I Corinthians 3:16-17 - “Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you? If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are.”

How can God make it any plainer? [1] You are the temple of God. [2] If you defile the temple of God, God will destroy you. If you make yourself spiritually unclean (i.e. immoral according to God’s standard), then God will not save you in Heaven, but will send you to eternal punishment in Hell (Matt. 25:46). What might we do that would defile the temple of God (i.e. our bodies and souls)? Alcohol destroys brain cells and the liver. Tobacco destroys the lung and heart. Laziness weakens muscle tissue. Evil thoughts, false witness and blasphemy defile the whole person (Matt. 15:18-20). The lesson we should learn from these considerations is to put into our mouths only that which is proper food and drink to nourish the body, and to let come out of the mouth only that which is good for the edification of others (Eph. 4:29).

I Corinthians 4:13 - “ Being defamed, we intreat: we are made as the filth of the world, and are the offscouring of all things unto this day.”

We’ve read this context for years, and probably most of us have read right through it as if it were so much poetry of a bygone era. The evangelists who preached the kingdom of God until it “became a great mountain, and filled the whole earth” (Daniel 2:35) were in their own generation “a spectacle to the world ... fools for Christ’s sake,” suffering “hunger ... thirst,” were “naked ... buffeted,” had “no certain dwellingplace,” and were “reviled ... persecuted” (I Cor. 4:9-11). Do you ever, after reading the Bible, give some time to sitting in silence to think about what you have read? Can you imagine someone you know and love, living under the conditions that Paul described here? These were real people; they really did live with all that. Most Christians in America today seem to be afraid to look foolish, or to be despised by the sinners of the world. We protect our own image of respectability - in our own minds and in the eyes of the world. But isn’t that God’s job? He protected Paul’s life and freedom even from stoning (he got up from it and walked away - Acts 14:19-20). Isn’t it our responsibility to tell the whole world about Jesus regardless how they respond to it (Heb. 5:12)? “Do (you) now persuade men, or God? Or do (you) seek to please men? For if (you) yet pleased men, (you) should not be the servant of Christ” (from Galatians 1:10).

I Corinthians 4:17 - “For this cause have I sent unto you Timotheus, who is my beloved son, and faithful in the Lord, who shall bring you into remembrance of my ways which be in Christ, as I teach every where in every church.”

Six statements in this are pertinent to all who today would call themselves Christians, viz.:
1. Paul’s ways were in Christ (not merely his words, but his ways - see Col. 3:17);
2. Paul taught the same ways in every church (every church that teaches what Paul did not teach, and every person who behaves as Paul did not behave, is without the approval of Christ, for there is one church and one definition of a Christian - see 1:2; 16:1);
3. Paul sent Timothy to remind the church of his one way (he urged others to preach what he preached - see Ephesians 4:4-6; II Timothy 2:2);
4. Timothy was faithful in the Lord (a voice to be trusted and heeded - see Romans 16:15-17);
5. Timothy was considered by Paul his beloved son (Paul didn’t teach, baptize and move on, but maintained a close spiritual relationship with those he had led to Christ; with Timothy, as with others, it was as a father-son relationship - see verse 15);
6. Paul sent Timothy with this reminder because the church was admonished to be followers of Paul (even without our modern distractions, people needed to be reminded of the standard their behavior should follow; how much more so now? - see verse 16 and 11:1).

I Corinthians 5:3-5 - “For I verily, as absent in body, but present in spirit, have judged already, as though I were present, concerning him that hath so done this deed, In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, when ye are gathered together, and my spirit, with the power of our Lord Jesus Christ, To deliver such an one unto Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that the spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus.”

The apostles and gifted evangelists (Ephesians 4:11) didn’t argue much that Christians should assemble (Hebrews 10 is the notable exception); they simply spoke as if assembling is a natural act and constant custom of all those who are converted to Christ. In the first Corinthian epistle alone Paul pre-supposes their attendance at least 10 times as he discusses such important doctrines as church unity (1:10-13), church discipline (verse 4 here), judging disputes (6:4), eating the Lord’s supper (10:16-21; 11:17-22, 33), teaching and learning (12:12-35), and giving (16:2). Not once in this epistle does he exhort assembling, but presupposing that saved ones meet together in love and gratitude, he describes their meetings. Attendance in assemblies of the church is not an optional matter; it results from saving faith. Souls converted to Christ simply don’t question whether they will assemble with others of like precious faith (II Peter 1:1; I John 1:7). Assembling is a blessing which they enjoy regularly.

I Corinthians 5:4 - “In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, when ye are gathered together, and my spirit, with the power of our Lord Jesus Christ”

The apostles and gifted evangelists (Ephesians 4:11) didn’t argue much that Christians should assemble (Hebrews 10 is the lone exception); they simply spoke as if assembling is a natural act and constant custom of all those who are converted to Christ. In the First Corinthian epistle alone Paul pre-supposes their attendance at least 10 times when he discusses such important doctrines as church unity (1:10-13), church discipline (this verse), judging disputes (6:4), eating the Lord’s supper (10:16-21; 11:17-22, 33), teaching and learning (12:12-35), and giving (16:2). Not once does he exhort assembling, but presupposing that saved ones meet together in love and gratitude, he describes their meetings. Attendance in assemblies of the church is not an optional matter; it results from saving faith. Souls converted to Christ simply don’t question whether they will assemble with others of like precious faith (II Peter 1:1; I John 1:7). Assembling is a blessing they enjoy regularly.

*I Corinthians 9:22 - “I am made all things to all men, that I might by all means save some.”

It was argued to me recently that Paul’s attitude in this context requires Christians to tolerate, without challenge, the sins of companions. That is neither Paul’s point in the passage, nor his character in Christ, nor his practice in person. In context, Paul is answering those who argued that he was not an apostle because he didn’t fit their prejudiced idea of what an apostle of Christ should be (v.1ff). He wasn’t staying aloof from sinners, but was going to them where they were. But this hardly suggests that he was becoming like them. In character, Paul daily felt the burden of preaching the gospel to every soul (vv.16,19,23,27). His purpose in going to people was to preach Christ to them, not to accompany them in their sins until the goodness in him somehow rubbed off onto them. The love of Christ in Paul gave the apostle credibility with sinners, and gave his message a hearing among them. In practice, Paul “fully preached the gospel of Christ” everywhere he traveled (Rom. 15:19) “publicly and from house to house” (Acts 20:19). To run long with people of unclean lips, substance abusers, thieves, adulterers and other sinners without preaching Christ to them is to follow an example and instruction of someone other that Jesus and His apostles. If we don’t preach Christ to those who are listening to us, why are we even in the church? And how can they ever be?

I Corinthians 10:12 - “Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall.”

How many times have you heard this warning? But how many times have you heard it preached in its context? Paul had written of the glory of God and the blessings to Israel in the wilderness with Moses. The visible presence of God was always with them in the cloud and the fire. They were sustained by food and water miraculously given. These physical provisions were spiritual blessings, even of Christ (1-4). Despite all that, many of them were idolaters, fornicators, tempters and murmurers (5-10). They fell by the thousands before the just and perfect God. Now, this record was “written for our admonition” (11). “WHEREFORE let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall.” If a person could fail to recognize and follow God who had walked with Him through the Red Sea, gathered manna and quail from the ground, drunk water from a rock, and lived every minute of every day in the shadow of the pillar of cloud, and every minute of every night in the light of the pillar of fire, “take heed.” Pay attention always to what you are thinking, what you are saying and what you are doing. God has rescued you from “Egypt,” has provided every necessity of life, and has added to that the sure hope of eternal joy and peace in Heaven. Not one among us is incapable of falling from Him. Now see verse 13: God has made a way of escape from every temptation. Always seek it before yielding and falling.

I Corinthians 10:31 - “Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God.”

If you teach or preach you will recognize the simple outline of the tenth chapter of Paul’s first epistle to the church in Corinth. Verses 1-11: learn the lessons of God’s dealings with men in the past. Verse 12-15: take those lessons to heart and commit to personal application. Verses 16-29: make that application in specific current situations. Verses 30-33: Conclude that God is concerned with every detail in your life, and determine to honor Him in all of it. As in Galatians 6:10 the word “specially” cannot be construed to mean “only,” so here the words “whether,” “whatsoever” and “all” do not mean “only.” You give thanks to God for your food and drink, but do you remember to glorify Him in what you do before and after eating? Do you remember at meal time, and in the assemblies of the church, that you are a Christian, but take no thought of it at other times? From what part of you life is God excluded? What do you do or say that does not glorify Him? Learn the lessons of the past and apply them to your own life.

I Corinthians 11:26 - “For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do shew the Lord’s death till he come.”

An increasingly popular doctrine and practice in some churches is to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus in eating the bread and drinking the cup. It’s true that resurrection is not possible without a prior death, but death is not resurrection. It’s true that the historical fact of the resurrection of Jesus is an important doctrine which must be preached, believed, but the Lord’s supper does not celebrate His resurrection. The resurrection of Jesus is symbolized in our baptism, from which we rise to “walk in newness of life” (Romans 6:4). In the supper we are told, “this do in remembrance” of Jesus (I Corinthians 11:24), and what we are told to do is to eat what represents His “body, which is broken for you,” and drink what represents his blood (v. 25). The body of Jesus was broken - and His blood was given - in His death, not in His resurrection. Man might devise a supper for another reason, but the Lord’s supper memorializes the death of Jesus as long as the world stands. Anyone who is not content with that doesn’t understand the value of the death of Jesus.

I Corinthians 12:31 - “But covet earnestly the best gifts: and yet shew I unto you a more excellent way.”

God told Israel in the 10th Commandment, “Thou shalt not covet...” The verb is not the issue, but the object of that verb (thy neighbor’s...). Covet the good things that God gives to you, and respect His having given to others also.

I Corinthians 15:25-26 - “For he must reign, till he hath put all enemies under his feet. The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death.”

Jesus must reign over His kingdom until death is destroyed. Death still plagues man; it hasn’t been destroyed. Therefore, Jesus is now reigning over His kingdom. Four things are necessary to constitute any kingdom: a king, territory, subjects and a law. Jesus is the King of kings (I Timothy 6:15). The church is His kingdom (Matthew 16:18-19). His territory is the heart of every person who has converted to Him (II Corinthians 3:3). The word of Jesus is the law of the kingdom. That word hasn’t changed from the time He gave it, so the New Testament is still the law of the church today. It is argued by some that the Bible is merely a history of the distant past. Some believe that it is a book of examples to prompt man’s invention of laws and practices that we can follow in our time and place. Such beliefs are the imagination of the human mind. The Bible often states its purpose and describes the principles of its interpretation (John 17:17; Acts 15:9). Knowing that Jesus is reigning over His kingdom, we must determine the law by which He reigns. The New Testament is the only rule for the church which Jesus built (Mark 13:31). All religious laws and practices that are not authorized in the New Testament are rejections of the sovereignty of Jesus Christ, the Son of Almighty God. God’s word is enough.

I Corinthians 16:1-2 - “Now concerning the collection for the saints, as I have given order to the churches of Galatia, even so do ye. Upon the first day of the week let every one of you lay by him in store, as God hath prospered him, that there be no gatherings when I come.”

Here is the inspired pattern by which the church of the Lord finances the work it is required to do. The rule was the same for one church in one city (Corinth) as for all churches in one province (Galatia). The rule was to be applied “upon the first day of the week” (every week, since no week was ever excepted). “Every one” who was a member of the church was to participate. Though a “collection” was made, the individual was to “lay by him in store, as God hath prospered him” (each Christian receiving prosperity was to recognize that it came from God, and was to lay by some of that prosperity; how much was up to the giver II Cor. 8:12). There is no authority for anyone to determine for another how much should be given. There is no “tithe” (10%) rule, such as the Law of the Jews required. There is no authority to designate a particular first day of the week in the future for a “special contribution,” as many do. God’s law is here; and it’s clear. This passage is understood as a pattern for at least three reasons: [1] it is written in inspired scripture,[2] it was the same rule given to many churches, and [3] no different rule on the subject was ever given to any church.