Remain as you were when God first called you.

The principle of contentment.

1 Corinthians 7:17-24 (NLT)
¹⁷ Each of you should continue to live in whatever situation the Lord has placed you, and remain as you were when God first called you. This is my rule for all the churches. ¹⁸ For instance, a man who was circumcised before he became a believer should not try to reverse it. And the man who was uncircumcised when he became a believer should not be circumcised now. ¹⁹ For it makes no difference whether or not a man has been circumcised. The important thing is to keep God’s commandments.
²⁰ Yes, each of you should remain as you were when God called you.²¹ Are you a slave? Don’t let that worry you—but if you get a chance to be free, take it. ²² And remember, if you were a slave when the Lord called you, you are now free in the Lord. And if you were free when the Lord called you, you are now a slave of Christ. ²³ God paid a high price for you, so don’t be enslaved by the world. ²⁴ Each of you, dear brothers and sisters, should remain as you were when God first called you.

Examine the scriptures:

We have been looking at instructions dealing with specific behaviors in the Corinthian Church.

Disputes within the church.

Sexual immorality.

Principles for marriage.

Today we will be looking at the principle of contentment.

Remain as you were when God first called you.

1 Corinthians 7:17-24 (NLT)
¹⁷ Each of you should continue to live in whatever situation the Lord has placed you, and remain as you were when God first called you.

 Verse 17 …remain as you were when God first called you.

Verse 20  … each of you should remain as you were when God called you

Verse 24  Each of you, dear brothers and sisters, should remain as you were when God first called you.

 The principle of contentment.  (Being satisfied with your station in life)

• Live contentedly in whatever economic, social, and religious station God has placed you.

Content if you are single or content if you are married.

Content whatever your circumstances.

Paul practiced this principle:

Philippians 4:11-13 (NLT)
¹¹ Not that I was ever in need, for I have learned how to be content with whatever I have. ¹² I know how to live on almost nothing or with everything. I have learned the secret of living in every situation, whether it is with a full stomach or empty, with plenty or little. ¹³ For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength.

 Contentment is a good thing.

1 Timothy 6:6 (NLT)
⁶ Yet true godliness with contentment is itself great wealth.

 Conversion is a radical change to a person’s relationship with God but it does not need to change physical relationships (that are not immoral).

Live contentedly in whatever economic, social, and religious station God has placed you.

Know what is important.

Hebrews 13:5 (NLT)
^… For God has said,
“I will never fail you.
I will never abandon you.”

 2 Corinthians 12:9 (NLT)
⁹ Each time he said, “My grace is all you need.

 2 Corinthians 9:8 (NLT)
⁸ And God will generously provide all you need. Then you will always have everything you need and plenty left over to share with others.

•  God’s grace is all you need.

Paul’s first example.

 This is my rule for all the churches. ¹⁸ For instance, a man who was circumcised before he became a believer should not try to reverse it.

Paul addresses circumcision, a religious practice.

 And the man who was uncircumcised when he became a believer should not be circumcised now. ¹⁹ For it makes no difference whether or not a man has been circumcised. The important thing is to keep God’s commandments.

Romans 2:25-29 (NLT)
²⁵ The Jewish ceremony of circumcision has value only if you obey God’s law. But if you don’t obey God’s law, you are no better off than an uncircumcised Gentile. ²⁶ And if the Gentiles obey God’s law, won’t God declare them to be his own people? ²⁷ In fact, uncircumcised Gentiles who keep God’s law will condemn you Jews who are circumcised and possess God’s law but don’t obey it.
²⁸ For you are not a true Jew just because you were born of Jewish parents or because you have gone through the ceremony of circumcision. ²⁹ No, a true Jew is one whose heart is right with God. And true circumcision is not merely obeying the letter of the law; rather, it is a change of heart produced by the Spirit. And a person with a changed heart seeks praise from God, not from people.

 Paul’s second example.

 ²⁰ Yes, each of you should remain as you were when God called you.²¹ Are you a slave?

Paul addresses slavery, a social (economic, social, or vocational) issue.

 Don’t let that worry you—

 Galatians 3:28  (NLT)
There is no longer Jew or Gentile, slave or free, male and female. For you are all one in Christ Jesus.

• It doesn’t matter if you are a Jew or a Gentile. It doesn’t matter if you are a slave or free.  It doesn’t matter if you are a male or a female.  It doesn’t matter if you are married or single.  All Christians are one in Christ Jesus.

 but if you get a chance to be free, take it. 

•  Contentment does not mean that you do not try to better yourself.
• Contentment does not mean being lazy.

Philippians 3:14 (NLT)
¹⁴ I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us.

 1 Corinthians 15:10 (NLT)
¹⁰ But whatever I am now, it is all because God poured out his special favor on me—and not without results. For I have worked harder than any of the other apostles; yet it was not I but God who was working through me by his grace.

Know who you are in Christ.

²² And remember, if you were a slave when the Lord called you, you are now free in the Lord. And if you were free when the Lord called you, you are now a slave of Christ.  

 John 8:36
So if the Son sets you free, you are truly free.

 Ephesians 1:5 (NLT)
God decided in advance to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ. This is what he wanted to do, and it gave him great pleasure.

•  Christians are a permanent part of God’s family.

 ²³ God paid a high price for you, so don’t be enslaved by the world. 

•  Christians in all stations of life should realize that their ultimate allegiance is to Christ.

Ephesians 6:5-8 (NLT)
Slaves and Masters
⁵ Slaves, obey your earthly masters with deep respect and fear. Serve them sincerely as you would serve Christ. ⁶ Try to please them all the time, not just when they are watching you. As slaves of Christ, do the will of God with all your heart. ⁷ Work with enthusiasm, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people. ⁸ Remember that the Lord will reward each one of us for the good we do, whether we are slaves or free.

 Every vocation becomes Christian service performed for the Lord.

 ²⁴ Each of you, dear brothers and sisters, should remain as you were when God first called you. 

Contentment.   A final thought.

Philippians 4:6-7 (NLT)
⁶ Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. ⁷ Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.

Introduction:

The Bible is the source of all truth.

The truth that comes from God and His word is infallible, irrefutable, and indisputable. When we believe that the Bible is the very word of God, we need to take heed and do our best to live our lives according to the Bible.
(This could be the introduction to all of our lessons.)

1 Corinthians 7:10-16 (NLT)
¹⁰ But for those who are married, I have a command that comes not from me, but from the Lord. A wife must not leave her husband. ¹¹ But if she does leave him, let her remain single or else be reconciled to him. And the husband must not leave his wife.
¹² Now, I will speak to the rest of you, though I do not have a direct command from the Lord. If a fellow believer has a wife who is not a believer and she is willing to continue living with him, he must not leave her. ¹³ And if a believing woman has a husband who is not a believer and he is willing to continue living with her, she must not leave him. ¹⁴ For the believing wife brings holiness to her marriage, and the believing husband brings holiness to his marriage. Otherwise, your children would not be holy, but now they are holy. ¹⁵ (But if the husband or wife who isn’t a believer insists on leaving, let them go. In such cases the believing husband or wife is no longer bound to the other, for God has called you to live in peace.) ¹⁶ Don’t you wives realize that your husbands might be saved because of you? And don’t you husbands realize that your wives might be saved because of you?

Examine the scriptures:

1 Corinthians 7:10-16 (NLT)
¹⁰ But for those who are married,

 A message to the married.

 I have a command that comes not from me, but from the Lord. 

 Some Corinthians may have thought:

Divorce their unsaved spouse
Live celibately
Marry a believer

 A wife must not leave her husband. ¹¹ But if she does leave him,

 let her remain single

or else be reconciled to him.

 And the husband must not leave his wife.

Don’t leave your spouse.

Jesus speaking
 Matthew 19:5-8 (NLT)
⁵ And he said, “‘This explains why a man leaves his father and mother and is joined to his wife, and the two are united into one.’ ⁶ Since they are no longer two but one, let no one split apart what God has joined together.”
⁷ “Then why did Moses say in the law that a man could give his wife a written notice of divorce and send her away?” they asked.
⁸ Jesus replied, “Moses permitted divorce only as a concession to your hard hearts, but it was not what God had originally intended.

Malachi 2:16 (NLT)
 “For I hate divorce!” says the Lord, the God of Israel. “To divorce your wife is to overwhelm her with cruelty,” says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies. “So guard your heart; do not be unfaithful to your wife.”

Jesus speaking
Matthew 5:31-32 (NLT)
Teaching about Divorce
³¹ “You have heard the law that says, ‘A man can divorce his wife by merely giving her a written notice of divorce.’ ³² But I say that a man who divorces his wife, unless she has been unfaithful, causes her to commit adultery. And anyone who marries a divorced woman also commits adultery.

•  God’s original intent was for marriage to be a permanent relationship between a man and his wife.

¹² Now, I will speak to the rest of you, though I do not have a direct command from the Lord.

Don’t misinterpret this statement.

 All Scripture is inspired by God

 Jesus had not spoken on this situation.

No previous revelations from God on this matter.

  If a fellow believer has a wife who is not a believer and she is willing to continue living with him, he must not leave her.

  ¹³ And if a believing woman has a husband who is not a believer and he is willing to continue living with her, she must not leave him. 

•  Believers married to unbelievers who are willing to continue in the relationship must remain married.

Some believers may have felt that being marries to an unbeliever was somehow defiling.

*However, just the opposite was true.

 ¹⁴ For the believing wife brings holiness to her marriage, and the believing husband brings holiness to his marriage.

 The two have become one flesh.

Within the “one flesh” relationship, the blessing of God which came to the Christian affected the family as a whole.

The Christian was a channel of God’s grace in the marriage.

Brings holiness – not salvation to a person who is “not a believer.

The partner is set apart for temporal blessings because the other partner belongs to God.

One Christian in a marriage brings grace that spills over on the spouse – even possibly leading him or her to salvation.

Romans 11:16 (NLT)
And since Abraham and the other patriarchs were holy, their descendants will also be holy—just as the entire batch of dough is holy because the portion given as an offering is holy. For if the roots of the tree are holy, the branches will be, too.

• If a marriage has one believing spouse, the believing spouse brings holiness to the marriage.

 Otherwise, your children would not be holy, but now they are holy.

Set apart – separate – holy people – called to a holy lifestyle

Colossians 3:12 (NLT)
Since God chose you to be the holy people he loves, you must clothe yourselves with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience.

The children are holy, not saved.

The presence of one believing parent exposes the children to blessing and brings them protection.  The presence of even one Christian parent will protect children from undue spiritual harm and they will receive many blessings, and often that includes salvation.

 Verse 16 before verse 15

 ¹⁶ Don’t you wives realize that your husbands might be saved because of you? And don’t you husbands realize that your wives might be saved because of you?

 ¹⁵ (But if the husband or wife who isn’t a believer insists on leaving, let them go. In such cases the believing husband or wife is no longer bound to the other, for God has called you to live in peace.) 

• If a husband or wife who isn’t a believer insists on leaving the marriage, the believing partner should let them go.

Romans 12:18 (NLT)
Do all that you can to live in peace with everyone.

 (Remarriage is not addressed here.)

Single and celibate or married?

1 Corinthians 7:1-9 (NLT)
Instruction on Marriage
7 Now regarding the questions you asked in your letter. Yes, it is good to abstain from sexual relations. ² But because there is so much sexual immorality, each man should have his own wife, and each woman should have her own husband.
³ The husband should fulfill his wife’s sexual needs, and the wife should fulfill her husband’s needs. ⁴ The wife gives authority over her body to her husband, and the husband gives authority over his body to his wife.
⁵ Do not deprive each other of sexual relations, unless you both agree to refrain from sexual intimacy for a limited time so you can give yourselves more completely to prayer. Afterward, you should come together again so that Satan won’t be able to tempt you because of your lack of self-control. ⁶ I say this as a concession, not as a command. ⁷ But I wish everyone were single, just as I am. Yet each person has a special gift from God, of one kind or another.
⁸ So I say to those who aren’t married and to widows—it’s better to stay unmarried, just as I am. ⁹ But if they can’t control themselves, they should go ahead and marry. It’s better to marry than to burn with lust.

Examine the scriptures:

Single and celibate or married?

Context – Paul is addressing sexual immorality.

• Sexual immorality has no place in the life of a Christian.
• No other sin so clearly affects the body as sexual immorality does.
• Sex in marriage was designed by God to create a very special and unique relationship between a man and a woman. (Genesis and Ephesians )

1 Corinthians 7:1-9 (NLT)
Instruction on Marriage
¹ Now regarding the questions you asked in your letter. Yes, it is good to abstain from sexual relations. 

 This may not saying what it appears to be saying.

Look at the same verse in the AMP version.  (The Amplified Bible is an English translation of the Bible produced jointly by Zondervan (subsidiary of News Corp) and The Lockman Foundation.)

¹ Now as to the matters of which you wrote: It is good (beneficial, advantageous) for a man not to touch a woman [outside marriage]. 

•  It is helpful to look at several different translations (or commentaries) when studying a passage of scripture.
• Sometimes we really do not know exactly what scripture is saying.

Paul may have been saying that it is good to be single and celibate.

Single and celibate may be good,

but we can also say marriage is good.

• Scripture clearly endorses marriage.

Sex in marriage was designed by God to create a very special and unique relationship between a man and a woman. (Genesis and Ephesians)

Psalm 127:3-5 (NLT)
³ Children are a gift from the Lord;
they are a reward from him.
⁴ Children born to a young man
are like arrows in a warrior’s hands.
⁵ How joyful is the man whose quiver is full of them!
    He will not be put to shame when he confronts his accusers at the city gates.

The Song of Solomon describes numerous romantic settings.

In the scripture, Christ and the Church is a model for marriage.

Matthew 19:12  (NLT) (more later)
¹² …. some choose not to marry for the sake of the Kingdom of Heaven. Let anyone accept this who can.”

•  It’s also o.k. not to be married.

 BUT

 ² But because there is so much sexual immorality,

 each man should have his own wife, and each woman should have her own husband.

 ² But because of [the temptation to participate in] sexual immorality, let each man have his own wife, and let each woman have her own husband. (AMP)

 Here Paul is endorsing marriage.

• Marriage is God’s only provision for sexual fulfillment.

 ³ The husband should fulfill his wife’s sexual needs, and the wife should fulfill her husband’s needs. ⁴ The wife gives authority over her body to her husband, and the husband gives authority over his body to his wife.
⁵ Do not deprive each other of sexual relations, unless you both agree to refrain from sexual intimacy for a limited time so you can give yourselves more completely to prayer. Afterward, you should come together again so that Satan won’t be able to tempt you because of your lack of self-control. 

 ⁶ I say this as a concession, not as a command. 

 Single and celibate worked for Paul.  Marriage works for others.

 ⁷ But I wish everyone were single, just as I am. Yet each person has a special gift from God, of one kind or another.

 God makes some able to live one way, others to live a different way.

 Matthew 19:8-12 (NLT)
⁸ Jesus replied, “Moses permitted divorce only as a concession to your hard hearts, but it was not what God had originally intended. ⁹ And I tell you this, whoever divorces his wife and marries someone else commits adultery—unless his wife has been unfaithful.”
¹⁰ Jesus’ disciples then said to him, “If this is the case, it is better not to marry!”
¹¹ “Not everyone can accept this statement,” Jesus said. “Only those whom God helps. ¹² Some are born as eunuchs, some have been made eunuchs by others, and some choose not to marry for the sake of the Kingdom of Heaven. Let anyone accept this who can.”

 Jesus does not advocate celibacy for everyone and Jesus does not suggest that celibacy is superior to marriage.

 1 Corinthians 7:17 (NLT)
Each of you should continue to live in whatever situation the Lord has placed you, and remain as you were when God first called you. This is my rule for all the churches.

•  Singleness or marriage can be God’s plan for individuals.

⁸ So I say to those who aren’t married and to widows—it’s better to stay unmarried, just as I am. 

 1 Corinthians 7:32-35 (NLT)
³² I want you to be free from the concerns of this life. An unmarried man can spend his time doing the Lord’s work and thinking how to please him. ³³ But a married man has to think about his earthly responsibilities and how to please his wife. ³⁴ His interests are divided. In the same way, a woman who is no longer married or has never been married can be devoted to the Lord and holy in body and in spirit. But a married woman has to think about her earthly responsibilities and how to please her husband. ³⁵ I am saying this for your benefit, not to place restrictions on you. I want you to do whatever will help you serve the Lord best, with as few distractions as possible.

•  A married man has divided interests (I Corinthians 7:33-34).

 ⁹ But if they can’t control themselves, they should go ahead and marry. It’s better to marry than to burn with lust.

• It’s o.k. for a single person to stay single or it’s o.k. for a single person to marry.

1 Corinthians 6:15-20  (Part two of 1 Corinthians 6:12-20)

Review:

Who said, “I am allowed to do anything”?

Paul is addressing sexual immorality. The Corinthians wanted to argue that sexual immorality was o.k.

Sexual immorality.

• Sexual immorality was taking place in the Corinthian church.
• Sexual immorality has no place in the life of a Christian.
• No other sin so clearly affects the body as sexual immorality does.
• Sexual immorality is very much a part of the world we live in.

 “TV shows are going way too far to attract viewers.”

“Parents are failing in their duty towards their children. Children have the opportunity of watching “porn movies” for instance, because there is little or no parental mediation. Some parents are so busy nowadays that they hardly have time to find out the type of films their children watch.”

 The internet is easy access to inappropriate content.

• As parents or teachers, we need to be teaching values that are counter to or in opposition to many of the values taught by the world.

1 Corinthians 6:15-20 (NLT)
¹⁵ Don’t you realize that your bodies are actually parts of Christ? Should a man take his body, which is part of Christ, and join it to a prostitute? Never! ¹⁶ And don’t you realize that if a man joins himself to a prostitute, he becomes one body with her? For the Scriptures say, “The two are united into one.” ¹⁷ But the person who is joined to the Lord is one spirit with him.
¹⁸ Run from sexual sin! No other sin so clearly affects the body as this one does. For sexual immorality is a sin against your own body. ¹⁹ Don’t you realize that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and was given to you by God? You do not belong to yourself, ²⁰ for God bought you with a high price. So you must honor God with your body.

 Examine the scriptures:

1 Corinthians 6:15-20 (NLT)
¹⁵ Don’t you realize that your bodies are actually parts of Christ?

1 Corinthians 12:27 (NLT)
All of you together are Christ’s body, and each of you is a part of it.

• Christians, and their bodies, are part of Christ. (verse 15)
• Christians were bought by God and belong to God. (verse 20)
• The body of a Christian is the temple of the Holy Spirit. (verse 19)

Should a man take his body, which is part of Christ, and join it to a prostitute?

Last lesson:
Paul argues that the argument supporting sexual immorality cannot be compared to the hunger experienced by the stomach.

The body in this context meant more than the physical frame.  It referred to the whole person, composed of flesh and spirit.  The body was not perishable, but eternal and was not meant for sexual immorality, but for union with the Lord.

 Never! 

 This behavior may be o.k. in the eyes of the world, but it is never o.k. in the eyes of God.

 Here is the argument from a Biblical (Paul’s) point of view.

 ¹⁶ And don’t you realize that if a man joins himself to a prostitute, he becomes one body with her?
For the Scriptures say, “The two are united into one.” 

•  Sex in marriage was designed by God to create a very special and unique relationship between a man and a woman. (Genesis and Ephesians )

Ephesians 5:31-32 (NLT)
³¹ As the Scriptures say, “A man leaves his father and mother and is joined to his wife, and the two are united into one.” ³² This is a great mystery, but it is an illustration of the way Christ and the church are one.

 This is a great mystery, therefore we won’t understand everything there is to understand about this union.

Genesis 2:24 (NLT)
²⁴ This explains why a man leaves his father and mother and is joined to his wife, and the two are united into one.

A very unique relationship is formed between a man and his wife.

A similar unique relationship is formed between a man and a prostitute. (Verse 16)

• Sex with a prostitute makes the prostitute a part of a unique relationship between a man and a woman.

 ¹⁷ But the person who is joined to the Lord is one spirit with him.

 Ephesians 5:31-32
³¹ As the Scriptures say, “A man leaves his father and mother and is joined to his wife, and the two are united into one.” ³² This is a great mystery, but it is an illustration of the way Christ and the church are one.

• Christ and the church are one.

Add a prostitute to this mix.  Never  (verse 15)  It just doesn’t work.  This is no longer an illustration of Christ and the church.

• Sexual immorality destroys the relationship between Christ and the Church.

 ¹⁸ Run from sexual sin!

 Ephesians 5:3-9 (NLT)
³ Let there be no sexual immorality, impurity, or greed among you. Such sins have no place among God’s people. ⁴ Obscene stories, foolish talk, and coarse jokes—these are not for you. Instead, let there be thankfulness to God. ⁵ You can be sure that no immoral, impure, or greedy person will inherit the Kingdom of Christ and of God. For a greedy person is an idolater, worshiping the things of this world.
⁶ Don’t be fooled by those who try to excuse these sins, for the anger of God will fall on all who disobey him. ⁷ Don’t participate in the things these people do. ⁸ For once you were full of darkness, but now you have light from the Lord. So live as people of light! ⁹ For this light within you produces only what is good and right and true.

No other sin so clearly affects the body as this one does. For sexual immorality is a sin against your own body. 

 Venereal disease and HIV

 ¹⁹ Don’t you realize that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and was given to you by God? You do not belong to yourself, ²⁰ for God bought you with a high price. So you must honor God with your body.

1 Corinthians 6:12-14

Part One – Part Two next lesson

Who said, “I am allowed to do anything”?

Paul is addressing sexual immorality. The Corinthians wanted to argue that sexual immorality was o.k.

Are you surprised?

(Next lesson will deal more with the sexual immorality.)

The Biblical principle applies to sin in general.

1 Corinthians 6:12-20 (NLT)
I Am Allowed To Do Anything.
¹² You say, “I am allowed to do anything”—but not everything is good for you. And even though “I am allowed to do anything,” I must not become a slave to anything. ¹³ You say, “Food was made for the stomach, and the stomach for food.” (This is true, though someday God will do away with both of them.) But you can’t say that our bodies were made for sexual immorality. They were made for the Lord, and the Lord cares about our bodies. ¹⁴ And God will raise us from the dead by his power, just as he raised our Lord from the dead.

 Examine the scriptures:

Who said, “I am allowed to do anything”?

1 Corinthians 6:12-14 (NLT)
¹² You say, “I am allowed to do anything”

 You say

 A quote used by the Corinthians.

We can use scripture to support this quote.

Ephesians 1:7 (NLT)
He is so rich in kindness and grace that he purchased our freedom with the blood of his Son and forgave our sins.

Romans 8:1 (NLT)
So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus.

 John 8:36 (NLT)
So if the Son sets you free, you are truly free.

•  If the Son sets you free, you are truly free.

Consider the truth in the following statements:

Our freedom in Christ means that we do not have to keep the law in order to be saved nor are we obligated to be morally perfect before people.

“Jesus died for you—He has done everything.”

“You have forgiveness, no matter how much you sin.”

“Once saved, always saved.”

God forgives but …

Our freedom can be used properly or it can be abused.

Is grace a license to sin?

Romans 6:1-2 (NLT)
Sin’s Power Is Broken
¹ Well then, should we keep on sinning so that God can show us more and more of his wonderful grace? ² Of course not! Since we have died to sin, how can we continue to live in it?

Galatians 5:13 (NLT)
For you have been called to live in freedom, my brothers and sisters. But don’t use your freedom to satisfy your sinful nature. Instead, use your freedom to serve one another in love.

You have a choice.

Use your freedom to satisfy your sinful nature or use your freedom to serve one another in love.

• Don’t use your freedom to satisfy your sinful nature. Instead, use your freedom to serve one another in love.

 —but not everything is good for you.

 1 Corinthians 10:23 (NLT)
You say, “I am allowed to do anything”—but not everything is good for you. You say, “I am allowed to do anything”—but not everything is beneficial.

 Sin has consequences

Rubber band illustration.

•  Sin has consequences.

 And even though (you say) “I am allowed to do anything,”

 I must not become a slave to anything. 

Romans 6:16-22 (NLT)
¹⁶ Don’t you realize that you become the slave of whatever you choose to obey? You can be a slave to sin, which leads to death (separation from God), or you can choose to obey God, which leads to righteous living. ¹⁷ Thank God! Once you were slaves of sin, but now you wholeheartedly obey this teaching we have given you. ¹⁸ Now you are free from your slavery to sin, and you have become slaves to righteous living.

•  You become the slave of whatever you choose to obey.

My paraphrase: You become a slave of the lifestyle you choose to live.

Romans 6:12 (NLT)
Do not let sin control the way you live; do not give in to sinful desires.

Romans 7:6 (NLT)
But now we have been released from the law, for we died to it and are no longer captive to its power. Now we can serve God, not in the old way of obeying the letter of the law, but in the new way of living in the Spirit.

•  Do not let sin control the way you live; do not give in to sinful desires.

Corinthian argument:

 ¹³ You say, “Food was made for the stomach, and the stomach for food.” (This is true, though someday God will do away with both of them.)

 Biological examples used by the Corinthians:

Food was both pleasurable and necessary.  When the stomach signaled hunger, food was eaten to satisfy that hunger.

 Sex is both pleasurable and necessary.
When their bodies signaled sexual desires, they needed to be satisfied.

But you can’t say that our bodies were made for sexual immorality.

 The specific sin that Paul is addressing is sexual immorality.

 They were made for the Lord, and the Lord cares about our bodies. 

 Paul argues that the argument supporting sexual immorality cannot be compared to the hunger experienced by the stomach.

The body in this context meant more than the physical frame.  It referred to the whole person, composed of flesh and spirit.  The body was not perishable, but eternal and was not meant for sexual immorality, but for union with the Lord.

 1 Corinthians 15:35-54 (NLT)
The Resurrection Body
³⁵ But someone may ask, “How will the dead be raised? What kind of bodies will they have?” ³⁶ What a foolish question! When you put a seed into the ground, it doesn’t grow into a plant unless it dies first. ³⁷ And what you put in the ground is not the plant that will grow, but only a bare seed of wheat or whatever you are planting. ³⁸ Then God gives it the new body he wants it to have. A different plant grows from each kind of seed. ³⁹ Similarly there are different kinds of flesh—one kind for humans, another for animals, another for birds, and another for fish.
⁴⁰ There are also bodies in the heavens and bodies on the earth. The glory of the heavenly bodies is different from the glory of the earthly bodies. ⁴¹ The sun has one kind of glory, while the moon and stars each have another kind. And even the stars differ from each other in their glory.
⁴² It is the same way with the resurrection of the dead. Our earthly bodies are planted in the ground when we die, but they will be raised to live forever. ⁴³ Our bodies are buried in brokenness, but they will be raised in glory. They are buried in weakness, but they will be raised in strength. ⁴⁴ They are buried as natural human bodies, but they will be raised as spiritual bodies. For just as there are natural bodies, there are also spiritual bodies.
⁴⁵ The Scriptures tell us, “The first man, Adam, became a living person.” But the last Adam—that is, Christ—is a life-giving Spirit.⁴⁶ What comes first is the natural body, then the spiritual body comes later. ⁴⁷ Adam, the first man, was made from the dust of the earth, while Christ, the second man, came from heaven. ⁴⁸ Earthly people are like the earthly man, and heavenly people are like the heavenly man. ⁴⁹ Just as we are now like the earthly man, we will someday be like the heavenly man.
⁵⁰ What I am saying, dear brothers and sisters, is that our physical bodies cannot inherit the Kingdom of God. These dying bodies cannot inherit what will last forever.
⁵¹ But let me reveal to you a wonderful secret. We will not all die, but we will all be transformed! ⁵² It will happen in a moment, in the blink of an eye, when the last trumpet is blown. For when the trumpet sounds, those who have died will be raised to live forever. And we who are living will also be transformed. ⁵³ For our dying bodies must be transformed into bodies that will never die; our mortal bodies must be transformed into immortal bodies.
⁵⁴ Then, when our dying bodies have been transformed into bodies that will never die, this Scripture will be fulfilled:
“Death is swallowed up in victory.

Philippians 3:20-21 (NLT)
²⁰ But we are citizens of heaven, where the Lord Jesus Christ lives. And we are eagerly waiting for him to return as our Savior. ²¹ He will take our weak mortal bodies and change them into glorious bodies like his own, using the same power with which he will bring everything under his control.

•  Our bodies were made for the Lord, and the Lord cares about our bodies.

¹⁴ And God will raise us from the dead by his power, just as he raised our Lord from the dead.

 

1 Corinthians 6:9-11 – Don’t Fool Yourselves

1 Corinthians 6:9-11 (NLT)
⁹ Don’t you realize that those who do wrong will not inherit the Kingdom of God? Don’t fool yourselves. Those who indulge in sexual sin, or who worship idols, or commit adultery, or are male prostitutes, or practice homosexuality, ¹⁰ or are thieves, or greedy people, or drunkards, or are abusive, or cheat people—none of these will inherit the Kingdom of God.¹¹ Some of you were once like that. But you were cleansed; you were made holy; you were made right with God by calling on the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.

Examine the scriptures:

1 Corinthians 6:9-11 (NLT)
⁹ Don’t you realize that those who do wrong will not inherit the Kingdom of God?

Not everyone will inherit the Kingdom of God.

Matthew 7:13-14 (NLT)
¹³ “You can enter God’s Kingdom only through the narrow gate. The highway to hell is broad, and its gate is wide for the many who choose that way. ¹⁴ But the gateway to life is very narrow and the road is difficult, and only a few ever find it.

 John 3:16-21 (NLT)
¹⁶ “For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. ¹⁷ God sent his Son into the world not to judge the world, but to save the world through him.
¹⁸ “There is no judgment against anyone who believes in him. But anyone who does not believe in him has already been judged for not believing in God’s one and only Son. ¹⁹ And the judgment is based on this fact: God’s light came into the world, but people loved the darkness more than the light, for their actions were evil. ²⁰ All who do evil hate the light and refuse to go near it for fear their sins will be exposed. ²¹ But those who do what is right come to the light so others can see that they are doing what God wants.”

•  Not everyone will spend eternity in heaven.

 Don’t fool yourselves. Those who indulge in sexual sin, or who worship idols, or commit adultery, or are male prostitutes, or practice homosexuality, ¹⁰ or are thieves, or greedy people, or drunkards, or are abusive, or cheat people—none of these will inherit the Kingdom of God.

These verses describe the true nature of the lost.

These behaviors certainly do not display the true nature of the saved.

Believers can and do commit these sins, but these verses do not describe the character of someone who has been born into God’s family.

1 John 3:7-10 (NLT)
⁷ Dear children, don’t let anyone deceive you about this: When people do what is right, it shows that they are righteous, even as Christ is righteous. ⁸ But when people keep on sinning, it shows that they belong to the devil, who has been sinning since the beginning. But the Son of God came to destroy the works of the devil. ⁹ Those who have been born into God’s family do not make a practice of sinning, because God’s life is in them. So they can’t keep on sinning, because they are children of God. ¹⁰ So now we can tell who are children of God and who are children of the devil. Anyone who does not live righteously and does not love other believers does not belong to God.

Key phrase:  Don’t fool yourselves.

•  Don’t fool yourselves.

2 Corinthians 13:5 (NLT)
Examine yourselves to see if your faith is genuine. Test yourselves. Surely you know that Jesus Christ is among you (is in you,); if not, you have failed the test of genuine faith.

 Galatians 5:19-23 (NLT)
¹⁹ When you follow the desires of your sinful nature, the results are very clear: sexual immorality, impurity, lustful pleasures, ²⁰ idolatry, sorcery, hostility, quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, dissension, division, ²¹ envy, drunkenness, wild parties, and other sins like these. Let me tell you again, as I have before, that anyone living that sort of life will not inherit the Kingdom of God.
²² But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, ²³ gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things!

  True believers who do sin, resent that sin and seek to gain victory over it.

 ¹¹ Some of you were once like that.

 Romans 3:23
For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard.

•  Everyone has sinned.

 But you were cleansed; you were made holy;

 Titus 3:5 (NLT)
he saved us, not because of the righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He washed away our sins, giving us a new birth and new life through the Holy Spirit.

Colossians 1:13 (NLT)
For he has rescued us from the kingdom of darkness and transferred us into the Kingdom of his dear Son,

2 Corinthians 5:17 (NLT)
This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!

1 Corinthians 1:30 (NLT)
God has united you with Christ Jesus. For our benefit God made him to be wisdom itself. Christ made us right with God; he made us pure and holy, and he freed us from sin.

•   Christians have been rescued by God from the kingdom of darkness and have been transferred into the Kingdom of Jesus Christ.

 you were made right with God by calling on the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.

 John 3:16 (NLT)
“For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.

Romans 3:22-25
²²  We are made right with God by placing our faith in Jesus Christ. And this is true for everyone who believes, no matter who we are.
²³ For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard.²⁴ Yet God, in his grace, freely makes us right in his sight. He did this through Christ Jesus when he freed us from the penalty for our sins.²⁵ For God presented Jesus as the sacrifice for sin. People are made right with God when they believe that Jesus sacrificed his life, shedding his blood. 

  Romans 10:9-13 (NLT)
⁹ If you openly declare that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. ¹⁰ For it is by believing in your heart that you are made right with God, and it is by openly declaring your faith that you are saved. ¹¹ As the Scriptures tell us, “Anyone who trusts in him will never be disgraced.” ¹² Jew and Gentile are the same in this respect. They have the same Lord, who gives generously to all who call on him. ¹³ For “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”

 Acts 2:21 (NLT)
²¹ But everyone who calls on the name of the Lord
will be saved.’

Romans 8:33 (NLT)
Who dares accuse us whom God has chosen for his own? No one—for God himself has given us right standing with himself.

• We are made right with God by placing our faith in Jesus Christ.
• Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.

How Dare You!

1 Corinthians 6:1-8 (NLT)

Avoiding Lawsuits with Christians
¹ When one of you has a dispute with another believer, how dare you file a lawsuit and ask a secular court to decide the matter instead of taking it to other believers! ² Don’t you realize that someday we believers will judge the world? And since you are going to judge the world, can’t you decide even these little things among yourselves? ³ Don’t you realize that we will judge angels? So you should surely be able to resolve ordinary disputes in this life. ⁴ If you have legal disputes about such matters, why go to outside judges who are not respected by the church? ⁵ I am saying this to shame you. Isn’t there anyone in all the church who is wise enough to decide these issues? ⁶ But instead, one believer sues another—right in front of unbelievers!
⁷ Even to have such lawsuits with one another is a defeat for you. Why not just accept the injustice and leave it at that? Why not let yourselves be cheated? ⁸ Instead, you yourselves are the ones who do wrong and cheat even your fellow believers.

Examine the scriptures:

1 Corinthians 6:1-8 (NLT)
Avoiding Lawsuits with Christians
¹ When one of you has a dispute with another believer, how dare you file a lawsuit and ask a secular court to decide the matter instead of taking it to other believers! 

• Disputes between believers should be resolved in the church.

² Don’t you realize that someday we believers will judge the world?

 Revelation 2:26-27 (NLT)
²⁶ To all who are victorious, who obey me to the very end,
To them I will give authority over all the nations.
²⁷ They will rule the nations with an iron rod
and smash them like clay pots.

 And since you are going to judge the world, can’t you decide even these little things among yourselves? ³ Don’t you realize that we will judge angels? So you should surely be able to resolve ordinary disputes in this life. 

• Christians are qualified to resolve conflicts.

⁴ If you have legal disputes about such matters, why go to outside judges who are not respected by the church? ⁵ I am saying this to shame you. Isn’t there anyone in all the church who is wise enough to decide these issues? 

 Resources available to Christians for conflict resolution that are not available to the unbeliever.

Wisdom

James 1:5 (NLT)
If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and he will give it to you. He will not rebuke you for asking.

The Holy Spirit

Ephesians 1:13 (NLT)
 And when you believed in Christ, he identified you as his own by giving you the Holy Spirit, whom he promised long ago.

John 14:26 (NLT)
But when the Father sends the Advocate as my representative—that is, the Holy Spirit—he will teach you everything and will remind you of everything I have told you.

Galatians 5:22-23 (NLT)
²² But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, ²³ gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things!

The Scriptures

2 Timothy 3:16 (NLT)
All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right.

Example:

Matthew 18:15-17 (NLT)
¹⁵ “If another believer sins against you, go privately and point out the offense. If the other person listens and confesses it, you have won that person back. ¹⁶ But if you are unsuccessful, take one or two others with you and go back again, so that everything you say may be confirmed by two or three witnesses. ¹⁷ If the person still refuses to listen, take your case to the church. Then if he or she won’t accept the church’s decision, treat that person as a pagan or a corrupt tax collector.

•  Resources are available to Christians for conflict resolution that are not available to the unbeliever.
• The Church is better equipped to resolve conflicts, within the church, than a secular court.

⁶ But instead, one believer sues another—right in front of unbelievers!

 Who should we go to for help in resolving conflict?

Do we seek help from those in the kingdom of darkness
or do we seek help from those who are living in the kingdom of  God’s son?

Colossians 1:13 (NLT)
For he has rescued us from the kingdom of darkness and transferred us into the Kingdom of his dear Son,

2 Corinthians 5:17 (NLT)
This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!

 John 15:19 (NLT)
The world would love you as one of its own if you belonged to it, but you are no longer part of the world. I chose you to come out of the world, so it hates you.

Romans 12:2 (NLT)
Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.

How many Biblical principles are being violated when we sue another Christian in a court of law?

 ⁷ Even to have such lawsuits with one another is a defeat for you. Why not just accept the injustice and leave it at that? Why not let yourselves be cheated?

How should we deal with conflict?

Love

Matthew 22:37-40 (NLT)
³⁷ Jesus replied, “‘You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.’ ³⁸ This is the first and greatest commandment. ³⁹ A second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ ⁴⁰ The entire law and all the demands of the prophets are based on these two commandments.”

 Philippians 2:3-5 (NLT)
³ Don’t be selfish; don’t try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves. ⁴ Don’t look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too.
⁵ You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had.

Forgive

 Ephesians 4:32 (NLT)
Instead, be kind to each other, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God through Christ has forgiven you.

 Matthew 18:21-22 (NLT)
²¹ Then Peter came to him and asked, “Lord, how often should I forgive someone who sins against me? Seven times?”
²² “No, not seven times,” Jesus replied, “but seventy times seven!

 ⁸ Instead, you yourselves are the ones who do wrong and cheat even your fellow believers.

•  Disputes in the Christian community should be resolved using Biblical principles.

Colossians 3:12-15 (NLT)
¹² Since God chose you to be the holy people he loves, you must clothe yourselves with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. ¹³ Make allowance for each other’s faults, and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others. ¹⁴ Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds us all together in perfect harmony. ¹⁵ And let the peace that comes from Christ rule in your hearts. For as members of one body you are called to live in peace. And always be thankful.

Three Reminders

Reflections on trips to:

Denali National Park (this summer)
Grand Canyon National Park (March 2010)

Listened to some presentations by
Park Rangers.
Employed by our Federal government.
Paid with our tax dollars.
Clearly in positions of authority. (Uniforms and badges)

For the most part, their presentations contradicted everything taught in the creation account found in the Scriptures.

These individuals are described in Romans 1

Romans 1:25 (NLT)
They traded the truth about God for a lie. So they worshiped and served the things God created instead of the Creator himself, who is worthy of eternal praise! Amen.

This is the world we live in.  This is the world our children are being raised in.

This is not just happening in the secular world.  This is happening in the church.

First reminder

There will be false teachers in our society, in the church, and in the schools cleverly promoting false philosophies.

2 Peter 2:1 (NLT)
The Danger of False Teachers
But there were also false prophets in Israel, just as there will be false teachers among you. They will cleverly teach destructive heresies and even deny the Master who bought them.

Jeremiah 5:31 (NLT)
^… the prophets give false prophecies,
and the priests rule with an iron hand.
Worse yet, my people like it that way!

2 Peter 3:3 (NLT)
Most importantly, I want to remind you that in the last days scoffers will come, mocking the truth and following their own desires.

Biblical truths will be mocked by scoffers who are following their natural instincts.

Colossians 2:8 (NLT)
Don’t let anyone capture you with empty philosophies and high-sounding nonsense that come from human thinking and from the spiritual powers of this world, rather than from Christ.

 

 Second Reminder

 Never stop praying.

 1 Thessalonians 5:17 (NLT)
Never stop praying.

 Pray that your child will grow in spiritual knowledge, spiritual understanding, and spiritual wisdom.

Pray also that your child will know God’s will for their lives.

Prayers from the Scripture:

Philippians 1:9
I pray that your love will overflow more and more, and that you will keep on growing in knowledge and understanding.

Colossians 1:9
So we have not stopped praying for you since we first heard about you. We ask God to give you complete knowledge of his will and to give you spiritual wisdom and understanding.

 

 Third reminder:

Teach Biblical Truth to Your Children

Redeemer Day School Core Values
Christ-Centered
Redeemer Day School believes in nurturing students in the development of Christ-like character and a love for the Lord by hiding His Word in their hearts (Psalm 119:11). Our students learn about the Bible and that His Word is Truth. We teach them about God’s character so that they will understand what their character should be. Prayerfulness, love and respect for others, obedience, truthfulness, and good manners are all modeled and taught in the classroom.

Psalm 78:4 (NLT)
We will not hide these truths from our children;
we will tell the next generation
about the glorious deeds of the Lord,
about his power and his mighty wonders.

Deuteronomy 6:5-7 (NLT)
⁵ And you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your strength. ⁶ And you must commit yourselves wholeheartedly to these commands that I am giving you today. ⁷ Repeat them again and again to your children. Talk about them when you are at home and when you are on the road, when you are going to bed and when you are getting up.

• We all need to learn and be reminded of the truths taught in the Scriptures.
• Repetition enhances memory.

Review

First reminder
There will be false teachers in our society, in the church, and in the schools cleverly promoting false philosophies.

Second Reminder 
Never stop praying.

 Third reminder
Teach Biblical Truth to Your Children

 

 

 

A five word review of 1 Corinthians.

Serious issues in the Church

Lesson:

God holds Christians accountable for the behavior of other Christians.

Examine the scriptures:

Who is being addressed?

^{1 Corinthians 1:2} I am writing to God’s church in Corinth, to you who have been called by God to be his own holy people. He made you holy by means of Christ Jesus, just as he did for all people everywhere who call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, their Lord and ours.

All of the people in the church.

1 Corinthians 5 (NLT)
Paul Condemns Spiritual Pride
¹ I can hardly believe the report about the sexual immorality going on among you—something that even pagans don’t do.

I am told that a man in your church is living in sin with his stepmother. 

This is a serious violation of the Old Testament law as well as Roman law.

Leviticus 18:8 & 29 (NLT)
⁸ “Do not have sexual relations with any of your father’s wives, for this would violate your father.
²⁹ Whoever commits any of these detestable sins will be cut off from the community of Israel.

² You are so proud of yourselves, but you should be mourning in sorrow and shame.

See verse 9 (continuation of a behavior addressed in a previous letter from Paul)

Ephesians 5:3 (NLT)
Let there be no sexual immorality, impurity, or greed among you. Such sins have no place among God’s people.

 Ephesians 5:11 (NLT)
Take no part in the worthless deeds of evil and darkness; instead, expose them.

Apparently the church was showing no remorse for this behavior.

Indifference

Jonathan Edwards:
“The more a true saint loves God, the more he mourns for sin.”

 James 4:8-9 (NLT)
⁸ Come close to God, and God will come close to you. Wash your hands, you sinners; purify your hearts, for your loyalty is divided between God and the world. ⁹ Let there be tears for what you have done. Let there be sorrow and deep grief. Let there be sadness instead of laughter, and gloom instead of joy.

• An appropriate response to sin in the church is sadness, mourning, and feeling shame.

 And you should remove this man from your fellowship.

Another example of removing a believer from the church.

Matthew 18:15-17 (NLT)
Correcting another Believer
¹⁵ “If another believer sins against you, go privately and point out the offense. If the other person listens and confesses it, you have won that person back. ¹⁶ But if you are unsuccessful, take one or two others with you and go back again, so that everything you say may be confirmed by two or three witnesses. ¹⁷ If the person still refuses to listen, take your case to the church. Then if he or she won’t accept the church’s decision, treat that person as a pagan or a corrupt tax collector.

 ³ Even though I am not with you in person, I am with you in the Spirit. And as though I were there, I have already passed judgment on this man ⁴ in the name of the Lord Jesus. You must call a meeting of the church. I will be present with you in spirit, and so will the power of our Lord Jesus. ⁵ Then you must throw this man out and hand him over to Satan so that his sinful nature will be destroyed and he himself will be saved on the day the Lord returns.

•  Sin in the church must be addressed.

 Destroy the sinful nature, not the man.

Thrust the believer back into the world on his own, apart from the care and support of Christian fellowship. That person has forfeited his right to participation in the church of Jesus Christ, which He intends to keep pure at all costs.

Thrust into Satan’s realm.

Many have supposed that by the “destruction of the flesh” Paul meant only the destruction of his fleshly appetites or carnal affections; and that he supposed that this would be effected by the act of excommunication.

The inner believer belongs entirely to Christ and we have the absolute assurance that he will be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus. But in the meanwhile the unrepentant believer may be turned over to suffer greatly at the hands’ of Satan.

The goal:

Ultimate purification of the person.

Preservation of a believer.

• One reason to discipline those inside the church who are sinning is for the benefit of the individual.

⁶ Your boasting about this is terrible.

Blinded to their duty in regard to blatant sin that devastated the church.

Don’t you realize that this sin is like a little yeast that spreads through the whole batch of dough? ⁷ Get rid of the old “yeast” by removing this wicked person from among you.

One bad apple in a basket of apples will eventually ruin the entire basket of apples.

• Unaddressed sin will corrupt the local church.

Then you will be like a fresh batch of dough made without yeast, which is what you really are. Christ, our Passover Lamb, has been sacrificed for us. ⁸ So let us celebrate the festival, not with the old bread of wickedness and evil, but with the new bread of sincerity and truth.

⁹ When I wrote to you before, I told you not to associate with people who indulge in sexual sin. 

 ¹⁰ But I wasn’t talking about unbelievers who indulge in sexual sin, or are greedy, or cheat people, or worship idols. You would have to leave this world to avoid people like that. ¹¹ I meant that you are not to associate with anyone who claims to be a believer yet indulges in sexual sin, or is greedy, or worships idols, or is abusive, or is a drunkard, or cheats people. Don’t even eat with such people.

•  Professing believers are held to a different standard than individuals outside the church.

¹² It isn’t my responsibility to judge outsiders, but it certainly is your responsibility to judge those inside the church who are sinning. ¹³ God will judge those on the outside; but as the Scriptures say, “You must remove the evil person from among you.”

•  The local church is responsible for judging those inside the church who are sinning.
• A second reason to discipline those inside the church who are sinning is for the benefit of the Church.

 

 

Choices Have Consequences

1 Corinthians 4:18-21 (NLT)

¹⁸ Some of you have become arrogant, thinking I will not visit you again.¹⁹ But I will come—and soon—if the Lord lets me, and then I’ll find out whether these arrogant people just give pretentious speeches or whether they really have God’s power. ²⁰ For the Kingdom of God is not just a lot of talk; it is living by God’s power. ²¹ Which do you choose? Should I come with a rod to punish you, or should I come with love and a gentle spirit?

•  Scripture teaches us to walk humbly with God.
• Christians are held accountable for the good or evil they have done in their earthly bodies.
•  Those who trust their own insight are foolish.
• Rather than using clever and persuasive speeches, learn to rely only on the power of the Holy Spirit.
• The Lord disciplines those He loves.
•  God’s discipline is always good for us.
• Choices have consequences.

I am writing to God’s church in Corinth, to you who have been called by God to be his own holy people. He made you holy by means of Christ Jesus, just as he did for all people everywhere who call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, their Lord and ours.     (1 Corinthians 1:2 NLT)

“Reflections on 1 Corinthians” will be continued in future posts.

Click here to view previous posts on the Seeking His Kingdom website.

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