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.
- 16Chapters
- 7Church problems
- 1Resurrection 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.
Factions named. Wisdom of the cross against the wisdom of the age.
Incest, lawsuits, bodies as temples; marriage and singleness.
Knowledge puffs up, love edifies. Liberty bounded by the weaker brother.
Head coverings, Lord's Supper, gifts, love, prophecy, tongues.
The gospel's content. First-fruits. The last Adam. The body raised.
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.
Structure
- 1–4Divisions in the churchFactions named; the wisdom of the cross against the wisdom of the age.
- 5–7Sexual ethicsIncest confronted; lawsuits; the body is the Lord's; marriage, singleness, and calling.
- 8–10Food offered to idolsKnowledge puffs up, love edifies; Christian liberty bounded by the weaker brother.
- 11–14Worship and orderHead coverings, the Lord's Supper, spiritual gifts, the love chapter, prophecy and tongues.
- 15ResurrectionThe gospel received and preached; first-fruits; the last Adam; the body raised.
- 16Collection and greetingsThe 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
Church unity: ‘I am of Paul, of Apollos, of Cephas’ rebuked by the cross itself — one loaf, one body.
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.
Featured studies in this book
The gold numeral is how many passages of 1 Corinthians each study touches — the brighter the border, the deeper it reaches here.
Where 1 Corinthians leads
1,776 cross-references flow out of its 5 heaviest chapters · 8 words are distinctively its own · 3 featured studies cite it.
Counted live from the reference floor (heaviest chapter pairs · tagged word floor · featured-page citations).