Today’s passage: 1 Corinthians 7:17-24

Helpful thoughts:

• In the same way that a person who had become a Christian should not seek to divorce their unbelieving spouse (Previous verses), all Christians are encouraged in this passage to continue in whatever surroundings they are in (Within reason) to shine the light of Christ.
• Your family, your neighborhood, your workplace, etc. can be seen as places and people to whom the Lord has purposely placed you so that the Gospel message can be heard!
• Being a bondservant or slave in Corinth during the time of the writing of this letter was a far different experience than we know of from American history.  All the same, Paul still encouraging slaves to purchase their freedom if they were able.
  • This should encourage anyone who is in a wrong, sinful, or abusive situation to understand, Paul’s exhortation to “remain in the condition you are in” should not be seen as a command to remain in those dangerous conditions.

Questions to consider:

1. What appears to be the heart of Paul’s message in these verses?  What are Christians to be and to do with the people they are around in life (Matthew 5:13-16)?
2. What are the “Conditions you are in?  Who lives near you in your neighborhood?  Who do you see at work or at school?  Who are your family members?
3. How can you be praying for and seeking to communicate the gospel with these people with whom God has purposely placed you?

Today’s passage: 1 Corinthians 7:8-16

Helpful thoughts:

• Paul continues his argument from verses 1-7.
  • Those who are presently single, it’s good to remain single if you are comfortable to do so.  If not, get married.
  • Those who are presently married, don’t leave your spouse in order to pursue the gift of singleness!  What God has joined together, let not man separate (Matthew 19:6).
    • Anyone who had already done this was not at liberty to marry anyone else.  If they were going anywhere, it needed to be back to their spouse.
  • If you have become a Christian and your spouse has not (Remains an unbeliever), you should not divorce them (God could use you to lead them and your children to Christ!).  If the unbelieving spouse divorces the believing spouse, the believing spouse is freed (Meaning, they would be free to later marry a believer).
• In verses 10 and 12 there are two parenthetical statements: “Not I, but the Lord” and “I, not the Lord.”  This does not mean that Paul was speaking on his own or that these verses aren’t the Word of God.  Paul was simply referring to the teachings of Christ.
  • What Paul taught in verses 10-11 came from Jesus’ teaching.
  • What Paul taught in verses 12-16 were further details Jesus had not specifically addressed in his earthly ministry.

Questions to consider:

1. Jesus lamented that divorce was a necessary evil in this sin cursed world (Matthew 19:8).  What does this passage reiterate concerning the intended permanence of the covenant of marriage?  If we begin reading passages like this looking for loopholes, what is already wrong with our thinking?
2. How does this passage encourage those who are presently married to unbelievers?  What might God do in their marriage?  How can it also be an encouragement/instruction to a single Christian who desires a spouse?  What should be the most important characteristic of a potential spouse for a Christian?
3. How do Christian parents lead their children to be set apart from the world (“Holy”)?  How can you point your children toward Jesus today?  Or, based on where God has you in life (What relationships he has given to you) who is your primary mission field?

Today’s passage: 1 Corinthians 7:1-7

Helpful thoughts:

• Verses 1-24 in this chapter are written to answer the question sent from the church to Paul concerning this statement, “It is good for a man not to have sexual relations with a woman.”
  • This is not a statement Paul is making.  It is a statement the church is debating.  Paul provides the definitive response (God’s Word on the matter).
• Concerning sexual relations, Paul lays out two gifts from the Lord:
  • Marital intimacy – “Each man should have his own wife and each woman her own husband.”
  • Singleness – Paul will later share how he appreciates the freedom to focus himself on the work of the Lord.
• Paul’s preference was that everyone remain single, but he knew that was not God’s design.  God does not gift every believer in the same way for a reason.

Questions to consider:

1. What important truths do we learn about marital intimacy in these verses?  Do we find words like “take” or words like “give?”
2. With what we read in this passage, what kinds of intimacy would be considered impure or the result of a lack of self-control?  When is intimacy pure and good, to be enjoyed?
3. If singleness is a gift from God, how should the church interact with single people among the church?  Why is it wrong to treat single people like they have something wrong with them?  In what way are they especially equipped to serve the Lord in ways married people can not?

Today’s passage: 1 Corinthians 6:12-20

Helpful thoughts:

• “All things are lawful for me” and “Food is meant for the stomach and the stomach for food” were things that were being said by members in the church at Corinth.  Paul interacts with these statements in these verses and the passages ahead.
  • These statements were being used to permit actions that were either sinful, or at the least were not wise and edifying.  While in some contexts, they might have been accurate, they were being used to manipulate.
• God is the writer of the law and the owner of our bodies (Including the stomach).  Everything we do is under His rule and for His glory.
• When a man and woman come together physically, they become one flesh (Verse 16).  This is the terminology used in Genesis 2:24 to speak of marriage.

Questions to consider:

1. Are you the captain of your own ship?  Is your personal gratification the most important thing to fulfill?  Who is the LORD and who are we to live to please?  What kind of joy can we have when it becomes our joy to be pleasing to Him?
2. How drastically does the world’s view of sexuality differ from what God created it to be?  Every time a man or woman has a new “partner,” what biblical commitment have they made, even without realizing it?  How much has the world cheapened intimacy?  How can a Christian man and woman maintain it’s integrity and powerful meaning?
3. How can this passage (And the overall concept of belonging to the Lord) also be applied to the way we eat, drink, exercise, work, dress, use our speech, etc.?

Today’s passage: 1 Corinthians 6:1-11

Helpful thoughts:

• Civil lawsuits between Christians are a poor testimony for two reasons:
  • Christians ought to be treating one another in love.
  • Christians ought to be able to biblically discern resolution of disagreement.
• It is better to take the hit when another believer has wronged you than to take him/her to secular courts.
  • The cause of Christ is more valuable.
  • This doesn’t mean you shouldn’t take that wrong to the church for mediation.  Remember, the context of this passage is tied to church discipline from chapter 5.
• People who are remaining in sin give evidence they are not converted.  The unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God.
  • Tied to the previous verses, this should encourage anyone defrauding his brother to repent and make things right!
  • “And such were some of you.”  – This reminds us to be humble.  We were saved from our sin.  Others need saving just like we did.

Questions to consider:

1. How many reasons can you think of why it would be better to resolve a conflict between two believers in the church as opposed to the courts?
2. In what ways can you see the need for church discipline continuing to have an impact in this passage?  If a man were to be disciplined by the church (No longer being counted among the fellowship), having refused to repent of defrauding his brother, what would the brother who was defrauded now have the freedom to do?
3. How could verses 9-11 be heeded as a warning for unbelievers?  As a warning for a church goer who is caught up in sin?  A believer who has become proud and looks down on the world?  How do these verses remind us that anyone we share the gospel with could be saved?

Today’s passage: 1 Corinthians 5:1-13

Helpful thoughts:

• In the end of chapter 4, Paul spoke of the need of discipline/correction in the church.  In chapter 5, he gives a specific example and instructions.
• Preoccupation with personal advancement and pleasure (Or more simply put, preoccupation with self) results in an aversion to speaking the truth in love to brothers and sisters who need our help.
  • The sad irony is that omitting our call to lovingly rebuke our brothers and sisters does end up hurting us as well (“A little leaven leavens the whole lump.”).
• We should expect people outside the church to be sinful.  They need Christ!
  • We should expect people inside the church to be growing in righteousness.  They have Christ!

Questions to consider:

1. Why does confronting the sins of others make us feel “icky?”  Why does feeling icky prevent us from trying to snatch our fellow Christians out of disaster?  Where would true repentance start in this situation?
2. How can you tell if a person is inside the church or outside the church?  If there is no such thing as church membership in the Bible, how can a person be removed from the church?
3. What is Paul’s final instruction to the church concerning this man who is living in sin (End of verse 12)?  What does Paul tell the church to do once the man repents (2 Corinthians 2:6-7)?  What is the purpose then of church discipline?  Is it a permanent public humiliation or is it meant to bring about repentance and restoration?  How can this truth guide us when church discipline is required?

Today’s passage: 1 Corinthians 4:8-21

Helpful thoughts:

• The way Paul speaks of the church in these verses conveys a very worldly set of values.  As if the church had wanted to hear amazing speeches, get saved, and then live a life no different than what the lost would consider to be a “good” life.
• This worldly view of life made the church think the same of the apostles as the world did.  The apostles looked like foolish, weak, disreputable men (“The scum of the world, the refuse of all things.”).
  • Yet, Paul tells the church, “be imitators of me.” (Verse 16)
• Paul intends to bring to Corinth the truth of God’s Word.  There is more power in the clear communication of God’s Word than in an eloquent (Though errant) speech.
  • In verse 21, Paul wonders whether his teaching of God’s Word will result in appreciation and commendation or in the need for discipline (Which will be addressed in the beginning of chapter 5).

Questions to consider:

1. How does this passage appear to line up with Paul’s warning for Timothy in 2 Timothy 4:3?  What is the world calling the truth in our day and culture?
2. In what ways do we see what was happening in the church at Corinth happening in the western church today?  How is this concerning?  How could it also encourage us to press on (There is nothing new under the sun…)?
3. Even though there were members of the church that apparently didn’t like Paul, what was he still committed to do for them?  What can spiritual leaders (Pastors in the church, parents in the home, etc.) learn from Paul’s example so we can imitate him as he imitates Christ?

Today’s passage: 1 Corinthians 4:1-7

Helpful thoughts:

• In contrast to the way many of the Christians in Corinth were regarding their preachers, Paul knew they were simply servants of Jesus and stewards of the content of God’s Word (The “mysteries” of God).
• Celebrities (Or pastors preoccupied with maintaining “celebrity status”) are tasked with pleasing their fans.  Servants and stewards answer to their Master.
  • “It is the Lord who judges me.” (Verse 4)
• God knows all things, including the motives behind our actions.  And, He alone has the authority to judge.

Questions to consider:

1. Whoever we obey is truly functioning as our master.  How are you doing in your fight against the fear of man?  In what situations do you find it the hardest to overcome the opinions of people in order to serve the Lord?
2. What is the word which begins with “c” near the end of verse 5?  Why does this say “commendation” instead of “condemnation?”  What is true for every Christian concerning judgment (Romans 8:1)?
3. What is God’s unit of measurement for his servants and stewards (Verse 2)?  If Paul or Apollos had gotten to heaven wearing a badge that said, “Corinthian church’s favorite preacher,” why wouldn’t that have been a direct correlation with what God is looking for?

Today’s passage: 1 Corinthians 3:10-23

Helpful thoughts:

• We are God’s temple and we have been tasked with contributing to its construction.
  • That which is done in obedience to and in the name of Christ, will endure and be rewarded.
  • That which is done in disobedience and in the flesh, will not endure.
• Jesus Christ is the foundation of this temple.
• This temple is God’s and is being built according to God’s design.  Everyone who builds must take care to contribute according to the Master’s plan.

Questions to consider:

1. What is the temple of God under the New Covenant?  Who is the temple?  Where does the Spirit of God dwell?
2. How does this truth add to the significance of the gathering of the church in worship?  Why do we gather?  Who is with us in our gathering?  Who is the audience in our gathering?
3. If the people of God are the temple of God, how does that influence how we view the illustration of building materials such as gold, silver and precious stones?  What exactly are we building and what makes our building of the temple excellent?

Today’s passage: 1 Corinthians 3:1-9

Helpful thoughts:

• There is a time to feed the people of God spiritual milk and then, as they grow, move on to solid food.
  • Paul informs the church at Corinth they are not yet ready for solid food.
• The immaturity of the people was not evidenced in their ability (Or lack thereof) to articulate biblical concepts, but in their tendency toward jealousy and strife.
  • Maturity is not equal to a large theological vocabulary.
  • Maturity is equal to growth in Christ-likeness.  Joyful obedience and spiritual fruit.
• As an example, Paul reminds the church that he is nothing, only a servant.  He and Apollos were not competing with one another for attention or acclaim.  They were serving their Lord by sewing seed in the field (Verses 5-9).

Questions to consider:

1. What would be the response of a member of the church at Corinth if they were humbly receiving this information from Paul?  What if they were being prideful?  If a person refuses milk when they still need it, when will they become ready for solid food?  How could they even discern what solid food actually is?
2. What types of biblical concepts and truths would you consider to be “solid food?”  What truths are “milk?”  How would Paul’s example of immaturity in verse 3 help us to define those differently than what we might expect?
3. Who is the giver of growth (Verses 6-7)?  How should this truth affect our prayer?  How should this truth affect our view of other people?  How should this truth affect how and what we teach and preach?