Scripture

But if anyone wants to argue about this, I simply say that we have no other custom than this and neither do God’s other churches.

Observation

The head of every man is Christ, and the head of every woman is man. A man dishonours God if he prays with his head covered, but a woman dishonours God if she prays or prophesies without her head being covered.

Among God’s people neither men nor women are independent of each other.

Paul concludes by saying that they have no other custom in any of the churches, that is that men worship without head coverings, but women must have their heads covered.

Application

Here we have an extended argument by Paul about men and women worshipping, and what they should or should not wear on their heads.

It is strange that, even though the arguments and the directions are clear, churches generally do not insist on women wearing hats or veils in worship, not even when they are praying and prophesying.

A few generations ago, this was not the case. Over that time hats have generally gone out of fashion, except for their sun protection function.

Equally, our understanding of scripture has also changed in that time. We now recognise that Paul was talking about culture and customs in this passage, rather than about abiding principles.

In Corinth, as in many parts of the ancient world, a woman’s hair carried culturally imposed sexual connotation. Prostitutes would often emphasise their long hair, while respectable women tended to cover their hair in public places.

Paul is saying that while women might be free to come to church with their heads uncovered, it is wise to encourage them to conform to cultural expectations.

The lesson for us is that while Christians are free to do anything we want to, sometimes wisdom comes in following the dress codes of the culture in which we live.

Prayer

Lord, I thank you for the freedom you have given us. Please help me and your church to be wise in how now we use this freedom. Amen

Scripture

So whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.

Observation

While we can do anything or eat anything, not everything is beneficial. It is not about law any more, but about grace.

We can eat anything without raising questions of conscience. If a person who isn’t a believer invites us to share a meal, we can eat anything put before us. However, if they say the meat was offered to an idol, then we should not eat it, out of consideration for the conscience of the other person.

Eat or drink, whatever we do should be done for the glory of God. Like Paul, we should try to please others for the sake of their salvation.

Application

Paul is very pragmatic about the issue of food offered to idols. He advocates a” Don’t ask, don’t tell” policy so that Christians are not put in a position where they may inadvertently offend an unbeliever.

We are free to do many things, but we should exercise freedom wisely, in order to glorify God. If my dogmatic freedom turns others away from the Kingdom of God, where is the benefit?

I read the other day of someone who is known as a christian shouting through the door of a cafe denouncing the use of vaccine passports. He is free to do that, and he is free to refuse the vaccination. But why be aggressive in this freedom?

Jesus tells us to be wise as serpents and gentle is doves. Sometimes I think we get it the wrong way around.

There are times when it is right to demand justice for christians and for the church. There are times when it is right to show that we treat idols with contempt. We just need to make sure we do this in a way that honours the Lord.

Prayer

Please help me, Lord, to receive every freedom that is mine in Christ. Grant me wisdom in the way I express this grace. Amen

Scripture

All of them ate the same spiritual food and drank the same spiritual water. For they drank from the spiritual rock that travelled with them, and that rock was Christ.

Observation

The ancestors in the wilderness are a warning to followers of Christ. They were guided by the cloud, they passed safely through the sea, they ate and drank miraculously, and yet God was not pleased with them.

Despite all of these miraculous signs of God’s presence, they worshipped idols in the wilderness. They indulged in sexual immorality and 23000 of them died in one day.

We must not put Christ to the test by grumbling as some of them did, and they were destroyed. These things happened as an example to us.

Application

Although the book of Exodus does not mention the rock travelling with the people through the wilderness to supply them with water, the rabbis taught this and Paul mentions it also.

Imagine being in that place where every day you receive food and water in miraculous ways, and the presence of God is visible as a cloud of smoke in the day and a flame at night.

You would really know that God is real, and that He is with you. Yet, the Israelites sinned in so many ways, including idolatry

We are not so different. We become complacent about salvation, answers to prayer, and signs and wonders. We take God and His grace for granted, becoming cold over time.

We must constantly come back to the Rock, that is Christ. We need to return to our first love, to seek again God’s Kingdom and His righteousness.

Our faithfulness to God does not withstand years of walking through the wilderness, unless we work on the relationship with Him.

Prayer

Father, Please forgive my sinful ways. Help me to turn to you, and fan into flame the love for you that sometimes grows faint. Amen.

Scripture

Preaching the Good News is not something I can boast about. I am compelled by God to do it. How terrible for me if I didn’t preach the Good News!

Observation

Those who work in the Temple receive their meals from the offerings and sacrifices. In the same way, those who preach should be supported by those who benefit from it. Paul never claimed these rights because he was compelled by Christ to preach the gospel.

If he was doing it on his own initiative, he would expect payment. This opportunity to preach is its own reward.

Paul is a free man, but he became a slave to all in order to share the gospel.

In a race, everyone runs, but only one person gets the prize. Athletes are disciplined in their training. So Paul disciplines his body like an athlete, in order to not fall short in his ministry.

Application

When good calls a person to a ministry, it becomes an obsession that they just can’t help but do it. Whether it is evangelism, healing, pastoral ministry, worship leading, or children’s ministry, you just do it because God compels you.

That is not to say that it is forced. No, it is love for God and for people that makes us want to do the ministry.

If I we’re not allowed to preach, I think I would die of frustration, unless God told me to stop. The word is inside you and it has to get out.

Somebody once said that if you find a job that is your passion, you will never have to go to work again. God plants a passion in all of His people, and it is our job to turn that passion into serving Him.

Prayer

Lord, please help me to discover the passions, gifts, and callings that you have placed in me. Amen.

Scripture
We would rather put up with anything than be an obstacle to the good news about Christ.

Observation
Paul now talks about his rights as an apostle.

He has the right to stay in people’s homes when he is travelling. A soldier doesn’t have to pay his own expenses. A farmer has the right to some of the craft he harvests.

Since Paul planted spiritual seed, he surely has the right to physical food and drink. Paul has never used these rights because he never wanted to be an obstacle to the preaching of the good news.


Application
As christians, we can still be people who claim certain rights. We want to be comfortable at church with air conditioning that works, seats that are padded, music and preaching that tickle our ears

We are happy to tithe ( some of us) just as long as we can spend the other 90% the way we want it spent.

Paul’s attitude was that he would rather let go of what might be considered his rights in order to not stand in the way of the gospel.

When Jesus called us to follow him, he also called us to die to ourselves. The way to salvation is by two crosses – the cross of Christ and the cross on which we die to our own ambitions and desires.

With God, it is all or nothing. Everything not submitted to him is rebellion.

Prayer
Father, please help me to surrender completely to you. Amen.

Scripture

When you sin against other believers by encouraging them to do something they believe is wrong, you are sinning against Christ. So, if what I eat causes another believer to sin, I will never eat meat again as long as I live – for I don’t want to cause another believer to stumble.

Observation

Paul now addresses what christians should do about meat sacrificed to idols. He points out that knowledge is less important than love.

We know that idols have no power, and are not really gods at all. But some people, particularly new believers, are used to thinking of idols as being real. They think of eating meat sacrificed to idols as being equal to idol worship.

Paul says that even if we have freedom of conscience to eat meat sacrificed to idols, we must be careful not to violate the consciences of other believers.

It would be better to never eat meat again then to cause another believer to stumble in their faith.

Application

Some people claim that we should not eat meat because it is all killed to meet the requirements of Muslims. They say that it is all prayed over by a cleric in order to be Sharia compliant.

This is the opposite problem to that described by Paul. The people with the advanced knowledge about spiritual things are saying we should not eat meat sacrificed to idols.

The principle remains the same, however. If my conscience says that it is acceptable to eat meat, then I will do so, but if a brother or sister is offended by this, then out of love for them, I will refrain from eating.

It is not my rights that are important. It is not my superior knowledge that matters. It is all about love. If you have a problem with anything sincerely in love for Christ, then I will accommodate your weakness.

Prayer

Lord, when our consciences collide with one another, please help us to see your wisdom, and to defer to one another in love. Amen.

Scripture

I am saying this for your benefit, not to place restrictions on you. I want you to do whatever will help you serve the Lord best, with as few distractions as possible.

Observation

Paul advises the Corinthians with the aim of helping them to be free of the concerns of this life. Unmarried people are free to serve the Lord, but those who are married have to think about earthly concerns and how to please their partner.

If a man thinks that he is unable to control his passions, or that calling off a marriage would be unfair to his fiancee, then he should marry. This is not a sin.

Overall, though, it is better to remain single.

Application

The lordship of Christ affects every part of our life on earth. If Jesus really is Lord, then my life must be completely surrendered to the goal of serving Him.

Even the most intimate, most basic, of human desires has to be surrendered to Christ.

Paul does not lay down binding rules in this passage. He is realistic about the way we are created.

For some people, it will make sense to remain single so that we can devote ourselves entirely to serving the Lord. A single person can be flexible to go anywhere and do anything the Lord requires, without having to worry about their children or their spouse.

Others of us are called to marriage and the sacred vocation of parenting. This has its burdens as well as its joys. There are opportunities for ministry in being a parent that single people may not easily access.

In all things, we must seek God’s kingdom first and trust Him to supply what is needed.

Prayer

Father, I thank you for calling me to be a husband and father. Help me to walk through each day with the awareness that this is your mission for me. Amen.

Scripture

Those who use the things of the world should not become attached to them. for this world as we know it will soon pass away.

Observation

We should remain as we were when God called us. If a slave gets a chance to be free they should take it, but they should focus on the fact that they are already free in Christ.

Young women who are not married should not marry because of the present crisis. He does not say this as a command but as wisdom.

The time is short, and we should not focus on the things of this world. if we use the things of the world, we should not be too attached to them as they will soon pass away.

Application

Our age has many exciting goods and distractions to consume us and divert us from God’s purposes.

Phones, computers, cars, and so on are nice and make our lives comfortable, but they will not draw us closer to God.

We become used to our possessions and cannot imagine life without them. When we do that, they become like idols that stand between us and God.

We can likewise turn our career into an idol. The sense of worth and importance that we gain from our work can become more important to us than God’s assessment of our importance.

It is possible that the Lord may call us to give up some of these things that we value in order that we can serve Him better. It may be difficult to let go, but I have discovered Jesus always gives us more than we surrender to Him.

Prayer

Lord, my flesh nature wants to hold onto everything the world offers. Please help me to surrender all things to you. Amen.

Scripture

Don’t you wives realise that your husbands might be saved because of you? Don’t you husbands realise that your wives might be saved because of you?

Observation

A christian must not leave their unbelieving spouse. A christian husband or wife brings a holiness to their marriage and to their children.

If the unbelieving partner leaves, then let them go.

The christian’s witness in their marriage has the potential to bring their husband or wife to faith in Christ.

Whatever situation we were in when we were saved, we should stay in that condition.

Application

Coming to faith in the Lord is such a radical change in our lifestyle, and our expectations and ambitions in life change so much, that marriage has to be affected.

Often, the change brings conflict and stress as partners have to work out what their marriage looks like.

A new christian might think that they should no longer remain “unequally yoked” to their unbelieving partner. Paul clearly states that if their husband or wife is willing to stay, then christians should not leave their marriage.

It is quite possible that over a period of time, the changes in their partner and their faithfulness to the Lord will win them to Christ.

We sometimes underestimate the power of God to change a person. We also underestimate the power of a life change to convince sceptical partners.

Prayer

Lord I pray for christians who are married to unbelievers. May there steady witness work a miracle of salvation in the heart of their partner. Amen.

Scripture

But, because there is so much sexual immorality, each man should have his own wife, and each woman should have her own husband.

Observation

It is good to abstain from sexual relations, but because of the immorality of the world in which we live, it is better to be married.

In marriage, husband and wife each give other authority over their own body, and so should be ready to meet the needs of their partner.

Spouses should not deprive their partners of sexual relations, unless it is by mutual agreement for the sake of prayer.

Paul wishes everyone was single as he is, but he recognises that people have different gifts. It is better to remain unmarried if you have the self-control necessary. It is better to marry than burn with lust.

Those who are already married should remain so. If they are separated, they should seek to be reconciled.

Application

Paul says here that the ideal for every Christian would be to remain single. However, not everyone has the spiritual gifting to do this, so for these people it is best to marry.

We live in a world where every kind of sexual perversion is tolerated and encouraged. For the world, sex is always good, and no limitation should be placed on it.

For christians, though, our bodies are holy to the Lord. Our sexual desires, like every physical drive, need to be contained and expressed in a way that is holy and pleasing to the Lord

Marriage of the biblical kind – one man and one woman joined together for life – is the holy expression of sexuality. Marriage is given for the protection and growth of the partners, and for the provision of a loving environment for children.

Sex in the strictly biological sense is about the production of babies. It is a perverse feature of human nature that we have made it an end in itself. In this way, we deny our own humanity.

Prayer

Thank you, Lord, for the gifts of sex and marriage. You have designed us for both of these. Please help me to think rightly about them. Amen