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The Message of 1 Corinthians is unavailable, but you can change that!

For Paul, Corinth is a test case: if the gospel of Christ can change lives there, it can do so anywhere. He sees in the Corinthian believers rich resources for Christian ministry and mission, and encourages them as a body to express the total lordship of Christ.

Such triumphalist teaching has its modern counterpart in the ‘prosperity-churches’ now burgeoning in many countries (i.e. ‘trust God and you will be prosperous, healthy and successful’). In such circles there is no theology of suffering remotely linked to the New Testament. Their teaching appeals to those who want a comfortable life with a clear conscience; enslaves many who find the theory never fits the facts of their experience and are then made to feel guilty for not having ‘enough faith’; and
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