1 Corinthians 1

Paul begins a letter to believers in the Greek city of Corinth by reminding them that they are extremely gifted for the work that God has called them to do. They are able to meet the challenges faced by their church in their city. Because of this, there is really no call for the divisions that are occurring among them. Many were aligning themselves with one leader or teacher over another; and by doing this, the focus was lost from impacting the city to winning followers among the brethren. Paul states that the gospel message is confusing enough to those who do not understand it; the added confusion of "with which leader do I ally myself?" was extremely counter-productive. The one who wishes to boast should do so because they know the Lord.