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

Scripture

You do not belong to yourself, for God bought you with a high price. So you must honour God with your body.

Observation

We can do anything we like, but not everything is good for us. Food was made for the stomach, and the stomach for food, but we must not apply that argument to justify sexual immorality. Our bodies were made to honour the Lord.

Our bodies are a part of Christ. To join my body to a prostitute is to join Christ to them.

We are to flee from sexual sin. Sexual sin is a sin against our own body. My body is a temple of the Holy Spirit. I do not belong to myself, for I have been bought by God at the price of Christ.

Application

When Jesus died on the cross, He was the price for my sin, and the sin of the whole world. We look at that side of the transaction and gladly accept it.

The other side of the transaction is this: having purchased me from sin, God now owns me. I stopped being a slave to sin, and instead became a slave to God.

My body is no longer my own to do as I wish with it. It is now a temple of the Holy Spirit.

My life belongs to Christ. I am being made holy, that is, set apart for God’s purposes.

Although Paul here is talking about sexual sin, the principle applies to all sin. Everything in my life belongs to God, and I am responsible to give everything to him, to glorify the name of the Lord.

Prayer

Thank you, Lord that you have paid the price for my sin. I yield myself to you, giving my body and my mind to you. Amen

Scripture

Some of you were once like that. But you were cleansed, you were made holy, you were made right with God by calling on the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of God.

Observation

Paul is shocked by the Corinthian christians who take their disputes with one another to the secular courts. They should take them to other believers to adjudicate.

We believers will judge the world, and even judge angels. Surely there must be someone in the church who can settle mundane arguments.

Those who do wrong will not enter the Kingdom of God. Adulterers, homosexuals, idolaters and thieves will not inherit God’s kingdom. Some of us were once like that, but we have been cleansed, sanctified and made right with God through Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit.

Application

We were once the outsiders, living lives that were displeasing to the Lord. But we called on the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, and He set us free from the bondage of sin.

We were cleansed. The blood of Jesus washed away our sin. The mark of iniquity was washed away.

We were made holy. That means that we were given the ability to live a life of righteousness. It also means that we have been set apart for God’s use. I am no longer my own master; I belong to the Lord.

We have been made right with God. The enmity that existed between us and God has been destroyed. We were once far away from God, but by His free gift, we are now His friends.

Prayer

Hallelujah! What a great salvation you have given to me. Thank you Lord. Amen.

Scripture

I meant that you are not to associate with anyone who claims to be a believer yet indulges in sexual sin, or is greedy, or worship idols, or is abusive, or is a drunkard, or cheats people. Don’t even eat with such people.

Observation

Paul had previously warned the Corinthians not to associate with people who indulge in sexual sin. He clarifies now that this was not about avoiding unbelievers who sin, but about those who claim to be believers but who continue to sin sexually, or are greedy, worship idols, are abusive, drink too much or cheat people.

It isn’t our responsibility to judge outsiders. God will do that. However, it is our responsibility to judge those inside the church who are sinning. We must remove them from fellowship.

Application

We expect sinners to sin. It is the nature of sinners that they will sin. We would have to leave the world altogether to remain separate from such people. But, on the contrary, we should go out of our way to befriend people in order to lead them to Christ.

However, there is a special hardness of heart required to claim to be a follower of Christ, but still live in the old fleshly lifestyle of self- centred sin.

If a person is sinning regularly and consistently, then they are not following the way of Jesus and should not be a part of the fellowship.

There needs to be a process of discipline in the church whereby those who are living in a way that dishonours Christ are firstly shown the right way to live, but if this fails, they are excluded from the church.

This is hard, and needs to be done gently and with sensitivity. The aim must always be to restore to faith a person who has fallen.

Prayer

Lord, I thank you that your love never fails. Even when we sin, you still love us. Please help me to live a life of holy dedication to you. Amen.

Scripture

Then you must throw this man out and hand him over to Satan so that his sinful nature will be destroyed and he himself will be saved on the day the Lord returns.

Observation

Paul is shocked by the reports of sexual immorality that the church in Corinth is tolerating in their midst. In particular, there is a man in a sexual relationship with his own stepmother. Such behaviour is unheard of even among pagans.

The church should remove this man from the fellowship. They must call a meeting of the church and throw him out, handing him over to satan.

This sin is like a little yeast that spreads throughout the whole lump of dough. We are to be like the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.

Application

Paul was shocked that the Corinthian church boasted about their open-mindedness in tolerating a man sleeping with his stepmother. How much more would he be enraged by churches celebrating homosexual and transgender pastors and bishops?

The church in the West has really lost its way in terms of expecting certain lifestyle choices of its followers. We cannot expect the world to adopt our standards of morality, but we can certainly expect people who claim to be disciples of Jesus to conform to a level of holiness.

Paul says that people who engage in this kind of wilful sin and scandalous conduct should be thrown out of the church and handed over to satan. This is not a harsh judgement. The hope is that he will repent and escape the judgement that will certainly come on the day of the Lord.

Churches need to have methods of discipline which encourage people to walk in the ways of the Lord, but which avoid legalism.

Prayer

Lord, we fear being accused of unfairly judging people whose behaviour shows they are far from you. Help us, your followers, always walk in integrity and grace. Amen

Scripture

For even if you had ten thousand others to teach you about Christ, you have only one spiritual father.

Observation

Paul says his dedication to Christ makes him look like a fool. He works hard to support himself, he is patient, and he gently appeals to people, but he is treated like garbage.

He is not writing this to shame the Corinthian christians. Rather, he is warning them as his beloved children. They might have ten thousand teachers, but he is their only spiritual father.

Paul will come back to Corinth. Then he will find out whether their arrogant people have the genuine power from God or whether they just give pretentious speeches.

Application

We have many, many christian teachers- pastors, self-appointed teachers, internet and television experts. Teachers are great at imparting the knowledge of the Bible. Some of them are even right.

But we all need a spiritual father, someone who loves us, cares about us, and speaks truth to us.

A father, natural or spiritual, is important in helping a person to mature, and to keep us going through dark times as well as the good times. A father shows us how to walk with God and minister in the Holy Spirit.

In our individualistic culture, many christians are effectively spiritual orphans. They refuse correction and mentoring. They keep more mature people at a distance, refusing to let them get emotionally or relationally close.

Everyone needs a spiritual dad.

Prayer

Thank you, Father, for my spiritual father. Please help me to father those you have entrusted to my care. Amen.

Scripture

My conscience is clear, bu that doesn’t prove I am right. It is the Lord himself who will examine me and decide.

Observation

Apollos and Paul are just servants of Christ. Paul does not worry about how he might be evaluated by any human authority. It is the Lord who will judge Paul.

We must not make judgements about anyone before the Lord returns. Then the Lord will judge everyone, giving whatever praise is due.

We should not boast about one leader at the expense of others because we do not have the right to make these judgements.

Application

The heart is deceitful above all things. We are told to follow our heart, but this is a disastrous idea.

Even an apostle like Paul was nervous about trusting his own conscience. He says his conscience was clear, but in the end it is God who makes the judgement.

In all things, we should seek to be faithful to the Lord. I keep my eyes on my patch, doing the task that Christ has called me to. He will judge my faithfulness.

There is then no room for me to judge other people. I don’t see their motives or the reasons why they do things. Therefore I cannot judge them.

If a clear conscience proves nothing in me, how can I presume to judge others?

Prayer

Lord, please convert my conscience and all my thoughts to your purposes. Help me not to judge other leaders, but instead stay focused on the mission you have assigned to me. Amen.