1 Corinthians Introduction
The writer, Paul, was the greatest evangelist of the first century, maybe of all time. He was writing to a church that he founded, as described in Acts 18. He was there for over a year and a half before he left for Ephesus. The church in Corinth, at least initially was next door to the Jewish synagogue, and Paul’s converts were a mixture of former Jews, former pagans, and so-called God-fearers.
Corinth, in the time of Paul, was a Greek seaport at a highly visited location on the isthmus to the Peloponnesian peninsula. It was a place of high commerce, known for its sexual immorality, and its large number of temples to the Greek gods.
It is a highly interactive letter, in the sense that, in much of it, Paul is clearly responding to questions that were posed to him, possibly in the form of a letter to him or relayed to him by representatives who had visited the church in his absence. Because Corinth was such a mixing bowl of people, it is not surprising that so much of his instruction relates to moving from pagan ways of life to learning how to be the people of God. For that reason, it is probably the most instructive work in the New Testament for presenting the principles for church life in a non-Christian society. As an expert builder, he lays out his approach for unity, morality, marriage, communion, worship, and many peripheral subjects. Paul steered a clear course between order and freedom.
It is clear that the church was spiritually successful, and that many gifts were in evidence. Paul was proud of this church for its spiritual attainment, but deeply concerned about their lack of understanding about how to be a body of loving believers who put each other first and knew how to build up the whole body. As a result, he presents many corrective principles, which present useful guidelines to churches of today, as long as they are not used to justify a new Book of the Law, which Paul would surely have rejected.
Did Paul teach that women must be submissive to men and be silent in the church? Large segments of the Church have taught so for centuries in part on the basis of this letter to the Corinthian church. It seems rather that Paul was a champion for women, allowing them to prophesy and even teach. But, under the principle of “becoming all things for all people that some might be saved”, he wanted the church to not break the built-in guidelines of local society. In Corinth, women were not allowed to speak publicly, so Paul places some restrictions for the protection of women and the church. He seems to have been more definitive when it came to relationships of men and women, seeking for clear distinctions and a degree of hierarchy, but again it is for the protection more than the restriction of women.
Paul was excellent at finding elements of a culture’s customs to use as a basis for strengthening the church, which he could then underline by providing a theological basis from scripture. If Paul were to write to the church of today, no doubt he would find much to correct but much to highlight so that he could strengthen us. Possibly his writing to us would have some elements the same and some quite different as he would become one of us in order to help us find Jesus. Paul sets a middle road, providing an authority structure which protected the church from becoming a free-for-all, but still provided much room for the movement of the Spirit.
1 Corinthians Guide to the Transcommentary
This is a little bit more than a translation and a bit less than a full commentary. It serves a similar function to the Amplified Bible, though that work’s purpose was to provide a complete sense of the meaning of the words used by the writers of scripture. This work has a somewhat different purpose:
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To convey as close as possible the actual meaning of the sentences as they would have been understood at the time they were originally spoken or written. To accomplish this for twenty-first century Americans, dynamic equivalent words and sayings have been used at a sentence level. An attempt has been made to preserve intended wordplay and irony from the original author.
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We have attempted to clarify ideas, references, and thought sequences that would have been clear to first century audiences but are not clear to modern audiences because of differences in culture, customs, language, or degree of familiarity with Old Testament scriptures and Messianic prophecies. The phrasing of the translation itself aims at that clarity, but we have also added words, phrases, and sentences to the narrative for improved understanding. All such additions are in brackets []. This allows the reader to have the explanatory additions when reading but also insulate these additions from the translated scripture – indeed, with a little effort they can be skipped entirely when reading aloud.
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Color codes for different types of additional material are intended to further aid understanding:
- Green is used for words added to descriptive narrative because they are implied or as commentary to explain the context.
- References to scriptures are shown in brown.
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As in many translations and editions, we have added headings in bold to help understand when a new theme is introduced by the author.
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The author frequently refers to "Christ" or to "Jesus Christ". We have employed the words “the Anointed One” rather than "Christ", since that is the meaning of “Christ”. We wanted to avoid the sense of "Christ" as Jesus’ surname, yet still recognize it as a well-known title.
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We have also added study questions at the end of each chapter to help you think more thoroughly about the meaning and application of the author’s writing.
We will have succeeded in this translation if you the reader find that you can read this work of scripture with greater comprehension and enjoyment than ever before. Please let us know if you find the various supplementary materials helpful. or too distracting, or if you have any other suggestions about how to improve this approach to translation.
Richard Tittle, pneuma9@gmail.com
1 Corinthians Chapter 1
Greeting
1 [This letter is from] Paul, appointed and sent out with the message of Jesus, the Anointed One, by the will of God, and from our brother Sosthenes[, a fellow minister and former synagogue leader from Corinth].
2 To the assembly of God in Corinth, those set aside as holy by God and appointed to be his people [since once we decide to follow him he appoints and anoints us]. And to everyone everywhere who calls on the name of Jesus, the Anointed One, who belongs to all of us.[This letter is addressed to the church of Corinth but is intended to be read by all the churches.]
The blessings already received by the Corinthian church
3 Blessings and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus the Anointed One. 4 In fact I thank my God about you all the time for how generously he has gifted you through the Anointed One, Jesus. 5 He has made you rich in everything, with every type of speech and every type of knowledge [including preaching, tongues, interpretation, wisdom, and understanding], 6 confirming in you the original testimony about the Anointed One [given on the Day of Pentecost through the outpouring of these same gifts]. 7 Thus you will lack in no gift while you are waiting for the appearance of the Lord Jesus the Anointed One, 8 who will continue to confirm his blessing of you as complete in him all the way to the end. [No one could ever doubt that God is pouring himself out among you.] 9 You can trust the same God who called you into close relationship with Jesus the Anointed One, his son [to complete your maturing].
Coming into alignment and unity
10 [As an essential part of your maturity,] I urge you, now, brothers, in the name [and as the representative] of the Lord Jesus the Anointed One, that you reach agreement [within the assembly] in what you believe and say, avoiding divisions between you. Instead, allow both your thoughts and conclusions to be brought [by God] into perfect alignment with one another. 11 I say this because I have heard from Chloe's household that there is competition among you, 12 each of you saying either, “I follow Paul” or, “I follow Apollos” or, “I follow Peter” or, “I follow the Anointed One.”
13 [You know that all who believe are one body in the Anointed One.] Can the Anointed One be divided into parts? Was it Paul who hung on the cross for you? Was it Paul's name and character into which you were baptized? 14 I thank God that I didn't myself baptize any of you except Crispus and Gaius, 15 so that no one could say that I created a church in my own name. 16 Oh, I guess I also baptized the household of Stephanas, but if I baptized anyone else, I don't remember. [When you were baptized, it was into a single united body, under the name of Jesus. If you resort to political factions, you are dividing that body, and no longer representing Him well.]
The power and wisdom of the cross
17 For the Anointed One didn't send me out to baptize but rather to proclaim the good news, but not with eloquent or wise words, or else the cross would have had no meaning. 18 For the [concept of the} cross seems foolish to those on the path to destruction, but to us it is God's power to save, heal, and deliver. [People do not believe that a man, even God’s son, would die a brutal death to take our place. Could God’s plan really be that simple and good?]
19 It is written [Isaiah 29:14], “I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and the learning of the learned I will make nothing.” 20 Where does this leave the wise men, the scholars, the brilliant debaters of this age? Hasn't God made the wisdom of this world foolishness? 21 For, it is the wisdom of God that the world did not gain understanding of him through [man's] wisdom, but it pleased God through the [apparent] foolishness of what we proclaim to bring to wholeness those who believe our word. [People despise the good news concerning the Anointed One because it doesn’t seem sophisticated enough nor does it emphasize their own knowledge or effort.]
22 For the Jews must have miracles to believe and the Greeks are satisfied only with careful reasonings. 23 But we proclaim the truth of the Anointed One nailed on the cross for us, which is a stumbling block for the Jews and incomprehensible to the Greeks. 24 But for those ready [to trust God and receive salvation], the [crucified] Anointed One is both the power of God [to achieve this salvation] and the wisdom of God [in fulfilling his plan of salvation]. 25 For the [apparent] foolishness of God is both wiser and stronger than what men achieve.
26 Brothers, if you reflect on your standing at the time of your calling, by worldly standards not many of you were considered wise, or powerful, or of high standing. 27 But God has selected the foolish things of the world [us men of no account who have gained everything just by surrendering to God] to embarrass the wise, and the weak things to embarrass the strong. 28 And he has selected what is inferior or worthless - even that which is nothing at all - to bring to nothing things that are considered of value.
Discussion questions
1. What does Paul say is the value of the spiritual gifts that the Corinthian church has received (v 8)?
2. When there is disagreement or competition in a church, how do you think that can be changed (v 10)?
3. Why does God want to bring the wisdom of men to nothing (vs 17-31)?
1 Corinthians Chapter 2
Demonstration through the power of the Spirit
1 When I first came to you, brothers, it wasn't with fancy preaching or brilliant reasoning [things of which I could be proud], when I presented to you the hidden truths about God. 2 For, when I was with you, I had decided to forget everything I knew except Jesus, the Anointed One, and what he accomplished through his death on the cross. [I’m proud of what God did, not what I did.] 3 And I came before you in weakness, with much fear and trembling. 4 What I said and how I said it were not to convince you with convincing words, but instead with the demonstration of the Spirit's presence and power, 5 so that your belief would not be based on man's wisdom but rather on the power of the Spirit.
6 However, I do speak a wisdom among those who are fully introduced to the faith, though not the wisdom of this world or of the rulers of this world, both of which amount to nothing. 7 The wisdom of God that I speak about has been a secret, hidden until now but destined since the beginning of time to bring us [believers] great honor [because of his revelation of the amazing destiny he has for us]. 8 None of the rulers of this world understood this wisdom. If they had, they wouldn't have crucified the Lord of Glory. [When Satan and those who were under his influence crucified Jesus, they thought they were stopping him, but they totally played into his hands. It was Jesus' death following a sinless life as a human being that allowed him to die in our place and give us his place as God’s righteous sons and daughters.]
Revelation through the Spirit
9 But as it is written [Isaiah 64:4], “No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no man's heart has yet received, what God has prepared for those who love him.” 10 Yet it has been revealed to us by the Spirit, for the Spirit examines all things, even the very depths of God. 11 For who really knows what's in a man except a man's own spirit? In the same way, no man knows the things that are in God, but God's own Spirit knows.
12 It's not the spirit of the world that we have received, but indeed we have received the Spirit of God, so that we can know the things of God that have been freely given to us. 13 These are the things we have been telling you about, teaching not with man's wisdom, but teaching spiritual things with words full of the Spirit.
14 A man, through his lower nature unaided, cannot understand the things of the Spirit, for they make no sense to him, for the truth about them can be judged only through the Spirit. 15 But a man operating through his spirit can judge the truth concerning absolutely anything, though no one [without the Spirit] is capable of judging the truth about him [because people filled with the Spirit can accomplish beyond what can be anticipated]. 16 ”For who knows what is in the mind of the Lord so well that he can offer Him counsel?” [Isaiah 40:13] But, in fact, we have access to the mind of the Lord [through God’s Spirit, and through the Spirit we can understand the truth].
Discussion questions
1. Why do you think Paul had decided not to try to use brilliant arguments to convince the Corinthians the truth about Jesus (vs 1-5)?
2. How does Paul say we receive spiritual truth (vv 9-16)?
3. What is the secret wisdom Paul is referring to that God has now revealed (vv 6-8) [Hint: You’ll have to read beyond Chapter 2]?
1 Corinthians Chapter 3
Division comes from immaturity
1 Brothers, I haven't been able to speak to you as though you were spiritual, but only as ones still occupied with your lower nature, fleshly, still immature in the Anointed One. 2 Until now, I have given you only milk to drink, not solid food, because you couldn't handle it, and apparently you still can't. 3 You are still fleshly - for in you there is envy and competition. Aren't you still fleshly if you walk just as other people [unbelievers]? 4 For when one of you says, "I am following Paul," or "I am following Apollos," aren't you acting just like other people [who are not followers of Jesus]?
The importance of building on the right foundation
5 Who is Apollos, who is Paul, but ministers by whom you believed? God has appointed each of us our task. 6 I have planted, Apollos watered, but God has granted the growth. 7 So neither he that plants nor he that waters amounts to anything, but only God who gives the growth.
8 He who plants and he who waters are equal, and we will each receive a reward from God for our labor, 9 for we are both laborers employed by God. You are the field cultivated by God. You are his building as well. 10 With the gift given to me as a wise chief builder, I have laid the foundation, and another builds on it.
Each person should take care exactly how he builds. 11 No one should try to lay any foundation other than what has already been laid - which is [living life according to the instructions and example of] the Lord Jesus the Anointed One. 12 Someone who adds to the foundation may use gold, silver, precious stone [like marble], or wood, hay, or straw, but each person's work will be revealed, for the Day of Judgment will make it clear.
[Our way of living is what is judged, and God will quickly show whether what we did was based on Jesus or something else that we added for our own purposes.] 13 The fire of that day will be used to expose our work, and each one's work will be shown for what it is, as it is tested by fire. [When we are before God after this life is over, our entire life will be examined, and all that we did for ourselves will be burned away, and what we did for God will remain. This examination is for the purpose of rewarding us in the afterlife, since we already were awarded eternal life as soon as we first believed in Jesus.] 14 If a person's work lasts through the test, he will receive a reward for what he has built. 15 If a person's work is consumed by the fire, he will lose the reward he might have earned, as one barely saved from the fire.
16 Don't you realize that you yourselves [the Church] are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwells in your midst? 17 If anyone brings destruction to the temple by corrupting it, God will destroy him, for the temple is sacred, and you together are that temple! [We are all builders as well as part of the building, so our contributions must be based on and consistent with God.]
18 No one should be under an illusion - if anyone seems wise by the world's standards, he should become a fool [following God wherever he takes you both in understanding and action], so that in fact he will be wise. 19 For the wisdom of this world is foolishness to God. As it is written [Job 5:13], “God traps the wise in their own cleverness”. 20 And also [Psalms 94:11], "The Lord knows the thoughts of the wise, that they are of no value."
21 So no one should boast about the person he is following, for why limit yourself. You own everything! 22 Including Paul, or Apollos, or Kephas [Peter], or the world, or life, or death, or the present, or the future. All belong to you. 23 And you belong to the Anointed One, and the Anointed One belongs to God. [Each one contributes to the building and we have access to each one's contribution and it all is orchestrated by God.]
Discussion questions
1. If competition is a sign of immaturity, what would be the signs of maturity (whole chapter)?
2. How do you think we are “to build” according to Paul (vs 10b-14)?
3. On what basis does Paul say that “you own everything” (vs 21, 16-17)?
1 Corinthians Chapter 4
Qualifications for a caretaker
1 Think of us [leaders] as servants working for the Anointed One - caretakers of the mysteries of God. 2 The qualification for a caretaker is that he be found faithful to his master [Proverbs 27:18]. 3 But in [meeting] this [qualification] I consider your evaluation of me of little importance. In fact, I don't even evaluate myself, 4 though I am not aware of any lack, but this doesn't prove I am innocent. Indeed, the only evaluation that counts is the Lord's. 5 Therefore, hold your final evaluation [of yourself or others] until the Lord comes, who will bring to light what is hidden in the darkness, including the intentions of hearts. Then everyone will receive whatever praise from God he has truly earned. 6 And I have described these things, applying them to myself and Apollos, so you could learn to apply what I have written here to yourselves. [I am telling you not to make Apollos and I leaders of factions among you and it’s just as harmful if you yourselves lead factions.] Don’t go beyond what is written [by Paul about being servants and] you will not end up in pride, comparing yourselves against each other.
7 For what makes you stand out from everyone else? And what do you possess that wasn't given to you, and if it was given to you, why do you brag? 8 Do you now have everything you want? Are you wealthy without us? Are you ruling like kings? I wish to God you did rule [over yourselves, your families, your communities], for then we could rule along with you.
How apostles are dishonored
9 For it seems to me that God has appointed us apostles as the last performers in line to come into the arena, the ones appointed to a certain death. We are made a spectacle to everyone, both to angels and to men. [Heaven is watching as well as earth.] 10 We [apostles] are fools for the Anointed One [we will do anything for him regardless of how it makes us appear], but you [in the Corinthian church] are wise in the Anointed One [at least in your own eyes]. We are weak [because we lay down our lives for others], but you are strong [because you live for appearances]. You are honored [even by us for being faithful], but we are dishonored [by you because you’d rather not be accountable to us].
11 Even to this present time, we [myself and my apostolic team] have been hungry and thirsty, dressed in rags, often beaten, and have no place to call home. 12 Yet we work, earning our keep with our own hands [rather than taking pay from those we serve]. When cursed, we bless; when persecuted, we endure; 13 when insulted, we intercede. We are treated like trash, like dirt [to be swept away]. In fact, you are doing that to us right now [by not treating us with love and respect].
A reminder to follow your father in the faith
14 I am writing you these things, not to shame you, but as my sons whom I love, to set you straight [as a father does his children]. 15 For even though you may have ten thousand teachers in the Anointed One, you don't have many fathers. For in the Anointed One, Jesus, it was I who brought you forth [into new birth] through [the preaching of] the Good News. 16 Thus, I have a right to call on you to become followers of me.
17 For this purpose, I am sending you Timothy, my dear son, who is faithful in the Lord. He will remind you of all I have learned to do in the Anointed One, Jesus, [so that you will become mature by imitating me] and what I teach in all the churches everywhere else. 18 Now some of you are acting like big shots, as though you don't expect me to come [and to do anything about it]. 19 But I will be coming soon, if the Lord wills, and I will test the power rather than the speech of you big shots. 20 For the kingdom of God is not in speech, but in power. 21 And when I come, would you rather it be with a rod of discipline, or in a spirit of love and humility?
Discussion questions
1. What does Paul say is the basis for qualifying as a good caretaker (v 2)? How can you tell if you are? (vs 1-6)
2. What would you say is the purpose for apostles “being in the arena” (vs 9-13)?
3. What do you imagine might happen between Paul and those who resist him when Paul comes in person (vs 18-21)?
1 Corinthians Chapter 5
Handling immorality within the church
1 I keep hearing about sexual immorality among you, and of such a type not even found among unbelieving peoples - that a man is living with his father's [former] wife [as though married]. 2 While you were busy being puffed up about your political party, shouldn't you have been grieving over this deed that he has done, so that you could have already removed the man who did this from among you. 3 To tell you the truth, even though I'm absent in body, I am present in spirit, and I have already made a judgment of the man who has committed this act as though I were present among you.
4 Therefore, gather the whole assembly together, knowing that you have my apostolic authority, and in the name of the Lord Jesus, with the full power of the Lord Jesus, 5 commit this man over to Satan so that his fleshly appetites may be destroyed, that his spirit may still be delivered at the day of our Lord's return. [The entire process for addressing sin within the church is laid out by Jesus in Matthew 18:15-17. When a believer refuses to submit to the whole church and therefore to God himself, who is kind, then he will have to learn from the cruel taskmaster Satan. This may also explain one reason why God allows Satan to remain on the earth - to harass people until they learn to submit to God.]
6 Do you understand how bad your boasting sounds? Don't you know that[, just as] a little yeast goes through the whole lump of dough[, a single sinful act can affect the whole church]? 7 Get rid of the yeast as in the preparation for the Passover, so that you can be the new, unleavened dough [Deuteronomy 16:3], pure and uncorrupted – [especially since] the Passover lamb, the Anointed One, has already been sacrificed for us. 8 We want to celebrate the feast, not with yeast, especially not the yeast of evil and sinfulness, but with the unleavened bread of purity and truth.
9 I wrote to you previously not to associate with anyone who is sexually immoral. 10 Yet you can't avoid everyone in the world who is sexually immoral - or for that matter everyone who is greedy or takes advantage of others or is an idol worshipper - you would have to leave this world! 11 But I am writing you now - don't associate with anyone who calls himself a Christian brother - but who is sexually immoral or greedy or is an idol worshipper or spreads lies about others or is a drunkard or who takes advantage of others. Don't even eat with such a person! [This is how you keep the yeast from spreading. Excluding the person from fellowship may also lead them to repentance. But please make sure that you don’t judge them on rumors alone.]
12 It isn't my responsibility to judge those outside the church, but [if that immorality comes inside,] you have a responsibility to judge those inside the church. 13 Let God judge those outside the church, but [take care of your responsibility within the church and] render your judgment and expel the immoral brother!
Discussion questions
1. If we are not even to judge ourselves (1 Cor 4:5) and Jesus told us to “judge not” (Mat 7:1), then how is the judging we do inside the church different, and why does Paul insist it’s our responsibility (vs 1-5, 12)?
2. Why does Paul say we would turn over a Christian brother to Satan (v 5)?
3. How would associating with an immoral brother “spread the leaven”? (vs 6-11)
1 Corinthians Chapter 6
More reasons to render judgment within the church
1 [As a related topic,] how does any of you dare, if you have something against someone in the church, to bring the matter before unjust unbelievers [by going to court] rather than before the believers for judgment? 2 Don't you know that it is the destiny of believers [on the Day of Judgment after Jesus returns] to render judgments for every person in the world [Revelation 2:25-26], and if you will be judging the world, are you inadequate to judge such small matters?
3 Don't you know that we will judge even angels? [We know from Daniel 10:13 that dark angels have opposed God's work and 2 Peter 2:4 and Jude 6 do tell us that dark angels will be judged. Revelation 3:21 tells us will sit on the throne with Jesus, and so we will be involved in His judging of the angels.] How much more then do we need to judge matters pertaining to ordinary life? [With the Holy Spirit living in us and our together being his body, we have the ability and responsibility to govern among ourselves.]
4 And since judgments are needed for the small things concerning ordinary life, perhaps you should appoint the most ordinary people in the church to judge them. 5 I say this to shame you - can't you find at least one person you consider wise enough to judge between two brothers in the church, 6 rather than one brother taking another to court in front of unbelievers?
7 You have already completely failed as a church if you have to go to court. Why not rather allow yourselves to be hurt or be cheated? 8 Instead, you go right ahead and hurt and cheat your own brothers.
Avoiding immorality
9 [Those of you who act just like the rest of the world,] don't you realize that those who are living a life of sin are not sons of God who will receive the inheritance of God's kingdom? [So you won't be confused, let me be more specific -] those who sin sexually, idol worshippers, adulterers, men who submit to or commit homosexual acts, 10 those who steal from others or seek to gain more than their share, addicts, those who spread lies about others, cheaters - none of these shall receive God's kingdom [Galatians 5:19-21]. 11 There isn't a single one of these sins that some of you didn't used to commit. But since those days, you have been washed clean, made holy, made righteous, just as if you had never sinned, in the name and authority of the Lord Jesus and through the action of the Holy Spirit.
[The community of believers, the local church, is to be a holy place, where we don’t put up with compromise in ourselves or in one another. Because the basis of our unity is our love for Jesus and for one another, we can risk speaking truth and not covering up sin. And because we live as a community of love, we can trust one another to work out problems that arise, rather than having to seek judgments under secular law. As we hold ourselves and one another accountable, we are careful not to see ourselves as better than another, or to put up roadblocks to restoring one another quickly.]
12 You may say, “Isn’t everything permissible to me? [Paul, you seem to be restricting things that are not against the law such as various expressions of sexuality or of eating meets offered to idols, and yet elsewhere (Galatians 5:1) you have emphasized the freedom of Christians.] Sure, but [just because I won’t go to prison for it] that doesn't mean that it's good for me! It may not be against the law, but I'm not going to make myself the slave of any harmful habit. 13 [Others may refer to the saying,] ‘Food is for the stomach, and the stomach is for food’[, implying that likewise the sexual organs are designed for sex and sex is good for the body]. But these are all non-eternal things that God will eventually destroy[, so why focus on them?]. The purpose of the body is not for food [or sex]. The body is for God, and God is for the body. 14 And God has raised up our Lord to eternal life, and he will raise up our bodies too by his own power.
15 Don't you know that your bodies are united with the Anointed One [ever since you surrendered yourselves to him]? Should I take that which is united with the Anointed One and unite with a prostitute? Never! 16 You do realize that when a man is joined with a prostitute he becomes one body with her – “The two shall become one flesh.” [Genesis 2:24] 17 But when a man is joined with the Lord, they become one spirit. [Therefore join yourself to the Lord and make yourself strong rather than satisfy your fleshly urges and make yourself weak.]
18 Run away from sexual sins - every other sin is outside your body, but when you commit a sexual sin, you are doing it against your own body. 19 Don't you realize your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is given to you by God and lives within you. 20 Your bodies were bought with a price - therefore glorify God with your bodies.
Discussion questions
1. Why does Paul want disputes settled inside the church (vs 1-8)?
2. If entrance into the kingdom is based on belief in Jesus (Rom 10:9), then why does Paul seem to say that those who commit specific sins will not inherit the kingdom (vs 9-11)?
3. Why would you want to avoid sexual sin? In what ways would it have a negative effect on your life? (vs 12-20)
1 Corinthians Chapter 7
Relations between men and women
1 Now let's address the things you wrote about. [You say,] “It's better for a man never even to touch a woman.” 2 Yes, but because of [the temptation of] sexual sin, each man should have his own wife, and each woman should have her own husband. 3 The husband should not refrain from sex but owes his wife great tenderness, and likewise the wife towards her husband. 4 For the wife's body doesn't belong to her but is under her husband's care. And likewise, the husband's body does not belong to him but is under his wife's care. 5 Don't deprive each other unless you've agreed to devote a specific time to prayer. Then reunite so that Satan can't tempt you through your lack of self-control. 6 This is not a command from God [to spend these times of abstinence], but a concession to your desire to spend time with him [God].
7 I wish that everyone were [able to maintain self-control and refrain from sex] just like me. But God grants each person his own gift of grace - some will get one gift, and others another gift. 8 But I say to those who are unmarried or widowed, it's good for you to remain single like me. 9 On the other hand, if you can't control your desires, it is better you should marry than to burn [with desire].
Difficulties between husbands and wives
10 If you are married, I provide you this command, from the Lord, not me - wives, don't leave your husbands! 11 But if you do leave [because of abuse or adultery], then remain unmarried, or else be reconciled to your husband. Likewise, husbands don't divorce your wives. [For this to be a command from the Lord means it is very important. If a husband or wife is an adulterer or abuser, in some sense they act as an unbeliever. However, even then it is better not to divorce. If you are the believing spouse, don’t put yourself in danger, yet practice forgiveness and seek reconciliation and pray for the salvation and healing of your spouse. The purpose is to take our vows in marriage so seriously that we lead our spouse to faith in God. However, if our spouse divorces us and remarries, we are then free to remarry.]
12 To everyone else, I have something to say myself, though not a command from the Lord. If a man who is a believer has an unbelieving wife, and she is satisfied to live with him, then he shouldn't divorce her. 13 And if a believing woman has an unbelieving husband, and he is satisfied to live with her, then she shouldn't leave him. 14 Rather than the believer being polluted by the unbeliever, the unbelieving husband is made holy [and is therefore part of the church] because of his [union with a believing] wife, and likewise the unbelieving wife is made holy because of her [union with a believing] husband. If this weren't the case, their children would be unclean and not be part of the church [because they haven’t yet made a confession of faith], but they are part of the church [because they are under the authority and therefore are a part of their parents until they reach the age of accountability]! 15 But if the unbelieving spouse leaves, don't resist. The believing spouse should not be bound in such a case, for God has called us to live in peace. 16 [But] if you are able to stay together, how do you know that your unbelieving husband or wife might not become saved?
Bloom where you are planted
17 Let everyone else live the life that God has provided him, continuing to live in the same status as when God called him. That's the principle I set forth in all the churches. 18 Was a man a circumcised Jew when he was called? Let him not try to remove the marks of circumcision [either physically or spiritually]. If a man was uncircumcised, let him not be circumcised to show he is Jewish. 19 It is not being circumcised or uncircumcised that makes a difference; it is keeping God's commandments.
20 Everyone should continue in the calling of life they were in when they responded to God's call. 21 Were you a slave when you were called? Don't let that bother you. However, if you can obtain freedom, then make use of it. 22 For he that is a slave when called is free in the Lord, and likewise he that is a free man should consider himself the slave of the Anointed One. 23 You were bought with a price; therefore don't become slaves of men. 24 Whatever your situation when you were called, brothers, remain in it, but do so in God. [God chose the circumstances of our life, so that once we know him, we can then become one who changes all those around us who are part of our circumstances.]
Instructions to the unmarried and widowed
25 Now, concerning your questions about those who are unmarried, I have no specific commandment from the Lord. However, I will give you my opinion, as one who through God's mercy has remained faithful. 26 [This then is what I am thinking -] because of the present level of difficulty in the world, it is better for each of you to remain just the way you are. 27 Are you married? Don't seek to be unmarried. Are you unmarried? Don't seek to be married. 28 But if you do marry, you haven't sinned, and if a girl marries, she hasn't sinned. However, there will be many trials in the flesh for those who marry, and I want to spare you from such troubles.
29 Let me put it this way, brothers. The time we have remaining is short. Therefore, even if you are married, live [with the same focus] as someone who is not married. 30 You don't have time to indulge in grieving or even joy. When you purchase things, act like you don't even own them. 31 And in whatever ways you have to deal with the world, act like someone who is not caught up in the world. For the world the way we know it is passing away. [This is true even if we have a relatively long life and even if the Lord doesn’t return in our lifetime.]
32 I want you to be free from anxieties. An unmarried man thinks about the things of the Lord - how to please the Lord. 33 But a married man focuses on the things of the world - how he may please his wife. 34 His interests are divided. Likewise, there is a difference between a married woman and an unmarried one. The unmarried woman thinks about the things of the Lord - how to be pure in body and spirit, but the married woman thinks about the things of the world - how she may please her husband. 35 All this [I am saying] is for your own benefit, not that you would feel hampered. I want you to have the best chance for an orderly life, with full devotion to the Lord and no distraction from your goal.
36 But if a man is treating his girlfriend improperly, with a passion that he cannot control, then let him marry her if he wishes. It is not a sin. 37 But he who stands firm in his heart and is not controlled by his passion but has it under control, does well if he chooses not to marry a girl. 38 So, he that marries his girlfriend does well, but he who chooses not to marry does even better.
39 [Now, concerning married women,] a wife is bound to her husband as long as he lives [even if he is an unbeliever], but if he has died, she is free to marry anyone as long as it is in the Lord. [However, if he has divorced her and remarried, she is also free.] 40 But in my opinion she will be happier if she remains unmarried, and I too have the Spirit of God [to guide my opinion].
Discussion questions
1. What does Paul say are the advantages and disadvantages of marriage (vs 1-9, 25-38)?
2. Why does Paul think that sexual self-control and celibacy are an advantage (vs 5-9, 32-40)?
3. Why does Paul emphasize remaining in the same circumstances from the time we are saved (vs 10-24)? What does this imply about the purpose of our lives?
1 Corinthians Chapter 8
Issues relating to food sacrificed to idols
1 Now, concerning what is sacrificed to idols, [as you say,] “We all have knowledge [that idols are not really gods]”. [There was likely a group in the Corinthian church wanting the church to advance based on the teaching they had received that idols had no power and weren’t really gods. But there were many Christians who still saw the idol they formerly worshipped as having a power or a god behind it.] However, knowledge puffs up [with pride, making us feel we are superior], but love builds up [caring more about not wounding someone’s conscience than correcting their viewpoint]. 2 If anyone thinks he knows something, he doesn't yet know what he needs to know. 3 But the person who loves God will actually be recognized by God [as his follower]. [So listen and I will explain God’s way of love.]
4 Now let's look at the issue regarding food sacrificed to idols. We know that idols are a big "nothing" in the world, and that there is only one [true] God. 5 And even if there are so-called gods in the heavens or the earth - in fact there are many gods [that people worship] and many lords [that people follow]. 6 But for us [believers], there is one God, the Father, from whom all things came, and we exist for him, and there is one Lord, Jesus, the Anointed One, through whom all things came, and through whom we have life.
7 But not everyone has yet come to that knowledge [that there is only one God and therefore idols are of no account]. For some [Christian believers], who conscientiously worshipped their idols up to the present, saw the food as a sacrifice offered in worship to the idol, [so now as a Christian if they eat the food] their conscience is violated [because they feel they have worshipped another god and betrayed the true God]. 8 In truth, what we eat has nothing to do with our standing before God, for eating a particular food doesn’t make us better, and not eating it doesn’t make us worse.
9 But be careful that your own freedom doesn't cause you to offend a believer whose conscience is vulnerable [due to their past idol worship]. 10 So if the former idol worshipper whose conscience is vulnerable sees you, a man respected for his knowledge, eating food offered to idols, won't that encourage him to do what is against his own conscience? 11 Then hasn't your "knowledge" destroyed your brother, one for whom the Anointed One died? 12 In fact when you sin against your brother, the one with the vulnerable conscience, aren't you sinning against the Anointed One himself? 13 My conclusion? - if I know that a particular kind of food might cause a brother to stumble, [food sacrificed to idols for instance,] then I can totally avoid eating meat, so that I won't be the cause of his stumbling.
1. Does Paul think that idols are actually gods? Does he think believers need to act as though demons have any power (vs 4-6)?
Discussion questions
2. How would you compare people’s religious backgrounds in today’s world to the idol worshippers of Paul’s day? In what ways do these backgrounds affect their views? How does Paul say you should treat them (vs 7-15)?
1 Corinthians Chapter 9
The right to be paid for preaching the Good News
1 [You have been asking what authority I have to tell the Corinthian church how to conduct itself.] Aren't I a free [unpaid] man? [You are wondering since I don’t take a salary, maybe I'm not an apostle.] [Yet,] am I not an apostle? Haven't I had the Lord Jesus appear to me [1 Corinthians 15:8]? [Acts 1:21-22 tells us that being a witness of the Lord’s resurrection was a requirement to be considered an apostle]? Aren't you the result of my work in the Lord[, since it was my preaching that led you to following Jesus (Acts 18:1-11)]? 2 If I am not an apostle to others, certainly I must be to you. In fact, you are the seal proving my apostleship in the Lord.
3 My argument for those who are examining me is this. 4 Don't we [Barnabus and I] have the right to [expect financial support so we can] eat and drink? 5 Don't we have the right to be accompanied by a wife who is a sister in the Lord as do the other apostles, and the brothers of the Lord [children of Mary], and Kephas [Peter]? 6 Or is it only Barnabus and I who must make our own living?
7 Have you heard of a soldier that pays his own wages? Or someone who plants a vineyard without eating some of the grapes that are produced? Or a man who cares for a flock of sheep but doesn't partake of the milk from the flock? 8 Do you think it is just me, an individual, making these things up or does the Law not say the same things? 9 For it is written in the Law of Moses [Deuteronomy 25:4], “Don't muzzle the ox that treads out the corn [to keep it from eating].” Is God concerned here about oxen? 10 Or doesn't this saying really apply to us men? Definitely it applies to us. Both the one who plants and the one who harvests should do their work with the hope of receiving a share of the crop!
11 If we [Paul and Barnabas] have planted spiritual seed in you, is it a big deal for us to gain our material needs from you? 12 If others already have the right to participate in your blessings, shouldn't we even more so have that right? Yet, we have never used that right, bearing with whatever we must, rather than holding back in any way your receiving the Good News of the Anointed One. 13 Surely you know that those who minister in the Temple receive their food in the Temple, and those who serve at the altar partake in eating what is sacrificed at the altar. 14 In exactly the same way, the Lord has determined that those who preach the Good News should make their living from the Good News.
15 But, personally, I have not made use of this right [to earn a living from you for my preaching], nor have I written this so that I can change my status. In fact, I would rather die than have anyone take away my basis for boasting [for serving you without compensation]. 16 Not that I can boast at all about preaching the Good News, for I have a great burden to do that. I would be miserable if I didn't preach! 17 If I did this as a volunteer, then I would deserve to receive pay. But if I do this not from my desire, but because it is a sacred duty given to me, 18 then what is my reward? Just that when I teach the Good News, I do it free of charge, without collecting on my right to make a living from it.
Value of discipline and self-control
[What can you learn from how I approach servant leadership?] 19 Even though I am free and owe nothing to anyone, I serve everyone so that I can win as many as possible [to the Anointed One]. 20 For the Jews, I lived as a Jew, so that I could win Jews. Even though I'm free from following the Law [because I follow the higher law of love], I followed the Law anyway, so I could win those who themselves were under the obligation to follow the Law.
21 To those who live outside of following the Law [the non-Jews], I have lived as one not bound by the Law, so that I could win them [to the Anointed One]. It's not that I ignore God's law - I fulfill it by following the Anointed One in all things. [His standards are actually higher than the Law - he says in Matthew 5:28 it's not only our actions but our thoughts which violate the Law]. 22 To those who are vulnerable [for instance someone who came out of idolatry or addiction], I acted as though I were vulnerable as well [and avoided offending their conscience], so that I could win the vulnerable. I have become all things to all men so that by all means possible I could win some of them to the Anointed One. [So you can see that, though I am an apostle, I take no salary. I want to serve you without your feeling any obligation to support me at all.] 23 And I do all of this for the sake of the Good News, so that I can share in the enjoyment of your receiving it.
24 You know that in the stadium, everyone running the race competes, but not all win the prize. [Once we are saved, Christian life is about completing our assignments, for which we will be rewarded after this life with a crown.] So run to win the prize! 25 Athletes exercise self-control in everything, and they are seeking only a temporary crown. But we are seeking a crown that lasts forever. 26 That's why I don't waste any time when I am running and I don't just beat the air when I'm fighting. 27 I discipline my body and bend it to my will. I don't want to preach to everyone else, and then find that I myself have been disqualified from the competition.
Discussion questions
1. Does Paul have a good case as to why the Corinthians should be willing to financially support him and Barnabas (vs 3-14)?
2. What is the benefit of Paul not being dependent on the churches for his living (vs 15-17)?
3. How would you apply Paul’s concept of “becoming all things to all people to win some to Christ” to your own life and ministry?
1 Corinthians Chapter 10
Warning to avoid temptations
1 [I watch carefully over my attitudes because I see the dangers. Some of you may think that the supernatural giftings you and your community have received imply you are beyond the danger due to sin or wrong attitudes.] I don't want you to be ignorant how our forefathers all were under [the guidance and protection] of the [pillar of] cloud [that led them through the wilderness – Exodus 13:21-22] and all passed through the sea [when God parted the waters – Exodus 14:29]. 2 [In fact,] they all were baptized into Moses [they became united with him and took on his faith in God] through [following] the cloud and [the path through] the water. 3 And all of them ate the same supernatural food [the manna – Exodus 16:14-15]. 4 And they all drank from the same supernatural drink [the water that flowed from the rock when Moses struck it].
For it was [actually] the rock that was [supernaturally] following them from which they drank, and that rock was the Anointed One. [In two different locations as they traveled, Moses struck the rock and they drank – Exodus 17:6 and Numbers 20:11. They were being taught how to depend on God who was with them in the person of the Anointed One, even though they did not know him yet. God revealed to Paul that the Anointed One has been with us throughout the history of his people.] 5 But [even though they received supernatural provision,] not many of them pleased God [due to their rebellion, as evidenced by] their bodies ending up scattered throughout the wilderness.
6 The stories of our ancestors are warnings to us so that we will not be drawn towards evil things as they were drawn. 7 Don't be worshipers of idols as some of them were, which is the meaning of the scripture [Exodus 32:6], “They sat down to eat and drink, and rose up to have a good time” [in honor of the golden calf idol they had made]. 8 And [don't let idol worship draw you into] committing sexually immoral acts as some of them did, and 23,000 fell in one day [Numbers 25:1-9]. 9 Nor should we test the Lord [by complaining] as some tested Him and were killed by poisonous snakes [Numbers 21:4-9]. 10 Nor should we grumble against the Lord's plan as some grumbled, and they were destroyed by [the angel of death called] "the destroyer" [Numbers 14].
11 These things that happened in the past are examples that serve as warnings to us who live at the end of the ages. 12 So if you are confident you will be able to stand [against temptation], [still] listen to my warning so you can [truly] avoid falling. 13 The temptations you are experiencing are common to all humanity. But God is faithful [if you will lean on him for help]. He will not allow you to be tested [tempted] beyond your ability, but he provides an escape route, so that you will be able to persevere. 14 But even so, [take the escape route before you are tempted, and] completely avoid the worship of idols [or the pursuit of anything that takes the place of God]. 15 I am speaking to “wise men”, so think hard about what I am saying.
Choosing to benefit the whole body and to glorify God
16 [Let's talk about how to approach food and drink offered to idols.] The cup of blessing that we bless [the communion wine or grape juice], isn't it our corporate union with the blood of the Anointed One [and everything that was paid for by the pouring out of his blood on our behalf]? And the bread that we break, isn't it our corporate union with the body of the Anointed One [and everything that was paid for through his body being broken for us]? 17 The single loaf corresponds to a single unified body - even though we are many, we all have a part of the bread. 18 Now, think about the actual Israel, when they ate what was sacrificed at the altar, weren't they also in a corporate union with the sacrifice [and its purpose – deliverance from sins]?
19 I am not saying that the meat offered to an idol has special significance or even that the idol itself is important. 20 What I am saying is that the sacrifice is being offered to demons and not to God, and I don't want you to be in a “corporate union” with demons. 21 It's not OK to drink from the Lord's cup and the cup of demons. You can't share in the Lord's table and the table of demons. [Don’t try to straddle the fence where you think you are in unity with God and his people but you are trying to stay in fellowship with your former way of life at the same time. It doesn’t work that way.] 22 Are we trying to make the Lord jealous? I wouldn't do that unless you think you're stronger than God!
23 [You may say,] “All things are lawful,” [since a Christian is not under the Law]. [True], but not all things are beneficial. "All things are lawful", but not everything builds up [the body of believers]. 24 Let's not look out only for ourselves but for everyone else as well.
25 So, it’s OK for you to eat meat sold in the marketplace without raising questions of conscience 26 for[, as you say,] “The earth is the Lord's and everything that is in it” [Psalms 24:1]. 27 If a nonbeliever asks you for dinner, and you want to go, you can eat whatever is put in front of you without a question of conscience. 28 But what if someone tells you, “The meat was offered to an idol.” [I would say,] "Don't eat the meat!" - for the sake of the person who raised the issue. 29 Even though you have no issue of conscience, they may have an issue of conscience.
[You may say,] “Why should my freedom be limited because of someone else's conscience? 30 If I am thankful for being able to partake of the food, why should I be criticized for enjoying it?” 31 [But I am saying,] whether you are eating or drinking, or whatever you are doing, do it for the glory of God. 32 Avoid offending Jews, or non-Jews, or the church of God. 33 As I said before, I try to please everyone, not seeking my own benefit but the benefit of many, so that they can be saved. 11:1 And you should imitate me, just as I am imitating the Anointed One.
Discussion questions
1. Does the evidence of God’s supernatural gifts and blessing guarantee that a person or a church is following God and approved by him (vs 1-5)?
2. What is the relationship between idolatry and sexual sin (vs 6-15)?
3. What is your idolatry? What is your old way of life that you continue to participate in that coexists with your Christian life (vs 16-22)?
4. What examples can you think of where giving reign to your own freedom could be harmful to someone else’s weakness (vs 23-33)?
1 Corinthians Chapter 11
The different roles of men and women
[The church at Corinth is where Paul was able to work out the blueprint for Christian life and worship. He wanted to balance the new found inclusion of non-Jews and women in worship, freedom in using spiritual gifts, the relational structure of the Mediterranean cultures, all harnessed together in what Paul perceived as an ancient flow of authority that included heaven and earth, men, and women.]
2 I commend you that indeed you have remembered me in everything [that you do] and you have kept the standard practices just as I delivered them to you [about how worship is to be conducted and what customs should be followed]. 3 But I want you to know this [what I am about to say, because it will guide you so that the Good News will not be discredited]. The Anointed One is the head [authority] over the man, the man is the head [authority] over the woman, and God [the Father] is the head [authority] over the Anointed One.
[Everyone is under authority except for Father God, even the Anointed One. This is the structure in the church within which authority works and in which honor is to be shown. Jesus was very careful always to honor the Father and give him precedence over himself (John 5:19, John 8:49, John 14:28). Paul expects the Christian community to demonstrate respect and honor in dress and behavior so that non-Christians would be attracted rather than repelled by Christians. In the cultures of the time, women were protected by men, either by their father or other male relative or by their husband once they were married. Head coverings for women showed they were under protection.]
4 Any man who prays or prophesies with his head covered dishonors his head [the Anointed One]. 5 But a woman who prays or prophesies with her head uncovered dishonors her head [because the covering is an indication of both protection and accountability for a woman to either the woman's husband or her father or other relative]. 6 For a woman without a head covering might as well have her head shaven [like the prostitutes in Corinthian society]. In fact, if she doesn't want a covering, it's just like having her hair cut short, so if she considers that to be shameful, let her remain covered. [Apparently, some Christian women had cut their hair to indicate they were equal to men, but it only caused them shame since now their hair was as short as the prostitutes.]
[Women in fact are encouraged to take an equal role to men in prophecy and prayer. Yet, it is also important for men and women to be distinct in appearance, because they have different roles and responsibilities in society, that are rooted in the created order. Let me give you a Biblical reason to conform to the custom of Corinthian culture.] 7 A man shouldn't cover his head, because he is the image and glory of God. [Man was made to be like God and is actually God's crowning achievement, and in the created order he is accountable to no one else. In fact, wearing a covering indicates subservience to another man]. But a woman is the glory of a man [the greatest thing a man can have]. 8 For man wasn't created from the woman, but woman was created from the man [out of the man's side – Genesis 2:22]. 9 And the man wasn't created for the woman, but the woman was created for the man [to help him and to be his companion – Genesis 2:18].
10 So the woman ought to wear [a sign of being under] authority on her head. And this is also for the sake of the angels. [Angels are with us especially when we worship, and they care about divine order, especially since in the past they once trespassed that order (see Genesis 6:1-4, 2 Peter 2:4, Jude 6). Perhaps Paul is saying the angels love when we bring an order in our worship that both acknowledges God but conforms to the roles God designed for us.]
11 However, in the Lord, men need women as much as women need men. 12 And [speaking of origins], though woman came from the man, so every man comes out of a woman. [Men and women are interdependent, and even though they have different roles, they are equally important.] And all things originated from God[, both men and women.]
13 [I've given you my theological viewpoint why it is better to continue with the traditional view in Corinthian culture on how men and women should appear in public,] but judge for yourselves, does it seem appropriate for a woman to pray without her head covered? [Doesn't it seem brazen and embarrassing?] 14 Doesn't nature [your own instinctive reaction] itself teach you that if a man grows his hair long, it is disgraceful [because it makes him like a woman], 15 but a woman's long hair makes her more beautiful, for her hair was given to her as a covering [and so being covered within an additional shawl is natural to her].
16 But if anyone still wants to argue about this, [just understand that] we have no [other] standard and neither do any of the churches of God. [Policies for public dress and appearance in church should keep obvious distinctions between male and female, and avoid scandalous deviations from local customs, while making sense theologically. So we might need to appear quite differently in different countries or societies. We are to be all things to all people, so that we might save some of them (1 Corinthians 9:22).]
The purpose and practice of the Lord’s Supper
17 As I instruct you in this next subject, [concerning your gathering for the Lord's Supper,] I can't praise you, for your coming together as a church is more of a disadvantage than an advantage [- your attitudes and behavior harm you more than they build you up]. 18 First, I hear that when you meet there are factions among you, and I believe that in part because you seem to need controversies to make it clear who are the ones among you who have all the right answers.
20 When you come together, is that the Lord's Supper you are celebrating [or some pagan feast]? 21 For you are coming early and eating, but not together, and some of you are going hungry, while others [have had too much and] are even drunk. 22 Don't you have homes where you eat and drink? Do you think so little of the purpose of the assembly[, which is to be one body, having all things in common,] that you bring shame to those in the church who don't have much? What can I say to you? Did you think I would commend you [for your "love" feast]? I can't praise you for this!
[The Lord's Supper was intended to bring unity, not division.] 23 For what I received from the Lord is [exactly] what I delivered to you, that on the night Jesus was betrayed, he took bread, 24 and when he had given thanks, he broke it, saying, “This is my body, which is [given] for you. Do this to remember me [and everything I have done for you in the sacrifice of my life].” 25 Likewise, he also took the cup after the meal, and said, “This cup is the new testament in my blood. [This is the promise you will receive eternal life, forgiveness of sins, healing, and everything else I have guaranteed to you by my blood which is about to be poured out.] Whenever you drink this, do it to remember me.” 26 For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you are declaring [that you are an heir of the benefits from] the Lord's death, until he returns. [So celebrating the Lord's Supper is a very serious matter, full of meaning and power, and not to be taken lightly.]
27 Therefore, whoever eats the bread and drinks the cup with a wrong attitude is guilty of [sinning against] the Lord's body and blood. 28 Let a man test his own heart and only then eat the bread and drink the cup. 29 You actually eat and drink judgment on yourself if you eat and drink without recognizing the body. [“Recognizing the body” means 1) understanding that Jesus died, 2) that his death removed both my sins and my sicknesses, 3) that his death reconciled all believers and made us one body in him, and 4) we have a responsibility to treat the body of believers as something precious.] 30 That is why many of you are sick and weak and some have even died. [We miss out on the healing and protection from Jesus himself as well as the safety and protection of the body of believers.]
31 If we would judge ourselves [with regard to our attitude concerning the Lord's Supper], we would not be judged [by God]. 32 But even if we are judged by the Lord, we [are glad to] receive his discipline[, seeking his forgiveness,] instead of the condemnation the world will receive[, which is everlasting separation from God].
33 In conclusion, my fellow believers, when you came together to eat, wait for one another. 34 If you are [really] hungry, then eat at home [before you come], so that your coming together won't bring you condemnation [because of your lack of regard for one another]. As for the rest of your concerns, I will set them in order when I come.
Discussion questions
1. Why do you suppose it is important for men and women to be distinguished from one another in terms of clothing and hairstyle (vs 1-16)?
2. Concerning clothing and hairstyles, what if anything would seem improper for men and women in church within our own society?
3. When Paul is talking about “recognizing the body” in v 29, is he talking more about the other believers or Jesus’ body (vs 17-34).
4. Paul talks about the lack of caring towards others in the Corinthians’ love feast at the time of the Lord’s Supper. In what ways is your own church insensitive about differences of means and abilities between different believers?
1 Corinthians Chapter 12
The purpose and working of spiritual giftings
1 Now, I especially don't want you to lack understanding concerning the things of the Spirit. 2 Before you were believers, you were worshippers of idols which themselves couldn't speak, but someone led you astray [by influencing you to believe in them]. 3 [Well, this is how you can be sure never to be led astray again.] No one can be under the influence of the Spirit of God and say, "Jesus is cursed," nor can anyone say, "Jesus is Lord," except by the Holy Spirit. [People may claim to be in the Spirit but you can tell what kind of spirit is in them by whether they follow Jesus as Lord.]
4 [Even though there may be a variety of spirits behind the different idols that used to ensnare you, it's not the same with true spiritual giftings.] There are a variety of giftings, but the same Spirit, 5 and a variety of ministries, but the same Lord, 6 and a variety of operations, but the same God that energizes all [of the gifts, ministries, and operations] in everyone.
7 In fact, to each person is given an expression of the Spirit for the benefit of all. 8 One person is given a word of wisdom [an inspired insight], and to another a word of knowledge [a revelation of hidden information] by the same Spirit. 9 To another, faith [the knowledge God will accomplish what is intended], by the same Spirit. To another, gifts of healing [the abilities to cure people from various physical problems], by the same Spirit. 10 To another, workings of miracles [the ability to bring about a seemingly impossible change in the physical reality]. To another, prophecy [revelation of present or future truth]. To another, distinguishing of spirits [the ability to recognize what kind of spirits are present - the Holy Spirit, or different kinds of evil spirits]. To another, kinds of tongues [the ability to praise or speak prophetically in spirit-given languages]. To another, the interpretation of tongues [the ability to speak the meaning of what was spoken in a spirit-given language]. 11 But these all are energized by the same Spirit, who distributes them to each person as the Spirit intends.
12 For just as the body being a single unit is made up of many parts and all the parts of that body, no matter how many, still make up only one body, it's exactly the same with the [the church, all of us making up the body of] the Anointed One. 13 For by one Spirit we are all baptized into one body, whether we are Jews or Greeks, slaves or free, and we have all been given to drink of the same Spirit [Ephesians 4:4-5].
14 [And each part is important. In fact, just as the human body,] the [church] body hasn't only one part, but many. 15 For instance, if the foot says, “Because I am not a hand, I'm not part of the body,” is it really not part of the body? 16 And if the ear says, “I am not an eye, therefore I'm not part of the body,” is it really not part of the body? 17 For if the whole body were an eye, how would it hear, or if it were all an ear, how would it smell?
18 For God has placed every part of the body into the whole exactly as he intended. 19 And if they were all of one type, how would the body function? 20 But there are many different parts, yet still one body. 21 And the eye can't say to the hand, “I don't need you.” Nor can the head say to the feet, “I don't need you.”
22 [To take the metaphor a little deeper,] the parts of the body that seem weakest[, like the brain and heart,] are actually the most needed. 23 And those parts that are least respectable, we honor [by clothing them] with more respect. And those parts that are least presentable, we [clothe them the most to] make them presentable, 24 for the presentable parts don't need clothing. God has made the body [of the Anointed One] fit together also so the least presentable parts receive the most respect, that there would be no division in the body. 25 The parts [members of the church] need to show the same care [and protection] for each other [as the parts of our body]. 26 If one part [member] suffers, all sympathize, and if one part [member] is honored, all rejoice. [Therefore, we should look out for each other in the church, covering each other’s weaknesses, honoring each other’s' successes, just as we do in clothing the parts of our body.]
27 Now, you [together] are the body of the Anointed One, and each of you individually are members. 28 Among you God has set in place - first [in order of impact] apostles, second prophets, third teachers. Then [workers of] miracles, then [those with] gifts of healings, [ministers of] service, administrators, [speakers and interpreters of] various languages. 29 [But] not everyone is an apostle. Not everyone is a prophet. Not everyone is a teacher. Not all are miracle workers. 30 Not everyone has gifts of healings. Not everyone speaks a variety of [spirit-inspired] languages. Not everyone can interpret [spirit-inspired] languages. 31 But greatly desire the most important gifts. And I will show even a better way [to govern your use of the gifts God has given].
Discussion questions
1. Have you ever met someone who appeared to understand spiritual truth but definitely didn’t follow Jesus as Lord of their life (vs 1-3)?
2. Why is it so important that all the giftings, ministries, and workings are parts of one body and influenced by one Spirit? What was Paul seeing about how the Corinthians were using their gifts that seemed as though they didn’t understand this (vs 1-26)?
3. Is it important that all the giftings be in operation within the body of believers? Is it possible to receive a gifting that you don’t have? (vs 27-31)
1 Corinthians Chapter 13
The way of love
1 If I am able to speak the languages both of men and of angels [some of the languages we speak through the Spirit are recognizable languages and some are perhaps recognizable only by angels], and I don't have love, I have just become an echoing gong or a clanging cymbal [I am only making noise]. 2 If I have prophecy and see all that is hidden and have all knowledge, or if I have the faith that can move mountains, and I don't have love, I am nothing. 3 And if I sell all my possessions to feed the poor or sacrifice my own body to be burned, and I don't have love, it gains nothing. [It is love that motivates spiritual gifts to be used for the God’s purposes and to build up the body. Without love, even a very great gift is likely to do more harm than good.]
4 Love is patient. Love is kind. Love does not envy, nor does it boast or think highly of itself. 5 Nor does it behave improperly, or is it self-centered, nor easily angered, nor does it think negatively. 6 Love isn't glad when someone makes a mistake but rejoices when the truth is upheld. 7 Love suffers all things, believes all things, hopes all things, perseveres through all things.
8 Love never lets you down. There will be times when prophecies do let you down, when [Spirit-given] languages will be hushed [because they can’t solve the problem], and when knowledge will be insufficient. 9 For our knowledge is partial, and our prophecy [insight into future destiny] is partial. 10 But when that which is complete comes, what is partial is irrelevant. [When the Anointed One comes, the one whose love never lets us down, we will have every answer, and nothing will be lacking - we will no longer care about our supernatural gifts that only give us a down payment of what we will have then.]
11 [It's just like] when I was a child - I spoke like a child, thought like a child, reasoned like a child. But when I became a man, I put away immature things. 12 For I now see as though looking at a dim reflection, but then I shall see face to face. Now I know in part, but then I shall know [Him] just as well as I am known [by Him]. [Spiritual giftings as we experience them today are small potatoes compared to the full operation of what Jesus wants to bring to us.] 13 There are only three things that last - faith, hope, and love. [Faith, hope, and love are important now and will be just as important in the age to come.] But the greatest of these is love. [As important as faith and hope are, love is the most effective force on earth.]
Discussion questions
1. Why is love more important than giftings (vs 1-8)?
2. What do you think Paul means that faith, hope, and love last (v 13)?
1 Corinthians Chapter 14
The superiority of prophecy over spirit-given languages for public worship
1 Make love your [chief] aim and[, at the same time,] desire [all] the spiritual [giftings], especially prophecy. [Why prophecy rather than spirit given languages that seem more supernatural?] 2 For he that speaks in a [spirit-given] language is not speaking to man but to God. For no man understands him, even though in the Spirit he is speaking mysteries [that express spiritual truths]. 3 But one who prophesies, speaks to men in a way that builds up, encourages, and comforts. 4 The person who speaks a [spirit-given] language builds himself up, but the one who prophesies builds up the church.
5 I want you all to speak in [spirit-given] languages, but even more I want you to prophesy. For the person that prophesies is greater [in his impact] than the one who speaks in [spirit-given] languages, unless he can also interpret the languages, for then the church [understands and] can be built up [from what he says]. [Some people receive inspiration to speak forth truth in a spirit-given language, and then give the meaning of what was spoken through them. This combination amounts to prophecy and is helpful to the church.] 6 So brothers, [to sum up this point,] if I come to you speaking in a [spirit-given] language, how will it benefit you unless I also reveal hidden truth, share insight, prophesy destiny, or teach doctrine?
7 Even inanimate objects, such as a flute or harp, must make a sequence of distinguishable sounds, or how can you tell what tune is piped or strummed? 8 And if the trumpet doesn't make a clear sound, who will prepare for battle? 9 So when you speak in a language easy to understand [using prophecy rather than a Spirit-inspired language], how will anyone recognize what you are saying. You might as well speak to the air.
10 There are without a doubt a great many different ways of expressing yourself [in different languages] in the world, and they all mean something. 11 But if I don't know the meaning of what is expressed, then I am in essence a foreigner to the one who spoke, and he is a foreigner to me. 12 Therefore, since you are so desirous of having spiritual gifts, make sure you excel in those that effectively build up the church. 13 So he that speaks in a [spirit-given] language must also pray that he may be able to interpret it [so that those who hear will understand and be built up].
14 In fact, when you pray in a [spirit-given] language, it is your spirit that is praying but your understanding is not involved. 15 What then is the answer? I will pray with my spirit, but I will also pray with my understanding. I will sing with my spirit but also with my understanding. 16 Or else when you are giving thanks to God, how will someone new know to agree and say, “Amen!” to your thanksgiving, since he does not understand what you have said. 17 For you have given thanks effectively enough, but the other one is not built up by it.
18 I thank God I speak in [spirit-given] languages more than all of you [since that build me up]. 19 However, in church I would rather speak five words with my understanding, and so teach others, than speak ten thousand words in a [spirit-given] language [no one understands].
20 Brothers, don't be children in your reasoning. It's good to be like children with regard to evil, but in your reasoning be grown up. 21 It is written in the Law [Isaiah 28:11], “With strange languages and through strangers' lips I will speak to this people, but even with that, they will not understand me,” says the Lord. [Because Israel never grew up, they didn't listen to God's prophets, with the inevitable result that they were invaded. Hearing the foreign language of the invaders was a sign of judgment to them, but for unbelievers who are not stiff-necked like the Jews they may hear a language they understand and be built up as on the Day of Pentecost.]
22 [Spirit-given] languages, then, aren't a sign [- a revelation of God's reality and presence -] for believers but rather [they are more effective] for unbelievers [who may hear a word in a language they understand], but prophecy is [a sign] not for unbelievers, but for believers [who will be built up by what they hear]. 23 [Yet just the opposite can also be true depending on how wisely we arrange our worship.] If everyone is gathered together in one place and all are speaking in [different] languages [at the same time], and visitors or unbelievers come in, [they won't understand a word] and they will say you are out of your minds. 24 But if everyone is prophesying [in turn] and visitors or unbelievers come in, each thing they hear will convict them or touch their conscience. 25 The secrets of their hearts will be revealed, and they will fall on their faces before God, saying, “God is truly among you.”
The ideal order for a public gathering
26 [That’s why we arrange our worship time to both allow every spiritual gift to flow but also so that people are likely to be built up.] Let me describe to you how it should work when you come together. Each one of you may have a Psalm, or a teaching, a revelation, a [word in a spirit-given] language, an interpretation. Let it all be done in a way that builds each other up. 27 If any speak in a [spirit-given] language, let it be only two, or at most three [in a row], each in turn, before someone interprets [sharing what has been said in spirit-given languages]. 28 But if there is no one [with the gift] to interpret [a Spirit-given language], let him [who speaks in Spirit-given languages] be quiet in the gathering, and rather speak in his language only to himself and to God.
29 Let two or three prophets [those speaking a Spirit-given word or instruction] speak while the others weigh what is said. 30 If one of those sitting gets a revelation, let the first one stop speaking [and the second one share next]. 31 That way, each of you in turn can prophesy so that you all learn and all be encouraged. 32 For the exercise of the spiritual gift of prophecy is under the control of those who prophesy. 33 For it’s not confusion but peace that comes from God.
In all the gatherings of believers, 34 the women should refrain from speaking out [as they might at home or in a women’s meeting], just as in other public assemblies. For under [Corinth’s public] law it's not permitted for them to speak - they are to remain submissive. 35 If they have questions [because they can't follow what's going on], they should ask their men [husbands or fathers] at home, for it's shameful for women to be disruptive in any gathering. [Again Paul is seeking for Christian assemblies to be acceptable in Corinthian society, which required wives to be in submission to husbands. Women were used to asking questions and expressing their opinions, which was considered inappropriate in public assemblies. However, women were allowed to prophesy (1 Corinthians 11:4-5) and contribute to public worship as long as they dressed and acted under the authority of their husband or father.]
36 What[, are you thinking that there should be more freedom in our churches]? No one should believe that a word of God came from them or is for them alone. 37 If anyone thinks they are a prophet or has a spiritual gift, let them understand that what I have written you [concerning order in the church assembly] is instruction from God. 38 If they don't want to recognize this, let them not be recognized [allowed to speak in church].
39 In conclusion, [I want you to] enthusiastically pursue prophecy and don't restrict [speaking in Spirit-inspired] languages, 40 but do things courteously and in order.
Discussion questions
1. Why do you think speaking publicly in tongues was more attractive than prophesying to the Corinthian church, to the point where Paul had to talk about the greater value of prophecy (vs 1-25)?
2. Is Paul concerned about private tongue-speaking? What is the value of speaking in tongues? (vs 4, 13, 39)
3. What is Paul’s goal for the order of public worship (vs 26-38)?
4. What is Paul concerned about when he says “women should speak out” (vs 34-35)? Is he actually wanting women not to participate in the exercise of worship or spiritual gifts (1 Cor 11:5)?
1 Corinthians Chapter 15
Our common set of beliefs
1 Now, I want to bring your attention to the facts of the Good News I already preached to you, and which you received [as true], and in which you are now standing. 2 And you were also saved[, healed, and set free] by [believing in the truth of] this doctrine if you have been holding to it, or else your belief was to no purpose.
3 The most important thing I brought to you which I received [from God] was that the Anointed One [Jesus] died [to pay] for our sins, fulfilling [what was written] in the scriptures [Isaiah 53:5, 11-12], 4 and that he was buried [Isaiah 53:9] and rose again the third day [Psalms 16:9-10], [also] fulfilling the [prophecies contained in the] scriptures. 5 Following that, he was seen by Kephas [Peter] [after Jesus was resurrected] and then by the twelve [disciples, though this did not include Judas who had killed himself by then]. 6 After that, he appeared to more than five hundred brothers at the same time, many of them still alive now, though some are sleeping [no longer living]. 7 He was seen by James [his brother] and the rest of the apostles [in fact they are called apostles because they have been sent out as witnesses of his resurrection]. 8 Finally, as though to one born at the wrong time, he appeared to me [Acts 9:1-6].
9 However, I rank lowest among the apostles - really some might exclude me from being an apostle - because I persecuted God's church. 10 But it's through the unearned gifting of God that I am what I am, and that gifting has been put to good use, since I have been able to work harder than all the others [apostles], but really, it's not me - because by his God’s divine gift, I never get tired. 11 Even so, whether it was me or someone else, we preached the same thing [basic doctrines of the Good News about Jesus], and you believed.
The truth of the resurrection from the dead
[Apparently, some of those among the believers, even though Jesus was the center of their faith, had concluded the Apostles were mistaken about Jesus rising from the dead in bodily form. For them, believing in the resurrection was too hard to swallow.] 12 Now, if we have been preaching that the Anointed One was raised from the dead, how can some of you be saying that there is no resurrection from the dead? [If you believed in the Anointed One, what was it you believed, if not that he was raised from the dead?] 13 But if [you are right that] there is no resurrection from the dead, then it can't be true that the Anointed One has risen. 14 And if the Anointed One has not risen, then all of what we have been preaching is of no use, and your faith is useless too.
15 And, furthermore, we have given a false testimony, for we have testified that God raised the Anointed One, which he couldn't have done if the dead are not raised. 16 For if the dead aren't raised, then the Anointed One didn't raise either. 17 And if the Anointed One didn't raise, your faith is misplaced, and you are in fact still responsible for your sins. 18 Then also those who died in the Anointed One are totally lost. 19 And if our hope in the Anointed One is only for this life, then we are the most miserable people in the world. [Mortality was part of the penalty when Adam and Eve sinned. Jesus' resurrection is the proof that he removed all the penalties for sin for those who believe. If you don't believe in the resurrection then you don't believe in salvation either.]
20 But, in fact, the Anointed One has been raised from the dead, the first fruit [harvest offering to God (Deuteronomy 26:10)] of all who have died [as believers]. 21 For by a man came death, so by [another] man came resurrection of the dead. 22 For as in Adam all die [the curse resulting from Adam's sin was that all men would have a limited lifespan], so in the Anointed One all are made alive [unbelievers will resurrect to judgment and believers to reward], 23 but each at their assigned time, the Anointed One, who is the first fruit [the first to be resurrected], and then those who belong to him [by their confession of faith] at his return [1 Thessalonians 4:13-17].
24 Right after that will be the final action [of this age on earth], where the Lord will turn over his kingdom to God the Father. First, he [the Father] will overcome every ruler, authority, and power [on the earth and in the spirit realm], 25 for he [Jesus] must rule until he [the Father] has put every enemy under his feet. 26 And the last enemy to be destroyed is Death [once all are resurrected]. 27 For it is the Father who puts everything under our Lord's feet, since when the scripture [Psalms 110:1] says, “Everything will be put under his feet,” obviously “everything” does not include [Father God,] the one who [has the power to] put things under our Lord's feet. 28 When all things have become submitted to the Son, the Son himself will submit all things to God [the Father], so that God [the Father] can be over all.
29 [Now, back to the discussion about resurrection.] What about those who are baptized for the dead [on behalf of believers who were martyred and died before they were baptized]. If the dead are not raised, why would people be baptized for them? [Paul is not recommending we follow this practice, only that it was done because of people's confidence in the truth of both Jesus' resurrection and each believer's future resurrection.] 30 And why do we [Paul and his team] expose ourselves to danger every hour? 31 I declare in the Lord Jesus, the Anointed One - and you can rejoice in this - that I face death every day [trusting in the future of every believer that we will live forever in our resurrected bodies]! 32 What do you suppose I gained from fighting with the [human version of] wild beasts at Ephesus [possibly related to 2 Corinthians 11:24-27], if the dead are not raised? [We might as well say,] “Let's eat and drink, for tomorrow we die!” [Isaiah 22:13]
33 Don't be deceived - good intentions are corrupted by [listening to such] evil talk. 34 Arouse yourselves out of sin into righteousness. Some of you don't even know God [the ones who are talking nonsense about there being no resurrection], I have to tell you to your shame.
Differences between the earthly body and resurrection body
35 But some will say, “How will the dead be raised?,” and “What kind of body will they have?”[, wondering why anyone would want to have their old, sick, dead body raised up]. 36 But that's foolish! Anything sown into the ground has to die first before new life springs up. 37 But what you sow is not the same as the body that will grow from it. It’s a simple seed, whether it's wheat or some other grain. 38 But God gives it the body he has chosen, and each seed gets its own body. [The body of a seed and the body that grows from it are quite different in appearance.]
39 Likewise not all flesh is the same flesh. Humans have one kind, animals another kind, birds another, and fish another. 40 Also, there are both heavenly bodies and earthly bodies, and there is one kind of glory for the heavenly and a different kind of glory for the earthly - 41 one kind of glory for the sun, another glory for the moon, and another for the stars - in fact, each star differs from other stars in its glory.
42 It's the same way with the resurrection from the dead. 43 What is sown mortal [subject both to decay and death], is raised up immortal [subject neither to decay nor death]. It is sown contemptible but raised into glory. It is sown weak but is raised into power. 44 It is sown a natural body but is raised a spiritual body. [The final state of every believer will be everything we are not on the earth.]
45 [In case you didn't realize it,] there is a natural body and there is [also] a spiritual body [, and they are far different]. So it is written [Genesis 2:7], “The first man, Adam, was made a living being.” The last Adam [Jesus] became a life-giving spirit. 46 But it is not the spiritual, which is first, but the physical, and then the spiritual [follows]. 47 The first man was made from the earth, the second man from heaven.
48 The man made from the earth has the characteristics of the earth, but the man from heaven has the characteristics of heaven. 49 And as we [who are currently of the earth] bear the image of the earthly man, we will [when we are resurrected] bear the image of the heavenly man. 50 Now, I tell you, brothers, flesh and blood can't inherit the kingdom of God. Likewise, what is mortal cannot inherit what is immortal. [That's why we need a resurrected, immortal body.]
51 Look! Let me let you in on a secret! Not all of us will fall asleep [die], but every one of us will be changed 52 in an instant, in an eye-blink, at the final trumpet blast. For at the trumpet, the dead [who know Jesus] will all be raised imperishable [transformed into their resurrection bodies], and we [who follow Jesus and have not died] will be changed [transformed into our resurrection bodies]. 53 The perishable must put on the imperishable, and the mortal the immortal.
54 When the perishable puts on the imperishable and the mortal puts on the immortal, that's when the saying [from scripture] is fulfilled, “Death is swallowed up in [God's] victory.” [Isaiah 25:8] 55 “Death, where is your victory? Death, where is your sting?” [Hosea 13:14] [Until now death was the end of every person's life, but now death itself has ended.] 56 But the sting of death is sin [for unrepented sin separated us from God as we entered into eternity], and the power of sin is the Law [for in any way that we didn't keep the Law we were in sin]. 57 But thanks be to God who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus the Anointed One [who became a curse to remove the curse of not being able to follow the Law and who overcame both sin and death for all of us who believe].
58 Therefore, my brothers, whom I love, stand firm, unmovable. Be overflowing with the Lord's work, especially since you know that your labor is not in vain because you are in the Lord [and your eternal future is assured].
Discussion questions
1. Why was it so important that there were many witnesses to Jesus’ resurrection (vs 1-11)?
2. Jesus’ death on the cross took away our sins, but why then is the resurrection of Jesus so important (vs 12-34)?
3. What are some of the ways our resurrected bodies will be different from our earthly bodies (vs 35-57)?
1 Corinthians Chapter 16
Receiving an offering for the believers in Jerusalem
1 Now concerning your collection for the believers [in Jerusalem], do the same as I have instructed the churches of Galatia. 2 On the first day of every week [Sunday], every one of you is to set aside savings according to the prosperity God has given you, so that you won't wait until I am there with you to take up a collection. 3 And after I come, I will send whomever you approve with a letter to carry your gift to Jerusalem. 4 And if it makes sense for me to go, they can go with me.
Paul’s plans for his next visit
5 I will be coming to you after I pass through Macedonia, for I must pass through Macedonia [at some point, because I have churches to visit there, such as Philippi]. 6 And it may be that I will stay with you awhile through the winter, and then you can help me on my way wherever I go next [either Jerusalem or another destination]. 7 For rather than a quick visit now I would rather spend some time with you, if the Lord allows. 8 But for now I will stay in Ephesus until Pentecost, 9 for a door has been opened wide for effective work, even though there are many who oppose it.
10 Now, if Timothy comes, see that he has nothing to fear from you [treat him with respect], for he is doing the work of the Lord just as I am. 11 Let no one look down on him [because of his youth]. [After his time with you,] send him on his way in peace [help him have no financial worries] so that he may come to me, for I am expecting him with the other brothers [accompanying him]. 12 Concerning brother Apollos, I have often urged him to come visit you with the brothers but he didn't choose to at this time but will come when he can.
13 Make sure you stand in faith. Be men - be strong! 14 Do everything with love.
Greetings from various friends and fellow workers
15 I ask of you, brothers, knowing that the household of Stephanas were the first converts in Achaia [Greece], and that they have devoted themselves to the ministry of believers, 16 that you submit yourselves to people like them and to those who, along with them help with the work [of the Good News]. 17 I am grateful for the arrival of Stephanas and Fortunatus and Achaicus, for they have supplied anything that was still lacking after what you provided [for meeting my needs]. 18 For they have refreshed both my spirit and yours. Give recognition to such men. [Treat them as leaders, worthy of respect.]
19 The churches of Asia [the western part of modern Turkey – see Revelation 1:4,11] send their greetings. Aquila and Priscilla and the assembly that meets in their house all send their greetings. 20 All the brothers greet you. Greet each other with a holy kiss. 21 And here is my greeting in my own hand. PAUL.
22 Anyone who does not love the Lord, let them receive the curse [that's due them at the end of this life if they reject the one that gave his life for them]. Come, Lord [return and bring justice]! 23 The favor of the Lord Jesus the Anointed One be with you! 24 My love to you all in the Anointed One, Jesus!
Discussion questions
1. What is the relationship between the weekly offering in your church and what Paul instituted (vs 1-4)?
2. What was the importance of Paul sending others like Timothy to represent him from time to time? How should a church treat these apostolic representatives (vs 5-16)?
3. What do you think is the purpose of the sentence near the end of the letter about people “receiving the curse” (v 22)?