1 Corinthians
“For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God.” — 1 Corinthians 1:18 (KJV)
Overview
- Testament: New
- Author: Paul, with Sosthenes
- Date Written: ~AD 53–55, from Ephesus during Paul’s third missionary journey
- Key Themes: Unity in the body, the wisdom of the cross, sexual ethics, the Lord’s Supper, spiritual gifts, the love chapter, the resurrection
- Chapters: 16
Summary
1 Corinthians is the most comprehensive pastoral letter in the NT — a manual for church life written to one of the most troubled congregations in Paul’s orbit. Corinth was a port city of enormous commercial wealth, cultural diversity, and moral permissiveness. Its church reflected its context: gifted, proud, divided, and immature. Paul had planted the church (Acts 18), left it in the care of others, and is now writing in response to both a report from “Chloe’s people” (1:11) about divisions, and a letter the Corinthians had sent him with theological and practical questions (7:1).
The result is a letter addressing an extraordinary breadth of issues — from ego-driven factionalism to incest to lawsuits to marriage to food sacrificed to idols to disorderly worship to the nature of the resurrection. Each answer flows from a common theological well: the cross. The “word of the cross” (1:18) is Paul’s master key — it inverts the world’s wisdom, redefines power as weakness, and sets the standard for all Christian community.
Chapters 1–4 address divisions in the church: parties forming around Paul, Apollos, and Peter. Paul’s answer: the cross levels all human wisdom and status. He and Apollos are merely servants; God is the builder. Chapters 5–6 tackle sexual immorality (a man living with his father’s wife — 5:1) and lawsuits between believers. Chapter 7 answers questions on marriage: the goodness of celibacy; the sanctity of existing marriages; divorce; widows. Chapters 8–10 wrestle with food offered to idols — the principle of “knowledge puffs up, but love builds up” (8:1). Chapter 11 addresses the Lord’s Supper — the most detailed description of communion in the NT, including the institution of the Supper (11:23–26). Chapters 12–14 address spiritual gifts — the body metaphor (12), the supremacy of love (13), and the ordering of tongues and prophecy in worship (14). Chapter 15 is one of the greatest theological chapters in the NT — the resurrection: if Christ is not raised, our faith is futile; the sequence of resurrection; the resurrection body; “O death, where is thy sting?” Chapter 16 closes with collection instructions and personal greetings.
Key Characters
| Character | Role | Key Passages |
|---|---|---|
| Paul | Author; founding apostle of the Corinthian church | 1:1; 3:6; 15:3–10 |
| Sosthenes | Co-sender; possibly the synagogue ruler of Acts 18:17 | 1:1 |
| Apollos | Eloquent Alexandrian teacher; some followers in Corinth | 1:12; 3:4–6; 16:12 |
| Cephas (Peter) | Another party faction in Corinth | 1:12; 9:5; 15:5 |
| Chloe’s People | Those who reported the divisions to Paul | 1:11 |
| Stephanas | First convert in Achaia; his household came to visit Paul | 1:16; 16:15–17 |
| Fortunatus & Achaicus | Companions of Stephanas | 16:17 |
Key Events
| Event | Reference | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Division in the church rebuked | 1:10–17 | ”Is Christ divided?” — The cross levels all human boasting |
| The wisdom of the cross | 1:18–31 | Foolishness to the world; God chose the weak things |
| Paul’s gospel of Christ crucified | 2:1–5 | Not with eloquence; in weakness, fear, trembling; Spirit’s power |
| Spiritual maturity and milk/solid food | 3:1–4 | Carnal; can’t receive strong meat; still mere infants |
| God’s building / foundation only one | 3:10–15 | Foundation is Christ; each must build carefully; tested by fire |
| Sexual immorality addressed | 5:1–13 | Man with father’s wife; hand over to Satan; clean out the leaven |
| Lawsuits between believers | 6:1–8 | Shame; better to be wronged; saints will judge the world |
| Bodies are temples | 6:19–20 | Flee immorality; you are not your own; bought with a price |
| On marriage and singleness | 7:1–40 | Both honorable; present distress; let each man be fully convinced |
| Knowledge vs. love in idol meat | 8:1–11:1 | Strong don’t cause weak to stumble; all things lawful but not helpful |
| The Lord’s Supper institution | 11:23–26 | ”This do in remembrance of me”; judgment for unworthy eating |
| Spiritual gifts and the body | 12:1–31 | One Spirit, many gifts; one body, many members; none can say “I have no need” |
| The Love Chapter | 13:1–13 | Without love, nothing; love’s attributes; “the greatest of these is charity” |
| Tongues and prophecy ordered | 14:1–40 | Prophecy > tongues without interpretation; let all be done decently |
| Resurrection of the Dead | 15:1–58 | 500+ witnesses; if not raised, we are pitiable; resurrection body; “O death, where is thy sting?” |
| Collection for Jerusalem | 16:1–4 | First day of week; proportional giving; Paul’s travel plans |
Chapter Outline
| Chapter | Section | Summary |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Divisions & the Cross | Paul’s thankfulness; party spirit rebuked; cross inverts wisdom |
| 2 | Spirit-Given Wisdom | Not eloquence; demonstration of Spirit; “we have the mind of Christ” |
| 3–4 | The Church is God’s | Servants not masters; foundation is Christ; God is the judge |
| 5–6 | Holiness in Community | Discipline the immoral; no lawsuits; body is temple |
| 7 | Marriage & Singleness | Honor both; abide in calling; each has their gift |
| 8–10 | Love-Limited Liberty | Idol meat; don’t cause weak to fall; all for God’s glory |
| 11 | Worship Order | Headcoverings; Lord’s Supper institution and abuse |
| 12 | Spiritual Gifts | One Spirit; one body; diversity of gifts; none dispensable |
| 13 | The Way of Love | Greatest chapter — love’s necessity, nature, and permanence |
| 14 | Orderly Worship | Prophecy preferred; tongues need interpretation; all done decently |
| 15 | Resurrection | Historical basis; sequence; resurrection body; death defeated |
| 16 | Collection & Closing | Giving; travel plans; Apollos; final greetings |
Cross-References
Old Testament:
- Isaiah 29:14 — “Wisdom of the wise will perish” (1:19)
- Psalm 118:22 — Cornerstone rejected (3:11 context)
- Jeremiah 9:24 — “Let him who boasts, boast in the Lord” (1:31)
- Isaiah 25:8; Hosea 13:14 — Death swallowed up; “O death, where is thy sting?” (15:54–55)
- Psalm 110:1 — “Till he has put all enemies under his feet” (15:25)
New Testament:
- 2 Corinthians — Companion letter; written after this one
- Romans 8 — Resurrection body; new creation
- 1 Thessalonians 4 — Resurrection/rapture parallel
Key Verses
“For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God.” — 1 Corinthians 1:18
“Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal.” — 1 Corinthians 13:1
“Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up.” — 1 Corinthians 13:4
“For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures.” — 1 Corinthians 15:3–4
“O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.” — 1 Corinthians 15:55–57
Notes & Reflections
- 1 Corinthians 15:3–8 contains what most scholars consider the earliest creedal formula in the NT — the resurrection appearances, probably formulated within 3–5 years of the resurrection itself
- The Love Chapter (13) is not a parenthetical — it is the structural center of the gifts section (12 and 14 bracket it), making love the interpretive framework for all spiritual gifts
- Paul’s statement that he received the Lord’s Supper tradition “from the Lord” (11:23) is remarkable — either direct revelation or the formalized tradition tracing back to Jesus himself
- The resurrection body (15:35–57) — Paul uses three analogies (seeds, flesh types, celestial vs. terrestrial bodies) to explain continuity + transformation; “spiritual body” (sōma pneumatikon) means Spirit-animated, not immaterial
- Corinth is notable as having the most women mentioned by name in any NT church — Chloe (1:11), and in Romans 16 (written from Corinth), at least 10 women co-workers
Sequential Connections
- Preceded by: Romans in canonical order; likely written before Romans in chronological order
- Companion to: 2 Corinthians — Sequel letter to same church
- Church background: Acts 18:1–18 — Paul’s founding 18-month stay in Corinth
- Followed by: 2 Corinthians
Tags
NewTestament PaulineEpistle 1Corinthians Unity Gifts Love Resurrection LordSupper Body CrossWisdom Charisma