Church unity
‘I am of Paul, of Apollos, of Cephas’ rebuked by the cross itself — one loaf, one body.
New Testament · Book 46 of 66
1 Corinthians
A pastoral letter answering a long list of questions and problems — unity, ethics, worship, and the resurrection — written to a gifted but divided church.
16
Chapters
7
Church problems
1
Resurrection argument
“And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity. ”
Seven Problems, One Letter
A pastoral response to a list of questions and conflicts — each block opens at the chapter where Paul's answer begins.
Divisions1–4
Factions named. Wisdom of the cross against the wisdom of the age.
Sexual ethics5–7
Incest, lawsuits, bodies as temples; marriage and singleness.
Food offered to idols8–10
Knowledge puffs up, love edifies. Liberty bounded by the weaker brother.
Worship and order11–14
Head coverings, Lord's Supper, gifts, love, prophecy, tongues.
Resurrection15
The gospel's content. First-fruits. The last Adam. The body raised.
Collection16
The offering for saints; final greetings.
Disputation and doctrine, ethics and order — with the love chapter (13) and the resurrection chapter (15) at its centre.
- Author
- Paul, with Sosthenes (1:1)
- Date
- c. AD 55, from Ephesus
- Audience
- The church at Corinth — a gifted, factious, morally compromised congregation
- Position
- New Testament · Book 46 of 66
Structure
- Divisions in the church1–4
Factions named; the wisdom of the cross against the wisdom of the age.
- Sexual ethics5–7
Incest confronted; lawsuits; the body is the Lord's; marriage, singleness, and calling.
- Food offered to idols8–10
Knowledge puffs up, love edifies; Christian liberty bounded by the weaker brother.
- Worship and order11–14
Head coverings, the Lord's Supper, spiritual gifts, the love chapter, prophecy and tongues.
- Resurrection15
The gospel received and preached; first-fruits; the last Adam; the body raised.
- Collection and greetings16
The collection for saints; travel plans; final exhortations.
Section pages
Each section is one focused part of 1 Corinthians — purpose, key movements, key verses, Christ-in-this-section. Roughly five minutes each.
Themes
Sexual ethics
Bodies members of Christ, temples of the Spirit; marriage, singleness, self-control (ch. 6–7).
Christian liberty
Knowledge is not the last word; Paul becomes all things to all men for the gospel (ch. 8–10).
Love as the more excellent way
Chapter 13 binds the gifts to their only fruitful use.
Spiritual gifts
The body and its members; orderly prophecy; the intelligibility of worship (ch. 12, 14).
Resurrection of the dead
If Christ be not risen, preaching is vain; but now is Christ risen — firstfruits of them that slept (ch. 15).
If you only read a few chapters
- 1Foolishness of the crossChrist the power and wisdom of God against the wisdom of the Greeks.
- 7Marriage and singlenessPaul's extended counsel on the calling in which one was called.
- 11The Lord's SupperDiscerning the body; the words of institution; examination.
- 13The love chapterThe more excellent way; faith, hope, charity, and the greatest of these.
- 15The resurrectionThe gospel's content; the order of resurrection; the body that is raised.