It Depends
To the church of God which is at Corinth, to those who have been sanctified in Christ Jesus, saints by calling, with all who in every place call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, their Lord and ours: 1 Corinthians 1:2 NASB
At Corinth – So ask yourself, “To whom did Paul write this letter?” Answer: to the ekklesia (not “church” in our meaning) at Corinth. We don’t need to repeat the fact that Paul wrote to the Messianic gathering of Jews and Gentiles. That much we already know. But now pay attention. Did he write this letter to anyone else? No, he didn’t. This letter was written to a specific group of people with specific issues in a particular place and time. Corinth. A pagan city. People who were coming out of pagan practices and joining a Jewish community. People of both ethnic categories who followed the Jewish Messiah. And no one else. Paul did not write this letter to anyone else. Why? Because this letter addresses issues peculiar to Corinthians.
Paul is providing rabbinic counsel and halachaic instruction to these particular people. That means if we are going to understand what Paul says in his letter to the Corinthians, we must put his words in the context of what it was to be a Corinthian in the first century. Directions concerning orderliness in the assembly, prophecy, speaking in tongues, personal behavior, ritual and practice are for these people in this setting. They are not for everyone else. Rabbinic instruction and binding rulings apply to the people who receive them, not to the entire believing community unless the rulings are addressed to the entire believing community.
What this means (and this is very important) is that Paul is not telling every believer in every situation what to do. He is telling these believers in this situation what to do. He is not issuing universal proclamations regarding the practice of faith. He is writing to the Corinthians.
How much of our theological confusion is the result of thinking that whatever Paul writes is intended for everyone at all times in all situations? We have taken specific halachah and made them universal. We have treated Paul’s letters as if they were papal bulls. And the result is argument, dissension, and division. Paul would be nonplussed. Why would anyone take a letter written to one situation and try to apply it to all situations?
What we discover if we pay attention to rabbinic practice is that the way we behave in the believing community depends on the circumstances in that community. You can’t have Shabbat in the summertime when the sun goes down in Barrow, Alaska. It never sets. And you can’t expect that everyone speak in tongues if you don’t live in Corinth in the first century.
Topical Index: Corinth, halachah, rabbinic, 1 Corinthians 1:2
CORRECTION: Yesterday a reader from Sweden wrote to me regarding DAY 13 of the original “30 Days to a Hebrew Worldview.” He noted, correctly, that I made a mistake in the treatment of the Hebrew chayah. Since many of you were readers of that free series (and some of you kept copies), I want you to know that it has been rewritten and corrected. If you want to see the corrected version, click here.
Skip,
Re: Day 13 Correction.
The original posting you used for Day 13 came from Nov 10, 2007. You might want to update that post as well.
Thanks. Will do.
Thank you for this post. I have always thought that the writings of Paul were very confusing, and this clears up some of my problems.
Thank you, Skip, for again challenging my paradigm! So how do I know when to apply something in 1 Corinthians to me personally? Am I included in the portion of this verse that says, “…with all who in every place…”?
It depends. 🙂 Do you find that your circumstances warrant application of Paul’s halacha? Then apply it. Just remember that he wasn’t writing to you so you will have to determine if the glove fits.
Right, the title of this piece! I should have seen that. Thank you. This makes sense.
Dear Skip: Greetings from the Caribbean island of Puerto Rico. We have been following your comments on the Scriptures for several years. Keep going, your writings are being used by the Holy Spirit to impact many people. Thank you for writing about the letter to the Corinthians and for pointing out the importance of understanding the context in which it was written. Sadly, we see many churches that develop all their theology around texts from this letter (and others) taken out of context. There is great wisdom and useful information in all Scripture that makes it useful to “teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness”. God bless you.
Dear Edgardo,
You will be excited to know that Guardian Angel will soon be available in Spanish.
I encourage you to become an active supporter of this work and everything else that happens here. I don’t find you on the database yet.
(The Scriptures 1998+) to the assembly of Elohim which is at Corinth, to those who are set-apart in Messiah יהושע, called set-apart ones, with all those calling on the Name of יהושע Messiah our Master in every place, theirs and ours:
Good morning. For me, I have to put myself among “all those who call upon the Name of Yahshua Messiah our Master”. And, as my mother often said, “If the shoe fits, wear it!” We all need to be able to discern when the counsel Paul gives to the believers in Corinth fits us wherever we may reside, right? Although I do agree, Skip, that Paul is writing to the assembly in Corinth firstly, as his salutation states so.
1Co 14:18 I thank my Elohim I speak with tongues more than you all,
1Co 14:19 but in an assembly I wish to speak five words with my understanding that I might instruct others also, than ten thousand words in a tongue.
I have a sense that the gift of tongues is not so blessed of Elohim today as the gift is coveted not for the sake of others, but for self; not for the edification of the assemblies. I also believe that there are “gifts of tongues” that come from the world of darkness to men who live in darkness – apart from the Light.
So, how do those who live in Barrow, Alaska, enter the Sabbath of rest? The way I see it they could follow the words of Yahshua in John where He asks the question, “Are there not twelve hours in the day?” Or, they could keep Sabbath with their brethren in Jerusalem. Even though the sun does not set, yet the day still goes by, does it not?
Shalom
Ah, and those in Barrow have to realize that what is good for Shabbat in Jerusalem does NOT fit what happens in Barrow. Different circumstances. Different applications. It has been ever so. Now the question is: Since Scripture was written for particular audiences in particular situations at particular times with particular customs and languages, how do we take what God revealed to those people and make it part of OUR lives today? I would hope that we se the difference between plating the hair in Corinth and going to the hairdresser in New Jersey. I would hope we know why Paul said women should cover their heads in the assembly in Corinth in the first century and not end up wearing Easter bonnets in the 21st century. Ultimately it will come down to a question of authority. Who is your authority? Who helps you decide what to do based on Torah? Who has the character and the intellect to be able to muddle through?
Ah, Skip, who is the Master of the Shabbat? And since He is the Master, it behooves me to search the Scriptures diligently to find all that He has ever said in them. Especially the Tanak, right? Circumstances must never dictate over what the Master has revealed.
I appreciate your help in digging out just where Easter bonnets, etc. have their origin. It is not hard for me to cast off those things which are revealed to have pagan origins. The key here is “revealed”. I cannot lay aside those things I do, without knowledge of the truth. But I thank YAH that He is seeking a people to “worship Him in Spirit and in truth.” Not my truth but His truth. And He will keep leading us as long as we are willing to keep following. What can He do when we “kick against the pricks”?
Keep digging and sharing. That is what we all should be doing – being noble Bereans.
Right. But I’ll bet you don’t celebrate Shabbat when the sun goes down on a Friday in Barrow or you would be six months before it was over.
That would be heavenly! Just think no work for six months! I know, by the sweat of thy brow… but then I could eat very simply and enjoy the longgggg.. Shabbat. And then I would have to work the other six months. Seriously, I understand that they go by Yahshua’s twelve hours in the day. But no worries, the day is coming when our Father will call us to worship. I think for the first thousand years no one will want to leave His side. To sit at the feet of Yahshua and listen to His words of life as Miriam of old did is my longing desire.. May we all meet there in that better land.