So, you think your church has problems? In his first letter to the church in Corinth, Paul is dealing with significant challenges: divisions in the congregation, sexual immorality, lawsuits between brothers, disorder in the worship, problems with the Lord’s supper, and misunderstanding of the resurrection, just to name a few. Studying the book of 1 Corinthians is extremely practical. Paul provided clear instruction to the church in many specific areas, that the Church might be filled with and led by the Holy Spirit. In this twenty-lesson series, we must determine whether Paul’s encouragement, instruction and exhortation were meant to be limited to this one particular church in Corinth around 54 A.D., or whether this teaching applies to all churches for all time.
In this passage, we are inspired by Paul's example to win people to Christ. Paul puts forth his example as a self-supporting minister (as a tent-maker) and his commitment to "become all things to all men" that he might "by all means save some." What does this example look like? Why does Paul choose this lifestyle?
In this passage of Scripture, Paul warns the Corinthians of sins that can destroy their relationship with God and disqualify them from the ultimate prize of eternal life. Paul uses four examples, including the story of the Israelites escaping from Egypt and wandering through the desert, to teach us to persevere to the end. Paul's instruction
In this passage, Paul tells the Church that a man who prays with his head covered dishonors his head, which is Christ, and a woman who prays with her head uncovered dishonors her head, which is man. In addition to telling who should cover and uncover, Paul tells the Church when and why. Was this
1 Corinthians 11:1-16 - Covering and Uncovering when We Pray (2016) View Lesson
1 Corinthians 11:1-16 - Covering and Uncovering when We Pray (2016) View Lesson
In this passage, Paul tells the Corinthian Church that some of them are weak, ill, and spiritually asleep (dead) because of their failure to properly celebrate the Lord's Supper. He then explains how the Lord's Supper can bring life. This lesson is divided into three parts: 1) Paul's rebuke of the Church (with specifics as
1 Corinthians 11:17-34 - The Lord's Supper (2016) View Lesson
1 Corinthians 11:17-34 - The Lord's Supper (2016) View Lesson
In chapter twelve, Paul turns his attention to the miraculous gifts of the Holy Spirit. What does the Bible teach about the miraculous gifts, including gifts of healing, speaking in tongues, and the working of miracles? Are these spiritual gifts available today? Some Christians understand the miraculous gifts to have died within a generation of
1 Corinthians 12 - The Miraculous Gifts of the Holy Spirit & Church Unity (2016) View Lesson
1 Corinthians 12 - The Miraculous Gifts of the Holy Spirit & Church Unity (2016) View Lesson
Through the first eleven chapters of his first letter to the Corinthians, Paul addresses significant challenges and problems in the church. In 1 Corinthians 12 he turns to spiritual gifts, their importance in building up the Church, and how essential the Corinthians are to one another. Now, in 1 Corinthians 13, Paul turns to "a more
1 Corinthians 14:1-33 includes two somewhat controversial issues: speaking in tongues and what it was like when Christians came together for worship. The lesson addresses three questions in regards to the gift of tongues: 1) What is speaking in tongues? 2) What was the purpose of speaking in tongues? and 3) Is speaking in tongues available to
1 Corinthians 14:1-33 - The Gift of Tongues and the Church Meeting (2016) View Lesson
1 Corinthians 14:1-33 - The Gift of Tongues and the Church Meeting (2016) View Lesson
In this passage, Paul instructs the church in Corinth that their women should keep silent in the church, that they are to be submissive, and they are to learn from their husbands. He goes on further to state that it is shameful for women to speak in church. Does Paul really mean this? Was this
1 Corinthians 14:34-39 - Women Speaking in Church (2016) View Lesson
1 Corinthians 14:34-39 - Women Speaking in Church (2016) View Lesson
After addressing many issues in the church in Corinth, Paul turns to one last problem, that some Christians in the church did not believe in the resurrection of the dead. Paul spends an entire chapter explaining the centrality of the resurrection to the Christian faith, including what raised from the dead means and why it
1 Corinthians 15 (pt. 1) - The Resurrection of the Dead (2016) View Lesson
1 Corinthians 15 (pt. 1) - The Resurrection of the Dead (2016) View Lesson
Paul spends an entire chapter on the resurrection of the dead. In the previous lesson, we provided an overview of chapter fifteen with its key themes. In this lesson, we dig deeper into the chapter to explore further why a correct understanding of the resurrection is so central to the Christian faith and obedience to