seeks to understand 1 Corinthians in in contest, that is, in terms of the coming life of the Corinthian Christians. Problems of community among the Corinthians arose because of the tensions between living in the "old age" and living in the "ors ge." Especially problematic were issues raised by the spiritual house chouch called the Christ group. First Corinthians was written to deal with those foth/life ins Hence 1 Corinthians is best understood as a document of the local fath community This enmmentary, then, emphasizes the way in which Paul encouraged the Faith community in its life and mission. Paul stressed neither theological vectinude, moral perfection, or ideological loyalty, rather, he addressed the problems of the community. to show how those problems could be handled in a manner that would lead to greater unity in the faith community. The small-group perspective of A Faish Community Commentary better matches the perspective of the early church, das clearing the way to understanding the letter and appropriating the message for a new time in which the tensions of "old age" and "new age" thinking, loyalles, and living continue to be problematical for community.