First Corinthians - Introduction and Outline

 Written by: The Apostle Paul

When: about 54-56 A.D. Most likely during the third year of his stay in Ephesus, per most dictionaries or commentaries. 

Message and Purpose:Main theme: “All believers belong to the Lord. Jesus is Lord: believers are His possession. Whatever the issue, the answer was always addressed with a reminder of the Lord’s authority over them...

Paul’s purpose in writing: This first letter to the Corinthians was to motivate the Corinthian church to acknowledge the Lord’s ownership of them and the implications this had in their lives. Key topics Paul addresses in this overarching theme of the ownership and authority of the Lord include:

• Christian unity, 
• morality, 
• the role of women, 
• spiritual gifts, and the resurrection... 

Paul gave specific solutions to specific problems, but the underlying answer to all these problems is for the church and its members to live Christ-centered lives. It all comes down to living under the lordship and authority of Christ, the head of His body (the church).”

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Note: My intent was to have each section of verses of the chapter in italics, with discussion following. If there were significant phrases or words, these are handled separately, and will be shown italicized and bold. Verses quoted as reference or explanation will be italics with the address bold.

Please forgive fractured grammar, and partial sentences. These were notes written as I thought and prayed during the study. The truncated written thought was fully developed in my mind, or so I like to believe.

ISSUES COVERED IN 1 CORINTHIANS. 
• Denominations (Divisions) Based on Personalitiy, e.g., pastor or evangelist
• Worldly wisdom - 1:19-31 
• Spiritual wisdom - ch. 2
• Fleshly Behavior - 3:1-23 
• Stewardship - ch. 4 
• Immorality - ch. 5 
• Airing differences before non-believers - 6
• Lack of Moral Purity - 6
• Marriage/Husbands /Wives - 7
• Idols and Arrogance - 8, 10
• Support of Missionaries - 9
• Communion - 11
• Spiritual Gifts - 12, 14
• Tongues - 14
• Doctrinal Issues - 15

 

Outline of Paul's First Letter to the church in Corinth
Chap. 1 1:1-3 - Hello. It’s Paul 1:4-9 - Enriched in Jesus 1:10-17 - Divisions 1:18-25 - Wisdom 1:26-31 - God’s Wisdom	Chap. 9 9:1-6 - Support Paul & Barnabas 9:7-11 - Soldiers & Oxen 9:12-18 - My Reward 9:19-23 - For Gospel’s Sake 9:24-27 - Discipline to Win
Chap. 2 2:1-5 - Spiritual Wisdom and power in Christ crucified 2:6-9 - Wisdom in a Mystery 2:10-16 - Wisdom revealed by the Holy Spirit	Chap. 10 10:1-5 - Our Ancestors 10:6-11 - Examples for Us 10:12-13 - Temptation is Normal 10:14-22 - Idols Are Not All that Important 10:23-33 - Do All to Glory
Chap. 3 3:1-9 - You Are Fleshly 3:10-15 - Built on Christ’s Foundation 3:16-17 - Temple of God 3:18-23 - You Belong to Christ	Chap. 11 11:1-2 - Imitators of Christ 11:3-7 - Spiritual Hierarchy 11:8-16 - Praying Men & Women 11:17-19 - Who is right; who is Wrong 11:20-26 - Communion 11:27-34 - Lord’s Supper
Chap. 4 4:1-5 - We Are Servants 4:6-8 - Fools, Do not be Arrogant 4:9-13 - Working to build you up 4:14-21 - Admonishments	Chap. 12 12:1-3 - Be Led by the Holy Spirit 12:4-7 - Holy Spirit is for your Benefit 12:8-11 - Spiritual Gifts 12:12-13 - Baptized into the Body 12:14-20 - Body 12:21-25 - Care for Every Member 12:26-31 - Seek Greater Gifts
Chap. 5 - Rules For harmonious living 5:1-5 - Immorality and Arrogance 5:6-8 - Clean Out 5:9-13 - Keep the House Clean	Chap. 13 13:1-3 - Without Love 13:4-8 - Love is... 13:9-13 - When Perfect Comes
Chap. 6 - Rules for harmonious living 6:1-8 - Going to Court 6:9-11 - Inheritors of the Kingdom 6:12-13 - All Things Lawful 6:14-20 - In the Body of Christ	Chap. 14 14:1-5 - Prophecy vs. Tongues 14:6-9 - Understandable Tongues 14:10-14 - Language must have meaning 14:15-19 - Spiritual Gifts 14:20-25 - Tongues 14:26-33 - Edification 14:34-35 - Keep Quiet 14:36-40 - Do Things Properly
Chap. 7 7:1-6 - Marry or Immorality - your choice 7:7-9 - If Possible 7:10-16 - Married to an Unbeliever 7:17-24 - As You Were 7:25-35 - Demands of Marriage 7:36-38 - Virgin Daughters 7:39-40 - Widows and Re-Marriage/td>	Chap. 15 15:1-2 - Hold Fast 15:3-8 - Gospel 15:9-11 - Labor 15:12-19 - Christ is Risen 15:20-28 - Christ Reigns 15:29-34 - Baptism 15:35-41 - Resurrected 15:42-49 - Perishable vs. Imperishable 15:50-58 - Flesh & Blood
Chap. 8 8:1-6 - Sacrifice to Idols 8:7-13 - Use Knowledge Wisely	Chap. 16 16:1-9 - Offerings 16:10-12 - Timothy Coming 16:13-14 - Be Ready in Love 16:15-18 - Shout Outs 16:19-24 - Closing

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Note 1: Most of the New Testament writings, which comprise the Holy Scripture of the Church, were written between 45-70 A.D. The last writing was the Revelation to John, believed to have been written about 90-95 A.D. Most of the letters by Paul, Peter, etc., were written before the any of the Gospels. First Corinthians and 1 Thessalonians may have been the first of the church writings. I use ‘may have’, and ‘probably’ because we rely on information and confirmation of scripture by church fathers and leaders who lived many, many years after the beginnings of the Christian church. The Gospels were written by men who had either met Jesus personally, or got ‘first-person’ evidence from men who had spent time with Jesus. All of the letters were written by men who knew Jesus personally. Paul is a special case, in that he had a personal encounter on the road to Damascus, and then was taught by Jesus for a period of time.