1 Corinthians 4:1

1 Corinthians 4:1 says, Let a man so account of us, as of the ministers of Christ, and stewards of the mysteries of God.  Paul told the early Christians and tells us today that we are to count all who proclaim the gospel as ministers of Christ.  We are indeed stewards of the mystery of salvation, and it will always be a mystery to those who do not accept salvation by faith.  We can never prove that Christ died for the sins of all mankind, because the only way to know this is true is by faith in God.  We may be able to prove that a person named Jesus lived and was crucified, but when we acknowledge Him as the Son of God, the promised Messiah, this can only come through faith.  This remains a mystery to those of the world who do not come to Christ in faith.  Verse two adds, Moreover it is required in stewards, that a man be found faithful.  Paul firmly stated that stewards must be faithful to those that they serve.  We, as stewards of God, must always remain faithful to His word.  An unfaithful steward may decide that the things of his master are there for his use and benefit, but if he is caught using them for himself, he will be held accountable.  We, as followers of Christ, have been promised that if we are obedient to God, all our needs will be met.  Yet, we are too often unfaithful and thereby rob God.  Though Paul addressed this to ministers, I believe it applies to all believers as well.  Verse three continues, But with me it is a very small thing that I should be judged of you, or of man’s judgment: yea, I judge not mine own self. Paul said the judgments of men were of very little concern to him.  He was not going to change his life based on the judgment of man, nor even on how he might judge his own life.  He had been judged by God on the road to Damascus, and after that, God's direction and judgment were all that mattered.  As followers of Christ today, what the world says about us should not matter.  Our faithfulness to God is all that is important.  Verse four states, For I know nothing by myself; yet am I not hereby justified: but he that judgeth me is the Lord.  Just like Paul said, we can know nothing of ourselves, but only what God reveals to us.  We may judge ourselves to be justified in all that we think and do, but if it is not in accordance with God's will, ultimately, He will judge us.  Verse five adds, Therefore judge nothing before the time, until the Lord come, who both will bring to light the hidden things of darkness, and will make manifest the counsels of the hearts: and then shall every man have praise of God.  We are not called to be judges, but to be witnesses.  All things will be judged by God in the fullness of time.  What we may see as good may not stand in the light of God's judgment.  Verse six continues, And these things, brethren, I have in a figure transferred to myself and to Apollos for your sakes; that ye might learn in us not to think of men above that which is written, that no one of you be puffed up for one against another. Paul said these teachings applied to Apollos and himself as well.  Paul warned them not to think of men as more than what they were.  We are all servants of God if we are followers of Christ, and there is no room to become puffed up.  We are to follow God and not any man, no matter how successful he may be in spreading the gospel.  God always gives the increase.

1 Corinthians 3:16

1 Corinthians 3:16 says, Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?  Paul declares that the bodies of the followers of Christ are temples of God.  This is true because the Holy Spirit dwells in us.  So the question then becomes how well do we care for God's temple, or our bodies.  This is more than just a question of how we physically care for our bodies, but how we spiritually care for them as well.  Glorifying God should be our first priority in everything we do.  We should not defile His temple, which is our body, as Paul states here.  Verse seventeen adds, If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are. Again, I do not believe that as followers of Christ we will ever lose our salvation, but we may have our witness for Christ destroyed if we defile God's temple, our bodies.  We often wonder what motivates people who destroy church buildings, but we need to be even more concerned at Christians who do things that defile their bodies.  This is not only the things that we do, but also the things that we think. There is no room for envy, strife, self-pride or hatred in the body of Christ.  Verse eighteen continues, Let no man deceive himself. If any man among you seemeth to be wise in this world, let him become a fool, that he may be wise.  As Paul said, there is no way to follow God through the wisdom of the world. We can only follow God through faith in what the world sees as the foolishness of the cross. Verse nineteen states, For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God. For it is written, He taketh the wise in their own craftiness.  Real wisdom comes only from God.  Man may be smart enough to split an atom and destroy everything around it, but man cannot keep an atom together and cause it to function for good in the world.  Man has yet to create anything from nothing, so God sees the foolishness of our wisdom.  Verse twenty adds, And again, The Lord knoweth the thoughts of the wise, that they are vain. Paul states that God knows the thoughts of the wise, and that their thoughts are vain, or amount to nothing.  If God declares the thoughts of the wise to amount to nothing, then think of how little the thoughts of the foolish amount to. We need to remember that God judges not only our actions, but also our thoughts behind those actions.  For that reason, we must keep God's will at the center of our thoughts.  Verse twenty-one continues, Therefore let no man glory in men. For all things are yours;  I believe Paul is warning us to never place any person in a position that allows us to view them as infallible.  We are not to glorify anyone.  There is a description today of a person being a teen idol, but we are to let no one become an idol to us.  Verse twenty-two says, Whether Paul, or Apollos, or Cephas, or the world, or life, or death, or things present, or things to come; all are yours;  Paul was again telling those early Christians that it did not matter who brought the gospel to them, only that they had believed. When they did believe, they all were God's.  This is the message for us today as well.  Verse twenty-three adds, And ye are Christ’s; and Christ is God’s.  We are God's through the sacrifice of Christ and by no other method. This is God's only plan for salvation.

1 Corinthians 3:9

1 Corinthians 3:9 says, For we are labourers together with God: ye are God’s husbandry, ye are God’s building.  Paul continues to stress that we are all laborers together.  As the body of Christ here on earth, we are called to work together to present the gospel that God might be glorified and people might be saved, and God should always receive the glory.  We are but laborers for Christ, and He is and always will be the One to be glorified by our labor.  Verse ten adds, According to the grace of God which is given unto me, as a wise masterbuilder, I have laid the foundation, and another buildeth thereon. But let every man take heed how he buildeth thereupon.  God is the architect of salvation and the works that we do as followers of Christ.  God gives us a purpose in His kingdom, and it is based on His design for the salvation of all who will believe in Christ.  We must never question our part in God's plan, but simply follow His leadership.  Verse eleven continues, For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ.  Paul stated very clearly that salvation comes through Christ alone.  The lost of the world may say that this makes us narrow minded, and in this point we must be.  There is no other way to salvation and restoration with God except through salvation given by Christ.  This can never be added to or taken away from.  Verse twelve states, Now if any man build upon this foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble;  We are to build upon the foundation of Christ.  Some may build works that bring glory to God and stand through the fire.  Others may attempt to build on false teachings, the hay and stubble, but these works will not endure.  We need to make sure that what we build on the foundation of Christ glorifies God and is not done for our own glory.  The things that we build for Christ will not only stand the test of five, but they will be purified by it.  Verse thirteen adds, Every man’s work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man’s work of what sort it is.  Paul states what I had just said about our works very plainly here.  God will make manifest every person's work.  Things that we claim to do for God may not stand the test of fire.  Verse fourteen continues, If any man’s work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward.  Paul was not saying that we serve God for rewards, but that if we are truly working for God's glory that we will one day receive a reward, though that does not necessarily mean in this life.  We are to simply serve God because we want to do His will, and not because we think He will make us rich.  Verse fifteen concludes, If any man’s work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire.  Paul declares that just as we are not saved by works, neither is our relationship with God sustained by works.  Even if the things we claim to do for God as followers of Christ do not stand the fire of God's judgment, we are still His people.  Still, we should always try to do the work that God calls us to do, and if we do so, then our works will survive as well.  We simply need to give God our best.

1 Corinthians 3:1

1 Corinthians 3:1 says, And I, brethren, could not speak unto you as unto spiritual, but as unto carnal, even as unto babes in Christ.  Paul had led these believers to salvation through Christ, but he had to speak to them as baby Christians.  They were still allowing carnal, or worldly, thoughts and ideas to influence them.  After we accept Christ as our Savior, then we must start to grow under the Lordship of the Holy Spirit.  If we have truly accepted salvation through faith in Christ, we are a new creature.  We are then expected to grow in our knowledge of spiritual things, and not still be guided by the carnal thoughts of the world.  Verse two adds, I have fed you with milk, and not with meat: for hitherto ye were not able to bear it, neither yet now are ye able.  Paul said he had fed them with milk, making the analogy of the way newborn babies are fed.  We do not expect newborn babies to eat solid food, but they must be fed milk as they grow and develop.  Paul said that he had fed them, or taught them, the simple truth of salvation, and then they were expected to begin growing so they could start to understand greater truths about God.  Paul said they were still unable to understand the meatier things of God.  Verse three continues, For ye are yet carnal: for whereas there is among you envying, and strife, and divisions, are ye not carnal, and walk as men?  Those who follow God through faith in Christ are no longer carnal, but have entered into a everlasting spiritual relationship with God.  Paul declared that many of these born-again believers were still allowing worldly ideas influence their actions.  Verse four states, For while one saith, I am of Paul; and another, I am of Apollos; are ye not carnal?  Paul said that proof of the fact that they were still not growing in Christ was the fact that they were still divided over the question of who had led them to Christ.  We today, as we grow in our relationship with God, must never let the things of this world divide us.  We are all saved by the same grace of God and need to continue to grow in our faith and understanding of how God would have us live in the world.  We are to be united in Christ, and not divided by any worldly ideas.  Verse five adds, Who then is Paul, and who is Apollos, but ministers by whom ye believed, even as the Lord gave to every man?  Paul reminded the believers at Corinth that he and Apollos were simply ministers who preached the gospel to them.  Who had presented the gospel was not important, but their belief in the gospel was what brought them salvation.  This will always be the case.  If we received salvation while listening to some famous preacher or while sitting home alone, it doesn't matter.  All are equally saved if they accept Christ as their Savior and Lord.  Verse six continues, I have planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase.  Christians work together to reach the lost.  Paul said he planted the seed of the gospel, Apollos watered or nurtured it, but only God could save, or give the increase.  If we witness to someone for years, and they suddenly accept Christ when someone else is witnessing to them, we should only feel joy, and never feel cheated or resentful. We all work together for God's glory and not our own.  Verse seven says, So then neither is he that planteth any thing, neither he that watereth; but God that giveth the increase.  Paul again reminds those who were arguing because of who led them to Christ that it did not matter.  Paul and Apollos were nothing but messengers, and God was to receive the glory, because He alone could bring salvation to anyone.  Verse eight adds, Now he that planteth and he that watereth are one: and every man shall receive his own reward according to his own labour.  Paul reminded the Christians at Corinth that they were to be united as one in Christ.  There was no room for pride or envy in the body of believers.  All had a purpose to fill in order that the gospel could be effectively presented.  That still holds true today. As individuals and as a group of believers, we must do all for the glory of God.

1 Corinthians 2:9

1 Corinthians 2:9 says, But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.   Paul made quite a statement here.  Paul said that there was no way for people to really understand all the things that God has already prepared for those that love Him.  We are not promised great riches here on earth, but we can rest assured in God's promise of an everlasting and abundant life through our faith in salvation through Christ.  Verse ten adds, But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God.  Paul tells us that the only way to begin to understand God is through the Spirit of God.  We do not need to understand everything that heaven will be to understand the gift of salvation.  We are not told that the Spirit will reveal everything there is to know about God, because our finite minds could not comprehend it.  We, through the leadership of the Holy Spirit, should gain a greater knowledge of God every day.  We are told to grow in knowledge of God.  At the time of our salvation, we are as a newborn child, and we need to grow into mature Christians.  We cannot believe that since we are saved, born again into God's family, that we need not continue to learn more about God.  Verse eleven continues, For what man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him? even so the things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God. Paul stated that the only way we can know the things of man is because we are born as humans.  The other animals cannot understand the things of man.  Likewise, we cannot begin to understand the things of God until we have received the Holy Spirit after our acceptance of Christ as our Savior and Lord.  Verse twelve states, Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God.  As Paul stated then, we no longer live by the spirit of the world, but by the Spirit of God.  We have been changed into a new creature.  We can now freely understand the gifts that God has given us.  Until we accept Christ as our Savior and Lord, we may think the good things in life are something we earned, or that fate or luck gave them to us.  As followers of Christ, we know that all good things come from God.  Verse thirteen adds, Which things also we speak, not in the words which man’s wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual.  Paul stated here that Christians have a new message, not guided by the teachings of this world, but by the teachings of God, or the spiritual things.  We are not called on to prove Christ historically, but to believe Christ today through faith.  Verse fourteen continues, But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.  We cannot know the things of God until we accept salvation through Christ and are filled with and led by the Holy Spirit.  We cannot find God nor understand God unless we come to Him in faith believing in Christ as the only way to salvation.  Verse fifteen says, But he that is spiritual judgeth all things, yet he himself is judged of no man.  If we are living under the Lordship of Christ, we are able to judge all things as to whether they are right or wrong, and at the same time no one can judge us.  Christ alone has the authority to judge our actions, because we are bought by His sacrifice and sustained by the Holy Spirit.  Verse sixteen adds, For who hath known the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct him? But we have the mind of Christ.  Paul first asks who can know the mind of the Lord, and then answers that believers can, because they have the mind of Christ.  All of our thoughts and actions should be determined by following what we know Christ would have us do.

1 Corinthians 2:1

1 Corinthians 2:1 says, And I, brethren, when I came to you, came not with excellency of speech or of wisdom, declaring unto you the testimony of God.  Paul was a very educated man, but he did not come to people with eloquent speech, proclaiming his power as he did when persecuting Christians, but instead came with the simple message of Christ.  As followers of Christ today, that is how we must come to people.  We cannot witness out of a feeling of superiority, but as humble servants of God.  We do not need eloquent words, only the simple message of Christ crucified, resurrected, and Lord.  Verse two adds, For I determined not to know any thing among you, save Jesus Christ, and him crucified. Today, people who are lost many times like to argue about God and why He does or doesn't do certain things, but our message must always be the simple truth of the gospel.  Verse three continues, And I was with you in weakness, and in fear, and in much trembling.  Paul did not say that he was never afraid, but that even when he was afraid, he still came to them proclaiming the gospel. We are not called to be supermen, never knowing that we could place our lives in danger for the gospel, but we are called to place our fears in God's hands and to continue witnessing for Christ.  Elijah fled in fear after experiencing a great display of God's power, but when he heard God in a quiet voice, not in displays of power, he was revived in faith.  If we are suddenly overcome with fear, we need simply to listen for God's voice to strengthen us.  Through the Holy Spirit God is with us always so we have no need to fear. Verse four states, And my speech and my preaching was not with enticing words of man’s wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power:  If we want to be effective witnesses, we need to demonstrate the power of the Holy Spirit in our lives.  As Paul said, enticing words are not enough. People could see the change in Paul's life, and they should be able to see it in ours.  Verse five Paul adds, That your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God.  Paul knew that the wisdom of men could lead people away from God, but that faith in God gave them the ability to overcome any doubts they had.  This remains true today.  We must follow God in faith even if the world calls us weak and foolish.  Verse six continues, Howbeit we speak wisdom among them that are perfect: yet not the wisdom of this world, nor of the princes of this world, that come to nought:  When Paul spoke of those who were perfect, he was speaking about those who viewed themselves that way.  Paul spoke to them with the wisdom of God, not the wisdom of man that they put their faith in.  We today must approach those that we witness to the same way.  We have the power of God with us.  Verse seven says, But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, even the hidden wisdom, which God ordained before the world unto our glory:  God's wisdom is indeed a mystery to those who do not know Him. Salvation through the death of Christ is a hidden mystery to those who do not see it through faith in God.  This was God's plan of salvation from the beginning.  Verse eight adds, Which none of the princes of this world knew: for had they known it, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.  Paul states that if the princes of the world, those in power, had known Who Christ was, they would not have crucified Him.  If people today understood Who Christ really is, they likewise would not reject His gift of salvation.  Unfortunately, worldly wisdom and power often come between people and the cross.

1 Corinthians 1:25

1 Corinthians 1:25 states, Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men; and the weakness of God is stronger than men.  Paul stated what we must always understand, and that is even what we might consider as the foolishness and weaknesses of God is still so much more wisdom and strength than we will ever have.  We might question why God used the crucifixion of Christ on the cross to bring salvation to the world, but we can never question the wisdom and power of God displayed there.  We today hear about scientists discovering something new that will help us understand the world and how man came into existence, but as followers of Christ are we already know the answer.  God created and sustains the universe.  Some people say that this explanation is just too simple, and that people have to be foolish to believe it.  I personally think that someone has to be more foolish to believe that big explosion in the existing world brought about the order in the universe.  I have never seen where an accidental explosion brought about anything but disorder and destruction.  Verse twenty-six adds, For ye see your calling, brethren, how that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called:  Paul told the early believers in Christ that they could see that not many of the strong and mighty men after the flesh were called.  I believe that since Paul was speaking to Christians, he meant that not many of the strong and wise after the flesh had accepted the call to salvation.  We know that God calls all people to salvation, but often their status in the world prevents some from believing in salvation through the cross, which is the only way to find salvation.  Verse twenty-seven continues, But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty;  I believe what Paul was declaring here is that God uses what the world thinks of as foolish and weak to accomplish His will so that there can be no doubt that He is the One at work.  If we had to have great knowledge and be in power to find God, then most of the world would miss out, from one aspect or the other.  God makes salvation easy to obtain so that all may come to Him.  Verse twenty-eight states, And base things of the world, and things which are despised, hath God chosen, yea, and things which are not, to bring to nought things that are: There could be little more base than death on the cross, yet God chose this method to bring salvation to the world.  In death, it becomes as though we are not, or that we no longer exist, in the eyes of the world, but we know as followers of Christ that death is but a transformation.  Verse twenty-nine adds, That no flesh should glory in his presence.  There is no way for us to glory, to feel that we have earned salvation, in the presence of God.  We did not gain salvation by our wisdom and strength, but solely by the mercy of God.  Verse thirty says, But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption:  Paul again states the only way to salvation is through Christ.  Christ is everything we need to be restored to a right relationship with God, and faith in Him is the only way we may be restored.  Verse thirty-one concludes, That, according as it is written, He that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord.  In Christ alone can we glory.  If we begin to glory in anything other than Christ, we need to repent and return to obedience of God.  The Holy Spirit will always guide and correct us if we only listen.