Paul ends his letter with typical final greetings. Six exhortations are given: Aim for perfection Listen to my appeal Be of one mind Live in peace And the love of God will be with you. And the peace of God will be with you.
The apostle Paul had instructed the Corinthian congregation to examine themselves. (5) He hoped that they would accept the truth, confess the truth of their sins, fully submit to God’s authority, and change their ways by living in the truth of Christ. (7) This is walking in God’s truth. (1 John 1:6, 2:4, 3:18-20; 2 […]
Paul wrote, “Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves. Do you not realize that Christ Jesus is in you-unless, of course, you fail the test?” How can I examine and test myself? Self-examination can be a foreign idea to many even though Jesus taught that prayer and meditation are important. […]
The apostle Paul reveals that when he arrives in Corinth, if he finds misconduct, as he fears (13:20), they will all partake in church discipline actions and perhaps some meetings too. Church discipline usually includes a trial (of sorts), judgment, and, if someone is found at fault, correction, rebuke, and even punishment. (1 Corinthians 5:3-5, […]
Paul has called the Corinthian congregation his brothers, friends, and children. Paul’s love for them is evident because he did not give up on them. Though they wronged him, did not defend him when he was away, and said they would change their evil ways and then, when he was away, reverted to their sinful […]
“Do not exploit the poor because they are poor and do not crush the needy in court, for the LORD will take up their case and will plunder those who plunder them.” (Proverbs 22:22-23) This proverb perhaps sums up Paul’s attitude toward the mission Christ gave him, bringing the gospel to the Gentiles. Not that […]
Many decades ago, before I came to faith in Jesus as Lord and Savior, I thought, “If only God would show me miracles. Then I would believe. Yes, a clear miracle. Why doesn’t he do miracles? Then people would believe.” I was ignorant of the power of the sinful nature. Even if God does a […]
You are not up to the job. You do not have what it takes. You are not pulling your weight. You are the lesser child. While your resume looks impressive, we have moved on to another candidate. Others exist who are smarter, stronger, better skilled, more experienced, have better degrees and credentials, have a better […]
Paul reveals weakness, “thorn in the flesh” and “messenger of Satan,” as insults, hardships, persecutions, and difficulties. He delights in them for when he pleaded for the “thorn in his flesh” to be taken away, the Lord replied, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” God was saying, […]
God protected Paul from the pit of conceit (7). Conceit is a word not in much use these days, probably because conceit, vanity, and pride are considered, at best, normal and, at worst, good mindsets. However, conceit ignores some blatant truths about the human condition, that is, my state of being. When self-truths are not […]
Apostle Paul is going out of his way again and again not to go beyond a line where he would actually be boasting. He approaches the line from many directions. Yet, he does not go beyond it. I tire of counting the number of attempts Paul takes in making his point without crossing that line. […]
How would I react if someone said, “I have been to paradise, the third heaven,” as Paul did in these verses? He’d continue, “An angel came to my bedroom two separate nights while I was sleeping, reached out his hand, and when I took it, I was taken to paradise.” I suppose my reaction would […]
Paul continues his peculiar boasting. Most boast of strength, beauty, intelligence, skill, and wealth. Paul’s boasting is peculiar because he only mentions weakness. (30) Why? His weakness glorifies the superabundant strength of the God and Father of the Lord Jesus, who is to be praised forever and ever. (31) Paul mentions one example from his […]
Paul begins his boast by quickly revealing his human lineage, descendant of Eber and Abraham, the father of faith and the promise, after which he exclaims that he is a servant of Christ, more so than his pseudo-Christian opponents claimed to be. (21b-23a) Paul continues his boasting with the almost foreign way (to them and […]
Apostle Paul had been called a fool by some members of the congregation in Corinth, a congregation he founded and labored for eighteen months to establish. These opponents were making great efforts to erode his labors and led as many away from his teachings as possible. Now Paul was days of hard journey away from […]
Understand the enemy. God appointed Satan a seat of authority. He left. He is the chief of the devils, and in that he has been granted some temporary authority, but not the same authority as before. (2:11, 4:4; Genesis 3:1-6; 1 Chronicles 21:1; 2 Samuel 24:1; Job 1:6-16, 2:1-7; Zechariah 3:1-2; Matthew 4:1-11, 12:24; John […]
Apostle Paul brought up boasting in four passages in his first letter to Corinth, including the famous “Love does not boast.” (1 Corinthians 13:4). Twice in chapter 1 of this letter, boasting was mentioned. From chapter 10 onward, boasting becomes one of his main tools and remains so through the end of this section (12:13). […]
Credentials of a True Ministry. Paul, in response to claims from false apostles in Corinth, will present a positive testimony of his credentials in this section. In the first half of the chapter, he exposed the false apostles in Corinth, for they were preaching “another gospel” and discredited his apostleship. Paul presents a positive testimony […]
A cult is a religion or religious sect of Christianity generally considered to be extremist and false, with its followers often living unconventionally under the guidance of an authoritarian, charismatic leader. Apostle Paul refers to the leaders as apostles and workmen, but calls them false, deceitful, and masqueraders. They are the same as Satan, the […]
Paul reminds the congregation at Corinth that their congregation began due to the financial support of congregations to their north in the Roman province of Macedonia. (9) Acts records that Paul had been in that area before arriving in Athens and Corinth, both in the Roman province of Achaia. (Acts 18:1-11) Paul was a tent […]
How did Paul identify the “super-apostles” and their gospel as false? How can I identify a false Jesus, a false Spirit, and a false gospel? The Corinthian congregation did not have a New Testament as I do. Most had not been written down in a codex (the precursor to the bound book). They did have […]
Apostle Paul had finished the previous chapter by boasting about his ministry of reconciliation, which led to their faith in Christ and the formation of the Corinthian congregation (10:12-18). He acknowledged that the Lord Jesus made everything possible and did all the real work (10:17-18). Paul knew that boasting was foolishness, but his reason to […]
No doubt, Paul did not have a humdrum, normal, easy life. He endured what I, like all humans, want to avoid. Why did he press on with his assigned ministry of reconciliation? Because of his love for God and God’s people, and because he had a healthy fear of God. Jesus said his people would […]
There is a time for everything, including boasting. A day will come when we will be able to boast about our work obeying the gospel. The time of the gospel is when efforts are made to expand the work of the gospel. Paul would boast, but only within the field God had assigned to him […]
A way to self-improve is to use comparative analysis. Comparative analysis is taking two or more things and comparing how they are alike and different. Some people use comparative analysis for self-improvement, and unfortunately, others use it for self-condemnation. A wise competitive runner and swimmer compare their times from one trial to the next to […]
How many have been accused of making pretenses or false advertising and proven true? How many claim to be one thing and are not, motivated by ill profit? People at one time said, “What you see is what you get.” Often what is presented is not what is promised and expected. So, we go about […]
In times such as ours, when authority is misused in government, business, education, and even the church, I need to set an example of what God says about authority. Paul stated clearly that the Lord came to him in a vision while he was on his way to persecute Christians in Damascus. Jesus told him […]
Many parishioners in Corinth were “looking only on the surface of things”, so Paul determined. Earlier, in 5:16-17, he claimed that he used to be the same, but now he no longer regarded anyone from “a worldly point of view.” The reason is that those in Christ are “a new creation, the old has gone, […]
Paul spoke of weapons Christians fight with in verses 3 and 4. They are not weapons of this world. The weapons of choice for Christians are like Jesus’, which include words based in grace and truth. Such truth demolishes arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God. The knowledge of […]
Who is on the side of the truth of Christ and who is not can be determined by the weapons they utilize. Words are the weapons of both sides. Jesus told Pilate that the reason he was born, the reason he came into the world, was to testify to the truth. (John 18:37) Jesus’ double-edged […]
Is Apostle Paul making a threat, a warning, or presenting a proposal to the Corinthian congregation in these two verses? Since he is begging them (2), Paul is not threatening them. So, is this a warning or proposal? Since Paul confesses that his words are in the meekness and gentleness of Christ, this is not […]
Paul expends most of the chapter explaining and defending his ministry of reconciliation. Others, especially from within the church, were trying to undermine him and his ministry. Verses 3 through 6 stand out. Here Paul defines his work allegorically. He sees his ministry as a spiritual war. Jesus told his disciples, “Go into all the […]
Apostle Paul tells of three results from the Corinthian congregation’s service, if they finish what they started, that is. First, they will be supplying the needs of God’s people. (12a) Second, the poor Christians in Judea and Jerusalem will overflow with many expressions of thanks to God. (12b) Third, in their prayers for the Corinthians, […]
God is the one who supplies seed to the sower. The sower is the person who takes the seed God supplies and uses it with the intent to gain a harvest for the one who gave the seed. The seed is both material goods and a skill set. God supplies bread as food for the […]
Paul compares charitable giving to a farmer sowing seeds. He borrowed and expounded upon Jesus’ “Parable of the Sower”. (Matthew 13:1-23; Mark 14:1-14; Luke 8:1-15) In that parable, a farmer scattered seed on four different types of soil. Only one produced a crop. The point of the parable is to be the good soil that […]
Steady steps walk a mile. One mile turns into two, so soon, tens of thousands of footsteps, reach the goal. The Corinthian congregation, as soon as they received news that fellow congregations in Judea were experiencing a drought and persecution, responded by preparing a donation. Sometime later, evil people entered their congregation, posing as important […]
Though there are a thousand righteous pastors and evangelists who are honorable within the congregation and with their financial contributions, there always seems to be one large congregation and media-present pastor and evangelist who is not. They love money more than Jesus. They do not live in the eyes of the Lord and men. Their […]
Understanding what transpired before Paul wrote this letter clarifies an important concept Jesus taught his disciples in Matthew 21:28-32. Paul had learned of the drought and persecutions the congregations in Judea and Jerusalem had experienced a year before this letter. The Lord inspired Paul to collect a charitable gift from the Gentile congregations. So he […]
The Bible distinguishes between charity and tithing. Tithing is giving ten percent back to what God has graciously given. Tithing can require faith at times. Yet still, tithing is a command, and not without God’s promise. (Leviticus 27:30-33; Malachi 3:8-12) Tithing predates the Old Covenant law, as Cain and Abel presented offerings to the Lord […]
Apostle Paul concluded his previous thoughts by saying in 7:12-16 that he had bragged to Titus before he delivered the first letter to Corinth about the congregation at Corinth. Paul said they were devoted to him and would follow his direction, as hard as it was. Paul told Titus they would, and their positive response […]
Paul is continuing the instruction of giving to the poor, suffering believers in Judea that he started in chapter 8. The principle that when I give to the poor, God supplies me back and increases my money and makes me more profitable is introduced (12). This is true. Yet, not all the time is it […]
The eastern shore of the Mediterranean was experiencing a drought. The Judean churches were experiencing hardships not only because of the drought but also because they were ousted from the synagogues, forbidden from taking some jobs (i.e., priests), and became social outcasts. Paul was coordinating a free-will gift from the Gentile churches to help their […]
Ancient Christian Steps -based on John Cassian’s (360-435 A.D.) “The Rule of the Master” (5th century A.D.), the source of St. Benedict’s (480-530 A.D.) “12 Steps of Humility”, chapter 7 of the book “The Rule” (6th century A.D.). John Cassian’s concepts are drawn from the ascetic traditions of the “Egyptian Desert Fathers,” monks who date […]
Lately, I have come to passages in this letter that I find hard to apply or make fresh. This is one of them. Paul tends to repeat himself, as he does in 2-4. Added to that, the subject matter started in 2:12-13; Paul has deviated from it until now, when he returns to it in […]
Paul repeats what he stated in 1 Corinthians 6:18-20 (which precedes the chapter concerning marriage): we are the temple of God (16b). The point he makes is the same: “let us purify ourselves from everything that contaminates body and spirit, perfecting holiness out of reverence for God.” The subject is the same: who to bond […]
Today’s BDBD continues a BDBD from three days ago. Paul, in the first letter to the Corinthian congregation, had told them not to marry an unbeliever (chapter 7). Since he repeats it here, some must have disregarded his direction at the direction of false apostles who were undermining Paul’s ministry of reconciliation. Paul contrasts a […]
What comprises a living, loving relationship? Words spoken freely and hearts opened. Trust in the other’s love is required. These must be exchanged for a loving relationship to grow. If only one side expresses love, what will happen to the relationship? Paul spoke freely and opened his heart. However, the Corinthians withheld their affection. False […]
Apostle Paul speaks of the “power of God” and “weapons of righteousness” (7) as part of his God-given “ministry of reconciliation” (5:18). In verses 8 through 10, Paul continues to unpack this ministry by describing his experiences as God’s soldier, ensuring he puts no stumbling block in anyone’s path (3). To do this, he employs […]
All my brothers and sisters in Christ and I are the temple of the living God as Paul wrote in the first letter to Corinth. (1 Corinthians 6:19) The Holy Spirit, Jesus, and the Father live in me. I am a son of the Lord Almighty. God dwelling in his people is only by grace. […]
If Apostle Paul was a coward in his youth, the power of God overcame his cowardice as a servant of God. Paul did not show ignoble fear in the face of troubles, hardships, and distress. (4b) God enabled Paul to have great endurance. Three troubles Paul lists that he endured are beatings, imprisonments, and riots. […]
Paul wanted to live an exemplary life so as not to discredit the ministry of reconciliation he was called to. (4, 5:18) If I talk the talk but do not walk the walk, then, as people notice my contradictory walk, they will not listen to my reconciliatory talk. When I repeat Jesus’ message of turning […]
Every human who has ever lived has experienced events they never wanted to happen, whether self-imposed or due to nothing they had done or failed to do. In this world, everyone has troubles. Added to that some suffer from frequent depression. Troubles rebuff even the strongest souls. Jesus’ apostles experienced perhaps some of the worst […]
God is very clear concerning why his people are in the world after reconciliation. In other words, God tells us why he doesn’t take us to him in heaven after we come to be in Jesus Christ. (17) First, what is reconciliation? Reconciliation is God establishing a close relationship with us by not counting our […]
The Holy Spirit, through Paul, repeats astonishing truths that Jesus and the prophet Isaiah had proclaimed. Jesus tells his disciples, “I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener… Remain in me, and I will remain in you.” (John 15:1, 4) The Lord, through Isaiah, foretold, “Behold, I will create new heavens and […]
Jesus, Paul reminds, died for all. (14-15) But who are the “all”? Are they everyone who has ever lived, is living, and will live? Is it all who say, “I believe in a god?” or “I believe in God?” Is it all who attend a congregation and/or a religious group? Is it the kind-hearted, those […]
Apostle Paul continues his logic with a transitional statement, “Since, then, we know what it is to fear the Lord, we try to persuade men.” “Fear” is the Greek noun “phobos”. The English words “fear” and “terror” are used to translate several Hebrew and Greek words. In the Old Testament, the most common word used […]
I had estranged myself from God. I did this by not believing he loves me and that his ways are best. I harbored lust, envy, greed, and other kinds of godlessness in my heart. I thought about these and occasionally acted on those thoughts. God told me not to do these, for they were harmful. […]
Apostle Paul utilizes clever word crafting by altering the use and meaning of “at home”, “body”, and “away”. While “home” always means where we dwell, in one sentence, the place of occupation is the physical body, and in another, the place of occupation is in paradise with the Lord. The meaning all depends on which […]
The physical body truly will cease to function and will not function as it does now ever again. This is true for everyone eventually. Just as true is the fact that when a person confesses with their mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believes in their heart that God raised him from the dead, they are […]
Are you tired of your present body? Do you want a better body, a permanent body, a body that will not weaken, droop, bruise, break, die, or decay? How does it sound to have a heavenly body, a body with powers and abilities that no human has possessed, currently or previously? Does an immortal body […]
God created humans with 3 parts: a physical body, a soul, and a spirit. The soul is my emotions, thoughts, and will. My spirit was dead until Jesus gave it new life when I first believed in him many years ago. (John 3:3) My physical body is like a tent. It temporarily contains my soul and […]
“It’s coming for us Simon Peter. A bad mountain wind storm.” “I see Andrew. This one’s not going to be easy,” Peter said, intensely looking at the waves. He quickly grabbed Andrew’s shoulder and the mast when the first large wave rocked the boat, throwing its tentacles into and over the boat. “You guys know […]
Believing in Jesus, faith in him, leads a person to give testimony about him. Jesus, who entered Jerusalem riding on a donkey, was given great praise. The Jewish religious leaders told him to stop the praise. His reply was, “I tell you, if they keep quiet, the stones will cry out.” (Luke 19:40). “I believe,” […]
The human body is like a jar of clay, a fragile shell made of the ground we walk on, meant to store goods. When closed, it is without light. Ancient cultures used plain clay jars to conceal valuable treasures – sacred scrolls, hard jewels, and untarnished precious metals. The wonderful treasure in Christians is God’s […]
Light overcomes darkness. Darkness cannot overcome light. Light penetrates darkness. Darkness cannot penetrate light. Light is glory. Darkness is not glory. A mind can be blinded so that it cannot see light. The light of the gospel is the glory of Christ. The light cannot be stopped, but it can be rejected. The god of […]
Apostle Paul, not losing heart, though some attacked his character and motives, continued to preach the gospel, the very ministry given him by the Lord. Jesus tells all his disciples that opposition is sure to come. Paul contrasted his methods to accomplish the mission given to him with those of his detractors. We can learn […]
Today’s Bible Daily Bread Devotional (BDBD) is for those who are weak from serving in Jesus’ name. These are the volunteers, faithfully ministering from infants to the elderly. They are men and women of the Spirit, who continually walk the streets talking to strangers about Jesus. They are displaying the image of the Son of […]
Life with Jesus is a split identity existence while in this world. The dual existence is not like that of the fictional Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, who had a good and a bad side. Nor is it like a split personality disorder where two entirely different personalities exist in one body. Also, it is […]
The Spirit is the Lord of those who believe in Jesus (17-18). Lord, in the original Greek, has the equivalent meaning of the Hebrew word Adonai. (Exodus 3:14) The meaning of both is the “Supreme and Almighty Master”. Abraham called God, “Adonai Elohim”. “Elohim,” meaning “Almighty God,” is the name for God in Genesis 1:1. […]
Moses was on Mount Sinai with the Lord, receiving the ten commandments carved in stone. When he came down the mountain, his face was radiant with glory, and Aaron and Israel were afraid to come near him. So, Moses put a veil over his face. The radiance began to fade until it was no more, […]
Glory is one of those words that has so many meanings and applications that it is hard to define. We can say, “Her hair is her crowning glory.” “The sun is a ball of blazing glory.” “Give God praise and glory.” And here Paul wrote, “If what was fading away came with glory, how much […]
The Old Covenant given to Israel at Mount Sinai, as recorded in the first five books of the Bible, is also referred to as the Mosaic Law. Paul, inspired by the Holy Spirit, calls it the letter that kills (6), the ministry that brought death (7), and the ministry that condemns (9). Those who insist […]
The Lord Jesus forgave Paul and called him to minister to the Gentiles and Israel. Jesus, as Lord and God, equipped Paul to accomplish the ministry he had given him. Paul had confidence that God was and would continue to work within the congregation at Corinth through his ministry. Paul had confidence in God, not […]
How can it be determined if a person is an authentic instructor or a cult authoritarian with a desire to control people and take their earnings? The Jewish religious leaders insisted that Jesus was a charlatan because he was not “one of us”. Pseudo-apostles insisted that Apostle Paul was a pretender because he was not […]
Paul presents the Corinthian congregation as a living witness to his credentials as a minister of the New Covenant (1-6). Then, he compares the Old Covenant to the New Covenant (7-18). The Lord God presented the Old Covenant to Israel at Mount Sinai, in the desert (modern-day western Saudi Arabia), through Moses on two stone […]
When I was young, I would come home from school to see a short commercial called “Bowling for Dollars”. Men and women would roll their bowling balls down the alley once or twice to get up to a hundred dollars, according to how many bowling pins they knocked down. I never considered whether the owners […]
Paul breaks off the narrative of his itinerary and characteristically allows his spontaneour spirit to carry him into a lengthy digression (the narrative is not resumed until 7:5). The digression, however, is quite relevant to the main tenor of this letter, for it is an immensely rich outpouring of triumphant faith in praise of the […]
A year ago, for a work-related change, my wife and I moved from the East Coast to the center of the country. The trip involved stops at a relative’s house, Nashville, and Memphis until we finally arrived at the city where we now live. Normally, a three-night trip to such locations would be very enjoyable. […]
Grief, distress, and anguish, especially grief, are repeated ten times in the first ten verses, all deriving from the Greek noun “lype” (a transliteration), referring to deep emotional pain. Contrasting “lype” are forgiveness, joy, comfort, and love; together they are stated twelve times. One man’s sin in the Corinthian congregation led to grief, distress, and […]
Paul gave instructions in his first letter to the Corinthian congregation in chapter 5 concerning a man engaging in a grievous sexual immorality. He said that they should cast him out of their congregation. Now, Paul reveals two motives behind that directive. (Some point out that he may be referring to another person’s sin and/or […]
