QT 3/13/2025 1 Cor 7:17-24, A price too great to pay

1 Corinthians 7:17–24 (ESV) —

17 Only let each person lead the life that the Lord has assigned to him, and to which God has called him. This is my rule in all the churches. 18 Was anyone at the time of his call already circumcised? Let him not seek to remove the marks of circumcision. Was anyone at the time of his call uncircumcised? Let him not seek circumcision. 19 For neither circumcision counts for anything nor uncircumcision, but keeping the commandments of God. 20 Each one should remain in the condition in which he was called. 21 Were you a bondservant when called? Do not be concerned about it. (But if you can gain your freedom, avail yourself of the opportunity.) 22 For he who was called in the Lord as a bondservant is a freedman of the Lord. Likewise he who was free when called is a bondservant of Christ. 23 You were bought with a price; do not become bondservants of men. 24 So, brothers, in whatever condition each was called, there let him remain with God.

 

NOTE: I like the phrase "you were bought with a price." I don't think we really understand the cost of our salvation. It was a price only God could pay, so it was an infinite cost. Mathematically speaking, infinity divided by a billion or more people is still infinity. We never had the ability to save ourselves. We were dead in our sin and trespasses. We were made alive in Jesus Christ. And now we are adopted into the family of God and co-heirs with Christ. It is amazing, and it is incomprehensible. A day should not go by where we do not thank God for our salvation. And if we really believe the price paid was so high, we would live in a manner worth of the gospel in obedience to our God out of love.

 

PONDER:

1. Do I really believe that God paid an infinite price to save me?
2. How is that reflected in my obedience to God out of love for what he did?

 

PRAYER: I admit, I don't understand your great love or why you picked me. And I could to so much better in obedience to your word. Forgive me for my callousness. I pray my life would truly honor you and express my thankfulness.

QT 3/12/2025 1 Cor 7:8-16, Rules regarding separation and divorce

1 Corinthians 7:8–16 (ESV) —

8 To the unmarried and the widows I say that it is good for them to remain single, as I am. 9 But if they cannot exercise self-control, they should marry. For it is better to marry than to burn with passion.

10 To the married I give this charge (not I, but the Lord): the wife should not separate from her husband 11 (but if she does, she should remain unmarried or else be reconciled to her husband), and the husband should not divorce his wife.

12 To the rest I say (I, not the Lord) that if any brother has a wife who is an unbeliever, and she consents to live with him, he should not divorce her. 13 If any woman has a husband who is an unbeliever, and he consents to live with her, she should not divorce him. 14 For the unbelieving husband is made holy because of his wife, and the unbelieving wife is made holy because of her husband. Otherwise your children would be unclean, but as it is, they are holy. 15 But if the unbelieving partner separates, let it be so. In such cases the brother or sister is not enslaved. God has called you to peace. 16 For how do you know, wife, whether you will save your husband? Or how do you know, husband, whether you will save your wife?

 

NOTE: It is clear that Paul is uncomfortable in some of his instructions, yet is giving his best wisdom. The two cases are married couples separating, and spouses who are married to an unbelieving spouse. In the first case, it is not his opinion but the Lord. Married believers are bound to each other but it appears separation is okay for a time. In the second case, Paul gives his opinion, not the Lord's command, that marriage to an unbeliever should stand if at all possible, for the sake of the children, and for the sake of the unbelieving spouse.

 

In today's day and age, these instructions seem archaic. But if we desire to live according to the truth, these passages are the word of God. If a person has divorced or committed adultery, there is forgiveness at the cross, and there are consequences of the sin. This is true of all sin. Theft, lying, and drunkenness are all sins that are forgiven at the cross, but also have consequences. All sin, to include divorce, has temporal consequences, and all sin is covered by the eternal blood of Jesus. The shame is taken away by the blood.

 

PONDER:

1. Have I confessed a sin, but feel like it is not forgiven? All sin is covered by the blood of Jesus.
2. Am I contemplating an action against God's word? All sin has consequences, but there are cases where certain actions are appropriate. In my opinion, when a spouse is physically threatened, that is the same as adultery, and one can separate (probably divorce as well, but that is only my opinion).

 

PRAYER: Father, our would of sin makes life so difficult. When Jesus was questioned about divorce, he answered that the reason (he had) Moses wrote a writ of divorce was because of SIN. That is, there will always be situations where man's sin makes reconciliation impossible. It was not your plan from the beginning. Father, help us to overcome our pain and our shame. Help us to fully seek you and enjoy the cleansing power of the cross.

QT 3/11/2025 1 Cor 7:1-7, The danger of sin outside of marriage

1 Corinthians 7:1–7 (ESV) —

1 Now concerning the matters about which you wrote: “It is good for a man not to have sexual relations with a woman.” 2 But because of the temptation to sexual immorality, each man should have his own wife and each woman her own husband. 3 The husband should give to his wife her conjugal rights, and likewise the wife to her husband. 4 For the wife does not have authority over her own body, but the husband does. Likewise the husband does not have authority over his own body, but the wife does. 5 Do not deprive one another, except perhaps by agreement for a limited time, that you may devote yourselves to prayer; but then come together again, so that Satan may not tempt you because of your lack of self-control.

6 Now as a concession, not a command, I say this. 7 I wish that all were as I myself am. But each has his own gift from God, one of one kind and one of another.

 

NOTE: So, it seems abstaining from sexual relations is good and having sexual relations is also good, since after creation, God said everything was good. But God's original classification of good was within the context of marriage. Paul says that there is a temptation to sexual immorality, and so marriage is protection from committing sexual immorality. In our day and age, as well as in ages past, Satan has used the temptation to sexual immorality to corrupt man. What is different now than before, is the ease of sexual sins brought about by technology: television, internet, computer, and smartphone. All sin corrupts and separates us from God in some way. We have the Holy Spirit within us, which is why our body is a temple. Sin grieves the Holy Spirit because it defiles the temple. In the earlier passage, Paul says that sexual sin does something to the body, not just our relationship to God. I think what it does is since sexual immorality is never satisfied, it ruins our good relationships and causes us to seek more and more perverse satisfaction.

 

PONDER:

Do I believe sex outside of marriage is sin? If not, then I am in conflict with God.

 

PRAYER: Father, this is such a dangerous sin. The culture has pretty much defined it as not being sin in order to entrap us. Protect us. Open our eyes. Deliver us.

QT 3/10/2025 1 Cor 6:12-20, Fighting addictions

1 Corinthians 6:12–20 (ESV) —

12 “All things are lawful for me,” but not all things are helpful. “All things are lawful for me,” but I will not be dominated by anything. 13 “Food is meant for the stomach and the stomach for food”—and God will destroy both one and the other. The body is not meant for sexual immorality, but for the Lord, and the Lord for the body. 14 And God raised 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 prostitute? Never! 16 Or do you not know that he who is joined to a prostitute becomes one body with her? For, as it is written, “The two will become one flesh.” 17 But he who is joined to the Lord becomes one spirit with him. 18 Flee from sexual immorality. Every other sin a person commits is outside the body, but the sexually immoral person sins against his own body. 19 Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, 20 for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.

 

NOTE: There are many addictions in life: drugs, alcohol, and pornography are the most prevalent. But anything can be an addiction: eating (leads to gluttony), playing computer games (eats up time), watching television (leads to binging and wasting time) and even work (pride in accomplishments and more power). Sexual sins are discussed in the passage above, leading to an actual physical union with another. I believe that ever increasing sexuality and lust leads to homosexuality and other perverse practices.

 

So what do we do when we live in a society that is hyper-addiction fueled and makes it easy to address these cravings? In other passages in the bible, the writers talk about taking off and putting on, in relationship to certain sins. In other words, you usually just can't stop an addiction, you need to take other steps to replace the addiction. Obviously, you need to pray and ask God for help, repenting of the addiction, but you also need to replace the activity with something else. A person who has been stealing is supposed to do something useful with their hands. A hobby, a ministry, a retreat, a person, can be good substitutes. But each of us need to figure out what we can put on to help us put off some particular sin/addiction.

 

Lastly, it takes a while to change a habit, which is what an addiction becomes. It might take many repeated failures, repenting, and starting over again. But we must never give in, we must never say it is okay or that's "just me."

 

PONDER:

1. Do I have any addictions in my life?
2. What can I add to my life as I remove the addiction from my life?

 

PRAYER: Father, we can't remove these addictions in our own strength. We need the power of your Holy Spirit that resides within the temple of our body to help us. Give us wisdom and resilience to fight with you against our sinful flesh.

QT 3/7/2025 1 Cor 6:6-11, Getting serious about our sins

1 Corinthians 6:6–11 (ESV) —

6 but brother goes to law against brother, and that before unbelievers? 7 To have lawsuits at all with one another is already a defeat for you. Why not rather suffer wrong? Why not rather be defrauded? 8 But you yourselves wrong and defraud—even your own brothers!

9 Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, 10 nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. 11 And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.

 

NOTE: To bring another brother to court means everybody loses, even the person who so-called "wins." Because, what have you accomplished? You receive some earthly temporal satisfaction -- is it worth it? Anything you "win" is loss in eternity (in more ways than one). You receive revenge upon a brother -- is that what Christ has called us to? You feel justified -- is pride a good look for a believer. Satan certainly likes it.

 

In 15 versions of the bible, verse nine includes homosexuality (I only looked at 15). There are three Greek words used. One of the words has a suggestion of a person who keeps young boys around for their sexual pleasure. Keener writes that bisexuality was very common among Greeks. Socrates practiced it, and Plato wrote about this unnatural "love." I put the word "love" in quotes because it is not really love, it is a selfish act meant to satisfy a person's body. This behavior is destructive, both to the person and to the object of their lust. But, people who participate in homosexual activity are like all sinners (which we all are) and should be treated as human beings made in the image of God. Some things might change, like a drunkard might have his car keys taken away, but not his job or food. A gossip might be ignored by others. A liar may not be able to get a job in sales (unfortunately not true). A tax cheat might be forced to pay a fine. A sexual abuser of children may find his freedom reduced to protect other children. Sin has consequences, but people still remain people and deserve to be treated as human beings.

 

PONDER:

1. Do I take my actions seriously?
2. Do I look to root out known and unknown sin?

 

PRAYER: Father, as David prayed:

Psalm 139:23–24 (ESV) — 23 Search me, O God, and know my heart!

Try me and know my thoughts!

24 And see if there be any grievous way in me,

and lead me in the way everlasting!

Help me to see what I don't know and to be serious about what I do know.

QT 3/6/2025 1 Cor 6:1-5, Spiritual gifts is not evidence of spiritual maturity

1 Corinthians 6:1–5 (ESV) —

1 When one of you has a grievance against another, does he dare go to law before the unrighteous instead of the saints? 2 Or do you not know that the saints will judge the world? And if the world is to be judged by you, are you incompetent to try trivial cases? 3 Do you not know that we are to judge angels? How much more, then, matters pertaining to this life! 4 So if you have such cases, why do you lay them before those who have no standing in the church? 5 I say this to your shame. Can it be that there is no one among you wise enough to settle a dispute between the brothers,

 

NOTE: There is some interesting insight and a very simple practical application. The interesting truth is that in the age to come, we will have the job of judging those alive during the millennial kingdom. We will also judge angels, although I'm not sure how that will work or why that is needed (you either rebelled with Satan or you didn't). Since at some point, we will be judges, we should be capable of settling trivial suits among ourselves. I believe this is another place where the elders should be involved, and where a spirit of prayer is necessary. The "easy" application is to get spiritual counsel from the elders (by definition includes pastors). Usually, there are some necessary spiritual lessons in the case where two believers are ready to go to court against each other.

 

A final point, is that despite the abundance of gifts, is Paul saying that there is a lack of wisdom in the church ("no one among you wise enough")? In churches that emphasize spiritual gifts, is there a failure to emphasize the word of God and teach the heavier topics such as biblical doctrine? Is there a relationship with an abundance of spiritual gifts and spiritual immaturity?

 

PONDER:

1. Our gifts are important to be exercised, but what are we doing to saturate our lives with thee word of God?
2. A willingness to go to court suggests a very low concept of God and the Spirit's change in a person's heart, in other words immaturity. What am I doing to mature in the faith?

 

PRAYER: Father, teach us from you word. Give us wisdom from the truth of your word so that we can live in a manner worthy of you.

QT 3/5/2025 1 Cor 5:6-13, Continual Sin

 

1 Corinthians 5:6–13 (ESV) —

6 Your boasting is not good. Do you not know that a little leaven leavens the whole lump? 7 Cleanse out the old leaven that you may be a new lump, as you really are unleavened. For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed. 8 Let us therefore celebrate the festival, not with the old leaven, the leaven of malice and evil, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.

9 I wrote to you in my letter not to associate with sexually immoral people— 10 not at all meaning the sexually immoral of this world, or the greedy and swindlers, or idolaters, since then you would need to go out of the world. 11 But now I am writing to you not to associate with anyone who bears the name of brother if he is guilty of sexual immorality or greed, or is an idolater, reviler, drunkard, or swindler—not even to eat with such a one. 12 For what have I to do with judging outsiders? Is it not those inside the church whom you are to judge? 13 God judges those outside. “Purge the evil person from among you.”

 

NOTE: One of the phrases we hear often is that we are not to judge people, that is God's job. But Paul makes it clear that we are to judge those who call themselves believers and are guilty of ongoing, repeated sin (in a particular area). Paul lists examples of ongoing sin that we should judge our fellow believers: sexual immorality, greed, idolatry, reviler, drunkard, and swindler. We are told to separate from these believers. What is implied, especially in context with the last section is to confront the sin first, and if there is no response, to pass it onto the leadership of the church to handle. Let me be clear, when we confront a believer over sin, it should be someone that we have had a good relationship, otherwise it is better handled by the leadership of the church. I think it can be very dangerous to judge other believers that we don't know on (probably) insufficient information. A lot that is said or heard is wrong. Also, we would be guilty of repeated gossip (also a sin). We need to show love and mercy to all, but if we have good reason to suspect a believer guilty of repeated sin, we should pass that to the elders of the church (and only to).

 

PONDER:

1. Am I aware of a believer who is continual or repeated sin, and refuses to address his/her sin?
2. Have I prayerfully address this?
3. Do I need to talk to and elder or pastor to deal with the situation?

 

PRAYER: Father, sin is so destructive in our own lives personally and in the lives of others. Your standard is holiness. I pray that we would be receptive to your spirit in our hearts convicting us of our sin. Change us, recreate us, make us into new creatures.

QT 3/4/2025 1 Cor 1:1-5, Danger of unrepentant sin

1 Corinthians 5:1–5 (ESV) —

1 It is actually reported that there is sexual immorality among you, and of a kind that is not tolerated even among pagans, for a man has his father’s wife. 2 And you are arrogant! Ought you not rather to mourn? Let him who has done this be removed from among you.

3 For though absent in body, I am present in spirit; and as if present, I have already pronounced judgment on the one who did such a thing. 4 When you are assembled in the name of the Lord Jesus and my spirit is present, with the power of our Lord Jesus, 5 you are to deliver this man to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, so that his spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord.

 

NOTE: For all of their arrogant pride, it does not seem to be in their great spirituality, for they are allowing open incest in the church. At that time, even Pagans abhorred the practice and it was against the law in Rome. Paul is very clear that the church, probably the leadership, was to address the situation. From other passages, we know that the person should be confronted privately, and then with two or three. If he refuses to listen, you should expel him from the church. As to what should be told to the church, there are probably laws today against libel, and so it would seem to be important to do it quietly. The purpose of church discipline is not to embarrass but rather to encourage repentance in the individual. Without the benefit of the church, people struggling with sin, are in even greater danger from Satan. He is terrible taskmaster and sin saps our bodies dry.

 

PONDER:

1. Am I involved in church leadership, and have I overlooked a very public sin?
2. Am I involved in public sin and defending my actions even though they are opposed to Gods' word?

 

PRAYER: Lord, help us to see our sin and be repentant. Protect us from the devil's wiles. Have mercy on us.

QT 3/3/2025 1 Cor 4:10-21, Living for God and not self

1 Corinthians 4:10–21 (ESV) —

10 We are fools for Christ’s sake, but you are wise in Christ. We are weak, but you are strong. You are held in honor, but we in disrepute. 11 To the present hour we hunger and thirst, we are poorly dressed and buffeted and homeless, 12 and we labor, working with our own hands. When reviled, we bless; when persecuted, we endure; 13 when slandered, we entreat. We have become, and are still, like the scum of the world, the refuse of all things.

14 I do not write these things to make you ashamed, but to admonish you as my beloved children. 15 For though you have countless guides in Christ, you do not have many fathers. For I became your father in Christ Jesus through the gospel. 16 I urge you, then, be imitators of me. 17 That is why I sent you Timothy, my beloved and faithful child in the Lord, to remind you of my ways in Christ, as I teach them everywhere in every church. 18 Some are arrogant, as though I were not coming to you. 19 But I will come to you soon, if the Lord wills, and I will find out not the talk of these arrogant people but their power. 20 For the kingdom of God does not consist in talk but in power. 21 What do you wish? Shall I come to you with a rod, or with love in a spirit of gentleness?

 

NOTE: This is quite a rebuke to the church from its spiritual father. They were not suffering in any way for the faith and life was quite easy, but for Paul and his companions, life was very difficult. Why? Should life be difficult? I don’t think that is the point, but it is a good question to ask ourselves. Have I become complacent in my faith? Do I live to have a comfortable life or have I made sacrifices for the sake of the gospel? What really is my goal in life, that is, what is important to me?

 

If Paul lived today, would he give the same rebuke to us? What can we do, that the Corinthians failed to do? I think there are two areas where we all fail and all can do better: our finances and our witnessing.

 

In the area of finances, God is not calling us to live as paupers (well, maybe some but their reward will be great), and we can definitely give more. I think ten percent is a good goal, but if you are wealthy, ten percent is an excuse not to give. By that I mean, the wealthy only giving ten percent allows them to live on a tremendous amount of money. Every year, every increase, I set a goal to give proportionally more than I got. By the time I retired, I found I was giving one whole paycheck a month -- it made it easier to retire. As retired, I went down to ten percent and in two years I have managed to increase it each year. I'm not a pauper, but I don't have money to waste either.

 

In the area of witnessing, it is important to put out our flag early and identify with the savior. The longer we wait, the harder it becomes. Even using something simple as "God bless" as you leave, or in recounting an incident use "the Lord was gracious." These simple phrases can at least identify yourself with belief. The next stage is asking questions, like "what has been your spiritual journey" or "do you have a church," can get a conversation going. The point is that witnessing may make people think less of you -- a certain type of suffering -- but we need to be willing to stand up for and not be ashamed of the savior.

 

PONDER:

1. Is my life comfortable because I keep all my money to myself?
2. Am I held in high esteem because no one knows about my faith?

 

PRAYER: Father, I pray we would give in a manner that honors you and expresses our thankfulness for all that you have done. I pray we would be bold in our witnessing and not ashamed to identify with Jesus.