Last week-
Christians were taking one another to court in matters of the law. Christians at Corinth felt that they were being wronged by their brethren, and they were going to heathen courts against one another, and seeking judgement from non-Christian judges.
Main Points Of Rebuke-
Why were they taking one another to court in front of heathens?
Harming the cause of Christ by parading legal disagreements before unbelievers.
Wasn’t there at least one wise man in their midst?
Someone who could judge impartially?
Weren’t they missing the point morally and spiritually by even demanding their rights at any cost?
Wouldn’t it be better sometime to just suffer the wrong, rather than hurt the cause of Christ by bringing public viewing to Christians unable to get along?
This week-
The people they were going to judgment for were unrighteous before God.
They were not spiritually fit to judge the Christians.
They were not spiritually fit to enter the kingdom of God.
The Christian is called to a higher standard of life than the unbeliever.
9,10-The argument is presented in the negative. Didn’t they realize that these unbelieving judges were not fit to judge. They weren’t even fit to enter God’s kingdom, much less judge those who live in it.
The people at Corinth were known especially for their sins of flesh, heterosexual as well as homosexual vices. Paul very naturally presents these in his list of those who are not fit to enter the kingdom of God.
11- And such were some of you. The Corinthians were reminded of the depths from which they had been cleansed.
But you were washed… speaks of cleansing
…sanctified… speaks of being set apart and separated by God, for God.
…justified… speaks of the believer’s new standing before God.
12- Pauls begins to deal with a new section. The idea of Christian liberty.
There is an argument which says:”If God created everything, then why shouldn’t I enjoy it?”
The Corinthians were particularly exposed to sexual immorality of every sort.
A supposed argument could be given that God created the body to do these things, so why not indulge in them?
Paul sets out to give a threefold argument against fornication.
- “All things are under my power of choice to be doing, but all things are not profitable.” Wuest OR……
All things are lawful for me… .are not the words of Paul, but rather those who quoted a popular proverb of the day. This proverb would be quoted by those who indulged themelves in sexual immorality, and would be quoted to try to lessen the severity of the sin by making an excuse for it through the proverb.
The proverb could have been something like….God has formed all things for our use, so what is the harm in using them however we choose?
That argument would have been used as a defense for sinning.
The rest of the sentence has Paul’s words.
- He uses a play on words in the Greek.
“All things are in my power, but I will not be brought under the power of anything.”
The indulgence in a habit which has one in it’s grip is not liberty but slavery.
- He goes on to prove that though something is possible, and a Christian can choose to partake of it or not, that when fully examined, the negative spiritual consequences actually dictate something as unlawful for the Christian. he consequences can affect the person, those around Him, or give appearnce of evil and affect the community.
Paul had great freedom, yet purposed to never allow himself to partake of anything that would in any way hurt the cause of Christ.
13- Evidently, another proverb.
If God made the stomach to have certain appetites, and gave food to quench and fulfill those appetites, then eating can never be wrong.
The new application is: if God made the body sexual, and desirous of sexual fulfillment, and created it with those capacities, then how could it ever be wrong to fulfill those appetites?
Paul’s response- the body appetites are temporary, and passing away.
Why such emphasis on tempoarl things which not only pass away, but which…., as Paul poceeds to show, are injurious to the Christian life?
The unregenerate man focuses on fulfilling body needs, in every type of style and with all imagination. That becomes the pursuit of life: food, drink, sexual passion, all which never satisfies the soul, and which has no eternal merit.
Man sinks lower than animals here.
The animal kingdom never pampers it’s appetites, or creates artificial ones.
Rather, the temporal body is so that we may serve God. The appropriate gratifications of body appetites are not improper. In fact, they are a blessing. But we don’t exists to serve our bodies, rather, they exist so that our souls may be housed, and we may serve the Lord in the strength of our bodies.
14- Jesus was raisd in the body, in purity and holiness. This is the future of the Christian. That is what we hope for. Why then, would we casually subject our bodies to unholiness, vice, lack of self-control, and immorality?
It is not that WE make ourselves pure in the body.
We are sanctified positionally by Christ, washed and cleansed.
But if we look forward to eternal communion with a holy God, why defend immorality now?
15,16- 3rd argument
We are joined to Christ. How can we take Him into those situations?
17- The joining of the Christian and the Lord is intimate.
The joining of man and wife is more intimate in spirit and soul than in body.
The union between Christ and Christian is not one to be injured through immorality.
18- 4th argument-
It affects you in your body very directly. The injury is very personal, both in the soul, and in the body. The bonding between those who are uncommitted is real indeed. The potential for STDs, pregnancy, loss of dignity and honor. There is immediate effect in sexual sin.
There are some sins that man can resist.
There are others from whch he must flee.
Flee- run, move hastily.
fornication- any sexual sin. Not just adultery.
19- 5th argument
The H.S dwells within you. Should we defile the temple where God dwells by comitting fornication?
6th argument–
We don’t own ourselves, God purchased us by Jesus’ blood.
20- Ours is to glorify God, not indulge ourselves.
The price paid reflects the value of the object, and what it costs to obtain and secure it.
Our lives before God costs God the life of his Son.
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