Last week we examined what it looks like to deal with sin in this others-centered life we\u2019ve been exploring in 1 Corinthians. Paul advocates for taking sin seriously\u2014 for uprooting it in the church and in us. We must be proactive about anything that poisons the church to keep it healthy. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
1 Corinthians 5 asked us to get rid of things we know to be wrong and shouldn\u2019t be doing\u2014things that even those outside Christianity think are wrong. As we move into chapter 6 this week, Paul will challenge us to give up things the world deems okay, such as getting justice through a lawsuit or going outside of marriage for sex. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Jesus modeled a life for us that always set selfishness aside for the sake of others. He asks us to imitate that life. Being like Jesus doesn\u2019t mean just saying no to the things everyone already thinks are wrong. It also involves saying no to what everyone outside of Christianity may think is okay but actually violates God, hurts other Christians, and destroys us. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Let us turn to 1 Corinthians 6 and read the whole chapter, looking at two things both the secular Corinthians and the Christians did\u2014taking people to court and more \u201cacceptable\u201d sexual immorality.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
As you read, look out for three things and write them down: What Jesus has done for us in the past, the present consequences for our actions, and finally what God will do in the future.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n 1 Corinthians 6 (NLT)<\/p>\n\n\n\n 1<\/sup>When one of you has a dispute with another believer, how dare you file a lawsuit and ask a secular court to decide the matter instead of taking it to other believers! 2<\/sup>Don\u2019t you realize that someday we believers will judge the world? And since you are going to judge the world, can\u2019t you decide even these little things among yourselves? 3<\/sup>Don\u2019t you realize that we will judge angels? So you should surely be able to resolve ordinary disputes in this life. 4<\/sup>If you have legal disputes about such matters, why go to outside judges who are not respected by the church? 5<\/sup>I am saying this to shame you. Isn\u2019t there anyone in all the church who is wise enough to decide these issues? 6<\/sup>But instead, one believer sues another\u2014right in front of unbelievers! 7<\/sup>Even to have such lawsuits with one another is a defeat for you. Why not just accept the injustice and leave it at that? Why not let yourselves be cheated? 8<\/sup>Instead, you yourselves are the ones who do wrong and cheat even your fellow believers. 9<\/sup>Don\u2019t you realize that those who do wrong will not inherit the Kingdom of God? Don\u2019t fool yourselves. Those who indulge in sexual sin, or who worship idols, or commit adultery, or are male prostitutes, or practice homosexuality, 10<\/sup>or are thieves, or greedy people, or drunkards, or are abusive, or cheat people\u2014none of these will inherit the Kingdom of God. 11<\/sup>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 our God. 12<\/sup>You say, \u201cI am allowed to do anything\u201d\u2014but not everything is good for you. And even though \u201cI am allowed to do anything,\u201d I must not become a slave to anything. 13<\/sup>You say, \u201cFood was made for the stomach, and the stomach for food.\u201d (This is true, though someday God will do away with both of them.) But you can\u2019t say that our bodies were made for sexual immorality. They were made for the Lord, and the Lord cares about our bodies. 14<\/sup>And God will raise us from the dead by his power, just as he raised our Lord from the dead. 15<\/sup>Don\u2019t you realize that your bodies are actually parts of Christ? Should a man take his body, which is part of Christ, and join it to a prostitute? Never! 16<\/sup>And don\u2019t you realize that if a man joins himself to a prostitute, he becomes one body with her? For the Scriptures say, \u201cThe two are united into one.\u201d 17<\/sup>But the person who is joined to the Lord is one spirit with him. 18<\/sup>Run from sexual sin! No other sin so clearly affects the body as this one does. For sexual immorality is a sin against your own body. 19<\/sup>Don\u2019t you realize that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and was given to you by God? You do not belong to yourself, 20<\/sup>for God bought you with a high price. So you must honor God with your body.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n Paul hit on past, present, and future reasons why we should reject actions and attitudes the world thinks are okay.<\/p>\n\n\n\n We should first reject the world\u2019s ways because of what Jesus did for us through his life, death, and resurrection. The verse in 1 Cor. 6:11 reminds us of all we received because of Jesus. He blots out the permanent stains of sin. He sets us apart as members of his family. And he removes the guilty verdict that hangs over our heads. <\/p>\n\n\n\n What Jesus has done for us should radically change us today. But that\u2019s not the only reason for living differently from the world as we know it. Jennie talked about the consequences we face when we compromise and act like everyone else. We cause division. We hurt other people. We personally suffer. <\/p>\n\n\n\n We are reminded of the future hope we have through Jesus. Paul hints at it in the verses in 1 Cor. 6:2 and 1 Cor. 6:14\u2014when Jesus returns, God will raise us from the dead and we will rule in the new earth. Jesus will return and hit the refresh button on creation. The earth will be brand new and we will reign with Jesus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n There are so many good reasons for us to decide to live in a way that\u2019s different from the rest of the world. The question is whether or not those reasons are enough for you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Thinking through the past, present, and future reasons from what Paul wrote, which is most compelling to you as a reason to risk living other-centered?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Spend some time journaling about how that reason equips you to handle the world\u2019s view on sex and lawsuits. What does it look like to combat the world\u2019s ideology with a Christ-centered hope?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Following Jesus involves a great exchange: your life for His life. He asks us to give up everything. But in return, He gives us everything. Is that enough for you? <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Text your response to the above prompting questions to your group and\/or share it as a comment below<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Last week we examined what it looks like to deal with sin in this others-centered life we\u2019ve been exploring in 1 Corinthians. Paul advocates for taking sin seriously\u2014 for uprooting it in the church and in us. We must be proactive about anything that poisons the church to keep it healthy. 1 Corinthians 5 asked […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","_et_pb_use_builder":"off","_et_pb_old_content":"\n Welcome!<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Welcome to the book of 1 Corinthians. As we study this letter, we\u2019ll step into ancient Corinth while reading the words Paul wrote to the fledgling church. We\u2019re going to see that, like all churches, the Corinthian church wasn\u2019t perfect. They had a problem. A big problem. And it grew to such an epic proportion that it poisoned the church in various ways. Paul wrote to provide the antidote. <\/p>\n\n\n\n In this study, we\u2019re going to explore Paul\u2019s solution to both the problems in Corinth and in us. Through his words, we\u2019ll learn more about Jesus\u2019s plan for a people who live radically different lives than the world around them. But we\u2019ll also take a hard look in the mirror and ask the Spirit to point out our own self-centered attitudes. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Reading the Bible isn\u2019t just something we do to impress people or to check off on a to-do list. It\u2019s about getting to know God. It\u2019s about shaping every minute of our lives to reflect Jesus. It\u2019s about thinking differently in the power of the Spirit. <\/p>\n\n\n\n So as we approach each week, we\u2019ll focus on one main idea. That main idea will point us to change how we think, feel, and act. <\/p>\n\n\n\n This week, we\u2019ll see that resolving relational disunity begins in our hearts because division is a symptom of self-focus. From this main idea, we have three goals: <\/p>\n\n\n\n First Corinthians will take us on a journey. We\u2019ll look at the struggles of one of the first local churches in all of history. We\u2019ll see that the Corinthians weren\u2019t much different from us. And we\u2019ll realize that Paul\u2019s words to them still ring true today.<\/p>\n\n\n\n But before we jump into 1 Corinthians, spend a few minutes writing out a short prayer to God. Ask him to use this study to change you. <\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n Open up your Bible to 1 Corinthians. Go ahead and read the entire first chapter. As you read, ask yourself this question: What was the problem in the Corinthian church?<\/strong>\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n 1 Corinthians 1:1\u201331 (ESV): <\/p> 1\u00a0Paul, called by the will of God to be an apostle of Christ Jesus, and our brother Sosthenes, \u201cI will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and the discernment of the discerning I will thwart.\u201d<\/p> 20\u00a0Where is the one who is wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? 21\u00a0For since, in the wisdom of God, the world did not know God through wisdom, it pleased God through the folly of what we preach to save those who believe. 22\u00a0For Jews demand signs and Greeks seek wisdom, 23\u00a0but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles, 24\u00a0but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. 25\u00a0For the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men.<\/p> 26\u00a0For consider your calling, brothers: not many of you were wise according to worldly standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth. 27\u00a0But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; 28\u00a0God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, 29\u00a0so that no human being might boast in the presence of God. 30\u00a0And because of him you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption, 31\u00a0so that, as it is written, \u201cLet the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n The Corinthian church suffered from division. We\u2019ll see it all throughout the book. The struggling church fought over leadership, spiritual gifts, food, marriage, and theology. Since the theme of disunity runs throughout the letter, it\u2019s tempting to think that was the church\u2019s problem.<\/p>\n\n\n\n But it wasn\u2019t. Disunity was only a symptom of a far more insidious\u2014and common\u2014 disease. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Did you catch the real issue that was going on in Corinth? It was selfishness. They were so consumed with themselves that they tried to solve their problems their own way, held on to their culture, and, as a result, blasted chasms between them and other Christians.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n No one likes to admit to selfishness\u2014 especially people who claim to follow Jesus. But it often sneaks into our lives in ways we don\u2019t readily see. And then it spills over in ways we never expect. For the Corinthians, their selfishness led to severe divisions in the church. What is it for us? We\u2019ll spend the rest of the study unpacking that very question.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Now that we know the main problem Paul\u2019s tackling in 1 Corinthians, take a moment to be honest with God. Write down any fears or concerns you have about confronting the problem of selfishness. Ask God to use this study to turn your gaze to him.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-223961","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-1corinthians"],"yoast_head":"\n
2\u00a0To the church of God that is in Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints together with all those who in every place call upon the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, both their Lord and ours:
3\u00a0Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
4\u00a0I give thanks to my God always for you because of the grace of God that was given you in Christ Jesus, 5\u00a0that in every way you were enriched in him in all speech and all knowledge\u2014 6\u00a0even as the testimony about Christ was confirmed among you\u2014 7\u00a0so that you are not lacking in any gift, as you wait for the revealing of our Lord Jesus Christ, 8\u00a0who will sustain you to the end, guiltless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9\u00a0God is faithful, by whom you were called into the fellowship of his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.
10\u00a0I 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. 11\u00a0For it has been reported to me by Chloe\u2019s people that there is quarreling among you, my brothers. 12\u00a0What I mean is that each one of you says, \u201cI follow Paul,\u201d or \u201cI follow Apollos,\u201d or \u201cI follow Cephas,\u201d or \u201cI follow Christ.\u201d 13\u00a0Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Or were you baptized in the name of Paul? 14\u00a0I thank God that I baptized none of you except Crispus and Gaius, 15\u00a0so that no one may say that you were baptized in my name. 16\u00a0(I did baptize also the household of Stephanas. Beyond that, I do not know whether I baptized anyone else.) 17\u00a0For Christ did not send me to baptize but to preach the gospel, and not with words of eloquent wisdom, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power.
18\u00a0For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. 19\u00a0For it is written, <\/p>