Paul's ethical reflection in this letter to Corinthian Christians consists in an interesting combination of reminders and appeals reminders of the Christ to whom they belong and appeals that they allow their lives, individually and corporately, to be ruled by their new Lord.

Although the nascent church had no program for social reform, careful study of the Synoptic traditions about Jesus and of the letters of Paul do give us access to early and decisive developments in Christian attitudes to the world and therefore to such issues as war and peace.