Paul Barnett has written a very helpful, carefully applied, commentary on 1 Corinthians.
Discussing 1 Corinthians 4:14-16, he gets close to the heart of the problem Paul was addressing in Corinth, and also how that underyling problem makes the letter relevant today:
The other day I was asked why we spend time in church (during sermons) talking about issues that may not be relevant for us today.
On the face of it, it's a good question.
If I look out at the church family here, I can think of many subjects that speak directly into needs we know and feel. Maybe there are issues about unemployment, family life, over-demanding employers, ageing and dementia, the housing market, and so on.
500 years ago, William Tyndale lost his life in his campaign to give the English people one Bible in their own language. Today, we're spoilt for choice, with many excellent English translations of the Bible. Here's a paper I wrote in 2013 to help us decide which translation we should use in church.
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