1 Corinthians by Dennis McCallum (2001)

The Corinthian church was plagued with many moral issues, but God was able to speak powerfully in Corinth. Paul called them to unity and to focus on the Gospel.

Paul juxtaposes the human wisdom of this world and pride to God's wisdom and humbling yourself before God. We desire to earn our own salvation as we fix our lives, but God tells us that He is the way to salvation and that only He can offer lasting fulfilment and meaning. The cross is God's payment for humanities sins.

God encountered rebellion from Satan before the beginning of this world, and He set in place a plan to show His loving and gracious nature. In the Old Testament God predicted the coming of both a suffering servant and a messiah king. These two personas were pictures of Jesus sent as both a sacrifice for mankind and a conquering savior.

God's wisdom stands opposed to the wisdom of this world; Jesus lived a life of self-sacrifice and love while our world calls us to be self-protective. God has given us the truth about this world, are we willing to accept His view of this world?

God made it clear that Christians are called not to conform to this world as we search for truth. God's truth is not relative but universal. However, we are able to conform to our culture on non moral and non truth based cultural norms. We are called to be in our culture, but not shaped by it.

God has given us His Word as reliable truth that we can continually turn to. When we act on God's truth and study His Word we begin to grow into mature believers. God's Word feeds us like milk feeds a baby, moving us towards maturity.

God's love is sacrificial and serving rather than a selfish emotional fulfillment. The things of this world are less important when we take on God's perspective and see that what truly matters is our eternal identity. When we view this world from God's perspective we are able to appraise things as they really are.

We lack the ability to judge ourselves from an objective point of view, however God can judge us objectively. We should let God be the ultimate judge of our lives. In clear issues of moral failure we are called to discipline other believers in love.

Paul gave up a comfortable lifestyle in order to serve God with his whole life and share God's love with other people. When we approach our relationship with God in an attitude of self interest we will often become lukewarm. God's love and truth is meant to be shared and when we go out and share this message, as Paul did, we can experience God powerfully working through us.

The cultural view of love and God's view of love are quite different. Our culture views love as an emotional connection while God views love as a choice to act for the benefit of someone else. God's love includes discipline which we do in order for the good of a brother or sister in Christ.

There are many different types of conflict that we enter in life, generally God wants us to resolve conflict in a position of humility and doing what's best for the other party. We have been forgiven much by God, so we should be able to forgive most offenses against us. Conflicts can be opportunities to share God's love to a watching world.

Paul warned the Corinthian Church that sexual sins are sins against their own body. God's plan for sex in the context of a monogamous heterosexual marriage is given to us for our benefit. Sex in the context of a committed marriage is the best sex, and sexual promiscuity leads to an unquenchable sexual appetite.

Sex should be reserved for a committed, love-based relationship (marriage). In biblical marriages both spouses draw close to God for their needs, and as they do this they free themselves to give to their spouse. Good sex comes from the love of the whole person (spirit, soul, and body).

Paul called the Corinthians to be content where they are at, whether they are single or married. Paul warns the Corinthians that divorce is damaging, but in really bad circumstances may be the lesser of two evils. It's much better to be married than it is to burn with lust.

Paul called the Corinthians to sacrifice some of their freedoms for the conscience of a younger believer. God's moral imperatives are clear in scripture, but some moral choices seem grey and unclear. We shouldn't draw moral lines that God hasn't drawn himself, but in a spirit of love it is good when we lay down our freedoms for the benefit of another person.

Idolatry and pride hindered the Jews led by Moses out of Egypt, and these same issues were present in the Corinthian church. Often we don't accept God's provisions in our life because we wanted something else. This shows that we trust our own hearts more than God's plans and provisions for our lives.

Paul made a point to not let any non-moral cultural barriers affect his preaching of the gospel. Paul took strong stands on truth and religion, but he would learn and practice different cultures' dress, art, poetry, and music.

Paul explains that boxers don't box without aim, and in the same way Christians shouldn't work without aim. Sluggards lust after their desires and don't give out love. God calls us to do His work with His power, but we need to be willing to act on His calling.

Paul wanted the Corinthian church to maximize their witness within their culture, so he called for certain cultural gender norms to be followed as to increase the spread of the Gospel. God and Paul both taught equality for men and women, as different but equal beings. God called men to lead in sacrificial love in the context of marriage.

Christians are called to be a part of a Christian community where they share in fellowship. Christian community (the church) is referred to as the Body of Christ, Jesus is the head of this body and people in the church are parts of the body. When we all come together in truth and love as diverse people with different strengths we are able to interdependently do God's work and experience God's love through one another.

The Body of Christ has been given a number of spiritual gifts to edify and serve the people in the church and around the world. God's given people gifts of service, understanding God's Truth, and through prayer. When we serve and love people, we live out God's mission for our lives.

Paul refers to the church as the Body of Christ. Each person is a part of the body and they interdependently rely on one another to build up the health of the church. We grow in love and understanding as we build authentic deep relationships in a unified group of believers.

Paul describes vividly what biblical love is, and the love that God has for us. God's love is sacrificial, patient, hopeful, and it never fails. Biblical love is deeply tied to the meaning of life and the gospel message that we Christians share.

The spiritual gifts that God has given us are meant to be used for the edification of the church. God has given some the gift of tongues which is personally edifying, and only edifying for the church when there is an interpreter. God still works powerfully in our world today, but He doesn't work miracles to help people in a quest for self promotion, His power is given to edify and embolden the Body of Christ.

Paul emphasized the importance of the Gospel message to the Corinthians, that Jesus died for our sins and was resurrected which demonstrates that he was God and had paid for sin. All we have to do to be made righteous in God's eyes is to accept Jesus' death and resurrection as a payment for our own sins. Nothing should be added or removed from the Gospel that Paul preached.

If there is nothing after death, then this life is meaningless. God has offered us salvation from death through Jesus' death on the cross and He has been working this plan since man first sinned. God wants us to join Him in Heaven for eternity, and all we have to do is accept His free gift of salvation.

Christians are called to love others in truth and deed, and this very much includes giving our money. We are stewards of what God has given us, and if we want to be dedicated givers we need to practice disciplined regular giving rather than only impulse giving. In this way we can heartily invest in God's work with the money He has blessed us with.