Week 43: Romans 5-16; 1 Corinthians 1-2, Unity, order and love

Paul spent 18 months establishing a church in Corinth. After he moved on, he received reports of trouble in the church and wrote a series of letters to them to address the issues. 1 Corinthians deals with five sets of problems. Chapters 1-4 deal with divisions in the church vs. unity; Chapters 5-7: sexual Immorality vs. fidelity; Chapters 8-10: dietary practice vs deference for weaker brother; Chapters 11-14: chaotic meetings vs. orderly services; and Chapter 15: denial of resurrection vs. resurrection of the dead

The solution to each of these problems is for the church to have a unified understanding of what the Bible teaches, to address all matters in an order way and to have love guide everything they do.

Divisions in the Church: Members were divided based on their favorite evangelists. Paul establishes his credentials and role as their spiritual father. He recognizes that each evangelist played a role in the development of the church but it is God that brings about salvation and spiritual growth.

Sexual Immorality: The church was tolerating sexual immorality. Paul reminds them that their bodies are not their own but belong to God as instruments of His service. Their bodies are the temple of the Holy Spirit. and Paul calls them to judge and discipline church members and let God judge the outside world.

Dietary Issues: Members were free to follow their conscious when it came to eating meat that had been sacrificed to idols – for idols were “nothing.” They were not free to exercise their right if it would cause a brother to stumble. He encourages the members to “run the race” of the Christian life with self-discipline and to conduct themselves in a way so they can reach out to the diverse groups that made up their community. He reassures them that Jesus will support them through this process.

Chaotic Meetings: Speaking in tongues is contrasted with prophesying – proclaiming the truth of God, not predictions. Prophecy was superior because it was understood by all and edified all in the church. Orderly services were important to the development of spiritual maturity in the church. It was also important for those who would come to the church to learn more about Jesus. Chaotic meetings drove people away.

Resurrection: If there is no resurrection of the dead then Jesus could not have been resurrected either. If He was not resurrected, their faith was in vain. The risen Jesus was a reality and so is our future resurrection. At the resurrection our “perishable” bodies which have died will be transformed into “imperishable” ones that will last for eternity.

Chapter 13 is the well-known chapter on love. Love must guide all efforts towards order and unity. Paul’s final admonition is, “Let all that you do be done in love” (16:14).

Unfortunately the people do not embrace Paul’s teaching and he will have a “painful visit” to them to address the issues further and will write 2 Corinthians in a further attempt to make things right.

Note: These articles are going to vary slightly from the weekly readings. They will address all the content but the chapters discussed will be grouped in a different manner. For Daily Readings go to: thebibleproject.com. Listen Sunday Mornings: KJLP 88.9 FM at 8 a.m. or KATB 89.3 FM at 9:30 a.m.