The Bible, King James version, Book 46: 1 Corinthians — Context and Discussion

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Authors: Anonymous Digital Source: Project Gutenberg Gutenberg Release Year: 2005 First Publication Year: Not confirmed

Key Word: Bible. Corinthians, 1st Target Reader: Readers of public-domain and historical texts

Book Edition: Project Gutenberg digital edition Book Language: en

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Words 12,597

Reading time 55 min

Text sections 2

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An editorial note on the structure, recurring images, and movement between scenes in Paul's first letter to the Corinthians, focusing on the body metaphor, the Lord's Supper, and the contrast between wisdom and folly.

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This eBook was produced by David Widger with the help of Derek Andrew's text from January 1992 and the work of Bryan Taylor in November 2002.

Book 46 1 Corinthians

46:001:001 Paul called to be an apostle of Jesus Christ through the will of God, and Sosthenes our brother,

46:001:002 Unto the church of God which is at Corinth, to them that are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints, with all that in every place call upon the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, both their's and our's:

46:001:003 Grace be unto you, and peace, from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ.

46:001:004 I thank my God always on your behalf, for the grace of God which is given you by Jesus Christ;

46:001:005 That in every thing ye are enriched by him, in all utterance, and in all knowledge;

46:001:006 Even as the testimony of Christ was confirmed in you:

46:001:007 So that ye come behind in no gift; waiting for the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ:

46:001:008 Who shall also confirm you unto the end, that ye may be blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ.

46:001:009 God is faithful, by whom ye were called unto the fellowship of his Son Jesus Christ our Lord.

46:001:010 Now I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you; but that ye be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment.

46:001:011 For it hath been declared unto me of you, my brethren, by them which are of the house of Chloe, that there are contentions among you.

46:001:012 Now this I say, that every one of you saith, I am of Paul; and I of Apollos; and I of Cephas; and I of Christ.

46:001:013 Is Christ divided? was Paul crucified for you? or were ye baptized in the name of Paul?

46:001:014 I thank God that I baptized none of you, but Crispus and Gaius;

46:001:015 Lest any should say that I had baptized in mine own name.

46:001:016 And I baptized also the household of Stephanas: besides, I know not whether I baptized any other.

46:001:017 For Christ sent me not to baptize, but to preach the gospel: not with wisdom of words, lest the cross of Christ should be made of none effect.

46:001:018 For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God.

46:001:019 For it is written, I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and will bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent.

46:001:020 Where is the wise? where is the scribe? where is the disputer of this world? hath not God made foolish the wisdom of this world?

46:001:021 For after that in the wisdom of God the world by wisdom knew not God, it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe.

46:001:022 For the Jews require a sign, and the Greeks seek after wisdom:

46:001:023 But we preach Christ crucified, unto the Jews a stumblingblock, and unto the Greeks foolishness;

46:001:024 But unto them which are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God, and the wisdom of God.

46:001:025 Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men; and the weakness of God is stronger than men.

46:001:026 For ye see your calling, brethren, how that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called:

46:001:027 But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty;

46:001:028 And base things of the world, and things which are despised, hath God chosen, yea, and things which are not, to bring to nought things that are:

46:001:029 That no flesh should glory in his presence.

46:001:030 But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption:

46:001:031 That, according as it is written, He that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord.

46:002:001 And I, brethren, when I came to you, came not with excellency of speech or of wisdom, declaring unto you the testimony of God.

46:002:002 For I determined not to know any thing among you, save Jesus Christ, and him crucified.

46:002:003 And I was with you in weakness, and in fear, and in much trembling.

46:002:004 And my speech and my preaching was not with enticing words of man's wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power:

46:002:005 That your faith should not stand in the

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Paul's first letter to the Corinthians opens with a direct address to a divided community, immediately establishing a pattern of contrast and correction. The epistle moves rapidly between doctrinal exposition, moral exhortation, and practical instruction, often using vivid imagery to bind its arguments together. One of the most striking structural features is the repeated shift from rebuke to reassurance, as Paul alternates between identifying problems and offering solutions grounded in the nature of Christ and the church.

The Body as a Recurring Image

The metaphor of the body appears prominently in chapter 12, where Paul argues for unity amid diversity. He writes that the body is one and has many members, and that each member belongs to the others. This image is not static; it is built through a series of rhetorical questions—if the foot says it is not of the body, is it therefore not of the body?—that force the reader to consider interdependence. The body metaphor recurs in the discussion of the Lord's Supper in chapter 11, where failure to discern the body leads to weakness and sickness. This dual use of the body—both as the church and as Christ's physical presence—creates a layered argument about communal responsibility.

Movement Between Scenes: From Division to Worship

The letter's structure often pivots from diagnosing conflict to prescribing worship. Early chapters address factions: some claim allegiance to Paul, others to Apollos or Cephas. Paul counters by redirecting attention to the cross, which he calls foolishness to the world but power to believers. This movement from division to a shared focal point recurs in chapter 11, where abuses at the Lord's Supper are corrected by recalling Jesus' words of institution. The pattern suggests that Paul sees proper worship as the remedy for disunity. Each scene of correction leads toward a vision of the community gathered around common practices.

The Rhetoric of Contrast: Wisdom and Folly

Paul repeatedly sets up oppositions to challenge his audience's assumptions. In chapter 1, he contrasts the wisdom of the world with the foolishness of preaching, and the wise with the foolish. This binary is not merely stylistic; it structures his argument about status and power. He asks, "Where is the wise? where is the scribe?" and answers that God has made foolish the wisdom of the world. The same rhetorical strategy appears in chapter 12, where the weaker members are deemed necessary, and the less honorable are given more abundant honor. These contrasts reinforce a central theme: God's ways invert human hierarchies.

The Lord's Supper as a Structural Anchor

The account of the Lord's Supper in chapter 11 serves as a hinge in the letter. Paul quotes Jesus' words over the bread and cup, then immediately applies them to the Corinthians' conduct. The passage moves from institution to examination: "let a man examine himself." This shift from narrative to imperative is typical of the epistle's method. The Supper is not merely a ritual but a test of community health. Paul warns that eating and drinking unworthily brings judgment, linking the physical act to spiritual consequences. The scene anchors the letter's ethical teachings in a concrete practice that the readers would recognize.

Readers approaching 1 Corinthians will benefit from tracking how Paul uses recurring images—the body, the cross, the Supper—to move between different kinds of argument. The letter does not follow a linear outline but circles back to key metaphors, each time adding new layers of meaning. Pay attention to the shifts in tone from rebuke to instruction, and to the way Paul grounds his ethical demands in the shared identity of the community.

I finished reading about Paul’s letter to Corinth the other evening, and the way he keeps circling back to the church as one body stayed with me. I thought of that gentler account in The Gospel of John for Readers — Story, Setting & Ideas, where everything feels more like whispered conversations than arguments. Both left me with the same quiet ache for belonging.