Bible Book: I Corinthians

Because the Bible is practical, here is an overview of the book.

Author: Paul

Type of Book: Epistle

Outline
Introduction (1:1-9)
Discussion of Problems About Which Paul Had Been Informed (1:10-6:20)
Divisions in the Church (1:10-4:21)
The Problem of Divisions (1:10-17)
The Causes of the Divisions (1:18-4:5)
Misconceptions About the Christian Message (1:18-3:4)
Misconceptions About Christian Ministry (3:5-4:5)
An Appeal to End the Divisions (4:6-21)
Principle: The church as the one body of Christ (cf. 12:12ff) should not be split into separate parts (1:10, 13)
Moral and Ethical Problems in the Church (5:1-6:20)
Gross Negligence in Church Discipline (5:1-13)
Public Lawsuits Between Christians (6:1-11)
Sexual Misuse of the Body (6:12-20)
Principle: Those who have a personal relationship with Christ should conduct themselves in ways that honor him (6:17, 20)
Answers to Questions About Which the Corinthians Had Written (7:1-16:9)
Questions Concerning Marriage (7:1-40)
Marriage and Singleness (7:1-9)
Christian Obligations in Marriage (7:10-16)
Principle of Contentment (7:17-24)
Advice to the Unmarried (7:25-38)
Instruction About Remarriage (7:39-40)
Principle: God gives some the gift of a spouse; to others he gives the gift of remaining single (7:7, 32)
Questions Concerning Christian Freedom and Questionable Practices (8:1-11:1)
The Problem of Food Offered to Idols (8:1-13)
The Disciplined Use of Freedom (9:1-27)
A Warning Against Overconfidence (10:1-13)
The Incompatibility of Idol Feasts and the Lord’s Supper (10:14-23)
Some General Principles and Practical Advice (10:24-11:1)
Principle: Do everything to honor God and to benefit others; do nothing to compromise your or another’s relationship with Christ (9:24-27; 10:31-32)
Questions Concerning Public Worship (11:2-14:40)
Modesty and Respect in Worship (11:2-16)
Behavior at the Lord’s Supper (11:17-34)
The Benefits and Use of Spiritual Gifts (12:1-14:40)
The Qualification of the Gifts (12:1-3)
The Unity of the Gifts (12:4-11)
The Diversity of the Gifts (12:12-31a)
The Necessity of Using the Gifts in Love (12:31b-13:13)
The Benefit of Prophecy Over Tongues (14:1-25)
Rules Regarding Public Worship (14:26-40)
Principle: Worship services should be conducted in an appropriate and orderly manner (14:40)
Questions Concerning the Resurrection (15:1-58)
How Can Some Say There Is No Resurrection of the Dead? (15:12)
A. The Certainty of the Resurrection (15:1-34)
How Are the Dead Raised? With What Kind of Body Will They Come? (15:35)
A. The Nature of the Resurrected Body (15:35-57)
Conclusion to the Question (15:58)
Principle: Christ’s resurrection from the dead guarantees the resurrection of his followers when he returns (15:22-23)
Questions Concerning the Offering for the Jerusalem Church (16:1-9)
Final Instructions (16:10-24)

Theme: Church Problems and Solutions

Date of Writing: A.D. 55/56

Background
    Corinth, an ancient city of Greece, was in many ways the most prominent Greek city of Paul’s time. As one might find in many of today’s prosperous cities, Corinthians were extremely proud of their intellect, could boast of great wealth and were morally corrupt. Every kind of wickedness and corruption was found in this city that was known for satisfying its every desire.
    Along with Priscilla and Aquila (16:19) and his own pioneer ministry team (Ac 18:5), Paul started the Corinthian church during his eighteen-month ministry in Corinth on his second missionary journey (Ac 18:1-17; see map of Paul’s Second Missionary Journey). The church included Jews, but mostly Gentiles (i.e., Greeks, non-Jews) who had come out of a pagan background (i.e., involvement with religions or lifestyles that reject the true God or follow many false “gods”). After Paul left Corinth, a variety of problems arose in the young church requiring his God-given authority and teaching, both in writing and in person.
    The first letter to the Corinthians was written during Paul’s three-year ministry at Ephesus (Ac 20:31) on his third missionary journey (Ac 18:23-21:16; see map of Paul’s Third Missionary Journey). Reports reached Paul in Ephesus about the problems in Corinth (1Co 1:11). Later, representatives from the Corinthian congregation (16:17) delivered a letter to Paul, requesting his instruction on a variety of issues (7:1; cf. 8:1; 12:1; 16:1). In response to the reports and the letter, Paul wrote this letter to the church in Corinth.

Purpose
    Paul had two primary reasons in mind as he wrote this letter: (1) He wanted to correct the serious problems in the church that had been reported to him. The Corinthian Christians seemed to view some of these issues lightly, but Paul saw them as problems and serious violations of God’s standards. (2) He also wanted to provide godly counsel and instruction on a variety of questions the Corinthians had raised in their letter to him. These included issues of Christian belief and teaching, as well as issues of behavior and moral purity involving specific individuals and the congregation as a whole.

Survey
    This letter addresses the kinds of problems that churches experience when members remain “worldly” (3:1-3) and do not deliberately distinguish themselves from the ungodly beliefs, behaviors and lifestyles of the society around them (2Co 6:17). There were problems of conflicts and divisions based on personality and social class (1:10-13; 11:17-22), tolerance of unnatural sexual behavior among church and family members (5:1-13), sexual misconduct in general (6:12-20), public lawsuits between Christians (6:1-11), personal ideas and opinions that distorted God’s truth (ch. 15) and conflicts about “Christian freedom” and questionable behavior (chs. 8; 10). Paul also instructs the Corinthians about matters related to marriage and singleness (ch. 7), public worship, including the Lord’s Supper (chs. 11-14), and the offering for the Jerusalem Christians who were in need (16:1-4).
    Among the most important contributions of 1 Corinthians is Paul’s teaching on the gifts of the Holy Spirit (i.e., God-given abilities for the purpose of honoring Christ and benefiting others) in the church worship setting (chs. 12-14). More than anywhere else in the NT, these chapters provide insight into how worship took place in the early church (cf. 14:26-33). Paul teaches that God’s purpose for the church includes a wide variety of the Holy Spirit’s works through faithful Christians (12:4-10) who are gifted and appointed by God for certain ministries (12:28-30; see charts of The Gifts of the Holy Spirit, and The Work of the Holy Spirit). Paul illustrates this by making an analogy between individual members in the church and the various parts of a physical body, all of which are important but with different functions to benefit the body as a whole (12:12-27). In providing guidelines for the exercise of spiritual gifts in the congregational setting, Paul makes a distinction between how individuals benefit and how the whole church benefits from the gifts (14:2-6, 12, 16-19, 26). He insists that all public expressions of spiritual gifts must flow out of love and consideration for others (ch. 13) and that they must be used in a way that benefits and builds up the congregation (12:7; 14:4-6, 26; see article on Spiritual gifts for believers).

Special Features
    Five major features characterize 1 Corinthians. (1) It is the most problem-centered letter in the NT. In addressing the various problems and issues in Corinth, Paul gives clear and enduring spiritual principles (see the outline) that still have meaning and application for all Christian churches today (e.g., 1:10; 6:17, 20; 7:7; 9:24-27; 10:31-32; 14:1-10; 15:22-23). (2) There is an overall emphasis on the unity of the local church as the body of Christ—a body with many members or parts, but a unified purpose to honor Christ and spread his message in the community and the world (see article on The Church). This focus on the church as a unified body occurs in discussions about divisions, the Lord’s Supper (i.e., communion) and spiritual gifts. (3) This letter contains the most extensive NT teaching on such important subjects as celibacy (i.e., singleness), marriage and remarriage (ch. 7); the Lord’s Supper (10:16-21; 11:17-34); speaking in tongues, prophecy and spiritual gifts operating in worship gatherings (chs. 12; 14); true godly love (ch. 13); and the resurrection of the body (ch. 15). (4) It provides wisdom for pastors and church leaders about methods and principles of church discipline (ch. 5). (5) It emphasizes the real possibility of people turning away from once-genuine faith in Christ if they continue in ungodly behavior and do not follow Christ wholeheartedly (6:9-10; 9:24-27; 10:5-12, 20-21; 15:1-2; see article on Individual Apostasy).

Giving credit where credit is due.  These informational notes about this book come from the Full Life Study Bible, also known as the Fire Bible.  Don Stamps, editor.  Originally published by Life Publishers.