(God-Wrestler)

This semester I took a class on the New Testament. It has been a very interesting class exposing a different light on the New Testament. This week is exam week and we were originally just going to have a multiple choice test in this class. However my professor decided he didn't want to write a test so he had us do this.

Take home final (150 points)
The letter to the Church at Corinth is considered an “occasional letter.” It is a letter that deals with specific issues facing this particular congregation. Paul established the Christian community in Corinth, on his second missionary journey from Antioch. While Paul was on his third journey, he learned that the community had developed some significant issues that he must address.

Your job will be to recreate how Paul receives this information about the Church at Corinth.

You will be graded on the following:
-Your knowledge of the issues facing the Corinthian Church
-Quality of your presentation
-Creativity (please be creative and imaginative)

Final must be turned in on Tuesday December 11, 2007 @ 1:00 pm
Please use 12 font and double space

So if you wish to read my response here it is. Sorry if it is too long but the Corinthian Church had a lot of issues.


Journal: Paul the Apostle

Year: 56

Today I had to write another letter to my fellow believers at the church in Corinth. I do not understand why they are struggling so badly there. The other churches we have founded have had their issues, but none like the church we started in Corinth five years ago. I remember that day it was during my second missionary journey around these lands and we were very hesitant at first about how the Corinthians would react to the good news of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, but they responded and accepted the holy spirits into their lives.

The issues that I have discovered them to be dealing with are hard for me to swallow. I never expected these issues to stem out of this church. They are struggling with a divided church, understanding spiritual gifts, the ideals of love, sexual immorality, and disputes among each other, sacrificing food to idols, drunkenness, overindulgence, death, and the resurrection. The list is so long and so much they do not understand. Lord why do they not follow the wisdom of the spirit?

The church in Corinth needs guidance and I am unable to be there. So today I had a conversation with my dear friend Timothy. I pleaded my case to him about the sufferings of the Corinthian church and he agreed to go and be a leader for them. He agreed to help train them in following the spirit and imitating Christ. Timothy is a true believer and ever strong in the presence of the Lord.

I first learned of the issues in Corinth from a report from a friend who is there. My brothers from Chloe’s household informed me of the divisions forming in the church. Some of them were claiming to follow Apollos, some to follow me, some to follow Cephas, and some were still claiming to follow Christ. I don’t understand how this happened. When I was there all I claimed to know was Christ and sacrifice he made for us. Never did I claim to be crucified for their sake, nor did Apollos or Cephas. Where did this division come from?

I was intrigued so I began to dig deeper to see why some believers would want to claim others than Christ. This is when I learned that many of them were struggling with sexual immorality by committing adultery and having lustful thoughts that were distracting them from Christ. In my letter I pleaded to them that this is unmoral and not good for their spiritual welfare. They must flee from this debauchery if they wish to truly follow the risen Lord.

I also learned that during investigation, from my brothers at the household of Chloe, that many were having problems with the idols. Some were still worshiping their idols as our ancestors did whom God punished. They were still sacrificing meat to their idol gods believing this would appease them and help their lives. Why don’t they understand that God loves them and all they have to do is present their petitions to him and he will give them what they ask for? I pray that Timothy will be able to disprove they remaining idols and guide them into the Lord.

I do not understand how they could still have faith in these idols when the Holy Spirit does amazing things in their lives. When did their idols ever give them gifts they could use for the good of others? They receive these gifts from they Holy Spirit and do not understand them. The gifts are different for each of them, but they are from the same God, not their idols. The gifts are for their purpose in the body of Christ each having a responsibility to other to make it complete.

They also do not understand love and how love is needed to use their gifts properly. Their gifts are nothing with out love, because God is love. So God is patient, kind, does not boast, nor envy, and is not proud. God is not rude, not self seeking, or easily angered. God does not delight in evil, but he rejoices with the truth. God always, protects, trusts, hopes, and always persevere. So with out knowing love they do not know God or the purpose of their gifts. This is why they struggle with marriage also. They have entered into a chain reaction keeping them from Christ.

They have do not understand the purpose of marriage and how to treat husbands and wives. My letter hopefully will clear this up as I explain how they should treat their spouses, but I also explain that they should strive to be married to God and do not need a wife. If they can’t control themselves and are going to be distracted by immorality it is better for them to marry as long as their spouse belongs to the Lord.

They have even taken the lords supper and used as a time to celebrate drunkenness, by overindulging in themselves. They do this because they do not understand the resurrection of their Lord, Jesus Christ. I have explained to them that this resurrection is key to who Jesus is and how they are able to receive grace from God. They are also having issues with their body’s questioning if they can be raised from the dead and I explained to them that God has mad each body individually and each has its own life and once dead and buried it may like a seed still spur on new life.

The church in Corinth is suffering from so many issues. I hope that my letter to them will help clarify things and spur them on towards love and good deeds. I hope that my brothers in household of Chloe will keep reporting to me on the issues there so I will know if they ever improve. I will have a strong friend there now as Timothy has set off to be with the Corinthians to keep them on track with following Christ. He too will continue to report to me so I will know that the Corinthian’s have made progress in their journey with Christ. I hope my next journal entry about the Corinthians is one filled with praise and less headaches. God please help them, Timothy, and the brothers of the Chloe’s household.