WRITER, The Apostle Paul.
HISTORICAL OCCASION. The church at Corinth was founded by Paul on his second missionary journey. It had become infected with the evils which surrounded it in a licentious city. The Greeks were proud of their learning and philosophy, but at the same time were addicted to gross immorality. They were especially fond of oratory. It is apparent that Apollos, an eloquent Christian Jew, had come to Corinth and captured the imaginations of the Greek Christians, see
Ac 18:24-28. This fact led to the drawing of comparisons between him, with his silver tongue, and other religious leaders. Especially to the discredit of Paul, whose bodily presence seems not to have been impressive.
See
2Co 10:10
This probably is the clue to the schisms in the church,
1Co 1:11-13
It was the desire of Paul to purify the church from partyism and immorality, which was the primary cause of the writing of the epistle.
THE EPISTLE MAY BE DIVIDED INTO TWO PARTS.
PART 1. MAIN THEME. The cleansing of the Church from False Conceptions of the Ministry, Intellectual Pride, Social Evils, and other disorders, chs. 1-11
1Co 1:1 - 11:1
KEY CHAIN showing the false conceptions of the ministry.
1Co 1:12-17 3:4-7,21,22 4:6,7
SYNOPSIS.
(1) The salutation
1Co 1:1-9
(2) The need of cleansing the church from party divisions, man-worship, and glorying in worldly wisdom
1Co 1:10-31
(3) Paul's exemplary ministry. There was no attempt on his part to display worldly wisdom, but to declare the wisdom of God in a message revealed to him by the Holy Spirit.
1Co 2:1-16
(4) The strife over leaders is a mark of immaturity and carnality
1Co 3:1-8
(5) The True view of the Ministry, Ministers should be regarded:
(a) As dispensers of the truth
1Co 3:1,2
(b) As gardeners
1Co 3:6-8
(c) As co-labourers with God
1Co 3:9
(d) As character builders
1Co 3:10
(e) As stewards
1Co 4:1,2
(f) As sufferers for Christ's sake
1Co 4:9-13
(g) As examples
1Co 4:16-17
(h) As administrators of discipline
1Co 4:18-21
(6) The duty of cleansing the church:
(a) From immorality
1Co 5:1-13
(b) From litigation
1Co 6:1-8
(c) Believers as members of Christ's body and temples of the Holy Spirit, should purify themselves from all sensuality
1Co 6:9-20
(7) The sanctification of marriage and all sexual relationships and the paramount claims of the spiritual life
1Co 7:1-40
(8) Christian Ideals demand the sacrifice of certain rights and privileges for the sake of the ignorant and weak.
For instance, the eating meat that has been offered to idols
1Co 8:1-13
(9) Paul's example of surrender of certain rights and liberties for the sake of winning men to Christ
1Co 9:1-27
(10) Israel's example of infidelity, a warning to the church
1Co 10:1-15
(11) Fellowship at the Sacrament of the Lord's Supper, demands separation from evil associations
1Co 10:16-21
(12) Christian Influence to be guarded in the matters of eating and drinking
1Co 10:23-33
(13) Social customs to be observed in matters of dress
1Co 11:1-16
(14) Cleansing of the church from disorders in connection with the Lord's Supper, and the proper observance of the same
1Co 11:17-34
PART II. Doctrinal Instructions and Advices.
(1) Concerning the diversity of spiritual gifts
1Co 12:1-31
(2) The preëminence of love
1Co 13:1-13
(3) The preëminence of prophecy over the gift of tongues, and the importance of maintaining proper order in the public assemblies
1Co 14:1-40
(4) The doctrine of the resurrection
1Co 15:1-58
(5) Closing instructions and salutations
16:1-24
(Outline
from Thompson’s Chain Reference Bible)