How many issues were at Corinth?

What a thrill it was to participate last weekend in the Twin Cities Grace Fellowship Conference! I had a blast! The theme was The Gathering of Christ’s Body. My first message, called “For Better or For Worse,” used 1 Cor. 11:17 as the base text. I had pointed out that in my sermon prep, I went through all of 1 Corinthians and counted the number of issues.

Do you know how many issues Paul addresses in that one letter?

Roughly 75.

75 issues at Corinth! Can you believe that?

Here’s the list. Enjoy!

1. In chapter one, they’re ungrateful. Paul had to thank God on their behalf (1 Cor. 1:4).
2. They failed to reckon how enriched they were by God’s grace through His Son (1 Cor. 1:5).
3. Then there were the divisions (1 Cor. 1:10).
4. There was the disunity (1 Cor. 1:10),
5. There were the schisms (1 Cor. 1:11).
6. And oh, all the bragging (1 Cor. 1:15)!
7. They thought they knew it all when they were literally the dumbest guys in Christendom at the time (1 Cor. 1:20).
8. They were incredibly judgmental about Earthly matters but completely obvious when it came to judging spiritual matters (1 Cor. 2: 15).
9. They hindered their own spiritual growth such that they were still babes drinking milk when they should have grown to the point of taking in the meat of His Word (1 Cor. 3:1-2).
10. They were carnal (1 Cor. 3:3).
11. They were envious (1 Cor. 3:3).
12. They were full of strife (1 Cor. 3:3),
13. There were many divisions (1 Cor. 3:3).
14. They walked as men (1 Cor. 3:3).
15. They were full of sectarian, party strife bragging about who they followed (1 Cor. 3:4).
16. They were full of themselves thinking they were wise in the world (1 Cor. 3:18).
17. They were glorying in men (1 Cor. 3:21).
18. They condescendingly looked down on Paul (1 Cor. 4:3).
19. They even called into question his apostleship (1 Cor. 4:3).
20. They were overly judgmental (1 Cor. 4:5).
21. They thought too highly of men (1 Cor. 4:6).
22. They were spoiled rotten because of their wealth (1 Cor. 4:8).
23. They were puffed up (1 Cor. 4:18).
24. There was rampant fornication more depraved than what pagan Gentiles were doing (1 Cor. 5:1).
25. They not only sanctioned but celebrated the boy sleeping with his stepmother (1 Cor. 5:2-7).
26. They lacked the backbone to address the leaven of egregious sins in their congregation (1 Cor. 5:5).
27. They needed to practice separation from egregious sinners in their midst (1 Cor. 5:9-13).
28. They were taking each other to court (1 Cor. 6:1-2).
29. They could not resolve even the smallest disputes between them (1 Cor. 6:5).
30. They financially defrauded each other (1 Cor. 6:8).
31. They were involved with harlots (1 Cor. 6:12-20).
32. They were so depraved in their thinking, Paul needed to explain the basics of virgins and marital relations (1 Cor. 7:1-5).
33. They couldn’t comprehend the liberties they had in Christ (1 Cor. 8:1-8).
34. They had no clue about how to deal with weaker brethren (since they were ALL weaker brethren) (1 Cor. 8:9).
35. They questioned Paul’s motives for accepting financial support (1 Cor. 9:7-12).
36. They lusted after evil things (1 Cor. 10:6-7).
37. Some were idolaters (1 Cor. 10:6-7).
38. They murmured like the Jews in the wilderness (1 Cor. 10:10).
39. They failed to reckon that they were already equipped to have victory over sin (1 Cor. 10:13).
40. They were selfish (1 Cor. 10:24).
41. Their behavior was offensive to both Jews and Gentiles (1 Cor. 10:32).
42. Even their fashion choices were offensive (1 Cor. 11:2-10).
43. They were not following Paul (1 Cor. 11:1).
44. They were contentious (1 Cor. 11:16).
45. When they came together, it was not for the better, but for the worse (1 Cor. 11:17).
46. They were on the verge of breaking apart (1 Cor. 11:18).
47. There were heresies in the church (1 Cor. 11:19).
48. When they came together, it’s not to eat the Lord’s Supper (1 Cor. 11:20).
49. When they did eat, they didn’t share with the poor (1 Cor. 11:21).
50. They got drunk (1 Cor. 11:21).
51. They embarrassed and shamed people who didn’t have food (1 Cor. 11:22).
52. They failed to remember and apply what Paul taught about the Lord’s Supper (1 Cor. 11:23).
53. These people were eating and drinking unworthily of the sacrifice the Lord made for them (1 Cor. 11: 29).
54. There were physical repercussions from all their gluttony (1 Cor. 11:30).
55. They weren’t judging their own behavior (1 Cor. 11:31-32).
56. They lacked consideration for one another (1 Cor. 11:33).
57. They were abusing their spiritual gifts (1 Cor. 12:2).
58. They failed to understand what Paul taught about spiritual gifts (1 Cor. 12:3-11).
59. They failed to comprehend their equality as members of the body (1 Cor. 12:12-27).
60. They utterly failed at, and were wholly ignorant of, the ways of agape love (1 Cor. 13).
61. There was total disorder in the church, particularly when it came to spiritual gifts (1 Cor. 14).
62. They failed to edify one another (1 Cor. 14:12).
63. They wanted all the wrong things spiritually and needed to grasp the importance of prophecy (1 Cor. 14:22).
64. The women were out of control and had to be told to be quiet (1 Cor. 14:34-35).
65. They needed to allow the prophets to affirm the legitimacy of Paul’s apostleship and how these were the commandments of the Lord to them through Paul (1 Cor. 14:37).
66. In chapter 15, we get the biggest criticism of them all, the biggest issue in that church, and that was the fact that they abandoned the doctrine of resurrection (1 Cor. 15).
67. They had to be told again the basics of the gospel and the necessity of Christ’s resurrection (1 Cor. 15:1-23), because that is connected to our resurrection (1 Cor. 15:50-58).
68. Plus, all their evil communications were corrupting what little good manners they had left (1 Cor. 15:33).
69. Their spiritual ignorance at this point in their lives was actually shameful (1 Cor. 15:34).
70. In chapter 16, the practical failings of Corinth were addressed. They were coming up way short in the collection for the poor saints at Jerusalem (1 Cor. 16:1-4).
71. They were also weak as men (1 Cor. 16:13).
72. They needed to submit to their overseers who were addicted to the ministry (1 Cor. 16:15).
73. They needed to submit to one another (1 Cor. 16:16).
74. They needed to submit to all of Paul’s fellow-laborers (1 Cor. 16:16).
75. And finally, Paul advocated for separation from anyone who didn’t love the Lord Jesus Christ. He says, in 1Co 16:22 let him be Anathema Maranatha…