1 Corinthians 4-7

 

1 Corinthians 4

1 Corinthians 4:1-5 Paul now turns to explaining his personal position on how he deals with petty politics and worship of human leaders. Paul focuses entirely on how he is judged by the Lord. Even if his conscience is clear, that doesn’t mean he is innocent. That determination will be made by Jesus on judgment day. He will expose the motives of the heart. Paul wants to be judged as faithful in stewarding what the Lord has given him. 

This is a corollary risk for teachers, besides the issues discussed in earlier chapters about believers worshipping human teachers. The risk is that they will receive the worship and spoken praise of the people and allow their ego to be puffed up. Every person, regardless of how devoted to the Lord they are, is still potentially vulnerable to temptation to sin. For many it is sexual sin, but pride, avarice, wrath, envy, gluttony, sloth are all out there as well, just not as dramatic. 

1 Corinthians 4:6-8 Paul makes an obscure reference to a saying ‘do not go beyond what is written’. This does not appear to be a direct quote, either from the Old Testament or from Jesus, but reflects a conservative principle regarding exegesis. Many things are spoken by various teachers in expounding on Scripture, but the teachers’ words do not have the authority of the written word. Paul’s point seems to be that God blesses different people in different ways as He deems best. Of Paul’s readers, those who are blessed in certain ways (financially, relationally, spiritual gifts) are still the recipient of these blessings by God’s grace. The should not lord it over others, but in humility receive what God has given.

1 Corinthians 4:9-13 In a rebuke to prosperity teachers, Paul describes the life of an apostle. They are viewed as  garbage, the scum of the earth by the world, because of weakness, dishonor, poverty, homelessness, hard labor, and exhibiting a gentle and forgiving spirit. 

1 Corinthians 4:14-17 Paul does not intend to shame them for their worldly political issues, but does want to warn them that the purpose of church leaders, be they any of the roles (apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, teachers, etc.), is to encourage followers of Christ to live like and become like Jesus. In Paul’s case, he encourages them to live humbly, just as he does, and to respects him as a spiritual father. Paul’s life is based on trust in God, not boasting of his own achievements. In another letter he details some of his life experiences. (2 Corinthians 11:22-33) When he says to imitate him, he is encouraging humility.

1 Corinthians 4:18-21 Paul says he will be coming to see them soon in person. Should they fear him? Yes and no. They need not fear his personality because he is humble, not domineering. But they do need to fear God because His kingdom has spiritual power. Paul could bring human discipline, but he is here warning them that the true power of God’s kingdom is found in love and a gentle spirit. If they reject these attributes, they will not have the power of God working in their lives. 

1 Corinthians 5

1 Corinthians 5:1 Even pagans have a sense of right and wrong, so Paul is amazed that the Corinthian Christians think that the grace of God would tolerate this type of gross sin. It does not say the man is having sex with his mother, so we can infer it must be his stepmother. It is still incest. (Leviticus 18:8)

1 Corinthians 5:2-5 Paul now deals with the issue of judging others versus God’s grace. The point is that Jesus did not come to shed His blood so that we could live in sin and He will forgive us. He came to deliver us from sin. Paul’s judgment is that this man is not receiving God’s grace, but using “cheap grace” as license to continue to sin brazenly. And the body of believers apparently are allowing this. They should be mourning the lost state of his soul, as being spiritually dead. Paul has already made a judgment that this cannot continue, for the sake of the man in question. So this man is to be handed over to Satan, to experience consequences of his actions, so that he will repent and be saved from ultimate judgment. This should be a warning to all believers about the practice of license. Jesus also addressed dealing with sin in the church, with an additional proviso about how the issue is to be handled. (Matthew 18:15-17)

1 Corinthians 5:6-8 The sacrament of the Lord’s supper is discussed later. (1 Corinthians 11:27-30) In this passage, the feast of unleavened bread and the Passover lamb are used to instruct the church. The feast of unleavened bread symbolizes living life free of sin. (Deuteronomy 16:3-4) It takes a very small amount of yeast to cause the entire lump of dough to rise. (Matthew 16:6) To remain an unleavened loaf of bread, they must eliminate malice and wickedness, and live out sincerity and truth. They will mourn the disfellowshipping (excommunication) of this brother, but cannot allow him to continue in wickedness unchecked. To sincerely care for him, they must keep with the truth and confront sin.

1 Corinthians 5:9-13 Paul here lays out the standards of behavior for believers. It sounds a lot like the legalism of the Pharisees - that they must expel from the church anyone who is  sexually immoral, an idolator, a slanderer, a drunkard, or a swindler. To clarify this further, that is the way of the world, but the church members are to be a light and an example to the world of how God intends human society. They can show grace to unbelievers because those outside of Christ don’t know any better, but that grace includes demonstrating a life lived apart from worldly ways. 

In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus explicitly warned against passing judgment on others. (Matthew 7:1-2) Paul asked the Romans who they were to pass judgment on each other. (Romans 14:10) So what is the difference here? The issue is perhaps one of degree - brazen wickedness vs. small lapses, e.g., the difference between a capital offense and a misdemeanor in modern parlance. But probably the real problem is the attitude of using the doctrine of grace as a cover for what is really rejecting the work of the Holy Spirit in our hearts. We hear the words of Jesus - but do we hearken to them? That is the difference. Will Jesus say to us “I never knew you” on judgment day? (Matthew 7:23) The practice of lawlessness must be confronted with a warning of Truth and eternal outcomes.

1 Corinthians 6

1 Corinthians 6:1-6 Paul now turns to the question of resolving disputes between believers in court. In a spirit of “The Peoples’ Court”, he says that people with in the church have the good sense to judge these kinds of cases, far more so than the world’s courts, because God has chosen them to one day judge angels. Why do they ask for a decision by people who don’t know God and His ways, who are not in-dwelt by the Holy Spirit, and are unsaved?

1 Corinthians 6:7-11 Two points are intermingled here. The first is that if they have lawsuits against each other, they have already failed. Their love for the Lord, and for each other, should lead them to be considerate and generous, thoughtful in concern for others. If they cheat another believer, they have transgressed, and if one is cheated, he should prefer being wronged to going to unbelievers for redress. They should mourn the loss of the soul of the person who cheated them. The second is that although people attend church and talk the good talk, if they sin grossly, as discussed in the previous chapter, they will not inherit (attain entry to) God’s kingdom. This list (6:9-10) is not complete, nor the same as the previous list (5:11), but the principle is the same. The believers were formerly these kinds of people, but by turning their lives over to Jesus and being saved, they were washed and set apart unto the Lord.

1 Corinthians 6:12-17 The right to do anything seems embedded in our culture. But this phrase is deceitful - it depends on whose viewpoint this right is being seen from. Even the bill of rights in our constitution does not give people the right to murder or steal or assault another person or lie in court. Whose eyes are we talking about? As believers, we have given Jesus the position of running our lives, and He tells us many things to not do, to avoid ruining our lives or others’. And we aren’t free from cause and effect - we can’t run out in heavy traffic with a right to safety if we jump in front of a car. Ah, but when it comes to sexuality, our society claims an unlimited right to do anything, at least between consenting adults. 

Paul explains the basis for God’s specific set of rules. God created male and female and said it was very good. He said that Adam and Eve would be joined together and become one flesh. (Genesis 2:23-24) Therefore, the body was created for the Lord. But this is only a partial fulfillment of the purpose of the body. It is a type, a picture, of the relationship of Christ to the church.  (Ruth;  Psalm 45; Song of Songs; Isaiah 61:10; Jeremiah 3; Hosea 1:2-11; Matthew 22:1-14; Ephesians 5:25-30; Revelation 21:2,9-10) Hence, defiling ourselves with sexual immorality  (as with a prostitute) is defiling the body that God gave us to be part of Christ. If we are one with Christ, we cannot also be one with an immoral sexual partner. 

1 Corinthians 6:18-20 Flee sexual immorality! Sexual sins are internalized and we damage ourselves with them. Our bodies are a temple of the Holy Spirit. We damage ourselves by forcing Him to leave, if we do not respond to His prompting; we deaden our spirit so that we no longer hear Him. So we must discipline our bodies in this arena.

1 Corinthians 7

1 Corinthians 7:1-7 In the spirit of Revelation 21:2, Paul lays out guidelines for the sexual relationship within marriage. This parallels his instructions to the Ephesians, focusing here on the core element of sexuality. (Ephesians 5:21-33) This is an exposition of the antidote to the sexual immorality that he warned against in the previous chapter. It is to be a mutually joyful giving of pleasure to one another, that goes beyond the mere physical realm. This is the basis of married love, because the consummation is not to be just physical, but mental and spiritual. It is knowing that we are known and loved by another, whose love leads them to vulnerability in ultimate giving. This is the picture of Christ’s love for the church. Paul gives an additional caveat to balance the practice of temporary abstention for the purpose of prayer with the physical need. Since we live in physical bodies, this need for physical pleasure and affirmation must not be cancelled but fulfilled in a holy way, at least as long as we are in this body. We do not have that ultimate spiritual consummation of which married sexual love is a picture - the fullness of God’s intense love for us - which we will receive on judgment day.

1 Corinthians 7:8-9 Instructions to the unmarried seem almost contrary to the previous section, in saying that it is good to remain unmarried. How is that consistent with the picture of the love Christ has for the church? But in context, it seems like Paul is saying that the unmarried who do not sin sexually are loved by God; but if their fleshly desires are too strong to control, they should marry. 

1 Corinthians 7:10-16 Divorce is a legal matter, related to sexuality, but under different principles. A believer married to an unbeliever is still married. And there is hope that the unbelieving spouse will turn to Christ through seeing His love lived out in front of them. If there are children, they are better influenced to accept Christ by seeing an example of His life and love daily in their presence. Jesus went further in the Sermon on the Mount, in saying that a man who divorces his wife forces her to commit adultery. (Matthew 5:31-32) 

1 Corinthians 7:17-24 Paul here makes a rather odd turn, in talking about continuing vs. changing the status of our earthly life when we turn to Christ. He contrasts circumcision and slavery with nuanced instructions. 

• Circumcision is nothing. (Romans 12:25-29) Elsewhere, he didn’t say this, but that it represents a cutting away of the old life. (Colossians 2:11) The important point, which he repeated in several of his letters, is that gentiles don’t need to be circumcised to be saved, because Jesus has saved them with a power far greater than this symbol of the old covenant. 
• Slavery is a more contentious topic. The important point is that Paul is not saying that human slavery is good or even acceptable, but that to be a slave to Christ means to be responsible to Him for what we do. It took hundreds of years and a painful and costly civil war to set right the misinterpretation of scripture that justified chattel slavery in this country. (Approximately 2 1/2% of the population died. If that happened today, it would be roughly 8.5 million deaths.) What is the eternal cost of us not doing what Jesus tells us to?

1 Corinthians 7:25-35 Returning to the topic of getting married, Paul now offers more perspective on the practical implications of being married. Getting married and consummating marriage is not a sin, but there are challenges that come with this. A married person must balance concern about pleasing their spouse with concern about pleasing the Lord. An unmarried person does not have this particular challenge, so Paul believes that is better. Ultimately, this world will pass away, and only what is eternal, i.e., what is done for the Lord, will endure. He recommends undivided devotion to the Lord, but recognizes that few are called and empowered to live the cloistered life. Marriage brings the practical challenges of living together within a shared life in the daily matters of life. Either path will bring challenges that will need to be faced in God-honoring responses and behaviors.

1 Corinthians 7:36-38 The choice is between two things that are good, but one is better. Honorably marrying a virgin to whom one is engaged is good. Remaining single before the Lord is better. But if one cannot live the single life honorably, it is better to marry than to live dishonorably. This final piece of advice offers practical implementation for those who struggle with Jesus’ warning in the Sermon on the Mount. (Matthew 5:27-30) Lusting after a woman is committing adultery (Exodus 20:14) in one’s heart. But one cannot commit adultery with one’s wife, by definition. This does not mean that there are not many other issues about how one is to treat one’s wife, which is what Paul spent a lot of words describing, here and elsewhere. (Ephesians 5:25-33) 

1 Corinthians 7:39-40 A brief recommendation for widows. They are free to remarry but, in the same theme as above, if they are able, remaining single before the Lord is better.