Corinth was a wealthy port city, a place of commerce and philosophy and public reputation, and the culture there prized the celebrity orator. A man could make a living being admired. That instinct walked straight into the church, and by chapter 1 Paul is already dealing with the wreckage — “I follow Paul,” “I follow Apollos,” “I follow Peter.” Chapter 3 told them they were behaving like infants. Now, in chapter 4, Paul does something more constructive. He does not just rebuke the factions. He teaches them how to think about ministers in the first place.