3rd Missionary Trip - Lorin

hard to overcome among those in the Christian community.
3. 1 Corinthians
Essential point: written from Ephesus while on third missionary journey to respond to questions from the
household of Chloe (chaps 1-6) and the Corinthian delegation (chaps 7-16)
Date: AD 54-55 (spring time)
From the time of the writing of this ‘prior letter’ to the composition of First Corinthians is an unknown period,
but probably not over a couple of years. Interestingly in the establishing of the church initially the apostle
had over two years of time to teach the converts the basics of the Christian life, more time than in any previous
city. Add to that the fact that several of the converts came out of leadership ranks of the Jewish synagogue and
thus were quite well trained in the principles of the Old Testament. This church had the best launching of any
of those Paul established on the first and second missionary journeys. The notorious immoral atmosphere of
Corinth was legendary across the Roman empire, and its strangle hold grip on the residents was profound. This
proved to be almost impossible to overcome.
When the representatives of the Corinthian business woman Chloe made contact with Paul in Ephesus
and reported to him the fist full of problems and issues plaguing the Corinthian congregation (1 Cor. 1:11), Paul’s
heart must have been saddened greatly. And then before he had time to fully respond to these issues, another
group arrived specifically from the Corinthian church with their letter containing a list of questions needing an
answer (1 Cor. 7:1). Probably this letter was brought to Ephesus by Stephanas, Fortunatus and Achaicus when
they arrived in Ephesus from Corinth (1 Cor. 16:17-18). 184 Thus First Corinthians responds, in the first six chapters,
to the various issues reported to Paul from Chloe’s people, and chapters seven through sixteen contain
Paul’s answers to the various questions put to him in the letter from the Corinthians. This was written most likely
sometime in 54 to 55 AD from Ephesus. In all likelihood Sosthenes, who is listed as a co-sender of the letter (1
Cor. 1:1), was responsibile for carrying the letter back to Corinth. 185 Implicit in 1 Cor. 16:10 is a trip by Timothy to
Corinth as well, and it may have been the same trip that involved Sosthenes.
4. Painful Visit
Essential point: to try to correct ongoing problems in the church
Date: AD 55
Sources: 2 Cor. 2:1; 12:14; 13:1,2
2 Cor. 2:1. So I made up my mind not to make you another painful visit.
2 1 Ἔκρινα γὰρ ἐμαυτῷ τοῦτο τὸ μὴ πάλιν ἐν λύπῃ πρὸς ὑμᾶς ἐλθεῖν.
2 Cor. 12:14. Here I am, ready to come to you this third time. And I will not be a burden, because I do not want
what is yours but you; for children ought not to lay up for their parents, but parents for their children.
Ἰδοὺ τρίτον τοῦτο ἑτοίμως ἔχω ἐλθεῖν πρὸς ὑμᾶς, καὶ οὐ καταναρκήσω· οὐ γὰρ ζητῶ τὰ ὑμῶν ἀλλʼ ὑμᾶς. οὐ γὰρ
ὀφείλει τὰ τέκνα τοῖς γονεῦσιν θησαυρίζειν ἀλλʼ οἱ γονεῖς τοῖς τέκνοις.
2 Cor. 13:1, 2. 13 This is the third time I am coming to you. “Any charge must be sustained by the evidence
of two or three witnesses.” 2 I warned those who sinned previously and all the others, and I warn them now while
absent, as I did when present on my second visit, that if I come again, I will not be lenient—
13 Τρίτον τοῦτο ἔρχομαι πρὸς ὑμᾶς· ἐπὶ στόματος δύο μαρτύρων καὶ τριῶν σταθήσεται πᾶν ῥῆμα. 2 προείρηκα καὶ
προλέγω, ὡς παρὼν τὸ δεύτερον καὶ ἀπὼν νῦν, τοῖς προημαρτηκόσιν καὶ τοῖς λοιποῖς πᾶσιν, ὅτι ἐὰν ἔλθω εἰς τὸ
πάλιν οὐ φείσομαι,
The determination of this visit comes through a process of deduction from the above passages. In the
writing of Second Corinthians from Macedonia after leaving Ephesus, Paul indicates that he does not want to pay
them another ‘painful visit.’ Since Luke in Acts describes only two visits, while Paul indicates here that the arrival
from Macedonia will be his third visit to Corinth, one is led to the conclusion of another visit to the city between
the two that Luke describes. The only logical conclusion is that this second visit to Corinth that Paul made is the
184This, however, could have been a different visit to Ephesus, since on this trip they “refreshed my spirit” (ἀνέπαυσαν τὸ ἐμὸν
πνεῦμα). But the issues addressed in the letter, as depressing as they are, would not nullify news about those who remained loyal to the
apostolic Gospel and were living the Christian life properly. This seems to be the good news implied in 16:15-18.
185Very likely this Sosthenes is the same individual named in Acts 18:17 as having presented the Jewish arguments against Paul
before Gallio, as the ruler of the synagogue. Now Paul calls him in 1 Cor. 1:1 a brother in Christ. This was the second synagogue leader
in Corinth to convert to Christianity, with Cryspus being the first one (Acts 18:8). The Jewish community had difficulty keeping their
synagogue leaders from converting to Christianity. This may very well be in the background of the ongoing hostility of the Jews to the
preaching of the Gospel in their city.
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