New Testament · 16 chapters
1 Corinthians.
First Corinthians addresses division, status, sexual conduct, worship, spiritual gifts, and resurrection in a troubled church. Paul repeatedly turns the community toward the crucified Christ and a way of life governed by love.
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Chapter 1.
Paul confronts divisions organized around prominent teachers and points to the cross. God’s wisdom overturns ordinary measures of strength, status, and achievement.
Read chapter 16 versesChapter 2.
Paul recalls proclaiming Christ without relying on impressive rhetoric. God’s wisdom is made known through the Spirit rather than secured by human prestige.
Read chapter 23 versesChapter 3.
The Corinthians’ rivalries expose immaturity, since ministers are servants working under God. Building and temple images explain both shared responsibility and accountability.
Read chapter 21 versesChapter 4.
Paul describes apostles as accountable stewards rather than celebrities to rank. His hardships challenge the Corinthians’ self-satisfied ideas of spiritual success.
Read chapter 13 versesChapter 5.
A serious case of sexual wrongdoing requires action rather than pride or indifference. Paul distinguishes the church’s responsibility for its members from judgment of outsiders.
Read chapter 20 versesChapter 6.
Believers are challenged over lawsuits against one another and reminded of their changed identity. The body’s relationship to Christ gives weight to sexual conduct.
Read chapterChapter 7.
Paul answers questions about marriage, singleness, separation, and personal circumstances. His counsel seeks faithfulness and undivided devotion within varied situations.
Read chapter 13 versesChapter 8.
Knowledge about idols must be governed by love for other believers. Exercising freedom carelessly can wound someone whose conscience is vulnerable.
Read chapter 27 versesChapter 9.
Paul explains his right to support but describes relinquishing rights for the gospel’s sake. Athletic imagery emphasizes discipline and purposeful service.
Read chapter 33 versesChapter 10.
Israel’s wilderness failures warn against presumption, idolatry, and divided participation in worship. Believers are urged to use freedom for others’ good and God’s glory.
Read chapter 34 versesChapter 11.
Paul addresses conduct in worship and the community’s observance of the Lord’s Supper. Divisions and disregard for poorer members contradict the meaning of their shared meal.
Read chapter 31 versesChapter 12.
Spiritual gifts come from the same Spirit for the common good. The body’s many members illustrate mutual dependence and the need to honor those easily overlooked.
Read chapter 13 versesChapter 13.
Love is indispensable to every spiritual gift and act of service. Its patient, generous character outlasts the partial knowledge and abilities of the present.
Read chapter 40 versesChapter 14.
Paul regulates tongues and prophecy so that gathered worship builds up the community. Understanding, orderly participation, and intelligible speech matter more than display.
Read chapter 58 versesChapter 15.
Christ’s resurrection grounds the believers’ hope and answers claims that there is no resurrection. Paul explains the transformation of the body and the final defeat of death.
Read chapter 24 versesChapter 16.
Instructions concern the collection for believers in Jerusalem, travel plans, and support for fellow workers. Personal greetings close with calls to courage, faithfulness, and love.
Read chapterKing James Version (KJV). Bible text supplied by eBible.org and the CrossWire Bible Society. Summaries are written with AI assistance and are separate from Scripture. Read the chapter itself when considering its meaning.