1 Corinthians 13:1

1 Corinthians 13:1 says, Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal.  This is often referred to as the love chapter.  We first need to realize that charity as Paul uses it here is more accurately translated as love.  Paul said that even if he could speak in the languages of all people, or even the language of the angels, but he had no love for those that he was speaking to, he was just making so much noise.  If we are witnessing to people today without the love of God for them in our hearts, we are just proclaiming empty words from our perspective.  God may us our witnessing to reach others, but we lose the joy that it should bring us.  If we are witnessing more out of a sense of duty without love for those we are witnessing to, we are just making so much noise.  Verse two adds, And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing.  We may pray to understand everything that God teaches us or even for a mountain moving faith, but Paul tells us even if we had this ability, without love for those around us it amounts to nothing.  We are not given this strong faith and great understanding for our own benefit, but to reach out to the lost people in the world in love.  Verse three continues, And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing.  I believe that Paul is telling us that the deeds that we do are not as important as the attitude that we have for doing them.  Even if we give all our possessions to the poor, but do it not because of a real love for them through Christ, then we do not profit from it spiritually.  Paul tells us once again that love is the key.  Verse four states, Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up,  We need to remember that charity is more accurately interpreted love, and then Paul tells us some of the attributes of love.  Love suffers long and is kind.  We are not called to have a love for the lost until they reject us or out of pity for them, but we are love them even if they do reject us.  We are not to be puffed up in our own goodness, but to be humbled in service to God because of His love for us.  We are to share that God like love with others without putting limits on it.  Verse five adds, Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil;  Paul is still speaking of the love that God gives us through our faith in Christ.  We cannot just do what benefits us the most and show the real love of God to the world.  We in love for others cannot be easily provoked and think evil of others.  Too often we seem to be just waiting for people to reject the gospel so we can then feel hatred toward them.  We need to remember that we are called to reach the people of the world in love, not to destroy them in hatred.  Verse six says, Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth; I believe Paul was warning Christians against rejoicing in anything obtained by iniquity.  We may have great success in the world, but unless that success is consistent with the truth of God, we certainly have no reason to rejoice.  If we rejoice, it must be due to the fact that we are living by the truth of God.  Of love,   Verse seven adds, Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.  I believe that Paul was speaking of a Godlike love.  We often confuse feel good emotions with love, and if those emotions go away, we assume we fell out of love.  Real love is not just an emotional choice that we turn on and off, but it is a commitment to another that lasts through everything.  This love holds up under pressure and leads to hope and not despair.  Verse eight continues, Charity never faileth: but whether there be prophecies, they shall fail; whether there be tongues, they shall cease; whether there be knowledge, it shall vanish away.  Paul said that some of the other gifts of God might fail us at times, but real Godlike love never will.  That is why Paul tells us we must have this type of love in our hearts. If we do, even if other things fall, it never will.  Verse nine states, For we know in part, and we prophesy in part.  Paul tells us that when we exercise the other gifts, we do so without the full knowledge of God, and I believe in context tells us that if we love as God loves, we have a complete knowledge of love. Verse ten adds, But when that which is perfect is come, then that which is in part shall be done away. One day, when we are called away to heaven, everything in life will be made perfect, and those things that we only know in part will be made complete.  Verse eleven continues, When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things.  I believe Paul is telling us that we need to grow in our faith and knowledge of God's will.  Our faith is not to remain childish, but to grow in maturity, just as a child grows physically.  Verse twelve says, For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known.  Paul tells us that we cannot clearly see everything about God in this world, but there is coming that day when we depart this world and see God clearly with nothing coming between Him and us.  Verse thirteen adds, And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity.  Paul says that our faith and hope in God will abide, but that the greatest of these three mentioned is charity, or love.  We must love others with a love like God has for us.

1 Corinthians 12:22

1 Corinthians 12:22 says, Nay, much more those members of the body, which seem to be more feeble, are necessary:  Paul continues to use the analogy of the body to point out that we need all the members of the church to effectively accomplish God's will, just as our physical body needs all its parts to work at optimum efficiency.  I realize that there are some parts of the body that we can live without, but that does not mean that the body works at an optimum level without them, even if we do not totally understand their purpose.  Just as some body parts might be viewed as more feeble, or less necessary, so could some Christians be viewed.  We may look at it fellow believer and wonder what purpose they serve in the church, but if all church members, all the members of the body of Christ, are working together, we should never look down on others.  All are needed, and none is more important than the other, as long as each is utilizing their own spiritual gift or gifts.  Verse twenty-three adds, And those members of the body, which we think to be less honourable, upon these we bestow more abundant honour; and our uncomely parts have more abundant comeliness.   We need to understand that all parts of the body have a purpose, and not feel that they are unimportant just because they seem to do little for the body.  The church can function without all the little things being done by those who we might not even notice as they exercise their own spiritual gift, but the church will not function as efficiently as it should.  We should be thankful for those who do the things that are necessary but maybe not glorious in the eyes of the world.  Verse twenty-four continues, For our comely parts have no need: but God hath tempered the body together, having given more abundant honour to that part which lacked:  Some parts of our bodies are acknowledged as being very necessary, but we don't need to continually praise their function, any more than we need to dismiss those parts that seem less necessary.  As the body of Christ, we cannot glorify some members while ignoring others.  We are all necessary to be most effective in spreading the gospel.  Verse twenty-five states, That there should be no schism in the body; but that the members should have the same care one for another.  If we begin to glorify certain members of the church and ignore others, then a schism, or division, may occur in the church.  We must always remember that whatever gift or gifts we may have, they come from God.  We do not have what may be viewed as a greater gift because we are more important to God, so we should not act as though we are more important than someone else with what could be viewed as a lesser gift.  Verse twenty-six adds, And whether one member suffer, all the members suffer with it; or one member be honoured, all the members rejoice with it.  Paul tells us that we should all suffer or rejoice together.  I believe that sometimes we are better at suffering together than we are at rejoicing together.  Too often we become envious when another believer seems to be blessed more than we are, but we are to rejoice with them instead.  Verse twenty-seven continues, Now ye are the body of Christ, and members in particular.  Paul reminds us that we are one in purpose, spreading the gospel of Christ and strengthening our understanding of what it means to follow Christ, but we each have a particular role in accomplishing that purpose.   Verse twenty-eight says, And God hath set some in the church, first apostles, secondarily prophets, thirdly teachers, after that miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, governments, diversities of tongues.  I believe that the key to this verse is that God gives us our gift or gifts.  We are not called to develop a gift that we do not have, but the gift that God gives us.  Verse twenty-nine adds, Are all apostles? are all prophets? are all teachers? are all workers of miracles?  Paul was asking if all had the same gift.  Verse thirty continues, Have all the gifts of healing? do all speak with tongues? do all interpret?  There are Christians today who seem to think that every Christian should speak in tongues, which I think they misinterpret, as a sign that they are truly saved.  Paul tells us that not all Christians have this gift.  Verse thirty-one concludes, But covet earnestly the best gifts: and yet shew I unto you a more excellent way.  I don't believe that Paul was telling us to covet a gift that we see as being better than the gift or gifts that we have, but that the more excellent way is to develop the gift or gifts that we have been given by God.

1 Corinthians 12:12

1 Corinthians 12:12 states, For as the body is one, and hath many members, and all the members of that one body, being many, are one body: so also is Christ.  Paul tells us that even though our physical bodies are made up of several different parts, that all the individual parts work together to make the body work at its peak.  Paul then tells us that this is true of spiritual gifts and the church.  All the gifts are needed for the church to function at its best.  We might argue that the heart or brain are more important than the appendix, but that is not the point.  Even if we can survive physically without certain parts of the body, all parts have an intended purpose and cannot become what they were not intended to be.  Verse thirteen adds, For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit.  Paul again reminds those members of the church that they may have come from different backgrounds, but they were all made equal through the cross of Calvary.  We cannot allow the thought that some Christians are more important than others or that they deserve more than others become a part of our faith in Christ.  There should be no thought that certain material things are good enough for other Christians, but that we deserve more.  We are all sinners saved by grace, and whether we are rich or poor in the eyes of the world is unimportant.  We come to God from whatever our station in life, and we serve God wherever we might be.  The key is to always put the will of God first.  Verse fourteen continues, For the body is not one member, but many. Paul again uses the analogy of the human body.  There are many parts to the body with each part having a specific purpose, but all parts work together.  The same should be true of the church, the body of Christ here on earth.  We cannot afford to feel that because of where we live and what we have that we are any more important or necessary than the poorest, weakest Christian anywhere.  Verse fifteen states, If the foot shall say, Because I am not the hand, I am not of the body; is it therefore not of the body?  I believe that Paul was pointing out that just as it would be ridiculous for parts of the body to claim they didn't belong to the body because they didn't serve the same purpose as another part that the same is true for members of the body of Christ, the church.  We all serve our unique purpose, but we are all part of the same body of Christ.  Verse sixteen adds, And if the ear shall say, Because I am not the eye, I am not of the body; is it therefore not of the body?  Verse seventeen continues, If the whole body were an eye, where were the hearing? If the whole were hearing, where were the smelling?  I believe he was saying that if every part of the body served the same purpose, we would be a mighty limited creature.  The same is true of the church, the body of Christ on the earth.  Verse eighteen says, But now hath God set the members every one of them in the body, as it hath pleased him.  Paul reminds us that God created the body, with each part having a unique purpose according to His will.  The same is true of the church.  God calls each person to a unique purpose in the church according to His will.  Verse nineteen adds, And if they were all one member, where were the body?  We cannot all have the same spiritual gift and function effectively as the body of Christ.  Verse twenty continues, But now are they many members, yet but one body.  Just as our bodies have many members, or parts, that make up the whole body, so does the church.  We are more than just individual Christians.  We are called to work together to bring about the will and glory of God.  Verse twenty-one concludes, And the eye cannot say unto the hand, I have no need of thee: nor again the head to the feet, I have no need of you.  Paul was not just speaking of our physical bodies, but of the body of Christ.  We all need each other utilizing our own individual gifts collectively to accomplish our goal, the spreading of the gospel and the reaching of the lost with God's message of salvation.

1 Corinthians 12:1

1 Corinthians 12:1 says, Now concerning spiritual gifts, brethren, I would not have you ignorant.  Paul wanted to clarify the giving of spiritual gifts, yet we still have different views of spiritual gifts today. Verse two adds, Ye know that ye were Gentiles, carried away unto these dumb idols, even as ye were led.  Paul reminded the believers at Corinth where they had come from spiritually.  They were Gentiles who had worshipped dumb idols.  Their idols could never empower them to do anything, but now they worshipped the Living God Who could and would empower them.  Verse three continues, Wherefore I give you to understand, that no man speaking by the Spirit of God calleth Jesus accursed: and that no man can say that Jesus is the Lord, but by the Holy Ghost.  We cannot come to God except through Christ.  To say that there is any other way would make the sacrifice of Christ on the cross unnecessary and would in effect curse or condemn His sacrifice.  Paul also says that the only way we can call Jesus Lord is through the power of the Holy Spirit.  Through the work of the Holy Spirit, God calls everyone to Him, though not all respond.  Verse four states, Now there are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit. If a person is truly a follower of Christ, a says, Now believer, then they have some spiritual gift that is needed to carry out the commission of God that we go and make disciples of the whole world.  Not everyone has the same gift, and we are not to covet the gift of another or to attempt to glorify our own gift or gifts.  They come from God, and not from our own worthiness.  Verse five adds, And there are differences of administrations, but the same Lord.  I believe Paul was saying that there are different ways in which we use our spiritual gifts, but all that we do is for the glory of God. As the Lord of the life of each believer, He unifies us in the use of our individual spiritual gifts.  Verse six continues, And there are diversities of operations, but it is the same God which worketh all in all.  I believe Paul was saying that even though we serve different purposes in God's kingdom, God unifies what we do.  As long as each individual Christian uses his or her spiritual gift for God's glory, then the kingdom of God will be stronger.  Verse seven says, But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal.  We profit from using the gift or gifts that God gives us for His glory, not for our own.  If we begin to feel that some spiritual gifts, or those who have them, are more important than others and are to be desired by all, we are not following what God teaches us.  Verse eight says, For to one is given by the Spirit the word of wisdom; to another the word of knowledge by the same Spirit;  I believe we can state that wisdom is more inborn, and knowledge is learned, but God should be the source of both.  Verse nine adds, To another faith by the same Spirit; to another the gifts of healing by the same Spirit;  We may not think of faith as a spiritual gift, but God tells us that He not only provides salvation for us, but the faith to respond as well.  Paul said that some were given the gift of healing, but that the gift of faith and healing were both given by the Holy Spirit.  Verse ten continues, To another the working of miracles; to another prophecy; to another discerning of spirits; to another divers kinds of tongues; to another the interpretation of tongues:  Paul lists several gifts here, and states that they are given to different people. We might want to put the working of miracles ahead of discerning of spiritual truth, but Paul tells us that all these gifts are necessary, and we simply need to allow God to develop ours.  In verse eleven Paul concludes, But all these worketh that one and the selfsame Spirit, dividing to every man severally as he will. As followers of Christ, we all have the Holy Spirit to guide us, and we need to put control of our lives in His hands.  When we do, the church will work together for God's glory and the advancement of His kingdom.

1 Corinthians 11:23

1 Corinthians 11:23 says, For I have received of the Lord that which also I delivered unto you, That the Lord Jesus the same night in which he was betrayed took bread:  Paul said that what he was teaching them about the Lord's supper he had received from the Lord Himself.  Paul was not there physically, but God revealed to him spiritually what the Lord's supper was to signify.  We likewise were not there physically, but we know spiritually what the significance is.  We can never treat the Lord's supper as anything less than an opportunity to witness to and remember what Christ did for us on the cross.  Paul said on the same night that Christ was betrayed, He took the bread.  We are not going to be prevented from sharing in the Lord's supper if we are not truly His, but it is going to mean nothing to us.  Verse twenty-four adds, And when he had given thanks, he brake it, and said, Take, eat: this is my body, which is broken for you: this do in remembrance of me.  Paul said that Jesus gave thanks, broke the bread, and then told them why they were to do this.  They were to do it in remembrance of Christ sacrificing His body for their sins.  Christ did not specify a time when they were to observe the Lord's supper, but did say that whenever they did that they were to remember why they were doing it.  Verse twenty-five continues, After the same manner also he took the cup, when he had supped, saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood: this do ye, as oft as ye drink it, in remembrance of me.  Paul said Christ then took the cup, blessed it, and reminded them that it represented His blood shed for them on the cross.  The bread and wine, or drink, do not miraculously change into the actual body and blood of Christ, but they do represent those two things.  This was never intended to be a feast, but it was also never meant to be simply a ritual that we go through periodically.  Verse twenty-six states, For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do shew the Lord’s death till he come.  The Lord's supper is a witness to those gathered of His death until He comes again.  Anytime we observe the Lord's supper, we need to take seriously what it represents.  Verse twenty-seven adds, Wherefore whosoever shall eat this bread, and drink this cup of the Lord, unworthily, shall be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord.  I believe that this means not only if we observe the Lord's supper with unconfessed sin in our lives, but also with an attitude that it is just something that we do in church, like singing songs.  I believe the Lord's supper, though observed as a body of believers, is an individual observance for each individual believer.  Each person must examine their own life and motive for observing the Lord's supper.  Verse twenty-eight continues, But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of that bread, and drink of that cup.  We are called on to examine not others, but ourselves.  Verse twenty-nine concludes, For he that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh damnation to himself, not discerning the Lord’s body.  Paul says that when anyone participates in the Lord's supper without first making sure that they truly understand what it represents and remove anything from their lives that make them unworthy to partake, they bring condemnation on themselves.  Each individual believer must determine if their own life meets these criteria.  Verse thirty says, For this cause many are weak and sickly among you, and many sleep.  I believe that Paul was saying that observing the Lord's supper in an unworthy manner could even bring physical consequences.  We cannot be whole in our relationship to God if we do not take salvation seriously.  This can indeed affect our everyday life.  Verse thirty-one adds, For if we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged.  I believe Paul was once again warning us to judge our actions and attitude toward the Lord's supper.  If we deal with any sin in our lives by confessing it beforehand, we do not have to be concerned about God judging us afterward.  Verse thirty-two continues, But when we are judged, we are chastened of the Lord, that we should not be condemned with the world.  God will let us know, will chastise us, when we are not following His will in our lives.  God does this so that we can remain true to Him and not have any reason for the world to condemn our faith.  Verse thirty-three states, Wherefore, my brethren, when ye come together to eat, tarry one for another.  Paul said that when we come together that we should tarry in fellowship that all might go away uplifted.  Verse thirty-four adds, And if any man hunger, let him eat at home; that ye come not together unto condemnation. And the rest will I set in order when I come.  The Lord's supper is to be a witness to Christ's sacrifice for our sins on the cross, and not a time to feast for our own pleasure.  We are to gather as one body, not as haves and have-nots, and are all to examine ourselves individually to make sure that we have nothing in our lives to prevent us from being worthy spiritually to participate.

1 Corinthians 11:17

1 Corinthians 11:17 says, Now in this that I declare unto you I praise you not, that ye come together not for the better, but for the worse.  Paul said that when the church gathered together, it was not to become better in Christ, but for their own purposes.  The way they gathered together did not bring unity in Christ, but separation based on worldly status.  We today cannot allow our earthly status to prevent us from worshipping with any of God's followers.  Verse eighteen adds, For first of all, when ye come together in the church, I hear that there be divisions among you; and I partly believe it.  Paul said that he heard that there were divisions in the church when they met, and that he partly believed it.  Paul did not want to believe that Christians would act in such a manner as to bring dishonor to God, but since he was hearing the reports, he had to at least consider that it might be true.  We are not to condemn the actions of people in a church simply based on what we may hear, but if their actions are such as to bring dishonor to the church as a whole, we must deal with it.  Verse nineteen continues, For there must be also heresies among you, that they which are approved may be made manifest among you.  Paul said that they must have allowed heresies into the church.  We today must be careful that we don't allow false teachings to enter the church.  If we decide that the doctrine of the church is more important than the teachings of Christ, then we may allow heresies to enter the church.  If we fail to speak out against social injustice, or even go so far as to endorse it, then we have allowed heresies into the church.  There can be no them and us in the church, as we are all the same in the eyes of God.  Everything in the earth belongs to God, and we are entrusted with using everything for His glory, not for our own selfish desires.  Verse twenty states, When ye come together therefore into one place, this is not to eat the Lord’s supper.  Paul was addressing the observance of the Lord's supper, and the fact that they were not observing it for the right reasons.  This should be a time when the church is truly united, but they weren't.  Verse twenty-one adds, For in eating every one taketh before other his own supper: and one is hungry, and another is drunken.  Now, as we observe the Lord's supper, we all have the same amount of bread and drink, but evidently in the church at Corinth it was more of a real supper.  Instead of uniting as one group of believers sharing everything equally, they were breaking into groups where some over indulged and some went hungry. Verse twenty-two continues, What? have ye not houses to eat and to drink in? or despise ye the church of God, and shame them that have not? What shall I say to you? shall I praise you in this? I praise you not.  Paul said that if they wanted to overindulge, they should do it at home, and not show that they despised the church of God by shaming those that had nothing.  Today, as followers of Christ, our conduct should be the same anywhere we are, and especially should never do anything to shame Christians who are less fortunate than us when we gather as the body of Christ, the church.  If we start to whisper about how people are dressed or how they act, then we do not bring honor to God.  Our actions, especially when we gather together in God's name, should be never in anyway bring dishonor to God or cause anyone gathered with us to feel like they are less than we are.  We are all but sinners saved by grace, and through salvation we are all made equal, no matter our status in the world.

1 Corinthians 11:8

1 Corinthians 11:8 says, For the man is not of the woman; but the woman of the man. Paul here was speaking about the creation of men and women.  Man, Adam, was created from the dust of the earth, and woman, Eve, from the rib of the man.  Still, the woman was not created to serve the man, but to be a helpmate, or completion of man.  None of the other animals were capable of filling this role.  The fact that the man was created first in no way makes the woman less in the eyes of God.  When we start to speak about the role of men and women, we must understand it as they are themselves under the leadership of God.  We cannot expect those who do not believe in Christ as Savior and Lord to live by God's standards.  Verse nine adds, Neither was the man created for the woman; but the woman for the man.  This is really in my opinion a continuation of what I was just discussing.  When we read the creation account in Genesis, we do see that woman was created out of man, but not to be his servant, but to be his companion.  The key will always be that both are under the leadership of God.  When God's will comes first, both will be in agreement as to how they can best serve and bring glory to God.  Verse ten continues, For this cause ought the woman to have power on her head because of the angels.  Matthew Henry sees this as having her head covered in public, but I believe it means that she should do nothing that would dishonor God and His angels.  Verse eleven states, Nevertheless neither is the man without the woman, neither the woman without the man, in the Lord.  I believe that Paul was teaching that both men and women need each other, but they need to both be following God's will in the relationship.  Men and women were created for different purposes in the world, but they were both created to follow God's will and to uplift each other.  Verse twelve adds, For as the woman is of the man, even so is the man also by the woman; but all things of God.  Since creation, where woman was created out of man, man has been born of woman, but as Paul reminds us, both are from God, as are all things. Verse thirteen continues, Judge in yourselves: is it comely that a woman pray unto God uncovered? Again, I believe that Paul was referring to the customs of that day, but if we truly believe that God is dishonored by the way we dress, then we should change the way we dress. Verse fourteen says, Doth not even nature itself teach you, that, if a man have long hair, it is a shame unto him?  Paul lived in the same time as Jesus for part of his life, and he said it was a shame for a man to have long hair.  Yet, we always see Jesus portrayed as having very long hair.  Now, is this an accurate picture, or does it really matter? We are not called to be like Jesus physically, but spiritually.  Verse fifteen adds, But if a woman have long hair, it is a glory to her: for her hair is given her for a covering.  Paul says a woman should have long hair.  We often get into disputes about men having long hair, but seldom apply the same dispute to women having short hair.  I believe we must interpret what Paul was saying to mean that whatever we do must be done for the glory of God and not for our own vanity.  Verse sixteen continues, But if any man seem to be contentious, we have no such custom, neither the churches of God.  I believe that Paul was saying that if a person disagreed with the way that custom taught that they should dress, there was no rule in the church that they had to comply.  The way we dress in church has changed even in my lifetime.  Women used to always wear dresses and men suits and ties if they had them, especially the preachers.  Now, it seems that wearing a tie is almost an oddity.  Again, it isn't what we wear that is important, but that we follow God in all things.  As long as men and women are truly following God, there will be little room for contention in the relationship between the two.  God must be in charge of both, and He will always lead them to unity through Christ.