1 Corinthians
Counsel for Single and Married Christians
Christians in Corinth were surrounded by sexual temptation. The city had a reputation even among the heathen for sexual immorality and religious prostitution. It was in this kind of society that Paul delivered these instructions on sex and marriage. He deals with a set of problems concerning which …
Counsel for those Called by God
Here in this middle section of the chapter, Paul steps away from the main topic of marriage to give some general guidance to his readers. The same principles that can be applied to marriage can also be applied to other areas of life, namely your physical apearance and your social status. In the …
Whose opinion really matters?
Paul urges the Corinthians not to think of Peter, Apollos, and himself as leaders, but as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God. He presents three characteristics of a true minister. Today we will only look at the first one…
Eating Meat Offered to Idols
Paul returns to the subject with which this letter began – the eating of meat offered to idols. In expressing their Christian liberty, some of the Corinthians were living dangerously close to idolatry. Paul says that it is true that an idol is nothing, but the ones behind …
Giving of Money and Time
In this passage, Paul answers a question the Corinthian believers had asked about a collection he was taking for the poor and then shares his personal travel plans. The Corinthians had heard from the Galatian churches that he was taking an offering for the poor in Jerusalem. How we handle our …
Speaking Various Languages
Paul continues his discussion of the subject of irregularities in the worship of the Corinthian church. There was a self-indulgent spirit around spiritual gifts that produced selfishness, disunity, and apparent chaos in the assembly (12:7,25). Unfortunately, the members were grieving the Holy …
Conduct surrounding the Love Feasts
The next item Paul brings to their attention in this chapter is the “love feast.†From the very early days of the church, it was customary for the believers to eat together before they partook of the Lord’s Supper (Acts 2:42, 46). The called this meal the “love feast.†This meal was part of the …
Don’t Sue the Brethren
In this chapter Paul shifts to another problem within the Corinthian church. The same failure of dealing with the immoral brother was also found in cases of lawsuits between church members. It is evident that Paul is disturbed and can hardly believe that members of the Corinthian church are …
The Resurrection of Christians
In the first half of this chapter Paul dealt with the resurrection of Christ. Now, in the last half of the chapter, he deals with the resurrection of Christians. Christ arose and so shall we who know Him. Paul had explored the logical happenings which followed the denial of the bodily …
God Assigns Spiritual Gifts
For a third time, Paul stresses the fact that God, not man, assigned the gifts (vv. 18, 24, 28). God gives to each person and each congregation just the gifts it needs when they are needed. No individual believer possesses all the spiritual gifts. Each believer has the gift (or gifts) assigned to …