Here are four quotes from four different voices on the Book of 1 Corinthians.

Augustine of Hippo (354–430) — On Love

“Love, and do what you will.”

Homilies on the First Epistle of John, 7.8

Augustine’s famous statement captures the spirit of 1 Corinthians 13: Genuine love transforms our motives and guides our actions.

John Wesley (1703–1791) — On Christian Unity

“Though we cannot think alike, may we not love alike?”

Catholic Spirit, Sermon 39

A fitting reflection on Paul’s appeal against division and factionalism in 1 Corinthians 1–3.

C. S. Lewis (1898–1963) — On Holiness

“Every Christian is to become a little Christ. The whole purpose of becoming a Christian is simply nothing else.”

Mere Christianity, Book IV, Chapter 8

Lewis’s observation complements Paul’s teaching that believers belong to Christ and should honor God with their lives (1 Corinthians 6:19–20).

N. T. Wright (1948–present) — On the Resurrection

“What you do in the present—by painting, preaching, singing, sewing, praying, teaching, building hospitals, digging wells, campaigning for justice, writing poems, caring for the needy, loving your neighbor as yourself—will last into God’s future.”

Surprised by Hope

Wright’s reflection echoes 1 Corinthians 15:58: Because Christ is risen, our labor in the Lord is not in vain.

These four voices provide a useful way to introduce 1 Corinthians as more than a collection of church corrections. It’s Paul’s challenge to live differently because Christ is risen.