1 Corinthians 6 reads, “Does any one of you, when he has a case against his neighbor, dare to go to law before the unrighteous and not before the saints? Or do you not know that the saints will judge the world? If the world is judged by you, are you not competent to constitute…
Let’s examine this model by applying two biggest decisions we can make in life. In this way, we can illustrate the way we make decisions, today. The first decision we make where God has given us some principles to guide us is in whom we marry. We will start by illustrating the use of God’s…
It has often been said in support of the idea that baptism is not important for salvation, “Well, Paul said that he was thankful that he baptized none but Crispus and Gaius and then remembered another as if he had nearly forgotten (1 Cor. 1:13-16). But, right in the middle of these verses is…
The text reads, “Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one receives the prize? So run that you may obtain it. Every athlete exercises self-control in all things. They do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable. So I do not run aimlessly; I do…
One of the most painful experiences for a Christian is to have lies or falsehoods spoken against them. Defamation of character and slander is a subtle form of persecution through the tongue. Jesus spoke of disciples being persecuted who had all manner of evil spoken against them falsely (Matt. 5:11). 1 Corinthians 4:13 starts, “Being…
Paul writes, “For though ye have ten thousand teachers in Christ, yet have ye not many fathers: for in Christ Jesus I have begotten you through the gospel” (1 Cor. 4:15). The word translated “teachers” comes from the Greek noun pais, translated “child” and the verb agoo, translated “to lead.” We get English words “pedagogue”…
In Philippians 2:6-8, Paul writes that he was in the form (morphee) of God, but emptied Himself of the glory of that form and took the form (morpheen) of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men.: And being found in fashion as a man, He humbled himself and became obedient unto death,…
If we had to contrast the Corinthians and the apostles and other saints who had sacrificed a great deal because of their discipleship, we could say that Corinth did not know persecution. They had many character issues, not to mention an affection on things below instead of things above. For this reason, they compromised with…
1 Corinthians 11:2-16 focuses on head-covering, not on women speaking in the public assembly. Speaking is addressed in chapter 14 within a different context than is seen in today’s church gatherings, but chapter 11 does not address it. One problem in interpreting these texts for our application is that chapter 14 is in the context…
Following First Corinthians 11:2-16, Paul writes to the saints in Corinth about their abuse of the Lord’s Supper in which the context is clearly when the called-out gather in one place to eat the Lord’s Supper (11:17-34). Notice the following references to their “coming together.” 11:17 “… you are regularly coming together ….” 11:18 “……