Pauline Epistles · New Testament

The Book of 1 Corinthians

First Corinthians addresses divisions, immorality, and doctrinal confusion in the church at Corinth, calling believers to unity, holiness, and the proper use of spiritual gifts.

Chapters
16
Testament
New
Category
Pauline Epistles
Traditional Author
Traditionally attributed to the apostle Paul

Overview

Paul writes to a church plagued by factions, sexual immorality, lawsuits among believers, and confusion about marriage, food offered to idols, public worship, spiritual gifts, and the resurrection. He rebukes the Corinthians for their divisions and calls them to be unified in Christ. He provides teaching on the Lord's Supper, the body of Christ, and the supremacy of love. The book contains the great resurrection chapter, affirming that Christ has been raised from the dead and that believers will also be raised.

Key Themes

  • Unity in the body of Christ
  • Holiness and sexual purity
  • The proper use of spiritual gifts
  • The supremacy of love
  • The resurrection of the dead

Key Verses

"Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things."

1 Corinthians 13:4-7 (NKJV)

"O Death, where is your sting? O Hades, where is your victory? The sting of death is sin, and the strength of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ."

1 Corinthians 15:55-57 (NKJV)

How It Applies Today

First Corinthians challenges believers to pursue unity rather than division and to let love govern every action, gift, and relationship. Paul's teaching on the body of Christ reminds the church that every member has value and a role to play. The resurrection chapter provides unshakable hope that death does not have the final word for those who are in Christ.