If you are looking for 1 Corinthians 1 Bible study questions, this page gives you a full set for one session: observation, interpretation and application questions, with leader’s notes for each, plus key verses to read aloud and a memory verse. It is written for a small group, a Sunday class or personal study, and each question names the verses it draws from so you can move straight into the text.
1 Corinthians 1 at a Glance
Paul opens the letter by greeting the church at Corinth and thanking God for the gifts they have received in Christ. He then moves quickly to a problem: the believers have split into rival groups, each claiming a favorite teacher. Paul pleads for unity and reminds them that the cross of Christ belongs to no one faction.
The middle of the chapter contrasts human wisdom with God’s wisdom. The message of the cross looks like foolishness to many, yet it is God’s power to save. The chapter closes with a reminder of how God chose the lowly and the weak, so that no one has grounds to boast except in the Lord.
Observation Questions
Use these questions first, before anyone offers an opinion. Ask the group to point to the words on the page and name what is there, without explaining it yet. Give quiet time for people to read the verses again before answering.
Q: In verses 1-3, how does Paul describe himself and the church at Corinth, and what greeting does he offer?
1 Paul, called to be an apostle of Jesus Christ through the will of God, and our brother Sosthenes, 2 to the assembly of God which is at Corinth; those who are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints, with all who call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ in every place, both theirs and ours: 3 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
1 Corinthians 1:1-3 (WEB)
Look for the titles and descriptions: Paul is called an apostle by God’s will, and the believers are called saints, which means set apart. The greeting of grace and peace reflects the usual shape of Paul’s letters. Ask the group why it matters that Paul places the church’s identity in Christ before he mentions their problems.
Q: In verses 4-9, what does Paul say God has done for the Corinthians, and what does he say God will do?
4 I always thank my God concerning you, for the grace of God which was given you in Christ Jesus; 5 that in everything you were enriched in him, in all speech and all knowledge; 6 even as the testimony of Christ was confirmed in you: 7 so that you come behind in no gift; waiting for the revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ; 8 who will also confirm you until the end, blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9 God is faithful, through whom you were called into the fellowship of his Son, Jesus Christ, our Lord.
1 Corinthians 1:4-9 (WEB)
Paul names enrichment in speech and knowledge, the confirming of Christ’s testimony among them, and the promise that they will be kept blameless until the day of the Lord. Notice the phrase “God is faithful” in verse 9. Ask the group what they notice about the difference between Paul’s praise here and the criticism that follows.
Q: In verses 10-13, what problem does Paul name, and what specific slogans does he quote?
10 Now I beg you, brothers, through the name of our Lord, Jesus Christ, that you all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be perfected together in the same mind and in the same judgment. 11 For it has been reported to me concerning you, my brothers, by those who are from Chloe’s household, that there are contentions among you. 12 Now I mean this, that each one of you says, “I follow Paul,” “I follow Apollos,” “I follow Cephas,” and, “I follow Christ.” 13 Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Or were you baptized into the name of Paul?
1 Corinthians 1:10-13 (WEB)
Paul pleads for an end to divisions and quotes four slogans: “I follow Paul,” “I follow Apollos,” “I follow Cephas,” and “I follow Christ.” Ask the group to read the slogans aloud and notice how the last one is also a kind of claim. The aim here is simply to see what the text reports about the conflict.
Q: In verses 14-17, what does Paul say about his own baptizing work, and what does he say his main task was?
14 I thank God that I baptized none of you, except Crispus and Gaius, 15 so that no one should say that I had baptized you into my own name. 16 (I also baptized the household of Stephanas; besides them, I don’t know whether I baptized any other.) 17 For Christ sent me not to baptize, but to preach the Good News—not in wisdom of words, so that the cross of Christ wouldn’t be made void.
1 Corinthians 1:14-17 (WEB)
Paul says he baptized only a few people in Corinth and insists his commission was to preach the good news. He states that the cross should not be emptied of its power by clever speech. Ask the group to list what Paul sets against his own name and what he says Christ sent him to do.
Interpretation Questions
These questions ask what the text means. Let the group offer several answers and test each one against the verses. Gently guide the discussion back to the passage whenever it drifts toward general ideas that the text does not state.
Q: In verses 18-25, why does Paul say the message of the cross seems foolish, and how does he describe God’s wisdom compared with human wisdom?
18 For the word of the cross is foolishness to those who are dying, but to us who are saved it is the power of God. 19 For it is written, “I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, I will bring the discernment of the discerning to nothing.” 20 Where is the wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the lawyer of this world? Hasn’t God made foolish the wisdom of this world? 21 For seeing that in the wisdom of God, the world through its wisdom didn’t know God, it was God’s good pleasure through the foolishness of the preaching to save those who believe. 22 For Jews ask for signs, Greeks seek after wisdom, 23 but we preach Christ crucified; a stumbling block to Jews, and foolishness to Greeks, 24 but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ is the power of God and the wisdom of God. 25 Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men.
1 Corinthians 1:18-25 (WEB)
Paul sets two responses to the cross side by side: foolishness to those who are perishing and power to those being saved. He contrasts the wisdom of the world, which did not know God, with the wisdom of God revealed in the crucified Christ. A helpful discussion point is that Paul does not say the gospel is unreasonable. He says that God’s way of saving looks weak to human eyes, and that God’s weakness is stronger than human strength.
Q: In verses 22-24, what do Jews and Greeks look for, and how does Paul say Christ meets both groups?
22 For Jews ask for signs, Greeks seek after wisdom, 23 but we preach Christ crucified; a stumbling block to Jews, and foolishness to Greeks, 24 but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ is the power of God and the wisdom of God.
1 Corinthians 1:22-24 (WEB)
Paul notes that Jews ask for signs and Greeks seek wisdom, and that he preaches Christ crucified, which is a stumbling block to one and foolishness to the other. Yet to those who are called, both groups find Christ to be God’s power and wisdom. Ask the group why Paul describes the same Christ in such different ways depending on the listener.
Q: In verses 26-29, what does Paul say about the kinds of people God has chosen, and what purpose does he give?
26 For you see your calling, brothers, that not many are wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, and not many noble; 27 but God chose the foolish things of the world that he might put to shame those who are wise. God chose the weak things of the world, that he might put to shame the things that are strong; 28 and God chose the lowly things of the world, and the things that are despised, and the things that are not, that he might bring to nothing the things that are: 29 that no flesh should boast before God.
1 Corinthians 1:26-29 (WEB)
Paul observes that few of the Corinthians were wise, powerful or of noble birth by worldly measures, and that God chose what the world counts weak, lowly and despised. He gives the purpose plainly: that no human being should boast before God. Discuss whether the church today tends to honor the same things the world does, and what this passage asks of us.
Q: In verses 30-31, how does Paul describe what Christ has become for believers, and how does this connect to boasting?
30 Because of him, you are in Christ Jesus, who was made to us wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification, and redemption: 31 that, according as it is written, “He who boasts, let him boast in the Lord.”
1 Corinthians 1:30-31 (WEB)
Paul lists wisdom, righteousness, sanctification and redemption as what Christ has been made to us, and he ties this to the quotation that the one who boasts should boast in the Lord. The point is that everything believers have comes from Christ, not from their own standing. Ask the group how this list shapes their understanding of what they can rightly be proud of.
Application Questions
These questions turn to daily life. Invite honest answers and avoid pressing anyone to share more than they wish. Close each answer by asking the group what one step might look like this week.
1 Corinthians 1:18
For the word of the cross is foolishness to those who are dying, but to us who are saved it is the power of God.
(WEB)
This verse states the heart of the chapter in one sentence. Reading it aloud early gives the group a clear anchor before the longer contrast between wisdom and the cross begins.
1 Corinthians 1:9
God is faithful, through whom you were called into the fellowship of his Son, Jesus Christ, our Lord.
(WEB)
Reading this verse reminds the group that the foundation of the church is God’s faithfulness rather than their own consistency. It is a good verse to read before any discussion of the Corinthians’ failures.
1 Corinthians 1:10
Now I beg you, brothers, through the name of our Lord, Jesus Christ, that you all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be perfected together in the same mind and in the same judgment.
(WEB)
Paul’s appeal for unity is direct and personal. Reading it aloud helps the group hear the pastoral tone of the letter and prepares them for the discussion of divisions.
1 Corinthians 1:25
Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men.
(WEB)
This short verse sums up the reversal Paul describes in the middle of the chapter. It works well as a pause point between the interpretation questions.
1 Corinthians 1:31
That, according as it is written, “He who boasts, let him boast in the Lord.”
(WEB)
Ending the reading with this verse closes the chapter’s argument about boasting. It gives the group a clear note to carry into the closing prayer.
Memory Verse for 1 Corinthians 1
A Closing Prayer for the Group
Father, we thank you that you are faithful, and that the grace you gave to the Corinthians is the same grace you have given us in Christ Jesus. Forgive us where we have taken sides, claimed loyalty to teachers above you, or measured ourselves by wisdom, strength or status. Teach us to rest in the cross, which looks weak to the world but holds your power. Help us to speak plainly of Christ crucified, to pursue unity with our brothers and sisters, and to boast only in you. Let what we have studied take root in our daily lives this week. Amen.
