Introduction

1 Corinthians does not hold a place of fame among his letters such as Romans and Galatians do—it features relatively infrequently too in studies of Paul's theology—but it remains one of the most important Pauline letters in helping us to understand how easy it is for our own local churches to fall into problems of our own making and what needs then to be done about them. A superficial reading of the letter may give the impression that Paul was being combative just like any other leader caught in such clashes of opinion that happens so often in churches everywhere. But Paul was not. He was combative—assuming for the moment that this is the appropriate adjective—not for his own sake. Paul saw the problems from the perspective of the Gospel. Not to have spoken as he did in the Corinthian correspondences would have been surrendering the gospel for the sake of expedience. That he could not do. The Corinthian correspondences—though we have preserved in the NT only two such letters, there were in fact more—shows how deeply conflicted Paul was, the anguish he went through and the relationships that were placed at risk because of the situation in Corinth. The letter should be primary reading (and understanding) for all leaders, and would-be leaders, of the local churches on how to "fight," and what it is that we should, if ever, "fight for."