Standing Together – 1 Corinthians Bible Study

Bible Study – Sundays, following worship (approx. 10:30 am) in the worship stream.

In approximately 53 AD, the Apostle Paul wrote a letter to the church at Corinth. He had founded the church a few years earlier, during the approximately eighteen months he lived there. After Paul’s departure, some controversies and practices arose that needed correction, so he wrote what we know as 1 Corinthians.

Among the issues was the influence of the culture in which they lived. Corinth had a reputation. The church was not as different from the community as they should have been. Immorality was infecting the church. Another issue was division within the church; there were factions who followed different leaders. Some followed Paul, others Apollos, others Cephas (Peter), and others followed Christ. But Paul wanted them all to follow Jesus only – without the factions and divisions that were there. He argued that their leaders should be seen as servants of Christ.

There were also practices within the church that Paul addressed – worship elements including the Lord’s Supper needed to be done in good order. Paul’s instructions in chapter 11 are influential in our understanding of the Sacrament. The theology of 1 Corinthians includes the “great resurrection chapter” – chapter 15.

Unity within the church is as important as ever. Factions and divisions have no place among us. Using this nearly two-thousand-year-old letter, we will learn what Paul wrote and apply it to the church today. You are encouraged to join the Bible Class each Sunday. Let’s learn and grow in faith together.