Thank you for the question on the problems with the Church at Corinth, “After the apostle Paul had established the church at Corinth, he had to write them letters correcting some of their errors. In his first letter to the Corinthians, what was the first problem that they had which he felt obliged to address?”
The Apostle Paul wrote multiple letters to the Corinthian Church. He received reports about the condition of the church and addressed them in his letters.
Here are some thoughts on the problems with the Corinthian Church.
A. The Apostle Paul wrote an earlier letter correcting several issues before the preserved letter of what is now I Corinthians.
I Corinthians 5 says this, “9 I wrote to you in my letter not to associate with sexually immoral people— 10 not at all meaning the people of this world who are immoral, or the greedy and swindlers, or idolaters. In that case you would have to leave this world. 11 But now I am writing to you that you must not associate with anyone who claims to be a brother or sister[c] but is sexually immoral or greedy, an idolater or slanderer, a drunkard or swindler. Do not even eat with such people” (NIV).
The Apostle Paul states in verse 9 that he had written to the Corinthian believers, “I wrote to you in my letter,” and his presenting response to the misunderstanding of his previous letter, “But now I am writing to you…”.
B. The earlier issues within the Corinthian Church are not fully known since they may have been resolved with his earlier letter. The unresolved issues are immorality and lawsuits.
I Corinthians 5 says this, “It is actually reported that there is sexual immorality among you, and of a kind that even pagans do not tolerate: A man is sleeping with his father’s wife” (NIV).
The Apostle Paul has heard a report that one of the moral problems within the Corinthian Church is sexual immorality and that the Church leaders has tolerated it. This was an unresolved issued for the Church.
I Corinthians 6 says this, “If any of you has a dispute with another, do you dare to take it before the ungodly for judgment instead of before the Lord’s people? … 5 I say this to shame you. Is it possible that there is nobody among you wise enough to judge a dispute between believers? 6 But instead, one brother takes another to court—and this in front of unbelievers!” (NIV).
The Apostle Paul also addressed a civil matter of lawsuits whereby believers are asking a civil judge to settle a matter between believers. Believers were insisting on their rights. Paul writes to address the matter of rights.
There are other issues regarding his standing as an apostle in the Church and his “right” to receive compensation which he doesn’t demand or even requests. Certainly the issue of division or alignment is part of Paul’s addressing it. He says this in chapter 1, “I appeal to you, brothers and sisters,[a] in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree with one another in what you say and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be perfectly united in mind and thought. 11 My brothers and sisters, some from Chloe’s household have informed me that there are quarrels among you. 12 What I mean is this: One of you says, “I follow Paul”; another, “I follow Apollos”; another, “I follow Cephas[b]”; still another, “I follow Christ.” (NIV).
If one is seeking to understand the “first” problem with the Corinthian Church, perhaps a better may be question this, “What was the most serious problem facing the Corinthian Church?”
Summary: The Apostle Paul addresses the most critical issue of immaturity and immorality among the Corinthian believers.
-Kingston