What I Noticed Today (1 Corinthians 5-8)
1 Corinthians 5-6
In these two chapters, Paul turns his attention to dealing with several discipline problems in the Corinthian church: their failure to discipline an immoral brother, their failure to resolve disputes in a godly manner, and their failure to maintain sexual purity.
1 Corinthians 5
In verses 1-8, Paul learns a brother is committing sexual sin by living with his father’s wife. The local church has done nothing to discipline the man. They are not even grieving this man’s blatant sin against God.
Speaking with judicial authority, Paul says he has already decided this man should be removed from the congregation. He said when they gathered in the name of the Lord, they should remove the man from the assembly and turn him over to Satan.
Note: The objective of removing the man from the congregation is twofold: 1) removing the man may lead to his repentance and ultimately restoration to the body, and 2) if he refuses to repent, you have removed a bad example from the midst of the body.
Paul reminded them how a little yeast leavens the whole lump of dough. They were “unleavened,” for Christ was sacrificed as their Passover. Therefore, observe the feast without old yeast or the yeast of malice and evil but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.
Note: Jews removed yeast from the home during the Passover celebration. Yeast, here is a metaphor for sin. It needs to be removed, or it will spread.
In verses 9-13, Paul notes that he had written them before not to associate with sexually immoral people. By that, he did not mean the people of the world but those believers who were sexually immoral, greedy, an idolater, verbally abusive, a drunkard, or a swindler.
Note: Paul’s admonition to not associate with believers who were sexually immoral, greedy, etc. is that associating with them would have the appearance of condoning their behavior.
He tells them not to judge outsiders, that is God’s job, but they should judge (discipline) the insiders (the believers).
1 Corinthians 6
Paul now turns his attention to Christian brothers who are taking legal disputes to secular courts and glorifying God through sexual purity.
In verses 1-11, Paul reminds them Christians will judge the world and angels (in the end times judgment). Surely, they can handle simple things between themselves. Paul chides them, saying surely there is one wise person among you who can judge between brothers rather than taking your case before unbelievers.
Note: Paul’s point is it does not honor God to have believers arguing legal disputes before unbelievers.
Therefore, Paul says having legal disputes with one another already shows a moral failure. You cheat and act unjustly with your own Christian brothers.
The unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God: sexually immoral, idolaters, adulterers, practicing homosexuality, thieves, greedy, drunkards, verbally abusive, or swindlers. And some of you used to be like this, BUT you were washed, sanctified, and justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ by the Holy Spirit.
Note: Paul refers in verse 9 to a letter he sent the Corinthians previously. This letter was lost.
In verses 12-20, Paul reminds the Corinthians that everything is permissible, but not everything is helpful.
Note: Paul is saying although everything is permissible, there are limits to our liberties. If our liberty is not beneficial, or worse if it is harmful to another believer, then we are not acting in love to our brothers. In this case, liberty becomes slavery.
Paul continues reminding them that our bodies are part of the body of Christ. We should not take a part of Christ’s body to a prostitute because anyone joined to the Lord is one spirit with him.
Note: Paul’s point is the union between a Christian and Christ affects both. The actions of one affect the other.
Therefore, says Paul, run from sexual immorality. Your body is a sanctuary of the Holy Spirit who lives inside you. You were bought with a price (the blood of Christ). Therefore, glorify God with your body.
Note: Sexual immorality grieves the Holy Spirit, Jesus, and God the Father.
1 Corinthians 7
Paul’s focus in 1 Corinthians 7 is on marriage and celibacy.
In verses 1-9, Paul is responding to a question the Corinthians had asked him. It is good for a man not to have sexual relations with a woman (to remain celibate).
However, because sexual immorality was so prevalent among them, Paul says each should have his own wife and each wife her own husband, and they should fulfill their marital responsibilities to each other. Each owns (has rights over) the other’s body.
Note: It seems individuals were refraining from sexual relations inside the marriage. This was acceptable if it was by mutual consent of both partners. But if this was one partner, this was not good because it would lead to temptation for the other partner.
Paul suggested they abstain from sexual relations only when agreed upon by both parties for a period of time devoted to prayer. Then resume relations to avoid the possibility of temptation because of their lack of self-control.
To the unmarried (never married and divorced) and the widowed, Paul said it is good if they are like him (celibate). However, if they lack self-control, it is better to marry than burn with desire.
In verses 10-16, Paul deals with the issue of divorce. He begins by emphasizing this is the Lord’s command, not just his opinion. A wife must not leave her husband, but if she does, she must remain unmarried or be reconciled to him. The same holds true for the man.
Paul says his opinion (not a command of the Lord) is if a man has an unbelieving wife, he should not leave her, nor should a believing wife leave an unbelieving husband. The believing spouse sanctifies the unbelieving spouse.
Note: Paul’s reference to the believing spouse is sanctifying the unbelieving spouse (v. 14) because the believing spouse was a vessel of God’s grace into the marriage. Perhaps by their example, they might lead the unbelieving spouse to a relationship with Christ. The believing spouse was a similar example to the children in the family.
However, if the unbelieving spouse is determined to leave, let them, and live in peace. Perhaps you will still be able to bring them into a relationship with Christ.
In verses 17-24, Paul addresses two situations and says you should remain as you are:
- If you are circumcised or uncircumcised when you were called as a believer, remain as you are.
- If you were a slave when you were called, do not be concerned because you are free in the Lord.
God called you knowing who, and what you were when he called you, so you do not have to change to be acceptable to the Lord.
In verses 25-31, Paul is apparently answering another question put to him by the Corinthians regarding marriage and ministry. He has no specific instruction from the Lord but offers his opinion.
Paul says if you are married, stay married. If you are not married, do not seek to marry. However, if you do marry, you have not sinned. Married people will have trouble in this life, says Paul, and he is trying to spare you because time is limited (before the Lord’s return), and the substance of this world is passing away.
Note: Paul is saying marital commitments should not be neglected, but being single makes it easier to have an undivided devotion to God.
In verses 32-40, Paul repeats the reason for his admonition to “remain as you are.” A married man is concerned with things of the world and pleasing his wife, and this divides his interests. The same is true of a married woman. A virgin or an unmarried woman is concerned about things of the Lord without any distractions.
Note: The section of verses 36-38 has some translational and interpretive difficulties. The Greek word translated “anyone” could refer to a father in reference to his unmarried daughter. Or, it could mean a man who intended to marry. Most modern scholars agree this advice is intended for a father with an unmarried daughter. The phrase “they can get married” refers to the father giving permission to the daughter to marry.
In verses 39-40, a wife is bound to her husband, but if the husband dies, she may remarry another Christian, but Paul says, in his opinion, she is happier if she remains single.
Note: Paul’s advice to remain unmarried may have been influenced by the persecution of Christians that existed at that time. Additionally, he may have been thinking of the difficulties and hardships of raising a family, and if not handled properly, could be a distraction from serving the Lord.
1 Corinthians 8-11
In these four chapters, Paul deals with issues of Christian liberty and pagan worship.
1 Corinthians 8
In verses 1-12, Paul tackles the issue of eating meat offered to idols. Paul states a Christian should demonstrate love to other Christians. Love, says Paul, is superior to knowledge.
Knowledge puffs a person up with pride, but loves builds up. For the Christian, knowledge of God is limited, but even that limited knowledge led us to God and a love for God that must be reflected in our love for others.
For the Christian who knows there is only one God, it means nothing to have meat offered to an idol because an idol means nothing. But not everyone has that knowledge. In fact, some are so used to the idea that eating food dedicated to idols was wrong that their consciences can’t fathom the idea that it is now acceptable. For them, it was wrong and still sinful to eat meat offered to idols.
Paul reminds it is not food that makes us acceptable to God; we are not better if we do eat and not inferior if we do not eat. But, he warns, the Christian who eats should be careful not become a stumbling block to those whose faith is weaker.
Ultimately, if we sin against a weaker brother like this, we are, in effect, sinning against Christ. If it would cause a brother to fall, Paul would not eat the meat.
Note: Paul is not suggesting the spiritually mature brother is always limited in their liberty because of those weaker in the faith. We should be cognizant of the impact of our example, be sensitive to weaker brothers, and seek to build them up in their faith.
What did you notice in your study today? Feel free to visit the website and leave a question or a comment.
