The subject Paul is continuing is mixed-religion marriages: a Christian with a non-believer. He is given illustrations to show the basic concept applies to more than mixed-religion marriages. The basic concept is repeated a third time in verse 24, “Brothers, each man, as responsible to God, should remain in the situation God called him to.” […]
Tag: Religion
1 Corinthians 7:17-20. Retain, Be Content, Part 1. Today’s BDBD.
The general principle is given. Retain the place in life the Lord assigned me. Retain the place God has called me. As God distributes when called, I am to walk it as a believer in Christ Jesus. This implies two things. First, God was in control of my life before he called me, when he […]
1 Corinthians 7:12-16. I Believe, My Spouse Does Not. Today’s BDBD.
Apostle Paul continues his answer on their questions about marriage, giving advice that Christ Jesus did not speak about during his earthly ministry, a mixed religion marriage. What should a spouse do when they come to faith in Jesus and their spouse has not yet done so? Should they remain married to them or divorce […]
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 7:8-9. Is This For Me? Today’s BDBD.
When a person is not married, the questions they ask themselves are, “Does God intend me to marry?” “Is there someone out there I am supposed to be with for the rest of our lives?” “Can I live alone?” “Am I designed to live alone?” “I know God is with me always, but sometimes I […]
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 7 Overview. Today’s BDBD.
Chapter 7 is long, with a lot of advice about husbands and wives, marriage, divorce, and indirectly sex. Paul is answering questions they had while continuing the subject at the end of the previous chapter. Corinth was the center of much immorality, causing the new congregation to be confused about many things involving marriage and […]
1 Corinthians 6:18-20. Holy Spirit Onboard. Today’s BDBD.
Almost everyone has been in an environment where they have experienced a sense of special presence. The ambiance was the combination of the comfort and warmth of the womb, the glorification and illumination of the heavens, and the serenity and beauty of a nature retreat. The Temple possessed such an environment as long as the […]
1 Corinthians 6:12-13. Moral GPS. Today’s BDBD.
Every human develops an automated subconscious and conscious system that guides their decisions and actions, though most of the time, we are unaware of that system. Human society and instinct cause us to develop a moral and ethical GPS. Some in the Corinthian congregation developed two cute Greek bywords based on their understanding of Christianity […]
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 6:9-11. Washed, Sanctified, and Justified in Jesus, Part 1. Today’s BDBD.
Apostle Paul, tells the Corinthian believers, “The very fact that you have lawsuits among you means you have been completely defeated already.” (7a) Then, he defines the wicked, something he did in 5:9-11. Here, he lists sexually immoral, idolaters, adulterers, male prospitutes, homosexual offenders, thieves, greedy, drunkards, slanderers, and swindlers. Paul identifies three kinds of […]
1 Corinthians 6:1-8. Settle It Within. Today’s BDBD.
The disputes Apostle Paul addresses are civil matters, not criminal. If it were criminal violations, the Roman state would be involved. (Romans 13:3-4) Also, Paul’s declaration, “Why not rather be cheated?” (7), also indicates that the disputes were civil matters involving money and property. The Romans allowed Jews (Christians were still considered a Jewish sect) […]
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 Corinthian 5:6-8. Hold the Yeast. Today’s BDBD.
Understanding the Biblical Holy Week (aka Passover Week) helps in understanding Paul’s analogy. (Exodus 12:1-30, Leviticus 23:4-8; Deuteronomy 16:1-8; John 13:1-2, 18:27, 19:14) Preparations were needed before Passover began. According to tradition, cleaning the location of any yeast was first. “Get rid of the old yeast,” Paul repeats the Mosaic Law (7). Yeast is usually […]
1 Corinthians 5:1-5. Sinful Nature Destroyed. Today’s BDBD.
Apostle Paul addresses another problem at the Corinthian congregation, their handling of a member who is engaging in sexual immorality of a kind that does not occur even among pagans (1). The woman involved, according to the phrase the apostle used, “father’s wife”, suggests that the woman was his step-mother. Some commentators have suggested that […]
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 4:8-13. Rich Reign. Today’s BDBD.
Why does one have more than another? We usually compare ourselves with those who have more and desire to be like them. Who compares themself to someone who has less and more hardship and say, “I want to be like them?” Apostle Paul contrasts the Corinthian congregation with the apostles, something not hard to do. […]
1 Corinthians 4:1-2. Entrusted. Today’s BDBD.
“Again, it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted his property to them,” so begins Jesus Parable of the Talents. (Matthew 25:14-30) Actually, the main issue Paul has been addressing for three chapters, Jesus cleverly presents in one brilliant easy to grasp parable. Apostle Paul concludes his […]
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 3:10-15. 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 3:5-9. Only Servants. Today’s BDBD.
Apostle Paul pulls examples from some of Jesus’ parables concerning seeds and plants to help the Corinthians congregation understand what he is saying concerning a man’s place before the Lord Christ Jesus. Jesus taught that the word of God is like seed which a man took and planted in his field. The field had four […]
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 2:6-12. 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 1:26-29. 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 4:7-9. God is Faithful. Today’s BDBD.
The Holy Spirit, through Paul, made it clear in prior verses that each member of the young congregation was sanctified and called to be holy because of their faith in Jesus Christ. The Holy Spirit did so by giving them gifts to be used for the benefit of others. Collectively, they did not lack any […]
1 Corinthians 1:4-7. Gospel Effect Abuse. Today’s BDBD.
The Apostle Paul had visited the city of Corinth around two years earlier, sharing his testimony about Christ. The congregation listened and believed in the Lord Jesus Christ. God’s grace in the form of spiritual gifts confirmed that the good news was received. They were enriched in every way -especially with the gifts of speaking […]
1 Corinthians 1:3. The Father and Jesus Christ. Today’s BDBD.
Greeks’ traditional religion did not see its gods as their fathers. When a Greek became a Christian, they accepted that the One and Only Supreme God was their Father. The pronoun “from” which is applied to “God our Father” is also implied to be with “the Lord Jesus Christ”, so that it would also read, […]
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 […]
