Free printable Bible study guide
1 Corinthians Bible study guide
Read 1 Corinthians as a whole before working through the sessions. Let its own structure set the agenda.
Short path · 30 to 45 minutes
1 Corinthians at a glance
In this fascinating letter to a multiethnic church, we see some of the everyday problems the early Christians were dealing with. [1]
- Context
- Author: Paul. Date: AD 53-56. Setting: Written from Ephesus during Paul’s third missionary journey, in response to reports and questions he had received from the church in Corinth (see 1 Cor 1:11; 5:1; 7:1; 8:1; 12:1; 16:1). [1]
- How to read it
- Read this letter as sustained pastoral reasoning. Track the argument, audience situation, repeated words, and the move from God's work to the response asked of believers.
Group study · 6 sessions
Work through 1 Corinthians in order
Read each passage aloud before discussion. The questions begin with observation, then move toward interpretation and faithful response.
Session 1 · 70 verses
1 Corinthians 1-3
People and terms: Jesus, Paul, Apollos, Corinth, Gentiles, Wise
- Try to state the argument in one sentence before anyone reacts to it.
- What does the writer repeat? Repetition is usually the point, not a habit.
- What surprised you, or what did you have to read twice?
- The word wise is doing real work here. What did you assume it meant, and does the passage agree?
- What problem was this letter written to solve, and does knowing that change how the instruction lands?
- Where does this cut against something you already believe or already do?
Session 2 · 54 verses
1 Corinthians 4-6
People and terms: Jesus, Apollos, Passover, Satan, Timothy, Kingdom
- What is the writer trying to get these readers to do or stop doing?
- Who is being addressed here, and what do they already know that we do not?
- What is assumed rather than argued? Those assumptions are often the real claim.
- What does the writer assume the readers know about Timothy, and how is that knowledge being used?
- Define kingdom from this passage alone, without reaching for what you already know.
- Is this a command, a description, or an argument? They are not read the same way.
- What would actually be different this week if you took this seriously?
Session 3 · 80 verses
1 Corinthians 7-9
People and terms: Jesus, Barnabas, Moses, Satan, Wife, Husband
- What has the writer already established that this section is building on?
- Which single verse carries the weight of this section?
- What is left unsaid that you expected to be said?
- Which detail about Barnabas matters to the argument here, and which familiar details do not?
- Where else have you heard wife used, and is it being used that way here?
- What did the first readers face that we do not, and what does that change?
- Who do you know who needs to hear this, and what stops you saying it?
Session 4 · 67 verses
1 Corinthians 10-11
People and terms: Jesus, LORD, Moses, Woman, Cup, Blood
- Where does the writer expect pushback, and how do you know?
- Where does the tone shift, and what causes it?
- What question does this section answer that you had not thought to ask?
- Trace the sentence or paragraph that mentions Moses. What conclusion does the writer want the readers to reach?
- The word woman is doing real work here. What did you assume it meant, and does the passage agree?
- Where does the writer move from what God has done to what we should do?
- What is the hardest thing in this passage to accept, and why that one?
Session 5 · 84 verses
1 Corinthians 12-14
People and terms: Jesus, Church, Prophecy, Faith, Miracles, Pray
- If you disagreed with this, where would you push first?
- What does the writer repeat? Repetition is usually the point, not a habit.
- What surprised you, or what did you have to read twice?
- Define church from this passage alone, without reaching for what you already know.
- What problem was this letter written to solve, and does knowing that change how the instruction lands?
- If this is true, what have you been getting wrong?
Session 6 · 82 verses
1 Corinthians 15-16
People and terms: Jesus, Adam, Ephesus, Achaia, Apollos, Aquila
- What would be missing from the letter if this section were cut?
- Who is being addressed here, and what do they already know that we do not?
- What is assumed rather than argued? Those assumptions are often the real claim.
- What does the writer assume the readers know about Adam, and how is that knowledge being used?
- Where else have you heard dead used, and is it being used that way here?
- Is this a command, a description, or an argument? They are not read the same way.
- What would you want to be reminded of from this section in six months?
Deep study
Keep the book in context
Major themes
- To clarify some questions the Corinthian church had raised and to address a series of specific problems that had arisen in the church there
- The book's literary movement and central claims
- Faithful response within the people of God
- Hope, judgment, grace, and obedience in their proper context
Interpretive care
- Follow the letter's argument instead of isolating a familiar verse.
- Distinguish what the writer says God has done from the response asked of believers.
For fuller background, use the companion 1 Corinthians commentary and the Bible dictionary as you work through each session.
Sources and reuse
This guide follows a historical-grammatical approach. It aims to read each passage in its literary and canonical context, and it names interpretive cautions where a text is commonly mishandled.
- Tyndale Open Study Notes
Tyndale House Publishers. Book background, purpose, setting, and structural orientation. CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Protos study guide editorial
Protos. Reading structure, discussion questions, and application prompts. CC BY-SA 4.0.
Edition 2026.1. This guide is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. You may copy, print, adapt, and share it with attribution under the same license.
Common questions
What is 1 Corinthians mainly about?
In this fascinating letter to a multiethnic church, we see some of the everyday problems the early Christians were dealing with.
How should I read 1 Corinthians?
Read this letter as sustained pastoral reasoning. Track the argument, audience situation, repeated words, and the move from God's work to the response asked of believers.
Is this 1 Corinthians study guide free?
Yes. Read it online or print the PDF. No account, email, or purchase is required.
How long does this 1 Corinthians study take?
The group path has 6 sequential sessions. The short path can be used in one 30 to 45 minute meeting.
Can a church use this guide?
Yes. You may print, share, and adapt it with attribution under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license.
