1 CORINTHIANS

1 CORINTHIANS 1:1-3

1 Paul, called to be an apostle of Jesus Christ through the will of God, and Sosthenes our brother,

2 To the church of God which is at Corinth, to those who are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints, with all who in every place call on the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, both theirs and ours:

3 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

In most of his letters, Paul is careful to present his credentials as an apostle and is careful to show who commissioned him. I suspect that he did this as the Greek word ‘apostolos’ means “one commissioned and sent” usually a title for a messenger on someone’s behalf. And seeing that the Corinthians were Greeks it was doubly important for Paul to identify himself. He presents Sosthenes as a traveling companion and addresses him as if he is known already to the church.

1 CORINTHIANS 1:4-9

4 I thank my God always concerning you for the grace of God which was given to you by Christ Jesus,

5 that you were enriched in everything by Him in all utterance and all knowledge,

6 even as the testimony of Christ was confirmed in you,

7 so that you come short in no gift, eagerly waiting for the revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ,

8 who will also confirm you to the end, that you may be blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ.

 9 God is faithful, by whom you were called into the fellowship of His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.

Paul is careful to remind his audience that they are saved by grace alone, not by their own perceived righteousness. This was good news to them, as the Greco-Roman gods were often times jealous, vain and cruel, punishing their worshipers on a whim. So the concept of a loving Savior who died freely for them must have been a breath of fresh air to them.

He also exhorts them to remember that they are part of a greater fellowship and that God would be with them forever.

1 CORINTHIANS 1:10-13

10 Now I plead with you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment.

11 For it has been declared to me concerning you, my brethren, by those of Chloe’s household, that there are contentions among you.

12 Now I say this, that each of you says, “I am of Paul,” or “I am of Apollos,” or “I am of Cephas,” or “I am of Christ.”

13 Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Or were you baptized in the name of Paul?

Unfortunately we have a multitude of denominations of Christian churches today which up until several years ago were separated by doctrinal differences. But now the great “falling away” prophesied by Paul is underway in which he stated;

2 THESSALONIANS 2:3-4

3 Let no one deceive you by any means; for that Day will not come unless the falling away comes first, and the man of sin is revealed, the son of perdition,

4 who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God or that is worshiped, so that he sits as God in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God.

And;

1 TIMOTHY 4:1-3

1 Now the Spirit expressly says that in latter times some will depart from the faith, giving heed to deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons,

2 speaking lies in hypocrisy, having their own conscience seared with a hot iron,

3 forbidding to marry, and commanding to abstain from foods which God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and know the truth.

One huge issue today that is splitting up churches and denominations is the issue of gays, with some churches ordaining and hiring gay pastors and performing gay weddings. Others are being neutralized by strange doctrines or man-made doctrines being taught as commandments.

The overall effect has been the drastic decline of Christianity world-wide as Satan’s control grows ever stronger during these Last Days.

The problem with the Corinthian church was that they identified with the teacher or preacher, rather than being one fellowship in Jesus. The Jews had the same problem and still do, teaching commandments of ancient Rabbis such as Gamaliel, Moses Maimonides, Rabbi Akiva, etc. as having the same authority as the Law of Moses, causing confusion and error.

Paul spoke of this when he said;

ACTS 22:3

3 “I am indeed a Jew, born in Tarsus of Cilicia, but brought up in this city at the feet of Gamaliel, taught according to the strictness of our fathers’ law, and was zealous toward God as you all are today.

Note he said the “strictness of our fathers’ law”, not the God-given Law of Moses. And while he was zealous for God, he admits that it, like Israel’s zeal, was misplaced.

ROMANS 10:2-4

2 For I bear them witness that they have a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge.

3 For they being ignorant of God’s righteousness, and seeking to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted to the righteousness of God.

4 For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes.

While it is good to admire a teacher, be sure that he/she teaches the Word in truth and remembering that the wisdom given them comes from God and give God the glory for that wisdom.

True teachers of God’s Word will not seek to promote themselves, but will give God the glory, as Jesus did;

JOHN 7:16

16 Jesus answered them and said, “My doctrine is not Mine, but His who sent Me.

And by elevating a teacher such as Paul, Apollos, Peter or any other man, you become disciples of that man, rather than disciples of Jesus.

1 CORINTHIANS 1:14-17

14 I thank God that I baptized none of you except Crispus and Gaius,

15 lest anyone should say that I had baptized in my own name.

16 Yes, I also baptized the household of Stephanas. Besides, I do not know whether I baptized any other.

17 For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel, not with wisdom of words, lest the cross of Christ should be made of no effect.

It appears that people were seeing baptism as more of a cult initiation ritual rather than being a public confession of being a follower of Jesus and being symbolically buried with Him and raised again into a new lifestyle.

Paul is careful to remind his audience to not think of him beyond what he was, a servant of God. He is also careful to point out that his wisdom and doctrine are not his own, but were given by God to elevate the finished work of Jesus Christ.

1 CORINTHIANS 1:18-25

18 For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.

19 For it is written: “I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent.”

20 Where is the wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the disputer of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of this world?

21 For since, in the wisdom of God, the world through wisdom did not know God, it pleased God through the foolishness of the message preached to save those who believe.

22 For Jews request a sign, and Greeks seek after wisdom;

23 but we preach Christ crucified, to the Jews a stumbling block and to the Greeks foolishness,

24 but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.

25 Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men.

In verse 25 above, Paul is not calling God weak or foolish, he is saying that the man-perceived foolishness and weakness of God’s salvation contradicts the wisdom of Man, and Satan spares no effort to blind Man to God’s plans.

For Man tends to see God (and man-made gods) as mighty and powerful, so it seems foolish to many for God to become human and humble Himself even to willingly suffer torture and death on a cross for His servants.

The Greeks wanted wisdom, but wisdom that followed and suited their pre-conceived worldly understanding. The Jews in turn did (and still do) avoid Isaiah 53, which portrays the Messiah as a suffering servant. That’s why they reject Jesus as He did not fit their idea of what the Messiah should be. As God prophesied through Isaiah;

ISAIAH 8:14-15 

14 He will be as a sanctuary, but a stone of stumbling and a rock of offense to both the houses of Israel, as a trap and a snare to the inhabitants of Jerusalem.

15 And many among them shall stumble; they shall fall and be broken, be snared and taken.”

1 CORINTHIANS 1:26-31

26 For you see your calling, brethren, that not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called.

27 But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty;

28 and the base things of the world and the things which are despised God has chosen, and the things which are not, to bring to nothing the things that are,

29 that no flesh should glory in His presence.

30 But of Him you are in Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God—and righteousness and sanctification and redemption—

31 that, as it is written, “He who glories, let him glory in the Lord.”

God delights in using insignificant, weak and despised things to bring down the mighty and confound the wise. Scripture is rife with examples:

1. Who would have believed that Abraham, now an old man of nearly 100 years of age, would slaughter the armies of 5 mighty Mesopotamian kings with only 318 trained servants?

2. Gideon, a humble farmer in Israel defeated a massive confederation of Midianites and Amalekites whose number were compared to a swarm of locusts, with only 300 men.

3. David, a unarmored young teenager killed a heavily armed and armored giant named Goliath in a one-on-one battle with only a sling and a stone.

4. Jesus, then 12 years old, confounded the experts and teachers of the Law as well as the lawyers with His understanding of the Law of Moses and with His questions.

5. The twelve apostles, composed of ignorant fishermen who could neither read nor write and an educated but despised tax collector named Matthew shook the world with their preaching and still do even after 2,000 years.

6. The Christians with their simple message of love brought down the mighty, brutal Roman Empire

What better way to show your power than to use weak and despised things to bring down and humble mighty things? The person or thing being used cannot exalt itself as if it had happened through their own strength, but the power of God is clearly displayed when it happens.

1 CORINTHIANS 2:1-5

1 And I, brethren, when I came to you, did not come with excellence of speech or of wisdom declaring to you the testimony of God.

2 For I determined not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified.

3 I was with you in weakness, in fear, and in much trembling.

4 And my speech and my preaching were not with persuasive words of human wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power,

5 that your faith should not be in the wisdom of men but in the power of God.

Paul is careful to ensure that his audience does not think of him as anything but a preacher of God’s Word, not a divine messenger or great man. Scripture states that his personal appearance was nothing noteworthy, and his manner of speech wasn’t that good either;

As some of his Corinthian detractors later said;

2 CORINTHIANS 10:10

10 “For his letters,” they say, “are weighty and powerful, but his bodily presence is weak, and his speech contemptible.”

Personal appearance and excellency of speech mean nothing to God. Scripture states that Moses couldn’t speak well;

EXODUS 4:10

10 Then Moses said to the Lord, “O my Lord, I am not eloquent, neither before nor since You have spoken to Your servant; but I am slow of speech and slow of tongue.”

And even the prophet Isaiah describes the coming Messiah’s personal appearance as unimpressive;

ISAIAH 53:2

2 For He shall grow up before Him as a tender plant, and as a root out of dry ground. He has no form or comeliness; and when we see Him, there is no beauty that we should desire Him.

Many religions use strong speeches and fiery rhetoric to attract followers. The Arab ‘prophet’ Mohammad said that Allah did not send him to perform miracles and instead used armed force and intimidation to spread his religion.

Paul also reminds his audience that he proved the reality and truth of his preaching with demonstrations of power from the Holy Spirit and showed that they were not from himself but from Jesus whom he preached.

1 CORINTHIANS 2:6-9

6 However, we speak wisdom among those who are mature, yet not the wisdom of this age, nor of the rulers of this age, who are coming to nothing.

7 But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, the hidden wisdom which God ordained before the ages for our glory,

8 which none of the rulers of this age knew; for had they known, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.

9 But as it is written: “Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for those who love Him.”

The wisdom of God through the New Testament is nothing like the philosophy or reasoning of Man’s knowledge which is why it appears as foolishness or fairy-tales to a lot of people. And of course, Satan works overtime to blind Man’s eyes to God’s wisdom.

But to those whom the Holy Spirit has removed the spiritual blindness of this world, it makes perfect sense. And Paul is right, if evil men and Satan had known that Jesus would sacrifice Himself for the sins of the world, they would not have killed Him.

The imagination and understanding of God exceeds that of Man as much as Heaven is above the Earth. Just look at the wonders of nature itself, at the creatures God has created. The variety of life on this planet is bewildering, with some forms living comfortably in scalding water next to undersea volcano vents, to those living in solid ice and bacteria have been found thriving several miles beneath the crust in hellish temperatures and unbelievable pressures!

1 CORINTHIANS 2:10-12

10 But God has revealed them to us through His Spirit. For the Spirit searches all things, yes, the deep things of God.

11 For what man knows the things of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him? Even so no one knows the things of God except the Spirit of God.

12 Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things that have been freely given to us by God.

Without the Holy Spirit to teach us about God, we would know little if anything about Him. Just look at the man-made religions around the world, ranging from human sacrifice (Aztec / Inca) to ritual bathing in rivers (Hindu / Buddhist) to elaborate ritualism (Roman Catholic / Greek Orthodox) and many others. They promise freedom from sin and access to Heaven, but are merely Man’s ignorant attempts to fill the need for God in our lives, without actually worshiping God.

1 CORINTHIANS 2:13-16

13 These things we also speak, not in words which man’s wisdom teaches but which the Holy Spirit teaches, comparing spiritual things with spiritual.

14 But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.

15 But he who is spiritual judges all things, yet he himself is rightly judged by no one.

16 For “who has known the mind of the Lord that he may instruct Him?” But we have the mind of Christ.

The indwelling Holy Spirit can help us differentiate between the philosophy and wisdom of Man and that of God. Yet those who do not have the Spirit find the wisdom of God to be foolishness at best, and they deride and persecute those who follow after righteousness.

I CORINTHIANS 3:1-4

1 And I, brethren, could not speak to you as to spiritual people but as to carnal, as to babes in Christ.

2 I fed you with milk and not with solid food; for until now you were not able to receive it, and even now you are still not able;

3 for you are still carnal. For where there are envy, strife, and divisions among you, are you not carnal and behaving like mere men?

4 For when one says, “I am of Paul,” and another, “I am of Apollos,” are you not carnal?

Satan loves division, as a divided Church is no threat to him. God’s Word is simple; love God, and love each other. But when Man begins adding his own interpretations to God’s commandments, the simplicity of the Gospel is complicated by unnecessary rules and laws which create confusion and hardship.

1 CORINTHIANS 3:5-8

5 Who then is Paul, and who is Apollos, but ministers through whom you believed, as the Lord gave to each one?

6 I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the increase.

7 So then neither he who plants is anything, nor he who waters, but God who gives the increase.

8 Now he who plants and he who waters are one, and each one will receive his own reward according to his own labor.

Like a house being built, one lays the foundation, another builds on it. Is either builder better than the other? Do they not have the same goal in mind, building the house? Paul laid the foundation, introducing believers to Jesus, Apollos taught the principles of faith and worship, both having the same goal in mind, the perfection of believers’ faith in God and Jesus Christ. Neither is better than the other, both are laborers in Jesus and both will be rewarded for their contributions and work.

Remember, God is no respecter of persons, in other words if you, Moses, Elijah, Daniel and Paul stood before Him, He would view all of you equally, sinners saved by grace. As Scripture says;

ROMANS 2:11

11 For there is no respect of persons with God.

We are all given assignments by God according to His purposes, and if one person’s ministry seems to be greater than another’s is that because God thinks the person with the popular ministry is greater than one with a more humble one?

No. Remember, the Pharisees and Sadducees had many followers and were greatly respected by the public, yet Jesus publicly rebuked them for their self-importance and arrogance;

MATTHEW 23:5-7

5 But all their works they do to be seen by men. They make their phylacteries broad and enlarge the borders of their garments.

6 They love the best places at feasts, the best seats in the synagogues,

7 greetings in the marketplaces, and to be called by men, ‘Rabbi, Rabbi.’

They were assigned by God to be teachers of the Law, a prestigious position indeed, yet they exalted themselves and used their positions for self-aggrandizement rather than for furthering God’s kingdom and shepherding God’s people.

But to whom did Jesus entrust with the Gospel message? To lowly, ignorant fishermen who could neither read nor write, and a despised tax-collector. Peter and John who were pillars of the early Church were arrested by the Sanhedrin for preaching in the name of Jesus. Yet they answered boldly and astounded the Sanhedrin with their defense. Scripture also states of them;

ACTS 4:13

13 Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were unlearned and ignorant men, they marvelled; and they took knowledge of them, that they had been with Jesus.

Tax collectors were generally despised as they collected taxes for the hated Romans and enriched themselves by adding their own cut to the required taxes as well. The common people could neither read nor write so they had to pay the amount they were told was due without question, or face the wrath of the Roman government.

As Peter and John showed and as the Sanhedrin noted, God’s power is displayed the strongest through the meek and lowly.

1 CORINTHIANS 3:9-15

9 For we are God’s fellow workers; you are God’s field, you are God’s building.

10 According to the grace of God which was given to me, as a wise master builder I have laid the foundation, and another builds on it. But let each one take heed how he builds on it.

11 For no other foundation can anyone lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ.

12 Now if anyone builds on this foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw,

13 each one’s work will become clear; for the Day will declare it, because it will be revealed by fire; and the fire will test each one’s work, of what sort it is.

14 If anyone’s work which he has built on it endures, he will receive a reward.

15 If anyone’s work is burned, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire.

Our foundation for our faith is Jesus Christ. Our works build on this foundation and the fire of Judgment will test our works, much as metals are tested and refined by fire. If our works are done from a sincere heart for God’s glory and in accordance with His will, they will remain and we will be rewarded.

But if we do our own will in God’s name or for our own glory and aggrandizement, we will be rebuked by God, our works will be discredited, and we will suffer the fire of His wrath as He shows our true motives for the works.

I met a man one time, an author (Howard Pittman, author of “Placebo”) who had died and had been carried by angels to Heaven. However he wanted to plead with God for an extension of his life, so he stood outside of the gates of Heaven and watched people enter.

The angels told him to speak and God would hear him. He then spoke, telling God about all he had done for Him, and the reasons he felt that God should grant his request. God was silent the entire time.

When he was finished, he said that the wrath that came over the wall knocked him on his face and he lay there in agony as God went back over his life showing that all he had done was for himself in God’s name and how dare he call that a life of service? Howard kept frantically trying to deny this in his mind, but his spirit knew it was true. When God was finished, He then spoke to Howard in tones of sorrow, showing that He was hurting along with Howard. He then granted Howard’s request and he awoke in the hospital.

Howard then wrote the books “Placebo” in which he details his death experience and how Satan is lulling and destroying the churches, and “Demons, An Eyewitness Account” in which he relates that when he died, the angels took him on a tour of Satan’s kingdom where he saw demons in their natural forms and watched a man become demon-possessed before being taken to Heaven to speak with God.

So if any of our works are discredited before Jesus at our Judgment, we will suffer His wrath but will not be sentenced to destruction. And if any of our works pass His Judgment, we will receive praise and be rewarded for our labors.

1 CORINTHIANS 3:16-17

16 Do you not know that you are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?

17 If anyone defiles the temple of God, God will destroy him. For the temple of God is holy, which temple you are.

When the Temple in Jerusalem was destroyed, God signaled that there was no longer a need for an Earthly, man-made Temple. The Law of Moses, a Law of works which required worship and sacrifice at the Temple had been fulfilled, and had been replaced by a better spiritual Covenant. God would now dwell in the hearts of His children, the closest He can get to us this side of eternity.

Our bodies are now His Temple and if we defile ourselves through sinful works, do we not defile His Temple? That is what made the doctrine of the Nicolaitans mentioned in the book of Revelation so poisonous. They taught that the flesh was evil and could not be saved, but the spirit was kept pure in Jesus - therefore they could indulge in whatever fleshly sin they wanted, but the spirit would remain unstained by sin. Is it any wonder that God told the churches of Revelation that He hated this doctrine?

There have been arguments raised asking if smoking defiles the body. Smoking is indeed detrimental to the human body and could be construed as defilement. But I’ve received no clear word from the Lord on the issue, so that would need to be settled between the believer and God.

1 CORINTHIANS 3:18-23

18 Let no one deceive himself. If anyone among you seems to be wise in this age, let him become a fool that he may become wise.

19 For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God. For it is written, “He catches the wise in their own craftiness”;

20 and again, “The Lord knows the thoughts of the wise, that they are futile.”

21 Therefore let no one boast in men. For all things are yours:

22 whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas, or the world or life or death, or things present or things to come—all are yours.

23 And you are Christ’s, and Christ is God’s.

When referring to the wisdom of this world, Paul is referring to the philosophical doctrines popular during his time, the teachings of Plato, Stoics, Nicolaitans and Jewish philosophy, all of which could not provide salvation.

The message of salvation through Jesus was a stumbling block to the Jews and foolishness to the Greeks and Romans, causing Paul to make a tongue-in-cheek comment for men to become fools (learning about salvation through Jesus) that they may become truly wise.

We are all brethren to each other, and brethren to Jesus; as the author of Hebrews states;

HEBREWS 2:10-12

10 For it was fitting for Him, for whom are all things and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons to glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings.

11 For both He who sanctifies and those who are being sanctified are all of one, for which reason He is not ashamed to call them brethren,

12 saying:“I will declare Your name to My brethren; in the midst of the assembly I will sing praise to You.”

And if we are brethren to Jesus, as He has been given all things by His Father, we in turn are inheritors to all He has. As Paul stated;

ROMANS 8:16-17

16 The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God,

17 and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together.

1 CORINTHIANS 4:1-5

1 Let a man so consider us, as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God.

2 Moreover it is required in stewards that one be found faithful.

3 But with me it is a very small thing that I should be judged by you or by a human court. In fact, I do not even judge myself.

4 For I know of nothing against myself, yet I am not justified by this; but He who judges me is the Lord.

5 Therefore judge nothing before the time, until the Lord comes, who will both bring to light the hidden things of darkness and reveal the counsels of the hearts. Then each one’s praise will come from God.

We should never judge ourselves as to how righteous we are as compared to others, for as Paul says;

2 CORINTHIANS 10:12

12 For we dare not class ourselves or compare ourselves with those who commend themselves. But they, measuring themselves by themselves, and comparing themselves among themselves, are not wise.

If we compare ourselves to others as to measure righteousness, we’re comparing ourselves against faulty standards. As the prophet Isaiah lamented;

ISAIAH 64:6

6 But we are all like an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are like filthy rags; we all fade as a leaf, and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away.

The Pharisees portrayed themselves as pillars of righteousness, and what did Jesus say about them?

MATTHEW 23:27

27 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs which indeed appear beautiful outwardly, but inside are full of dead men’s bones and all uncleanness.

And;

MATTHEW 23:33

33 Serpents, brood of vipers! How can you escape the condemnation of Hell?

Our righteousness comes through Jesus, who has taken away the filthy rags of our righteousness and has replaced them with robes of His righteousness. As the prophet Isaiah exulted;

ISAIAH 61:10

10 I will greatly rejoice in the Lord, my soul shall be joyful in my God; for He has clothed me with the garments of salvation, He has covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decks himself with ornaments, and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.

1 CORINTHIANS 4:6-7

6 Now these things, brethren, I have figuratively transferred to myself and Apollos for your sakes, that you may learn in us not to think beyond what is written, that none of you may be puffed up on behalf of one against the other.

7 For who makes you differ from another? And what do you have that you did not receive? Now if you did indeed receive it, why do you boast as if you had not received it?

Paul uses himself and Apollos as examples of proper behavior, for they didn’t elevate themselves in the eyes of men, nor did they portray themselves as being better than anyone else.

Paul then levels the playing field by pointing out that in God’s eyes none of us differ, we are ALL sinners equally in need of salvation. We have seen His view of our human righteousness, so how is it that we set ourselves as being better than someone else?

Everything that we have has been given to us by God, so why do we act as if we became this way on our own? There is an old expression that holds true even today. When seeing someone else, think “There, but for the grace of God, go I.”

1 CORINTHIANS 4:8-13

8 You are already full! You are already rich! You have reigned as kings without us—and indeed I could wish you did reign, that we also might reign with you!

9 For I think that God has displayed us, the apostles, last, as men condemned to death; for we have been made a spectacle to the world, both to angels and to men.

10 We are fools for Christ’s sake, but you are wise in Christ! We are weak, but you are strong! You are distinguished, but we are dishonored!

11 To the present hour we both hunger and thirst, and we are poorly clothed, and beaten, and homeless.

12 And we labor, working with our own hands. Being reviled, we bless; being persecuted, we endure;

13 being defamed, we entreat. We have been made as the filth of the world, the offscouring of all things until now.

Paul somewhat sardonically points out that the Corinthian church has been greatly blessed by God to the point of where they look down on others. But Paul warns them about becoming proud, arrogant and self-righteous. He points out that while they have homes and churches to enrich their lives, they are well-fed and highly thought of by others, they are no more righteous than he and should not set themselves apart as if they were better than anyone else.

1 CORINTHIANS 4:14-17

14 I do not write these things to shame you, but as my beloved children I warn you.

15 For though you might have ten thousand instructors in Christ, yet you do not have many fathers; for in Christ Jesus I have begotten you through the gospel.

16 Therefore I urge you, imitate me.

17 For this reason I have sent Timothy to you, who is my beloved and faithful son in the Lord, who will remind you of my ways in Christ, as I teach everywhere in every church.

In all of his epistles, Paul treats each church congregation as if they were his children, which they were so to speak, as they became “born again” through salvation in Jesus through Paul’s evangelization and teaching.

He uses his lifestyle as an example of Godly conduct, God’s approval being shown by the power of the Holy Spirit within him, and the miracles he performed through Jesus. He also sent Timothy who was like a son to him to bolster their faith and correct any errors or misconduct that might have crept in during Paul’s absence.

1 CORINTHIANS 4:18-21

18 Now some are puffed up, as though I were not coming to you.

19 But I will come to you shortly, if the Lord wills, and I will know, not the word of those who are puffed up, but the power.

20 For the kingdom of God is not in word but in power.

21 What do you want? Shall I come to you with a rod, or in love and a spirit of gentleness?

Paul warns the church that he will be coming shortly and will confront the pompous and arrogant members of the church in the power of the Holy Spirit unless they repent and behave. He gives them a choice; either he comes as a loving father or as a stern disciplinarian.

1 CORINTHIANS 5:1-5

1 It is actually reported that there is sexual immorality among you, and such sexual immorality as is not even named among the Gentiles—that a man has his father’s wife!

2 And you are puffed up, and have not rather mourned, that he who has done this deed might be taken away from among you.

3 For I indeed, as absent in body but present in spirit, have already judged (as though I were present) him who has so done this deed.

4 In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, when you are gathered together, along with my spirit, with the power of our Lord Jesus Christ,

5 to deliver such a one to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that his spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus.

Paul is appalled at the conduct of one of the members of the church who is having regular sexual relations with his own mother, something too disgusting for the Gentiles to even name. And even worse, the members of the church apparently condone his actions, thus defiling the whole church.

I suspect that Paul remembered God’s lament concerning the sins of Judah forcing Him to bring the Babylonians against Jerusalem. He told the prophet Ezekiel concerning Jerusalem;

EZEKIEL 22:4b-5

4b You have caused your days to draw near, and have come to the end of your years; therefore I have made you a reproach to the nations, and a mockery to all countries.

5 Those near and those far from you will mock you as infamous and full of tumult.

And;

EZEKIEL 22:9-11

9 In you are men who slander to cause bloodshed; in you are those who eat on the mountains; in your midst they commit lewdness.

10 In you men uncover their fathers’ nakedness; in you they violate women who are set apart during their impurity.

11 One commits abomination with his neighbor’s wife; another lewdly defiles his daughter-in-law; and another in you violates his sister, his father’s daughter.

Men were having sex with their own mothers (uncovering father’s nakedness), and having sex with women during their “periods”, committing adultery with their neighbors’ wives, and with their own sisters and daughters-in-law, all forbidden by the Law of Moses.

God’s rage and disgust was so great that He told the prophet Jeremiah concerning the upcoming Babylonian siege of Jerusalem;

JEREMIAH 19:9

9 And I will cause them to eat the flesh of their sons and the flesh of their daughters, and everyone shall eat the flesh of his friend in the siege and in the desperation with which their enemies and those who seek their lives shall drive them to despair.” ’

They had ample warning, for even Moses had warned;

DEUTERONOMY 28:52-57

52 “They shall besiege you at all your gates until your high and fortified walls, in which you trust, come down throughout all your land; and they shall besiege you at all your gates throughout all your land which the Lord your God has given you.

53 You shall eat the fruit of your own body, the flesh of your sons and your daughters whom the Lord your God has given you, in the siege and desperate straits in which your enemy shall distress you.

54 The sensitive and very refined man among you will be hostile toward his brother, toward the wife of his bosom, and toward the rest of his children whom he leaves behind,

55 so that he will not give any of them the flesh of his children whom he will eat, because he has nothing left in the siege and desperate straits in which your enemy shall distress you at all your gates.

56 The tender and delicate woman among you, who would not venture to set the sole of her foot on the ground because of her delicateness and sensitivity, will refuse to the husband of her bosom, and to her son and her daughter,

57 her placenta which comes out from between her feet and her children whom she bears; for she will eat them secretly for lack of everything in the siege and desperate straits in which your enemy shall distress you at all your gates.

Sin is like a cancer, if left untreated or ignored it will spread rapidly throughout the body eventually destroying the body. The Church is the Body of Christ and sin is the spiritual cancer that seeks to destroy the body. Sin must be confronted and stopped before it can spread.

Paul had no authority to deliver the wicked man to Satan, but I suspect that he had determined to order the man to be removed from the church, removing sin from the church and giving Satan access to the man without the protection of the church body.

In a way this falls within the realm of a vision I had some years ago. I was attending a strong Foursquare church when suddenly in my mind I was looking outside at the parking lot. Pacing and snarling a good distance away was a huge, frustrated tiger.

I had seen this tiger in a dream some years before and the Lord had identified it as Satan. I had to grin in delight as the power of the Holy Spirit was so strong in the church that Satan couldn’t get near it. It was comforting to know that Satan gets frustrated too.

Thus I believe that Paul was advocating the removal of the wicked man from the church.

1 CORINTHIANS 5:6-8

6 Your glorying is not good. Do you not know that a little leaven leavens the whole lump?

7 Therefore purge out the old leaven, that you may be a new lump, since you truly are unleavened. For indeed Christ, our Passover, was sacrificed for us.

8 Therefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, nor with the leaven of malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.

Leaven (yeast) has long been used as an allegory to represent sin. Just as yeast permeates a lump of bread dough, even so sin permeates each believer and the body of Christ as a whole. Jesus used leaven as an example of sin while crossing the Sea of Galilee when He said to the disciples;

MATTHEW 16:5-12

5 Now when His disciples had come to the other side, they had forgotten to take bread.

6 Then Jesus said to them, “Take heed and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and the Sadducees.”

7 And they reasoned among themselves, saying, “It is because we have taken no bread.”

8 But Jesus, being aware of it, said to them, “O you of little faith, why do you reason among yourselves because you have brought no bread?

9 Do you not yet understand, or remember the five loaves of the five thousand and how many baskets you took up?

10 Nor the seven loaves of the four thousand and how many large baskets you took up?

11 How is it you do not understand that I did not speak to you concerning bread?—but to beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees.”

12 Then they understood that He did not tell them to beware of the leaven of bread, but of the doctrine of the Pharisees and Sadducees.

1 CORINTHIANS 5:9-13

9 I wrote to you in my epistle not to keep company with sexually immoral people.

10 Yet I certainly did not mean with the sexually immoral people of this world, or with the covetous, or extortioners, or idolaters, since then you would need to go out of the world.

11 But now I have written to you not to keep company with anyone named a brother, who is sexually immoral, or covetous, or an idolater, or a reviler, or a drunkard, or an extortioner—not even to eat with such a person.

12 For what have I to do with judging those also who are outside? Do you not judge those who are inside?

13 But those who are outside God judges. Therefore “put away from yourselves the evil person.”

Paul correctly states that we are to watch over the church members to ensure that sinful behavior is identified and swiftly dealt with. We cannot judge those outside the church, as only God has that right.

But if we hear about continued sinful behavior within the church, God has given us authority to deal with the problem, up to and including banning the person from the fellowship.

A case in point about being diligent to confront sin in the church. The following is a true story.

I had just come home from a 8-month patrol overseas while in the Navy and my wife had warned me that our church had received a new pastor and she felt uneasy about him. She stayed home on Sundays until I got back.

The following Sunday I took my family to the church, and as soon as I walked in I felt it. It was a coldness, spiritual coldness, not physical. Being experienced in spiritual warfare, I knew that there was demonic activity within the church, but didn’t know how or where.

The pastor began to preach and my feeling of uneasiness grew. Looking about, I saw nothing obvious. I fervently prayed for answers, and when the service was over we went to leave. As we reached the door, the pastor reached out and shook my hand. As he did, I felt it. It was him!!! He was the source of demon activity!!

I was stunned!!! I kept thinking, “This cannot be!!! He is the Lord’s anointed pastor!” Deeply shaken, I prayed all week about the issue and the following week again attended the church. Halfway through the service, I clearly heard the Lord tell me, “GET OUT! GET OUT OF THIS CHURCH!” I immediately took my family, quietly left and didn’t go back.

To make a long story short, I was asked by the elders why I had left and not come back. I explained what I had discovered and it confirmed suspicions that they had concerning the pastor. They eventually got him out, but he tore the church fellowship apart before he left.

And I later found out that he had been to Africa and had put voodoo fetish dolls on display in the Church allowing Satan legal access to the church. Worse, no one in the congregation had protested when he did so.

Without the Spiritual gift of discernment I might not have noticed what was going on. So remember, the Gifts are still active today and spiritual warfare is very real. For information on the Gifts and their uses, please see the study on the subject in this site.

1 CORINTHIANS 6:1-6

1 Dare any of you, having a matter against another, go to law before the unrighteous, and not before the saints?

2 Do you not know that the saints will judge the world? And if the world will be judged by you, are you unworthy to judge the smallest matters?

3 Do you not know that we shall judge angels? How much more, things that pertain to this life?

4 If then you have judgments concerning things pertaining to this life, do you appoint those who are least esteemed by the church to judge?

5 I say this to your shame. Is it so, that there is not a wise man among you, not even one, who will be able to judge between his brethren?

6 But brother goes to law against brother, and that before unbelievers!

Unfortunately many churches today are a shadow of what they should be. In the early 1800's a man in Europe was commissioned to come to America to see what made America so great. He toured the cities, factories, farms and shipping ports, then returned to Europe. He told his sponsors that none of the places he toured made America great. What made America so great he said, were the sermons thundering from the pulpits every Sunday in churches. Could he say that today?

While going to Bible college, I was asked to perform the duties of an interim pastor at a small church whose pastor had left. After preaching my first sermon, an 80 year old man came to me, shook my hand and said he hadn’t heard a fire-and-brimstone sermon like that in years. Sadly, there are few ministers willing to preach hard sermons today, which is why churches become weak and powerless.

If church members have a dispute, they should try to settle it within the church if at all possible. Granted, there are some things that require legal counsel and representation, but why take lesser matters to court? If it is possible, settle it within the church and don’t clog the judicial system with petty lawsuits. That’s already being done in today’s world of greedy, lawsuit-happy non-believers. God has given us wisdom and sound judgment so surely there will be someone wise enough to mediate disputes within the church.

1 CORINTHIANS 6:7-8

7 Now therefore, it is already an utter failure for you that you go to law against one another. Why do you not rather accept wrong? Why do you not rather let yourselves be cheated?

8 No, you yourselves do wrong and cheat, and you do these things to your brethren!

This can be a tough one, being cheated, slandered and wronged, especially by those professing to be believers. We must remember not to take our own revenge, for God is an avenger of wrongdoing. As Paul said;

ROMANS 10:19

19 Beloved, do not avenge yourselves, but rather give place to wrath; for it is written, “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,” says the Lord.

A good example: Some years ago we were beset by vandals who kept egging our house, shooting paintballs at our windows and speeding off before we could catch them. I was becoming extremely frustrated as it kept happening and when I prayed about it, God reminded me of the Scripture above, and it didn’t help when the police told me to not try to take my own revenge either.

So I clamped a lid on my anger and waited as the attacks continued. Finally several months later, the vandals egged a car that was sitting on the side of the road. However the car was an unmarked police car with a police detective sitting inside.

He busted them (4 Senior High students) and the attacks stopped. The detective was an active witness and the four were convicted of vandalism and assault and now had police records.

We must remember that justice delayed is not justice denied. We may not see God’s revenge but that does not mean that it won’t happen. Judas Iscariot was a thief who stole money from the disciples’ common money box. Scripture says, after a woman had poured very expensive oil of spikenard over Jesus’ head as an anointing oil;

JOHN 12:4-6

4 But one of His disciples, Judas Iscariot, Simon’s son, who would betray Him, said,

5 “Why was this fragrant oil not sold for three hundred denarii and given to the poor?”

6 This he said, not that he cared for the poor, but because he was a thief, and had the money box; and he used to take what was put in it.

(300 denarii was about the equivalent to a year’s wage for a common worker) Jesus obviously knew about Judas’ thieving ways, but gave him time to repent, which he never did. He is now suffering in Hell for his sins.

1 CORINTHIANS 6:9-11

9 Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites,

10 nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God.

11 And such were some of you. But you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God.

Paul lays it on the line here, denoting the sinful behaviors of the unrighteous. This makes the behaviors of some churches so puzzling in that they condemn adultery, theft, drunkenness and the like, yet allow or even embrace homosexual behaviors even to the point of ordaining gay and lesbian ministers.

God has condemned homosexual behavior in both Testaments, so how do churches today allow it and even teach that “God made them that way”? Would it not be unrighteous of God to create homosexuals then condemn them for their behaviors? Did God act unrightously when He destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah and the cities of the plain for their homosexual behavior?

Some have said, “Jesus never condemned homosexuals!” True. He didn’t have to, the Law was already clear concerning the issue. God had said;

LEVITICUS 18:22

22 You shall not lie with a male as with a woman. It is an abomination.

This is another reason to keep accusations of wrongdoing within the church, namely to avoid airing “dirty laundry” in public. As Jesus said for us to do;

MATTHEW 18:15-17

15 “Moreover if your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault between you and him alone. If he hears you, you have gained your brother.

16 But if he will not hear, take with you one or two more, that ‘by the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established.’

17 And if he refuses to hear them, tell it to the church. But if he refuses even to hear the church, let him be to you like a heathen and a tax collector.

If a habitual sinner within the Church fails to listen to you, several others or the Church as a whole, have the elders and the pastor boot the person out, thereby removing the source of evil.

1 CORINTHIANS 6:12-20

12 All things are lawful for me, but all things are not helpful. All things are lawful for me, but I will not be brought under the power of any.

13 Foods for the stomach and the stomach for foods, but God will destroy both it and them. Now the body is not for sexual immorality but for the Lord, and the Lord for the body.

14 And God both raised up the Lord and will also raise us up by His power.

15 Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ? Shall I then take the members of Christ and make them members of a harlot? Certainly not!

16 Or do you not know that he who is joined to a harlot is one body with her? For “the two,” He says, “shall become one flesh.”

17 But he who is joined to the Lord is one spirit with Him.

18 Flee sexual immorality. Every sin that a man does is outside the body, but he who commits sexual immorality sins against his own body.

19 Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own?

20 For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s.

Paul is reminding us that our bodies are the Temple of the Lord and we need to make sure we keep our bodies sinless by not doing anything harmful to it. Remember, “everything in moderation”, be it eating, drinking, etc. We should not let any form of behavior enslave us such as consuming excess foods or alcohol. Both are lawful to consume, but too much of either is harmful.

When having sex outside of marriage, you become married to whomever you have sex with, for in God’s eyes, sexual union seals a marriage. Therefore if you sleep around, every time you have sex with a new partner, you commit adultery against the previous one.

And by your disobedience any demon(s) inhabiting your partner now have legal access to inhabit both of you, as you have become “one flesh”. Satan does NOT want you to know this! Sexual immorality is one of his most effective traps to bring Man into bondage, and he is far too successful at it.

Therefore we must strive to be holy in both body and spirit.

1 CORINTHIANS 7:1-9

1 Now concerning the things of which you wrote to me: It is good for a man not to touch a woman.

2 Nevertheless, because of sexual immorality, let each man have his own wife, and let each woman have her own husband.

3 Let the husband render to his wife the affection due her, and likewise also the wife to her husband.

4 The wife does not have authority over her own body, but the husband does. And likewise the husband does not have authority over his own body, but the wife does.

5 Do not deprive one another except with consent for a time, that you may give yourselves to fasting and prayer; and come together again so that Satan does not tempt you because of your lack of self-control.

6 But I say this as a concession, not as a commandment.

7 For I wish that all men were even as I myself. But each one has his own gift from God, one in this manner and another in that.

8 But I say to the unmarried and to the widows: it is good for them if they remain even as I am;

9 but if they cannot exercise self-control, let them marry. For it is better to marry than to burn with passion.

I want to point out something in verse 7 above. Paul was celibate and he says that is a GIFT from God. Celibacy is NOT required of God’s ministers as the Roman Catholic Church (and perhaps others) teach. We have seen the horrible results of forced celibacy in the form of rampant child molestation and rape by Roman Catholic priests. And in verse 9, Paul says if they cannot voluntarily remain celibate, let them marry, something the Roman Catholic church forbids.

They teach that as Jesus was celibate, priests should remain celibate in order to remain pure, although Scripture has no such commandment. Peter (Cephas) and the apostles were married as were Jesus’ brothers. As Paul would later ask;

1 CORINTHIANS 9:5

5 Do we have no right to take along a believing wife, as do also the other apostles, the brothers of the Lord, and Cephas?

Jesus never commanded anyone to remain celibate and Paul says it is a gift. Roman Catholic authorities quote Matthew 19:12 to justify celibacy;

MATTHEW 19:12

12 For there are eunuchs who were born thus from their mother’s womb, and there are eunuchs who were made eunuchs by men, and there are eunuchs who have made themselves eunuchs for the kingdom of heaven’s sake. He who is able to accept it, let him accept it.

Several things to note here. A eunuch is someone who does not, or cannot perform sexually. Some are born with a low sex drive (I knew such a man) while others became eunuchs through a physical accident or through deliberate castration by men.

In ancient times court officials such as advisors, palace and harem guards were made eunuchs by the ruling king. Some kings, such as the Babylonians took young educated men from among captives from other nations and made them court advisors after castrating them. The prophet Daniel and his friends appear to have had this happen to them.

Note the very last sentence in Matthew 12:19 above. Jesus says that those able to be a voluntary eunuch, let them do so. But there is no requirement in Scripture to become a eunuch.

Add to this that there is nowhere in the New Testament that establishes a priesthood for the Christian churches. Any New Testament priesthood has been created by Man, not by God.

The Old Testament priesthood was destroyed by God in 70 A.D. along with the Temple as with Jesus’ death and resurrection there was no longer a need for a priesthood, for the Law of Moses had been replaced by a better Covenant. And with the new Covenant we were all made priests to God with Jesus as our High Priest. And with all of us being priests, there is no need for a separate priesthood.

Peter, writing to the Gentile Christian churches said;

1 PETER 2:9-10

9 But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light;

10 who once were not a people but are now the people of God, who had not obtained mercy but now have obtained mercy.

John, writing in Revelation said;

REVELATION 1:5b-6

5b To Him who loved us and washed us from our sins in His own blood,

6 and has made us kings and priests to His God and Father, to Him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.

John also saw 24 elders worshiping God and Jesus in Heaven. The elders sang a song to God, saying;

REVELATION 5:9-10

9 And they sang a new song, saying:“You are worthy to take the scroll, and to open its seals; for You were slain, and have redeemed us to God by Your blood out of every tribe and tongue and people and nation,

10 And have made us kings and priests to our God; and we shall reign on the earth.”

Therefore we have all been made priests to God under the authority of Jesus Christ, our High Priest.

1 CORINTHIANS 7:10-11

10 Now to the married I command, yet not I but the Lord: A wife is not to depart from her husband.

11 But even if she does depart, let her remain unmarried or be reconciled to her husband. And a husband is not to divorce his wife.

Divorces today are at an all-time high, with many couples calling it quits for a multitude of reasons. Some reasons are legitimate such as adultery, fornication or abuse. God never planned it this way, He would rather couples work it out rather than divorce. My wife and I have been married for 40 years now, so while it takes hard work by both parties, it can be done.

The reason for such a hard commandment I think, is because men were divorcing their wives for frivolous reasons. The Pharisees had asked Jesus;

MATTHEW 19:3

3 The Pharisees also came to Him, testing Him, and saying to Him, “Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for just any reason?”

The key here is “for just any reason”. Divorce is a serious problem in God’s eyes. Most problems can be worked out, but only if both parties are willing to work at it. However God wants us to understand the seriousness of what we do before going through a divorce.

1 CORINTHIANS 7:12-16

12 But to the rest I, not the Lord, say: If any brother has a wife who does not believe, and she is willing to live with him, let him not divorce her.

13 And a woman who has a husband who does not believe, if he is willing to live with her, let her not divorce him.

14 For the unbelieving husband is sanctified by the wife, and the unbelieving wife is sanctified by the husband; otherwise your children would be unclean, but now they are holy.

15 But if the unbeliever departs, let him depart; a brother or a sister is not under bondage in such cases. But God has called us to peace.

16 For how do you know, O wife, whether you will save your husband? Or how do you know, O husband, whether you will save your wife?

This is an interesting twist. Many couples are unbelievers when they marry, but one may become a believer later. This could pose a problem as demons working through the unbeliever would work hard at making the believer miserable and disrupting the household.

In such a case, if the unbeliever wishes to stay, the believing spouse is not to divorce him or her. But if they wish to depart, divorce is acceptable. But if at all possible, remain together not only for the sake of any children, but also for the fact that the unbeliever may become a believer through the believer’s conduct.

1 CORINTHIANS 7:17-24

17 But as God has distributed to each one, as the Lord has called each one, so let him walk. And so I ordain in all the churches.

18 Was anyone called while circumcised? Let him not become uncircumcised. Was anyone called while uncircumcised? Let him not be circumcised.

19 Circumcision is nothing and uncircumcision is nothing, but keeping the commandments of God is what matters.

20 Let each one remain in the same calling in which he was called.

21 Were you called while a slave? Do not be concerned about it; but if you can be made free, rather use it.

22 For he who is called in the Lord while a slave is the Lord’s freedman. Likewise he who is called while free is Christ’s slave.

23 You were bought at a price; do not become slaves of men.

24 Brethren, let each one remain with God in that state in which he was called.

With the physical Law of Moses having been fulfilled at Jesus’ death and resurrection the focus changed from the physical to the spiritual. Race, color, nationality, circumcision, uncircumcision, none of that matters in God’s eyes. Now it is either saved by Jesus or unsaved and still in their sins.

Apparently the issue of believing slaves had come up with the question of whether they should be freed or not. God had no problem with slavery, but He DID care about how slaves were to be treated and made specific rules in the Law of Moses as to their treatment.

As for not becoming slaves of men, Paul was referring to being enslaved to man-made religious regulations such as taught by the Pharisees and Sadducees who added their own regulations to the Law of Moses.

As far as being slave or free when you accept Jesus, many were enslaved to pay off debts to creditors. Just because a slave accepted Jesus did not free them from that debt. It would be the master’s decision as to whether to free them or not before their debt was paid.

The bottom line that Paul was trying to stress is that your physical status isn’t important, but your conduct in your particular situation is important. God wants you to bloom where He plants you, and bear fruit no matter what your situation is.

As Paul later said;

COLOSSIANS 3:22-24

22 Bondservants, obey in all things your masters according to the flesh, not with eyeservice, as men-pleasers, but in sincerity of heart, fearing God.

23 And whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men,

24 knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance; for you serve the Lord Christ.

1 CORINTHIANS 7:25-28

25 Now concerning virgins: I have no commandment from the Lord; yet I give judgment as one whom the Lord in His mercy has made trustworthy.

26 I suppose therefore that this is good because of the present distress—that it is good for a man to remain as he is:

27 Are you bound to a wife? Do not seek to be loosed. Are you loosed from a wife? Do not seek a wife.

28 But even if you do marry, you have not sinned; and if a virgin marries, she has not sinned. Nevertheless such will have trouble in the flesh, but I would spare you.

Paul has been slandered many times as being a “woman-hater” because of judgments such as this. But Paul was looking at things from a spiritual point of view, not from a physical one. He freely admits that this is NOT a commandment from God but is a personal judgment. He explains himself in verses 32-35 below, so hold that thought for a few moments as it will make more sense when you read it.

1 CORINTHIANS 7:29-31

29 But this I say, brethren, the time is short, so that from now on even those who have wives should be as though they had none,

30 those who weep as though they did not weep, those who rejoice as though they did not rejoice, those who buy as though they did not possess,

31 and those who use this world as not misusing it. For the form of this world is passing away.

Paul is using an allegory here, saying to not become overly involved in worldly affairs. He had no idea when Jesus was coming back, but wanted to remind his audience that it could be at any time, and to always be ready.

1 CORINTHIANS 7:32-35

32 But I want you to be without care. He who is unmarried cares for the things of the Lord—how he may please the Lord.

33 But he who is married cares about the things of the world—how he may please his wife.

34 There is a difference between a wife and a virgin. The unmarried woman cares about the things of the Lord, that she may be holy both in body and in spirit. But she who is married cares about the things of the world—how she may please her husband.

35 And this I say for your own profit, not that I may put a leash on you, but for what is proper, and that you may serve the Lord without distraction.

Here Paul lays out the foundation of his views on married relations. A single person is free to devote their attention and efforts to serving the Lord, whereas a married person must take care of their family, dividing their attentions and efforts.

There is nothing wrong with this, and Paul understood that. He also said later;

1 TIMOTHY 5:8

8 But if anyone does not provide for his own, and especially for those of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.

1 CORINTHIANS 7:36-40

36 But if any man thinks he is behaving improperly toward his virgin, if she is past the flower of youth, and thus it must be, let him do what he wishes. He does not sin; let them marry.

37 Nevertheless he who stands steadfast in his heart, having no necessity, but has power over his own will, and has so determined in his heart that he will keep his virgin, does well.

38 So then he who gives her in marriage does well, but he who does not give her in marriage does better.

39 A wife is bound by law as long as her husband lives; but if her husband dies, she is at liberty to be married to whom she wishes, only in the Lord.

40 But she is happier if she remains as she is, according to my judgment—and I think I also have the Spirit of God.

This a hard one, and was pretty much culturally based. A father determined if and when his daughter(s) would marry and would usually choose her husband for her. Some cultures still practice this, but most modern cultures do not.

Again, Paul is speaking from a deep spiritual standpoint, thinking along spiritual lines rather than fleshly aspects. He is careful to note that a father does not sin in either case. And while it may seem barbaric, it is not right to judge another culture by our cultural standards and experiences. In Paul’s time this made perfect sense.

1 CORINTHIANS 8:1-6

1 Now concerning things offered to idols: We know that we all have knowledge. Knowledge puffs up, but love edifies.

2 And if anyone thinks that he knows anything, he knows nothing yet as he ought to know.

3 But if anyone loves God, this one is known by Him.

4 Therefore concerning the eating of things offered to idols, we know that an idol is nothing in the world, and that there is no other God but one.

5 For even if there are so-called gods, whether in heaven or on earth (as there are many gods and many lords),

6 yet for us there is one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we for Him; and one Lord Jesus Christ, through whom are all things, and through whom we live.

There is nothing wrong with having knowledge. But for far too many, knowledge breeds arrogance. The Pharisees were prime examples of this, their arrogance blinding them to who Jesus really was and causing them to despise common people. They had sent Temple officers to arrest Jesus, but as Scripture records;

JOHN 7:45-49

45 Then the officers came to the chief priests and Pharisees, who said to them, “Why have you not brought Him?”

46 The officers answered, “No man ever spoke like this Man!”

47 Then the Pharisees answered them, “Are you also deceived?

48 Have any of the rulers or the Pharisees believed in Him?

49 But this crowd that does not know the law is accursed.”

In verse 49, the Pharisees pointed the finger of condemnation squarely at themselves, as they styled themselves as experts and teachers of the Law of Moses. And by contemptuously saying that the people who didn’t know the Law were accursed, they revealed themselves to be utter failures at their self-exalted profession.

If they had the love of God within them, they would have patiently taught the people instead of despising them. Thus knowledge alone makes for arrogance, but love breeds compassion.

An idol in itself is nothing more than a physical object. But there are spiritual connotations with idols, namely as they are dedicated to demon gods and therefore demons can attach themselves to them.

That is one reason why in the Old Testament Israel was told to tear down pagan altars, and destroy the statues, figurines, and carved wooden pillars of the Canaanites they conquered. As God told Israel;

EXODUS 34:12-16

12 Take heed to yourself, lest you make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land where you are going, lest it be a snare in your midst.

13 But you shall destroy their altars, break their sacred pillars, and cut down their wooden images

14 (for you shall worship no other god, for the Lord, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God),

15 lest you make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land, and they play the harlot with their gods and make sacrifice to their gods, and one of them invites you and you eat of his sacrifice,

16 and you take of his daughters for your sons, and his daughters play the harlot with their gods and make your sons play the harlot with their gods.

This is the key to the dangers of idolatry. By worshiping an idol, you are pledging yourself to the demon behind the idol and are opening yourself to possession by demons. Destroying the idol removes the right of the demon(s) to attach itself or themselves to the idol.

And there are dangers to bringing an idol into your house. Moses warned Israel;

DEUTERONOMY 7:26

26 Neither shall you bring an abomination into your house, lest you be a cursed thing like it: but you shall utterly detest it, and you shalt utterly abhor it; for it is a cursed thing.

1 CORINTHIANS 8:7-13

7 However, there is not in everyone that knowledge; for some, with consciousness of the idol, until now eat it as a thing offered to an idol; and their conscience, being weak, is defiled.

8 But food does not commend us to God; for neither if we eat are we the better, nor if we do not eat are we the worse.

9 But beware lest somehow this liberty of yours become a stumbling block to those who are weak.

10 For if anyone sees you who have knowledge eating in an idol’s temple, will not the conscience of him who is weak be emboldened to eat those things offered to idols?

11 And because of your knowledge shall the weak brother perish, for whom Christ died?

12 But when you thus sin against the brethren, and wound their weak conscience, you sin against Christ.

13 Therefore, if food makes my brother stumble, I will never again eat meat, lest I make my brother stumble.

Food has been offered to idols since ancient history in the form of offerings and sacrifices. Usually priests of the idol god ate the food secretly and proclaimed that the god had eaten it. In modern countries this is not a problem. But in Paul’s day, temples and shrines dedicated to Greek and Roman gods were everywhere and feasts in honor of the god(s) were prevalent.

Paul is saying that those whose faith is strong, if invited, could attend such feasts. knowing that an idol is nothing more than an object. As long as the person asks God to cleanse the food, it is harmless.

But someone whose conscience is weak could be swayed to worship the god(s) just as Israel did shortly after coming out of slavery in Egypt;

NUMBERS 25:1-4

1 Now Israel remained in Acacia Grove, and the people began to commit harlotry with the women of Moab.

2 They invited the people to the sacrifices of their gods, and the people ate and bowed down to their gods.

3 So Israel was joined to Baal of Peor, and the anger of the Lord was aroused against Israel.

4 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Take all the leaders of the people and hang the offenders before the Lord, out in the sun, that the fierce anger of the Lord may turn away from Israel.”

God destroyed 24,000 Israelites with a plague because of their worshiping Moabite gods which started by attending feasts in honor of their gods. This does not give us free permission to eat food dedicated to idols or their demon gods. While we could, we need to remember the dangers to ourselves and our brethren who may have weaker faith.

1 CORINTHIANS 9:1-12

1 Am I not an apostle? Am I not free? Have I not seen Jesus Christ our Lord? Are you not my work in the Lord?

2 If I am not an apostle to others, yet doubtless I am to you. For you are the seal of my apostleship in the Lord.

3 My defense to those who examine me is this:

4 Do we have no right to eat and drink?

5 Do we have no right to take along a believing wife, as do also the other apostles, the brothers of the Lord, and Cephas?

6 Or is it only Barnabas and I who have no right to refrain from working?

7 Who ever goes to war at his own expense? Who plants a vineyard and does not eat of its fruit? Or who tends a flock and does not drink of the milk of the flock?

8 Do I say these things as a mere man? Or does not the law say the same also?

9 For it is written in the law of Moses, “You shall not muzzle an ox while it treads out the grain.” Is it oxen God is concerned about?

10 Or does He say it altogether for our sakes? For our sakes, no doubt, this is written, that he who plows should plow in hope, and he who threshes in hope should be partaker of his hope.

11 If we have sown spiritual things for you, is it a great thing if we reap your material things?

12 If others are partakers of this right over you, are we not even more? Nevertheless we have not used this right, but endure all things lest we hinder the gospel of Christ.

There must have been some grumbling and complaining over the church’s support of Paul’s expenses while he was there. Paul points out that he indeed works for his keep just as much as anyone else, and that just as worldly teachers are supported by their students, so it is incumbent upon the church he founded to support him for his work and teaching on their behalf.

Note that both Paul and Barnabas had not demanded to be paid, but relied on the kindness of the church to take care of their needs. Many times back then, and even now, traveling missionaries and speakers are invited into church members’ homes for meals and a place to sleep. And most churches take up a collection for visiting guests and missionaries to help with their expenses.

1 CORINTHIANS 9:13-14

13 Do you not know that those who minister the holy things eat of the things of the temple, and those who serve at the altar partake of the offerings of the altar?

14 Even so the Lord has commanded that those who preach the gospel should live from the gospel.

In the Old Testament the tribe of Levi was commanded to serve the tabernacle (the tent which held the Ark of the Covenant) and the priests were to perform the ritual sacrifices during their journeys in the wilderness. When the Temples were built they maintained the Temple and performed the sacrifices required by God.

But while the other tribes were allotted land in Canaan as their possession, the Levite tribe was dedicated to serve God as priests and keepers of the tabernacle and later the Temples. They were to work no other profession, nor were they to own any land in Israel.

As such, God provided for them in that they could eat of the sacrifices and offerings that the people brought. As they took care of things pertaining to God and taught the Law to the people, even so preachers and teachers of the Gospel who work solely in that profession can expect to be paid for their services.

1 CORINTHIANS 9:15-18

15 But I have used none of these things, nor have I written these things that it should be done so to me; for it would be better for me to die than that anyone should make my boasting void.

16 For if I preach the gospel, I have nothing to boast of, for necessity is laid upon me; yes, woe is me if I do not preach the gospel!

17 For if I do this willingly, I have a reward; but if against my will, I have been entrusted with a stewardship.

18 What is my reward then? That when I preach the gospel, I may present the gospel of Christ without charge, that I may not abuse my authority in the gospel.

Paul mentions several times in his letters that he worked so as to provide for his needs and not be a burden to the churches. But he also states that his preaching is by commandment from God and not from himself, and he is doing so in spite of his desire to do other things with his life.

1 CORINTHIANS 9:19-23

19 For though I am free from all men, I have made myself a servant to all, that I might win the more;

20 and to the Jews I became as a Jew, that I might win Jews; to those who are under the law, as under the law, that I might win those who are under the law;

21 to those who are without law, as without law (not being without law toward God, but under law toward Christ), that I might win those who are without law;

22 to the weak I became as weak, that I might win the weak. I have become all things to all men, that I might by all means save some.

23 Now this I do for the gospel’s sake, that I may be partaker of it with you.

Paul is careful to make sure that he portrays himself to his hearers that he is no better than they are, unlike the self-exalted Pharisees, Sadducees and other philosophical teachers who felt that they were superior to other men. That way he could win their trust by showing that he was no better than they were. But he was also careful to not engage in sinful or illicit behavior, living as a Jew among the Jews, as a Christian apart from the Law of Moses when among the Gentiles, etc.

1 CORINTHIANS 9:24-27

24 Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may obtain it.

25 And everyone who competes for the prize is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a perishable crown, but we for an imperishable crown.

26 Therefore I run thus: not with uncertainty. Thus I fight: not as one who beats the air.

27 But I discipline my body and bring it into subjection, lest, when I have preached to others, I myself should become disqualified.

Paul is stressing that faith requires discipline of both body and spirit. And it is not like a short sprint either, but an endurance race and as with endurance races you must pace yourself lest you tire before the race is finished.

1 CORINTHIANS 10:1-5

1 Moreover, brethren, I do not want you to be unaware that all our fathers were under the cloud, all passed through the sea,

2 all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea,

3 all ate the same spiritual food,

4 and all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them, and that Rock was Christ.

5 But with most of them God was not well pleased, for their bodies were scattered in the wilderness.

Just as baptism is figurative today of being buried with Jesus in His death and being raised again into a new life, the “old sinful nature” having symbolically died and buried with Jesus at His death.

Until Jesus walked the Earth, people followed the Law given by God to Moses, therefore symbolically were baptized to Moses who led them through the Red Sea much as we have been baptized to Jesus.

The reference to drinking from the spiritual Rock is an allegory to God providing water from the rock of Mount Sinai (Horeb) in the wilderness of Midian after Israel had come out of Egypt.

And here we run across something interesting which will require us to digress for a bit.

The Roman Catholic Church teaches that Peter became the first Pope and head of the Christian Church based on Jesus’ words to Peter when He said;

MATTHEW 16:18

18 And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hell shall not prevail against it.

The name ‘Peter’ in ancient Greek is “Petros”, meaning ‘rock’. So on the surface, it appears that Jesus is saying that He will build His Church with Peter as its foundation.

But in actuality He did a play on words, using an Aramaic word that translated into the Greek word “Petra” (bedrock) as the ‘rock’. He said that Peter was a rock, but that He would build His Church upon bedrock, meaning Himself.

The word “Rock” that Paul uses in 1 Corinthians 10:4 verse 4 above is the same word “petra” (bedrock) that Jesus used in the Matthew reference above. And God would never make a sinful man the spiritual foundation of His Church. As Paul stated;

1 CORINTHIANS 3:11

11 For no other foundation can anyone lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ.

For further information on Peter’s role in the Church and the fallacy of the Papacy, please see the study in this site.

1 CORINTHIANS 10:6-11

6 Now these things became our examples, to the intent that we should not lust after evil things as they also lusted.

7 And do not become idolaters as were some of them. As it is written, “The people sat down to eat and drink, and rose up to play.”

8 Nor let us commit sexual immorality, as some of them did, and in one day twenty-three thousand fell;

9 nor let us tempt Christ, as some of them also tempted, and were destroyed by serpents;

10 nor complain, as some of them also complained, and were destroyed by the destroyer.

11 Now all these things happened to them as examples, and they were written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the ages have come.

The Old Testament is rife with examples of Israel and Judah falling away and their punishments by God for their sins. All are examples for us so that we don’t follow into their sins and suffer God’s wrath as a result.

Note also that when Israel rebelled and complained against God in the wilderness, God sent venomous serpents among them as punishment. Note also in verse 9 above that the God they tempted was the pre-incarnate Jesus Christ, proving that it was He who gave the Law to Moses on Mount Sinai.

1 CORINTHIANS 10:12-13

12 Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall.

13 No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it.

We always need to be humble, remembering that we’re only one sin away from falling. We are surrounded by sinful flesh and we inherited Adam’s rebellion and sinful nature. As such, our greatest enemies are our sinful desires in our own bodies which Satan is far too efficient and successful in stirring up.

But fortunately we have a God who knows first-hand about our temptations, Jesus having suffered being tempted by Satan in the wilderness. The book of Matthew only lists three temptations, but a careful reading of Mark’s Gospel shows that Jesus was tempted all 40 days while in the wilderness. And as the author of Hebrews stated;

HEBREWS 4:15

15 For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin.

God knows our limits in regards to resisting sin and is careful to limit what Satan is allowed to do. A careful reading of the first two chapters of the Old Testament book of Job will show this. And He has given us His spiritual armor and has given us authority over Satan and his works so that we may fight him.

And no one is too insignificant for Satan to notice!

Some years ago I was working on developing a study for this Web site. I was alone in the house and was concentrating on what I was doing, when I clearly heard a voice say, “Neither you nor your servants will afflict him, nor will you hinder him in his work. Depart from Me.”

Startled, I looked around and listened but I was still alone. Then I realized that Satan had petitioned God for permission to attack me, and God had allowed me to hear His response, denying Satan’s petition.

1 CORINTHIANS 10:14-22

14 Therefore, my beloved, flee from idolatry.

15 I speak as to wise men; judge for yourselves what I say.

16 The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not the communion of the blood of Christ? The bread which we break, is it not the communion of the body of Christ?

17 For we, though many, are one bread and one body; for we all partake of that one bread.

18 Observe Israel after the flesh: are not those who eat of the sacrifices partakers of the altar?

19 What am I saying then? That an idol is anything, or what is offered to idols is anything?

20 Rather, that the things which the Gentiles sacrifice they sacrifice to demons and not to God, and I do not want you to have fellowship with demons.

21 You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons; you cannot partake of the Lord’s table and of the table of demons.

22 Or do we provoke the Lord to jealousy? Are we stronger than He?

We cannot “sit on the fence” or stand on both sides of it when it comes to spiritual matters. It’s like trying to balance on the edge of a razor, it can’t be done. You cannot take part in ceremonies to other gods and worship the Lord also. This is not as big a problem today as few, if any, worship the Greco-Roman gods or dead Roman emperors, or Norse gods or the like any more. However some modern countries (India is one) are full of idols of gods or dead philosophers. But in Paul’s day, worship of these pagan gods was practiced everywhere.

However there are still idols with us today, just that some are more subtle. Money and power are two of the biggest ones we face today. Don’t believe me? Just look at Hollywood and Congress. There’s nothing wrong with either money or power as long as they are used judiciously and do not stand between you and God. If they corrupt your morals, they become idols.

1 CORINTHIANS 10:23-26

23 All things are lawful for me, but not all things are helpful; all things are lawful for me, but not all things edify.

24 Let no one seek his own, but each one the other’s well-being.

25 Eat whatever is sold in the meat market, asking no questions for conscience’ sake;

26 for “the earth is the Lord’s, and all its fullness.”

Paul is saying that all foods are edible, whether offered to idols or not. But if such food causes problems for a believer who is weak in faith, whose conscience may be swayed away from the Lord by eating foods offered to idols, that is not good as you are putting a stumbling block in a fellow believer’s way as he denoted in Romans chapter 14.

But if your faith and conscience are strong, pray over your food, asking God to cleanse it, thanking God for it and eat without qualms.

1 CORINTHIANS 10:27-33

27 If any of those who do not believe invites you to dinner, and you desire to go, eat whatever is set before you, asking no question for conscience’ sake.

28 But if anyone says to you, “This was offered to idols,” do not eat it for the sake of the one who told you, and for conscience’ sake; for “the earth is the Lord’s, and all its fullness.”

29 “Conscience,” I say, not your own, but that of the other. For why is my liberty judged by another man’s conscience?

30 But if I partake with thanks, why am I evil spoken of for the food over which I give thanks?

31 Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.

32 Give no offense, either to the Jews or to the Greeks or to the church of God,

33 just as I also please all men in all things, not seeking my own profit, but the profit of many, that they may be saved.

While not prevalent today, feasts to idols were common in Paul’s day. There would also be a possibility of your host setting food offered to idols before you. As long as you don’t ask questions, you’re fine. But if you know it has been offered to idols, politely decline so that your host can see your integrity in your faith. Who knows if they might be persuaded by your faith to accept Jesus?

Paul ends with an admonition to be prudent in all things.

1 CORINTHIANS 11:1-16

1 Imitate me, just as I also imitate Christ.

2 Now I praise you, brethren, that you remember me in all things and keep the traditions just as I delivered them to you.

3 But I want you to know that the head of every man is Christ, the head of woman is man, and the head of Christ is God.

4 Every man praying or prophesying, having his head covered, dishonors his head.

5 But every woman who prays or prophesies with her head uncovered dishonors her head, for that is one and the same as if her head were shaved.

6 For if a woman is not covered, let her also be shorn. But if it is shameful for a woman to be shorn or shaved, let her be covered.

7 For a man indeed ought not to cover his head, since he is the image and glory of God; but woman is the glory of man.

8 For man is not from woman, but woman from man.

9 Nor was man created for the woman, but woman for the man.

10 For this reason the woman ought to have a symbol of authority on her head, because of the angels.

11 Nevertheless, neither is man independent of woman, nor woman independent of man, in the Lord.

12 For as woman came from man, even so man also comes through woman; but all things are from God.

13 Judge among yourselves. Is it proper for a woman to pray to God with her head uncovered?

14 Does not even nature itself teach you that if a man has long hair, it is a dishonor to him?

15 But if a woman has long hair, it is a glory to her; for her hair is given to her for a covering.

16 But if anyone seems to be contentious, we have no such custom, nor do the churches of God.

In these verses Paul is expressing his own opinions, they are not commandments from God.

Many think that Paul was a “woman-hater” because of verses such as this, but this not true. He had a great affection for women, but when writing he usually spoke from a spiritual standpoint. He was not debasing women, he was referring to the order of creation in which the Man was created first, and Woman was created to be a companion and life-partner to Man.

He was also probably thinking of God’s hierarchy of authority which He laid out after Adam and Eve sinned in the Garden of Eden. God had said;

GENESIS 3:16

16 To the woman He said: “I will greatly multiply your sorrow and your conception; in pain you shall bring forth children; your desire shall be for your husband, and he shall rule over you.”

This was not meant to be absolute authority, for that is servitude. She is free to express her opinions and beliefs but her husband has the final decision in family matters. And the husband is accountable to God as to how he rules his household; if he is fair, loving and forgiving, he will receive honor and praise from God at his judgment. But if he is a tyrant and abusive he can expect harsh and furious judgment from God in accordance with Jesus’ words;

MATTHEW 16:27

27 For the Son of Man will come in the glory of His Father with His angels, and then He will reward each according to his works.

The concept of a head covering symbolizing being under authority has been part of militaries for over a thousand years at least. Hats indicated which military and branch you belonged to, and decorations indicated your rank. Even in war, officers wore plumes or other symbols on their helmets to denote their rank to their men.

Oddly enough, in today’s world most ‘observant’ Jewish men (those who follow Jewish religious laws) always wear a small cap called a”kippa” (yarmulke) on their heads when praying, while the Orthodox men wear “prayer shawls” (tallit) over their heads when praying, a direct opposite of men in Paul’s day.

1 CORINTHIANS 11:17-22

17 Now in giving these instructions I do not praise you, since you come together not for the better but for the worse.

18 For first of all, when you come together as a church, I hear that there are divisions among you, and in part I believe it.

19 For there must also be factions among you, that those who are approved may be recognized among you.

20 Therefore when you come together in one place, it is not to eat the Lord’s Supper.

21 For in eating, each one takes his own supper ahead of others; and one is hungry and another is drunk.

22 What! Do you not have houses to eat and drink in? Or do you despise the church of God and shame those who have nothing? What shall I say to you? Shall I praise you in this? I do not praise you.

Humans being as they are, there will always be differing opinions and factions within a church. As long as the differing factions are peaceful and respectful to each other, it encourages fruitful debates and exchanges of ideas. But if the differences become rancorous it results in divisions and strife which harms the church body as a whole.

In a way factions can be beneficial as Satan will always strive to introduce errors and false doctrines and this way they can easily be identified and stopped, as long as church members are watchful.

Paul is also appalled that the rite of Communion had become more of a “free lunch” to some, with some arriving hungry and eating ahead of others, or eating more than they should leaving not enough for others, and still others overindulging in Communion wine and becoming drunk. In either case, some could not participate because both the food and wine were gone.

Paul is saying that Communion is a commemoration celebration, NOT a free feast. Participants are to eat and drink at home if they are hungry and thirsty and are to wait and celebrate Communion together with honor and respect to the Lord and each other as it should be.

1 CORINTHIANS 11:23-26

23 For I received from the Lord that which I also delivered to you: that the Lord Jesus on the same night in which He was betrayed took bread;

24 and when He had given thanks, He broke it and said, “Take, eat; this is My body which is broken for you; do this in remembrance of Me.”

25 In the same manner He also took the cup after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in My blood. This do, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me.”

26 For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death till He comes.

Paul reiterates the meaning of Communion, a solemn memorial in remembrance of Jesus’ atoning death, not a free feast for gluttons and drunkards. We are to do this to remember His atoning death for our salvation.

1 CORINTHIANS 11:27-34

27 Therefore whoever eats this bread or drinks this cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord.

28 But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of the bread and drink of the cup.

29 For he who eats and drinks in an unworthy manner eats and drinks judgment to himself, not discerning the Lord’s body.

30 For this reason many are weak and sick among you, and many sleep.

31 For if we would judge ourselves, we would not be judged.

32 But when we are judged, we are chastened by the Lord, that we may not be condemned with the world.

33 Therefore, my brethren, when you come together to eat, wait for one another.

34 But if anyone is hungry, let him eat at home, lest you come together for judgment. And the rest I will set in order when I come.

Paul is stressing the importance of Communion that it is more than just a rite of remembrance, especially in the eyes of the Lord.

Jesus Himself said;

JOHN 6:53-58

53 Then Jesus said to them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in you.

54 Whoever eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day.

55 For My flesh is food indeed, and My blood is drink indeed.

56 He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood abides in Me, and I in him.

57 As the living Father sent Me, and I live because of the Father, so he who feeds on Me will live because of Me.

58 This is the bread which came down from heaven—not as your fathers ate the manna, and are dead. He who eats this bread will live forever.”

Communion is where our spirits eat the flesh and drink the blood of Jesus. However it is SYMBOLIC, NOT a literal eating and drinking of Jesus’ body and blood.

The Roman Catholic Church teaches the doctrine of “transubstantiation” in which the Communion bread and wine are transformed into the literal flesh and blood of Jesus.

Two problems with this.

ONE: How could the disciples have eaten Jesus’ literal flesh and blood while He was with them at the Last Supper?

TWO: “Transubstantiation” is in direct violation of God’s commands of;

GENESIS 9:4

4 But you shall not eat flesh with its life, that is, its blood.

And;

LEVITICUS 17:13-14

13 “Whatever man of the children of Israel, or of the strangers who dwell among you, who hunts and catches any animal or bird that may be eaten, he shall pour out its blood and cover it with dust;

14 for it is the life of all flesh. Its blood sustains its life. Therefore I said to the children of Israel, ‘You shall not eat the blood of any flesh, for the life of all flesh is its blood. Whoever eats it shall be cut off.’

Note carefully that God states that we are not to eat the blood of any flesh. Therefore if you believe in transubstantiation you are in direct disobedience to God’s commands and therefore eat and drink judgment against yourself.

And before you partake of Communion, be sure that you do not have any sin in your life. It is like what Jesus said about offering gifts to God;

MATTHEW 5:23-24

23 Therefore if you bring your gift to the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you,

24 leave your gift there before the altar, and go your way. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift.

If you do this, your remembrance of the Communion covenant will be acceptable to God.

1 CORINTHIANS 12:1-3

1 Now concerning spiritual gifts, brethren, I do not want you to be ignorant:

2 You know that you were Gentiles, carried away to these dumb idols, however you were led.

3 Therefore I make known to you that no one speaking by the Spirit of God calls Jesus accursed, and no one can say that Jesus is Lord except by the Holy Spirit.

Satan will try to imitate the Gifts of the Spirit to lead Christians astray. Some are outright blasphemous (people barking like dogs, jumping like frogs, claiming that it is the Holy Spirit causing this) to odd behaviors (I have personally seen people jumping up and down as if they were being poked in the derriere with hat pins during hymn singing), to imitations of the true gifts.

Author Hank Hanegraaff in his eye-opening book “Counterfeit Revival” lists some incredible instances of openly demonic behavior in some churches which were attributed to the Holy Spirit. However if these people had been asked “Who is Jesus?” their answers would have ranged from ambiguous to blasphemous as no demon would freely admit that Jesus is Lord.

1 CORINTHIANS 12:4-11

4 There are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit.

5 There are differences of ministries, but the same Lord.

6 And there are diversities of activities, but it is the same God who works all in all.

7 But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to each one for the profit of all:

8 for to one is given the word of wisdom through the Spirit, to another the word of knowledge through the same Spirit,

9 to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healings by the same Spirit,

10 to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another discerning of spirits, to another different kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues.

11 But one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually as He wills.

Some key points here. Paul lists some of the gifts but says that the same Spirit gives them as He wills. And Paul states that everyone who accepts Jesus is given one or more of the gifts. They grow with us as we mature in Jesus. Some churches teach that there is a separate baptism of the Holy Spirit needed but there is no mention of that after the Book of Acts.

When we receive Jesus, we receive the Holy Spirit and we receive the gifts as well. How do we know which one(s) we have? The Holy Spirit will reveal them to you either directly or through someone else. I’ve noted that in some cases that a person was demonstrating one of the gifts without realizing it, such as teaching. Paul only lists a few of the gifts above and lists others later in the chapter.

But all of the gifts are used for the growth of the Church body as a whole, and no gift is greater than any other in God’s eyes.

1 CORINTHIANS 12:12-19

12 For as the body is one and has many members, but all the members of that one body, being many, are one body, so also is Christ.

13 For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free—and have all been made to drink into one Spirit.

14 For in fact the body is not one member but many.

15 If the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I am not of the body,” is it therefore not of the body?

16 And if the ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I am not of the body,” is it therefore not of the body?

17 If the whole body were an eye, where would be the hearing? If the whole were hearing, where would be the smelling?

18 But now God has set the members, each one of them, in the body just as He pleased.

19 And if they were all one member, where would the body be?

The gifts are like the many and varied parts of the body. Just because you don’t feel that your gift is important doesn’t mean that it isn’t necessary. For example, the pineal gland in the brain is a tiny organ, yet it secretes hormones that regulate sleep cycles. Malfunctions of the pineal gland have been linked to autism and Alzheimer’s disease.

When the body is healthy all parts work together for the health of the body. But let a part malfunction and the whole body suffers.

And as the body has different parts, so is the body of Christ. Not all can be healers, not all can be miracle workers. Consider a car factory. If all employees are trained to put wheels on axles, who would build the frame? The engine? Who would do the painting? The wiring? The person bolting the chassis to the frame may not have a highly visible or glamrous job but look at the havoc that would ensue if they didn’t do their job!

Paul says the Holy Spirit gives the gifts as He wills to whom He wills, as it pleases Him. If He has given you a gift, you are the best suited for the gift(s) He has given you. It’s not the perceived glory of the ministry you do, it’s how well you do it that matters to God.

1 CORINTHIANS 12:20-26

20 But now indeed there are many members, yet one body.

21 And the eye cannot say to the hand, “I have no need of you”; nor again the head to the feet, “I have no need of you.”

22 No, much rather, those members of the body which seem to be weaker are necessary.

23 And those members of the body which we think to be less honorable, on these we bestow greater honor; and our unpresentable parts have greater modesty,

24 but our presentable parts have no need. But God composed the body, having given greater honor to that part which lacks it,

25 that there should be no schism in the body, but that the members should have the same care for one another.

26 And if one member suffers, all the members suffer with it; or if one member is honored, all the members rejoice with it.

Some ministries are highly visible, such as prophecy while others may seem to be virtually invisible. Take a big city. The mayor and city council members have highly visible jobs and the efficiency of the city depends on them.

Yet what would the city be like without the workers of the virtually invisible sanitation department to keep it clean? If they do their jobs, no one notices. If they fail to do their jobs, the effect is immediate and their performance, or lack of it, becomes highly visible and their importance is suddenly realized.

1 CORINTHIANS 12:27-31

27 Now you are the body of Christ, and members individually.

28 And God has appointed these in the church: first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, after that miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, administrations, varieties of tongues.

29 Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Are all workers of miracles?

30 Do all have gifts of healings? Do all speak with tongues? Do all interpret?

31 But earnestly desire the best gifts. And yet I show you a more excellent way.

Just because you may not have the gift of prophecy, healing, miracle-working, etc., doesn’t mean that your gift or function in the church is less than that of anyone else. It is how well you do with what you’ve been given that is important in God’s eyes.

Your gift, while maybe not prominent or seemingly glorious is no less important than anyone else’s. I am reminded of a litany which says;

For want of a nail, a horseshoe was lost;

For want of a shoe, a horse was lost;

For want of a horse, a rider was lost;

For want of a rider, a message was lost;

For want of a message, a war was lost;

All for the want of a nail!

Remember, a body cannot function properly unless all parts perform their duties to the best of their ability. The same with the body of Christ, the Church. Therefore rejoice in the gift(s) you’ve been given and use it or them to the glory of God and the edification of the Church. And while we may desire the greater gifts, we are not to covet them or be jealous of those who may have them.

1 CORINTHIANS 13:1-3

1 Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I have become sounding brass or a clanging cymbal.

2 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, but have not love, I am nothing.

3 And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, but have not love, it profits me nothing.

Love is one of the most powerful human emotions, given to us by God for harmony and peace. Historians have written that along with internal social decay, it was Christianity that helped hasten the end of the brutal, unified Roman Empire.

We are blessed in that we have a loving God, whose love for us conquered sin, death and Satan’s hatred and brutality. Many have become believers in Jesus through the love displayed by their Christian neighbors and friends.

As Paul expresses, how can we preach that God is a God of love if we have no love within ourselves? How can we claim to be His disciples if we don’t follow His commandments to love one another?

1 CORINTHIANS 13:4-10

4 Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up;

5 does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil;

6 does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth;

7 bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

8 Love never fails. But whether there are prophecies, they will fail; whether there are tongues, they will cease; whether there is knowledge, it will vanish away.

9 For we know in part and we prophesy in part.

10 But when that which is perfect has come, then that which is in part will be done away.

Paul eloquently describes the attributes of love, and if you think about it, these attributes are associated with God Himself who is the perfect example of perfect love. And we, through the indwelling Holy Spirit, have those same attributes instilled in us if we love Him and keep the commandments of Jesus.

And as Paul observes, we know some things, and we prophesy as God reveals things to us, but when perfection comes at Jesus’ return, there will be no need for partial knowledge and prophecies for we will be like Him, knowing all things.

1 CORINTHIANS 13:11-13

11 When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child; but when I became a man, I put away childish things.

12 For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I shall know just as I also am known.

13 And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love.

When we first accept Jesus, we are spiritual children, needing the “milk” of the fundamentals of salvation taught to us. Unfortunately some Christians remain in this state and never mature in the Lord. Gospel singer Amy Grant produced a song called “Fat Baby” speaking of people like this, people who cannot endure sound doctrine, preferring spiritual “milk” instead of strong doctrinal “meat” of the Word.

Paul reiterates that we know some things, but the time will come when we will know all things through Jesus when He returns and we are changed into our immortal, glorified bodies and are like Jesus Himself.

1 CORINTHIANS 14:1-5

1 Pursue love, and desire spiritual gifts, but especially that you may prophesy.

2 For he who speaks in a tongue does not speak to men but to God, for no one understands him; however, in the spirit he speaks mysteries.

3 But he who prophesies speaks edification and exhortation and comfort to men.

4 He who speaks in a tongue edifies himself, but he who prophesies edifies the church.

5 I wish you all spoke with tongues, but even more that you prophesied; for he who prophesies is greater than he who speaks with tongues, unless indeed he interprets, that the church may receive edification.

The gifts are for the welfare of the Church, not for the glorification of the individual.

And unfortunately tongues is one of the most faked of the gifts, usually because of peer pressure to show that a person has a gift. It is also one of the hardest to verify. Prophecy, healing, miracles, etc. all can be tested and proven, but except in rare cases, tongues cannot. However there are indications as to whether they are real or not as we shall see in a bit.

1 CORINTHIANS 14:6-12

6 But now, brethren, if I come to you speaking with tongues, what shall I profit you unless I speak to you either by revelation, by knowledge, by prophesying, or by teaching?

7 Even things without life, whether flute or harp, when they make a sound, unless they make a distinction in the sounds, how will it be known what is piped or played?

8 For if the trumpet makes an uncertain sound, who will prepare for battle?

9 So likewise you, unless you utter by the tongue words easy to understand, how will it be known what is spoken? For you will be speaking into the air.

10 There are, it may be, so many kinds of languages in the world, and none of them is without significance.

11 Therefore, if I do not know the meaning of the language, I shall be a foreigner to him who speaks, and he who speaks will be a foreigner to me.

12 Even so you, since you are zealous for spiritual gifts, let it be for the edification of the church that you seek to excel.

In the Book of Acts chapter 2, the 120 people who were in the upper room (including the 11 Apostles, Mary, and Jesus’ physical brothers) where the Last Supper had taken place received the baptism of the Holy Spirit and immediately began speaking in tongues.

They were all Galileans who were considered to be “country bumpkins” by those of Jerusalem and with the exception of Matthew, were illiterate people. Yet people from all over the known world who had come to Jerusalem to worship were astounded when they heard them speaking in the native languages of far-flung provinces of the Roman Empire, places the disciples had never visited. As Scripture records;

Acts 2:7-12

7 Then they were all amazed and marveled, saying to one another, “Look, are not all these who speak Galileans?

8 And how is it that we hear, each in our own language in which we were born?

9 Parthians and Medes and Elamites, those dwelling in Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia,

10 Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya adjoining Cyrene, visitors from Rome, both Jews and proselytes,

11 Cretans and Arabs—we hear them speaking in our own tongues the wonderful works of God.”

12 So they were all amazed and perplexed, saying to one another, “Whatever could this mean?”

The primary use of tongues was to allow preachers, evangelists and teachers of the Word to travel to other countries (like Paul did) and readily preach the Gospel in their native languages.

But if you speak words that no one recognizes, what good is that? What benefit is given to the hearers? But if you speak to foreigners in their own language, especially if they know you don’t know the language, that will certainly get their attention!!

1 CORINTHIANS 14:13-17

13 Therefore let him who speaks in a tongue pray that he may interpret.

14 For if I pray in a tongue, my spirit prays, but my understanding is unfruitful.

15 What is the conclusion then? I will pray with the spirit, and I will also pray with the understanding. I will sing with the spirit, and I will also sing with the understanding.

16 Otherwise, if you bless with the spirit, how will he who occupies the place of the uninformed say “Amen” at your giving of thanks, since he does not understand what you say?

17 For you indeed give thanks well, but the other is not edified.

This can be a tough one to understand. Paul indicates that one who speaks in tongues in church has no idea what he or she is saying, thus an interpreter is required.

One time my wife and I had decided to take a nap. Suddenly she doubled up with intense stomach pains. I had a feeling that Satan was behind it so I laid my hand on her stomach and began whispering a quiet prayer in English. Suddenly I was speaking in a weird language. I had no idea what I was saying and neither did my wife, but when I stopped, her pains immediately vanished.

In another, somewhat amusing case, we had again laid down to take a nap. I conked out immediately but my wife lay awake for a bit. I had a vivid dream that I had just escaped from a Russian gulag (prison camp). This was back when the Soviet Union was still in power.

In my dream I was running down a hot, dusty road somewhere in Eastern Europe, when I saw an old farmer with a sickle harvesting grain in a field. I stopped and asked him for directions on how to reach the border to the West, then the dream ended.

When I awoke, my wife was staring at me strangely. She asked, “Is there something about you that I need to know?” I stared back in confusion and said, “What do you mean?” She said that after being asleep for a bit, I had suddenly sat up, turned to her and rattled off a long question in a language that sounded like Russian with a Chinese accent. She had said, “What did you say?” I had promptly repeated the exact same question, then had laid back down and had gone back to sleep.

Was it just a weird dream? Speaking in tongues? To this day I don’t know, but it does stand out in my mind. But one thing I DO know that the few times I’ve spoken in tongues it has been involuntary.

Right after I abandoned the Occult and accepted Jesus I started looking for a church to attend. I went to a Pentecostal church and at first things went well. Then the minister stood up and said, “We’re all going to speak in tongues, now.”

Immediately everyone started speaking in weird languages and the minister began wildly blowing a trumpet at the podium. It gave me a good idea of what it must have sounded like at the Tower of Babel in Genesis when God confused the languages!! I was stunned!!

Afterward, deeply shaken, I sadly told God. “If this is what is required to worship You, I was better off in the Occult!” I know better now, but how many people might have seen this and turned away from Jesus thinking that His followers were nuts?

1 CORINTHIANS 14:18-21

18 I thank my God I speak with tongues more than you all;

19 yet in the church I would rather speak five words with my understanding, that I may teach others also, than ten thousand words in a tongue.

20 Brethren, do not be children in understanding; however, in malice be babes, but in understanding be mature.

21 In the law it is written “With men of other tongues and other lips I will speak to this people; and yet, for all that, they will not hear Me,” says the Lord.

Paul lays it on the line here. Tongues within the Church are for the teaching and benefit of the members of the Church. Tongues outside the Church are for the benefit of unbelievers. Paul, due to his ministry of teaching the Gentiles in foreign lands spoke in tongues more than those who were location-bound.

We must understand though that while the gifts are wonderful and are given by the Spirit, we must not put the Spirit above Jesus as some churches do.

The gifts are to augment our particular calling in Jesus, remembering that the purpose of the Spirit is to help us and to glorify Jesus. As He Himself said;

JOHN 16:13-15

13 However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come.

14 He will glorify Me, for He will take of what is Mine and declare it to you.

15 All things that the Father has are Mine. Therefore I said that He will take of Mine and declare it to you.

I CORINTHIANS 14:22-28

22 Therefore tongues are for a sign, not to those who believe but to unbelievers; but prophesying is not for unbelievers but for those who believe.

23 Therefore if the whole church comes together in one place, and all speak with tongues, and there come in those who are uninformed or unbelievers, will they not say that you are out of your mind?

24 But if all prophesy, and an unbeliever or an uninformed person comes in, he is convinced by all, he is convicted by all.

25 And thus the secrets of his heart are revealed; and so, falling down on his face, he will worship God and report that God is truly among you.

26 How is it then, brethren? Whenever you come together, each of you has a psalm, has a teaching, has a tongue, has a revelation, has an interpretation. Let all things be done for edification.

27 If anyone speaks in a tongue, let there be two or at the most three, each in turn, and let one interpret.

28 But if there is no interpreter, let him keep silent in church, and let him speak to himself and to God.

If a church gets together and all speak in tongues, someone unlearned or uninformed will think that they have stumbled into a looney bin. Which is exactly what I thought of the church I previously described! Fortunately I attended another church, and received the feeding and teaching that I needed.

Unknown tongues are reserved for speaking to God, unless there is an interpreter. And Paul places this use of tongues as the least of all of the gifts, for the church is not edified or taught by the experience. Anyone can fake an unknown language, and unfortunately many well-meaning Christians do so. But remember, we can only do so at the will of the Holy Spirit, and when it happens, it is usually involuntary.

I have only spoken in tongues on several occasions. In each case it was strictly involuntary, and each case served a specific purpose. Case in point:

My wife and I had laid down to take a nap. Suddenly she doubled over with severe stomach pains. I suspected Satan was involved, so I gently laid my hand on her stomach and began praying quietly to myself in English.

Suddenly I was speaking in an unknown language, and I had no idea what I was saying. I remember thinking "This must be speaking in tongues!" And when I stopped several seconds later, her pain vanished. My wife stared at me curiously, and I related what had happened. She in turn had no idea what I had said, as I had apparently spoken directly to God. But just as the disciples and Apostles at Pentecost, I spoke as the Spirit gave me utterance. I did not speak in tongues on my own accord!

Another case in point regarding the use of tongues. I had read where a missionary was invited to Japan to speak to a congregation there. When he arrived, his interpreter hadn't yet showed up, so he waited. After a while the audience became restless, and the missionary understood that people would soon start leaving. He then put all of his faith in God, and basically told Him that he was going to step up and preach anyway, and asked for help with the situation.

He started talking, and suddenly had no idea what he was saying. Moments later his interpreter showed up, listened for a moment, and sat down. That missionary spoke perfect Japanese to that audience, and as a result many accepted Jesus as they knew that the missionary had no previous knowledge of their language. It was a sign to unbelievers just as Paul stated it would be in verse 22 above!

The same with Pentecost. As a result of seeing ignorant Galileans praising God in languages they couldn't have possibly known, many of the Jews and proselytes (Gentiles who had converted to Judaism) became believers by this very wonder. For Jews and proselytes who would probably not have believed the disciples' preaching otherwise were convinced by the preaching they heard in their own language. Truly tongues in this case was a sign to unbelievers!

I have previously related about the church I attended right after coming out of the Occult. They all felt that they could speak in tongues whenever they wished, which goes completely against Scripture.

This is also a golden opportunity for witches and Satanists who infiltrate the churches and believe me, they do. Any church with over 30-50 members within their congregation will more than likely have someone in their congregation who is a witch or a Satanist.

Please understand that this does not mean that congregations should go on "witch hunts" to root out any witches or Satanists within their congregations. At a church I attended some years ago I identified two witches in the congregation, and I knew this only because the Holy Spirit showed me.

I proceeded to tell the Pastor privately, and he didn't believe me at first. Then several months later he called me into his office, and told me that I was right. He didn't relate how he found out, but the witches left immediately afterward, promising to bring down both him and his ministry.

I have also been in churches where there was a "praise time" where people all spoke in tongues at once, praising God. This is a wonderful opportunity for witches and Satanists to bring curses on the church as well as believers within the church.

With everyone babbling in weird languages who is going to know? Satanists can use tongues as well as Christians but for far different purposes, and witches and Satanists who have come to the Lord have admitted cursing churches, praising Satan, releasing demons, and cursing believers during this time.

That's why it is SO important to have an interpreter if someone speaks in a tongue in church. And if two or more Satanists or witches team up to have a tongue and an interpretation, surely the Holy Spirit will convict the congregation that it is a false tongue.

Paul also points out;

I CORINTHIANS 14:24-25

24 But if all prophesy, and an unbeliever or an uninformed person comes in, he is convinced by all, he is convicted by all.

25 And thus the secrets of his heart are revealed; and so, falling down on his face, he will worship God and report that God is truly among you.

But if the whole church prophesies and reveals the thoughts of newcomer's heart and life, it will be a definite sign of the Holy Spirit at work within that church. And it will be irrefutable proof to the unbeliever that God is the discerner of the thoughts and hearts of men.

Much as Jesus showed when he talked with the Samaritan woman by the well in John 4:4-32.

Like I said, anyone can fake a tongue but the gift of prophecy is given only to believers. And if an unbeliever isn't convinced by tongues, they certainly will by prophecy! Only God knows the thoughts of the heart, and can reveal such to men. And an unbeliever who hears his thoughts and secrets revealed will know for certain that God is indeed in that church!

I CORINTHIANS 14:29-33

29 Let two or three prophets speak, and let the others judge.

30 But if anything is revealed to another who sits by, let the first keep silent.

31 For you can all prophesy one by one, that all may learn and all may be encouraged.

32 And the spirits of the prophets are subject to the prophets.

33 For God is not the author of confusion but of peace, as in all the churches of the saints.

Note that Paul says when a prophet speaks, other proven prophets are to judge the prophecy as to whether it came from the Lord or not. I suspect that the gift of discernment may be tied in with the prophetic gift, but Scripture is silent on this subject.

And note that Paul says that there should be at most three prophets who prophesy at any particular time within the church. And when a prophet speaks, they are not to be interrupted. In other words, no outbursts of tongues or any other kind of distraction, for the Holy Spirit would not interrupt a teaching or revelation given from God to the church.

I CORINTHIANS 14:34-36

34 Let your women keep silent in the churches, for they are not permitted to speak; but they are to be submissive, as the law also says.

35 And if they want to learn something, let them ask their own husbands at home; for it is shameful for women to speak in church.

36 Or did the word of God come originally from you? Or was it you only that it reached?

It has been erroneously taught that Paul was a woman-hater because of his strict rules concerning women’s conduct in Church, mainly that they be silent as stated in the verses above and;

I TIMOTHY 2:11-12

11 Let a woman learn in silence with all submission.

12 And I do not permit a woman to teach or to have authority over a man, but to be in silence.

There are several reasons for this:

1. It was culture-based that women were essentially secondary to men, having started in the Garden of Eden when God told Eve that her husband would rule over her. Women were to be treated with love and respect, but the husbands were the authority in the household.

2. Most women of the time were house-bound, taking care of the household while their husbands worked. As such, they didn’t have much of a social life. In the synagogues they had a section for women that was curtained off from the main room and women could sit there and listen, but not speak. That way, men could be attentive to the reading of the Word and teachings without being distracted by women gossiping and talking among themselves.

In both Roman and Greek cultures women were highly regarded and many were in high and powerful positions in business and government. Paul understood this and understood that much of his discourses concerning women were culturally based. He also understood that he could not force Jewish customs upon the Gentile churches, which is why he told the Corinthian church after a long discourse on women;

I CORINTHIANS 11:16

16 But if anyone seems to be contentious, we have no such custom, nor do the churches of God.

I CORINTHIANS 14:37-40

37 If anyone thinks himself to be a prophet or spiritual, let him acknowledge that the things which I write to you are the commandments of the Lord.

38 But if anyone is ignorant, let him be ignorant.

39 Therefore, brethren, desire earnestly to prophesy, and do not forbid to speak with tongues.

40 Let all things be done decently and in order.

Paul has set out an orderly use of the gifts, and these are to be obeyed as the commandments of God Himself, for His Holy Spirit spoke through Paul to set these things in this exact order to prevent confusion and to limit Satan's ability to try to corrupt the church through counterfeit gifts.

Those of you who attend churches who violate these commandments, talk to your pastor and show him how he is in violation of the Scriptures. If he refuses to listen, talk to the elders. If they refuse to listen, leave and find another church which DOES follow these commandments. (For more in-depth information on the this subject please see this study on gifts of the spirit and this study on church errors with regards to the gifts of the spirit.)

1 CORINTHIANS 15:1-8

1 Moreover, brethren, I declare to you the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received and in which you stand,

2 by which also you are saved, if you hold fast that word which I preached to you—unless you believed in vain.

3 For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures,

4 and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures,

5 and that He was seen by Cephas, then by the twelve.

6 After that He was seen by over five hundred brethren at once, of whom the greater part remain to the present, but some have fallen asleep.

7 After that He was seen by James, then by all the apostles.

8 Then last of all He was seen by me also, as by one born out of due time.

Paul reiterates the death and resurrection of Jesus and reports that many saw Him after His resurrection including over 500 witnesses most of whom were still living and could verify Paul’s account. He says this to bolster the faith of those who heard him.

1 CORINTHIANS 15:9-11

9 For I am the least of the apostles, who am not worthy to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God.

10 But by the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace toward me was not in vain; but I labored more abundantly than they all, yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me.

11 Therefore, whether it was I or they, so we preach and so you believed.

Paul humbly admits to his hateful, violent past, but also admits that he has worked more diligently than any of the other Apostles in furthering the Gospel.

1 CORINTHIANS 15:12-19

12 Now if Christ is preached that He has been raised from the dead, how do some among you say that there is no resurrection of the dead?

13 But if there is no resurrection of the dead, then Christ is not risen.

14 And if Christ is not risen, then our preaching is empty and your faith is also empty.

15 Yes, and we are found false witnesses of God, because we have testified of God that He raised up Christ, whom He did not raise up—if in fact the dead do not rise.

16 For if the dead do not rise, then Christ is not risen.

17 And if Christ is not risen, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins!

18 Then also those who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished.

19 If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men the most pitiable.

Paul takes a cynical tone with those questioning Jesus’ resurrection, speaking of how the Apostles’ efforts are wasted if that was not the case and that the faith of the believers is in vain, leaving everyone without hope.

1 CORINTHIANS 15:20-28

20 But now Christ is risen from the dead, and has become the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.

21 For since by man came death, by Man also came the resurrection of the dead.

22 For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ all shall be made alive.

23 But each one in his own order: Christ the firstfruits, afterward those who are Christ’s at His coming.

24 Then comes the end, when He delivers the kingdom to God the Father, when He puts an end to all rule and all authority and power.

25 For He must reign till He has put all enemies under His feet.

26 The last enemy that will be destroyed is death.

27 For “He has put all things under His feet.” But when He says “all things are put under Him,” it is evident that He who put all things under Him is excepted.

28 Now when all things are made subject to Him, then the Son Himself will also be subject to Him who put all things under Him, that God may be all in all.

Paul reaffirms Jesus’ resurrection and sets in order God’s plans for resurrection; Jesus first, then those who died in obedience to the Law of Moses and who died believing in Jesus at His return, followed by His 1,000 year reign on Earth, followed by the Great Judgment when all of God’s enemies will be conquered, including Death itself. Then Jesus will submit Himself to the Father and eternity will begin.

1 CORINTHIANS 15:29-34

29 Otherwise, what will they do who are baptized for the dead, if the dead do not rise at all? Why then are they baptized for the dead?

30 And why do we stand in jeopardy every hour?

31 I affirm, by the boasting in you which I have in Christ Jesus our Lord, I die daily.

32 If, in the manner of men, I have fought with beasts at Ephesus, what advantage is it to me? If the dead do not rise, “Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die!”

33 Do not be deceived: “Evil company corrupts good habits.”

34 Awake to righteousness, and do not sin; for some do not have the knowledge of God. I speak this to your shame.

Some hard stuff here. Paul speaks of people being baptized for the dead, and there is no real indication of the meaning of the practice. The only explanation I can come up with is if a person dies after accepting Jesus but dies before they can be baptized, someone would volunteer to be baptized in the dead person’s name. There is nothing in Scripture to command this practice, so it must have been a local custom.

Some early writers have attributed this practice to early pagan Gnostic (Greek: Gnostikos, ‘hidden knowledge’) beliefs which combined Christian tenets with pagan Platonic philosophy which teaches that there is no sin, only ignorance. And only by understanding ‘Gnosis’, (Greek: ‘knowledge’), can Man free himself from worldly ignorance and release the ‘divine spark’ of the spirit within.

While Gnosticism flourished in the second century A.D. it eventually splintered into different sects and moved underground. But variations can still be found in some ‘secret societies’ such as the Masons who teach pseudo-Christian ‘hidden knowledge’ to their followers.

While there are no surviving records concerning why people were baptized for the dead in ancient times, it is only practiced openly today by the ‘Latter Day Saints’ (Mormon) church,. The early Church didn’t follow this practice as it was viewed as paganism.

Still Paul cynically asks that if the dead will not be resurrected, why do they baptize the dead as if they will be resurrected? And if the dead will not be raised, why persecute those who say they will?

Paul also makes a cryptic reference to the fact that he may have been forced to fight in an arena setting because of his faith. He then rhetorically asks why he fought, when if he preached falsehood all he had to do is recant his doctrine?

1 CORINTHIANS 15:35-45

35 But someone will say, “How are the dead raised up? And with what body do they come?”

36 Foolish one, what you sow is not made alive unless it dies.

37 And what you sow, you do not sow that body that shall be, but mere grain—perhaps wheat or some other grain.

38 But God gives it a body as He pleases, and to each seed its own body.

39 All flesh is not the same flesh, but there is one kind of flesh of men, another flesh of animals, another of fish, and another of birds.

40 There are also celestial bodies and terrestrial bodies; but the glory of the celestial is one, and the glory of the terrestrial is another.

41 There is one glory of the sun, another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars; for one star differs from another star in glory.

42 So also is the resurrection of the dead. The body is sown in corruption, it is raised in incorruption.

43 It is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory. It is sown in weakness, it is raised in power.

44 It is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body. There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body.

45 And so it is written, “The first man Adam became a living being.” The last Adam became a life-giving spirit.

One thing we all need to remember, is that all humans are eternal creatures as we have been made in God’s image. In order to satisfy God’s justice concerning sin, He in His mercy condemned the flesh to infirmity, aging and death so that while the flesh will be destroyed, the spirit will live forever. But where we spend eternity depends on what we do here on Earth.

Paul uses an analogy of seeds to make his point. The plant that bears seeds dies after the seed has developed, and the seed appears dead until it is planted. Once it is planted, the life within it activates at God’s command and it generates a new plant.

The same with us. Our bodies harbor the eternal spirit within us, a “seed” so to speak of what we will later become. And just like plants, there are good seeds that grow into fruitful plants while others produce weeds and thorns.

Jesus in Matthew 13 put forth a story to illustrate this. He said a sower sowed good wheat seeds in a field. But his enemy came later and sowed a weed called Darnel in the same field. (Darnel looks just like wheat, but does not bear heads of grain). When the wheat matured, the sower realized what had happened. At the harvest he gathered the wheat into his barn, but commanded the Darnel plants be burned.

The story indicates the children of God and the children of Satan. The spirits (seeds) of the believers will be taken to Heaven to be with Jesus until their resurrection into new, eternal bodies while the bad seeds and plants (unbelievers) will be burned in eternal fire.

And just as the seed doesn’t look like the plant it will become, so it is with our spirits. And just as seeds from the same plant can differ in glory when they are grown, even so will we differ from one another when we are rewarded by Jesus at our resurrection, our rewards differing according to our works here on Earth.

Note also that Paul speaks of “terrestrial bodies” (planets). He knew about planets back when the known world believed they were gods watching over men. Even Job (roughly 3,000 B.C.) knew the Earth hung in space;

JOB 26:7

7 He stretches out the north over empty space; He hangs the earth on nothing.

Apparently “primitive Man” wasn’t so primitive, was he?

1 CORINTHIANS 15:46-49

46 However, the spiritual is not first, but the natural, and afterward the spiritual.

47 The first man was of the earth, made of dust; the second Man is the Lord from heaven.

48 As was the man of dust, so also are those who are made of dust; and as is the heavenly Man, so also are those who are heavenly.

49 And as we have borne the image of the man of dust, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly Man.

All flesh suffers from the curse that God put on Adam in which we will die and return to the dust we were made from. However Jesus appeared in the flesh so He could take His own curse and our sins into His flesh, destroying both sin and redeeming us from the curse of eternal destruction at His death.

And though the flesh will return to dust if we die before Jesus’ return, our spirits will rest with Him until His return at which time we will be resurrected into new, eternal bodies.

1 CORINTHIANS 15:50-58

50 Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; nor does corruption inherit incorruption.

51 Behold, I tell you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed—

52 in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.

53 For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.

54 So when this corruptible has put on incorruption, and this mortal has put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written: “Death is swallowed up in victory.”

55 “O Death, where is your sting, O Hell, where is your victory?”

56 The sting of death is sin, and the strength of sin is the law.

57 But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

58 Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.

Paul says that those of us who are still living when Jesus returns will not suffer death but will be instantly changed into our new, glorified, eternal bodies, never to suffer death. We will be just like Jesus Himself.

Flesh and blood are not eternal. Even Jesus died, and He was resurrected into a new, glorified, eternal body before He returned to Heaven. But those believers who survive the coming Great Tribulation under the Antichrist will never die, a wonderful promise for those so chosen!!

Note carefully that Paul says in verse 52 above that this will not happen until the last trumpet. The righteous dead will be resurrected at Jesus’ return and the living believers will be changed into immortal bodies.

In the Book of Revelation, John records that 7 trumpets are blown in Heaven. The first 6 (Revelation chapters 8 and 9) unleash world-wide disasters. In Revelation chapter 11, the 7^th (last) trumpet heralds Jesus’ return.

The “pre-Tribulation” and “mid-Tribulation” Rapture doctrines teach that Jesus will make an invisible return either before or in the middle of the 7-year Tribulation under the Antichrist, taking the living believers to Heaven, followed by a visible return a few years later during Armageddon.

He promised that when He returned it would be in glory, and that it would be unmistakable. Scripture says;

MATTHEW 24:27

27 For as the lightning comes from the east and flashes to the west, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be.

REVELATION 1:7

7 behold, He is coming with clouds, and every eye will see Him, even they who pierced Him. And all the tribes of the earth will mourn because of Him. Even so, Amen.

Verse 7 above indicates that even those in Hell will see Him at His coming. And He will return only once, not twice. In other words, Christians WILL go through the Tribulation! (For more information on the End Times, please see the series of End Times studies in this site.)

1 CORINTHIANS 16:1-4

1 Now concerning the collection for the saints, as I have given orders to the churches of Galatia, so you must do also:

2 On the first day of the week let each one of you lay something aside, storing up as he may prosper, that there be no collections when I come.

3 And when I come, whomever you approve by your letters I will send to bear your gift to Jerusalem.

4 But if it is fitting that I go also, they will go with me.

The churches in Greece felt obligated to collect money to send to the poor in Jerusalem, giving back in a sense for the news of salvation given to them by Paul and others. But rather than burden the church with a sudden collection, Paul ordered that a weekly collection be made and when Paul traveled to Jerusalem, he would take the designated representative and the gift with him.

1 CORINTHIANS 16:5-9

5 Now I will come to you when I pass through Macedonia (for I am passing through Macedonia).

6 And it may be that I will remain, or even spend the winter with you, that you may send me on my journey, wherever I go.

7 For I do not wish to see you now on the way; but I hope to stay a while with you, if the Lord permits.

8 But I will tarry in Ephesus until Pentecost.

9 For a great and effective door has opened to me, and there are many adversaries.

Sea travel during the winter was dangerous, and many ships were lost due to the severe winter storms that lashed the Mediterranean Sea. Most ships anchored in a safe cove for the winter then continued their journeys during the Spring.

1 CORINTHIANS 16:10-18

10 And if Timothy comes, see that he may be with you without fear; for he does the work of the Lord, as I also do.

11 Therefore let no one despise him. But send him on his journey in peace, that he may come to me; for I am waiting for him with the brethren.

12 Now concerning our brother Apollos, I strongly urged him to come to you with the brethren, but he was quite unwilling to come at this time; however, he will come when he has a convenient time.

13 Watch, stand fast in the faith, be brave, be strong.

14 Let all that you do be done with love.

15 I urge you, brethren—you know the household of Stephanas, that it is the firstfruits of Achaia, and that they have devoted themselves to the ministry of the saints—

16 that you also submit to such, and to everyone who works and labors with us.

17 I am glad about the coming of Stephanas, Fortunatus, and Achaicus, for what was lacking on your part they supplied.

18 For they refreshed my spirit and yours. Therefore acknowledge such men.

Paul issues instructions concerning Timothy, a young disciple whom Paul considered a son. Timothy was quite young, possibly in his late teens when he accompanied Paul, and Paul had instructed the churches in his other epistles to not despise Timothy’s youth.

He also leaves instructions concerning other traveling brethren who often stopped by the churches or believers’ houses on their missionary journeys.

1 CORINTHIANS 16:19-24

19 The churches of Asia greet you. Aquila and Priscilla greet you heartily in the Lord, with the church that is in their house.

20 All the brethren greet you. Greet one another with a holy kiss.

21 The salutation with my own hand—Paul’s.

22 If anyone does not love the Lord Jesus Christ, let him be accursed. O Lord, come!

23 The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you.

24 My love be with you all in Christ Jesus. Amen.

Paul passes on greetings from his companions. A number of believers had churches in their homes, creating smaller, more tightly-knit congregations. As the mainstream churches continue to “fall away”, we’ll see more “home churches” form.

Paul is unusually blunt in verse 22, reminiscent of the curses spoken by king David in Psalms. It was not spoken in anger or malice but was spoken out of zeal for the Lord.

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