Tag: Bible Devotional

1 Corinthians 7:10-11. Divorce. Today’s BDBD.

Apostle Paul responds to a request related to the one he addressed in the previous two verses. The subject is divorce. Paul repeats what the Lord Jesus taught concerning divorce (Matthew 5:31-32, 19:1-12; Mark 10:1-12; Luke 16:18) The most notable quote comes from Apostle Matthew. Jesus told some Pharisees who came to test him, “Moses […]

1 Corinthians 7:3-7. Practical Union. Today’s BDBD.

“The two will become one flesh,” so wrote Paul in 6:16, quoting Jesus, who added, “For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife… So they are no longer two, but one. Therefore, what God has joined together, let man not separate. Anyone who divorces his wife […]

1 Corinthians 7:1-2. But Since. Today’s BDBD.

Corinth was on a peninsula. Ships needing to get from two important shipping seas would be taken across land at Corinth. Sailors would have several hours to explore the city as their ships traversed the land. The temple prostitutes for the goddess Aphrodite numbered in the hundreds, even thousands, at Corinth, profiting from the sailors. […]

1 Corinthians 6:11. Washed, Sanctified, Justified in Jesus, Part 2. Today’s BDBD.

Those in Corinth who put their faith in Jesus were washed, sanctified, and justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ by the Spirit of God. (11) What did Apostle Paul mean by washed, sanctified, and justified? The original Greek word for washed is “apolouo” meaning “washed away”, not “ablution”. Ablution is a washing […]

1 Corinthians Chapter 6 Overview. Today’s BDBD.

Apostle Paul addresses two more problems in the Corinthian congregation in chapter 6. First, lawsuits against others in the congregation, and second, employing a prostitute. The points are rather straightforward. Yet, some good truths are also revealed within. First, if there is a dispute between two believers, they should settle it among themselves (1-8). The […]

1 Corinthians 5:9-11. Association, Part 2. Today’s BDBD.

Apostle Paul lists Christians not to associate with. They call themselves a brother or sister in Christ Jesus, but continue to apply these six. They are sexual immorality, greed, idolatry, slander, drunkenness (substance addiction), and swindling (11). The confessed Christian knows these are sins, but does not resist committing them. The 5 Biblical sexual immorality […]

1 Corinthians 5:9-11. Association, Part 1. Today’s BDBD.

Apostle Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians is the third-earliest letter that we have today, 1 & 2 Thessalonians being earlier. In verses 9-10a, Paul has them recall an earlier letter that we do not have. That letter stated, “Do not associate with sexually immoral people.” He adds here, “…not at all meaning the people […]

1 Corinthians chapter 5 Overview.

Some avoid this chapter because some could be offended. I do not mean to offend. I am looking at Paul’s instructions here to understand and thus to have hope, faith, and love to continue in my life. Paul addresses sexual immorality in the congregation. Incest is specifically mentioned in 1 thru 5. He says that […]

1 Corinthians 4:18-21. Kingdom Power. Today’s BDBD

The Kingdom of God is stated nearly 300 times in the New Testament. The Old Testament consistently foreshadows the Kingdom of God. Paul states that the Kingdom of God is not a matter of talk but of power (20). Jesus is the King. He is power and coming in power (Revelation 1:10, 12-18, 4;1-6, 5:6-8). […]

1 Corinthians Chapter 4 Overview. Today’s BDBD.

The apostles lived a hard life. They were poor. They endured persecution. All but John were killed. They had no home. They were ridiculed. They did not have fine clothes. They went without food and drink. People who have often poorly judge those who have not. Wise people often poorly judge those who are not. […]

1 Corinthians 3:18-23. All Things Are Yours. Today’s BDBD.

Apostle Paul concludes the matter, “No more boasting about men! All things are yours…” (21). When stating “all things are yours,” he is saying that God supplies many things, including people, the world, life, death, the here and now, and the future, to teach and equip his people. God gives all things for good and […]

1 Corinthians 3:16-17. God’s Temple. Today’s BDBD.

God’s temple is God tangibly being with his people. Apostle Paul, in the previous paragraph, uses an illustration of a building, such as a temple, to describe God using him to establish God’s tangible presence with a group of people in Corinth. They were God’s temple, a people with whom God interacted continually. God’s Spirit […]

1 Corinthians 3:10-15. Building Inspection. Today’s BDBD.

Apostle Paul expands upon another of Jesus’ teachings as he explains his point that the Corinthian congregation needs to stop arguing and idolizing human teachers. Jesus told his disciples, “If anyone loves me, he will obey my teaching. My Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him.” […]

1 Corinthians 3:1-4. Live By the Spirit? Today’s BDBD.

Apostle Paul presents to his brothers and sisters in Christ at Corinth self-examination questions. Are you not worldly? Are you not acting like mere humans? Doesn’t your pledged loyalty to a human instead of Christ Jesus show you are mere human beings? The answer to all these is yes. They were worldly, mere humans. Paul […]

1 Corinthians 3 Overview. One Shepherd, Jesus. Today’s BDBD.

In ancient times people did not go to an institution, school, college, nor university to get an education. Rather, they went to a person and asked them if they could become a disciple. If a Jew wanted to learn about God the same was true. They went to a prominent rabbi to be trained as […]

1 Corinthians 2:10-16. The Spirit Imparts The Mind of Jesus. Today’s BDBD.

Apostle Paul is still redressing the Corinthians Christians, who are proud of the gifts of knowledge and teaching, the gifts they were given upon receiving the Holy Spirit when they first believed. Paul introduces the topic of the office and work of the Holy Spirit in verses 10-16, which he will maintain and build upon […]

1 Corinthians 2:6-12. Analyze Your Wisdom. Today’s BDBD.

Solomon, imprinted by the Holy Spirit, was gifted with God’s wisdom as the Corinthians were gifted with knowledge and speech. However, wisdom can be flawed and misguided when based on improper morality and ethics. When one’s concept of right and wrong is not based in absolute truth, then the wisdom that comes forth, though it […]

1 Corinthians 2:1-5. The Spirit’s Power. Today’s BDBD.

The Spirit of God was promised and still is promised to be the means by which a person comes to faith in Jesus. Wisdom and elegant words were not promised and is not promised to be the means. One of the reasons believers in Jesus give for not witnessing to their faith in Jesus is […]

1 Corinthians 2 Overview. Pure White Flowers. Today’s BDBD.

Paul was highly educated for his day. Yet his human education led him to false beliefs that were reinforced by an impure spirit and mind. Knowledge is one thing, wisdom another, and the truth is absolute. Paul did not know the truth. This leads him to cruel and evil acts. He persecuted Christians. God’s wisdom […]

1 Corinthians 1:30-31. Boast in the Lord. Today’s BDBD.

Many reasons can be found to boast in me and my abilities. Yet none are valid for God makes them all possible. God supplies the ability. God supplies the health. God supplies the environment. God supplies the skills. God supplies the resources. God supplies the proper weather. God supplies the food and water. God supplies […]

1 Corinthians 1:26-29. Not Much of Anything. Today’s BDBD.

Take a self-assessment is the theme of these verses. The congregation at Corinth had become conceited. God revealed truth to them, and it boosted their pride. They began thinking too much of themselves. They forgot who they were when God called them. They forgot God was the one who built them up. Not many were […]

1 Corinthians 1:22-25. Miracle Mania – Wisdom Insanity. Today’s BDBD.

A person will experience God’s miracle and then foolishly ask for a miracle as proof that God’s miracle is true because the ego loves power and the praise of men more than God. A person can hear pure wisdom and unfutable knowledge and refuse to concede to them because pride loves imperfection and insanity more […]

1 Corinthians 1:18-21. The Problem: A Wrong Idea of God. Today’s BDBD.

Ask people on the street, scroll through social media, and talk with anyone on a college campus about God, and you will find a wide range of ideas and understandings about God. The types of people and their comments about God would not be much different from the ideas people had in Paul’s time, 2,000 […]

1 Corinthians 1:13-17. Cross and Baptism. Today’s BDBD.

Apostle Paul supports his call for unity with two basic concepts given by Jesus Christ: the cross of Christ and baptism in the name of the Father, Jesus the Son, and the Holy Spirit. (Matthew 3:11, 28:19; John 1:25-33, 14:26). The church of God in Corinth would have known both from the very beginning of […]

1 Corinthians 1:10-12. Quarrels. Today’s BDBD.

Apostle Paul addresses the first problem amongst the believers in Jesus Christ at Corinth, divisions and quarrels. I believe the meaning of divisions here is “the condition of being divided in opinion, which leads to separate meetings and isolation of groups and individuals.” All suffer with divisions and quarrels, especially the weak and vulnerable. But […]

1 Corinthians 1:2. To the Church of God. Today’s BDBD.

Apostle Paul is writing to “the church of God.” The Greek word for church can be better translated as “congregation” due to the many modern-day uses of the English word “church”. The meaning behind the Greek word for “church” implies that God called people to come to His community of believers from among the people […]

1 Corinthians 1:1. Called to Be… Today’s BDBD.

Apostle Paul’s defined himself with, “called to be an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God”. Apostle means sent on a mission with full authority of representation; an ambassador. Jesus chose twelve to be his apostles during his earthly ministry. (Mark 3:13-19) When Judas betrayed Jesus another was chosen to take his place. […]

1 Corinthians Chapter 1 Overview. Today’s BDBD.

Paul wrote this letter in 55 or 56 AD while he was at Ephesus during his 3rd missionary journey. Paul is dealing with problems concerning the young congregation as a whole and also with personal problems. The first issue makes it clear that Jesus is the head of the church. I belong to him. I […]