Overview of the Book of 1 Corinthians

The overview of the week for this Sunday is the book of 1st Corinthians. 1st

Corinthians was written by the Apostle Paul somewhere around 56 AD and the theme of the letter is

Christian conduct. Anyone who knows anything about 1st Corinthians, you know that Paul is writing to the church in order to correct and admonish the church because of their their bad

Christian conduct. So Paul was the founder of the Corinthian Church. He established the church during his second missionary journey and sometime later while in Ephesus, Paul received troubling news that there were factions forming in the church.

There was division in the church. False teachers had crept in and led people astray.

There was sexual immorality in the church. It was becoming common. So with those things along with many other things, as the result of hearing this,

Paul decided to write them a letter. Based on the evidence, it appears that Paul actually wrote four letters to the church at Corinth, but two are lost to history.

So what we know as 1st Corinthians is probably the second letter and what we know as 2nd

Corinthians is probably the fourth letter, but whatever the case, Paul reminds them in chapter 1 verse 2 that they were called to be saints.

Then he says in chapter 2 verses 1 and 2, and I, brethren, when I came to you did not come with excellence of speech or wisdom, declaring to you the testimony of God.

In other words, Paul was not an eloquent speaker, as some people are, but he said,

I determined not to know anything else among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified.

What Paul did do was he preached the gospel, and that's the most important thing in churches today, that we are preaching the gospel.

And while the gospel is a free gift by grace alone through faith, Christ does make demands upon us and in our life to live out what we say we believe.

So when church members were refusing to separate themselves from the pagan culture around them,

Paul had something to say about it. One man in the church was even having relations with his stepmother, and Paul demanded that the church put out that man and not let him back in until he turned away from his sin.

Other significant passages include Paul's teaching on the spiritual gifts in chapter 12, there's the love chapter, chapter 13, and then the most important chapter of all in the

Bible on the subject of the resurrection, that's chapter 15. And then Paul ends the book by reminding the church not only of his love for them, but also of God's love for them.

Despite all the church's flaws, Paul still loved them, and God still loved them.

He says in chapter 16, verse 23, the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you.