1. Since the church is the dwelling place of God’s Spirit, the people who make up the church should work for unity by building each other up. | 1:10–4:21 (esp.3:10–16; 14:12) |
2. Christians should build up the church in four practical ways: | |
a. they should be sensitive to those of fragile faith. | 8:1–9:18; 10:28, 33 |
b. they should win unbelievers through culturally sensitive evangelism. | 9:19–23; 10:27, 32–33 |
c. they should conduct worship services in such a way that unbelievers present might come to faith. | 14:16, 23–25 |
d. their corporate worship should use spiritual gifts not for personal display, or evaluating who has a better gift, but to build up the church. | 11:2–16; 12:12–30; 14:1–35 |
3. Sexual relations form a union between man and woman as profound as the union of the believer with Christ, and so sexual activity should be confined to marriage. | 5:1–13; 6:12–20; 7:5, 9, 36 |
4. Baptism and the Lord’s Supper are important, but both are subordinate to personal trust in the gospel and to living in the way that God commands. | 1:14–17; 10:1–5; 11:17–34; 15:29–34 |
5. The bodily resurrection of Jesus (and of his followers) from the dead is a critical component of Christian faith and practice. | 6:14; 15:1–58 |