Delve Into Luke-Acts & Paul's LettersSample

DAY 7 – 1 CORINTHIANS III

Paul then turns to the matters the Corinthians have written to him about. He grants that sexual abstinence can have spiritual benefits, but he warns that those who are sexually experienced might be tempted to immorality if they attempt prolonged abstinence. He tells married believers not to get divorced or be separated from one another. He also tells believers whose spouses haven’t chosen to follow Jesus not to divorce them. But if those spouses refuse to live with the believers, they can let them go, since “God has called us to live in peace.” 

To those who are unmarried and to virgins, Paul points out the advantages of the single life. Citing his own example, he shows how it permits greater activity in Christian service.

Next, in a long discussion about attending ceremonial meals held in honor of pagan gods, Paul grants that such “gods” really are no gods at all. But he disputes the Corinthians’ claim that everybody knows this. He cautions them not to do anything that people who have recently converted out of idolatry might imitate, leading them to fall back into their old ways. He acknowledges that the Corinthians will be giving up a legitimate right if they stay away from such meals, but he cites the many rights he’s personally sacrificed in order to bring the message about Jesus to Corinth. He cautions that behind pagan worship lies a cultivation of evil spiritual forces that believers should have nothing to do with. He then offers practical advice dealing with a number of ways in which food offered to idols might be encountered. Food sold in the marketplace or served at private dinners can be eaten without question, but anything identified as having been offered to idols should be avoided for the sake of those recently converted. Temple meals are out.

Next, on his way to addressing the Corinthians’ question about the use of divinely granted languages in worship, Paul speaks to their dispute about head coverings. He insists that “a woman ought to have authority over her own head”—likely meaning that she should be free to wear a veil or not, as she wishes. 

While he is on the subject of worship, Paul also rebukes the wealthier Corinthians for their selfishness in not sharing their abundant food with those in need, at what is supposed to be a “love feast” in honor of the Lord. 

Paul then explains that there is more than one possible source of the ability to speak a language that hasn’t been acquired naturally or through study. Anyone saying things like “Jesus is cursed” is still under the influence of evil spiritual forces from former pagan associations. Paul situates the genuine gift of an unlearned language within a bigger picture: God has given a variety of gifts to the church, each one is intended to build it up, and none is to be preferred over another. Far more important than such gifts, Paul insists, is love, which will ensure that all gifts are used beneficially. Paul then gives practical advice on how the Corinthians can order their worship services, emphasizing mutual encouragement and correction more than speaking unlearned languages, so that believers will grow in the faith and unbelievers looking on will come to faith.

In response to those who deny the resurrection, Paul appeals to the example of Jesus’ own resurrection. He explains that over five hundred believers, including himself, saw Jesus alive at various times after his crucifixion. Not only is the resurrection of Jesus a fact, it is the indispensable core of their faith. Belief in the resurrection can’t be abandoned without everything else being lost as well. Paul provides specific details about the resurrection itself, in answer to the Corinthians’ questions. 

Finally, Paul explains how they should collect the offering he’s asked them to take. He tells them they can choose people from their own church to see that it reaches those it’s intended to help, and he offers to come along personally if they want him to. 

Paul concludes his letter by sharing his travel plans and those of his coworkers, and by passing along greetings from other people in Ephesus that the Corinthians know. 

Paul’s letter gives us a glimpse into what life was like in a community of believers only about twenty years after the resurrection of Jesus. At the same time, it contains practical advice that is still of great value for communities and believers today. It shows an early Christian leader teaching, correcting, challenging, and even pleading with the friends he’s brought to the faith, in order to secure their “undivided devotion to the Lord.”

PRAYER: I know that Your love never fails. Empower me to live and share Your love with others.