Book of 1 Corinthians Summary: The Gospel in a Divided Church

Book of 1 Corinthians Summary: The Gospel in a Divided Church

1 Corinthians is a letter from Paul to the church in Corinth, a wealthy, diverse, and notoriously immoral port city. The church reflected its culture: divided, proud, morally compromised, and confused about spiritual gifts, worship, and resurrection.

Paul’s letter confronts sin, corrects errors, and calls the church to unity under Christ. At the same time, it provides some of the most important teaching in the New Testament on love, worship, and the resurrection.

Etymology of the Title

• Named after the recipients: the church in Corinth, a major Greek city.

• Greek: Πρὸς Κορινθίους Αʹ (Pros Korinthious A) — “To the Corinthians (first letter).”

Author and Date

Written by Paul the apostle around A.D. 55 during his stay in Ephesus (cf. Acts 19).

Early church testimony is unanimous. Clement of Rome (c. 96) appeals to 1 Corinthians to correct division in the Roman church, showing its early authority. Irenaeus (c. 180) cites it extensively, and Tertullian (c. 200) refers to it as Scripture.

Acts Connection

Acts records Paul’s arrival in Corinth during his second missionary journey (Acts 18:1–18). He stayed there for eighteen months, working with Aquila and Priscilla and establishing the church amid significant opposition. Later, while in Ephesus on his third journey (Acts 19), Paul writes back to the Corinthians, addressing their divisions, moral issues, and doctrinal confusion. Acts gives us the raw backdrop of persecution and cultural challenges that explain many of the tensions Paul confronts in 1 Corinthians.

Distinguishing Features Compared to Other Letters

• Paul addresses a chaotic, divided church, making it intensely practical.

  
  

• Contains the “love chapter” (1 Cor. 13) — often quoted but rarely applied correctly.

  
  

• Preserves the earliest written summary of the gospel and resurrection witnesses (1 Cor. 15) — predating the Gospels in written form.

  
  

• Provides detailed teaching on spiritual gifts and worship practices.

Movements of the Letter

1. Divisions in the Church (Ch. 1–4)

The Corinthians were aligning themselves with different leaders — Paul, Apollos, Cephas — creating factions. Paul rebukes this pastor-worship, insisting the church belongs to Christ, not personalities.

Key Verse: “For Christ didn’t send me to baptize, but to preach the Good News — and not with clever speech, for fear that the cross of Christ would lose its power.” (1 Cor. 1:17, NLT)

• Parallels: echoes Jesus’ teaching against divided loyalties (Matt. 6:24).

2. Discipline and Holiness (Ch. 5–6)

Paul commands the church to remove a man engaged in incest, “handing him over to Satan” for the destruction of the flesh — shocking language that underscores the seriousness of unrepentant sin. In chapter 6, Paul condemns sexual immorality, including homosexuality, and reminds them they were “washed, sanctified, justified” in Christ.

Key Verse: “Don’t you realize that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and was given to you by God?” (1 Cor. 6:19, NLT)

3. Marriage, Divorce, and Singleness (Ch. 7)

Paul addresses questions on marriage. He upholds fidelity, allows separation in cases of unbelieving spouses, and discourages remarriage except in death. His teaching balances realism with devotion to Christ.

Key Verse: “Each of you should continue to live in whatever situation the Lord has placed you, and remain as you were when God first called you.” (1 Cor. 7:17, NLT)

4. Food, Idols, and Christian Freedom (Ch. 8–10)

Paul tackles disputes about eating food offered to idols. Christian freedom must be tempered by love — if eating meat causes a brother to stumble, Paul says he will never eat meat again.

Key Verse: “So whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.” (1 Cor. 10:31, NLT)

5. Worship and Order in the Church (Ch. 11–14)

Paul addresses head coverings and gender roles (11:2–16). Women do pray and prophesy (11:5), which must inform how we read 14:34 about women keeping silent — context and translation suggest wives disrupting judgment of prophecies, not a ban on women speaking at all.

He rebukes abuses at the Lord’s Supper, then teaches extensively on spiritual gifts. Love is the greatest gift (ch. 13), and all gifts must be exercised in order and for edification.

Key Verse: “For God is not a God of disorder but of peace, as in all the meetings of God’s holy people.” (1 Cor. 14:33, NLT)

6. The Resurrection (Ch. 15)

Paul presents the earliest written account of the gospel: Christ died for our sins, was buried, rose on the third day, and appeared to many witnesses. This creed predates the Gospels and is a primary historical document. Without the resurrection, faith is worthless — but Christ is risen.

Key Verse: “And if Christ has not been raised, then your faith is useless and you are still guilty of your sins.” (1 Cor. 15:17, NLT)

7. Closing Exhortations (Ch. 16)

Paul gives practical instructions for the collection for Jerusalem and personal greetings. Even in details, unity and love are central.

Key Verse: “Be on guard. Stand firm in the faith. Be courageous. Be strong. And do everything with love.” (1 Cor. 16:13–14, NLT)

Connections to the Old Testament

• The Passover lamb (Exod. 12) applied to Christ (1 Cor. 5:7).

  
  

• Israel’s wilderness failures serve as warnings (1 Cor. 10).

  
  

• Resurrection imagery from Adam (Gen. 2–3) and Isaiah’s promise of death swallowed up (Isa. 25:8).

Difficult and Shocking Passages

• Pastor worship (1–4): treating leaders as celebrities instead of servants.

  
  

• Handing over to Satan (5:5): discipline as protection and potential restoration.

  
  

• Homosexuality (6:9–11): Paul names it among sins overcome in Christ, challenging both cultural acceptance and despair.

  
  

• Divorce and remarriage (7): limited allowances, highlighting covenant seriousness.

  
  

• Women in church (14:34–35): must be read alongside 11:5 — not a blanket gag order but specific to disruptive judgment of prophecies.

  
  

• Resurrection (15): critical because of its historical significance as a primary creed of the early church.

Common Misreadings

• “Hand over to Satan” (5): seen as cruel, but it’s restorative discipline, not eternal condemnation.

  
  

• “All things are lawful” (6:12): often twisted into license; Paul qualifies, “not everything is beneficial.”

  
  

• Head coverings (11): misread as eternal law; Paul addresses cultural symbols of honor.

  
  

• Women silent (14): taken as universal ban despite 11:5 showing women praying and prophesying.

  
  

• Resurrection (15): some misread it as spiritual only; Paul insists on bodily resurrection.

Key Themes / Theology

• Unity in Christ over division and personality cults.

  
  

• Holiness in sexuality, worship, and community.

  
  

• Spiritual gifts exercised in love and order.

  
  

• The resurrection as the foundation of faith.

  
  

• Love as the supreme ethic.

Application

1 Corinthians calls the church to reject division, immorality, and pride. It reminds us that worship is not self-expression but edification. It challenges modern distortions of sexuality, marriage, and grace, calling believers to holiness. Above all, it proclaims that faith stands or falls on the resurrection of Christ.

Conclusion

1 Corinthians is both a rebuke and an encouragement. It shows the struggles of an early church not so different from today’s — divided, worldly, and confused — yet called to holiness and love. Paul reminds them (and us) that the cross is the power of God, the resurrection the anchor of hope, and love the greatest gift.

“Three things will last forever—faith, hope, and love—and the greatest of these is love.” (1 Cor. 13:13, NLT)