Immorality of a man marrying his step mother. This was forbidden by Jewish law and even Roman society looked down on this kind of behavior. And yet, It was not only happening in the church, those involved did not see anything wrong with it.
Lawsuits. The church members were suing each other. Providing a poor example
to the non-believing world. Paul suggests engaging arbitrators to settle arguments rather than going to the pagan courts. He doesn’t put down the courts, except that believers should take care of issues among themselves. He even suggests that it is better to be wronged or cheated than to sue in the court system. I wonder how literally we take this message?Sexual immorality: Paul says, "flee from it!"
Marriage: Does it seem to you that Paul is against marriage? I would be interested in your comments.
Food sacrificed to idols. I can eat and do anything I want! However, I need to condition my behavior on the spiritual maturity of my neighbor. I think the issue that this example relates to today has to do with the consumption of alcohol. Would anyone care to pick up that hot potato?
Who will not inherit the Kingdom of God? What has made Christians not "their own?"
6: 9-11 Do you not know that the wicked will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor male prostitutes nor homosexual offenders 10nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. 11And that is what some of you were. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.
6:19 You are not your own; 20you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body
For what reason does Paul recommend that people remain in their current status in life?
The end is near! 7:29 29What I mean, brothers, is that the time is short.What is the issue with food offered to idols? What is Paul's solution?
The issue is whether people should eat meat that has been offered to idols. It is more serious than saying "well, just find some other meat somewhere else. Literally all the meat available in that day was somehow connected to being offered first to a god before it was eaten. So, the predicament is whether or not a person will eat meat or become a vegetarian. Quite serious indeed.
Paul begins his response by stating that idols are nothing at all. They have no power. There is only one God and we know it. Not everyone knows this. There are those folks in Corinth who come from such a pagan background and whose faith is so weak, that eating this meat reminds them of their former way, their former god, the former rituals and it bothers them and in his conscience he so despises his former way of life that he refuses to eat such meat. Paul states that the reality is food doesn’t make us more or less godly, or closer or further from God. It is no big deal!!
However, (And that is a big HOWEVER) don’t let what you do be a stumbling block of faith for someone else. If someone weaker in the faith (as described above) sees you going into the pagan temple to get your meat,(no big deal for you) won’t he be tempted to go against his conscience (sin) and go and eat as well. And, maybe be caught back up into his former way of life? You will have caused him to stumble.
Pauls solutions is that if it bothers my brother in the Lord, I will not do it because I do not want him to stumble.So how do we apply that today?
- While we are free to go anywhere we desire, do we have a responsibility to those weaker in the faith Christians, to limit the places we frequent?
- I also think the direct application today of this issue has to do with whether or not as a Christian it is okay to drink alcohol. Is it or is it not? Just because I may have the freedom to do that, do I have the right to do it?
- What effect does my attitude have on those around me? Do I take into consideration their strengths and weaknesses? Am I my brother’s keeper?
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