Paul wrote this long letter
to the Christians who lived in the city of Corinth. He had set up the church in Corinth when he himself
lived there for 18 months (Acts 18). After he left the city, evil things
happened in the church. So Paul wrote this letter to the Christians in Corinth, to help them.
Corinth was a city in the country of Greece. The
people in Greece
were proud of their clever minds. But Paul explained that God considers human
wisdom to be foolish. So, Christians must recognise that Jesus Christ is their
Lord. He has God's wisdom; and Christians must obey him always (1 Corinthians
chapters 1-2).
Then they will be able to
live holy lives. They will not quarrel with each other. They will be loyal to
their husbands or wives. They will not try to understand the Bible by their own
clever ideas. Instead, they will be true servants of Christ (1 Corinthians
chapters 5-6).
Paul wanted to teach the
Christians in Corinth
how to praise God together. He taught them that they should share bread and
wine to remember Jesus' death (1 Corinthians 11). God's Holy Spirit would help
them to work together (1 Corinthians chapters 12 and 14). And God's greatest
gift is love (1 Corinthians 13).
Paul also taught about life
after death. After Jesus died, God caused Jesus to live again. Many people saw
that Jesus was alive again (1 Corinthians 15:1-8). In the same way, God will
cause us to live again after our deaths. God is even greater than death (1
Corinthians 15).
