1 Corinthians

Theme 1: Christ is the cornerstone of the Christian faith as everything hinges upon him and his death and resurrection. In the beginning of his letter to the Church at Corinth, Paul stated that Christ was the one who was to be at the centre of their faith and no one else whether it be Paul or another teacher called Apollo because it was Christ who had saved them by his death and resurrection. ( 1:11-17). The Christian faith is based upon Christ who is greater than all human knowledge ( 2:14-16) and whom is the foundation of the Christian faith which is built upon a sure foundation. (3:11-14). Christ is ultimately in control of all the events in the universe and our salvation is based upon Christ’s death and resurrection and not upon our own good deeds. ( 4:1-5).

Theme 2 : As Christians we are called to live a life of holiness based upon Christ’s example. Paul discussed throwing away values which were contrary to God ‘s Word noting that the Bible was our focus for life. ( 5:6-9). He noted that the Corinthian believers needed to glorify God by living holy lives which pleased God( 6:20). He stated that those who were married to non Christians could be a witness and win them to Christ by their godly lifestyle. ( 7:17). Paul noted that part of living a holy life was not causing another believer to stumble by our actions. Thus who drank should not drink in front of those who have obstained and thus tempt them to drink again. (8:9-13).

Theme 3: The chief purpose and task of every believer is to tell others about the good news of salvation in Christ. We as Christians are to relate to all people in order to share the good news of salvation through Christ with them. ( 9:19-23). Everything we do as followers of Christ is to be for Christ’s glory and to tell others about him so that in hearing the gospel many may be saved. ( 10:31-33). The focus of the Christian life is the Lord’s supper , where the work of Christ’s salvation is remembered as we think of Christ’s body broken and his blood spilled for our salvation. ( 11:23-26). Each Christian functions as a member of Christ’s body by fulfilling a role and in doing so fulfills the purpose of being a witness for Jesus Christ. ( 12:4-11).

Theme 4: Embodying Christ’s love for us by loving others is a vital part of our witness for Christ. Faith, hope and love are the things which will not pass away but the greatest of these is love. ( 13: 13). Our time of worship is to be orderly and a time in which we are given instruction for our daily life as a Christian.. ( 14:27-33). A vital part of Christian gathering and service is to build each other up and encourage each other in the faith as we show Christ’s love to each other. ( 14:26). As we await Christ’s return we are to stand firm in our faith and witness and to do everything in love. ( 16:13-14).