8 Lessons From the Book of 1 Corinthians

I appeal to you, brothers, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be united in the same mind and the same judgment.
(1 Corinthians 1:10)

Paul appealed to the church at Corinth to be united with no divisions.  He wanted them to see the wisdom and greatness of Jesus’ work on the cross, over the wisdom and greatness of the preachers and teachers they were following.  Paul reminded them that God chose the weak, foolish, low and despised of this world, to preach the power of Christ crucified.  So, when we boast, may we only boast in the Lord.

2.) God has given us principles to follow for marriage, divorce and singleness.

Only let each person lead the life that the Lord has assigned to him, and to which God has called him.
(1 Corinthians 7:17)

Everyone is either single or married.  While Paul was single and saw it as good, he considered both marriage and singleness a gift from God.  Each one of us should embrace the life that the Lord has assigned to us.  No one is gifted for sexual immorality.  We are either to live faithfully or be celibate.

3.) We must not be a stumbling block to the weak.

But take care that this right of yours does not somehow become a stumbling block to the weak.
(1 Corinthians 8:9)

Idol worship was a huge part of the culture in Corinth. Most of the new believers would have come out of this idolatry. So, eating meat sold in the market place, that had first been offered to idols, became an issue for the church.    Many in the church most likely suffered for their choice to follow God and so their conscience would not allow them to eat the meat offered to idols. It may have felt like a denial of Christ for them. So, Paul reminded the church that love should trump their freedom to eat meat.  Freedom in Christ is a delicate balance.  While we are free to enjoy many things, we must consider if abstaining from certain things would be the more loving choice.

4.) The Lord’s Supper is not to be taken irreverently.

For anyone who eats and drinks without discerning the body eats and drinks judgment on himself.
(1 Corinthians 11:29)

The Lord’s Supper was causing division in the Corinthian church.  Paul explained that they were taking it irreverently and selfishly. That is a dangerous thing to do. He called on them to examine themselves before they took of the cup and bread or they would face discipline from the Lord.

5.) Love is to be the goal of spiritual gifts.

If one member suffers, all suffer together.
(1 Corinthians 12:26)

Every single believer has been given a gift from the Holy Spirit.  Spiritual gifts are not given for self-glorification but to glorify God and to build up the body of Christ.  Love is the goal of the spiritual gifts.  Church is not a place we attend once a week to fill a seat and then leave.  The Church is meant to function as a body.  If one part is hurting, we all should hurt.  Spiritual gifts are very practical in nature.  They are to be used to care for one another just like we care for our little toe when we stub it or our eye when it is hurting.  This is why divisions and fighting in the church so displease the Lord.  God wants us to have a loving heart towards one another.

6.) Without love our gifts are useless.

So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love.
(1 Corinthians 13:13)

While our spiritual gifts are wonderful, it is faith, hope and love that we all must pursue.  All of the New Testament speaks to the pursuit of these but the greatest of the these is love. Love trumps faith, hope and our spiritual gifts.  Without love, our gifts are useless. One day when we see Jesus and we will no longer need faith or hope.  But we will experience love for all of eternity!

7.) Christ’s resurrection removes the sting of death.

Because death has been swallowed up in victory and we have a hope of resurrection with Christ, we can stand firm.  We can be immovable. We can work hard serving the Lord knowing that all of our labor is not in vain. There is a sure hope of eternal life with Jesus one day!

8.) We are to live a life of love.

Let all that you do be done in love.
(1 Corinthians 16:14)

The Corinthian church needed clarity on many issues inside the church that were causing divisions. As Paul closes out his letter, he reminds them one last time to seek to do everything out of a heart of love for one another.

This is the same message we need in our churches today.  There would be so much less division in our churches, if we would simply let all that we do, be done in love.

May we love each other more and more until the day that Christ returns.

Walk with the King,

Thank you for taking this journey through the book of 1 Corinthians with us!  It has been a blessing to study alongside of you!

**Chime In**

What have you learned during your time in the book of 1 Corinthians?

What’s next?

On Monday, November 4th we will begin the
10th annual Making Your Home a Haven Bible Study!
This is a 4-Week Bible Study that will focus on the spiritual disciplines of:
Thanksgiving, Prayer, Meditation and Fasting.
More details and resources for this study will be posted soon!

If you are looking to do a Bible Study
during our break here’s a few I recommend:

Ecclesiastes – Wisdom for Living Well
A 6-Week In-depth Bible Study with a Free Video Series

With over 150 5-Star Reviews on Amazon – this is my most popular Bible Study!  It is a  verse-by-verse in-depth study of the book of Ecclesiastes. You can find all of the free resources for this study along with the video series —-> HERE.

Ruth – God’s Amazing Love for You
A 5-Week In-depth Bible Study with a Free Video Series

This is my second most popular study.  It is a verse-by verse, in-depth study of the book of Ruth.
You can find all of the free resources for this study along with the video series —> HERE.

Rest and Release
A 4-Week Bible Study with a Free Video Series

You can find all of its resources and the free video seres —–> HERE.

Other books of the Bible

You can find all of the books of the Bible we have already studied together and the free resources to go along with those studies on this page —–> HERE.

I encourage you to pick a book of the Bible and study it on your own and I’ll be back in April to study a new one with you!

The  3-Month Habit Trackers are also
available on Amazon .  These are a great tool!

Find all the details including interior pics and a blog series to go with them —-> HERE.

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