Devotional

Yesterday had us considering what it could look like to risk getting hurt for the sake of other people. Without Jesus, few people would really think about putting their safety and security on the line for other people. And we’re not done yet. In the rest of chapter 6,...

We left yesterday with the conclusion that treating other Christians poorly sends a bad message to the world about who Jesus is and what it means to be part of his family. But what are we supposed to do if another Christian cheats us? In 1 Corinthians 6:7, Paul has an...

Have you ever felt embarrassed by someone? Maybe your kid threw a fit in the grocery story the other day. Or maybe your friend said something offensive at a dinner party without knowing it. We’ve all felt the shrink-into-your-seat feeling when someone does something...

Last week we examined what it looks like to deal with sin in this others-centered life we’ve been exploring in 1 Corinthians. Paul advocates for taking sin seriously— for uprooting it in the church and in us. We must be proactive about anything that poisons the church...

We’ve come to the end of a difficult chapter. Paul doesn’t mess around when it comes to sin. He takes it seriously and we should too. We finished yesterday reflecting on the ways we could be misjudging the other Christians around us. Today, we’re taking a hard look in...

We’ve been looking at why Paul takes sin so seriously in this chapter of 1 Corinthians. It can cause serious damage in the church. Paul wants sin cleaned out. This chapter rubs against everything we see as normal and right in our culture. It’s not politically correct...

Yesterday we looked at two reactions we tend to have toward sin—letting it slide or focusing on it too much. Paul advocates for balance. As those who have received God’s grace, we need to take sin seriously. Read 1 Corinthians 5:9–13. According to Paul, whom should...

Christians tend to run to two extremes when it comes to sin [too soft or too hard]. We either lean too heavily towards grace and let sin slide or we’re hyper-vigilant about sin and almost lose grace entirely. Where’s the balance? Open up your Bible and read 1...

We’ve made it all the way to chapter 5 in 1 Corinthians, which means we’re at the first major turning point in the letter. So far, we’ve seen how the Corinthians’ selfishness and devotion to their culture has brought division in the church. They’ve prioritized...

The word authority raises all kinds of red flags in our culture. This is why people today become uncomfortable when they encounter Paul in this passage. Paul claims the position of a father (v. 15), calls on the Corinthians to imitate him (v. 16), and warns them about...

As we’ve talked about our culture and the culture of Corinth this week, we’ve hit some hard topics. Something sinister sits at the root of each worldly issue, and Paul addresses it directly in the final paragraph of chapter 4. Take a look at 1 Corinthians 4:18. What...

Yesterday was tough. We had to look a huge aspect of our culture— consumerism—in the eye and see how it affects our churches and us. It plays out in our attitude toward leaders, Sunday worship services, and each other. Paul’s been pushing against the Corinthians’...

We live in a consumeristic world. All you have to do is take a scroll on social media to know it’s true. Banners and ads tell us we need more—more food, more pleasure, more gadgets—and that we should do whatever it takes to get it. Take a few minutes to journal about...

For the past two weeks, we’ve unpacked Paul’s frustrations with the Corinthians. They’re selfish. They’ve adopted a Jesus-plus-the-world attitude toward the Christian life. It’s played out in how they’re using church leaders to fight with each other. Grab your Bible...

We all have times in our lives when we were less mature than we are now. Just think back to middle school and it’ll probably prove the point. We all have to grow up sometime. We can’t act like we’re in kindergarten if we’re actually an adult. The same goes for how we...

We’ve all given the Bible a double-take. Maybe for you, it was when you were breezing through a passage in the gospel and had to stop and re-read a section a few times wondering, “Did Jesus really say that?” Or maybe you had to scan back through a passage in Leviticus...

We want the things we do and the choices we make to be worth it. The same goes for living the Christian life. Is it worth it to risk living this scary, foolish life Paul’s been talking about? Open your Bible up to 1 Corinthians 2 and read verses 6-16 6Yet when I am...

Some of us love to speak in front of people, while some of us would rather eat a bucket of sardines. In this section of 1 Corinthians 2, we’re going to look at a time in Paul’s past when he spoke publicly to the smartest people of his day . . . and completely failed....