The First Epistle of Paul to the Corinthians

Outline

• I. Introduction — the initial gifts and the participation in Christ
• II. Dealing with divisions
• A. Christ and His cross, the unique solution to all problems in the church
• 1. Christ not divided
• 2. Christ crucified, God's power and God's wisdom
• 3. Christ, our wisdom: righteousness, sanctification, and redemption
• B. Christ crucified, the center of the apostle's ministry
• 1. The way of the apostle's ministry
• 2. God's wisdom in a mystery — Christ as the deep things of God
• 3. Interpreting spiritual things with spiritual words to spiritual men
• C. The church, God's cultivated land and God's building
• 1. Growth in life needed
• 2. Built with transformed materials, not with natural things
• 3. All things for the church and the church for Christ
• D. Stewards of the mysteries of God
• 1. Faithful servants of Christ
• 2. A spectacle both to angels and to men
• 3. The offscouring of the world and the scum of all things
• 4. The begetting father
• III. Dealing with an evil brother
• A. The evil one judged
• B. Keeping the Feast of Unleavened Bread
• C. Removing the evil one from the church
• IV. Dealing with lawsuits among believers
• A. The judgment of the church
• B. Those not qualified to inherit the kingdom of God
• V. Dealing with the abuse of freedom
• A. A basic principle
• B. The use of the body
• VI. Dealing with marriage life
• A. Concerning the gift not to marry
• B. Concerning the unmarried and the widows
• C. Concerning the married
• D. Remaining in the status of one's calling
• E. Concerning keeping virginity
• F. Concerning remarriage
• VII. Dealing with the eating of things sacrificed to idols
• A. An inadvisable eating
• 1. Not according to love, which builds up
• 2. Idols being nothing
• 3. Food not commending us to God
• 4. Stumbling weak brothers
• B. The apostle's vindication
• 1. His qualifications
• 2. His rights
• 3. His faithfulness
• 4. His endeavor
• C. The type of Israel
• 1. Baptized unto Moses
• 2. Eating the same spiritual food and drinking the same spiritual drink
• 3. Most of them strewn along in the wilderness
• D. Keeping the Lord's table from idolatry
• 1. The fellowship of the Lord's blood and body
• 2. The separation of the Lord's table from the demons' table
• E. The proper eating
• 1. Building up others, seeking their advantage
• 2. To the glory of God
• 3. Imitating the apostle
• VIII. Dealing with head covering
• A. The headship in the universe
• B. The head covering
• C. The reasons
• D. No contention
• IX. Dealing with the Lord's supper
• A. The rebuking of the disorder
• B. The review of the definition
• C. The need of proving and discerning
• D. The discipline of the Lord
• X. Dealing with the gifts
• A. The governing principle
• B. The manifestation of the Spirit
• C. One Body with many members
• 1. The constitution of the Body
• 2. The indispensability of the members
• 3. The blending together of the members
• D. The placing of the gifts
• E. The excellent way for exercising the gifts
• 1. The need of love
• 2. The definition of love
• 3. The excelling of love
• F. The excelling of prophesying
• 1. Building up the church more
• 2. Convicting people more
• G. Functioning in the church
• 1. Concerning each one
• 2. Concerning speaking in tongues
• 3. Concerning prophesying
• 4. Concerning women
• 5. Conclusion
• XI. Dealing with the matter of resurrection
• A. Christ's resurrection
• 1. Preached
• 2. Witnessed
• B. The rebuttal to "No resurrection"
• C. The history of resurrection
• D. The moral influence of resurrection
• E. The definition of resurrection
• 1. The body of resurrection
• 2. A spiritual body
• F. The victory of resurrection
• 1. Incorruption over corruption
• 2. Life over death
• 3. A motive for the work of the Lord
• XII. Dealing with the collection of the gift
• A. The apostle's direction
• B. The apostle's desire
• XIII. Conclusion
• A. Intimate charges
• B. Greetings and warning