Faith without religion.
Navigating the Corinthian Chaos: An Introduction to Paul’s Letters
Paul, Gentiles, Corinthians
In this engaging podcast episode, Delaney McCraney and her father, Shawn McCraney, dive into the complexities of the Bible, focusing on the transition from the Book of Acts to First Corinthians. Delaney shares her decision to move on from Acts, finding the questions it raised somewhat repetitive, and instead turns her attention to the letters of Paul, starting with First Corinthians.
The discussion kicks off with a brief recap of Acts, highlighting its role as a record of the Apostles’ journeys and teachings. Delaney and Shawn explore the intriguing transformation of Saul to Paul, a pivotal moment in the New Testament narrative. They delve into the story of Paul’s conversion, his time in the Sinai desert, and his subsequent mission to spread Christianity, particularly to the Gentiles.
The conversation shifts to the context of Paul’s letters, emphasizing his unique role in bridging the gap between Jewish and Gentile believers. Shawn explains how Paul’s teachings were crucial for non-Jews to understand and embrace Christianity, as they offered a different perspective from the Jewish-centric teachings of the Gospels.
As they introduce First Corinthians, Delaney and Shawn paint a vivid picture of Corinth, a bustling metropolis at the crossroads of cultures, known for its diverse and often unruly population. This backdrop sets the stage for understanding the challenges Paul faced in addressing the Corinthian church, a community grappling with issues of morality and unity.
Throughout the episode, Delaney and Shawn provide valuable insights into the historical and cultural context of the New Testament, making the complex narrative more accessible and engaging for listeners. Their dynamic discussion not only sheds light on the intricacies of early Christianity but also underscores the enduring relevance of Paul’s teachings in understanding the faith today.
Podcast Transcript:
we’re on we’re on and welcome to I don’t
get the Bible with Delaney mcra and Sean
mcra her dad we’re going to talk about
the Bible today uh apparently there’s
been a change that I learned
about 92 seconds ago go ahead Delaney
what’s the change I kept reading an acts
and just thought the questions that I’d
be asking were would be dull and so I
moved on to First
Corinthians we can give a recap of Acts
but it’s Acts of the Apostles and they
it it’s like a record of them going to
this place and then they said this to
those people and then they went to this
place and and it’s kind of similar
messages being said and it’s not to
discard it at all but I just want to
keep this podcast Lively we can come
back to it Lively it is Lively for me
because I’m trying to remember what I
can remember remember now we’re starting
to get into some some letters and whoa
let’s see what we can do Delaney
McAn he’s NE he’s never warned of what
we’re going to talk about but now it
especially he
doesn’t sh the I have to shift my
thinking um we’re talking about First
Corinthians all right and this is an
introduction to First Corinthians this
episode so
um it says in the first verse but who
wrote first Corinthians Paul Paul Paul
Paul now now so we know that Paul is now
that’s one of my first questions in the
next episode but Paul Saul is Paul and I
never got to a point in Acts where it
addressed that it just said at one point
in Acts it said Saul Saul who is also
known as Paul and that’s all it said it
doesn’t say why he’s Paul do you can you
tell that story I can’t remember how we
got his name why do does it even say it
in Acts or is it somewhere else I
thought it was in Acts but but perhaps
it’s in another one of his letters where
he reveals that his name went from Saul
to Paul but it did and I thought for
sure it was an AXS that taught us that
but you know well I didn’t get there
maybe it’s later could have been cuz but
I got in Acts 12 it says Saul and Paul
Saul who is Paul so I just assumed
that’s as far that’s the extent of them
explaining Paul but maybe okay it comes
later sorry we do know who Paul is we
did Cover about Paul on the road and he
saw the light and heard the voice and
the others didn’t and the little and
then uh Gia
was I mean uh his teacher right his
teacher was that no the the good
faithful Saint was sent to go to him and
bring him and release his blindness and
all that oh yeah the scales fell off his
eyes scales fell off his eyes yeah yeah
we talked about that I guess I don’t
remember it saying and then his name was
Paul in that moment but you do realize
that from there Saul who became Paul he
says you know I visited I did a little
bit of this but I didn’t go to all the
AP and he goes out into the Sinai desert
for what seems like somewhere I’m sorry
but between 3 and 13 years he went out
to the desert and learned from God the
things he was supposed to know about
Christianity he actually was tutored by
Christ is what we believe and um that is
how this Jew and hater of Christians
went from going to persecute them on the
road to Damascus having a mighty thing
happen to him being healed stumbling
around that area for a little tiny short
time and then going off into the desert
and disappearing for three at least 3
years maybe maybe even
13 so then when he came back he goes and
he visits Peter and he visits the
brother of he says I visited the brother
of the Lord who’s James and the rest of
the Apostles I didn’t even talk with
okay okay so then Paul starts to go
through there’s a whole bunch of things
about Antioch and all this other stuff
but then Paul starts to embark on his
own Ministry and we don’t see him
interact with any of the Apostles ever
again okay and so what’s happened now is
he’s gone to a place called Corinth okay
and he is when he goes to a place he
first visits the Jews the synagogues of
the Jews and when they reject him he
then goes to the Gentiles this is
standard for him because Christ went to
his own first and then the gospel went
to the Gentiles so Paul followed suit
and that’s where we are now at Corinth
okay and wait just back to a couple
and several
questions in Corinth there were Jews and
Greeks and so we went to Jews first and
then that’s what you’re saying in in
Corinth in Corinth okay everywhere Paul
goes there are Jewish established
synagogues okay almost everywhere and we
talked a little bit about Antioch but
that was him with Barnabas right and
they that’s where the term Christian was
coined cuz they like tried they settled
there for a little bit and made Church
of
Christians and
then where do you know is it in the rest
of Acts that it talks about Paul leaving
Barnabas in Antioch or yeah it’s all an
a you learn all about those little tiny
things of where they went together and
what they did also something we didn’t
cover in Acts this is turning into the
acts I know I’m sorry this is my fault
no no no but also in that book um there
was a division among
the Church Believers in
Jerusalem what are the commands that the
Gentiles have to follow that the Jews
have carried with them into this Faith
called Christianity and the big one was
do Gentile males need to be
circumcised so there’s this Division and
so all of the Apostles this is like the
First Apostolic Council post Jesus
ascending into heaven that there’s ever
been and Paul and Barnabas went to
Jerusalem and they convened all together
and they talked about hey should they be
Peter gave his opinion and this and that
and this and that but the final decision
there was from James the brother of the
Lord who’s the one who gave this is how
we’re going to do it and he simply said
they don’t have to be circumcised you
know they should avoid uh fornication
and they should avoid eating meats that
are sacrificed to Idols but otherwise
they are free from physical circumcision
well this was crazy for a Jew not to be
circum so this was a Monumental thing
that happened there wow but the
important thing we learned from it is
that Peter was not the one over it it
was James the Catholics based their
whole faith and so do all of orthodoxies
on Peter being the pope but that
evidence that we skipped over in Acts
shows he wasn’t no it’s not it’s not a
Critic ISM it’s it’s boring stuff in a
lot of ways yeah it’s not boring um so
where do Catholics what what do I don’t
know how they justify that I don’t know
what they say about that they might just
say well he was just over it that day
Peter had a stomach ache I don’t know
you know there’s an answer we
essentially create whatever we want to
believe yeah okay so now Paul is out and
about and and out and about by himself
yeah well he had people travel with him
okay yeah Luke was someone who traveled
with Paul isn’t he an apostle
um Luke yes now Matthew Mark Luke and
John uh Luke is a historian Luke is a
Greek he’s not an apostle okay yeah and
okay cuz you said Paul wasn’t with any
Apostles yeah no he was doing his own
version is he doing his own version of
Christianity he writes most of the Bible
doesn’t he he writes most of the
apostolic record yeah and he’s not
giving his version he’s giving the
version he learned in Sinai pen Sinai
desert from Christ about this is how to
teach gentiles about what’s happened
through our history as Jews so it’s not
that the others are teaching something
different he was just is he just the one
that wrote about it he wrote about it
and he was called specifically to go to
the G Gentiles yeah and even Peter
writes in his epistle oh I see Paul is
hard to understand Peter wrote that
that’s hard to even understand what he’s
talking about so Peter didn’t get what
Paul was even doing remember Paul was
like Peter was a Jew Paul was like Jew
of Jews so we had that mindset then
Jesus comes into him and teaches him and
so he comes back and he’s talking about
things that Peter’s
like he literally did that too
okay so that catches us up sort of on
the whole Pauline thing many people say
I don’t follow Paul I follow Christ I
don’t listen to what Paul had to add
there’s many even Christian believers
who say
no well in future I mean he’s he says
that himself he criticizes people for
calling themselves followers yes he does
he’s got it right Paul’s got it down
and here’s the thing Delany that’s
really important without Paul all we
would have is Matthew Mark Luke and
John okay uh we would we might even I
don’t even think we’d have the acts
because it was Paul teaching Luke what
happened so I don’t even think that but
beyond that you know we could have
Revelation but Revelation is a purely
Hebrew Book and Hebrews is a purely
Hebrew Book so we we wouldn’t have any
of the Pauline Epistles that teach us
how do
non-jews tap into this thing called
Christianity because it was directly out
of Judaism from a Jew to Jews where this
whole thing got started so there’s a
significant difference between what a
Jew perceived as faith in that day in
Christ and what a gentile perceived as
faith in Christ and they are a little
bit different so if there wasn’t a Paul
we’d just be reading everything that was
applicable to the Jews and we would
think we have to do what they did and
there is a completely different approach
that Paul gives to Gentiles than is
given to Jews wow
yeah why do you think Paul spoke to Jews
or Gentiles more he was called to them
that was his thing but just as a kind of
proforma profunctor act he would go to
the
the Jews first to say are you going to
receive this cuz he’s coming yeah you
know are you going to receive it or not
and they would say no and they kick him
out and they’d Stone him and they’d put
him to death and throw him out of the
city he’d come right back and go to the
Gentiles and say they wouldn’t listen to
me I see here it is to you yeah so here
we are in Corinth
Corinth um okay well why do you
like you just answered kind of a lot of
the questions but
like why do you is it is
it was it some concerted effort that the
letters to the Gentiles were the ones
that were collected like I’m sure there
were letters to Jews that wrote he
Hebrews is to Jews oh Jewish Believers
oh and so when you read Hebrews it’s all
relative to their mindset wow yeah that
to the Hebrews there’s a debate as to
who wrot that and most people believe it
was Paul but there’s some internal
evidences that suggest this isn’t how he
spoke so there’s question about that
Peter’s uh Epistles were mostly to
converted Jews not always to gen not he
included Gentiles but it’s mostly the
Jews and uh and John wrote a lot to Jews
who had converted to the faith but also
to Gentiles but Paul was called to
Gentiles and it’s through Paul’s
writings a gentile understands how that
Faith translates to them how would you
characterize the difference for a
gentile it’s all
faith for a Jew in that day it included
repenting
first being
baptized as an ablution a public
profession that they’ve accepted this
Messiah which came with
persecution from other Jews losing of
job losing a family
excommunicated so there was a price upon
Jews for receiving the gospel but to a
gentile no one cared you know you want
to be follow this Christ you’ll be a
little Christian you’ll be a little
Christ go ahead be a little Christ you
know we’re Romans we accept everything
do what you want so for Gentiles
embracing it wasn’t nearly as uh
detrimental to their life than it was to
Jews h Paul doesn’t preach baptism at
all well I was just going to ask that is
that why there’s so much confusion among
Christians today because they’re taking
letters that were written to Jews and
applying it and then there ding ding
ding so the the when people say the
Bible talks about baptism it’s like
that’s because that specific part of the
Bible was written to the Jew other part
was so nowhere in the letters written to
the Gentile
are there things about baptism and there
are things but here’s the thing for a
Jew John came Jesus came and said uh
repent change your mind be baptized as
an evid outward evidence that you’ve
changed your mind and you are following
the Messiah all right and then walk by
faith okay you but to a gentile it was
have faith and then if you’re LED then
you can be baptized because you’ve had
the faith in what saves you it’s a
reverse order but Christians Mormons
Catholics they all do the baptism repent
have you repented and that is not
applicable to them because it was given
by Jesus and John the Baptist and the
early Apostles to the Jewish converts
but that’s not what Paul taught and if
you miss that you’ll practice religion
and you miss what Paul was saying
wow yeah it’s like I don’t get where
anyone thought that
the
like the way of reading the like there’s
there’s this idea with Christians now
that you can just like open the Bible
and look at a verse and that’s going to
be what inspires you that day or
something but it’s
crazy like that’s what that’s the level
which people think that the Bible is
like mystical or something they’re
they’re crazy it’s so not that no it’s
to be learned in
context relative to everything you
cannot understand it in a single place
you have to understand it couched in the
in the whole thing and because that is
such an arduous task people don’t do it
what it is the Old Testament similar in
this way as the apostolic record or was
the whole old like the whole Old
Testament is to Jews explicitly yeah but
like are the different books
like opposing one another in these
different ways they do they do oppose
one another and God shows himself to be
constantly changing and morphing himself
to meet the people where they were at we
have the idea that God was this and they
come to him and he’s destroying
everybody who doesn’t no the Old
Testament shows
he is constantly trying to reach those
people in their various levels of Decay
and rebellion and uh but and so what you
have is in one place God saying do this
do this do this or I’ll kill you and
then five chapters later they don’t do
it and he says okay do this do this and
this and it’s different so you have to
see the sway of how that was working in
order to really get it uh the book is
takes a lifetime to see and understand
but what you’ve just learned here is
Central all of it was to the Jews who
were under the law and nobody else on
Earth was under that law the old
testament old testament the New
Testament Ma I mean the apostolic
records of Matthew Mark Luke and John
were all written primarily to the people
of that age Jews coming out so the
gospels you can’t even read in a
assigned to yourself because it was
Jesus talking to his own wow yeah there
could be like two Bibles one that’s the
whole Old Testament the
gospels Peter and Revelation for the
Jews and then the letters for us yes so
like we don’t even read the rest of it
right and uh but or like we read the
rest of it into in a separate book that
we know is for the Jews yes but that
would cause so much problem because
Christian understanding would lack what
God did materially through the Jews to
bring about this place where the
Christian entrance into it makes sense
so if we had two separate books we would
have infighting between Christian
non-jews and Christian Jews so you have
to read it all in context in order to
get along one of the main things Paul
faced in going out to to the Gentiles
was that the earliest Christians were
converted Jews in all these areas he
would go so they would start little
house churches and then Paul is bringing
the good news to Gentiles so now a group
of people who historically were removed
from the Jewish mindset they’re unclean
we don’t touch them we don’t eat with
them we don’t like them they are
inferior God doesn’t love them we’re the
chosen people now had to come together
Under One Roof and Paul is forever
trying to bring peace because they all
wanted to have their own thing and it
was just endless chaos for the poor guy
wow yeah that’s what the letter to the
Romans was all about there was a grand
synagogue in Rome and it was uh uh
formerly full of Jews and many converted
to Christianity and now Rome full giant
Metropolis full of people who differed
with Jews were coming into the faith too
and he had to address them through the
letter to Rome to explain why you need
to get along yeah now Romans is a heavy
book because that’s what he’s doing
Corinthians a little different you want
to jump into why Corinthians is
different
sure
Corinth sits at this is sits on this
ismus of Greece and the ismos so you
have a bass of land here and you have a
mass of land here and the ismos is this
narrow land and it’s open to two oceans
that connect the two major worlds wow so
Corinth is right there where this
exchange of
cultures is going on crazy right and
Corinth was a town in Greece that
worshiped Diana she was a a Pagan
goddess and they had prostitutes in
temples male and female because this was
a metropolis of seab bearing Souls they
were wild you know they were they were
Greeks they were all kinds of gods so
Paul goes into this place where they
have a temple they are going in to offer
sacrifice to this God Artemis Diana
whoever was in there and you have sex
with the prostitutes to con at your
Devotion to this immaterial God oh my
gosh yeah and so there’s a whole cottage
industry in Corinth of making Idols of
her that they would sell and make
themselves more rich and and in all this
we have Jews who have come to the faith
we have Gentiles who are used to banging
Temple prostitutes we have absolute
carnality and Paul is now in there and
he’s got a church that’s gathered
and they they’re totally unruly and
that’s what this letter is to and
there’s supposed to be three letters
that he wrote to them we only have
two oh how do you where do you know all
this stuff where does all this context
come it comes from studying years of
studying it but the context of the three
letters comes from the internal evidence
of second Corinthians where he
references stuff in one of his letters
that we don’t have wow but like what are
there books of historians that write
about that stuff or that’s how you know
it yeah oh
wow that that makes so much sense
reading what he’s about to write
yeah yeah and so you know that guy he
had a mess on his
hands yeah you can see though why God
would choose him yeah yeah he because he
had all the necessary
learning Peter wasn’t going to be able
to go and do this Peter was too
impetuous and he only knew Judaism Paul
was taught so here we enter into
Corinth wow well that makes for a great
introductory episode awesome oh are we
done that was 23 minutes time with
Delaney is like
a of fresh floral arrangements doesn’t
have any words for it um okay I’m going
checking my
phone it’s real professional we’ll see
you next time okay
