Day #337

Sermon - Audio
1 Cor 15-16 - Reading
1 Cor 15-16 - Audio

Daily Insights - Please Comment

1 Corinthians 15-16
Paul in these verses holds out the centrality and the central importance of the resurrection for our faith to be real. If there is no resurrection (a literal, bodily resurrection of Christ), then our faith is foolishness.

* 15.1-11: The resurrection is essential to the Christian faith.
* 15.7: Apostles are commissioned messengers. There are more apostles than the 12 disciples in the early church.
* 15.12: Some in Corinth were denying that those who died as followers of Jesus would be raised from the dead. They believed that Christ had been raised, but they didn’t believe his followers would be raised.
* 15.13: Paul argues that either all are raised or none are raised, not even Christ.
* 15.14: For those in our day who speak of the resurrection being the coming to faith of the disciples, Paul argues that Christ’s literal resurrection is central to a true Christian faith.
* 15.17: The resurrection is God’s “yes” to the work and ministry of Christ. It is also the final victory over sin. If Christ only died on the cross, his death is useless to us. The resurrection is essential for our forgiveness. This reminds us that while we often focus on the cross as the place where our sins are taken away, that if there is no resurrection, the cross just a place where a person died. To truly have forgiveness there needs to be a dual emphasis on cross and resurrection.
* 15.19: Given all the suffering that comes the way of the Christian, what they give up to follow him, and the investment of their lives in his life, if he has not been raised then we are people who deserve pity. We have invested all that we are in a lie.
* 15.20: The first fruits of a harvest were a guarantee of the ingathering of the rest of the harvest.
* 15.24: Christ will destroy all that is in opposition to the Father. This may serve as a warning to those who deny the resurrection. They are in opposition to the teaching about and the work of Christ.
* 15.28: Throughout the New Testament we see that there is a functional subordination of the Father to the Son. The Son is not less than the Father, just as the Spirit is not less, but the trinity has chosen that the Father will finally be the one who is ruler over all.
* 15.29: This little verse has caused great debate. There are over 200 explanations for Paul’s words. What seems most likely is that people in Corinth are being baptized for believer who died before they could be baptized. But whatever the meaning, Paul is using this practice to bolster his case that the dead are raised. In fact, that is the central point we should get from this verse.
* 15.32: The wild beasts are not literally beasts, but those who opposed Paul in Ephesus.
* 15.33: These words, “Bad company ruins good morals” reflects Jewish teachers who held that failure to believe in the resurrection were immorality. Paul’s point is that hanging out in the bad company of those who said the dead are not raised can put us in danger of giving up this central teaching/doctrine of the church.
* 15.37: The picture that Paul gives in this verse excites the imagination. If we sow the barest of kernels with this body (which is already in the image of God), what will yet be when we are raised for the dead? The glorious resurrected body will outshine our present body as a kernel of wheat compares to a golden field of wheat
* 15:43 dishonor … glory. These terms have to do with outward physical appearance: the Christian’s resurrection body will be physically attractive beyond anything imaginable. ESV Study Bible
* 15.46-49: Paul’s words draw us deeper into the wonder of our new bodies. They will be akin to Christ’s resurrected body, rather than like fallen Adam’s. Not only so, but these bodies will be animated by the Holy Spirit so that we will no longer sin.
* 15.50: We need resurrection to inherit the kingdom of God. We cannot fully inherit the kingdom in our present state.
* 15.58: Paul wants the good news of the resurrection to spur the people on to living for God.

* 16.2: The idea of saving up or putting aside seems to mean to bring the amount you have saved and bring it with you to worship. The church will do the saving so Paul or his companions can simply pick up the offering and not have to go about collecting it from each family.
* 16.6: In a bit of a surprise Paul is now willing to take assistance from the people whom he earlier would take nothing. Since the church is a maturing group they can now give to the missionary cause.
* 16.8-9: Paul’s words here are an interesting contrast. Ephesus is a place of effective work and a place of many adversaries. We might assume that a place would be one or the other, but Paul experiences both and rather than running from his adversaries stays to carry out the work.
* 16.11: Paul calls on the Corinthians to do two things. First of all, they are not to despise Timothy which means to treat him as worthless or of little value. Given the attitude in the Corinthians church of arrogance this could be a very real possibility. Second, they are to help Timothy on his way—which means helping him with paying for his travel. Paul is not shy to ask and even command this congregation to be generous.
* 16.12: Paul shows his solidarity with Apollos. As an excellent teacher Paul wanted him to help in Corinth. This solidarity flies in the face of those who want to say that they belong to Paul or to Apollos (see chapter 3).
* 16.13: Early in his letter Paul has called the Corinthian Christians “infants”, those who are unschooled, who lack wisdom, and are untrained. Now he calls on them to act like men which means they are to act according to the ways of the gospel and not the culture.
* 16.18: Paul speaks of his spirit being refreshed. This usually means to give a person a break from work so they can be physically refreshed. It seems that these visitors to Paul made it possible for him to have some respite from a very arduous time of work and preaching the gospel. When it speaks of them also refreshing the church at Corinth it may hint that these are very wealthy individuals who care for the poor.
* 16.18: In a church where people are trying to get ahead, Paul is so bold as to suggest that some people really do need to be acknowledged for their contribution to the congregation and to him.

Day #336

Sermon - Audio
1 Cor 12-14 - Reading
1 Cor 12-14 - Audio

Daily Insights - Please Comment

12:1-3 - spiritual gifts - “Gracious endowments, leading to miraculous results . . . these all came by the extraordinary influences of the Holy Spirit.” Clarke

Ignorance is not something Christians should be or desire. If we are ignorant, we are easily carried away as the others are. We need to be able to judge and discern things that are happening..."do they glorify Jesus?" "do they edify the body of Christ?"

4-6 - It is important to note that Paul tells us there are a diversity of gifts. Paul lists many throughout other texts, but there more that he doesn't list as well. The activities of these gifts may look different as well. It's good that we all differ, as we make up one body with many giftings.

7-11 - The Spirit is always present within you, however manifestations of the Spirit may come at various times. The purpose of these is to profit the church body, not just ourselves. Some of these mentioned are a word of wisdom, a word of knowledge, gift of faith, gift of healing, working of miracles, prophecy, discerning of Spirits, the gift of toungues, the interpretation of toungues. Paul focuses heavily not on the meaning of these gifts, but on their oneness in purpose. These gifts are distributed as the Holy Spirit desires. This is where the question of gifts existing or not comes usually comes into play. I'm a "gifts guy," thus I believe they still exist today, but I also will add that they exist in the manner in which the Holy Spirit desires to use them. Some of them are much more prevalent than others.

12-14 - We all are "one body." It is not something to be achieved, but to live out...it is truth. We all are to be built together as one.

15-20 - If we negate the benefits of each part of the body, we lose the body.

21-26 - There is no person, with any gifts or abilities, that is more important than another. We are all one body.

27-31 - God gives gifting as he pleases.

13

1-2 - It is thought that the Corinthians were enamored with "getting the gifts," specifically toungues (12:21)...Paul is making it clear here that none of them matter if they have not love as their foundation.

3 - Motives behind our actions is what matters.

7 - The terms believes and hopes are sandwiched between bears and endures and, like them, probably refer to relationships between people rather than to faith and hope in God. Love believes the best of others and hopes the best for them. -ESVSB-

8 - Interpreters differ over the time when Paul expects prophecies to pass away and tongues to cease (along with other gifts represented by these examples). The “cessationist” view is that miraculous gifts such as prophecy, healing, tongues, interpretation, and miracles were given to authenticate the apostles and their writings in the early years of the church, but those gifts “ceased” once the entire NT was written and the apostles died (c. A.D. 100). Others hold that Paul expected these gifts to continue until Christ returns, which will be the time when “the perfect” (v. 10) ways of speaking and knowing in the age to come replace the “in part” (v. 9) gifts of this age. Support for the second position is found in v. 12, which indicates that “then” (the time when these gifts will cease) is the time of Christ’s return. -ESVSB-

12 - mirror dimly. Ancient mirrors were made from polished metal (such as bronze), and thus one’s reflection was even more “dim” than in modern mirrors. Face to face suggests a reference to Christ’s second coming (the OT uses this phrase to refer to seeing God personally; cf. Gen. 32:30; Ex. 33:11; Deut. 5:4; 34:10; Judg. 6:22; Ezek. 20:35). Then, the spiritual gifts of this present age will no longer be needed.

14

14:1 - Why Prophecy? - The word “prophecy” (Gk. propheœteia) as used by Paul in 1 Corinthians refers generally to speech that reports something that God spontaneously brings to mind or “reveals” to the speaker but which is spoken in merely human words, not words of God. Therefore it can have mistakes and must be tested or evaluated (see 1 Cor. 12:29; 1 Thess. 5:19–21). An alternative view of this gift, held by some, is that it involves speaking the very words of God, with authority equal to the OT prophets and equal to the word of Scripture. A third view is that it is very similar to the gifts of preaching or teaching. This gift is widely indicated throughout the NT churches (see 1 Cor. 11:2–5; 12:28–29; 13:2, 8–9; 14:1–40; Acts 2:17–18; 11:27–28; 19:6; 21:9–11; Rom. 12:6; 1 Thess. 5:19–21; 1 Tim. 1:18; 4:14; 1 John 4:1). Prophecy is used to build up, encourage, and comfort the gathered community (1 Cor. 14:3). Prophecy is also used evangelistically to disclose the secrets of the hearts of unbelievers and lead them to worship God (14:24–25). Because God used this gift to build up the Christian community, Paul urged the Corinthians to value it highly (14:4–5, 39). -ESVSB-

2-3 - tongues is man-to-God, while prophecy is man-to-man communication. It is revealing the things of God to man through a supernatural manifestation of the Spirit. This is why Paul places such a higher emphasis on prophecy.

4-5 - while tongues builds a person up, prophecy can serve to edify the entire body of believers.

7-9 - Musical instruments must use a certain pitch and beat to communicate a song. If they do not, the music is not accessible to the listener. Sounds are coming forth, but they cannot be understood. The same is true for a trumpet that makes an uncertain sound. It is of no profit for others.

10-19 - Paul uses a variety of illustrations to teach that speaking in tongues without an interpretation does not edify others, indicating that edification comes through understanding.

14 - The comparison between my spirit and my mind shows that Paul is not speaking of the Holy Spirit but of his own human spirit.

16-17 - with your spirit. That is, with your spirit only (in tongues) but not understanding with your mind (see note on v. 2). outsider. An interested inquirer into Christianity (see vv. 23–24). Uninterpreted tongues in the assembly do nothing to build this person up and therefore nothing to move him or her toward a full commitment to Christ. -ESVSB-

21 - Paul alludes to Isa. 28:11, where God’s word of judgment against Israel is spoken in a foreign, unintelligible language by the invading Assyrian army. -ESVSB-

22-25 - Prophecy is much more beneficial to both believer and unbeliever than tongues.

26 - "When you come together." a fascinating glimpse into the kinds of activities that took place when the early church gathered as the body of Christ to worship the Lord. The worship included a hymn, a lesson, a revelation, a tongue, or an interpretation. In order to prevent discord and confusion (cf. 23, 33), Paul concludes his description of early church worship by emphasizing that all of these activities must be “done decently and in order” (v. 39). The goal of building up is analogous to the building of the temple (see 3:16; cf. Ex. 25:8)

*We see accountability and truth being the focus in these verses pertaining to the gifts. It is important that Christians keep one another accountable, otherwise we may abuse God.

33 - God of Peace, Not Confusion - The gifts should not confuse us as to the things of God, they should promote peace, unity, and love.

Day #335

Sermon - Audio
1 Cor 9-11 - Reading
1 Cor 9-11 - Audio

Daily Insights - Please Comment

9.1: Paul holds that he is a free man; he is not a slave to anyone or what they want. This is a significant follow up to his words about being willing to not eat meat if it causes another to stumble.

9.2: Paul’s seal that he is really an apostle is shown in those who have come to faith through his ministry.

9.3-8: Paul holds that he has a right to support from the church, it is a God given right rooted in both in common sense and in the God’s word.

9.11-12: He has not taken this right, because he wants to put no obstacle/hindrance in the way of the gospel of Christ. Since there were many who used speaking and cool arguments as a way to make a living, Paul wanted to make sure that his message was distinct from those. Paul does receive help from many churches, but not from Corinth.

9.17-18: Paul is so overwhelmed with his call to preach that he has no choice but to speak of God to others. There is no boast in what one has to do. Paul’s boast is that he presents the gospel free of charge.

9.19: Paul launches into his teaching about his giving up his freedom to become a slave so that the gospel message can go out.

9.19-23: Paul battles back against those who say that he lack authenticity because he acts differently in different situations. He points out that he is consistent. His consistency is one of motive, not of action. All he does he does to win a hearing for the gospel.

9.20: Paul clarifies that he is not under the Law because Christ has freed him from the Law by his death and resurrection.

9.21: The Law of Christ is most likely the teaching of Christ (Remember earlier Paul talks about not having a word from the Lord about betrothed people, this reflects that there is a word from the Lord on other matters i.e. the Law of Christ). The summary of the Law of Christ is the same as the summary of the Old Testament Law: Love God and Love your neighbor.

9:24–27 Paul frequently uses athletic metaphors to describe the rigors and single-minded focus of his apostolic work to pursue the advancement of the gospel (see also Phil. 3:12–14; 2 Tim. 4:7–8). The extended metaphor is particularly apt in a letter to Corinth, which was the location of the biennial Isthmian games, at that time second in fame only to the Olympic games. Paul’s stay in Corinth during his second missionary journey (Acts 18) may have overlapped with the games in either A.D. 49 or 51. The perishable wreath was a crown (Gk. stephanos) of foliage (and therefore quick to wither) which was given to the victor in a public athletic contest. Paul thinks of his congregations as the victor’s crown that he will wear on the final day (Phil. 4:1; 1 Thess. 2:19). ESV Study Bible

9.27: Paul’s comments here reflect the extreme struggles he goes through to bring the gospel to people. Beatings, shipwrecks, hunger are all part of his life. To be “disqualified” refers to not receiving a reward.

10:1-5 - Paul highlights the Israelites experiences from past-to-present. He tells us that the presence of Christ was with them even in the wilderness. However, most of them became upset with God. Paul is urging the Churches to not take their previous blessings for granted.

10:6-10 - The Corinthians were losing their focus on God, and were becoming idolaters, sexual immoral, tempters, and complainers...Paul tells what happened to their forefathers.

10:11-13 - We have great responsibility since we have examples of what "not to do" that have gone before us. The path is made clear. There will be temptations, but nothing that previous saints have not seen.

*God is faithful, He will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able* - People love to twist this verse. What Paul is saying here is that Satan desires to destroy us, and that God will not allow Satan to take it to that extreme. He will provide an escape for us that we can choose when it is no longer bearable. However, what you think is unbearable, may not be the same as what God thinks. Also, remember that trials and temptations are different.

10:14 - "Idolatry" here is specifically the pagan temples.

10:15 - "speak as to wise men" = "So, if you are truly wise..."

10:15-22 - Just as the Christian practice of communion speaks of unity and fellowship with Jesus, so these pagan banquets, given in the honor of idols, speak of unity with demons who take advantage of misdirected worship. You can not serve God and..."x"

2 Questions that Paul answers in these verses:

The Corinthian Christians were thinking, “Since an idol is not real, it doesn’t matter what we eat, and it doesn’t matter where we eat it.” Paul answers by agreeing that an idol is in itself nothing (1 Corinthians 8:4); but now explains that demons take advantage of man’s ignorant and self-serving worship.

The Corinthian Christians were thinking, “As long as we are participating in the Lord’s Table, we are safe in Him.” Paul answers that they are disgracing the Lord’s table when they fellowship with idols.

10:23-24 - We are not misuse our new found freedom in Christ. We are to seek the benefit of others...we are to edify all. Even if it is available to you, does it hurt another brother/person?

10:25-30 - Paul again approaches the thought process behind the food that is sacrificed to idols. The heart of the matter is not the food that has been "defiled" or not, but the atmosphere of idol worship.

10:31-33 - Again, I bet most people don't know that this comes out of the context of food sacrificed to idols, but this is one of Paul's greatest statements. We don't live our lives for our own benefit, getting away with what we want, and looking after ourselves. We live to seek the benefit of others, by bringing them closer to Jesus Christ.

11:1 - Paul calls us to imitate him as he is imitating Christ.

11:2 - Some believe that Paul is being sarcastic here, since the Corinthians are clearly not keeping Paul's teachings.

11:3 - Remember, that Christ is not less than God, as woman is not less than man. We show loving submission to one another.

11:4-6 - The idea of a head covering was important in this (and many other) ancient cultures. To wear the head covering (or, veil in some translations), was a public symbol of being under the authority and protection of another.

“Nothing in this is a further rule to Christians, than it is the duty of ministers, in praying and preaching, to use postures and habits that are not naturally, nor according to the custom of the place where they live, uncomely and irreverent, and ill looked upon.” (Poole)

11:7-10 See Gen. 1:26–27; 5:1; 9:6. Woman is the glory of man probably uses “glory” in the sense of “one who shows the excellence of.” Paul argues that a woman, by the excellence of her being, also shows how excellent man is, since she was taken out of man at the beginning (1 Cor. 11:8) and also was created as a helper for man at the beginning (v. 9; see also Gen. 2:20–24). Paul does not deny that the woman was also made in God’s image, something that Gen. 1:27 explicitly affirms, nor does he deny that the woman reflects God’s glory. Paul probably continues to think primarily of husband and wife here since the first man and woman were also the first married couple (Gen. 2:24; Eph. 5:31). Paul’s appeal to the order of creation (cf. also 1 Cor. 11:3, 11–12) shows that his words are not merely directed to the cultural situation of his day. The principle of male headship in marriage continues through all generations, though some cultural expressions of that principle (e.g., that women should wear head coverings) may vary. -ESVSB-

11:11-12 - Paul stresses the equality of marriage.

11:14 - Here the word nature probably means “your natural sense of what is appropriate for men and women” -ESVSB-

11:17-19 - Paul claims that it is good that the churches come together, but their hearts are not unified within the gathering. This is why it is so important to come to church gatherings with our hearts prepared.

11:20-22 - The people are selfish, gluttons, drunks...Paul is NOT happy.

11:23-28 - Paul reminds the Corinthians of the seriousness of the Last Supper. He tells them to examine themselves before partaking, making sure their heart is right with God.

11:29-32 - Is it possible that we reap correction/discipline upon ourselves?! Yes it is. So Paul tells the people to discipline themselves first so that this won't happen.

11:33-34 - love is at the heart of the sacrament. Paul leaves them with only giving them the introductory details...he will show them when he comes to them. I can't imagine how frustrated Paul must have been.

Day #334

Sermon - Audio
1 Cor 5-8 - Reading
1 Cor 5-8 - Audio

Daily Insights - Please Comment

1 Corinthians 5-8

Chapter 5

v. 2 – Paul wants the people to mourn over the sin in their midst. This mourning is to lead to discipline (i.e. to remove the person from their midst). It is a broken heart over what is happening and the destruction it causes the community that leads to discipline, not just in action that is supposed to be done.

v. 5 – To deliver a person over to Satan means to put a person out of the church community. It is Paul’s hope that this kind of action will bring about repentance as the person is cut off from the life and hope of the community.

v. 6-8 – Paul calls on them to see evil as evil and to get rid of the leaven (the man who has his father’s wife). Paul’s concern is that their attitude of boasting over what this man is doing will encourage others to follow this life or act in sinful ways. To expel the man is for his good and for the good of the community.

v. 9 – Paul tells us about a second group of people who need discipline. They are not to be cut off from the church, but subject to a milder form of discipline. They are no longer to associate with them. The challenge is to know what associate means. The idea seems to be that we keep a relationship with such people, but we do so with care so that we don’t get dragged down with them. The nature of our relationship changes so that we are not dealing with them in such a way, can draw us away from God, but we deal with them in such a way that draws them back to God.

Chapter 6

v. 2-3 – A consistent theme of scripture is that God’s people will be involved in judging the entire world. If they can judge the whole world, how much more can they judge small cases dealing with money?

v. 7 – It is worse to go to court in front of an unbelieving judge than it is to be defrauded. Again being defrauded seems to connect with Paul’s concern for the gospel, that it be presented in a good light to the world. Better to lose what you have than to stain the gospel. At the same time, Paul is going to deliver a stern and fearful warning to those who are defrauding others in the coming verses.

v. 12 – Paul’s desire is for people to grow up into an adult who lives in the ways of Christ. Some things that people do are not helpful in this growing process. Paul also says that we should refuse to be enslaved or to have something that exercises authority over us. The pursuit of things that we believe are lawful can bring about that kind of debilitating slavery.

v. 13 – Paul’s come back is that in reality our bodies were not made for sex, but for the Lord. This implies that what we do with our bodies matters and that we need to honor God with our bodies. It also means that we need to recognize that there is a higher calling to our physical beings than simply doing what we want with our bodies.

Chapter 7

v. 2 – Paul’s solution to this kind of sin is not to ban sexual relations, but to put them in their right context. Husbands and wives should meet each other’s sexual needs.

v. 5 – To deprive the other means to take something away from a person that rightfully belongs to them. Marriage partners need to make sure they are not taking away the sexual relationship from each other.

v. 10-11 – Roman law allowed divorce by separation. This meant a person could divorce another person either by packing up and leaving or by telling the other person to get out. When that was done, the divorce was considered legal and binding and you could marry someone else. When the text uses the word “separate”, it is speaking of a wife who walks out on her husband. The word “divorce” is actually “abandon” or “dismiss”. Paul’s charge is that husbands and wives may not simply walk out on each other. He did not allow for the extremely easy divorce of Roman society between two believers.

v. 16 – The believing spouse can be used by God to bring their unbelieving partner to faith.

v. 21 – While Paul tells people to retain their social status when it comes to slavery a person should not continually think about their situation. Should the opportunity arise for them to gain their freedom, they are right in pursuing it.

v. 29-31 – Jesus means that we are to love him more than our earthly relations. Paul’s words are designed to tell the church of Corinth that they need to have their priorities straight during the time of crisis.

v. 32 – Paul tells us that he wants us to be free from anxieties, but he points out that both married and unmarried people deal with anxieties or concerns. The unmarried have a single focus of anxiety, while married have a dual focus. Both have anxiety.

Chapter 8

v. 1 – While knowledge is good, it has to be used in the context of love so that the church is built up.

v. 8-9 – Eating or not eating is not the concern. The concern is if our actions are a stumbling block to the weak. Our actions can lead another to do what we are doing. They imitate us and the imitating for the weak can be a very bad thing indeed.

v. 10 – The weak person is someone who is unsure what is lawful and unlawful in his or her walk with Christ.

v. 12 – This verse implies that their conscience will not always be weak. There is a maturing process that will happen and will allow greater Christian freedom. But as that happens, the strong are not to act in ways that damage the fragile conscience. At the same time, the weak need to have a growing faith, understanding and knowledge.

Day #333

Sermon - Audio
1 Cor 1-4 - Reading
1 Cor 1-4 - Audio

Daily Insights - Please Comment

1 Corinthians 1-4

Chapter 1

v. 1 – Sosthenes is unknown to us, unless he is the synagogue ruler mentioned in Acts 18.

v. 2 – As Paul was called to be an apostle, so the people in the church of Corinth are called to be saints. To be saints means to be set apart for service to God.

v. 5 – The enriching refers to the gifts that the people have been given when they came to believe.

v. 10 – The call to agree is no small thing. The same judgment means to have an agreement based on knowledge.

v. 12 – Factions are not for ministry purposes, but for ladder climbing purposes. These people are not following Paul or Apollos because it will benefit Christ and his kingdom, but because they think it will make them look better.

v. 13 – To be baptized in the name means to become a follower of, to become part of the movement of someone.

v. 19 – The wise here are those who think they understand how things work. They thought they knew the way the world and gods worked, but the cross messes with all of that. The problem is a loss of wisdom when it comes to understanding what God is doing in the cross.

v. 20 – The three group that Paul speaks of are: 1 – wise: one who has the capacity to understand and act wisely, 2 – scribe – expert in mosaic law, 3 – debater: a person who reasons with unsound arguments. All of these fail because they are not looking to the wisdom of God.

v. 22 – The problem with their wisdom is the same thing that afflicts the searcher in Ecclesiastes – they are seeking God from a human perspective rather than listening to God’s revelation of himself.

v. 23 – Paul preaches Christ crucified. This is a stumbling block to the Jews and it is nonsense to the Gentiles – unless God’s mystery is revealed and impressed on their hearts.

v. 29-31 – Paul’s final word is that all people need to boast in God, not their wisdom. Also, that boasting should be in what God has done and how he has done it through our Lord Jesus Christ.

Chapter 2

v. 3 – Paul speaks of coming in weakness, fear and trembling. Weakness is a contrast to the strength of the wisdom and speech of the philosophers. Fear and trembling are something that Paul did face in Corinth.

v. 4 – The greatest demonstration in the Bible is the resurrection. In this context people coming to faith demonstrate the power of God.

v. 6 – The mature are those who receive the message. What becomes clear is that many in the church of Corinth are not able to receive the wisdom of God. They get their need for salvation, but they don’t understand the rest of the story that calls them to a life of humble service and acceptance of God’s servants.

v. 10 – The “us” in this passage refers to Paul and others who are spiritually mature.

v. 16 – To have the mind of Christ means that we are shaped by his thinking and his life.

Chapter 3

v. 1 – People of the flesh are those who have not allowed the Spirit to shape and mold them, so they continue to live in unchristian ways. Infants are those who are unskilled, untaught and childish. Not being schooled by the Spirit, results in the people of Corinth remaining as infants.

v. 2 – There are deeper truths that Paul wants to teach the Corinthians. But the teaching of these truths is blocked because they are still babies.

v. 3-4 – With the Spirit working in them, they are capable of a new life, but they are still living as if they don’t have the Spirit.

v. 6 – Neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, only God causes the growth.

v. 21-23 – “let no one boast in men” – Arrogance is at the root of the divisivement in Corinth. The Corinthians need to learn that they ultimately belong to God, not to the leader who baptized them, as he was only fulfilling God’s purposes. They should, therefore, boast only in God.

Chapter 4

v. 1 – Paul tells the Corinthians that he is a steward of the mysteries of God. A steward is one who is responsible to oversee the estate of another. In this picture Paul is responsible to oversee the message of God’s kingdom. It is a kingdom that while it is not of this world in the sense of being an earthly, human government, it does claim the entire world as God’s estate.

v. 2-5 – The truth of the situation seems to be best understood as this: some people have no right to judge their leaders because they are acting like babies. Anyone who decides that they are not a baby and are going to judge a leader needs to do so with great care because that leaders is not their servant, but Christ’s. Leaders need to do the hard work of finding God’s call on their lives and pursuing it diligently as Christ’s servant and God’s steward.