A Study in II Corinthians Week 2

II Corinthians 2:1-17

The Corinthians had written Paul about some issues in their church. In his first letter, Paul addressed their disunity. In this letter, he addresses the issue of RECONCILIATION (a bookkeeping term wherein one spreadsheet is “reconciled” with another…to make them agree).

In chapter two of II Corinthians, Paul deals with 3 things: 1) his continued desire to visit them; 2) forgiveness for the both the sinner and each other; and 3) the nature of ministers of the New Covenant.

The Old Covenant was the covenant of The Law, designed by God to prepare the hearts of mankind for the New Covenant.

The New Covenant represents a “new” idea about how to be a part of God’s Kingdom. Only it’s not new at all. It is exactly what the Old Covenant continually pointed to: salvation through, and only through, God’s Messiah (Jesus).

The Verses

1-4 Paul wants the members of First Baptist Church of Corinth to know that he is not angry with them, but that he loves them and wants the best for them. That is what God wants for our church today…the best. He is not talking about “professionalism,” but the state of our hearts.

5-11 When one of us causes grief in the church, the whole church is affected…even those who don’t know about the grief. We don’t function as individuals, but as a body. When one part hurts, the whole body hurts.

We must be a forgiving people.

We all have our peculiarities and short comings. In our dealings with our brothers and sisters in Christ, we need to keep that in mind. If we don’t, we allow Satan to gain a foothold and to cause dissension among us. Reconciliation begins with forgiveness. That is the way we were reconciled with God through Christ. That is the way we must reconcile and be reconciled with others.

12-17 Paul was having trouble catching up with Titus. But while he was stressed over that, he gave praise to God for being able to spread the gospel wherever he did get to go. His reference to the aroma of Christ points back to Hosea 14:6 – a prophecy of the coming Messiah. Paul points out that to the saved, Christ is like the aroma of life. For the unsaved, Christ has the aroma of death, because without Him, death is their eternal destination.

Paul is clear that the preaching of the gospel is NOT for the purpose of monetary gain (and here he is not saying ministers may not be paid, but that when they are paid, their pay must not be their motive for ministering).


Remember: The gospel is the good news that “…while we were yet sinners Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:8).

A Study in II Corinthians Week 1

II Corinthians 1 1-24

You may hear that II Corinthians is actually an amalgamation of two or more letters. This is utter nonsense and is not supported either internally or externally to the letter.

While I Corinthians apparently resolved some of the problems of unity in Corinth, a new and potentially more dangerous threat soon arose. False teachers, claiming to be apostles sent by the Jerusalem church, arrived in Corinth and soon wooed many of the congregation away from their loyalty to the truth of Christ’s adequacy for salvation.

II Corinthians may be the least read book of the New Testament. That’s sad, because it is a book of great triumph and deep theology. It is the most complete exposition of the New Covenant outside of the book of Hebrews.

The theme of II Corinthians is RECONCILIATION. 1) Reconciliation with God; 2) Reconciliation with each other and 3) Reconciliation through Christ.

Reconciliation is a bookkeeping term. In bookkeeping, the books are not made right unless and until they are reconciled…that is, until each of their elements are in agreement – the bank’s and the company’s (or your check book).

The letter deals with three aspects of Christian life that evidence reconciliation: 1) Verses 1-7 Christian Living; 2) Verses 8-9 Christian Giving; 3) Verses 10-13 Christian Guarding.

The Verses

1-2 Paul restates his authority as an Apostle. If what you are doing is by the will of God, you’re in a wonderful place! (Timothy was Paul’s “son in the Lord.” Paul led him to Christ. Have you led anyone to Christ lately?) God’s Riches At Christ’s Expense—to you—from God our father and the Lord Jesus Christ. (Note the conjunction, “and.” It could refer to two different entities, or it could mean that God is both our father and our Lord Jesus Christ. In light of the rest of Scripture, I believe it means the latter.

3-7 Whatever you are going through, you can know the comfort of God. When you are comforted by God, you are totally comforted. If God’s comfort is not enough for you, you need to re-examine your relationship to Him through Christ.

8-11 No preacher in the history of the church has faced such intense persecution as did Paul, and in this letter he models how to handle suffering in the ministry.

12-14 Paul emphasized the importance of dealing with each other with integrity. He assured the church members that he was dealing with them in terms of God’s grace, not according to some complex theological system.

15-17 Paul had told the Corinthians that he was coming to see them, but he was prevented from doing so. He assured them that he did not break his word, he would, indeed, come to them as soon as circumstances enabled him to do so…and he did.

18-23 Hold on to your seats folks…this is EXCITING! The message Paul had for the Corinthians was not a washed out, wishy-washy religious philosophy, it was a vibrant, positive shout-out of the answer to the sin problem of the world.

Verse 19 tells us that Paul and Silas preached Jesus as the Son of God and as one about whom there could be no doubt. He has always been the “Yes” of God, demonstrating His love for His creation and His plan for its redemption.

Verse 20 states that all of God’s promises are fulfilled in Christ.

Michael Card has a song called, “The promise.”

The Lord God said when time was full
He would shine His light in the darkness.
He said a virgin would conceive;
And give birth to the Promise.

For a thousand years the dreamers dreamt.
And hoped to see His love.
The Promise showed their wildest dreams;
Had simply not been wild enough.
But the Promise showed their wildest dreams;
Had simply not been wild enough.

Chorus
The Promise was love and the Promise was life.
The Promise meant light to the world.
Living proof Jehovah saves
For the name of the Promise was Jesus.

The Faithful One saw time was full;
And the ancient pledge was honored.
So God the Son, the Incarnate One;
His final Word, His own Son;
Was born in Bethlehem

But came into our hearts to live.
What more could God have given?
Tell me what more did He have to give?
What more could God have given?
Tell me what more did He have to give?

Repeat Chorus

At last the proof Jehovah saves
For the name of the Promise was Jesus.

The message of II Corinthians is not the demand of the Law upon people to compel them to follow certain rules and regulations. When Christianity becomes that it always becomes a deadly, stultifying, dangerous thing. Unfortunately, it has become just that among many, many people.

The message is that Jesus Christ, the Son of God is the great “AMEN” of God.

“Amen” is a word that means, “So be it.”

In other words, here the Bible is saying, “That’s it!” “It’s done!”

We can now stand firm, not in our philosophies, theologies or imaginations, but in Christ.

He has anointed us.

He has set His seal of ownership on us and has “deposited” (note the continuation of the financial analogy) His in our hearts so that we are “guaranteed” what is to come: Life through Christ.

Paul explains that he did not avoid coming to Corinth to spite them, but to help them see that it was not his intention to control or command them.

They could get their leadership directly from God in the Person of the Holy Spirit.

Paul encourages us to stand firm in our faith…not to have faith in our faith, but faith in the Object of our faith: Jesus Christ.

A Study in I Corinthians Week 17

We have covered I Corinthians 15 before, so if you want to do so again it is at the end of this exam.

In the mean time, you should have no trouble acing this test.

I Corinthians Review and Final Exam

1. The theme of I Corinthians is: a) Rules to live by; b) Unity in the church; c) homosexuality as a mortal sin; d) a study of body parts

2. Paul received a letter from the members of the church at Corinth and concluded from it that: a) there was lots of sin going on; b) the church was in a building program; c) there was disunity in the church; d) the church of Corinth was close to being perfect

3. In chapter 2, Paul asserts that knowing nothing but Christ and him crucified leads to: a) a simple minded approach to church matters; b) unity in the church; c) anti-intellectualism; d) utter frustration

4. Chapter 3 finds Paul concerned about: a) spiritual immaturity causing divisions in the church; b) being wise Christians; c) keeping a list of who did what to whom; d) holding to the right philosophy of life.

5. Chapter 3 also encourages us to: a) follow the theologian with the best Biblical knowledge; b) follow Christ and Christ only; c) watch plenty of Christian TV so you can see lots of different worship forms; d) sing many different types of songs in worship

6. Paul’s admonition in chapter 4 to “imitate him” is: a) his ego hanging out; b) his attempt to control the congregation; c) his belief that following Christ only, as he does, is the best way to achieve unity; d) a pathway to stardom on America’s Got Talent

7. Paul tells us in chapter 5 that allowing immoral people to infiltrate the church is a good way to: a) give people variety in their acquaintances; b) makes for many points of view in deacons’ meetings; c) gives us a chance to witness to lost people; d) invites disunity in the church

8. Chapter 6 emphasizes that fighting and lawsuits among the brethren: a) invites disunity; b) helps poor lawyers, who need clients; c) gives people release from boredom; d) provides fodder for the mainstream media to castigate the church

9. In chapter 7, Paul uses the picture of God ordained marriage to illustrate a) how men and women differ; b) unity in the church; c) how to have a knock-down drag-out fight with your spouse; d) the importance of a church wedding

10. Freedom in Christ is emphasized in chapter 8. Paul says freedom: a) means we can do what we want, when we want; b) includes following the teachings of other religions; c) should never be exercised if it is going to cause disunity; d) is absolute in all circumstances

11. In chapter 9, Paul emphasizes the rights we have in Christ, but reminds us that we must never claim our rights if they cause: a) traffic problems on the Damascus Road; b) lawsuits among the brethren; c) issues with authorities; d) disunity in the Body of Christ

12. Chapter 11 exhorts us to worship: a) any way we please; b) with great enthusiasm; c) in an orderly way for the sake of unity; d) by clapping and raising our hands

13. The purpose of spiritual gifts is to help us: a) show off; b) be ecstatic in our utterances; c) draw attention to the church for those outside; d) achieve unity

14. According to chapter 13, if we treat each other with “agape” love: a) we will maintain unity in the church; b) struggle to keep quiet; c) be successful in life

15. Chapter 14 reminds us that God is a God of: a) confusion; b) extremes; c) peace and unity; d) unknowability

Answers: 1-b; 2-c; 3-b; 4-a; 5-b; 6-c; 7-d; 8-a; 9-b; 10-c; 11-d; 12-c; 13-d; 14-a; 15-c

I Corinthians 15

I Corinthians 15 is a pivotal chapter in the New Testament. It addresses one of the early heresies of the church: that there is no bodily resurrection.

The fact is, the resurrection of Christ is the most important part of the gospel, for as we will see, if there is no resurrection, there is no salvation.

The word resurrection is from the Greek: ανάστασις (anastosis) the standing up of a corpse. The resurrection is always referring to the physical, not the spiritual.

There were three prevailing philosophies: Stoicism (the soul merges into deity at death); Epicureanism (totally materialistic); Platonism (immortality and transmigration of the soul).

The Verses

Verses 12-19 Paul presents a series of seven “ifs.” (Seven is the number of completion and/or perfection) Paul is using logic here to present both a physical and a spiritual truth. (Remember how logical he was in Romans?)

Verses 20-28 Christ is the “firstfruits.” Firstfruits was a Jewish feast held in the early spring at the beginning of the grain harvest. It was observed on Nissan 16, which was the third day after Passover and the second day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread. Firstfruits was a time of thanksgiving for God’s provision. Remember Romans 5:12-14? Death is the final enemy we face on this earth. And that has been conquered by Christ’s resurrection. Verse 28 tells us that Christ will return to his place in the Godhead after the millennial reign.

Verses29-34 The whole of I Corinthians 15 concerns the resurrection from the dead. Paul cites the example of those who were baptized as a proof of the resurrection. Their actions symbolized their hope that they would live again. The resurrection is the hope of the dead. Baptism illustrates the hope of the resurrection. One who is baptized rises out of a watery grave, symbolic of the resurrection. Paul is thus saying, "What good is it to be baptized if we do not rise in a resurrection from the dead?” Why then should one be baptized for a hope that would never come true?" However, Paul affirms that, because Christ died and rose again, we have this true hope, the resurrection, to look forward to.

Verses 35-42 Think of yourself as a seed. You have all of the requisites for life…indeed, in a sense, you are alive but you are not what you will be. A seed must “die” and be buried to become the plant it is to be. If we do not die, we cannot become what Christ has willed us to become. If you sow wheat, wheat comes up, not corn. If Christ sows you as saved, you are saved to the uttermost.

Verses 43-49 We perish, our resurrected body won’t. We are weak, but we will be strong. Verse 44 contrasts the natural with the supernatural. We’ll have a totally different kind of body…one we cannot imagine.

Verses 50-52 We cannot inherit God’s kingdom if we do not first give up our present form. The “mystery” mentioned here is that which is now revealed. In the Old Testament it was unrevealed. In the New Testament it is revealed. A twinkling of the eye is faster than a blink. A twinkle is the reflection of a light ray, and travels at 186,000 miles per second! That’s fast.

Verses 53-58 We’re going to be changed! If we are not changed, we cannot be in Heaven with God. But we do not need to fear death! The grave would like to win, but it will not! Christ has already walked the waters of death for you and me. He’ll bring us into eternity! In Christ, we are victors!

A Study in I Corinthians Week 16

I Corinthians 14:26-40 (A continuation from last week)

We’re continuing our study of Paul’s response to the First Baptist Church of Corinth, who had written him about some church issues. Paul use his response to express the importance of unity in the church.

Although there are some great doctrinal issues in I Corinthians, we must always remember that Paul’s reason for bringing them up is to illustrate practically how to achieve that unity.

The Verses

01. 26-28 Whatever our abilities or gifts, they should be used for the “strengthening” of the Body of Christ, the church. We’ll be putting this into practice on our next “Great Day.” We’ll have multiple speakers, in different languages, each of whom will interpret for the other. Paul implies that it would be divisive to have a speaker in a foreign language (tongue) with no interpreter around.

PAUL WOULD ENCOURAGE THE USE OF AN ORDER OF WORSHIP.

02. 29-33 Simple: There should not be two or more people speaking at once. That does not bring unity, but cacophony. “For God is not the author of disorder (confusion), but of peace.

03. 34-35 Remember, women had never been allowed to even be in with the men, let alone speak out in their presence.

(We recoil at the treatment of Muslim women by the religion of Islam, but it
is not so far removed from the treatment of women by ancient Jews).

This had been the practice in every congregation. Paul allows them in, but
implores them to follow convention, not to disrupt the congregation with
“far-out” participation.

That they are encouraged to “ask their husbands” assumes the husband to be
spiritually educated and spiritually minded.

The word translated “disgraceful” is δυσφημία (dusphemia): the condition of
one who is defamed ill-repute, and the action of one who uses disgraceful
language.

04. 36-38 In effect, Paul is saying: “Surely a person as spiritually intelligent as you can see that I’m right.”

05. This is the second time Paul has brought up the need for order. Remember, all Scripture is important, but when it says something twice, listen up!

Consider the orderliness of the building of the temple in I Kings 6ff.

Consider the laying out of the tents of Israel in Numbers 2.

Consider the arrangement of the people at the fall of Jericho in Joshua 6.

God is infinitely organized and has implored us to be organized, too.

A Study in I Corinthians Week 15

I Corinthians 14:1-25

Tongues: Three Greek words for tongues: glossa (language); dialectos (dialect) and glossalalia (fabricated and non-meaningful speech - not used in the New Testament).

Prophecy [from Ancient Greek verb προφημι (prophemi)]: A prophecy is a message that has been communicated to a prophet, by God, which the prophet then communicates to others.

01. 1-5 Paul opens with a declarative: “Follow the way of love…” He asserts that we should desire all of the spiritual gifts. He does NOT assert that we will receive all of the spiritual gifts. But the gift(s) we have must be administered with love.

Verse 4 tells us that the use of glossa (language) edifies (builds up) himself, whereas the use of prophecy builds up the church. This makes sense, because the theme of I Corinthians is Unity in the Body of Christ.

If you speak in a foreign language, nobody will understand you unless your have an interpreter. We will be demonstrating this on our next Great Day.

02. 6-12 The point here is that speaking in a foreign language to the church is useless, since nobody will understand. (verse 9). This also means that we should speak intelligibly…making sense in what we say. In verse 10 Paul recognizes the world’s many languages all meaningful to those who speak that language. In verse 12 he admonishes us to excel in the gifts that build up the church.

03. 13-17 When pastor Dax or pastor William (our Spanish speaking pastors) speak to us, sometimes they struggle to get the English right. We might be spiritually correct in what we are trying to convey, but if we can’t convey it intelligently, we are just flapping our lips. Say something that somebody can say, “Amen” to. You may be spiritual, but you are basically useless to other church members if you don’t. Does this lack of usefulness create unity in the church?

04. 18-19 As a missionary, Paul had spoken in at least a dozen different languages. But in the church, he spoke whatever language the congregation of the church spoke. If he could not, he got an interpreter.

05. 20-21 He admonishes the members of the Church of Corinth to stop acting like children. Grow up!

06. 22-25 As a missionary, Paul had to speak the language of those in whose country he was preaching…to unbelievers…trying to bring them to Christ. In the church, Paul spoke in prophecy…a message given to him from God for the church.

If the church is engaged in some form of gibber jabber, or if each person is speaking in his native language (we have 18 nationalities represented in our church), and an unsaved person walks in, that lost person will not know what is going on.

On the other hand, if we stay on message and speak in a language everybody understands, the lost person will have his heart softened and will be receptive to the prodding of the Holy Spirit to come to Christ.

We are to clearly present the gospel in terms people can understand…ALL OF US, not just the preacher. What a powerful witness THAT would be!

A Study in I Corinthians Week 14

I Corinthians 13:1-13

Verse 31 ends chapter 12 by saying “Eagerly desire the greater gifts. And now I will show you the most excellent way.”

There are four Greek words for love that are important for Christians to understand. They are agape (an exercise of the will, a deliberate choice), phileo (to have a special interest in someone or something), storge (love and affection that naturally occurs between parents and children), and eros (erotic love). Three of them appear in the Bible: phileo; storge and agape.

In I Corinthians 13, Paul describes agape.

The Verses

1-3 No matter how spiritual I think I am, if I do not have love I am (choose one): [1) Not as good as I could be; 2) Better than most but not as good as others; 3) About where I ought to be; 4) absolutely nothing.]

Answer: 4) absolutely nothing.

So…do you have love? How do you know?

Paul gives us the yard stick.

4-7 Patient – Are you patient with others, including your spouse?
Kind – Do you exercise kindness toward others, including your spouse?
Envious – Are you envious of others, including your spouse?
Boastful – Are you boastful in front of others, including your spouse?
Prideful - Are you prideful around others, including your spouse?
Rudeness – Are you rude to others, including your spouse?
Self-seeking – Do you behave selfishly toward others, including your
spouse?
Anger – Do you get angry at others, including your spouse?
(All anger comes from not getting your way.)
Grudge – Do you hold grudges against others, including your spouse?
Love evil things – What’s your list of evils?
Truth – The truth is not what we say or think happened, it is what
actually happened.
Protect – Do you protect others, including your spouse?
Trust – Are you trustworthy? If you say you’ll do something, can you
be trusted to do it…even if you didn’t say the words, “I
promise?”
Hope – Are you filled with Holy Hope?
Perseverance – Do you Keep on Keeping On?

8-10 If you love, you love. If you “stop loving,” you never loved to begin with. Everything else on earth, physical and spiritual, will pass, but not love.

Verse 11 - Remember chapter 3, when Paul declared that he could not address the members of the First Baptist Church of Corinth as adults and had to feed them baby food? Here he’s talking about the same thing.

Verse 12 – We don’t understand a lot of things now (even though we sometimes act like we think we do). There will come a time when we will know everything there is for us to know: When we stand face-to-face with our Lord.

Faith, hope and love are all significant. But the most significant thing of all is love, for it was love that prompted God to provide the solution to our sin problem in the person of Christ at the cross of Calvary.

A Study in I Corinthians Week 13

I Corinthians 12:1-34

There are two Greek words translated tongues or language in the New Testament:

Glossa: the tongue, a member of the body, an organ of speech a tongue. The language or dialect used by a particular people distinct from that of other nations.

Dialectos: conversation, speech, discourse, language. The tongue or language peculiar to any people.

There is a third word in the ancient Greek language, Glossalalia: Fabricated and non-meaningful speech, especially such speech associated with a trance state or certain schizophrenic syndromes.

The word, glossalalia does not appear in the most dependable New Testament documents.

A very important principle to know: One cannot prove Scripture by one’s experience. One CAN prove one’s experience by Scripture.

The Verses

01. 1-6 Below is an overview of Spiritual Gifts. Notice that this passage conforms and re-states the theme of I Corinthians: Unity in the Church.

02. 7-11 The manifestation of the Spirit. Why do we each have a gift? For the common good of the Body of Christ.

03. 12-26 Here Paul really leans on God’s theme of unity. He uses the analogy of the body (since he constantly calls us The Body of Christ.

04. 27-28a Paul tells us that we are all different, but whatever gift we have we are to use. We do NOT all have all of the gifts, and there is not a single gift that everybody MUST have to please God. You want to please God? Use the gift you DO have for Him.

05. 29-30 The answer to each of the questions he asks is NO.

06. 31 We are to seek and desire the greatest gift. And next week we will examine it fully: The Most Excellent Way.

Gifts of the Spirit - What Are They?

Gifts of the Spirit are special abilities provided by the Holy Spirit to Christians for the purpose of building up the body of Christ. The list of spiritual gifts in 1 Corinthians 12:8-10 includes wisdom, knowledge, faith, healing, miracles, prophecy, discerning of spirits, speaking in tongues, and interpretation of tongues. Similar lists appear in Ephesians 4:7-13 and Romans 12:3-8.

The gifts of the Spirit are simply God enabling believers to do what He has called us to do. 2 Peter 1:3 says, "His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness." The gifts of the Holy Spirit are part of the "everything we need" to fulfill His purposes for our lives.

Gifts of the Spirit - The Definitions

There is some controversy as to the precise nature of each of the gifts of the Spirit, but here is a list of spiritual gifts and their basic definitions.

1. The gift of wisdom seems to be the ability to make decisions and give guidance that is according to God's will.

2. The gift of knowledge is the ability to have an in-depth understanding of a spiritual issue or situation.

3. The gift of faith is being able to trust God and encourage others to trust God, no matter the circumstances.

4. The gift of healing is the miraculous ability to use God's healing power to restore a person who is sick, injured, or suffering.

5. The gift of miracles is being able to perform signs and wonders that give authenticity to God's Word and the Gospel message.

6. The gift of prophecy is being able to proclaim a message from God.

7. The gift of discerning spirits is the ability to determine whether or not a message, person, or event is truly from God.

8. The gift of tongues is the ability to speak in a foreign language that you do not have knowledge of, in order to communicate with someone who speaks that language.

9. The gift of interpreting tongues is the ability to translate the tongues speaking and communicate it back to others in your own language.

10. The gift of administration is being able to keep things organized and in accordance with God's principles.

11.The gift of helps is always having the desire and ability to help others, to do whatever it takes to get a task accomplished.

Gifts of the Spirit - Which One(s) Do I Have?

The Holy Spirit distributes the gifts of the Spirit as He sees fit (1 Corinthians 12:7-11).

God does not want us to be ignorant of how He wants us to serve Him. However, it is very easy for us to get caught up in what spiritual gift(s) we have and then only serve God in that area of ministry.

That is not how it works.

God calls us to obediently serve Him.

He will equip us with whatever gifts of the Spirit we need to accomplish the task or tasks He has called us to.

Yes, God calls some to be teachers and gives them the gift of teaching, but that does not excuse the person from serving God in other ways as well.

Is it beneficial to know what spiritual gift(s) God has given you? Of course, it is.

Is it wrong to focus so much on spiritual gifts that we miss other opportunities to serve God?

Yes!

There is no magic formula or spiritual gift test that can tell you what gifts of the Spirit you possess. What we need to focus on is serving God.

Do you see a need in your church? Do what you can to meet it.

Is there a position in a ministry that is vacant? Pray as to whether God would have you fill it.

If we seek God's will and obey His leading, He will always equip us with whatever gifts of the Spirit we need.

Spiritual gift tests can be of some value in determining what areas God has especially gifted you.

As always, though, place far more emphasis on God's Word and submitting to the Lord's leading than you do on the results of a spiritual gift test.

Gifts of the Spirit - What Are the Gifts Used For?

The Apostle Paul indicated that the gifts of the Spirit are equally valid, but not equally valuable.

Their value is determined by their worth to the church. In dealing with this matter, he used the analogy of the human body.

All members of the body have functions, Paul declared, but some are more important than others (1 Corinthians 12:12-26).

The service of each Christian should be in proportion to the gifts which he possesses (1 Corinthians 12-14).

All believers, as members of the body of Christ, must be serving together in order for the body to be fully-functional. That is why a church needs pastors, teachers, helpers, servants, administrators, those with great faith, etc.

All of the gifts of the Holy Spirit working together are needed to produce the full potential of the church.

Since the gifts of the Spirit are gifts of grace, their use must be controlled by the rule of love - the greatest of all the gifts of the Spirit (1 Corinthians 13).

A Study in I Corinthians Week 12

I Corinthians 11:1-34

If the subject of I Corinthians is unity in the Body of Christ (the Church), how do the principles laid out in chapter 11 relate to this unity?

Paul will deal with two main issues that affect unity: 1) Propriety in Worship and 2) The spiritual depth of communion (not “communion” as in the Lord’s Supper, but “communion” as in being one with and in Christ.

There are 16 verses that deal with the proper physical approach to worship and 18 that deal with our oneness in Christ.

The Verses

1-2 Verse one actually belongs to chapter 10 and is its logical conclusion. Verse 2 represents a bit of a change. Up to now, Paul has said, “…I could not address you as spiritual but as worldly…" (3:1). Now he praises them for seeking his wisdom and leadership.

3-10 Three things to recognize here: 1) There is an order to the universe: God/Christ/man/woman/everything else. 2) Women must have been allowed to pray and prophesy in public or Paul would not have even brought this up. 3) There are societal conventions that should be followed to avoid disunity.

11-16 Men and women are dependent upon one another (in marriage they become one flesh; in the church they form one body and in Christ they form one church. In verse 13, Paul gives the local church the right to establish norms (“Judge for yourselves…”): Should a woman pray uncovered? Is the length of hair important? Then in verse 16, Paul says “If you want to argue about this…don’t. We don’t have a set practice for this and neither do the other churches.”

17-22 Paul restates his observation that there is disunity at First Baptist Church of Corinth. You act impolitely, like pigs at a trough, rather than civilized people at a meal. Impoliteness in church is a rotten, despicable offense to God.

23-26 Now he deals directly with our attitudes during the Lord’s Supper, and our communion with Christ when we worship. We must remember whose we are, and how we got to be whose we are, every time we get together for worship. Our worship MUST be Christ crucified, buried and resurrected every time we gather, for we have no other message.

27-32 If we have had any part in bringing disunity in the church, we dare not participate in the Lord’s Supper, or in any worship experience until we have allowed the Holy Spirit to make our attitudes right before God.

This is NOT written about non-Christians participating in the Lord’s Supper, but about you and me participating in it. When you worship or take the Lord’s Supper you had BETTER recognize that you are a part of the Body of Christ and you had BETTER not be the source of pain to the body.

33-34 Do whatever it takes to bring unity rather than disunity to the Body of Christ, for this is a VERY SERIOUS matter.

A Study in I Corinthians Week 11

I Corinthians 10:1-33

In the Bible, phrasing is important to understanding. For those of you who thought English grammar was not important, consider I Thessalonians 4:13 “But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren.” Move the comma and you have: “But I would not have you to be, ignorant brethren.”

The Verses

01. 1-5 Paul gives a quick synopsis of the history of Israel and her relationship to God. Verse 3 refers to the manna that was provided them and shows us that it was a physical representation of a spiritual truth. Verse 4 refers to Exodus 17:6 and tells us of the rock from which sprang water…here referencing the living water who is Christ.

02. 6-10 We are reminded that if we are in Christ we can do whatever we want, because we will want what He wants for us. If we are in Christ, we will not want to do any of the things enumerated here. If we want to do them, we had better examine our relationship to Christ.

03. 11-13 No matter who you are, you can fall. You cannot lose your salvation, but you can fall from the experiencing of God’s grace. Somebody has been tempted to do the same things you are tempted to do. When you are tempted, though, He gives you a way to run from the temptations of Satan.

04. 14-17 Paul reminds us that the subject is unity. He’s talking about our communion with God through Christ. The cup is the blood and the bread is the body and we, who are many, are one body…unified in Christ.

05. 18-22 He tells us that he is not contradicting himself, but is clarifying what he has said before: You cannot belong to Christ and to Satan at the same time. You belong to one or the other…not both.

06. 23-24 We are free in Christ. We are free to choose our actions. We are not free to choose the consequences of our actions. Some things are better left undone, even though they are lawful. Stop seeking only what is “good for you.” Seek the good of others.

07. 25-30 The point here is the freedom we have in Christ to make others comfortable. Verse 29 explains that he is talking about helping the other person avoid matters of conscience.

08. 31-33 What we do…all of what we do…from the moment we arise in the morning to the moment we retire at night…all of it should be to the glory of Christ. We should be constantly aware of how what we do, think or are reflects on Christ’s glory 24/7.

A Study in I Corinthians Week 10

I Corinthians 9:1-27

The Verses

1-3 This begins Paul’s explanation of the relationship of Christians to their liberty. He has a right to be an apostle. An apostle is someone who has had a face-to-face encounter with Jesus. When someone calls himself an apostle, he is claiming to have seen Jesus face-to-face, something that will not take place until after we die (I Corinthians 13:12ff).

4-6 There had been questions asked (apparently in the letters sent to him by the First Baptist Church of Corinth) about his authority and about how he made his living. Notice that Paul defends his right to take women with him on his missionary trips (Vs 5 – That would NEVER have happened under Jewish Law). Paul was reputed to have been a tent-maker, but here he is defending the right of church leaders to be compensated for their work.

7-10 The church staff members are generals and colonels in God’s army. Soldiers don’t pay their own way…the government pays them. In the same way, those who lead in church should not pay their own way, but should be compensated for their expertise and leadership. In fact, it is vile for a church to expect their leadership to work for free. If you call someone to a position, pay them!

This is not about non-professional positions. This is about professional positions. If you want professional Bible study teachers, pay them. If you want professional choir members, pay them. If you want professional music coordinators, pay them. If you want professional administration, pay an administrator. If you want professional children’s leaders, pay them. If you want professional youth leaders, pay them. Stop this business of leeching on volunteers and then expect professional results from them without compensation!)

“But we’re just a poor little church and we have trouble meeting our budget.” Well loose the small church mentality and start being what God wants us to be: a strong light in the community with a light so bright that people can’t miss us! There are 60,000 people living in Lehigh Acres and we surely should be able to reach 10% of them!

It will not happen by osmosis, magic or “when God wants it to happen.” He has already told us He wants it to happen NOW. “Now” is the only “when God wants it to happen” there is. Go out into the community and tell people about Jesus. Learn how to share, not your church, your FAITH.

You share Jesus with enough people and you will stop having budget problems. God guarantees it! You have HIS Word on it!

11-13 He continues the thought.

Vs 14 “Those who preach the gospel should earn their living from the gospel.” If you have ever thought, “Well those who work for the Lord should not be paid,” then you do not believe what God says about it.

15-18 A person called to a ministry by God feels continually compelled to perform that ministry. He cannot be satisfied doing something else. The reward is not the pay, the reward is the doing of the ministry. The pay is just a necessity (on the part of the minister as well as the church).

19-23 Paul had one advantage in being bi-vocational: he owed no obligation to anyone and could say what God wanted him to say without fear of being fired.

24-27 Once again Paul reveals one of his main doctrines: the doctrine of dying to self for the cause of Christ.

QUESTIONS FOR YOU: Have you made a conscious effort to die to your wants, desires, opinions and preferences? Is unity in the church more important than your perception of what should or should not be done?

A Study in I Corinthians-Week 09

I Corinthians 8:1-13

For the next 9 weeks we’ll be continuing our study of I Corinthians.

Because we could not finish the book of I Corinthians in the 10 allotted weeks, we are continuing, one chapter at a time since it has such important material. We don’t want to slight any of it.

The Church of Corinth had written Paul one or more letters asking his direction on certain issues. Paul’s reply is the book of I Corinthians. Its theme is unity in the Body of Christ, and to illustrate, Paul has used examples from immorality, the law and from marriage.

The Verses

1-3 Paul is about to use another illustration to demonstrate how to achieve unity in the church. There were some who would eat anything, any time and some who restricted themselves to the Old Testament Jewish legal diet. And there were all of those in between.

Have you ever watched one of those cooking shows where the host declares the benefits of eating only organic foods? Watch their attitudes and see whether they do not at least border on haughtiness.

Paul tells us not to depend on our sense of our own wisdom, but to depend on the wisdom of God.
Think about Peter’s vision recorded in Acts 10:9-16. God expressly told Peter to eat from the “sheet” things that were expressly forbidden by the law. What was God’s response to Peter’s reluctance to eat?

4-6 What do you think Paul was saying in the statement: “We know that an idol is nothing at all in the world?” Are there other “gods?” What are the “gods” and “lords” Paul refers to in verse 5?

Paul makes it clear that there is only one God, the Father and one Lord, Jesus. He reminds us that Jesus is the one through whom all things came into existence (John 1:1-4). He also reminds us that it is through Christ that we all “live” in the true sense of the word.

7-8 I don’t know how Paul could have made this any clearer. Different people have different approaches to food and that’s OK. We are not to sit in judgement on them, nor are we to try to change them. We ARE to understand them and accommodate them when necessary.

He clearly says that we are not closer to God based on our dietary choices, nor are we farther from Him based on those choices. (Vs 8)

9-13 We are free in Christ to do whatever we want that does not violate His moral law or bring spiritual harm to another. Read Galatians 4:1-7. So…why do we constantly think we are pleasing God by going back into restrictions and bondage?

What Paul wants to emphasize here is that we are to be spiritual helps to one another. If what I eat (or anything else I do) caused my brother to stumble, how does that promote unity in the Body of Christ? Answer: It does not.

Let’s not let our “self-aggrandizement” get in the way of our service to and our encouragement of our brothers and sisters in Christ.

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A Study in I Corinthians-Week 07

I Corinthians 7:1-40

For the next 4 weeks we’ll be continuing our study of I Corinthians.

This section of Scripture has been used to confound and confuse many people, as taking any given section of it and trying to make a doctrine of it results in proof-texting of the worst kind. We often take these Scriptures and use them to “prove” this or that about marriage. Let’s remember, however, that earthly marriage is to be a picture of the relationship between Christ and His Bride…the marriage of Christ and His Bride.

Under what circumstances can you imagine Christ leaving His Bride?

Therefore, our marriages should reflect that same truth.

The Verses

01. 1-7 Is the emphasis of verse 1 equal or superior to the emphasis of verse 2? Verse 3 demonstrates the “two-wayness” of marriage. Verse 4 demonstrates the 100%/100% relationship of marriage, just like the 100%/100% relationship between Christ and His bride. Verese 5-7 demonstrates the giving of each to the other, with time for personal communion with God as well.

02. 8-9 Natural desires are to be overcome by spiritual desires. But Paul recognizes that we are human, with God-given drives.

03. 10-11 Once again, remember the picture that marriage is to portray: that of Christ to the Church. Would Christ divorce His Church?

04. 12-14 The main reason we are not to be “…unequally yoked, believer with unbeliever…” (2 Cor 6:14) is that it is impossible for the Genesis “…they shall become one flesh” to happen (Genesis 2:24).

05. 15-16 Unbelief on the part of one or the other spouse will cause division, just as unbelief in the Church will cause division (remember: this is about unity in the Church)

06. 17-24 Here Paul reiterates what he said in Romans: ceremony is irrelevant to our spiritual life. Don’t try to change your situation artificially to conform to some imagined spiritual cause.

07. 25-28 Earthly marriage is tough and should not be entered into lightly, just as having a relationship to God through Christ should not be taken lightly. Christianity is not a “spare part.” It is the sum of who we are in Christ.

08. 29-31 No matter what our station in life, we don’t have time to mess around. We need to be about the Lord’s business NOW.

09. 32-35 Our allegiance belongs to God and only to God.

10. 36-38 This is another picture of Christ’s relationship to His Church. We are to treat each other right. He always treats us right.

11. 39-40 There is freedom in Christ to follow Him and His example.

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A Study in I Corinthians-Week 06

I Corinthians 6:1-20

For the next 5 weeks we’ll be continuing our study of I Corinthians.

Keeping in mind the theme of unity in the church, we will now examine two other sources of disunity in the church. This chapter has some things to say about the Christian and his relation to the state. While our conversation (GK: Politeuma) is in Heaven (Philippians 3:20), we still have a responsibility to the state…Jesus said so (render to Caesar…).

The Verses

01. 1-6 This is not an admonition against suing people, but against suing other Christians. So what if a Christian does something “worthy of a lawsuit?” We really need a system in place that will arbitrate such things, for if one Christian sues another, how does that promote unity in the church? We are not to achieve unity by acquiescence, but by deliberate, positive action. (Vs 2) There will come a time when our imputed innocence in Christ will form a judgement on the world. (Vs 3) We were created a little lower than the angels, but in Christ we are given a station above the angels.

02. 7-8 This business of unity requires that we settle issues by giving up ourselves. Lawsuits among the brethren, whether by some internal court or by a secular court, will do nothing but promote disunity.

03. 9-11 Paul reminds us that if there is one among us who is not saved (wicked), we don’t have to worry about him/her. He/she will not make it into Heaven. In fact, there will be no (read the list in Vs 9 & 10). We were all, all of those things if we broke any part of God’s Law we have broken it all (James 2:10 & 11). Once again Paul tells us that we don’t get to Heaven by being good Christians, but by being washed by the blood of the Lamb.

04. 12-17 Remember when I told you that we are all entitled to our opinions, but we are not entitled to express it if it results in division? Here is the same principle stated another way. The book of Galatians is dedicated to exposing our freedom in Christ. But it also reminds us that we must not use our freedom as an excuse to sin. Vs 7 tells us that we are to be united, us…the Church, because we all profess Christ. He is the source of our unity.

05. 18-20 We get hung up on the “sexual immorality” part of this (and Paul is clear that sexual immorality is a hideous sin…a sin against ourselves), but he is equally clear that the principle here is that we are the temple of the Holy Spirit of God. If we are, why on earth would we want to try to force some kind of coexistence between our sinful nature and Christ living in us?


Here’s the wrap: If we have been born again, we have to realize that we are not our own. We have been bought with a price (Vs 19 & 20). That price was more than you or I could pay, even if we wanted to. That price enslaves those who are saved to Jesus. That price was the actual experience of the darkness and penalty of sin placed upon Jesus on our behalf. Do we not, therefore, owe complete allegiance to Him, and by yielding it to Him, do we not achieve the unity about which Paul speaks?

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