LESSON SIX
PAUL'S FIRST CORINTHIAN LETTER

1.	Authorship:
a.	The Apostle Paul wrote this letter
b.	Paul wrote this epistle possibly in the spring of the year AD 57 from Ephesus
c.	"But I will tarry at Ephesus until Pentecost" (I Corinthians 16:8)

2.	Corinth:
a.	The city of Corinth was a Roman colony, located on the Isthmus of Corinth
b.	This was on the principle trade route of the Roman Empire, from east to west
c.	Through the nature harbors of Corinth flowed the commerce of the world
d.	The Romans had destroyed the city of Corinth in the year 146 BC but had been rebuilt of pure white marble by Julius Caesar 100 years later
e.	When Paul reached Corinth for the first time in the year AD 51 he found a thriving commercial city
f.	Corinth was called the “vanity fair” of the Roman Empire

3.	The Corinthian Church:
a.	Paul was the founder of the church during his second missionary journey
b.	Paul had labored for 18 months at Corinth and one of his greatest churches was founded here
c.	This church was troubled with cliques and there was an element of emotional people whose extremes degenerated into immorality
d.	Yet, Paul addressed the church as the church of God, called to be saints, sanctified in Christ Jesus
e.	Some Jews had been converted but the majority of the church was Gentiles
f.	The membership of the church included slaves as well as free men a mix of both poor and wealthy status

4.	The Purpose of the Corinthian Letter:
a.	Apparently Paul wrote a letter before which is now lost, in which he scolded the Corinthians for their misconduct and sent it by the hand of Cloe's people
b.	We discover that carnal people can cover up their carnality by asking theological questions
c.	Paul then exposes the tragedy of their living in sin and applies the positive remedy of the cross of Jesus Christ

5.	Divisions Corrected by the Cross: 
a.	In I Corinthians 1: 29, 31 – we have the key thought for the epistle expressed
b.	It is a message condemning the exaltation of the flesh 
c.	And pointing the Corinthian church to the Lord that they may glory in Jesus and in Jesus alone

6.	Salutation:
a.	He called them the church of God, sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints
b.	Grace is mentioned first for one cannot receive peace from God unless he has first received the grace of God
c.	They had a message to proclaim a gospel to preach and they had received the Holy Spirit which gave them wisdom, strength and understanding

7.	The Faithfulness of God:
a.	Because of God's faithfulness, then the exhortation is for the saints to be stedfast, unmovable, abounding in the work of the Lord. 
b.	Because of the faithfulness of God, then they would be presented when the Lord returns, blameless. 
c.	Each child of God has the power and the privilege to achieve

8.	Division Caused by Exalting Leaders:
a.	In the Corinthian church there were many party divisions and man-worship
b.	Paul cut through all these divisions by reminding them that it was Christ that was crucified and it was in His name that they all were baptized 
c.	Paul's method of curing division was by directing everyone to Jesus 

9.	Division Caused by Exalting Human Wisdom:
a.	Paul dealt with this with the preaching of the cross. 
b.	To the worldly wise, the preaching of Christ crucified, and salvation through His sacrifice, was foolishness, to the believer it was the highest wisdom that one may receive
c.	When ego with all its pride, its self-righteousness, and self-importance, is crucified, then that person is brought into contact with his throne and begins to touch omnipotence and receive power

10.	Paul's Statement On Baptism:
a.	Paul had baptized only a few at Corinth
b.	He took a humble position not taking pride in being able to name large numbers that he had personally baptized 
c.	He was willing to preach and let others do the baptizing

11.	Those Whom God Uses:
a.	Foolish things, weak things, base things, things which are despised and things which are not
b.	God uses the most humble and insignificant so that no flesh may glory in his presence
c.	God is become our wisdom, righteousness, sanctification and redemption so that all glory may be in Him alone

12.	True Wisdom Imparted By The Spirit: 
a.	Paul went to Corinth in weakness, in fear and in much trembling 
b.	His reception on the European continent had not been very pleasant
c.	He had been pressed in spirit as he came to Corinth and God Himself had encouraged him.
d.	The Apostle Paul had to get out of the picture so that people would forget the personality of the preacher and get their eyes upon Jesus
e.	The Lord gets the glory and the result would be absolutely convincing
f.	There must be a life willing to be crucified, to retreat from its own cleverness and wisdom from its own efforts, and rest entirely upon the anointing of the Holy Spirit. 

13.	Paul Wrote of a Mystery to be Revealed: 
a.	The Christian is not a fool 
b.	He has an enlightened mind and he is speaking wisdom to those who can understand, speaking the wisdom of God in a mystery.
c.	Paul makes it very plain that it is only through the Holy Spirit that the Word of God can be understood and received.

LESSON SIX
     SELF HELP TEST
 
1.	Write a paragraph describing the city of Corinth.
2.	What was the purpose of this letter?
3.	Write out the key verse found in chapter one.
4.	List those whom God uses. Why?
5.	How is true wisdom imparted?