Outline of I Corinthians 1-4

We've recently looked at the simple salutation of this letter...OK, it wasn't simple - but it was only three verses. Before we go on to more in depth analysis, let me give you the outline of the first four chapters.

I. Introduction (1:1-9)
A. Salutation (1:1-3)
B. Thanksgiving (1:4-9)

II. In Response to Reports
A. A Church Divided - Internally and Against Paul (1:10-4:20)
1. The Problem: Division over Leaders in the name of Wisdom
(1:10-17)
2. The Gospel: a Contradiction to Wisdom (1:18-2:5)
a. God's folly - a crucified Messiah (1:18-25)
b. God's folly - the Corinthian believers (1:26-31)
c. God's folly - Paul's preaching (2:1-5)
3. God's Wisdom - Revealed by the Spirit (2:6-16)
4. On Being Spiritual and Divided (3:1-4)
5. Correcting a False View of Church and Ministry (3:5-17)
a. Leaders are merely servants (3:5-9)
b. The church must be built with care (3:10-15)
c. Warning to those who would destroy the church,
God's temple in Corinth (3:16-17)
6. Conclusion of the Matter - All Are Christ's (3:18-23)
7. The Corinthians and Their Apostle (4:1-21)
a. On being a servant and being judged (4:1-5)
b. The marks of true apostleship (4:6-13)
c. Appeal and exhortation (4:14-21)

This information is worth having in your Bible as you read, so print a copy.

I will walk us through the thanksgiving (1:4-9) in the next few days. Stay tuned.