The Book of 1 Corinthians
Paul's first letter to the Corinthians addresses a deeply divided, gifted, dysfunctional church — and includes the famous 'love chapter' (1 Corinthians 13) read at weddings around the world.
- Testament
- New (16 chapters)
- Type
- Epistle
- Author
- Paul, with co-author Sosthenes.
- Date
- About 54-55 AD, from Ephesus.
Christ crucified as the foundation
Corinth was obsessed with wisdom, status and spectacle. Paul refuses to compete: 'For I determined not to know any thing among you, save Jesus Christ, and him crucified' (2:2). The cross is foolishness to the wise and a stumbling-block to the powerful — and the power of God.
Love above all gifts
Chapter 13's hymn to love — 'though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass' — is the most quoted chapter on love in any literature. In context it is a corrective: gifts without love build nothing.
Key verses (KJV)
“Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not... beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.” — 1 Corinthians 13:4-7 (KJV)
“For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's.” — 1 Corinthians 6:20 (KJV)
“And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity.” — 1 Corinthians 13:13 (KJV)
How to read 1 Corinthians
Read 1 Corinthians 13 (love) and 15 (resurrection) first — they are two of the most-quoted chapters in all Scripture. Then read straight through to see Paul applying the cross to every messy issue in a real church.
Read 1 Corinthians on your iPhone
Read the full book of 1 Corinthians in Quiethaven — choose your translation, read offline, and pick up where you left off. Pair it with a daily verse and a prayer timer.
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