the Corinthians should take the view that things of this sort belonged to the

same category as questions of food (1 Corinthians 6:12). It is certain, from numerous passages in

16
MacArthur John, 1 Corinthians (Chicago: Moody Press, 1996),45.

17
Merrill C. Tenney, New Testament Survey (Grand Rapid: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing co,1961),294.
82
these letters, that the church of Corinth was not only very remiss in the exercise of discipline for

such matters, but also that the evil was widespread.18

Like many Christians today, the Corinthian believers had great difficulty in not

mimicking the unbelieving and corrupt society around them. They usually managed to stay a

little higher than the world morally, but they were moving downward, in the same direction as

the world. They wanted to be in God’s kingdom while keeping one foot in the kingdom of this

world. They wanted to have the blessings of the new life but hang on to the pleasures of the old.

They wanted to have what they thought was the best of both worlds, but Paul plainly warned

them that it was impossible (6:9–10).

The Corinthians had gotten the principles confused. They continued to associate with openly

and arrogantly sinful church members, with whom they should have broken fellowship. And, on

the other hand, they mimicked, but refused to associate with, their unbelieving neighbors, to

whom they should have been witnessing. Craig S. Keener wrote,

Most Christians in Corinth were not well-to-do (1 Cor 1:26). But because nine of
seventeen individuals Paul names there were on travels, it is a reasonable surmise
that those named, who were probably particularly influential, were persons of
means. This is especially clear in view of Erastus’s office (Rom 16:23) and if
Rom 16:23 means that Gaius hosted the entire church in his home. We cannot be
sure whether Erastus was free or freed (or possibly even a public slave), hence
what his status would have indicated in traditional Roman class distinctions; but
in Corinth money defined status to some degree even for freedmen, and most
likely he was free and purchased the office.”19

18
Hodge Charles, 1 Corinthians: The Crossway Classic Commentaries (Wheaton Ill: Crossway Books,
1995),13.

19
Craig S. Keener, 1–2 Corinthians the New Cambridge Bible commentary (New York: Cambridge
University Press,2005),8-9.
83
 After his appearance in Gallio’s court, Paul remained in Corinth for many days (Acts 18:18)

and then departed for Ephesus. Paul founded the Corinthian church in the years 50–52. 20

MacArthur John said, yet they lacked no spiritual resources (1:5–7) and had great potential for

spiritual power and blessing. Paul longed to see that potential realized. Such was the church to

whom Paul wrote.21

Authorship of The Book of First Corinthians

The First Epistle to the Corinthians is one of the Pauline epistles, part of the New

Testament of the Christian Bible. The epistle is attributed to Paul the Apostle and a co-author,

Sosthenes, and is addressed to the Christian church in Corinth. Scholars believe that Sosthenes

was the amanuensis who wrote down the text of the letter at Paul's directive. It addresses various

issues that had arisen in the Christian community at Corinth and is composed in a form of Koine

Greek.

The Book of 1 Corinthians is one of the 13 or 14 letters that Paul wrote. Together, these

letters form a major part of the New Testament (the books that the first Christians wrote). They

all show the same style of careful explanations, wise advice, and knowledge of the Old

Testament (the older books in the Bible). Their author constantly shows genuine love towards

the Christians, but he often warns them about wrong behaviour.

Paul gives his own name as the author in 1 Corinthians 1:1. The book contains many

personal details about Paul which agree with the other books of the New Testament. Because

20
Kistemaker Simon J. Hendriksen, William New Testament Commentary: Exposition of the First Epistle to
the Corinthians (Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1953),18.

21
MacArthur John, 1 Corinthians (Chicago: Moody Press, 1996),45.
84
Paul established the church in Corinth, he felt a sense of personal responsibility for the members

of that church (4:15). So, Paul had a good reason to write this letter. 22 Many questions have been

raised about the authorship of the book of 1 Corinthians which have caused many confusions in

scholarship till date, even among students, there is chaos, many believe that apostle Paul was not

the author while others said he was the author.

Plummer Alfred said, “it is not necessary to spend much time upon the discussion of this

question. Both the eternal and the internal evidence for the Pauline authorship are so strong that

those who attempt to show that apostle Paul was not the author succeed chiefly in proving their

own incompetence as critics.”23 Chapter one and verse one of 1 Corinthians showed that apostle

Paul was the author. according to mark “Paul, the apostle (1:1; 16:21), joined by Sosthenes, who

some think may be the same as mentioned in Ac 18:17. The authorship of this epistle is

attributed to Paul by Clement of Rome in 95 A.D. 24” In mark submission, its means he is in

agreement with Paul as the writer of the book,

External Evidence

The external evidence in support of Pauline authorship in the fullest sense is abundant

and unbroken from the first century down to our own day. It begins, at the latest, with a formal

appeal to 1 Corinthians as “the letter of the blessed Paul, the Apostle” by Clement of Rome about

A.D. 95 (Cor. 47), the earliest example in literature of a New Testament writer being quoted by

22
About the Book of 1 Corinthians - its Author, Date and Purpose
http://www.usefulbible.com/1corinthians/about-book-corinthians.htm 1 Corinthians: a study guide. Retrieved on 4
march 2023.

23
Alfred Plummer & Archibald Robertson, a Critical and Exegetical Commentary on the First Epistle of
Paul to the Corinthians Second Edition (Grand Rapid: Bakers House, 1960),xi.

24
Mark a Copeland,3.
85
name. And it is possible that we have still earlier evidence than that. In the Epistle of Barnabas

iv. we have words which seem to recall I Cor. iii. I, I6, I8; and in the Didache x. 6 we have

(mara ata) enforcing a warning, as in I Cor. xvi. 2 2. But in neither case do the words prove

acquaintance with Pauline Epistle; and, moreover, the date of these two documents is uncertain:

some would place both of them later than 95 A.D. It is quite certain that Ignatius and Polycarp

knew I Corinthians, and it is highly probable that Hermas did. “Ignatius must have known this

Epistle almost by heart. Although there are no quotations (in the strictest sense, with mention of

the source), echoes of its language and thought pervade the whole of his writings in such a

manner as to leave no doubt whatever, that he was acquainted with the First Epistle to the

Corinthians being quite beyond dispute, give increase of probability to the rest.25

Internal Evidence

The internal evidence is equally satisfactory. The document, in spite of its varied

contents, is harmonious in character and language. It is evidently the product of a strong and

original mind and is altogether worthy of an Apostle. When tested by comparison with other

writings of St Paul, or with Acts, or with other writings in the N.T, we find so many

coincidences, most of which must be undesigned, that we feel confident that neither invention,

nor mere chance, nor these two combined, would be a sufficient explanation. The only

hypothesis that will explain these coincidences is that we are dealing with a genuine letter of the

Apostle of the Gentiles. And it has already been pointed out how well the contents of the letter

harmonize with what we know of Corinth during the lifetime of St. Paul. H. L. Goudge M.A.

D.D. said,

25
Callaway, J.A., 1960, ‘Corinth’, Review and Expositor LVII (4), 381. http://dx.doi.
org/10.1177/003463736005700402 retrieved 3 April 2023.
86
 With this stage controversy we are not here concerned. When S. Paul wrote in
A.D. 55, the party-divisions were only one of the subjects with which he had to
deal. We find ourselves in the midst of a correspondence between S. Paul and his
converts. S. Paul had written at least one letter, which has not been preserved (cf.
1 Cor. v. 9); the Corinthians also had written to S. Paul (1 Cor. vii. 1); S. Paul's
letter, our so-called First Epistle, deals partly with the questions raised by the
latter, partly with matters of which S. Paul had heard by other means. S. Paul was
at Ephesus (xvi. 8), drawing to the end of that stay to which he refers in Ac. xx.
31, and of which we have the record in Ac. xix. 1-xx. 1.26
In essence, both external and internal proved Pauline authorship M. D, Olajide says

“indeed the Pauline authorship of 1 Corinthians has never been disputed and the letter is already

attested in the 90s by clement of Rome (1 clem. 37:5; 47:1-3; 49:5) and in the first decade of the

second century by Ignatius ( Ignatius Ephesians 16:1; 18:1; Rom. Rom 5:1)”.27

Date of The Book of Corinthians

The date of Corinthians has been debated by different scholars in different ways, Charles

Hodge, said “the date of this epistle is determined by its content”. 28 Frank believed that the book

of first Corinthians was written before the arrival of Paul in Corinth”. 29 which mean the epistle

was written probably around A.D 51-55, Paul wrote this letter, as well as 1Corinthians, from

Ephesus during his third missionary journey, perhaps in 56 AD. After his visit to Athens, where

the apostle made his famous speech at the Areopagus during his second journey (49-52 AD.), he

went on to Corinth in about 51 A.D, see also Joseph A. Fitzmyer, S.J. “All of this happened on

Paul’s so-called second missionary journey (15:36–18:22), roughly A.D. 50–52. The Lucan story

26
H. L. Goudge M.A. D.D, the first epistle to the Corinthians with Introduction and Notes Fourth Edition
(London: Methuen & co. Ltd, 1915),21.

27
Michael D. Olajide, Introduction to Pauline Literature (Ilorin: amazing grace, 2019),33.

28
Hodge Charles, xi.

29
Frank j. Goodwin, A Harmony of the Life of St. Paul According to the Acts of the Apostles and the
Pauline Epistle (Grand Rapid Bakers House, 1960),209.
87
of that journey tells how Paul came from Athens and arrived in Corinth (18:1). That was Paul’s

first contact with the Corinthians, and it occurred not long after “Claudius had ordered all Jews

to leave Rome” (18:2), some of whom undoubtedly made their way to Roman Corinth. Paul then,

in effect, became the founder of the church in Corinth, only a short time after he had founded the

church in Thessalonica, to which he has also written correspondence that is still available to us. 30

Another contrary opinion by Joseph A. Fitzmyer, S.J. “First Corinthians” was written from

Ephesus toward the end of Paul’s three-year ministry there, either toward the end of A.D. 56 or,

more likely, at the beginning of A.D. 57, before Pentecost (see 1 Cor 16:8, 19).”31

Therefore, the researcher will conclude with the words of Dr. Thomas L. Constable

which the researcher is in agreement with what he said, he echoes that, “when Paul returned to

Ephesus on his third journey, Paul made that city his base of operations for almost three years

(A.D. 53-56). There he heard disquieting news about immorality in the Corinthian church.

Therefore, he wrote a letter urging the believers not to tolerate such conduct in their midst. Paul

referred to this letter in 1 Corinthians (1 Cor. 5:9). It is not extant (still in existence) today” 32.

Theological Themes of the Book of 1 Corinthians

The book of 1 Corinthians plays a vital role in Christianity. It discusses issues arising

from the church in Corinth which are relevant in our context, the word Christ occurs more times

than in any other book. It presents Christ as the center of the church and that the church can only

be built on the rock. Apostle Paul addresses many problems in the church showing why the

30
joseph a. Fitzmyer, S.J, A New Translation with Introduction and Commentary (New Haven and London:
Yale University Press, 2008 ),64 .

31
Ibid, 75

32
Dr. Thomas L. Constable, Notes on 1 Corinthians 2 0 2 3 Edition
88
problems arose in the church because Christ was not the host of the church “one who is joined

together with the Lord become one body” therefore, in this books Paul focuses on these themes

which are;

1. The gospel and ethics: The Gospel is the Christians’ message concerning Jesus Christ,

the kingdom of God and salvation. M. D Olajide said the gospel is the promise, birth,

ministry, suffering death resurrection, ascension and second coming of Jesus Christ

(Parousia) of Christ that is the good news of all mankind”. 33 Gary S. Maxey wrote, “there

is a distinct role for each and every one to play in soul winning, but Paul is reminding us

that the overall power at work is the holy spirit”. 34 The gospel solves every issue Paul

addresses in 1 Corinthians because the gospel (and its presuppositions and consequences)

is decisive for every issue regarding how Christians should live. The connection between

Corinthian problems and gospel solutions is usually direct (e.g., 1 Cor. 1:10–4:21; 8:1–

11:1; 15), but sometimes the solution presupposes the gospel (e.g., 1 Cor. 11:2–16) or

flows from the gospel (e.g., 1 Cor. 7; 12–14). In Paul’s letter to the Corinthian, he speaks

on how the gospel should be the guide in order to promote unity among themselves.

Paul’s ethics is demonstrated in multitudinous grammatical mood given to the believers

in Corinth.

2. Ecclesiology: The term “church” is built from the Greek word ekklesia, meaning

assembly. Context informs us when it is an assembly of believers versus a gathering of

people. The church is an assembly of baptized believers (Acts 2:42-46) committed to

33
Michael D. Olajide, introduction to Pauline literature,35.

34
Gary S. Maxey, Standing firm in Christ; 24 Bible lessons for Adults (Lagos Nigeria: wats publications,
2018),146.
89
 Christ to fulfill His great commission (Matthew 28:18-20). At salvation, the Holy Spirit

placed us within the “body of Christ” (1 Corinthians 12:13). The supernatural conversion

of the one who puts their faith in Christ is exhibited in an ekklesia. A verbal confession

and public baptism are the Biblical mandates of those who identify with Christ. Unlike

Spirit baptism, that places only genuine believers within the “body of Christ,” a local

ekklesia can consist of both genuine and false members.35

Many people today understand the church to be a building. This is not the biblical

understanding of the church. The root meaning of “church” is not that of a building, but

of people. “Ecclesiology helps us to understand the role of the church and our role in the

church. It teaches us about the ordinances of the church, how church leadership is to be

chosen and structured, and what the church is to be doing in regard to believers (worship

and discipleship) and unbelievers (ministry and evangelism). A Biblical understanding of

Ecclesiology would go a long way to correct many of the common problems in our

churches today. Above all, we must understand that the church is the Body of Christ and

that each of us has a specific function and role within that body."36

The epistle of Paul to the Corinthians speaks a lot about the church, the nature and

how to worship in the church. Tunde Aremu and Malomo Emmanuel wrote, “the final

goal of Gods salvation is to call out people of all race to himself to form the church where

Christ is the head. The church is the last dispensation to the second coming of Jesus

Christ. The church is the people of God worldwide where Jews and Gentiles are united

35
Jerry Pelfrey “Ecclesiology: A Introduction To Systematic Theology” November 4, 2019 retrieved 1
April 2023, http://www.tribune.org/ecclesiology.

36
What is Ecclesiology? https://www.gotquestions.org/Ecclesiology.Kidd
90
 together as “one new man” (Eph. 2:11-18). The church in nature, is essentially “a

spiritual organism”37 Paul did not negate the aspect of church in Corinth, he urged them

to be united in everything they do to please the name of the lord.

3. Christology: The Greek Χριστός, Khristós and -λογία, -logia), translated from Greek as

'the study of Christ', is a branch of theology that concerns Jesus. To know more about

who he is and where he came from, Jesus is the son of God and whoever comes to the

father must come through Jesus, Paul presents Jesus Christ as the mediator of Corinthian

Christians, they belong to God through Jesus Christ (3:23;15:24). Dr. Reggie Kidd said

“Paul believed that it was only through union with Christ that, believers share in Christ's

identity and merit in the eyes of God. And it's only because of this union that God looks

upon them as if they are Christ himself, so that he grants them the status, honor and gifts

they enjoy in the church. But in the minds of many Corinthians, gifts and honor were

earned by individual believers”.38 Paul admonished, they have been bought by Jesus

Christ on the cross of calvary with his precious blood (6:20) therefore, Christ is now their

Lord, the things of darkness have gone they are new creature.

4. Pneumatology: Many people in the church of Corinth considered themselves to be

spiritual people (3:1). Paul corrects the misunderstanding that resulted from the

unknowing claim to retinue the spirit (2:6-16). The Corinthians’ misunderstanding and

undue emphasis on the role of the Spirit in their lives was most apparent when. They

came together in a common assembly. In these gatherings, some of the Corinthians

37
Tunde Aremu D. Min Emmanuel o. Malomo D. Min, Christian Theology in African context (Ilorin
Nigeria: amazing grace,2020),73.

38
Dr. Reggie Kidd, Lesson 4 in the series The Heart of Paul's Theology
https://thirdmill.org/seminary/lesson.asp/vid/8 retreived 1 April 2023
91
 tended to value the ecstatic gift of speaking in tongues above all other gifts. Every

member of the community had his or her own gift according to the measure of the Spirit's

gift (12:4, 7, 11). There are many spiritual gifts but only one Spirit. The purpose of the

gifts of the Holy Spirit is to build and edify the Church (12:12-26) the mode of operation

for the exercise of spiritual gift is love ( ch. 13). According to J. Boersma,

“Scripture does not speak about the gift of the Holy Spirit as a second
baptism which we should still expect today. This suggests that whether or not
prophecy and tongues continue today, they are not restricted to a certain
segment in the congregation which has been baptized with the Holy Spirit.
This conclusion as such does not yet prove that tongues and prophecy no
longer function today. Our views about the cessation or continuation of these
gifts will have to be based on other Scriptural evidence. One of the problems
arising from this sense of: “already having arrived” in the kingdom of glory
was an overemphasis on speaking in tongues. In the eyes of the Corinthians,
this was truly the mode of communication for this spiritual age. Paul
addresses this erroneous view in chapters 12-14. Throughout these chapters,
he has tongues-speaking in view 1 Corinthians 13:8-13”.39

5. Eschatology: “Eschatology is from two Greek word eschatos meaning “last” or “latter”

and logos meaning “discourse” or “doctrine” therefore, Eschatology is the discussion of

the last things”40 So, evidently the Corinthians had what some of the interpreters have

called an over-realized eschatology. They not only looked to the future and looked to the

present, but the present is so significant for them that they have already begun to reign.

They’re in the millennial kingdom right now. “Paul describes the Corinthians as those

who await the revelation of the lord Jesus Christ (1:7). The resurrection of Jesus Christ

marks the beginning of the new age and new covenant (ch 15), For Paul, “believers are

39
J. Boersma “Eschatology or Canon” https://www.christianstudylibrary.org/article/1-corinthians-138-13-
eschatology-or-canon#endnote-content-3 retrieved 1 April 2023

40
Ibid, 212.
92
 thoroughly eschatological people determined and conditioned by the reality of a future

that has already begun, but still awaiting the final glory”.41

The Expositions of 1 Corinthian 6:18-20

To commit sexual sin in a church auditorium, disgusting as that would be, would be no

worse than committing the sin anywhere else. Offense is made within God’s sanctuary wherever

and whenever sexual immorality is committed by believers. Every act of fornication, every act of

adultery by Christians, is committed in God’s sanctuary: their own bodies. “For we are the

temple of the living God” (2 Cor. 6:16). The fact that Christians are the dwelling place of the

Holy Spirit is indicated in passages such as John 7:38–39; 20:22; Acts 1:8; Romans 8:9; and 1

Corinthians 12:3. Therefore, we are going to look at what Paul meant in these three verses of 1

Corinthians 6:18-20. About sexual promiscuity.

6: 18 Flee from sexual immorality. All other sins a man commits are outside his body, but

he who sins sexually sins against his own body.

It is no accident that the imperative form of the verb “flee” (φεύγω, pheugō) is used once in 1

Corinthians with sexual immorality and once with idolatry (10:14). Idolatry and sexual

immorality were the two most frequent sins that characterized the pagan world from the

viewpoint of Jewish thinking and Scripture. Hatton Howard asserts that “the word ‘flee’ literally

means “run away from” and may be translated this way in certain languages. GeCL has “Avoid

immorality at all costs!” Paul uses a similar language in 10.14: “flee the worship of idols.” The

meaning of flee is the same in both places. One could also say “Do not commit at all” or “Have

41 ?
Michael D. Olajide, 37.

93
nothing to do with.”42 In essence, flee could mean run away from danger or a place, and for Paul

to say such statement it means he saw the danger that will occur from the church in Corinth.

Robertson, Archibald, and Plummer Alfred, said “Flee immorality.” This short command is

exemplified by Joseph in the house of his Egyptian master Potiphar, whose wife tried to seduce

him. Joseph left his cloak in her hand when he fled from the house (Gen. 39:12). In this

command, Paul uses the verb to flee in the present tense, which connotes continued action. He is

urging the Corinthians to shun the immorality which they daily encounter in the sexually

degenerate society of Corinth (compare 10:14)”.43

Paul’s next comment (all other sins his own body) has engendered much discussion and the

creation of hypotheses by scholars. On the face of it, Paul’s affirmation seems incorrect since

drunkenness or suicide, the argument runs, also do harm to (sin against) one’s body. Some have

even suggested that the clause “all other sins” was a slogan from Corinthian opponents and the

final words “but he who sins” was Paul’s response. Those who view this verse as a mixture of a

hedonistic Corinthian slogan and Paul’s response are drawing upon fanciful hypotheses which

are not necessary.

Both the veracity and logic of Paul’s assertion are contextually evident when 6:18 is

interpreted in light the of the Scriptural quotation given in 6:16. None of the other sins that Paul

has mentioned elsewhere in 1 Corinthians (5:11) actually create a bodily union with a prostitute.

To be sure, drunkenness can exclude one from the kingdom of God (6:10) and can cause

42
Hatton Howard. Ellingworth Paul, A Handbook on Paul's First Letter to the Corinthians (New York:
United Bible Societies, 1995),138.

43
Robertson Archibald. Plummer Alfred, A Critical and Exegetical Commentary on the First Epistle of St.
Paul to the Corinthians (New York: C. Scribner's Sons, 1911),127.
94
physical harm to one’s body. Nevertheless, even those sins which can physically harm the body

do not, as it were, contaminate the body by unification with immorality. It is exactly this unique

nature and capacity of the body to be both united with Christ and with a prostitute that is

illuminated by the Scripture citation of Genesis. Furthermore, it is exactly because of the truth

that sins of sexual immorality are uniquely inimical to the body that it is in this setting that Paul

stated that, “The body is not meant for sexual immorality, but for the Lord, and the Lord for the

body” (1 Cor 6:13). “Every other sin a man commits are outside his body.” What is Paul saying

in this succinct statement? Literature on verse 18b has been voluminous and falls into two

categories: this part of the verse is either a Corinthian slogan or a statement that Paul has written.

44

The first alternative is that Paul qualifies the slogan with the clause, “but the immoral man

sins against his own body”45 (verse 18c). According to MacArthur John, “As Christians our

bodies are not our own.”46. Scholars object to this interpretation, however, for they think that

47
Paul’s qualifying response to the Corinthian slogan is abrupt. Furthermore, Paul’s response is

inadequate to counteract the impact of this presumed motto uttered by free-thinking Corinthians.

44
Robert H. Gundry, Soma in Biblical Theology: With Emphasis on Pauline Anthropology (Grand Rapids:
Zondervan, Academie Books, 1987),70–75.

45
F. W. Grosheide, Commentary on the First Epistle to the Corinthians: The English Text with
Introduction, Exposition and Notes, New International Commentary on the New Testament series (Grand Rapids:
Eerdmans, 1953),151.

46
MacArthur John, 1 Corinthians (Chicago: Moody Press, 1996),152.

47
Brendan Byrne, “Sinning against One’s Own Body: Paul’s Understanding of the Sexual Relationship in 1
Corinthians 6:18, ” CBQ 45 (1983),613.
95
 The second alternative is favored because in it Paul exhorts his readers to flee fornication a

sin that is detrimental to both body and soul. In that setting he utters the message of verse 18.

“No other sin engages one’s power of bodily personal communication in precisely so intimate a

way. All other sins are in this respect by comparison ‘outside’ the body.” Most translators have

supplied the word order to the Greek text that reads, “Every sin a man commits are outside his

body.” They do so because the text expresses the exception of the sin of fornication.

“But the immoral man sins against his own body.” According to Hodge, Charles “This

does not teach that sexual immorality is greater than any other sin; but it does teach that it is

altogether unique in its effects on the body—not so much in its physical as in its moral and

spiritual effects.”48 “Every other sin a man commits is outside his body.” Here, then, is the

exception to the sins committed outside the body: fornication is the only sin directed against

one’s physical body, the fornicator sinfully uses his body against the Lord, who created,

redeemed, and sanctified it. Sexual immorality destroyed the relationship between God and Man,

looking at this statement of Paul about man Sinning against his body not Christ it seems

complicated, Simon J. wrote.

“What about chemical dependency on drugs or alcohol? Are these also sins against
the body? Granted that the craving for these substances originates within a person,
the substances themselves enter the human body from the outside. But the sin of
fornication which arises in the spirit seeks gratification of the physical body itself
and thus is confined to the body. In a sense this sin is different from all other sins,
because it stays within the body.”49
Thus, Joseph asked Potiphar’s wife. “How could I do such a wicked thing and sin against

God?” (Gen. 39:9). Conversely, a husband and wife who are one in the Lord communicate their

48
Hodge Charles, 1 Corinthians (Wheaton Ill: Crossway Books, 1995),31.

49
Kistemaker. Simon J, Hendriksen, William: New Testament Commentary: Exposition of the First Epistle
to the Corinthians (Grand Rapids : Baker Book House, 1953),201.
96
love for each other in the intimacy of the sex act. And they experience mutual satisfaction

instead of alienation and guilt. In short, they rejoice in God’s gracious gift of marital bliss.

6:19 Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom

you have received from God? You are not your own. Or do you not know?”

The comparative conjunction provides an additional reason for fleeing sexual immorality.

For the last time in this chapter, Paul rhetorically asks the Corinthians whether they have definite

knowledge. They again have to give an affirmative answer to this query. The researcher assumes

that on an earlier occasion, Paul had taught them about the purpose, use, and destiny of their

physical bodies.

“Your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you.” Paul reminds the Corinthians of

the sacredness of their bodies. He notes that the Holy Spirit makes his abode within them, so that

their body is his temple. He writes the two words body and temple in the singular to apply them

to the individual believer. “The believer cannot make choices about sexual behavior on the basis

of his or her own preferences. That notion of the autonomy of ethical decisions regarding sexual

acts is essentially incompatible with Christian existence and redemption.” 50 Furthermore,

through the word order in the Greek, he places emphasis on the Holy Spirit. Paul literally writes

to the Corinthians, “Your body is a temple of the one within you, namely the Holy Spirit.” That

is, the physical body of the Christian belongs to the Lord and serves as the residence of the Holy

Spirit.

The force of Paul’s imagery was so obvious to his readers that he did not even have to

draw out the implication that the holiness of the believer’s body is incompatible with impurity

and fornication. The apostle may have needed to teach them that their bodies were the abode of

50
Oster Richard, 1 Corinthians. Joplin (Mo: College Press Pub. Co., 1995), 1.
97
the Holy Spirit, but they already knew that sacred dwellings were not to be contaminated with

unclean and impure objects and people. Jewish believers of course knew the same thing from

their training in laws of Levitical holiness. Hodge Charles further said.

Two things characterize a temple. First, it is sacred as a place where God

lives, and therefore it cannot be profaned with impunity. Second, the temple is
not owned by man but by God. Both these things are true of the believer’s
body. It is a temple because the Holy Spirit lives in it, and because it is not the
believer’s own. It belongs to God. As it is a temple of the Holy Spirit, it
cannot be profaned without incurring great and unique guilt. And as it belongs
to God in a special way, it is not at our own disposal. It can only be used for
the purposes for which he designed it.51
What an honor to have God’s Spirit dwelling within us! Note that Paul writes the word

temple. The Greek has two words that are translated “temple.” The first one is hieron, which

refers to the general temple complex, as in the city of Jerusalem. The second is naos, which

denotes the temple building with the Holy Place and the Most Holy Place (e.g., Exod. 26:31–34;

Heb. 9:1–5). Naos is used in the present verse. For the Jews, this was the place where God

dwelled among his people until the destruction of the temple in A.D. 70. For the Christian, not a

fixed geographic site but the body of the individual believer is the place where God’s Spirit is

pleased to dwell.52 In the early church, Irenaeus called individual Christians “temples of God”

and described them as “stones for the Father’s temple.” If, then, the Spirit of God dwells within

us, we should avoid grieving him (Eph. 4:30) or extinguishing his fire (I Thess. 5:19).

“Whom you have from God.” In this brief segment of the verse, Paul teaches first that the

individual believer possessed and continues to possess the gift of the Holy Spirit. Next, he

reveals that the Spirit’s origin is from God.

51
Hodge, Charles: 1 Corinthians, 9.

52
James Harlford, New Testament Commentary: Exposition Of The First Epistle To The Corinthians
(Grand Rapids: Baker Book House,1953),201.
98
 “And you do not belong to yourselves.” The Christians are not the owners of their own

bodies, for God created them, Jesus redeemed us, and the Holy Spirit makes his abode within us.

The triune God claims ownership, but he leaves us free to consecrate and yield our physical

bodies to him. By contrast, those who commit fornication desecrate the temple of the Holy Spirit

and cause untold spiritual and physical damage to themselves and others. For this reason, Paul

exhorts us to flee sexual immorality (v. 18). Because God owns the body, Christians are his

stewards and must give an account to him. Therefore, we ought to guard its sanctity and protect

it from defilement and destruction. God’s temple is holy and precious. The believer cannot make

choices about sexual behavior on the basis of his or her own preferences. That notion of the

autonomy of ethical decisions regarding sexual acts is essentially incompatible with Christian

existence and redemption.

6:20 you were bought at a price. Therefore, honor God with your body.

The NIV fails to translate Paul’s word γάρ (gar) which means “for” and which shows the

conceptual connection between verses 19 and 20. The reason that the believer, according to Paul,

can no longer claim free choices is that he is now the personal property of another. The imagery

of “bought at a price” probably derives from the slave auctions so well known in the ancient

world. Its emphasis, therefore, is not on having a ransom paid that leads to freedom, but rather on

a change of ownership. 53

“You were bought with a price.” These words allude to Jesus’ death on Calvary’s cross

where he paid the price of redemption of humanity. Jesus paid for humanity freedom from sin, so

that as redeemed children of our heavenly Father we may share his blessings. The term bought

calls to mind the marketplace where slaves were bought and sold. If this is what Paul means, he

53
Robertson and Plummer, First Epistle of St. Paul, 129.
99
alludes to Christians whom Christ has bought as slaves to serve him. Christ now owns them and

is their master. In a parallel passage, Paul says the same thing: “For he who was called by the

Lord while a slave is a freedman of the Lord, likewise the freedman when he was called is a

slave of the Lord. You were bought with a price. Do not become slaves of men” (7:22–23; see

also Gal. 4:6–7). According to Spence-Jones, H. D. M.

“that price is the blood of Christ, where-with he purchased the Church (Acts
20:28; Heb. 9:12; 1 Pet. 1:18, 19; Rev. 5:9). This metaphor of ransom (ch. 7:23; 2
Pet. 2:1) has its full and absolute applicability to man. The effect of Christ’s death
for us is that we are redeemed from slavery and prison, and the right of our
possession is with Christ. Thus, by various metaphors the effects of redemption
are revealed to us on the human side”. 54

“Glorify God then in your body.” Here is Paul’s concluding statement to a lengthy discourse

on sexual immorality (6:12–20). He has skillfully turned a negative discussion to a positive

exhortation. He tells the Corinthians to use their bodies, which are the Spirit’s holy temple, to

honor God. They can do so by listening obediently to his voice as he speaks to them through his

revelation. A seventeenth-century catechism raises the question, “What is the chief end of man?”

The answer is, “To glorify God, and enjoy him forever

Since the believer, including his body, is the personal possession of God, Paul believes that

the saint must bring glory to God “in the concrete circumstances in which the physical members

55
operate.” There was for Paul no stronger antidote against sexual promiscuity and prostitution

than claiming the believer’s body, and not just his soul and spirit, as the location for the

54
Spence-Jones H. D. M, The Pulpit Commentary: 1 Corinthians (WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc.,
2004),195.

55
Oster Richard, 1 Corinthians. (Joplin Mo: College Press Pub. Co., 19950), 19.
100
glorification of God. Our bodies are meant for the glorification of the Lord not the world, Bailey,

Mark said,

“in the interpretation of these verses, Paul give good reasons why prostitution is
wrong (6:18–20). Sexual immorality is wrong because it involves sinning against
one’s body, which in the case of a believer belongs to the Lord. Believers,
therefore, should flee from fornication. This sin is more destructive than some
other sins because the people who engage in it cannot undo their act. Moreover, it
involves placing the body, which is the Lord’s, under the control of another
illegitimate partner. The believer’s body is a temple in which the Holy Spirit
resides (Rom. 8:9). So, we have a moral obligation to the Giver of our spiritual
life to keep His temple pure. Furthermore, God has purchased every Christian
with a great price, the blood of Jesus Christ (Rom. 3:24–25; Eph. 1:7). In view of
this we should glorify God in our bodies (Rom. 12:1–2) rather than dishonoring
Him through fornication.”56
On what Paul developed in this place, the Corinthian Christians had not understood the

nature of sexual intercourse or the nature of Christian conversion. The physical bodies are just as

much a part of Christ united with Him in a genuine spiritual union as Christians are part of the

mystical body of Christ, the church. When a Christian has sexual relations with a prostitute, he

takes what belongs to God and gives it to someone else. This is really stealing from God. Taking

a member of Christ and uniting it to a harlot also, in a sense, involves the Lord in that immoral

act. We should not think of sexual intercourse as simply a physical linking of two people.

Intercourse involves the whole person, not just the body. Sexual relations deeply affect the inner

lives of the individuals involved (Gen. 2:24). Consequently, it is improper to put sexual relations

on the same level of significance as eating food. In contrast to the union that takes place when

two people have sex, the person who trusts Christ unites with Him in an even stronger and more

56
Bailey Mark Constable, Tom Swindoll, Charles R.; Zuck, Roy B, Nelson's New Testament Survey :
Discover the Background, Theology and Meaning of Every Book in the New Testament (Nashville: Word,
1999),309.
101
pervasive oneness. It is a very serious thing to give to a prostitute what God has so strongly

united to Christ.

102