Living For Others

 DEVOTION

THE 1^ST LETTER TO THE CORINTHIANS

LIVING FOR OTHERS

1 Cor 10:23-33

23 "Everything is permissible"-but not everything is beneficial. "Everything is permissible"-but not everything is constructive. 24 Nobody should seek his own good, but the good of others. 25 Eat anything sold in the meat market without raising questions of conscience, 26 for, "The earth is the Lord's, and everything in it."   27 If some unbeliever invites you to a meal and you want to go, eat whatever is put before you without raising questions of conscience. 28 But if anyone says to you, "This has been offered in sacrifice," then do not eat it, both for the sake of the man who told you and for conscience' sake— 29 the other man's conscience, I mean, not yours. For why should my freedom be judged by another's conscience? 30 If I take part in the meal with thankfulness, why am I denounced because of something I thank God for? 31 So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God. 32 Do not cause anyone to stumble, whether Jews, Greeks or the church of God— 33 even as I try to please everybody in every way. For I am not seeking my own good but the good of many, so that they may be saved.

NIV

It is difficult to break all this down using just one of these verses, for we could have gone into far-reaching thoughts with the idea that everything is permissible but not everything is beneficial. But who is it not beneficial to? What part of that which is permissible is not constructive? From the context, the answer to those questions is the other person. We know that we should not exercise our freedom if it would cause a stumbling block for someone else. We already considered this before and we were wondering why the weaker believer is in control of the stronger believers' freedom for everything that is permissible. When Paul makes that statement about the earth is the Lord’s and everything in it, it implies that everything is from the Lord. What the Corinthians had to be concerned about was food that had been sacrificed to idols. It is extremely doubtful that we have to be concerned about anything we purchase at the grocery store ever having been sacrificed to idols. Paul makes it clear that whatever we eat or drink as long as we do so with a thankful heart, it brings glory to God. In the culture of many of the holiness churches, there are no restrictions on what food is consumed even to the point of gluttony, but there is still the belief by some that drinking wine is not permissible. This restriction is not widespread, but still, from the context, those who do have that freedom should not announce their freedoms or exercise them in the presence of those whose faith restricts them from drinking wine. We use wine as an example for we think that would be the only drink that comes from the fruit of the vine which, most likely, was all that was made in those days, such as the water to wine that Jesus did for the wedding at Cana. If Jesus was against drinking wine, why did he make it from the water? It was for the benefit of others. He was not seeking his own good, or looking for praise from men, but it was for the good of many, and it could have become known which would have caused some to follow him and thus be saved. This is the task of the service that we all have been called to. To not cause those in the world or in the church to stumble so that they might be saved. It is interesting that Paul includes the church of God as those that might be saved. Does this imply there are those in the church of God that are not saved? How can that be? Yet the idea is still valid that we should not cause them to stumble so that they can be saved. This would appear to be the main reason to be careful about our lives, being an example to others, that they might be saved, which includes those in the church of God. Could this be those who are trying to live by either the law or by traditions rather than living by the truth? Nevertheless, it is incumbent upon those who have the freedom in Christ to be cognizant of those who hold to restrictions for whatever reason, so as to not cause them any harm. So living for Christ also means living for others.  

Two Different Tables

 DEVOTION

THE 1^ST LETTER THE CORINTHIANS

TWO DIFFERENT TABLES

1 Cor 10:18-22

18 Consider the people of Israel: Do not those who eat the sacrifices participate in the altar? 19 Do I mean then that a sacrifice offered to an idol is anything, or that an idol is anything? 20 No, but the sacrifices of pagans are offered to demons, not to God, and I do not want you to be participants with demons. 21 You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons too; you cannot have a part in both the Lord's table and the table of demons. 22 Are we trying to arouse the Lord's jealousy? Are we stronger than he?

NIV

It is extremely doubtful that we would even have the opportunity to eat food that has been sacrificed to an idol and therefore a demon. However, could this idea of drinking from the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons be taken metaphorically? Could some of the things that we participate in be considered as drinking from the cup of demons? This is not to say that we actually would participate in demonic activity, but many of the ways of the world are opposed to God and therefore are either a form of idol worship that could be connected to the activities of demons. If we become so connected or interested and maybe even so involved in some of the world’s offerings, we might be seen as being obsessed with them, spending much of our time, energy, and even our money on their activities. Perhaps those things are just harmless distractions of life that we use as a form of relaxation. However, at the same time, could some of those distractions take us away from our service or commitment to Christ? We are wondering if we can have one foot in the kingdom of God and one foot in the world. This would go back to that divided heart issue that we have been pondering for some time. But on the other hand, nothing is stronger than our Lord. What can we do that would outweigh the power of God? Could we ever be involved in anything that would overpower the work of God in our lives? Yet, the problem that we foresee is that His being able to do that work in our lives is based on our voluntary submission to His presence in our lives. Can we do that part-time? It would seem that would be that divided heart issue if that were the case of part-time service to God and part-time obsession with something of the world. We think that we would be doing something in the world, which we are commanded to do, that would require being involved with the people of the world, but that would be for the purpose of being an image bearer of Christ, and therefore we would not be participating with their activities although we would be presence during them, thus exposing them to Jesus. However, we must be careful not to get entangled with the concepts of the world. It still boils down to eating from two different tables. 

Being One Body

 DEVOTION

THE 1^ST LETTER TO THE CORINTHIANS

BEING ONE BODY

1 Cor 10:14-17

14 Therefore, my dear friends, flee from idolatry. 15 I speak to sensible people; judge for yourselves what I say. 16 Is not the cup of thanksgiving for which we give thanks a participation in the blood of Christ? And is not the bread that we break a participation in the body of Christ? 17 Because there is one loaf, we, who are many, are one body, for we all partake of the one loaf.

NIV

We have come to the place where we have to conclude that we are one. It is interesting, however, that our time and culture are totally different than the time and culture of the Corinthians. We have so many more creature comforts and things to distract us and even become an idol than they did. All the forms of media we have has exposed us to so much. We can sit and watch for hours, and become engrossed in many areas of entertainment. Of course, we do not have all the temples to false gods that existed in Corinth. But there are many things today that we may have turned into a form of a temple to some false idols. Each of us might have created our own form of false idols that we worship in some sense. Again, we could list success, power, money, and material possessions, which stem from the world we were raised in. But then we have other things like hobbies, sports, movies, books, and all the electronic devices that can capture our attention. The world would have us think certain sports or movie stars are role models for our youth and we could be caught up in that same concept. But because we partake in the body and blood of Jesus, we who have all these different interests, and different personalities have become one people. When we take communion in church, we all sit in our own little worlds, thinking what the bread and wine, or in many churches, the grape juice, mean to us, or at least we should be thinking about what those elements mean to us. The bread speaks volumes regarding the broken body of Jesus as he sacrificed his body taking all our sins upon himself, thus making it possible that God declared us holy and blameless in his sight. We cannot just think of the words of Jesus that are recited each time the bread is held up, remembering his last supper with his disciples. We must think of what that bread does for us, for Jesus is the bread of life. Without that bread, which is His body, we would all be dead in our sins. Then the wine, which is the Blood that Jesus shed for the forgiveness of our sins. Again, without that blood, which is represented in the juice, and if we were to be real about reproducing that last supper, both would be unleavened bread and wine. Nevertheless, whatever we use, the fact is this should be a far-reaching spiritual experience as we join with each other in taking part in these elements of communion. Just the word communion speaks so loudly that we need to know its significance. It implies that we are united as one in our thoughts and feelings in our spiritual experience. This is why Paul says they are one because we all partake in Christ. 

Standing Firm Carefully

 DEVOTION

THE 1^ST LETTER TO THE CORINTHIANS

STANDING FIRM CAREFULLY

 

1 Cor 10:11-13

11 These things happened to them as examples and were written down as warnings for us, on whom the fulfillment of the ages has come. 12 So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don't fall! 13 No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.

NIV

There we are again, seeing this concept of standing firm, but this time it is about temptation. The warning here is that we should not think that we are so strong that we will no longer sin, that we have won and are sinless. This would be thinking more highly of ourselves than we should. The warning is about that, thinking that we are standing firm and finding out that instead, we might just be falling into the temptation of pride. We are told here that all of us have temptations and they are common to all mankind. It is the way we are wired, which seems strange to say considering that God created us to be his image bearers, forming Adam into His very likeness. The only difference at that point was that God was the only one who had the knowledge of good and evil. Adam was innocent, but temptation took hold of him, and sin entered into our being. We all now know both good and evil and have the opportunity to choose which we will follow. Although Adam and Eve were tempted by the idea that if they ate from that tree of the knowledge of good and evil, they would be like God, that knowledge does not make us like God. Although He knows both good and evil, He cannot be tempted nor can He sin, but we can both be tempted, and we can and do fall into sin. However, even if we are tempted with all that is common to man, God is faithful, and He will not let us be tempted beyond what we can bear. What does that mean? Does God give us the strength to resist temptation? Surely, we cannot resist it on our own strength, for even thinking that we can then we would have fallen prey to the temptation of pride. When we are faced with temptation, we should turn to God for the strength to resist. The problem is that many sins give us pleasure, and we might not be too quick in turning to God but allow ourselves that moment of pleasure and then seek his forgiveness. But that is not what we are told is the correct way to walk in the path of the Lord.

We are to make every effort to avoid being in a situation that would be a temptation to us. However, that would mean we would have to live in a bubble, never having any contact with other people, never reading anything, or watching anything on any form of media, thus living in total isolation. However, we cannot as we have been told to go out into the world and be image bearers of Christ, showing others, the love of Christ, and bringing the good news to them. Life can be messy, and we are to enter that mess and chaos and bring the peace of Christ into it. So, in doing that, we will also face many temptations, and in all reality, we will fall into some. But we are always to look to God, seeking Him above all else, and we will make it through this life because we have been redeemed and declared holy and blameless in his sight. In that truth, we can stand firm. 

Grumbling or Contentment

 DEVOTION

THE 1^ST LETTER TO THE CORINTHIANS

GRUMBLING OR CONTENTMENT

1 Cor 10:6-10

6 Now these things occurred as examples to keep us from setting our hearts on evil things as they did. 7 Do not be idolaters, as some of them were; as it is written: "The people sat down to eat and drink and got up to indulge in pagan revelry."   8 We should not commit sexual immorality, as some of them did — and in one day twenty-three thousand of them died. 9 We should not test the Lord, as some of them did — and were killed by snakes. 10 And do not grumble, as some of them did — and were killed by the destroying angel.

NIV

Idolatry, pagan revelry, sexual immorality, grumbling, and testing God are quite a list of things not to do. And we have an example of seeing just how easy it is to yield to such temptations and what the result of doing so is. Now it is true we live in what is called the age of grace, and at least as far as we know, God has not struck down thousands of people in one fell swoop, yet should we be concerned as to how God will react to us if we engage in any of these behaviors? More than likely we will not invest any of our time and energy in paying homage to any idol, nor make anything an idol, like success, money, security, material possessions, or even some celebrity or sports star or the whole team for that matter. It is doubtful we would ever indulge in pagan revelry or commit sexual immorality. Most likely we would never test the Lord either, like if you are really Christ then you could do…… But this grumbling thing might cause us some problems. This would certainly be the result of not being content with who we are, with where we are, with what we are doing, and with what we have or have not. It would seem no matter what God did for those people in the past, they simply were not satisfied, they wanted more or something else. Are we guilty of that kind of thinking? Do we have to watch out for a certain type of angel? It would seem we really have no reason to grumble, but yet it also appears we could always find something to grumble about. Surely if we grumble about our lot in life, the amount of money we don’t have, or our cars are not the newest, our clothes are not the finest, our job is the best, or some other material thing, we might be grumbling against God. If we simply grumble about our aches and pains is that grumbling against God? We can surely do something about all of those things if we take it upon ourselves to follow our own desires, our own instincts, our own choices, our own ambitions, and our own way of life. But would that in a sense be grumbling against God as well? Sure, being a believer does not preclude us from having all those fine things if they come from the hand of God. If He directs us in that way and desires for us to live at a certain social economic level it is for a reason, so we can share the gospel with others at that same level. But that is up to God and not us to determine. Grumbling is grumbling, no matter how much or little we have if we are not content. It is also interesting that Paul said that he had learned to be content in whatever the circumstance. It would be good for us to learn contentment instead of grumbling.

 

Follow the Light

 DEVOTION

THE 1^ST LETTER TO THE CORINTHIANS

FOLLOW THE LIGHT

1 Cor 10:1-5

10:1 For I do not want you to be ignorant of the fact, brothers, that our forefathers were all under the cloud and that they all passed through the sea. 2 They were all baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea. 3 They all ate the same spiritual food 4 and drank the same spiritual drink; for they drank from the spiritual rock that accompanied them, and that rock was Christ.   5 Nevertheless, God was not pleased with most of them; their bodies were scattered over the desert.

NIV

The beginning of a history lesson to teach them and us a lesson about not being like they were even if they were the chosen people of God. Did they not cross the Red Sea on dry ground, seeing the deliverance of God firsthand? Did they not watch as God totally vanquished their captors who held them in bondage for four hundred years? Did they not plunder their captors of gold and silver and march out boldly onto a journey led by their God with a pillar of fire by night and a pillar of cloud by the day? Did not God keep them in the daylight with the fire, while keeping the army of the Egyptians in the dark by the pillar of cloud? Did they not eat manna every morning, seeing God provide for them? Yet what happened to them should be a lesson for us. Paul will go on to explain this in more detail, but for now, we should see two truths. First, God will always be there to provide us with a path through any situation we might face. There is nothing that we face too great for God to perform his work on our behalf seeing us through it, and on dry ground. That is we do not even have to attempt to swim, fight our own battle, make our own way, using our own efforts to overcome any problem. God will not only show us the way, but he also provides the way, and in the mention vanquishes that which caused us to either be frightened or anxious. Second, not only will He lead us through those times of anxiety and deliver us from them, but He will provide for our material needs, and our sustenance, but with spiritual food, the word of God, and Christ whose body and blood are for our redemption. How can we ever think that our way can be better? We are baptized into Christ, and he is our Lord and Savior. How can we think we can devise a path through those difficult times that will be everlasting? We will see why God was not pleased with them and yet we already know God will not stand or is not pleased if we make our own path, thrusting in our flesh rather than trusting in Him. This even goes to the divided heart issue where we trust God for our salvation, and for spiritual matters, while we trust in ourselves for our material lives, and our physical life in this world. Maybe our trusting in our own path in this physical world is a form of wandering or being scattered in the desert. No, let us follow the path God has laid before us, and trust in his wisdom, not attempting to go back to our formal lives, without his deliverance, protection, and guidance. Let us leave the desert behind and follow the light. 

Staying in Training

 DEVOTION

THE 1^ST LETTER TO THE CORINTHIANS

STAYING IN TRAINING

1 Cor 9:24-27

24 Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. 25 Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. 26 Therefore I do not run like a man running aimlessly; I do not fight like a man beating the air. 27 No, I beat my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize.

NIV

Although there are instructions to run the race to win the prize, we cannot be confused about the idea that our running is what gains us the prize as Christ already won the prize for us. When we accept Christ into our lives, we have already won the prize of eternal life. However, there is a race that we must run, in the sense of the race of faithfulness. This cannot be done unless we are continually in training. This could be seen as training our bodies not to fall prey to the sinful nature that resides within us. Of course, we exchanged that nature for the nature of Christ, yet that sinful nature does not completely give up and leave us alone, so we still have this war that wages within us. We know Paul had that war and he gave witness to it that war between his sinful nature and the nature of Christ, when he said that which he did not want to do he does, and that which he wants to do, he does not. For us to ignore this war within us would be like an ostrich sticking its head in the sand, pretending something is not there. So, we stay in training and the way we do that is to stay in the word of God. We do not just run around life without a goal, as if to float upon the sea with no destination. We make plans that we think will lead us to retirement. The question is if we make the same plans for our lives in Christ. This training is consent, and we find all we need to train both our bodies and our spirits within the word of God. But we do not simply run around within the word either without a plan for our eternal retirement. We do a systematic search throughout the scriptures learning truths and applying them to our lives. Being a child of God is not a part-time adoption. We are not free to live as though we are not adopted as his child. He has taken us with all our filth and washed us completely in the blood of Jesus, cleansing us of all our sins. He has made us his children and He is our Father. So we stay in training, so we do not get distracted by the ways of the world and forfeit our adoption, which could disqualify us from the prize. Therefore, we beat our bodies, and we train ourselves to be all that God wants us to be. This is not to be confused with works, but it is about our self-control, submitting it to the influence of the Spirit of God who dwells within us. This takes training, and so we stay in training. 

Whatever it Takes

 DEVOTION

THE 1^ST LETTER TO THE CORINTHIANS

WHATEVER IT TAKES

1 Cor 9:19-23

19 Though I am free and belong to no man, I make myself a slave to everyone, to win as many as possible. 20 To the Jews I became like a Jew, to win the Jews. To those under the law I became like one under the law (though I myself am not under the law), so as to win those under the law. 21 To those not having the law I became like one not having the law (though I am not free from God's law but am under Christ's law), so as to win those not having the law. 22 To the weak I became weak, to win the weak. I have become all things to all men so that by all possible means I might save some. 23 I do all this for the sake of the gospel, that I may share in its blessings.

NIV

 

More of Pauls's defense and yet we can see there is a truth that we must engage in in order to learn how we should be living. The point here is that we should not hold so fast, or be so rigid in our way of doing things that we make everyone feel so uncomfortable around us that they what absolutely nothing at all to do with the gospel. Does that mean we have to forfeit our beliefs? Absolutely not, Paul sure didn’t, but he lived with love in his heart toward all men, so as to win them to Christ. We need to be able to identify with people, no matter their background, or current situation in life. If they dress differently than we do if they wear their hair with funny colors streaked through it if they smoke and drink if they use foul language, if they are covered in tattoos, or have face jewelry, if they have body odor, we need to love them, identify with where they are so as to share Christ with them. If they are super intelligent if they believe in numerology if they believe God is a woman if they chose to believe there is no God, if they think we are weak-minded and use religion as a crutch, we need to be able to identify with them, recognize where they are coming from so we can share the gospel in a way that it makes sense to them, in order to win them to Christ. But if we stand with our arms folded, our minds closed, holding them in contempt because they do not believe in Christ, passing judgment on them as sinners, we are foolish and weak-minded. If all we can do is conduct conversations about the gospel, we limit our opportunities to engage with those who need Jesus. If we hold them off at arm’s length because they are different from what we are, we will never be able to hug them with the love of Christ. If we can learn to be like Paul, and identify with them, understand where they are coming from, and know their struggle, which requires getting to know them and spending time with them, then we might share the love of Christ with them. Were we not once one of them? Maybe we do not consider that we ever were like them that we were born saved, and lived a pure and holy life from our first breath, but that simply is not so. Have we forgotten from where we came? Of course, we cannot forfeit our belief in Christ, however as Paul did, we can become all things for all people, whatever it takes.

 

Compelled

 DEVOTION

THE 1^ST LETTER TO THE CORINTHIANS

COMPELLED

1 Cor 9:12-18

But we did not use this right. On the contrary, we put up with anything rather than hinder the gospel of Christ. 13 Don't you know that those who work in the temple get their food from the temple, and those who serve at the altar share in what is offered on the altar? 14 In the same way, the Lord has commanded that those who preach the gospel should receive their living from the gospel. 15 But I have not used any of these rights. And I am not writing this in the hope that you will do such things for me. I would rather die than have anyone deprive me of this boast. 16 Yet when I preach the gospel, I cannot boast, for I am compelled to preach. Woe to me if I do not preach the gospel! 17 If I preach voluntarily, I have a reward; if not voluntarily, I am simply discharging the trust committed to me. 18 What then is my reward? Just this: that in preaching the gospel I may offer it free of charge, and so not make use of my rights in preaching it.

NIV

More of what Paul says in his defense and we wonder what we can glean from this that can apply to our lives. Certainly, we know about boasting, as we have already been aware that we cannot boast of anything within us, for we are without any abilities that have not been given to us by the Lord. How could we boast other than to boast in the Lord for he has first, called us to himself? He is the one who has changed our lives from death to life. He is the one who has forgiven us of all our sins. He is the one who sacrificed himself for our redemption. He is the one who sent the Holy Spirit to dwell within us and lead us into all truth. The Spirit is the one who has clothed us in Jesus, giving us the armor of God, and manifests himself with us with his gifts and his fruit. We are full of God who does all the work within us, who started that work, and who will complete that work. What do we have to offer him? What can we bring to the union with God? It would appear that we have nothing, no knowledge that He needs from us, no wisdom that we might have, no skills or talents that we might have learned, all we can give Him is ourselves who was in a sadly broken state. So, we gave ourselves and He broke us, melted us, molded us into the vessel that He wanted us to be, and then filled us with Himself so that we can only boast about Him. Thus, we are compelled to do the work that He has called us and filled us to do. We think that we should feel the same way that Paul does in that it is woe on us if we do not do that which God has called us to do. When it comes to doing that we must because he called us to do for who is to refuse the Lord God Almighty by exerting our own will, our own desires, our own knowledge, or abilities so as to boast about ourselves in any way to receive praise from men. No, again we must confess that we have nothing that was not given to us by God and that which he gave us, we are to use for his glory.  Then if we are faithful in discharging our calling, our reward will be praise from God. So then we can say that we are compelled to do that which He has called us to do. 

Support is Right

 DEVOTION

THE 1^ST LETTER TO THE CORINTHIANS

SUPPORT IS RIGHT

1 Cor 9:3-12

3 This is my defense to those who sit in judgment on me. 4 Don't we have the right to food and drink? 5 Don't we have the right to take a believing wife along with us, as do the other apostles and the Lord's brothers and Cephas? 6 Or is it only I and Barnabas who must work for a living? 7 Who serves as a soldier at his own expense? Who plants a vineyard and does not eat of its grapes? Who tends a flock and does not drink of the milk? 8 Do I say this merely from a human point of view? Doesn't the Law say the same thing? 9 For it is written in the Law of Moses: "Do not muzzle an ox while it is treading out the grain." Is it about oxen that God is concerned? 10 Surely he says this for us, doesn't he? Yes, this was written for us, because when the plowman plows and the thresher threshes, they ought to do so in the hope of sharing in the harvest. 11 If we have sown spiritual seed among you, is it too much if we reap a material harvest from you? 12 If others have this right of support from you, shouldn't we have it all the more?

NIV

Paul is going to tell them that he does not use this right, but he still lays out all this in his defense. Why would he tell them all this and then say he does not expect or want anything from them. There are some interesting truths that we could explore. Because we already have dealt with the food and drink issue and how some even today sit in judgment of those who eat and drink what they consider unacceptable for Christians. We think it is interesting that the Apostles, the spiritual leaders of the church took their wives along on their travels as they shared the gospel message with others. The interesting fact is that the spiritual leaders were married, and if we are going to have a New Testament church that follows the pattern of the first church, then it would seem right to expect the spiritual leaders of the church to be married. Because what Paul tells Timothy about selecting overseers and deacons in the church that they are to be married to, as some would translate, ‘one’ wife, while the Greek can be translated as a ‘certain’ wife, as the qualification of the wife is also given. Nevertheless, marriage is established by God and so it is scriptural for leaders of the church to be married. The second truth is about how the leaders of the church should be compensated for their service to God and his people. Most leaders within a denomination are paid as long as they hold a qualified position in the church. All the national leaders and their staff, the regional leaders and their staff as well as the local pastors and their staff should be compensated for their service. When a man or woman sets themselves for the service of the Lord it is right to see to their support. There could arise a situation in which some of them might see these positions as jobs rather than servants of the Lord. We wonder when each of them is interviewed for whatever position in the body they are applying for, have they been called, and if so, the pay offered should be accepted, if they negotiate, then they may not have been called, but merely seeking the right pay. Paul is merely making the point that all who serve the Lord in ministry should be compensated. We do think there is a difference between support and receiving a set salary. Have we changed the system based on our culture? It is the way things have become, but that is not all bad, for our times are much different than their times. Nevertheless, those who serve the Lord need an income from the people. 

People are the Results

 DEVOTION

THE 1^ST LETTER TO THE CORINTHIANS

PEOPLE ARE THE RESULTS

1 Cor 9:1-2

9:1 Am I not free? Am I not an apostle? Have I not seen Jesus our Lord? Are you not the result of my work in the Lord? 2 Even though I may not be an apostle to others, surely I am to you! For you are the seal of my apostleship in the Lord.

NIV

This is just the beginning of a long dissertation regarding the support of those who preach the gospel. Yet, there is something in this first statement that strikes at our hearts, or at least stimulates our thoughts. Of course, the Apostles saw the physical form of Jesus, and Paul saw him as or in the bright light. However, when he asks those in that church, as a rhetorical question, are they not the result of his work it is what makes us think. Can we say that anyone is a result of the work the Lord has called us to? If not anyone then could we say anything? But all the works that we do within the church are of a physical nature and simply temporal things that will vanish someday. But to do the work that results in either the number of souls in the kingdom or building up the existing souls that are in the kingdom has eternal results. Of course, those called into some form of ministry, evangelists, missionaries, preachers, and teachers, have direct effects on the souls of people, or at least they should have.  But not all have been called into this type of service. In writing to the Ephesians Paul speaks about the gifts that are given to the church, Apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers for the purpose of preparing God’s people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we reach unity in the faith. We are to become mature and attain the full measure of Christ. Now, the point is that although this is the task of those called to those ministries, it does not relieve the members of the body of Christ to live as isolated parts. Because we are one body, each of us must do the service that builds and maintains the rest of the body. That is we all have a responsibility to lift up other believers, helping them to grow in the Lord. This is eternal service. This is not to say that works that we do in the physical church do not have any results in people. If that work helps the spiritual life or increases the ability of people to worship the Lord, then it has value in the kingdom. However, we think the point is that everything we do should be about having eternal results in the lives of people, either in bringing them into the kingdom or strengthening their walk in the kingdom. People should be the results of our work. 

Working Toward Unity

 DEVOTION

THE 1^ST LETTER TO THE CORINTHIANS

WORK TOWARD UNITY

1 Cor 8:9-13

9 Be careful, however, that the exercise of your freedom does not become a stumbling block to the weak. 10 For if anyone with a weak conscience sees you who have this knowledge eating in an idol's temple, won't he be emboldened to eat what has been sacrificed to idols? 11 So this weak brother, for whom Christ died, is destroyed by your knowledge. 12 When you sin against your brothers in this way and wound their weak conscience, you sin against Christ. 13 Therefore, if what I eat causes my brother to fall into sin, I will never eat meat again, so that I will not cause him to fall.

NIV

It is rather crazy to think that weak Christians control the whole church. The one who still is living under the law, thinking that food sacrificed to idols is wrong, has the power to keep those who have the knowledge that food has no meaning, but that what is in the heart is at the center of our being, from living by that knowledge. That is the weak faith believer makes the strong faith believer live under the law. Although it is right not to cause any believer to sin by what we do or say. However, we would think that should apply to all believers, both those that are weak in their faith and those that are strong in their faith. We wonder if by giving in to the conscience of the weak believers we are doing them any good. Should not those who have the freedom in Christ, understanding the truth about food sacrificed to idols bring those weak believers into a better understanding of the truth. Are we not supposed to build each other up, rather than allowing the weak believer to remain weak and, in fact, strengthen their weak conscience by forfeiting our freedom. Yet, that is precisely what Paul is saying ought to happen. None of us should cause a fellow believer to stumble. This is not just about eating food that is sacrificed to idols, but about our life in general. We should be careful in every aspect of life not to cause another believer to stumble. We should never wound the conscience of another believer. Although, on the other hand, we are also supposed to build each other up until we reach the unity in our faith, that is so that all of us understand the meaning of living with faith in Christ Jesus. This would mean the strong should bring the weak into becoming strong, and the weak should strengthen the strong, but we should all be of the same strength in our faith so there can be unity in our faith in Christ Jesus. Still, we cannot live in a manner that causes another to stumble. How this all fits together can be somewhat puzzling but should fit together if we are to be united in faith. Let us be the first to accept the other as they and work toward unity. 

Examining the Heart

 DEVOTION

THE 1^ST LETTER TO THE CORINTHIANS

EXAMINING THE HEART

1 Cor 8:7-8

7 But not everyone knows this. Some people are still so accustomed to idols that when they eat such food they think of it as having been sacrificed to an idol, and since their conscience is weak, it is defiled. 8 But food does not bring us near to God; we are no worse if we do not eat, and no better if we do.

NIV

Although Paul is still talking about the people of the Corinthians church in Greece where there were so many false gods, with various statures or temples dedicated to them and they had become idols to the people who brought baskets of food and left them at the feet of their gods. The point he was making is there is no difference between that food and food that was not ever sacrificed to those false gods, for the sacrificed food means nothing. We are reminded of the words of our Lord when he said that all food means nothing, it just goes in the mouth and out the body, therefore it does not defile the body, but what comes out our mouths, which is what is in our hearts that can defile our body. Jesus was talking to the Pharisees that accused his disciples of eating with unwashed hands. Again, they had made the law their idol. We cannot get caught up in this pitfall of looking to the law, or as we have put that law of the old covenant aside, we have made up our own rules to live by that are not based on the new covenant. We should know that is not about what food or drink we consume because all of it is meaningless, as it goes in the mouth and out of the body. Although for the most part, many do not make any fuss about food but still consider certain drinks sinful and unacceptable for believers to drink. We wonder if those believers are as concerned about what comes out of their mouths as what goes in them. Those that are free to eat and drink whatever should also be aware of what comes out of their mouths. Paul will go on to talk about not being a stumbling block to the weak believer who is still stuck in the old covenant. We must deal with that next, but for now, we must conclude that whatever a believer eats or drinks or not eats of drinks does not bring them any closer to God. Again, it is not about what goes in the mouth or what does not go in the mouth that makes any difference, but what comes out of our mouths makes a world of difference because that comes from our hearts. The list Jesus gave that comes out of the heart is pretty harsh, which one is slander. The others are obvious to all believers, but this slander stems from having a critical or judgmental heart which Jesus calls evil. Slander maligns the character of a person. Slander is used by Jesus as giving false witness, which in our times might be seen as gossip. This is evil that comes out of our mouths, and we should be more concerned about the words that come out of our mouths than what goes in them. What we eat and drink does not make us unclean, but what we say could make us unclean. Let us live accordingly, examining our hearts before we speak. 

Having No False gods

 DEVOTION

THE 1^ST LETTER TO THE CORINTHIANS

HAVING NO FALSE GODS

1 Cor 8:4-6

4 So then, about eating food sacrificed to idols: We know that an idol is nothing at all in the world and that there is no God but one. 5 For even if there are so-called gods, whether in heaven or on earth (as indeed there are many "gods" and many "lords"), 6 yet for us there is but one God, the Father, from whom all things came and for whom we live; and there is but one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom all things came and through whom we live.

NIV

The, so then, takes us back to what was just said, therefore we are continuing with this idea of idols and eating food that was sacrificed to them. We do wonder if there is any food today that has been sacrificed to idols. We have no doubts about the fact we do have many idols and false gods in this world today. We do wonder if we look at food as an idol, or simply as fuel for our bodies. We wonder if our interests in certain areas of this world can become idols. We know there are non-believers who base their mode on whether their favorite team has won or lost. Have they turned that team or one of the star players into an idol? Although the city of Corinth, being a Greek city had many false gods, with all their Greek mythology. But do we have any false gods today in our culture? What could be considered a false god? Some have suggested that entertainment, pleasure, fame, money, power, selfishness, and instant gratification are false gods. Others have suggested that whatever consumes the majority of our thought life might well have become an idol or false god in our lives. Still, others would consider anything that is not perfectly aligned with the truth of God could be a false god. What we do know is that we should not have any false gods before Him. We have but only one God, the Father from whom all things came and for whom we live. There is no life without God Almighty, the creator of heaven and earth. He is the one who formed us from the dust and breathed his very breath into our being. All other things in this world cannot even come close to giving us life and life more abundantly, meaning eternal life. Some might think that abundant life means having many material things in life, and being able to have anything we want, simply by believing in God. Some believe we can ask for all those material blessings, using Mark 11:22-23 as a name it, and claim it theology, but they fail to keep reading verses 24-25 which talk about forgiveness. Having faith in God is not about asking for material things, but about asking him to be the force in our lives, with the power to move those mountains in our lives, those obstacles that keep us from being all God intended us to be. Having faith in God means we can say to that false god, that idol in our lives, “Move out of my way” and “Go back to the sea, where you evil, vile thing came from in the first place”. The sea was where the Israelites thought evil resided. So throwing that mountain into the sea refers to the evil that we have allowed to influence us, which includes those ill feelings we could harbor against someone. When we throw all that mountain, that evil which stands before us, back into the sea, we can then focus on our one true God, and live by his grace, or His divine influence upon our lives, thus we will reflect his glory to the world. 

No Puffing Up

 DEVOTION

THE 1^ST LETTER TO THE CORINTHIANS

NO PUFFING UP

1 Cor 8:1-3

8:1 Now about food sacrificed to idols: We know that we all possess knowledge. Knowledge puffs up, but love builds up. 2 The man who thinks he knows something does not yet know as he ought to know. 3 But the man who loves God is known by God.

NIV

Although this whole chapter is regarding eating food that is sacrificed to idols, we think we should take a side bar, so to speak, to think about this possessing of knowledge which can make us puffed up. Paul is talking about having knowledge about the food that was sacrificed to idols, which is a meaningless sacrifice because any idol or god of this world is not the Almighty Father, the one God in heaven and on earth. However, over the years we have met certain Christians who are puffed up because they believe they have the knowledge, in fact, more knowledge than most others. Perhaps it is due to their putting so much emphasis on their education or training, or their skillset. Maybe it is true that some have a higher level of training or education, but that does not mean they are above others in their walk with the Lord. We have known those who put more trust in their own skills or training or education then in the Holy Spirit when it comes to the things of God. Paul makes that clear when he states that a man who thinks he knows something does not yet know as he ought to know. The basis of our whole life is loving God. When we love God, we are known by God who sent us the Holy Spirit to lead us into all truth. We have also known men who were giants in spiritual matters, who professed they were revelation knowledge preachers. That is without any formal training or formal education, they relied solely on the Holy Spirit to reveal all the truth to them. We would do good not to put too much trust in our formal training or our learned knowledge through worldly methods and look to the Holy Spirit, trusting completely in God for all we need to know about Him. He has told us that he does not hide the truth from us. Paul already spoke, in chapter 2, about what was revealed to him, not by the spirit of this world, but by the Spirit of God. The Prophet Amos speaks of the same thing as he states, “He who forms the mountains, creates the wind and reveals his thoughts to man”. It would be good not to be puffed up regarding anything we know, especially those things we can learn from worldly methods, because we might learn through or with denominational bias, and we should not be puffed up about even that which has been revealed to us by the Spirit. The best we can do is love our Lord God, as we are known by Him, then we will build each other up.

 

In Our own Mind

 DEVOTION

THE 1^ST LETTER TO THE CORINTHIANS

IN OUR OWN MIND

1 Cor 7:36-38

36 If anyone thinks he is acting improperly toward the virgin he is engaged to, and if she is getting along in years and he feels he ought to marry, he should do as he wants. He is not sinning. They should get married. 37 But the man who has settled the matter in his own mind, who is under no compulsion but has control over his own will, and who has made up his mind not to marry the virgin — this man also does the right thing. 38 So then, he who marries the virgin does right, but he who does not marry her does even better.  

NIV

There seems to be an alternate way this portion is translated with it being about a father and his daughter, whether he allows marrying or does not allow her to marry, even if she is getting older, or past the flower of her age. However, both seem to carry the same basic idea. There is no set rule that states someone must marry, or they must stay single. However, it also seems that Paul is pushing the single aspect of life. This has to be his opinion rather then his following the leading of the Spirit because, as we have determined before, God is the one who established the union between a man and a woman and included in His creation of them a sensual desire for the other in order to procreate and fill the earth. Again, we have to know this is the plan of God for if all virgins, or as the Greek word could be seen as an unmarried daughters, were to not marry, there would be no children born and mankind would become extinct. Therefore, according to the plan of God is it better for an unmarried daughter to marry and have children. Today, this whole idea of being married has bitten the dust. Far too many are procreating without the legal contract of marriage, however, once a union has occurred between a man and a woman they are married in the eyes of God. With this in mind, then adultery is also rampant in our society today because of the multiplicity of partners in this physical union without a marriage contract. We always come back to the instructions for men who are leaders in the church. They must be the husband of one, or as the Greek could be translated, a certain wife. That is, they must be married. God does not intend for man to be alone. For then there would have only been one man in the whole of the earth, with no way to reproduce himself, thus filling the earth. This is the one thing that we should settle in our own mind, to follow the plan of God. Although Paul is talking about if a virgin is to marry or not marry, or if a man gives his maiden, or unmarried daughter to marry of not still carries the idea that the woman is to marry a man. Now there is the case that some may not marry, and we have that situation in our culture today, and singleness is not a sin, as long as that person remains faithful to their singleness, having no physical unions whatsoever, thus remaining a virgin. This also applies to those who are married, as they must remain faithful to their marriage. Are there failures in both areas, we have to think this is the case for not one of us is without sin, and some have failed being faithful, but then this is where repentance and forgiveness follow. It still comes down to making up our own minds as to how we are to live. We must settle the matter in our own minds. 

Divided or United

 DEVOTION

THE 1^ST LETTER TO THE CORINTHIANS

DIVIDED OR UNITED

1 Cor 7:32-35

32 I would like you to be free from concern. An unmarried man is concerned about the Lord's affairs — how he can please the Lord. 33 But a married man is concerned about the affairs of this world — how he can please his wife— 34 and his interests are divided. An unmarried woman or virgin is concerned about the Lord's affairs: Her aim is to be devoted to the Lord in both body and spirit. But a married woman is concerned about the affairs of this world — how she can please her husband. 35 I am saying this for your own good, not to restrict you, but that you may live in a right way in undivided devotion to the Lord.

NIV

Paul continues to hammer away at the idea of marriage as if it is not a good thing because it takes away from being totally devoted to God. Granted, from what we can understand from all Paul said before about the people in this church in Corinth, they were living as though they were not even believers. The Corinthian church had far too much sexual immorality going on, and this is why Paul was giving them all these instructions. That has vanished from the post-modern church, for the most part. However, they did not have the advantage of having all the scriptures that we do. Being mostly Greek Gentiles they did not even know of the Torah, or any of the words of the prophets to help guide there lives. What we notice here is that Paul is not telling them anything contrary to what God established in that it is not good for man to be alone, but to be with a woman as a united pair. Paul says that he does not say what he is to restrict them, that is he is not talking about living as single or being a virgin their whole lives. If that were the case for all mankind, we would become extinct within a hundred years or so. God did establish marriage, that a man and a woman should be united and become one flesh. The main point always comes down to having a divided heart. Yes, it is true that when we enter into marriage, we have concerns regarding our spouse, as it should be according to what God commanded Adam and Eve. However, there is always the issue of having a divided heart. God intended Adam and Eve, as an example to all their offspring, to walk together in His presence. Sin certainly changes all that because we became aware of both good and evil. Therefore, this evil that resides within all of us can cause a divided heart, if left unchecked. It is not so much about being concerned about our spouses over our concern for God, but about our concern for the ways of the world. We should not live with divided devotion to God. Within marriage, being united with our spouse, we can still be devoted to God, as the two united people have become one flesh, so we devote ourselves to God rather than the desires of the world. It is only a few denominations that require their servants to remain unmarried. But we hear of so much sexual immorality among the ranks of those servants. Within most denominations, the men and woman called to be servants of God are married, and yet still serve the Lord full-time. A man was not meant to be alone, but man was also not called to live with a divided heart. Let us not live seeking the things of the world over seeking God, for we have been told to seek first the kingdom of God, and God will add all these things of the world to us. He will provide us with all that we need. Our task, our calling is to seek Him first and foremost in our lives, being of a united heart. 

What is Our Focus

 DEVOTION

1 CORINTHIANS

WHAT IS OUR FOCUS?

1 Cor 7:29-31

29 What I mean, brothers, is that the time is short. From now on those who have wives should live as if they had none; 30 those who mourn, as if they did not; those who are happy, as if they were not; those who buy something, as if it were not theirs to keep; 31 those who use the things of the world, as if not engrossed in them. For this world in its present form is passing away.

NIV

Can we become so engrossed in our physical life that we forfeit any effort toward our spiritual life? Oh sure we attend church on Sunday and say all the right words, but is that just a part of our physical life as well? Men are surely not to ignore their wives for that would be so against all the rest of God’s Word, but the point here is all about being so physically concerned and so not spiritually concerned. We are not citizens of this world, but citizens of the Kingdom of God, and as such we are His ambassadors to this world, here with diplomatic powers to speak for or on behalf of our Sovereign offering His peace treaty with those who war against Him. We should not be about mourning over losses here on earth, nor should be we finding happiness in the things of this world. We cannot consider anything we have as being ours for all of this kind of thinking leads to wanting to be a part of this world rather than being a part of the Kingdom of God. Sure we have this stuff for a little while but in all reality, there simply is no trailer hitch on a hearse. We are not going to take anything from this world with us on our journey across the bridge of death into eternal life. Everything we experience or have here will vanish in the light of His wonderful face. The songwriter uses the words, “strangely dim” but vanish is a more appropriate explanation for what is about to happen. Do we have the blessings of God to have and to hold our spouses until death do we part? Yes. Do we have the blessings of God to enjoy all the material things provided by His hand? Yes. Can we enjoy all the experiences He leads us in? Yes. But we are not to get so engaged, so engrossed in all of this that we do not remember what it is all about. God is not there to benefit us, but we are here to benefit Him. All we are, all we have, all we know, and all we do is supposed to be able to benefit the Kingdom of God. What is the center of our focus, this world or God? What is our focus?

 

Contentment is the Key

 DEVOTION

THE 1^ST LETTER TO THE CORINTHIANS

CONTENTMENT IN THE KEY

1 Cor 7:25-28

25 Now about virgins: I have no command from the Lord, but I give a judgment as one who by the Lord's mercy is trustworthy. 26 Because of the present crisis, I think that it is good for you to remain as you are. 27 Are you married? Do not seek a divorce. Are you unmarried? Do not look for a wife. 28 But if you do marry, you have not sinned; and if a virgin marries, she has not sinned. But those who marry will face many troubles in this life, and I want to spare you this.

There is not much doubt that this was spoken by Paul under the direction of the Holy Spirit, for a certain time in history for a specific culture. Yet the fact remains there still has to be a value in this for our lives in this present time and culture. We might be under the impression marriage is a bed of roses, but it would appear marriage may also bring us many troubles in life. Or because this is not a command of God, but rather a judgment of a trustworthy man, could it simply be his opinion because of his own experiences? Nevertheless, we can still agree with God’s word in the sense that we should be who we are called to be. It is true some people feel called to be single while others feel called to be married. There is no fault in either case as well as there is no difference in the relationship with God by either person. But the married and the single can serve in the Kingdom of God for He is no respecter of persons. He does not show favoritism. Could married life add to the troubles of a person? Most likely there may be some additional burdens associated with being united to another person. The responsibilities, both as a spouse and perhaps as a parent may well bring extra concerns which could divide our time for God. Yet God said that it was not good for man to be alone, so He established marriage. So, would singleness be disobedience to what God has established? Is there a conflict here? We will learn more in the rest of this dissertation, but for now, we should at least see there was trouble in that society and that we could see the same kind of trouble in ours someday. But for now, it would appear we can serve the Lord no matter of marital status, although some denominations take this to heart and insist that their clergy remain unmarried. Yet we who live as simple servants of our Lord can be married or single. Yes, some additional trouble may arise being married, but there can also be many temptations being single, that is being a virgin. what should we all do? Stand firm and be who we are, serve the Lord with all that we are, and be content with wherever and whatever God has called us to be. That is it, contentment is the key.

 

 

The Vessel of God

  

DEVOTION

THE 1^ST LETTER TO THE CORINTHIANS

 THE VESSEL OF GOD

1 Cor 7:17-24

17 Nevertheless, each one should retain the place in life that the Lord assigned to him and to which God has called him. This is the rule I lay down in all the churches. 18 Was a man already circumcised when he was called? He should not become uncircumcised. Was a man uncircumcised when he was called? He should not be circumcised. 19 Circumcision is nothing and uncircumcision is nothing. Keeping God's commands is what counts. 20 Each one should remain in the situation which he was in when God called him. 21 Were you a slave when you were called? Don't let it trouble you — although if you can gain your freedom, do so. 22 For he who was a slave when he was called by the Lord is the Lord's freedman; similarly, he who was a free man when he was called is Christ's slave. 23 You were bought at a price; do not become slaves of men. 24 Brothers, each man, as responsible to God, should remain in the situation God called him to.

NIV

Although this is mostly about circumcision and slavery, there is a root truth that can be applied to all of us. This is to be who we are as God created us to be and to be true to the calling God has placed in our lives. We cannot be someone else or someone of something that we are not. If we endeavor to become like somebody else, it could be seen as being envious of others and wanting to be like them, either in their status in life or their position in the body of Christ. We are who we are, and we should be excited to be who we are for we were called by God as we are for the expressed reason of being a part of his kingdom and being able to be used by Him just as we are. Now, does that mean God does not want us to change? Not at all, we are to grow in our relationship with Him and become more like Christ in our daily walk. But as far as our personality, and our position in life, it is according to the plan of God. Yes, we are all different in a sense, but we are also all the same in that we all are slaves of Christ. However, Paul is very clear that each one of us is responsible to God and should remain in the situation God called us to. Again, envy, jealousy, bitterness, and even greed are the result of being discontent with the calling God has on our lives and the place in the body of Christ that he has called us to be. This also should be a stop to pridefulness, or lording our position in life over others, if God has called us to be in certain positions that seem more impressive than other positions. There is no doubt there are different levels within our society. There are levels of income, education, and perhaps birth status. Some people are born into a prominent family, while others are born into families of poverty. This is what Paul is talking about when he makes that comparison between the circumcised versus the uncircumcised and the freeman and the slave. All of us, no matter who we are or where we came from, have been bought with the same price, and therefore are all the same in the eyes of God. Because we are in Christ, we have all been given the right to be called the children of God, and we all must become overcomers, leaving behind the way of darkness and death and entering into the life of light and life. Each of us who overcome will inherit the exact same thing, eternal life in the presence of our Lord. We recall that Jesus told us that whoever wants to be great in the kingdom must be the servant of others. Paul does say that we would not be servants of men, but rather of God, however, that is referring to living as servants to the way of the world, serving the things the world has to offer, which is nothing more than sin and death. So let us serve God as God has called us to serve. Let us be the person of God, the vessel that God, the potter, has made us to be. 

God is Pleased With One

 DEVOTION

THE 1^ST LETTER TO THE CORINTHIANS

GOD IS PLEASED WITH ONE

1 Cor 7:8-16

8 Now to the unmarried and the widows I say: It is good for them to stay unmarried, as I am. 9 But if they cannot control themselves, they should marry, for it is better to marry than to burn with passion. 10 To the married I give this command (not I, but the Lord): A wife must not separate from her husband. 11 But if she does, she must remain unmarried or else be reconciled to her husband. And a husband must not divorce his wife. 12 To the rest I say this (I, not the Lord): If any brother has a wife who is not a believer and she is willing to live with him, he must not divorce her. 13 And if a woman has a husband who is not a believer and he is willing to live with her, she must not divorce him. 14 For the unbelieving husband has been sanctified through his wife, and the unbelieving wife has been sanctified through her believing husband. Otherwise your children would be unclean, but as it is, they are holy. 15 But if the unbeliever leaves, let him do so. A believing man or woman is not bound in such circumstances; God has called us to live in peace. 16 How do you know, wife, whether you will save your husband? Or, how do you know, husband, whether you will save your wife?

NIV

More instructions regarding relationships between husband and wife, however, first Paul makes the point that if a person is single whether they have never married or a spouse dies, they should remain single. Now is this included in the part that was Paul and not the Lord, or the part that is the Lord and not Paul? The question that arises out of his statement about controlling ourselves in sexual desires seems to be the opposite of God's design for us. He gave us the desires and the sensual pleasures so that we would fill the earth. The fact is that we should burn with desire to fulfill the plan of God, however, that should be strictly within the marriage contract. The problem was that was not the case in the Corinthian church and thus Paul needed to lay down some ground rules. Still, there are cases today where a believing spouse lives with a non-believing spouse. However, this truth exists that even if one of the spouses is a believer, the other non-believing spouse is set apart, declared holy, and sanctified by God. The reason, although Paul does not explain that in full, is that through marriage the two shall become one flesh, thus the unbelieving spouse is one flesh with the believing spouse and both are declared holy and blameless in the sight of God, sanctified and consecrated by the blood of the Lamb. Of course, each person must come to repentance on their own and the unbelieving spouse will need to eventually come to Christ for salvation. This is why the believing spouse should remain married to the unbelieving spouse. However, the Lord still blesses the marriage because of the children produced by such a union. Once again, Paul is making it clear that marriage is between one man and one woman for the purpose of bearing offspring. Any other kind of union between people is sexually immoral and thus an abomination in the sight of God, which was going on in that Corinthian church. Whether those kinds of unions occur today is up to each of us to consider. However, we know that the marriage of one man and one woman is the expressed plan of God for that is how he created us, male and female. This most recent phenomenon of sexual identity is not the plan of God and therefore is the plan of Satan. We know that God’s plan was as he created us, for the expressed purpose of filling the earth, procuration of our species as it is with all the species God created, even the plants produce seeds of their own kind, multiplying. Let us live as one with our spouse, one in body, one in spirit, and one mind, as we love the Lord as one, for God is pleased with us being one. 

Living as One

 DEVOTION

THE 1^ST LETTER TO THE CORINTHIANS

LIVING AS ONE

1 Cor 7:1-7

7:1 Now for the matters you wrote about: It is good for a man not to marry.   2 But since there is so much immorality, each man should have his own wife, and each woman her own husband. 3 The husband should fulfill his marital duty to his wife, and likewise the wife to her husband. 4 The wife's body does not belong to her alone but also to her husband. In the same way, the husband's body does not belong to him alone but also to his wife. 5 Do not deprive each other except by mutual consent and for a time, so that you may devote yourselves to prayer. Then come together again so that Satan will not tempt you because of your lack of self-control. 6 I say this as a concession, not as a command. 7 I wish that all men were as I am. But each man has his own gift from God; one has this gift, another has that.

NIV

Is Paul saying that his gift is that of not having a wife, while others have the gift of having a wife, although he wished that all men would be gifted to live alone, with no wife by their side? If that is the case then God would not have given Adam a helpmate. If God intended for man to be alone then man would have been the only person on the earth for all eternity and it would have been impossible for him to multiply and fill the earth. It is difficult to understand why Paul would say it is good for a man not to marry since he is the product of a married man and woman unless he was conceived through adultery. Yet, he is giving them instructions about how a marriage should look. One man and one woman, just as God created them and for the purpose of being there for each other. Marriage is good in the eyes of God, not singleness so we think that Paul has added some of his own thoughts that are not so much inspired by God. Although in one sense it is good for all men to be as devoted to God as Paul was.  Perhaps that is what he is referring to when he said that he wished that all men were as he was. However, we still come to the conclusion that marriage is the way God intended man and woman to fill the earth. He gave us that desire within to have this mutual need for each other in the sensual sense. He made men to be attractive to women and women to be attractive to men. This is His plan and Paul is simply giving some rules to how that relationship should work. There should be no denial between husband and wife, except by mutual agreement, and then only for an agreed amount of time, so that temptation does not enter either heart. Although it appears that Paul is single and chaste, he is also making sure those in that church forfeit their sinful nature of unnaturally sexual behaviors and take on the way God designed for one man and one woman to be united as one flesh. We recall those instructions given for men who have been called to be leaders in the church, that they are to be husbands of but one wife, or this could be translated as a husband of a certain wife. Nevertheless, the point is that men who are called to be leaders of the church must be married. Single men cannot remain as chaste as God did not design men to be chaste, and thus sin will enter their hearts in order to fulfill their God-designed humanity. Let us remember to always be ready and willing to fulfill our role in marriage, being one flesh. 

The Temple of God

 DEVOTION

THE 1^ST LETTER TO THE CORINTHIANS

THE TEMPLE OF GOD

1 Cor 6:12-20

12 "Everything is permissible for me"-but not everything is beneficial. "Everything is permissible for me"-but I will not be mastered by anything. 13 "Food for the stomach and the stomach for food"-but God will destroy them both. The body is not meant for sexual immorality, but for the Lord, and the Lord for the body. 14 By his power God raised the Lord from the dead, and he will raise us also. 15 Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ himself? Shall I then take the members of Christ and unite them with a prostitute? Never! 16 Do you not know that he who unites himself with a prostitute is one with her in body? For it is said, "The two will become one flesh."   17 But he who unites himself with the Lord is one with him in spirit. 18 Flee from sexual immorality. All other sins a man commits are outside his body, but he who sins sexually sins against his own body. 19 Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; 20 you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body.

NIV

Clearly, this is the continuation of this warning about dealing with this one particular man who had sexual relations with his father’s wife. However, there also were all those other areas that Paul mention just before about some other sexually immoral behaviors. There must have been some of this going on in this church that was made up of many Greeks that had accepted the gospel message but were still being influenced by the culture they came out of. There is always a danger of letting culture have too much influence on our lives because we live within it. It is interesting that Paul makes this statement about everything being permissible, but everything is not beneficial. He does reference the stomach which indicates this is a matter of eating and drinking, although he also goes on to talk about this sexual matter. It is a good thing that the church today does not have that kind of problem. Yet, the question still arises whether we have completely come to grips with the fact that we belong to Christ, and that we should be united with Christ, being one with him and He with us, as Jesus told us that he and the Father are one. Paul makes this statement about the fact that our body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, that is God dwells within us. As we ponder on this, we are reminded of the temple or tabernacle that God directed Moses to build, and how it was the place where God would meet with his people. The specifics of the Tabernacle had to be exactly how God directed it. This is what He has done in our bodies. When God made Adam, the first man, he made him in the very likeness of his own image. Of course, that image was corrupted by sin, and now because of Christ, the second Adam, if we unite ourselves with Christ, then we have been returned into the image of God. Therefore as image bearers of God, being his temple, we should be aware that all of us, our soul, spirit, and body belong to God and thus we should look after how we treat ourselves. Therefore, everything is permissible but not everything is beneficial. Of course, we know sexual immorality is on the list of non-beneficial behaviors. But then the list gets a little gray, which it should not be. We have heard over the years how this list of non-beneficial behaviors has changed according to time and culture. The list once included no smoking, drinking adult beverages, dancing, going to movies, and even mixed bathing, that is boys and girls going to the beach or swimming pools together. It is interesting that most of those behaviors have gone by the wayside except these two about smoking and drinking. Those who propose that kind of behavior destroys the temple of God, never bother to include gluttony, which does just as much if not more damage to the temple of God. Jesus came eating and drinking and was accused of being a glutton, while John the Baptist did not eat and drink and was accused of being a demon. All things are permissible but not all things are beneficial. Let us not be mastered by any of those things, eating or drinking, and all those other areas that can be damaging to the temple of God. Could we dare say eat and drink in moderation, so we are not mastered by either, in this way we honor the temple of God. 

Live Carefully

  

DEVOTION

THE 1^ST LETTER TO THE CORINTHIANS

LIVE CAREFULLY

1 Cor 6:9-11

9 Do you not know that the wicked will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor male prostitutes nor homosexual offenders 10 nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. 11 And that is what some of you were. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.

NIV

Once again, these are some really harsh words. Is Paul intimating these various behaviors were going on within the Corinthian church? We would think he was comparing believers and the culture they lived in. However, we are bothered by the fact that he tells them not to be deceived, which could indicate they were taking on some of those behaviors of the world. It is quite a list which in which he first enumerates various forms of sexual immorality. Hence, it is clear that adultery or male prostitutes nor homosexual offenders will inherit the kingdom of God. It is interesting he includes idolaters, drunkards, and greed as well as slanders and swindlers as unrighteous acts, or behaviors. We do not have a problem understanding any of these sexual behaviors are not acceptable for a believer and if anything like that does exist, repentance is the only way to the kingdom. We also would not think that any believer would be a thief, however, idolatry might sneak into the church without us being aware. This is participating in pagan festivals which might seem innocent enough, but are they? We are not sure what the pagan festivals that occurred during the time of Paul were, although some of those sexually immoral acts were practiced in worship of their false gods, or idols. Nevertheless, we should be careful not to be deceived by pagan festivals or holidays that are not Christ-centered. It is interesting that even Christmas began with pagan roots and Roman roots, but was adopted or transformed into Christianity somewhere around 350AD. We might want to investigate many of the world’s holidays, or practices relating to holidays, to see if they are appropriate for believers We also need to be careful not to make something or someone of this world into our idols. This could be seen, innocently enough, in sports teams, sports stars, entertainers, hobbies, casual time activities, or some other attitude or behavior. We should not think we need to completely avoid such things, but merely be aware of not becoming consumed by them. Greed is another one of those gray areas within the church. Is greed related only to the love of money? The Greek word translated here as greed means being eager to have more, or greed for gain. This could affect many areas of life, but it seems it boils down to always wanting more, and that usually requires having more money. The point to all this is that if these attitudes and behaviors were present in that time, they could still be hanging around in our time and we need to be diligent, although not legalistic, about not being deceived in any way of the danger and the corruption they cause within us. Although it is true that we are in Christ and he is in us, and that it gives us our right standing before God, we still need to be careful not to be fooled into thinking any of these behaviors are correct in any way. Let us always put Jesus first and foremost in our thinking and then we will ensure we are not either deceived or ensnared. Because we do love the Lord and want to serve him and him alone, and because we were washed in his blood, sanctified, or made holy by God, and we are justified, declared righteous in the sight of God, all done by God on our behalf, we will inherit the kingdom of God, nevertheless, we need to live carefully. 

Accepting Being Wronged

 DEVOTION

THE 1^ST LETTER TO THE CORINTHIANS

ACCEPTING BEING WRONGED

1 Cor 6:7-8

7 The very fact that you have lawsuits among you means you have been completely defeated already. Why not rather be wronged? Why not rather be cheated? 8 Instead, you yourselves cheat and do wrong, and you do this to your brothers.

NIV

This is just a little bit of what Paul said about this lawsuit situation, as what is next is a grand list of many offenses against God. But for now, let us consider this idea about being offended or being wronged. We are simply supposed to turn the other cheek. There is no such thing in the kingdom of God as revenge or seeking retribution or in the case of the Corinthians taking a fellow believer to court. We know that as unfortunate as it is, divorce happens within the body of Christ and requires a civil court to settle the agreement. But that is not the case Paul is speaking about. What is a brother in the Lord swingled us out of some money through some scheme. We cannot imagine that happening, but if it did, the correct response would be simply to accept the fact we were wronged and move on, which includes forgiveness. That seems to be a hard pill to swallow, but that is what the word of God as spoken through Paul tells us to do. However, there are much smaller offenses that we believers commit against each other which we also need to forgive and move on. When we harbor ill feelings because we think we have been offended we are in the wrong and are not acting in a manner that is pleasing to God.  It is sad, but we have seen believers leave a church because they think they were offended and go to another church without dealing with their feelings. How can we believers worship God when we are harboring unforgiveness in our hearts? Even if we do not take a brother to court because of being wronged if we do not forgive we are already defeated. If we are living a life of love, then first we would not offend our fellow believers and if for some reason we feel someone did wrong against us, then according to the act of love, we could not feel we were wronged. This feeling of being wronged stems from thinking too highly of ourselves or being far too self-centered. We should always remember that Jesus said that if we what to be one of the greatest in the kingdom we should become a servant to others, and if we are servants then it would be impossible to be offended. But even if we cannot accept being a servant, we should accept being wronged. 

Love Leads to Forgiveness

 DEVOTION

THE 1^ST LETTER TO THE CORINTHIANS

LOVE LEADS TO FORGIVENESS

1 Cor 6:1-6

6:1 If any of you has a dispute with another, dare he take it before the ungodly for judgment instead of before the saints? 2 Do you not know that the saints will judge the world? And if you are to judge the world, are you not competent to judge trivial cases? 3 Do you not know that we will judge angels? How much more the things of this life! 4 Therefore, if you have disputes about such matters, appoint as judges even men of little account in the church!   5 I say this to shame you. Is it possible that there is nobody among you wise enough to judge a dispute between believers? 6 But instead, one brother goes to law against another — and this in front of unbelievers!

NIV

There is no need to hang out our dirty laundry before the unbelieving world. This is the point that Paul is making here. However, everything he is saying stems from disputes between two believers that appear to be a legal matter. It would seem that if they were taking each other to a civil court over a dispute that it would have been over some matter pertaining to the law. However, there is this truth about how we believers will judge the world as well as angels. This kind of judgment would be of a spiritual nature because it will be dealing with their disobedience to God. Therefore, we might consider that disputes between believers are not about civil law, but of a spiritual nature. This is why we think Paul is telling them, and us, that if we are having a dispute with fellow believers it would be a spiritual matter which any worldly court would not be qualified to deal with. Therefore, it would be appropriate to go to another believer and ask for their counsel in solving this dispute. What is even more interesting is that Paul is not suggesting that we go to the godliest and most knowledgeable person in the church, but that any believer should be able to give the right judgment over this dispute. What bothers us though is the fact that any dispute between believers should not even occur. We are admonished to live in peace with each other, to love one another as we love ourselves. We are told to live in harmony with each other and thus how could a dispute that is a result of disharmony happen. Maybe there might be some legal matter which does occur between believers, which we could not imagine. Maybe something to do with either property or money might come between two people that are believers. But still, the matter of resolution should be handled within the church. There should be no reason for any believer to bring a legal suit against another, hanging our dirty laundry out in front of the world. All matters can always be solved between two who profess they love the Lord and are committed to living a life of love which includes forgiveness leading to harmony. Let us always be ready to forgive any offense of our fellow believers, for who of us is not guilty of offending God, who has already forgiven us, in Christ Jesus. It would seem the right resolution to all disputes is forgiveness which is a result of love. 

To Judge or Not to Judge

  

DEVOTION

THE 1^ST LETTER TO THE CORINTHIANS

TO JUDGE OR NOT TO JUDGE

1 Cor 5:9-13

9 I have written you in my letter not to associate with sexually immoral people— 10 not at all meaning the people of this world who are immoral, or the greedy and swindlers, or idolaters. In that case you would have to leave this world. 11 But now I am writing you that you must not associate with anyone who calls himself a brother but is sexually immoral or greedy, an idolater or a slanderer, a drunkard or a swindler. With such a man do not even eat. 12 What business is it of mine to judge those outside the church? Are you not to judge those inside? 13 God will judge those outside. "Expel the wicked man from among you."  

NIV

These are harsh words to this church in Corinth, and we have to believe these words are recorded for all the churches throughout history, including our present time. Once again, we have several truths to deal with. The first is about not having anything to do with the kind of believer who is sexually immoral. This comes from what Paul said earlier about this man who had sexual relations with his father’s wife. This man should be expelled from the church, but not as a punishment for sin, for that would have to mean all of us should be expelled from the church, for who of us are completely free of sin.  However, it is interesting that Paul includes along with the sin of sexual immorality, greed, idolatry, slander, drunkards, and swindlers. We are certainly not supposed to judge the people of this world or not associate with any of them for Paul says if that were the case we would have to leave the world. People who do not know Christ, or refuse to accept Christ are no doubt engaged in all these activities. But it appears these things also must be going on in the church. We cannot speak to this sexual immorality because something like that would most likely be kept behind closed doors, at least in the church today. Even greed would be difficult to judge, although it might be possible to see greed in a person’s life. we do wonder about idolatry, because of so much interest in certain aspects of life. If they begin to take up too much of our focus, whether they be a hobby, sports, success, or even a ministry, rather than Christ, or some other interest, then they could become or be seen as an idol. Slander is simply another word for gossip spreading information about someone who defames them in any way whatsoever. It is sad, but we think this is overlooked too many times and perhaps even accepted within the church. We would not think that we would expel someone because they gossiped, for that matter because they drank adult beverages, of course, being drunk would be taking it too far, and even then would we really expel someone who is a drunkard? We cannot think that any believer would be a swindler, but then again there are those who fleece the flock as they use multimedia to deceive even the elect with their silver tongues. Rather than heralding their large churches, it would be best not to have anything to do with them, or even expel them from the church. The hardest truth to come to grips with is this judging one another in the church. We always thought we were not supposed to judge. Jesus even tells us not to judge, for the way we judge others, we will be judged. Yet, here we are told not to associate with fellow believers who act out these behaviors. Perhaps there is a difference between acting as judge and jury and sentencing someone to hell, as only God can do that, then seeing these wicked behaviors in a fellow believer and not responding to their behaviors, bringing them to a place of repentance, all the while doing it in love rather than in condemnation.