1 CorinthiansStudy Guide

Chapter 1

Themes, discussion questions, Christ connections, and denomination lenses.

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Scripture

KJV

1Paul, called to be an apostle of Jesus Christ through the will of God, and Sosthenes our brother,

2Unto the church of God which is at Corinth, to them that are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints, with all that in every place call upon the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, both theirs and ours:

3Grace be unto you, and peace, from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ.

4I thank my God always on your behalf, for the grace of God which is given you by Jesus Christ;

5That in every thing ye are enriched by him, in all utterance, and in all knowledge;

6Even as the testimony of Christ was confirmed in you:

7So that ye come behind in no gift; waiting for the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ:

8Who shall also confirm you unto the end, that ye may be blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ.

9God is faithful, by whom ye were called unto the fellowship of his Son Jesus Christ our Lord.

10Now I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you; but that ye be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment.

11For it hath been declared unto me of you, my brethren, by them which are of the house of Chloe, that there are contentions among you.

12Now this I say, that every one of you saith, I am of Paul; and I of Apollos; and I of Cephas; and I of Christ.

13Is Christ divided? was Paul crucified for you? or were ye baptized in the name of Paul?

14I thank God that I baptized none of you, but Crispus and Gaius;

15Lest any should say that I had baptized in mine own name.

16And I baptized also the household of Stephanas: besides, I know not whether I baptized any other.

17For Christ sent me not to baptize, but to preach the gospel: not with wisdom of words, lest the cross of Christ should be made of none effect.

18For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God.

19For it is written, I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and will bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent.

20Where is the wise? where is the scribe? where is the disputer of this world? hath not God made foolish the wisdom of this world?

21For after that in the wisdom of God the world by wisdom knew not God, it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe.

22For the Jews require a sign, and the Greeks seek after wisdom:

23But we preach Christ crucified, unto the Jews a stumblingblock, and unto the Greeks foolishness;

24But unto them which are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God, and the wisdom of God.

25Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men; and the weakness of God is stronger than men.

26For ye see your calling, brethren, how that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called:

27But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty;

28And base things of the world, and things which are despised, hath God chosen, yea, and things which are not, to bring to nought things that are:

29That no flesh should glory in his presence.

30But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption:

31That, according as it is written, He that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord.

Key Verse1 Corinthians 1:18

For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God.

Overview

Paul addresses the church at Corinth, giving thanks for God's grace bestowed upon them, before confronting the divisions that have fractured the congregation. Various factions have formed around different leaders — Paul, Apollos, Cephas — and Paul rebukes this party spirit by asking whether Christ is divided. He declares that the preaching of the cross is the power of God, though it appears as foolishness to the world.

Key Themes

1

Divisions in the Church

Paul confronts the Corinthians for splitting into factions around human leaders, reminding them that Christ alone was crucified for them and that unity must center on Him.

2

The Foolishness of the Cross

The message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to those being saved it is the power of God — God has chosen to save the world through what the world considers weak and foolish.

3

God's Wisdom vs. Human Wisdom

God has made foolish the wisdom of this world, choosing the foolish things to confound the wise and the weak things to confound the mighty, so that no flesh should glory in His presence.

Study Questions

1.

Why does Paul emphasize that Christ sent him 'not to baptize, but to preach the gospel' (v. 17), and what does this reveal about priorities in ministry?

2.

How does the message of the cross appear as 'foolishness' to the world today, and how should Christians respond to this perception?

3.

What does it mean that God chose the 'foolish things of the world to confound the wise' (v. 27), and how does this challenge worldly values?

4.

How do divisions based on human leaders still manifest in the church today, and what is Paul's remedy?

5.

Why does Paul say that Christ is made unto us 'wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption' (v. 30)?

Connection to Christ

Paul declares that Christ crucified is the power of God and the wisdom of God. Jesus is the one foundation upon which the church is built, and He has been made unto believers wisdom, righteousness, sanctification, and redemption, so that all boasting is in the Lord alone.

Personal Reflection

Take time to journal or meditate on what God is teaching you through 1 Corinthians 1. How can these truths transform your thinking and actions today?

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