Job 1:1

Job 1:1 says, There was a man in the land of Uz, whose name was Job; and that man was perfect and upright, and one that feared God, and eschewed evil.  We are told that Job was perfect and upright.  He feared, or I believe more accurately stood in awe of God and hated evil.  We also know that there was only One Who lived a life of perfection, and that was Jesus Christ.  I believe that when we are told that he was perfect that it means that he always attempted to live under the leadership of God.  Verse two adds, And there were born unto him seven sons and three daughters.  Job was blessed with a large family.  I believe that Job saw his family as a blessing from God, and we today should feel the same. We must acknowledge that only God can give life.  We may hear of life being created in a test tube, but even then life has to come from what God has created and must be sustained by His power.  If we have been blessed with children, whether one or many, we must give thanks to God for blessing us with them. Verse three continues, His substance also was seven thousand sheep, and three thousand camels, and five hundred yoke of oxen, and five hundred she asses, and a very great household; so that this man was the greatest of all the men of the east.  We see that Job put his relationship with God first, his family second, and his possessions third.  This is a good order for us to follow today.  We cannot allow family to come before God or possessions to come before either God or family. Job was a rich man, and he still served God.  Though we are told that it is hard for a rich man to be saved, it is not impossible.  As long as a person acknowledges that everything comes from God and is to be used for His glory, then riches will not get in the way of serving God.  Verse four states, And his sons went and feasted in their houses, every one his day; and sent and called for their three sisters to eat and to drink with them.  Matthew Henry says this verse means that Job's children were prosperous, and this brought a feeling of joy to his heart.  I believe we can also say that his children were maybe more interested in feasting, or enjoying the riches of life, than they were in serving others for God's glory.  Verse five adds, And it was so, when the days of their feasting were gone about, that Job sent and sanctified them, and rose up early in the morning, and offered burnt offerings according to the number of them all: for Job said, It may be that my sons have sinned, and cursed God in their hearts. Thus did Job continually.  I believe this verse confirms what I said about verse four.  Job offered sacrifices for his children daily, because he feared that they might have sinned against God.  We know that we cannot bring salvation to our children on our own, but we can certainly pray and sacrifice for them daily that they might be protected until they come to salvation on their own.  Verse six continues, Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan came also among them.  I am not sure about the assembly mentioned here, but it is clear that Satan had not been permanently banished.  We know that whenever we assemble together that Satan is going to do his best to disrupt our worship.  Verse seven says, And the LORD said unto Satan, Whence comest thou? Then Satan answered the LORD, and said, From going to and fro in the earth, and from walking up and down in it.  I believe that God knew exactly where Satan had been and what he had been doing. Satan's power is limited whereas God's is unlimited. Verse eight adds, And the LORD said unto Satan, Hast thou considered my servant Job, that there is none like him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that feareth God, and escheweth evil?  This was a great endorsement of Job by God.  If there were such a meeting today, would God call one of us by name and hold us up as an example of faithfulness to Him?  We need to be that type of Christian, upright in our relationship to God and others and never giving in to evil.  Verse nine continues, Then Satan answered the LORD, and said, Doth Job fear God for nought?  Satan, the great deceiver, will always attempt to discredit those who serve God.  If he cannot do it based on our actions, he will attempt to do it based on our motives.  When Christians do good works today, there are always those who claim that we are really doing them for our own benefit somehow.  Verse ten concludes, Hast not thou made an hedge about him, and about his house, and about all that he hath on every side? thou hast blessed the work of his hands, and his substance is increased in the land.  Satan's basic question was whether Job served God simply because God had blessed Job materially.  Again, we need to realize that Satan will do anything to discredit those who put their faith in God.

1 Corinthians Review continued

As we continue our review of 1st Corinthians, we know that another issue that Paul addressed was spiritual gifts.  Some of those in the church at Corinth felt that certain spiritual gifts made them somehow better than those with what the saw as having lesser spiritual gifts.  Paul reminded them that all spiritual gifts are from God, and that all are necessary to effectively spread the gospel and to edify the church.  I believe that Paul was teaching us that we are never to covet any other spiritual gift than the one or ones that God has given us.  There is no gift that makes one person more important than others.  We may feel that preachers are more important or morally superior to other Christians, but this is not what the Bible teaches us.  We are all just sinners saved by the grace of God who then are called on to use the gift or gifts that God has given us.  We are never to covet any spiritual gift or to look down on others because we feel that our gift or gifts are superior to that of someone else.  Paul also said that when we use our spiritual gift that it should lead to a clear advancement of the gospel and the edification of the church.  Even early in the church, there were those who were proclaiming that some gifts were a sign that some Christians were superior to others, and it seems that speaking in tongues was one of those gifts.  Paul reminded them, and teaches us, that speaking in tongues, or unknown languages, was a gift for reaching other people and not a sign of moral superiority to any other Christian.  As Paul reminded the church at Corinth, God is not the author of confusion, but of unity through Christ.  Another issue that had arisen concerned the resurrection of the dead.  Paul told those believers at Corinth that without the resurrection of the dead there was no hope at all, not in this life or the one to come.  This will never change.  If Christ did not overcome the power of death by His resurrection, then everything we put our faith in world be a lie and we would be as Paul said most miserable.  If this life on earth is all there is, then we would be justified in living life for our own best interests.  Since through Christ, we know that this life is but a brief prelude to the everlasting life that we know is ours, we need to live under the Lordship of Christ.  Of course, even those who deny the resurrection will one day know of the certainty of it, but unfortunately it will be to late for them to claim redemption that has already been made available through Christ.  Because of salvation and everlasting life through Christ, we are to live life not just for ourselves, but to reach others with the gospel and to put them above our own selfish desires.  We are to follow the example of Christ and pray to God that not our will but His be done, now and forever.  We are going to the book of Job next.

1 Corinthians Review

As we review 1st Corinthians, we can first say that it was written partially to correct problems that had arisen in the church at Corinth.  When problems do arise in the church, especially a local body of believers, we cannot just ignore them, but we must get to the root of the problem so it can be corrected. The longer a problem is allowed to exist, the more problems it can cause to our witness for God.  Paul said that some of the believers at Corinth were acting superior to others because of who had led them to Christ.  There is no room for any Christian to feel superior to any other Christian in the church, local or universal.  We may each be led to the Lord through the witnessing of different people, but we are equally saved by the same Person, Jesus Christ.  I believe we can also be sure that if Christian leaders have become aware of problems in a local congregation that the lost people of the world will be also, but the lost, the non-believers will exploit the trouble to attempt to discredit the church.  Paul said there were some false teachers in the congregation at Corinth.  These false teachers were more interested in glorifying themselves than they were in glorifying God.  We cannot look at the history of the church as a whole and deny that at times there have been false teachings that have entered the church.  I believe in the United States, for example, that one issue was the teaching on slavery and the issues that still linger on relationships between the races.  I know that some Christians say that slavery existed in Bible times, and that is true, but the Bible does not endorse slavery or the concept of a superior race.  We know that the people of Israel, the Hebrews or Jews as they are referred to in various places, were God's chosen people in the world, but it was not because they were superior to anyone else due to their own goodness.  God chose them to work through to reveal Himself to the world.  At times, it seems that non Christians have to take a stand against moral injustice in the world before Christians do, and even then it is somewhat reluctantly.  The church, God's redeemed people, need to be at the forefront of working against moral injustice, and not just reluctantly standing up against what is wrong.  I believe that as long as we as followers of Christ see the world in terms of any person or group of people being morally superior to any other person or group based on anything other than a relationship with Christ we will never be as effective in witnessing to the world as we should be.  We are all but sinners saved by grace and equal in the eyes of God.

1 Corinthians 16:14

1 Corinthians 16:14 says, Let all your things be done with charity.  This should be the underlying principle for all our actions as followers of Christ.  As Paul instructs, we should do everything out of Christ like charity, or love, for all those around us.  We cannot act in this type love if we hold any ill will toward those we are witnessing to.  I think sometimes we want to keep certain people from having an opportunity to respond to the gospel simply because we feel that they don't deserve forgiveness.  Paul tells us that we need to act out of love for all people, and he was writing in a time when Christians were being actively persecuted.  We are not called on to determine who is worthy of salvation, because none are.  Verse fifteen adds, I beseech you, brethren, (ye know the house of Stephanas, that it is the firstfruits of Achaia, and that they have addicted themselves to the ministry of the saints,)  Paul paused in his statement to commend the house of Stephanas, or Stephen, for their addiction to the ministry of the saints.  We should hope that we today could be viewed the same way.  Paul said that the house of Stephen were the first fruits in Achaia.  They may have been new believers in Christ, but they were already addicted to sharing Christ and uplifting the church, which is what our ministry should always be.  Verse sixteen continues, That ye submit yourselves unto such, and to every one that helpeth with us, and laboureth.  Paul had said that I beseech you, and here he told them what he wanted to implore them to do.  Paul told them to submit to those who, like Stephen, were addicted to the gospel, and to everyone that was working to spread the gospel.  I don't believe that Paul meant that we are to be subservient to other Christians, but that we are to minister to their needs as much as possible so they can serve God more effectively.  Verse seventeen states, I am glad of the coming of Stephanas and Fortunatus and Achaicus: for that which was lacking on your part they have supplied. At this point, Paul could not go to them, so he was glad that these three had come to Him.  We should always be willing to help share in the ministry of others.  Paul said that what was lacking on the part of the church at Corinth as a whole had been supplied by these three men.  Matthew Henry says that they were able to give Paul a more accurate report of what was going on in the church at Corinth.  Though we are not told specifically what they supplied, it was something that lifted Paul's spirit.  Verse eighteen adds, For they have refreshed my spirit and yours: therefore acknowledge ye them that are such. When fellow Christians come to us in a time of need, we should always have our spirit lifted.  Verse nineteen continues, The churches of Asia salute you. Aquila and Priscilla salute you much in the Lord, with the church that is in their house. Though a church is a local body of believers, the church overall is all the local bodies working together. We should greet the other churches as often as possible and pray for them always.  The church is not a building, but believers meeting together, as they were at the home of Aquila and Priscilla, and then going into the community to spread the gospel.  Verse twenty says, All the brethren greet you. Greet ye one another with an holy kiss. I believe that once more we can see that Paul is telling us that we are to rejoice in all the other believers that we come in contact with.  Verse twenty-one adds, The salutation of me Paul with mine own hand.  Evidently Paul had some else actually write down most of the letter, but he wrote the last part himself.  This could have been to authenticate the letter.  Verse twenty-two continues, If any man love not the Lord Jesus Christ, let him be Anathema Maranatha.  Paul tells us that anyone who does not love Christ, and I believe acknowledge Him as Lord and Savior, then we are not to allow them to corrupt the church.  We are to be separated from them.  This does not mean we don't witness to them, but that we do not let their lack of belief or even their speaking against Christ to cause trouble in the church.  Verse twenty-three states, The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you.  There is no better place for a Christian to be than in the grace of Jesus Christ.  It is His grace that saves and sustains us.  Verse twenty-four, Paul closes saying, My love be with you all in Christ Jesus. Amen. The first epistle to the Corinthians was written from Philippi by Stephanas, and Fortunatus, and Achaicus, and Timotheus.  Paul tells them that his love for them through Christ was for all of them, not just those who may have boasted of being saved by Paul's witnessing to them.

1 Corinthians 16:10

1 Corinthians 16:10 says, Now if Timotheus come, see that he may be with you without fear: for he worketh the work of the Lord, as I also do.  Paul asked them to treat Timotheus, or Timothy, with as much respect as they would have for Paul himself.  Though Timothy was young, and Paul had asked him to go, he wasn't Paul's replacement, but a minister himself.  We cannot serve as a replacement for anyone else but must go under the power and leadership of the Holy Spirit.  We do not need to put certain Christians above others and feel that they alone know the truth of the gospel.  Paul did not place himself in a superior position to other Christians but said he would do all that he could to win the lost to Christ.  I believe he expected the same from others, just as we today must make sure the spreading of the gospel is the priority of each Christian.  Verse eleven adds, Let no man therefore despise him: but conduct him forth in peace, that he may come unto me: for I look for him with the brethren.  I believe Paul was asking them to treat Timothy with the respect that they would show Paul.  There were problems in the church that Timothy was going to be addressing, but Paul reminded them that they were not to despise them for this.  If we today have allowed problems to arise in the church, we need to respect those who are sent by the Holy Spirit to correct the problems.  Above all else, Timothy was coming under the leadership of the Holy Spirit.  Verse twelve continues, As touching our brother Apollos, I greatly desired him to come unto you with the brethren: but his will was not at all to come at this time; but he will come when he shall have convenient time.  The Christians at Corinth might have been divided as those baptized by Paul and those baptized by Apollos, but I believe that Paul was letting them know there was no jealousy or division between the two of them.  If people today begin to elevate one preacher above another, the best way to stop such foolish talk is for the preachers to show that they are united in doing God's work.  No preacher can allow himself to be viewed as better than any other and remain true to the gospel.  To carry the thought a little further, no preacher can allow himself to be viewed as more important than any other Christian.  The emphasis must always be on presenting Christ to the world and not on bringing glory to oneself.  Verse thirteen concludes, Watch ye, stand fast in the faith, quit you like men, be strong.  I believe Paul is instructing us to stand strong in our faith, even when we are being persecuted for that faith.  Persecution was a definite possibility then, and we know that in many countries today it is a reality.  Paul tells us that even if that persecution comes to us, we are to stand strong in faith.

1 Corinthians 16:1

1 Corinthians 16:1 says, Now concerning the collection for the saints, as I have given order to the churches of Galatia, even so do ye.  Paul told the church at Corinth that they needed to be ready to help the church at Jerusalem by sharing their material blessings with them.  We as God's church today should always be ready to help those churches that are in need financially.  We cannot afford to look only to our own local body of believers.  Verse two adds, Upon the first day of the week let every one of you lay by him in store, as God hath prospered him, that there be no gatherings when I come.  Paul instructed them to make this collection on the first day of the week, which is the Lord's Day.  I believe if we put off doing the work of God until later or a more convenient time, we will never get anything done.  Of course, just because we gather to worship on the first day of the week does not mean that we can forget God for the rest of the week.  We need to realize also that God is the One Who prospers us.  We are to share with those less fortunate than us because we owe everything to God anyway if we are His followers.  Verse three continues, And when I come, whomsoever ye shall approve by your letters, them will I send to bring your liberality unto Jerusalem.  Paul restated his plan to come to them, but he wasn't going to take their collection personally.  Paul asked them to approve people by letter to send the collection by.  I believe we can learn from this.  If we are dealing with money, it is best to select people who we know we can trust to take care of it, especially if it relates to the church.  In verse four Paul states, And if it be meet that I go also, they shall go with me.  Paul said that if it was best at that time, those selected would accompany him to deliver the gift.  He never said he would just take it himself if he could with no one else along.  I believe he did this to prevent any possibility of people saying that he was just using the gospel for his benefit.  There would be no perception of any misuse of this collection for others being used by Paul himself.  We need to be as accountable today.  Verse five adds, Now I will come unto you, when I shall pass through Macedonia: for I do pass through Macedonia.  I believe Paul was telling them an approximate time when he would be there so they could have everything ready.  I believe that we today need to be organized in the way we serve God.  Many people say that they don't believe in organized religion, but I believe that God expects His followers to be organized in what they do.  This doesn't mean everything has to be determined beforehand, but as a rule we need to worship and serve God in an organized manner.  Paul did not say he knew exactly what he was going to do, but he did know that the collection that he had asked them to make needed to go to where it was needed.  No follower of Christ can make everything contingent on him or her alone, and neither can any church. Verse six continues, And it may be that I will abide, yea, and winter with you, that ye may bring me on my journey whithersoever I go.  Paul said he might winter with them.  He was not talking about taking a vacation but about having a time to fellowship with and edify them as they helped him strengthen his faith and rest his body before continuing to go to other places to witness.  We need the fellowship of other believers to strengthen our faith as we witness for Christ.  Verse seven says, For I will not see you now by the way; but I trust to tarry a while with you, if the Lord permit.  Paul said that his desire was to spend some time in fellowship with them, but that depended on the leadership of Christ.  We today may make plans for how we are going to serve God, but those plans need to be based on following the leadership of the Holy Spirit.  Verse eight adds, But I will tarry at Ephesus until Pentecost.  Paul had told them to have everything ready for when he got there, but that he wasn't coming immediately.  Verse nine continues, For a great door and effectual is opened unto me, and there are many adversaries.  I believe that when God opens a great door of opportunity to witness for Him that we like Paul can expect opposition from those who would deny the existence of God, but we need to be ready to witness when God opens that door, no matter the opposition.

1 Corinthians 15:45

1 Corinthians 15:45 says, And so it is written, The first man Adam was made a living soul; the last Adam was made a quickening spirit.  Paul tells us that this body that we have is more than physical.  We, unlike the other animals, have a living soul.  God breathed His spirit into mankind, but the physical body is still mortal.  Paul then tells us that the second Adam, Jesus Christ, brings us life, just as the first Adam brought us death.  Verse forty-six adds, Howbeit that was not first which is spiritual, but that which is natural; and afterward that which is spiritual.  We first have a physical body before we have the spiritual one.  We might wonder why God did not just give us that spiritual body to begin with.  I believe that it goes back to free will. Had we been given that spiritual, everlasting body to begin with, we would have never had to decide whether to put our faith in God or not.  Verse forty-seven continues, The first man is of the earth, earthy: the second man is the Lord from heaven.  The physical body was created from the dirt of the earth.  We were not sent down from heaven to occupy a physical body but were born a physical body with a soul.  Just as Adam was not a spiritual being sent down from God but a physical being created by God, so are we.  We may think we can create life without God, but we never will be able to.  Jesus Christ, the second man, did indeed come down from heaven, but He alone has this distinction.  Verse forty-eight states, As is the earthy, such are they also that are earthy: and as is the heavenly, such are they also that are heavenly.  I believe that Paul is reminding us that the physical body is earthly and as such must pass away before we can have that spiritual body through Christ.  There is a separation between the earthly and the heavenly, and it can only be bridged by Christ.  We are called on to die daily to the physical things of life that we might live by the spiritual direction of God.  Verse forty-nine adds, And as we have borne the image of the earthy, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly.   We are born in the image of created man, the physical image created by God, but we, as followers of Christ, also bear the image of Christ spiritually, or the heavenly image.  Verse fifty continues, Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption.  I believe what Paul is telling us is that we need not be concerned about the old physical body which is corrupted by sin.  It will never be incorruptible.   Verse fifty-one says, Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed,  I believe Paul was telling us that not all Christians will have died when Christ returns.  He may have even believed that Christ would return before all those alive then died, but the fact remains that some Christians will be alive whenever He does return.  Still, we will be changed from the corruptible creature that we are.  Verse fifty-two adds, In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.  Paul tells us that this will not be a long, drawn-out process, and it will be for both the living and the dead.  The dead will be raised incorruptible, and the living will be changed the same way.  All this will occur instantaneously.  Verse fifty-three continues, For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.  We will be changed into incorruptible beings, but we will not become more than what God created us to be, and that is His servants.  We do not become gods of any sort.  Verse fifty-four states, So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory.  Paul is telling us that when Christ returns that death will have its final defeat.  Though through Christ we already have the ultimate victory over death, when Christ returns and we are changed into that incorruptible body, there will no longer be even the physical death we may endure now.  Verse fifty-five adds, O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?  Death will no longer have any power over us, and the grave will give up those who have gone before Christ's return.  Verse fifty-six continues, The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law.  Paul tells us because of sin death came into the world, and that by the law of God we can only be pronounced guilty of sin.  There is only One Who ever lived life free of sin, and that is Jesus Christ.  Verse fifty-seven declares, But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.  We cannot save ourselves, but we can praise God for making salvation possible through the sacrifice of Christ.  Verse fifty-eight adds, Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.  Paul tells us to be steadfast in our faith in Christ and to be abounding in our work for God.  As long as we put our faith in our salvation through Christ, we can be assured that we are His forever.  We need to have an unwavering faith as we abound in the work of God.