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.

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The Responsibilities of a Spiritual Parent.

1 Corinthians 4:14-17 (NLT)

¹⁴ I am not writing these things to shame you, but to warn you as my beloved children. ¹⁵ For even if you had ten thousand others to teach you about Christ, you have only one spiritual father. For I became your father in Christ Jesus when I preached the Good News to you. ¹⁶ So I urge you to imitate me.  ¹⁷ That’s why I have sent Timothy, my beloved and faithful child in the Lord. He will remind you of how I follow Christ Jesus, just as I teach in all the churches wherever I go.

•  A spiritual parent directs his/her children onto the right path.
• A spiritual parent sets an example for others to follow.
  • Spiritual leaders must set an example of Christlikeness for others to follow.
  • Be an example to all believers in what you say, in the way you live, in your love, your faith, and your purity.

 Are you living a life that you want others (your children or students) to imitate?

• A spiritual parent equips his children to teach others.

Are you teaching others to become teachers? 

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.

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For no one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws them to me, and at the last day I will raise them up.   John 6:44 (NLT)

Jesus told him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me.  John 14:6 (NLT)

• No one can come to Jesus unless the Father who sent Jesus draws them to Jesus.
• No one can come to the Father except through Jesus.

¹⁴ But how can they call on him to save them unless they believe in him? And how can they believe in him if they have never heard about him? And how can they hear about him unless someone tells them? ¹⁵ And how will anyone go and tell them without being sent? That is why the Scriptures say, “How beautiful are the feet of messengers who bring good news!”  Romans 10:14-15 (NLT)

 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. And you will be my witnesses, telling people about me everywhere …  Acts 1:8 (NLT)

•  God uses Spirit-filled people to tell others about Jesus. (Tell others about Jesus.)

God has given each of you a gift from his great variety of spiritual gifts. Use them well to serve one another.  1 Peter 4:10 (NLT)

• God has given each of you (Christian) a spiritual gift (or gifts). Use your spiritual gifts to serve others.

 

Teach Truth.  Teach Scripture.

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.  2 Timothy 3:16 (NLT)

For the word of God is alive and powerful. It is sharper than the sharpest two-edged sword, cutting between soul and spirit, between joint and marrow. It exposes our innermost thoughts and desires.  Hebrews 4:12 (NLT)

The grass withers and the flowers fade,
but the word of our God stands forever.”  Isaiah 40:8 (NLT)

¹⁰ “The rain and snow come down from the heavens
    and stay on the ground to water the earth.
They cause the grain to grow,
    producing seed for the farmer
    and bread for the hungry.
¹¹ It is the same with my word.
    I send it out, and it always produces fruit.
It will accomplish all I want it to,
    and it will prosper everywhere I send it.  Isaiah 55:10-11 (NLT)

• God’s word is alive and powerful.
• Use Scripture when telling others about Jesus.

⁴ “Listen, O Israel! The Lord is our God, the Lord alone. 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. ⁸ Tie them to your hands and wear them on your forehead as reminders. ⁹ Write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.  Deuteronomy 6:4-9 (NLT)

• Repetition enhances memory.

The Goal

Rather, you must grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. All glory to him, both now and forever! Amen.  2 Peter 3:18

Like newborn babies, you must crave pure spiritual milk so that you will grow into a full experience of salvation. Cry out for this nourishment,  1 Peter 2:2 (NLT)

 To those who listen to my teaching, more understanding will be given, and they will have an abundance of knowledge. But for those who are not listening, even what little understanding they have will be taken away from them.  Matthew 13:12

•  Work to stimulate the appetites of your students.
• Create an environment where students can grow in knowledge and understanding.

Our Prayer

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

 

 

 

 

 

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…

2 Peter 1:12-15 (NLT)  ¹² Therefore, I will always remind you about these things—even though you already know them and are standing firm in the truth you have been taught. ¹³ And it is only right that I should keep on reminding you as long as I live. ¹⁴ For our Lord Jesus Christ has shown me that I must soon leave this earthly life, ¹⁵ so I will work hard to make sure you always remember these things after I am gone.

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

2 Peter 1:2-3 (NLT)  ² May God give you more and more grace and peace as you grow in your knowledge of God and Jesus our Lord.  ³ By his divine power, God has given us everything we need for living a godly life. We have received all of this by coming to know him, the one who called us to himself by means of his marvelous glory and excellence.

• It is crucial to be growing in the knowledge of God and Jesus.
• As we grow in our knowledge of God and Jesus, we become better equipped to live godly lives.

2 Peter 2:1 (NLT)  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.

1 John 4:1-5 (NLT)   Dear friends, do not believe everyone who claims to speak by the Spirit. You must test them to see if the spirit they have comes from God. For there are many false prophets in the world. ² This is how we know if they have the Spirit of God: If a person claiming to be a prophet acknowledges that Jesus Christ came in a real body, that person has the Spirit of God. ³ But if someone claims to be a prophet and does not acknowledge the truth about Jesus, that person is not from God. Such a person has the spirit of the Antichrist, which you heard is coming into the world and indeed is already here. ⁴ But you belong to God, my dear children. You have already won a victory over those people, because the Spirit who lives in you is greater than the spirit who lives in the world. ⁵ Those people belong to this world, so they speak from the world’s viewpoint, and the world listens to 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!

• There will be false teachers in the church and in the schools cleverly promoting false philosophies.

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.

Jude 3-4, 17-19 (NLT)
A Call to Remain Faithful
³ Dear friends, I had been eagerly planning to write to you about the salvation we all share. But now I find that I must write about something else, urging you to defend the faith that God has entrusted once for all time to his holy people. ⁴ I say this because some ungodly people have wormed their way into your churches, saying that God’s marvelous grace allows us to live immoral lives.
¹⁷ But you, my dear friends, must remember what the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ predicted. ¹⁸ They told you that in the last times there would be scoffers whose purpose in life is to satisfy their ungodly desires. ¹⁹ These people are the ones who are creating divisions among you. They follow their natural instincts because they do not have God’s Spirit in them.

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.

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

The reminder:

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.

Psalm 145:4 (NLT)
Let each generation tell its children of your mighty acts;
let them proclaim your power.

• We need to tell the next generation about the glorious deeds of the Lord, about his power and his mighty wonders.

Proverbs 23:12
Commit yourself to instruction; listen carefully to words of knowledge.

Hebrews 2:1 (NLT)
A Warning against Drifting Away
So we must listen very carefully to the truth we have heard, or we may drift away from it.

 

Addressing the pride and arrogance of the Corinthian Church.

1 Corinthians 4:6-13 (NLT)

⁶ Dear brothers and sisters, I have used Apollos and myself to illustrate what I’ve been saying. If you pay attention to what I have quoted from the Scriptures, you won’t be proud of one of your leaders at the expense of another. ⁷ For what gives you the right to make such a judgment? What do you have that God hasn’t given you? And if everything you have is from God, why boast as though it were not a gift?
⁸ You think you already have everything you need. You think you are already rich. You have begun to reign in God’s kingdom without us! I wish you really were reigning already, for then we would be reigning with you. ⁹ Instead, I sometimes think God has put us apostles on display, like prisoners of war at the end of a victor’s parade, condemned to die. We have become a spectacle to the entire world—to people and angels alike.
¹⁰ Our dedication to Christ makes us look like fools, but you claim to be so wise in Christ! We are weak, but you are so powerful! You are honored, but we are ridiculed. ¹¹ Even now we go hungry and thirsty, and we don’t have enough clothes to keep warm. We are often beaten and have no home. ¹² We work wearily with our own hands to earn our living. We bless those who curse us. We are patient with those who abuse us.¹³ We appeal gently when evil things are said about us. Yet we are treated like the world’s garbage, like everybody’s trash—right up to the present moment.

• Pay attention to the scriptures, not the opinions of man.
• Do not judge others. Don’t be proud and arrogant.
• Everything you have is from God.
• God will supply all of your needs.
• Humility is the only acceptable posture for the Christian, in light of all that God has done for them.
• Don’t think you are better than you really are.
• Christians should expect to be mistreated for their faith.

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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 “The master said, ‘Well done, my good and faithful servant. You have been faithful in handling this small amount, so now I will give you many more responsibilities. Let’s celebrate together!’ (Matthew 25:23 NLT) 1 Corinthians 4:1-5 (NLT)

¹ So look at Apollos and me as mere servants of Christ who have been put in charge of explaining God’s mysteries. ² Now, a person who is put in charge as a manager must be faithful. ³ As for me, it matters very little how I might be evaluated by you or by any human authority. I don’t even trust my own judgment on this point. ⁴ My conscience is clear, but that doesn’t prove I’m right. It is the Lord himself who will examine me and decide.
⁵ So don’t make judgments about anyone ahead of time—before the Lord returns. For he will bring our darkest secrets to light and will reveal our private motives. Then God will give to each one whatever praise is due.

•  God can use anyone to share spiritual truths.
• Spiritual truths are revealed by the Holy Spirit.
• People sharing spiritual truths use the Spirit’s words, not words that come from human wisdom, to explain Spiritual truths.
• Be a good worker, one who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly explains the word of truth.
• Our purpose should be to please God, not people.
• A clear conscience does not prove you are right.
• God will judge everyone according to what they have done.
• Do not judge others.
• God will give to each one whatever praise is due.

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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So then, let us aim for harmony in the church and try to build each other up. Romans 14:19 (NLT) 

1 Corinthians 3:16-23 (NLT)

¹⁶ Don’t you realize that all of you together are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God lives in you? ¹⁷ God will destroy anyone who destroys this temple. For God’s temple is holy, and you are that temple.
¹⁸ Stop deceiving yourselves. If you think you are wise by this world’s standards, you need to become a fool to be truly wise. ¹⁹ For the wisdom of this world is foolishness to God. As the Scriptures say,
“He traps the wise
in the snare of their own cleverness.”
²⁰ And again,
“The Lord knows the thoughts of the wise;
he knows they are worthless.”
²¹ So don’t boast about following a particular human leader. For everything belongs to you— ²² whether Paul or Apollos or Peter, or the world, or life and death, or the present and the future. Everything belongs to you, ²³ and you belong to Christ, and Christ belongs to God.

• The body of believers is the temple of God.
• Christ is the head of the church.
• Collective and corporate worship is a vital part of spiritual life.
• God will destroy anyone who destroys his temple.
• Christians should aim for harmony in the church and try to build each other up.
• God’s temple is holy.
• The wisdom of this world is foolishness to God.
• Don’t boast about following a particular human leader.
• Christians are heirs of God’s glory.
• Christians belong to God, not the leaders of their church.

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.

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Gold, Silver, or Jewels vs. Wood, Hay, or Straw

1 Corinthians 3:5-15 (NLT)

⁵ After all, who is Apollos? Who is Paul? We are only God’s servants through whom you believed the Good News. Each of us did the work the Lord gave us. ⁶ I planted the seed in your hearts, and Apollos watered it, but it was God who made it grow. ⁷ It’s not important who does the planting, or who does the watering. What’s important is that God makes the seed grow. ⁸ The one who plants and the one who waters work together with the same purpose. And both will be rewarded for their own hard work. ⁹ For we are both God’s workers. And you are God’s field. You are God’s building.
¹⁰ Because of God’s grace to me, I have laid the foundation like an expert builder. Now others are building on it. But whoever is building on this foundation must be very careful. ¹¹ For no one can lay any foundation other than the one we already have—Jesus Christ.
¹² Anyone who builds on that foundation may use a variety of materials—gold, silver, jewels, wood, hay, or straw. ¹³ But on the judgment day, fire will reveal what kind of work each builder has done. The fire will show if a person’s work has any value. ¹⁴ If the work survives, that builder will receive a reward. ¹⁵ But if the work is burned up, the builder will suffer great loss. The builder will be saved, but like someone barely escaping through a wall of flames.

•  Christians were created to do good works, which God prepared in advance for them to do.
• Within the body of Christ, some plant “seeds” (lay the foundation) and some water “the seeds” (nurture believers).
• God makes the seeds grow. God alone produces results.
• The Church (us) is responsible to equip God’s people to do his work and build up the church.
• Both those who plant and those who water will be rewarded for their hard work.
• Christians need to be careful to make Jesus Christ the foundation of the Gospel.
• On the judgment day, some of our work will survive and some of our work is burned up.
• Salvation is not dependent on works.

 

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.

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The Need to Transition From Milk to Meat.

1 Corinthians 3:1-4 (NLT)

¹ Dear brothers and sisters, when I was with you I couldn’t talk to you as I would to spiritual people. I had to talk as though you belonged to this world or as though you were infants in Christ. ² I had to feed you with milk, not with solid food, because you weren’t ready for anything stronger. And you still aren’t ready, ³ for you are still controlled by your sinful nature. You are jealous of one another and quarrel with each other. Doesn’t that prove you are controlled by your sinful nature? Aren’t you living like people of the world? ⁴ When one of you says, “I am a follower of Paul,” and another says, “I follow Apollos,” aren’t you acting just like people of the world?

•  Some Christians can only digest “milk”, not “solid food”.
• When sharing with believers, adjust your message to match the spiritual maturity of your audience.
• Some Christians are controlled by their sinful nature.
• When you follow the desires of your sinful nature, the results are very clear: … quarreling, jealousy … and other sins like these.
• Live in harmony with each other.
• Don’t participate in quarreling and jealousy.
• Let the Holy Spirit guide your lives.

 

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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