1 Corinthians

The Story

The church at Corinth was a mess — factions, lawsuits, sexual immorality, communion abuses, and arguments about spiritual gifts. Paul's letter tackles all of it with a combination of tough love and soaring theology. Chapter 13 (the love chapter) isn't just for weddings; it's Paul's answer to every problem in the church. And chapter 15's argument for the resurrection is the foundation of Christian hope: if Christ is not raised, our faith is worthless — but He is raised.

Themes in 1 Corinthians

Timeline & Connections

Written around AD 55, during Paul's stay in Ephesus

Make Me Care

What to do when your church (or your life) is a mess

The Corinthian church had everything — divisions, lawsuits, sexual immorality, arguments about food, people getting drunk at communion. Sound like any group of people you know? Paul doesn't give up on them. He gives them practical guidance for being imperfect people living together under grace. Chapter 13 alone is worth the read.

• Love is patient, love is kind — that's not a wedding reading. It's a lifestyle standard.
• Your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit. What you do with it matters.
• Spiritual gifts aren't for showing off — they're for building others up.
• Without the resurrection, Paul says, our faith is useless. But Christ DID rise. So everything matters.

If you measured your relationships by 1 Corinthians 13 — patient, kind, not keeping score — how would they change?

Read by chapter

Each chapter opens in The SWORD App with full KJV text, AI explanations, and cross-references.