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Book 46 of 66 · Letter of Paul

1 Corinthians

Paul writes to a young, gifted, and divided church in a rich port city. They fight over leaders, sex, food, worship, and who matters most. His answer is love, and a body where every part counts.

The big idea

In short: love the actual person, especially the weaker one. Gifts, knowledge, and freedom mean nothing without love: “the greatest of these is charity” (13:13). Charity here is the old English word for love.

The church is one body. “Whether one member suffer, all the members suffer with it” (12:26).

The rule underneath: Law 2 · Love the actual person

Love the person in front of you: neighbor, stranger, enemy.

Keep it: Trust grows and people are cared for.
Break it: Faith turns into talk, and real people get hurt.

Shows up in: Leviticus, Micah, Luke, Romans, 1 John

Other rules in this book: Image, not tool, Protect the weakest

Live it: Playbook 02 · How to love

4Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up, 5Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil; 6Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth; 7Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.1 Corinthians 13:4-7 · KJV

At a glance

What it is
A letter from Paul to the church he started in Corinth, Greece. 16 chapters. It answers reports and questions sent to him (1:11; 7:1).
Who wrote it
Paul, with a co-sender named Sosthenes (1:1). Nearly all scholars agree Paul wrote it.
When and where
About AD 53–55, from Ephesus (16:8).
Who it was for
A mixed church in a busy trading city: a few rich members and many who were not (1:26). They met in homes.
Why it matters
It holds the oldest written account of the Lord’s Supper (11:23–26) and an early summary of the faith about Jesus’ death and rising (15:3–8).
Read it in
About an hour.

What it says

1–4 · Stop splitting into fan clubs. Some say “I am of Paul,” others follow Apollos or Peter (1:12). Paul says the message of the cross looks foolish to the world (1:18). “God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty” (1:27). Leaders are only workers: “I have planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase” (3:6).

5–7 · Bodies, sex, and marriage. A man is living with his father’s wife, and the church is proud of itself (5). Members sue each other in pagan courts (6). Your body is “the temple of the Holy Ghost” (6:19). In marriage, husband and wife each belong to the other (7:3–4).

8–10 · Freedom and the weaker person. Can Christians eat meat offered to idols? Knowledge says yes. Love asks what it does to others. “If meat make my brother to offend, I will eat no flesh while the world standeth” (8:13). “Let no man seek his own” (10:24).

11–14 · Worship. At the shared meal the rich eat first, and “one is hungry, and another is drunken” (11:21). Paul says that shames the poor (11:22). The church is one body with many parts, and the weaker parts are needed most (12:22). Then the love chapter (13). Worship should build people up, “for God is not the author of confusion, but of peace” (14:33).

15–16 · Rising from the dead. Paul lists people who saw the risen Jesus (15:5–8). “If Christ be not risen, then is our preaching vain” (15:14). He ends with “O death, where is thy sting?” (15:55), and a collection for the poor in Jerusalem (16:1–3).

And whether one member suffer, all the members suffer with it; or one member be honoured, all the members rejoice with it.1 Corinthians 12:26 · KJV
Go deeper
  • Original words. Agapē, the love of chapter 13, is love that acts for another’s good. The KJV says “charity” because it followed the Latin caritas. Sōma, “body,” is Paul’s picture for the church in chapter 12. Greek writers used the same picture for a city, often to tell lower classes to stay in their place. Paul flips it: the weaker parts get more honor (12:23–24).
  • Structure. Divisions (1–4), reports about sex and lawsuits (5–6), his answers to their letter (7–14), the resurrection (15), and travel plans (16).
  • Background. Corinth was rebuilt by Rome in 44 BC and grew rich on trade between two harbors. Paul stayed there about 18 months (Acts 18:11).
  • How the laws interlock. Law 2 governs every answer: love builds up (8:1). Law 4 shows up at the meal, where the poor go hungry (11:21–22). Law 3 shows up in 6:15–20: your body is not a thing to use or sell.

Hard parts

Women in worship (11:2–16; 14:34–35)

What it says Women pray and prophesy aloud, but with a head covering (11:5). Later: “Let your women keep silence in the churches” (14:34).

The rule underneath Love the actual person, and keep worship in order (14:40).

What people added Some readers take 14:34 as a lasting rule for church leadership. Others note 11:5 assumes women speak, and read 14:34 as about a local problem. Some ancient copies place verses 34–35 after verse 40, and a few scholars think they were added later. debated Churches have split; this page does not settle it.

The list in 6:9–10

What it says Paul lists people who “shall not inherit the kingdom of God”: fornicators, idolaters, adulterers, thieves, the greedy, drunkards, and others (6:9–10). Then: “And such were some of you: but ye are washed” (6:11).

The rule underneath Never use a person as a tool. Repair is open to everyone.

What people added Two Greek words in verse 9, malakoi and arsenokoitai, are hard to translate. Traditional readings see a clear ban on same-sex acts. Other readings argue they point to exploitation, such as men buying boys. Churches have split; this page does not settle it.

Speaking in tongues

What it says Tongues are a real gift, but “in the church I had rather speak five words with my understanding… than ten thousand words in an unknown tongue” (14:19).

The rule underneath Love the actual person. Worship should help the people in the room.

What people added Pentecostal and charismatic churches practice tongues today. Others believe these gifts ended with the apostles, reading 13:8–10 that way. debated Churches have split; this page does not settle it.

How it has been used: Chapter 13 is one of the most common readings at weddings, though Paul wrote it to a church in conflict, not to a couple.

Translation notes that change meaning

  • 13:12 “through a glass, darkly.” The glass is a mirror. Ancient mirrors were polished metal and gave a dim picture.
  • 7:1. “It is good for a man not to touch a woman” is probably a saying from the Corinthians’ letter, which Paul quotes and then qualifies. Many modern versions put it in quotation marks. debated

Where it leads

  • 02 · How to love: the love chapter (13) and giving up your rights for someone weaker (8).
  • 11 · How to live together: one body, many parts (12).
  • Also feeds 11 living together (marriage, 7) and 03 protecting the weak (the shared meal, 11:17–34).

One thing to do

This week

Give up one right

Pick one thing you are free to do that bothers or hurts someone near you. It might be a joke, a habit, a purchase, or being right in an argument. Skip it this week for their sake (8:13). Write in your journal what it cost you and what changed.

How to read it. Read chapters 12–13 together first. Then read the whole letter, asking at each question: what does love do here?