LESSONS FROM 1ST CORINTHIANS

The main focus of this letter to the church at Corinth is applying Christian principles to fleshly tendencies in both individuals and local churches. The issues addressed in this letter include divisions among God’s people, a case of incest and how it should be handled, and court cases among church members, which were harming the church's testimony and needed correction within the church. Additionally, the misuse of Christian liberty and disorder during the Lord’s Supper also required correction. The Christians at Corinth needed to understand God’s view of what it means to be part of an assembly of believers gathered to the Lord Jesus Christ, in His name and under the authority that name grants. A multicultural group can face issues carried over from their past life in a pagan society. Such an environment filled with false gods and human ideas may take time to lose its influence, especially if new believers haven't yet realized they are a new creation in Christ Jesus. Conflicting loyalties to different teachers cause misunderstandings about the spiritual gifts given by God and their purpose. An independent attitude led some to question the doctrine of the resurrection. Other believers believed that practicing self-denial was the way to become spiritual. These differences in opinion were dividing the Lord’s people. Any or all of these issues are sources of pride, lack of concern for others, and spiritual dangers that lead to many kinds of difficulties among people. Spiritual balance requires spiritual wisdom and understanding, leading to spiritual practices by spiritual people in a spiritual assembly and harmonious spiritual lives with spiritual unity and a spiritual testimony in an unspiritual and ungodly society. Christian conduct in life does not happen automatically or instantly when someone is born again. It involves gradual sanctification and ongoing awareness of who we are in Christ and what is expected of us as children of God. Christian character develops through communion with the Lord by prayer and learning, and by personally applying biblical truths. New values and a new lifestyle emerge, even if they do not come quickly or easily. There are inner and outer struggles that occur when one shifts from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God. Moving from a corrupt and sinful environment to living a holy, God-centered life that is aware of the principles of living in the kingdom of God takes time. Christ-centered living means being blameless and harmless, with a loving and caring attitude, as opposed to having an egocentric, self-gratifying, “Me first” life. Most people we live and work among will keep walking down the broad road that leads away from God. Turning completely around as a believer means going in the opposite direction, and the challenges of living a different life can cause resentment and ridicule from those who were once friends. Assemblies of the Lord’s people, united by the Spirit of God and the word of God, who gather around the Person of our Lord Jesus Christ, develop new practices, purposes, and motivations for living. It is essential to meet together with those of “like precious faith” to learn how to live in ways that please God and to have a safe spiritual community for fellowship. Through worshiping together, praying together, and loving one another as a unified body in Christ, an oasis of holiness provides us with rest and peace amid an ungodly world. The Lord’s people must understand how to respond ethically to the behavior of those living in a pagan environment. In this complex society, made up of diverse cultures intermingled, we need to know how to live holy and biblically relevant lives that honor God.

In the very first verse, we are confronted with “the will of God” as the guiding principle of a believer’s life. It is quite common for people to place a high value on human wisdom as our source of information in the conduct of life. The will of God revealed to the church of God by the grace of God through the word of God and lived out practically by the power of God is highlighted at the beginning of Paul’s letter to this church.

We are not left to guess about spiritual truths and the principles that guide the life of a child of God and a congregation of God’s people. Biblical authority teaches us what we need to understand and how we should act. Believers are sanctified and set apart when God saves us. The Christian life is meant to be a life of holiness that requires daily sanctification. When our Lord Jesus Christ comes for us, we will experience the complete sanctification of body, soul, and spirit.

We were sanctified in our spirit by the Spirit of God when we became children of God by putting our faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. We are sanctified in our soul day by day through the word of God being applied to every aspect of our life. Our resurrected bodies will be changed to live sinless in a whole new environment without the attraction to sin because we will be with Him and like Him. That will be when our sanctification—body, soul, and spirit—is complete.

The Christian believers in Corinth stood out like a sore thumb in that immoral and ungodly city. The customs of that city were so different from the new life of believers who are called saints that there was constant pressure to compromise in many aspects of life. The ability to speak well publicly, knowledge gained through education, and self-confidence were all abundant among the Corinthian believers. There was no doubt that the Gospel, which is the power of God, was effective there because the Lord said He had many people to be saved in that city.

Gifted people who know they are gifted can often be their own worst problem. Skill in teaching, preaching, understanding, and leadership can be developed by applying our minds to those areas. Such people are admired because they may know their Bibles very well, and like the Corinthians, they can discuss any subject, even the coming of the Lord, with enthusiasm. However, if what a person knows and what they do do not match, it shows that what they know and say doesn’t come from their heart. When the heart is not humbled by the grace and knowledge of God, someone may be distant from God in spirit and may not realize it.

Evidence of God's grace in a person’s heart cannot be hidden or faked. It is there and evident, or it does not exist at all. There will be proof of grace in the lives of those who truly have it. This epistle focuses on Christian conduct and practicing Christian principles within the assembly.