In writing 1 Corinthians, Paul faced the challenge of a church established in the truth but rife with disunity and sin, influenced by a decadent pagan culture in its city. As he encourages the faithful, confronts the wayward, and answers pressing questions, Paul gives us some of the most beloved passages in the New Testament alongside some of the most challenging. It is a letter that deserves our careful study.
Volume 1: Listen | Download Zip (265 mb)
In volume one of this series, Alistair Begg introduces the letter and examines the problem of disunity and factionalism in the church. The Corinthians attached themselves to particular figureheads, and some were exalting themselves above others. But as Alistair explains, the firm foundation of the church is not the strength or wisdom of its leaders but the apparent weakness and folly of the cross of Jesus Christ. Our unity as believers is founded on our shared participation in the Lord.
Volume 2: Listen | Download Zip (130 mb)
In volume two of this series, Alistair Begg looks into some of the issues that were at top of mind for Paul when he wrote: the stark and shocking examples of sin being tolerated and even celebrated in the church. The freedom of the Gospel is not a freedom to sin but a freedom from it. The church is responsible to discipline those who persist in flagrant sin and look to Christ for the power to live a new kind of life in love and holiness.
Volume 3: Listen | Download Zip (95 mb)
In volume three of this series, Alistair Begg considers Paul’s answer to a question the Corinthians had asked about marriage. Paul revealed that marriage and singleness alike are gifts from our sovereign God and that each has God’s glory as its purpose. As believers set out to honor the Lord in whatever circumstance they are in, He will give them grace to obey His commandments, seek His kingdom, and honor Him in whatever place He puts us.
Volume 4: Listen | Download Zip (232 mb)
In volume four of this series, Alistair Begg explains the perplexing question of food sacrificed to idols and how it addresses the question of our freedom in Christ. Christians ought to avoid the extremes of permissiveness that flouts God’s commands and legalism that adds to them. Yet where God has given us freedom, our first concern shouldn’t be to assert our own rights but to consider God’s glory and the good of our brothers and sisters.
Volume 5: Listen | Download Zip (78 mb)
In volume five of this series, Alistair Begg considers two questions that affected public worship in Corinth and are still relevant today. It’s necessary to recognize that God has ordained a biblical pattern of manhood and womanhood—not for the purpose of manipulation but as a framework in which to practice Christian love. At the same time, the Lord’s Supper is meant to be an opportunity not for disunity and greed but for fellowship with one another under the Lord. Understanding these things aright will bring dignity and unity to our congregations.
Volume 6: Listen | Download Zip (240 mb)
In volume six of this series, Alistair Begg considers the question of spiritual gifts, their place in church life, and what they help us understand about the unity of Christ’s body. Spiritual gifts are not a matter of self-promotion, but they are given for the building up of the body. We should exercise them in a spirit of humility and charity, understanding that it is our mutual love in Christ, and not our abilities, that will endure in eternity. In corporate worship, our giftedness ought never to eclipse our love.
Volume 7: Listen | Download Zip (266 mb)
In volume seven of this series, Alistair Begg examines Paul’s defense of a pillar of the Gospel message: the resurrection of Jesus Christ and the promised resurrection of His church. Though skeptics call it into doubt and minimize its place in the church today, the resurrection is attested by evidence and undivorceable from biblical doctrine. By considering it, we may enrich our knowledge of the good news and ground ourselves in the promise of life with God forever through the redemption of Jesus Christ.
Volume 8: Listen | Download Zip (101 mb)
In volume eight of this series, Alistair Begg considers Paul’s final exhortations and greetings to the Corinthians. The apostle thought it important to remind the church to give, to serve, and to follow examples of holiness. His words of farewell emphasize their fellowship in the family of God and pointed them to a hope that stood above their circumstances.