Today, I am reading and commenting on 1 Corinthians 15-16.

Once again there is a lot I could write about in today’s passage, but I am going to focus on the topic with which Paul begins the passage.  Paul writes that if we hold firmly to the gospel he preached we will be saved.  He then sums up that gospel.  In some ways I feel like I am covering something here which does not need to be covered, but I have become convinced that the Church often fails because we assume people know the most basic things, which is why I am focusing here today.  Paul gives a quick basic summary of the Gospel of Jesus: Jesus died for our sins, He was buried, and on the third day He rose from the dead.  Along with that summary Paul provides some supporting evidence.  He tells us that Scripture tells us that the Messiah, the anointed one of God, must die for our sins (elsewhere in the New Testament, including in other parts of Paul’s letters, this evidence is spelled out).  Paul then writes about those who witnessed the resurrection of Jesus.  He points out that most of those witnesses were still alive at the time of his writing.

Paul goes on to explain the implications of the gospel which he preached.  If Christ has been raised from the dead, then it is reasonable to believe that those who put their faith in Him will be raised as well.  On the other hand, if there is no resurrection from the dead, then Christ was not raised from the dead.  And, if Christ was not raised from the dead, then Paul, and all of those who preached the gospel, was a liar and nothing he taught was of any value.  In fact, if Christ was not raised from the dead our faith and practice is completely worthless.  Paul writes that if there is no resurrection from the dead we should indulge our physical desires because the pleasures of this life are all that there is.  However, if Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, then we should stop sinning and live a life dedicated to Him so that we may also be raised from the dead.

I use the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

I have created a Patreon page for those who would like to support me in writing these blog posts every day: https://patreon.com/AttilaSoldus

Today, I am reading and commenting on 1 Corinthians 12-14.

In today’s passage Paul speaks of Gifts of the Spirit and our worship services.  He begins by pointing out that no one will be inspired by the Holy Spirit to speak against Jesus.  On the other hand, anyone who is inspired by a spirit to say that Jesus is Lord the spirit they are inspired by is the Holy Spirit.  Knowing this goes a long way towards identifying if the spirit which is bringing us revelation comes from God or the Adversary.  Then Paul begins writing about spiritual gifts by talking about three things.  I believe he does so because the things which the Holy Spirit brings us fall into different categories depending on the context.  Here Paul writes that there are different kinds of gifts, and different kinds of service, and different kinds of working, but all of them come from God.  The gifts are all distributed by the same Holy Spirit, the different kinds of service are all in service to the same Lord, and the different kinds of working are the work of the same God.  I could make this whole study about the implications of what Paul is writing there, but there are other points which I would rather write about today.

Paul then uses a metaphor to help us understand how these gifts work in the Church.  He writes that just as the different parts of the body have different functions, so to do the different members of the Church have different gifts from the Holy Spirit.  And the Church, which is the Body of Christ, needs each of those gifts as much as our own bodies need the different parts.  Just as the eye needs the hand to be part of the body, so to do those who have the more “glorious” gifts need the parts which seem less glorious.  The man with the gift to move hearts with his oratory and speech needs the usher and the janitor.  I love the way in which Paul, on one hand, calls on those who might see the gifts they have been given as making them more important to the Church than others as no better than anyone else. And, on the other hand, tells those who might think that their gift makes them unimportant that they are just as crucial to the Church as anyone else.  Paul points out that our bodies need both eyes and ears, and hands and feet.  He even points out that we take special care of the parts of the body which do things we do not talk about in polite society.  In the same way, we in the Church need to make sure we take special care of the members whose gifts lead them to the jobs we kind of wish weren’t necessary (like janitor).

I’ve already gone longer than I prefer, but I cannot conclude without mentioning how love interacts with the other gifts of the Spirit.  First, we often associate the thirteenth chapter with marriage (something I think would surprise Paul), but here Paul points out that love is a gift of the Spirit.  In fact, he tells us that it is the most important gift of the Spirit, one of the three most important gifts which the Spirit gives to each of us (or does if we are willing to accept them).  Those three gifts are faith, hope, and love.  They are more important than any other gifts of the Spirit.  Without them, especially without love, the other gifts of the Spirit have no value whatsoever.  In fact, no skill or ability we possess has any value if we do not exercise it with the love which comes from God.

I use the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

I have created a Patreon page for those who would like to support me in writing these blog posts every day: https://patreon.com/AttilaSoldus

Today, I am reading and commenting on 1 Corinthians 5-8.

Today’s passage begins with Paul addressing an issue in the Corinthian Church which someone had brought to his attention.  From that he goes on to two topics which I am going to write about today.  In addressing the issue, he reminds the Corinthians that he had previously written to them that they should not associate with sexually immoral people.  He clarifies that by telling them that he was not referring to unbelievers when he wrote that, but to those who claim to be Believers.  He expands the list of behaviors which are unacceptable among Believers: sexually immoral, greedy, an idolater, slanderer, a drunkard, or a swindler.  Paul added those other things to what he was writing because as humans we often focus on sexual immorality as wrong while looking the other way to those other things (I will note that our society often focuses on some of those other things and looks the other way to sexual immorality).

Paul then concludes addressing that issue by saying that it is not our business to judge those outside of the Church, but that we are called to judge those inside it.  Which brings him to the next topic.  If we have a legal dispute with another Believer, we should not take it to the courts.  Rather, we should take it to someone in the Church.  In fact, he tells us that it would be better to allow ourselves to be wronged rather than take a dispute to the government courts to be heard by unbelievers, to be judged by standards which are not God’s.  So, if you have a contract with a fellow Believer and you believe that they have violated that contract, you should ask someone in the Church to judge between the two of you.  If they will not accept that mediation, let the matter drop and take the loss.  Paul accuses those who sue their fellow Believers of cheating and doing wrong.  I see all too many cases today of people who call themselves Christian taking their fellow Christian to court.

Once Paul has finished that he turns to another topic which grows out of that issue which he addressed at the beginning of today’s passage: sexual immorality.  Although, I think that his main point about sexual immorality can be applied to other issues as well.  He responds to those who claim that they are free to do anything, by acknowledging that they are correct.  In Christ we are indeed free to do anything.  However, not everything is beneficial and we should not do things which are not beneficial.  This is a rule which applies to many behaviors.  Paul goes on to point out that not only is sexual immorality nor beneficial, but that it actually harms our relationship with God.  As he writes about that he gives us a lesson which helps us understand why sexual immorality is wrong.  Paul points out that when we have sexual relations with someone it unites us to that person in some way.  I once heard this explained as, if we have sex with someone and then move on we are tearing off a piece of ourselves and leaving it behind (and conversely, tearing off a piece of them and taking it with us).  Each time we do this with another person we diminish ourselves.  Paul even explains why we tend to put higher emphasis on sexual sins than on sins such as greed.  Sexual immorality involves all aspects of ourselves.  It involves our bodies, our souls, and our spirits.

There is much more I am tempted to write on this, but that is enough for today.

I use the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

I have created a Patreon page for those who would like to support me in writing these blog posts every day: https://patreon.com/AttilaSoldus

Today, I am reading and commenting on 1 Corinthians 1-4.

As I read this passage the first thing I wanted to write about was when Paul wrote that the message of the cross is foolishness to those who do not put their faith in Christ.  That is what I want to primarily focus on.  However, as I read in depth to get my thoughts together I noticed that Paul introduces that by writing: “For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.”  The thing which I noticed was the word “For”.  That means that what he is about to write provides an explanation for what he just finished writing.  Paul had just finished writing that Christians should not allow themselves be divided because of their understandings of the teachings of different leaders, he even includes those who claim to follow Jesus directly but then divide themselves who follow Jesus according to the teachings of various other leaders of the Church.  So, why should we not allow our understandings of the teachings of particular leaders divide us from other Believers?  Because the Gospel message, the Good News of Jesus, is foolishness, and attempting to separate ourselves out from others by certain teachings is an attempt to appeal to human wisdom.  Some want miraculous signs and others want wise arguments.  Both find the idea that God’s power is displayed in Jesus’ death on the cross to be foolishness.  Nevertheless, God’s power is truly displayed in that event.  God does indeed give us wisdom, but it is not wisdom which is understood by those of this world.  God uses our weakness, and our foolishness (as understood by those of this world), to display His power and His wisdom.  Only by listening to God’s Spirit can we begin to understand God’s wisdom.

I use the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

I have created a Patreon page for those who would like to support me in writing these blog posts every day: https://patreon.com/AttilaSoldus

Today, I am reading and commenting on  1 Corinthians 15-16.

As Paul comes to the conclusion of this letter to the Corinthian believers he reminds them of what he had preached to them as the gospel, the good news which had brought them salvation.  Paul had preached to them that the Scriptures had predicted that Christ, the Messiah of God, would die for our sins, and Jesus did indeed do that.  But, He did not just die, He was raised from the dead after three days, which had also been predicted by Scriptures.  Paul lists here some of those who had witnessed that Jesus had risen from the dead, which he had told them about when he first preached in Corinth.  After reminding them of what he had preached when he first came to Corinth, and that they had believed him when he first preached it, Paul emphasizes that if Christ had been raised from the dead, then there must be a resurrection which we also will experience.  Paul continues by pointing out that all of the rest of what he preached relied upon the resurrection and was of no value if the resurrection was not true, both that of Jesus and the one yet to come for us.  Paul goes on to address some of the objections which had been raised to the idea of the resurrection in similar fashion to the way in which Jesus addressed the Sadducees, by showing that those who raised those objections both failed to understand what Scripture taught about resurrection and failed to believe in God’s supreme power.  The Gospel which Paul, and all of the other Apostles, preached was the death and resurrection of Jesus.  All of the rest of their teachings derived from those things.

I use the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

Today, I am reading and commenting on  1 Corinthians 12-14.

A lot of times the way in which my Bible Reading schedule splits up the passages causes me to miss the context of certain passages.  Today’s passage is one where that is not true, by putting chapters twelve, thirteen, and fourteen together we get a much clearer understanding of the point Paul is making in chapter thirteen.  And probably a better understanding of twelve and fourteen as well.  In chapter twelve Paul tells us that we cannot point to a spiritual gift and say that “If you don’t have this gift, you don’t have the Spirit.”  He also tells us that we cannot say that we are better than someone else because we have a particular special gift or another, nor should we allow ourselves to think ourselves less than others because we do not have some particular spiritual gift or another.  Actually, he even addresses those who think that because they don’t have some gift which they think is more valuable that they are not saved.  Even when he lists certain gifts in order, he is referring to the order in which they appear in the Church, not their importance.

I wasn’t going to go there, but now that I have written the above I feel that I should.  I mean think about it.  If God did not send apostles, there would be no Church in a particular area.  Next, the local Church is going to need some prophets to understand what its mission is.  Once it knows what its mission is, it is going to need teachers to teach God’s word to the people to whom it has been called to minister.  Once people begin to be taught God sends those through whom He performs miracles to draw them to Him.  But none of these are more important than another.  We even see an example of this in Paul’s life.  Paul was an apostle, but he did not begin his ministry until a prophet revealed that God desired to send Barnabas and Paul (at that point known as Saul) on a missionary journey.  I am not going to go into much depth on the rest of the passage, but I want to point out that Paul tells us that NONE of these gifts have any value if we do not use them in love.

I use the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

Today, I am reading and commenting on 1 Corinthians 9-11.

Paul begins today’s passage by discussing the freedom he had as an apostle that he did not use.  Instead of taking advantage of the rights and freedoms he had, he made himself a slave to the desires and thoughts of others so as to bring as many as possible to the Lord.  In telling us this, Paul is offering himself up as an example of our need to discipline ourselves to do God’s will.  I think understanding what Paul is saying hear can be made more clear by remembering what he wrote in chapter three, where he told us that no foundation could be laid aside from Jesus, but that what we build on that foundation would be judged.  If we built with good materials, what we had built would survive that judgement, but even if what we built on that foundation was burned up in the fire of judgement we would still be saved as one “escaping through flames.”  Later in today’s passage he writes that while we are indeed free to do anything we like, we should bear in mind that not everything is beneficial.  So, when we choose how we act, let us choose those things which will provide us materials to build on our foundation that which will survive the fires of judgement.  And Paul gives us guidance to understand what types of things will allow us to build something which will last.  He tells us that we should avoid actions which might cause another to stumble.  He gives further instruction on knowing how to recognize that which will last; if instead of seeking our own good we seek the good of others, so that they may also come to know the Lord, then we are building a structure on the foundation which is Jesus which will shrine bright after passing through the fires of judgement.  Seek to do that which will lead others to a closer relationship with God.

I use the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

Today, I am reading and commenting on  1 Corinthians 5-8.

In yesterday’s passage Paul began his letter to the Corinthian Church by rebuking them for allowing disagreements to divide them.  Today’s passage begins with Paul rebuking the Corinthian Church for boasting about having a member who was sleeping with his stepmother.  He reminds them of a previous letter where he had told them not to associate with sexually immoral people.  Here he clarifies by saying that he meant those who claim to be believers.  Then he expands on that by saying that we should not associate with those who claim to be believers who are sexually immoral, greedy, an idolater, slanderer, drunkard, or swindler.  We should expel such people from among us.  He uses this incident to teach that while we should not pass judgement on those outside the church, we should judge between believers.  Specifically, if we have a disagreement with a fellow believer we should take that disagreement to the church for resolution rather than take it to the secular court system.  In fact, Paul tells us that rather than allow the secular court system to decide the resolution to a disagreement we have with a fellow believer we should allow ourselves to be cheated or otherwise wronged.

I use the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

Today, I am reading and commenting on  1 Corinthians 1-4.

There are many non-denominational  congregations which base their decision to not affiliate with a denomination on today’s passage.  They have a point, but they usually miss the fact that Paul calls out the faction which separates itself by claiming “I follow Christ”.  Paul’s point is not that we should not follow the teachings of specific teachers, rather we should not allow ourselves to be divided.  I find it interesting that Paul segues from writing against dividing ourselves according to the leader we learned from to writing about how the Gospel seems foolish to the worldly.  I had never considered the link between our desire to be viewed as wise leads to division in the Church.  Or, perhaps I should more accurately say that I never realized that Paul was making that connection here in the beginning of 1 Corinthians.  Paul writes here that God made the wisdom of this world foolish through the Gospel.  I believe that he is referring here to the idea he wrote about in chapter one of his letter to the Romans (although he had not yet written that when he wrote this letter).  In Romans he wrote about how people rejected the knowledge of God which was revealed by Creation in order to pursue their own ideas about how thing should be.  So, if you think that you are wise, then you are actually a fool.  By God’s standards we are all fools.  Our only hope to act wisely is to allow God’s Spirit to direct us.  I always struggle to find a way to fully express what Paul says here about God using he weak and foolish, as this world judges things, to accomplish His acts of power and wisdom.  That struggle has two sources.  First, I struggle with my desire to appear wise to people, rather than embracing the foolishness of God.  Second, one can only come to understand what Paul is getting at by surrendering to God’s power.  No amount of eloquent or persuasive words will truly convey the message which God has for us.

I use the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

Today, I am reading and commenting on  1 Corinthians 15-16.

Paul concludes his teachings in this letter by reminding the Corinthian Church, and us, what he taught as the Gospel.  Paul writes that the tenets of the Gospel of highest importance are that Jesus died on the cross for our sins, was buried, and then rose from the dead on the third day.  What Paul writes here runs directly counter to those who claim that they find value in Jesus’ teachings without believing in His resurrection.  Paul points out that if Jesus was not raised from the dead, then those who passed on His teachings were liars because they all claimed that He did indeed rise from the dead and that they had seen Him.   Paul writes that if Christ was raised from the dead, then we who put our faith in Him will also be raised from the dead.  On the other hand, if there is no resurrection of the dead, then Christ was not raised from the dead. Further, he tells us that if our only hope in following Christ’s teachings is for this lifetime then we, and anyone else who follows Christ, is to be pitied.

I use the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.