1 Corinthians 5:1

1 Corinthians 5:1 states, It is reported commonly that there is fornication among you, and such fornication as is not so much as named among the Gentiles, that one should have his father’s wife. Paul had been writing about their elevation of themselves due to their own worldly ideas, but now he moves on to a specific action by a person in this church that was openly spoken of.  We can be sure that if there are things going on in the church that are not consistent with God's will that those who are not Christians will be quick to report it.  As the church, whether a local body of believers or the church world wide, we need to be careful that we don't let sin, especially public sin ruin our witness.  In this case, it was widely known that one of the members was having an affair with his father's wife.  Paul warned the church that this must not be allowed to continue.  Though we are not called to judge other Christians, if their actions are harming the witness of the church, we must deal with those actions so that the church will not be held up for ridicule.  Verse two adds, And ye are puffed up, and have not rather mourned, that he that hath done this deed might be taken away from among you.  Paul stated clearly that the actions of this one person, instead of leading to correction by the church, had led others in the church to be puffed up. We, as followers of Christ, cannot allow anyone to openly sin in the congregation of believers, much less let it lead us to be puffed up in self-pride.  Verse three continues, For I verily, as absent in body, but present in spirit, have judged already, as though I were present, concerning him that hath so done this deed,  Paul said he didn't have to be there in person to judge the actions of this person and the actions of the church to be wrong.  As followers of Christ today, we need to pronounce sin as sin, especially if it occurs within the church.  Forgiveness of all our sins does not give us a license to continue sinning. Verse four states, In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, when ye are gathered together, and my spirit, with the power of our Lord Jesus Christ,  I believe Paul was reminding them of why they gathered together.  We as followers of Christ need to remember the purpose of gathering together as a body of believers and that is, as Paul reminded the Corinthians, to bring glory to Christ.  When we gather in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, we must worship in a way to bring Him honor.  Paul said he was with them in spirit and that when they gathered in the name of Christ, they had His power to enable them to worship in spirit and in truth.  There is no room for open, unrepentant sin in the midst of God's people. Verse five adds, To deliver such an one unto Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that the spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus. Paul offers the remedy.  He said this was to be done under the leadership and power of the Holy Spirit, but such a one was better off being turned over to Satan that the flesh might be destroyed but the spirit might be saved when Christ returns.  My understanding of this is that the person was saved but started to live by worldly standards again.  We have to acknowledge that once we are born again, we are God's children forever.  We cannot obtain salvation through grace and lose it through works.  Still, open sin, rebellion against God, cannot be allowed in the church.  This does not mean that we are the morality police, but that through the power and leadership of the Holy Spirit that we are called on to address sin when we see it in the midst of the body of believers.

1 Corinthians 4:14

1 Corinthians 4:14 says, I write not these things to shame you, but as my beloved sons I warn you.  Paul was dealing with some false teachings, one of which was the claim that some Christians were better than others because of who witnessed to them and led them to Christ.  After reminding them of the many ways other Christians and he had suffered for the gospel, Paul said he didn't do this to shame them but to warn them of suffering that could come to them as well.  As the Christians at Corinth argued about how important one might be compared to another, Paul reminded the to look at his life.  If they were going to claim superiority based on being converted under Paul's preaching, they needed to be ready to follow his example.  Verse fifteen adds, For though ye have ten thousand instructors in Christ, yet have ye not many fathers: for in Christ Jesus I have begotten you through the gospel.  I believe that Paul was telling them that who was instructing them in Christ was not the important thing.  The important thing was that they were born again through faith in the gospel of Christ.  We may have been led to a saving knowledge of Christ by one of the greatest preachers of our time, or we may have been led to this knowledge by one of the poorest of God's followers, and it does not matter.  No one is more saved than anyone else based on who led them to Christ.  Verse sixteen continues, Wherefore I beseech you, be ye followers of me.  Paul asked them to follow him as he followed Christ.  Since he was dealing with divisions in the church based on who had led them to Christ, I do not believe that Paul was now asking them to physically follow him, but to follow him in his spiritual example.  We are to follow Christ alone, but we can learn from the example of other Christians.  Verse seventeen states, For this cause have I sent unto you Timotheus, who is my beloved son, and faithful in the Lord, who shall bring you into remembrance of my ways which be in Christ, as I teach every where in every church.  Paul was sending Timotheus, or Timothy to help these Christians at Corinth understand more fully what it meant to be a Christian.  New Christians today need someone to help them grow in Christ.  We are commissioned to go and make disciples, not to just go and baptize.  Verse eighteen adds, Now some are puffed up, as though I would not come to you.  I believe that Paul was saying that some of the Christians at Corinth were filled with self-pride, thinking that Paul would not return to correct them.  It is easier to give in to self-pride if we feel that there is no one to correct us.  If we decide that we are the ultimate authority where we are, then who is going to be able to correct us.  What they were forgetting though was that even when Paul was not there, the Holy Spirit was.  Verse nineteen continues, But I will come to you shortly, if the Lord will, and will know, not the speech of them which are puffed up, but the power.  Paul told them that his plan was to come to them soon, if it was the will of the Lord.  When we make our plans, we must ensure that the align with the will of God.  Paul also said he wasn't coming with puffed up speech, but with the power of God.  When we are following God's direction for our lives, we can be certain that His power is behind whatever He leads us to do.  Verse twenty declares, For the kingdom of God is not in word, but in power.  Again, when we go in God's will, we don't need puffed up words, because we have the power of God, through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, empowering us.  Verse twenty-one Paul adds, What will ye? shall I come unto you with a rod, or in love, and in the spirit of meekness?  I believe Paul was telling them that it was their choice how he came to them.  He could come with the rod of correction, but would rather they begin to live as Christians should, and then he could come to them with love and meekness.  As followers of Christ today, if we begin to follow our own will instead of the will of God, He will most certainly come to us with a rod of correction.  If we repent and return to following God's will, He will come to us in love.

1 Corinthians 4:7

1 Corinthians 4:7 says, For who maketh thee to differ from another? and what hast thou that thou didst not receive? now if thou didst receive it, why dost thou glory, as if thou hadst not received it?  Paul was reminding them that the only reason they had different gifts was because God had given those gifts to them.  There was no reason for pride in whatever gift or gifts they had.  There is still no reason for such thoughts today.  We all have different gifts because all are needed to work together for spreading the gospel and edifying the believers in Christ.  We should never put a preacher or minister on a pedestal. They are only fulfilling their calling.  Verse eight adds, Now ye are full, now ye are rich, ye have reigned as kings without us: and I would to God ye did reign, that we also might reign with you.  Paul reminded the Corinthian Christians that they were rich in the blessings of God, even if Paul wasn't there. If a pastor or minister today has to be away from church one Sunday, God has richly blessed that church with enough spiritually gifted people to continue worshipping.  We must remember that God through the Holy Spirit is with each of His followers.  Even if a very popular pastor leaves for another church, God is still in the midst of His people, and we should never feel despair.  Verse nine continues, For I think that God hath set forth us the apostles last, as it were appointed to death: for we are made a spectacle unto the world, and to angels, and to men.  I believe that in this verse Paul was referring to the terrible way many early Christians were put to death.  They were put in the arena, or colosseum with lions or other wild beasts.  Even if they managed to defeat one, that did not earn their freedom.  Paul said the apostles, instead of being set forth to be honored, were set forth for death.  We are never called to be glorified, but to die to self and to live for Christ.  If we are made fun of today for our belief in Christ, it is nothing compared to what some of the early Christians endured, even the apostles.  Verse ten declares, We are fools for Christ’s sake, but ye are wise in Christ; we are weak, but ye are strong; ye are honourable, but we are despised.  I believe Paul was declaring followers of Christ to be fools in the view of the world, but also declaring that in the eyes of God they were wise.  In God's view, those who were His followers were wise, strong and honorable when they remained true to Him.  God's judgment is the only one that matters.  Verse eleven adds, Even unto this present hour we both hunger, and thirst, and are naked, and are buffeted, and have no certain dwellingplace;  When someone says that being a Christian is the easy way out of the suffering of this world, we need to point them to what Paul said here.  Paul was not serving Christ for riches but was serving Him even when all the security of the world had been removed.  Paul knew that he was forever secure in his relationship to Christ.  We have that same assurance today.  Verse twelve continues, And labour, working with our own hands: being reviled, we bless; being persecuted, we suffer it:  Paul said even in their great need, working with their own hands while being reviled, that the followers of Christ continued to bless those who reviled them. We today need to pray for the lost in the world and work through the leadership of God to reach everyone, even those who revile, or hate us.  Paul said when they were persecuted that they bore it.  We can never allow persecution to defeat us.  We are called to take up our cross daily, which I believe means to die to self- will.  No matter how much we suffer for Christ's sake, we can never suffer as He did.  Christ lifted the burden of sin from the whole world, even if many choose to continue to live under the burden of sin. Verse thirteen concludes, Being defamed, we intreat: we are made as the filth of the world, and are the offscouring of all things unto this day.  Even when the world was defaming them, those who were followers of Christ were pleading for them to come to a saving knowledge of Christ.

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.