JEHOVAH'S--What happened to Paul's first letter to the Corinthians?

Question

This is a question I asked some Jehovahs witness' that came to my doorstep. Answer: What do you mean? We have it right here in the Bible. Look!

What they showed me is not the first letter Paul wrote to the Corinthians. In this very letter, Paul reminds the Corinthians that he had already written to them a letter before this one. Read verses 9 and 11 in the folowing passage from Paul's so-called first letter to the Corinthians, chapter 5: 9. In my letter I wrote you to quit mixing in company with fornicators . . . . 11. But now I am writing you to quit mixing in company with anyone called a brother that is a fornicator . . . . Obviously, in verse 9 above, Paul is referring to what he had written in a previous letter. In verse 11, Paul is making a change to his previous instruction.

Some people will try to convince you that there was no previous letter. But now you know how to demonstrate this truth to such a person. So, now, where is that previous letter?

Answer 1

Valid Question Moonlit.
As used in the Christian Greek Scriptures, the Greek word gra·phe′ (“a writing”) refers only to the sacred writings in God’s Word the Bible. There were other documents used by the writers of both the Hebrew and the Greek Scriptures, such as official public genealogical records, histories, and so forth, but these were not regarded as inspired or on an equal level with the writings recognized as canonical. Even the apostles may have written other letters to certain congregations. For example, Paul’s statement at 1 Corinthians 5:9: “In my letter I wrote you,” implies that he wrote a previous letter to the Corinthians, one that is not now existent. Such writings evidently were not preserved by God’s holy spirit for the Christian congregation because they were essential only to those to whom they were addressed.

Answer 2

16 When you write a letter to a loved one, there is only so much you can include. So you use discretion in choosing what to write. Likewise, Jehovah chose to mention certain individuals and events in his Word. But in these descriptive accounts, the Bible does not always spell out all the details. (John 21:25 - For example, when the Bible tells of God’s judgment, the information provided may not answer our every question. Jehovah’s wisdom is seen even in what he chose to leave out of his Word. How so?

The way in which the Bible is written serves to test what is in our heart. Hebrews 4:12 says: “The word [or, message] of God is alive and exerts power and is sharper than any two-edged sword and pierces even to the dividing of soul and spirit . . . and is able to discern thoughts and intentions of the heart.” The Bible’s message pierces deep, revealing our true thinking and motives. Those who read it with a critical heart are often stumbled by accounts that do not contain enough information to satisfy them. Such ones may even question whether Jehovah really is loving, wise, and just.

18 In contrast, when we make a careful study of the Bible with a sincere heart, we come to see Jehovah in the context in which the Bible as a whole presents him. Hence, we are not disturbed if a particular account raises some questions to which we cannot find immediate answers. To illustrate: When piecing together a large puzzle, perhaps we cannot at first find a particular piece or we cannot see how a certain piece fits in. Yet, we may have assembled enough of the pieces to grasp what the complete picture must look like. Similarly, when we study the Bible, little by little we learn about the kind of God Jehovah is, and a definite picture emerges. Even if we cannot at first understand a certain account or see how it fits in with God’s personality, our study of the Bible has already taught us more than enough about Jehovah to enable us to see that he is unfailingly a loving, fair, and just God.

In his Word, Jehovah tells us the best way to live. As our Creator, he knows our needs better than we do. And basic human needs—including the desire to find love, to be happy, and to make a success of relationships—have remained the same. The Bible contains a wealth of “practical wisdom” that can help us to live meaningful lives.

If you would like further information & learn more - please get in touch with Jehovah's Witnesses at the local Kingdom Hall. Or visit

cl. "Draw Close to Jehovah" book - Chapter 18: par. 16.

Bible -

Answer 3

Paul and all of them wrote many letters not a part of the Bible. It already contains 7,000 years of human history plus no telling how many of the universe's. Now you also want congregational house keeping from the 1st century?

Come on. 1 and 2 Corinthians are what we need for now in our lives. If absolutely necessary, you can ask Paul, himself, if you make it into the new system God promised.

Answer 4

Paul’s statement at 1 Corinthians 5:9: “In my letter I wrote you,” implies that he wrote a previous letter to the Corinthians, one that is not now existent. Such writings evidently were not preserved by God’s holy spirit for the Christian congregation because they were essential only to those to whom they were addressed.

Answer 5

Many letters and books were published by early Christians. Judas has an account in fact. The thing is only letters and works that claim to have been inspired from God appear in modern translations. His first letter was opinion, and was not said to be 100% governed by Jehovah God.
To prevent God's and Man's teachings from being mixed only accounts that are claimed to be inspired directly by God appear today.

By no means do Witnesses condemn looking up and studying other notes and ancient texts. =)

Answer 6

When it was demanded by the emperor that a Bible be created by the elders of the church, they sat down, decided what was the doctrine of being a Xian, then threw out every book that didn't agree with the doctrine.

So, it's quite amusing to listen to Xians trying to use the Bible, to prove what their faith should be, since the Bible was edited, with that exact doctrine being required for anything to be included.

It's is the ultimate in circular logic.

Answer 7

since scriptures have been hand picked and edited for content to be used for control and manipulating the gullible, it's not supposed to make sense to the intelligent or experienced

but when pointing this out, any rational person should question this and ask why then do we not have a previous letter, or why we use a letter from a person to another group as "gospel" and truth from a deity

Answer 8

in my entire 33 years on this planet i have never not even once had a jehovas witness knock on my door it seems everyone else has but not me i feel so left out


and those corinthians made some fine leather

Answer 9

Seeing as Paul requotes what he has already said, is it terribly important to know what happened to that letter. Perhaps that is the only thing he wrote to them about. Maybe some fornicator got his hands on it and burnt it. Talk about clutching at straws to prove (disprove) a point.

Answer 10

what i meant by saying muslims are rascals was this

i think of a rascal as like a innocent child and to me anyone that follws any religion is like an innocent child in my eyes they throw out all reason and logic to believe myths and legends with no actual basis in history i mean come on where is the proof that the biblical events happened?


no flood
no jews as slaves in egypt
no abraham
no adam and eve
no jesus
no kingdom of david
no kingdom of solomon


its all myths and legends thats what i meant by rascals so dont go getting your burka in a bunch sweetie