I Corinthians 7

I Corinthians 7:1-5 – The marriage bed

• I Corinthians 7:1 – Some translations add quotes here to indicate this is something written to Paul. This is not a general rule that sexual relations are wrong.
• I Corinthians 7:2 – God created mankind with a sexual appetite, which should be fulfilled within marriage as God designed it. See Proverbs 5:19-20 and Song of Solomon.
• I Corinthians 7:3 – The responsibility here is mutual. It is the same for both husband and wife.
• I Corinthians 7:4 – This must be done in love. Sex should never be used as a weapon or a bargaining chip in marriage. This verse is not a license for abuse.
• I Corinthians 7:5 – The marriage bed is a blessing. Sex should not be withheld. Self-control is still required.

I Corinthians 7:6-16 – Instructions to the married and unmarried

• I Corinthians 7:6-9 – Paul is not saying marriage in general is bad. He’s giving specific directions for the present time.
• I Corinthians 7:10-13 – Jesus had already taught against divorce (Matthew 19:6). Jesus had not specifically addressed the case in I Corinthians 7:12-13 about Christians married to non-Christians. See I John 2:1. I Corinthians 7:11 is not implying that divorce is okay.
• I Corinthians 7:14 – “Sanctified” or “made holy” here means the marriage and children are legitimate. This is different than how the Old Covenant worked for Jews in that Jews could not marry Gentiles.

Introduction

• Matthew 22:39
• Clique: “a small, exclusive, group of people”

ALL Christians should love ALL people.

• Luke 6:31 – Love your neighbor as yourself.
• Luke 10:27-37 – Parable of the good Samaritan.
  • The Samaritan was used as the good example!
  • Love expresses itself in action.
  • Love other people. Don’t limit it to a particular group!
• James 2:1-4, 8-9 – The “royal law.”
• Ephesians 4:31-32
• Colossians 3:12-13
• Romans 12:9, 16-18 – We should not look down on others. We should be kind to others.

Just being part of a group is not sinful.

• Psalms 135:4 – God created the “group” of Israel. This was clearly not a sin. But when they started thinking they were better than others, He corrected them.
• Mark 3:13
• Matthew 10:5-6
• I Corinthians 13:4-5
• I Corinthians 4:11-13 – Despite bad treatment, we must show love.

Let’s learn to appreciate other people and learn from our differences.

• Acts 11:19-26 – Different cultures came together!
• Matthew 13:53-58 – Jesus was rejected by those who had the most in common with Him!
• Acts 2:9-11, 46

Galatians 4, continued

• Galatians 4:28
• Galatians 4:1-7 – God purchased us so that He could adopt us as sons.
• Galatians 4:9 – Knowing God and being known by God
  • Galatians 3:27, 13, 14, 22, 26, 28, 29; 4:7, 15, 28
  • God knows and loves each one of us personally. His attention to us is not diluted in the least by our numbers.
  • Galatians 4:3, 8
  • They wanted to bring back parts of the Old Law!
• Galatians 4:12-15 – Paul was in Galatia because of his ailments. We are not told specifically what his ailment was.
  • II Corinthians 12:7-10
  • Paul bore the marks of the things he had gone through (stoning, beating, starvation, etc.).
• Galatians 4:21-31
  • Romans 4:13-25

I Corinthians 6, continued

I Corinthians 6:16-20

• The Greek text of the New Testament was written in all capitals with no punctuation or spaces between words.
  • “Let’s eat, Grandma!” vs. “Let’s eat Grandma!”
• I Corinthians 6:12 – There are two primary interpretations of this verse.
  • #1 – This is a quote.
    • Some translations put this in quotes (“All things are lawful for me.”) to indicate Paul is responding to a common saying. However, we must be careful when inserting punctuation to be sure it is warranted.
  • #2 – This is a statement, but “all” refers only to lawful things.
• I Corinthians 6:13 – See Romans 6:12; 12:1-2. Paul strikes down both their reasoning and their excuses.
• I Corinthians 6:14 – See I Corinthians 15:20-22.
• I Corinthians 6:15 – Some at this time did not see prostitution as a sin. Paul speaks strongly against this idea here.
• I Corinthians 6:16
• I Corinthians 6:18 – Get away from sexual immorality (Proverbs 5:8). This is not a sin to toy around with!
  • Possibility #1: “is” = “originates” and “outside the body” = “in the heart/mind”
  • Possibility #2: This is another quote.
    • Gnosticism – There was a growing heresy that taught that the soul and body were two separate things, so it didn’t matter what you did with your body.
• I Corinthians 6:19-20 – The Holy Spirit is in us in a figurative sense. God purchased us with the blood of Jesus. We are to use our bodies in God’s service.

Introduction

• Judges 12:5-6

Everything they do comes from love.

• Luke 6:27-32
• We must develop love for everyone.
• Romans 5:6-8

They have excellent behavior.

• I Peter 2:9-12
• Our behavior won’t fit in here because we don’t belong here.
• Titus 1:16
• Titus 2:6-8, 14; 3:8, 14 – We should be zealous for good deeds.

They glorify God instead of themselves.

• Matthew 6:1-6
• Matthew 5:16 – People should glorify God because of us.
• We should reflect the glory of God.

They are morally pure.

• Ephesians 5:1-7, 11
• Romans 1:26-27, 29-32

They keep repenting.

• I John 1:8

They genuinely trust God’s word.

• I Thessalonians 2:13
• Luke 4:16
• II Peter 3:7-11
• Acts 27:21-37 – Paul trusted God in the middle of a storm.