1 Cororinthians 9:7-11 - Soldiers and Oxen

1 Cororinthians 9:7-11

7 Who at any time serves as a soldier at his own expense? Who plants a vineyard and does not eat the fruit of it? Or who tends a flock and does not use the milk of the flock?
8 I am not speaking these things according to human judgment, am I? Or does not the Law also say these things?
9 For it is written in the Law of Moses, “You shall not muzzle the ox while he is threshing.” God is not concerned about oxen, is He?
10 Or is He speaking altogether for our sake? Yes, for our sake it was written, because the plowman ought to plow in hope, and the thresher to thresh in hope of sharing the crops.
11 If we sowed spiritual things in you, is it too much if we reap material things from you?

We Work and Deserve to Make a Living

Paul defends his position using examples in verses 7-11, and reminds them the Levites and priests were supported by offerings and tithes (see: 12-18).

V. 7 - “Who… serves as a soldier… plants a vineyard… tends a flock” - All of these ‘jobs’ are done with an expectation of remuneration. A nation does not expect its soldiers to provide their own weapons, ammunition, uniform and living quarters. (One of the interesting problems the United States had during the revolution from Great Britain, was that many of the citizen soldiers had to supply their own muskets, clothes and food. Being a land that was only a few steps away from wilderness, many men had rifles and were rugged frontiersmen. The fledgling government struggled during that period to purchase and distribute weapons and supplies to Washington’s armies.) If we work, either at a job for a company or at our own farm, ranch or company, we expect to be paid - hardly anyone works for free. Non-paid volunteers are supported by someone else, or are retired and supported by their retirement savings.

V. 8-9 - “I am not speaking these things according to human judgment, am I?” - We see the human perspective as set against God’s Law. Often we are proud to say, “I did this!” We get puffed up at the amazing things we accomplish. God has the welfare of all His creation on His heart and mind. To wit: the lowly ox pulling the threshing machine must not be denied eating some of the grain being processed. (See: Deut. 25:4; Prov. 12:10; Deut. 22:1-4) God sees compassion for others, even other’s animals as a primary ‘righteous’ characteristic for His people. He knows this is not the type of behavior of the ‘wicked’ - they are without compassion.
Wait a minute. Why would God be concerned for oxen? They are ‘dumb’ animals after all. Life in the universe is the Lord’s creation, and He is aware, He knows everything, from the smallest bird to the largest animal, from the dumbest animal to the smartest human. (See: Matt. 10:29)

V. 10-11 - “Or is He speaking altogether for our sake?” - I don't think Paul is referring only to himself and the other missionaries with him. But, he is applying the principle God sets: that workers have earned their wages - whether you are an engineer, a farmer, or an ox pulling a plow. A farmer does not plow the field, plant the seed, tend and harvest the crops for nothing! There is a hope that your efforts will pay off.

Of course it is for us this kind of thing is written. We need to be told that a worker must be paid for his work done. Because we are sinners, we will try to get by paying as little as possible (not all of us are like this, but the law must be stated for someone will say, “I didn’t know…”). The Israelites are instructed in Leviticus and Deuteronomy to promptly pay your hired workers (See: Lev. 19:13; Deut. 24:15) Jesus uses hired workers as an example of people being paid what they were promised, and what was agreed upon when they were hired. (See: Matt. 20:1-16)

“Is it too much if we reap material things from you?” - Paul notes that he, Barnabas and others have spent their life and labors to bring Christ to the Corinthians so that they may have eternal life. Is that not more valuable than any thing? Of course it is! So, Paul poses the question, “If we have worked for you and with you, are not we worth being supported by you?” Paul understood that his missionary work would take him out of Corinth. He was asking the Corinthians to support him in his work, so that other people would have the chance to accept Christ as Lord and Savior just as the Corinthians did. These new Christians would return the favor, and support Paul so the work could continue.

***

1 Corinthians 9:1-6 - Support Paul & Barnabas

1 Corinthians 9:1-6
1 Am I not free? Am I not an apostle? Have I not seen Jesus our Lord? Are you not my work in the Lord?
2 If to others I am not an apostle, at least I am to you; for you are the seal of my apostleship in the Lord.
3 My defense to those who examine me is this:
4 Do we not have a right to eat and drink?
5 Do we not have a right to take along a believing wife, even as the rest of the apostles and the brothers of the Lord and Cephas?
6 Or do only Barnabas and I not have a right to refrain from working?

Am I An Apostle?

V. 1 - “Am I not free?” - It appears that Paul is under attack. I don’t know the details. Interpreting the next few sentences give the impression there were people in the Corinthian church that objected to supporting Paul in his missionary work. His credentials are being questioned. He starts with his status as a “free man”.
Paul was a Roman citizen and a Jew. He asserts his natural Roman citizenship in Acts 22:-29 when he asks, “Is it okay for you to flog a Roman citizen who has not been found guilty?” (paraphrased.) Panic ensues! He was not the member of some conquered, subjugated country. His status was even higher than the Roman commander to whom he asked the question. That Roman soldier was ‘naturalized’ - he had purchased citizenship. Paul was Roman by birth. He has rights and privileges others do not.

On the other hand, Paul is free in Christ. No longer a slave to sin. Paul is reminding them of Christ’s teaching: “So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed him, “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” They answered him, “We are offspring of Abraham and have never been enslaved to anyone. How is it that you say, ‘You will become free’?” Jesus answered them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who practices sin is a slave to sin. The slave does not remain in the house forever; the son remains forever. So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed. I know that you are offspring of Abraham; yet you seek to kill me because my word finds no place in you. I speak of what I have seen with my Father, and you do what you have heard from your father.” (John 8:31-38).
The Jews were self-deluded - they were under Roman rule, not an autonomous nation. (Need proof: The Jews had to appeal to Pontius Pilate when trying Jesus Christ.) They were self-deluded - refusing to recognize that sin had control of their lives; they were not free from sin, nor the penalty of sin.

“Am I not an apostle? Have I not seen Jesus our Lord?” - This is the next line defense - his apostleship. From Easton’s Bible Dictionary, an apostle “is, however, generally used as designating the body of disciples to whom he (Jesus) entrusted the organization of his church and the dissemination of his gospel, ‘the twelve,’ as they are called (Mat 10:1-5; Mar 3:14; 6:7; Luk 6:13; 9:1)… It was characteristic of the apostles and necessary (1) that they should have seen the Lord, and been able to testify of him and of his resurrection from personal knowledge (Jhn 15:27; Act 1:21,22; 1Cr 9:1; Act 22:14,15). (2.) They must have been immediately called to that office by Christ (Luk 6:13; Gal 1:1).” Paul meets these criteria. He met Christ on the road to Damascus, and was taught by Jesus. (See Acts 9:1-19; Gal. 1:12)

“Are you not my work in the Lord?” - Next, Paul appeals to his personal involvement in their lives. He was called to be a missionary to the Gentiles. Many believers in Corinth (and elsewhere) were saved by their faith in Jesus Christ because Paul preached, witnessed to them and taught them. He was in Corinth for an extended period of time, not just an itinerant preacher. They are the living proof that Paul was called to spread the gospel.

V. 2 - “If to others I am not an apostle, at least I am to you” - He is saying, “Hey, you guys! I understand that other people may not think I am an apostle. But you you know better. You have accepted Christ as Lord and Savior - you heard it from me. You are living your life as a believer - as you learned from me.”

“you are the seal of my apostleship in the Lord” - You are all the proof anyone needs. Important documents, legal documents may have a ‘seal’ - whether it is a inked stamp, or a wax seal, or an impression embossed into the page - which is verification that the document is official.

V. 3-6 - “My defense…” - IF all the other apostles - Peter, James, John (to name the famous ones) - are able to devote their time and effort to the gospel, THEN Paul and Barnabas should have the same privilege to be full-time servants of Christ.

“A right to eat and drink… to take along a believing wife… refrain from working?” - Early in the beginning of the church, it was decided that the apostles needed to be teaching and preaching the gospel. This was not just the twelve making a decision, but the congregation came to the apostles to urge them to devote themselves (the apostles) to study, teaching and preaching the Word of God. (See: Acts 4:31-35; 6:1-5) From that time on, the leaders of the church - preachers, teachers, evangelists - did not work at a secular job to support themselves or the groups of believers. (Note: It is believed that Paul worked as a tentmaker on one of his extended stays in his missionary journeys. See: Acts 20:34). After initial reticence to Paul (Can you blame them, after all he was rounding them up to be imprisoned or killed for their belief in Christ? See: Acts 7:58-8:3.), and after a council in Jerusalem in which Barnabas and Paul presented their case for reaching the Gentiles, it was decided that Paul was legitimately an apostle. Paul lived Peter’s admonition, “But in your hearts regard Christ the Lord as holy, ready at any time to give a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you.Yet do this with gentleness and respect, keeping a clear conscience, so that when you are accused, those who disparage your good conduct in Christ will be put to shame.” (1 Pet. 3:15-16)

It may have been outsiders urging the church to reject Paul - hadn’t he persecuted believers; how do they know he isn’t setting them up for arrest, etc. It may have been jealousy of local believers, or others who didn’t want to support a preacher/teacher who wasn’t serving the local church.
I don’t know if Paul was married, but earlier in this letter he advises the unmarried to remain as he is. (See: 1 Cor. 7:6-8) He did not command them, but reminded them they would have more time for the ministry and church if they weren’t spending time on family matters. He did not denigrate Peter (Cephas) or others for being married.
That being said, if Peter as an apostle was supported by the church, then Paul and Barnabas were equally worthy of support.

***

1 Corinthians 9 - Introduction

Outline: Chap. 9
9:1-6 - Support Paul & Barnabas
9:7-11 - Soldiers & Oxen
9:12-18 - My Reward
9:19-23 - For Gospel’s Sake
9:24-27 - Discipline to Win
***

Up to this point, Paul has answered questions about:

•   Living harmoniously with other Christians (Ch. 6), 
•   Marriage (Ch. 7), 
•   Christian behavior and concern for other believers (Ch. 8). 

Next he turns to the validity of his ministry and financial support for him and Barnabas. It seems odd to me that he would need to defend himself to the Corinthian church. On the other hand, he had his own past to live down - starting with the stoning of Stephen and other acts of persecution. See Acts 7:57-8:3, in which the NASB reads “Paul began ravaging the church…” That is quite a reputation to live down. After the Lord accosted Paul on the road to Damascus and he gave himself and his life to Jesus, Paul witnessed for Jesus Christ with the same verve as when he was persecuting believers. Understandably, some Christians were skeptical. Perhaps they were thinking Paul was faking it in order to identify believers. Getting names and addresses of believers would be an easy way to round them up.

Add the confused Jewish leaders to the Christian skeptics. The man who had been vocal and committed to eliminating Christians was now behaving like one of them. They were confounded (Acts 9:22). He was so successful as an apologist, the Jews decided to kill Paul! (Acts 9:24) The church acted, sending Paul away from Jerusalem to Caesarea and Tarsus - which is about 600 miles north of Jerusalem. This is perhaps the actual beginning of Paul’s missionary work. The persecution of the church lessened - a little - since there seemed to be a short period of peaceful co-existence with the Jews. As the gospel spread throughout the region due to the dispersion of believers, more and more Gentiles heard the Gospel and believed. Barnabas goes to Tarsus to get Paul, bringing him back to Antioch, where believers are first called “Christians”. (Acts 11:26) Paul and Barnabas work and learn together in Antioch. They are commissioned to spread the Gospel “throughout the world”, and also go to Jerusalem to received the commission from the other apostles.

This is a head-snapping change in direction! What’s this all about? Paul, who had persecuted Jews when they converted to Christianity, was now taking the Gospel to Gentiles. Gentiles! This caused some consternation among the Jewish believers. Now Paul is asking for money and support for the church in Jerusalem. Reading through verse 18 of this chapter we can deduce that some people in the Corinthian church were objecting to sending money and supplies to support Paul. Most Biblical scholars think Paul wrote this letter during his stay in Ephesus, near the end of his second missionary journey. Two major churches were established on that journey - Corinth and Ephesus. This letter may have been written between two and four years after he left Corinth, and is perhaps the second letter written. (We do not have any copies of that letter, but it is referenced in this letter. I don't think 2 Corinthians is the second letter, but is the third and just the second letter preserved or saved. ).

1 Cor. 8:7-13 - Use Knowledge Wisely

1 Cor. 8:7-13 - Use Knowledge Wisely

7 However not all men have this knowledge; but some, being accustomed to the idol until now, eat food as if it were sacrificed to an idol; and their conscience being weak is defiled.
8 But food will not commend us to God; we are neither the worse if we do not eat, nor the better if we do eat.
9 But take care that this liberty of yours does not somehow become a stumbling block to the weak.
10 For if someone sees you, who have knowledge, dining in an idol’s temple, will not his conscience, if he is weak, be strengthened to eat things sacrificed to idols?
11 For through your knowledge he who is weak is ruined, the brother for whose sake Christ died.
12 And so, by sinning against the brethren and wounding their conscience when it is weak, you sin against Christ.
13 Therefore, if food causes my brother to stumble, I will never eat meat again, so that I will not cause my brother to stumble.

So No One Can Boast

This is a continuation of the discussion about idols. Some believers, most probably Jewish Christians, were feeling smug because they did not worship idols or the gods represented by those idols. That smugness and arrogance was upsetting some of the Gentile believers. There is an additional problem with respect to the idols.

V. 7 - “Not all men have this knowledge” - The church is becoming ‘multi-cultural’, i.e., Gentiles and Jews are being saved. Some, or all, of the Gentiles will know of sacrifices made to idols and the pagan altars. Most of the religions in that time had idols, and the gods that inhabited the idols. And often the gods of these religions may have been powerful, but also limited in some way, not being omnipotent. Gentiles coming to faith in Christ may be newly introduced to the concept of Yahweh God who is above and beyond all others.

“some, being accustomed to the idol until now” - It seems that some people were eating food that had been offered to idols. Since Jews and Jewish Christians did not believe in the idols or the gods of the idols, they may have had no problem eating the food left from the sacrifice.

From a different point of view, the Jews were very aware that food that had been offered as a sacrifice (with a very few exceptions according to the Law) were never eaten by the Jews. Some was eaten by the Levites, some was eaten by the priests, but that is about it. (See: Exodus 34:15; Dt 27:7; 1 Sam 9:13 ) (See Note 1, below) Jews may have been leery, uncomfortable, eating food offered in a sacrifice.  
David Guzik (in his commentary on 1 Corinthians) indicates that pagan offerings or sacrifices were distributed in three possible ways - one portion burned on the altar, one portion given to the offerer to be eaten as a feast, and one portion given to the priest. The priests might sell the meat in a market place. Matthew Henry’s commentary says something similar.

“Eat food as if it were sacrificed to an idol; and their conscience being weak is defiled.” - The question seems to be centered on whether eating food (meat, especially) that was originally offered to a pagan idol is okay to eat. Have they sinned against God if they eat the offered meat? Obviously, some of the Christians had no problem eating food formerly offered to an idol - after all, the idol meant nothing. However, others were bothered significantly, bothered to the point they felt defiled by the practice.

I think this may be like the question, “Should Christians drink beer?” There are believers who see no problem having a beer (as long as you don’t go to excess and drunkenness). There are believers that think any consumption of alcohol is leading to sin. Which one is correct? Well, it depends. Back to the dilemma presented to Paul: If you are not tempted sin, when eating meat sacrificed to idols, go ahead and eat. If your conscience will be ‘defiled’ by eating meat, don’t eat the sacrificed meat. That is, if eating sacrificial food will lure you away from living for Christ and into sin, stay away from it.

V. 8 - “But food will not commend us to God” - What you eat does not bring you to a closer relationship with the Lord.

“we are neither the worse... nor the better” - Being a vegan will not cleanse you of your sin. Only Christ’s death and resurrection can do that. Eating meat will not move you up the ‘approved’ list of God’s people. We have all fallen short and are in need of the cleansing blood of Christ.

V. 9 - “But take care that this liberty of yours” - However. What you do can have negative consequences for other believers. We now have moved from theoretical theology into living the Christian life, caring for and about others. Put other’s needs above your own. See the following: “But encourage one another every day, as long as it is still called “today,” so that none of you will be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin.” (Heb. 3:13) “... encouraging one another; and all the more as you see the day drawing near.” (Heb. 10:25) “We urge you, brothers and sisters, admonish the unruly, encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, be patient with everyone.” (1 Thes 5:14)

“a stumbling block to the weak” - Let nothing you do cause a fellow believer to be weakened spiritually and fall into sin. If drinking beer with a believer weakens his resolve - don’t do it. I am not sure it is ‘your fault’ if a Christian weakens and sins, it is his personal choice. He will bear the consequences of his sin, not you. But if your behavior, your activity, causes that believer to question his commitment to the Lord, and commit a sin, you have become a ‘stumbling block’. Don’t do it.

V. 10-13 - “For if someone sees you” - Paul sets up this hypothetical lesson.

“will not his conscience, if he is weak, be strengthened to eat things sacrificed to idols?” - So you ‘know better’ than others, and don’t have any problem eating meat or food that was dedicated to an idol or a god. On the other hand, another person isn’t so sure that eating such dedicated food is not a sin. Your actions encourage them to violate their own conscience to partake.

“For through your knowledge he who is weak is ruined” - As a result the other person, led by your actions, has remorse and guilt because of the perceived sin of eating dedicated food. The joy of living for Christ has been sullied, dirtied.

“the brother for whose sake Christ died” - Jesus died for the other person’s sin, just as He died for yours. You are no better than any other.

“by sinning against the brethren and wounding their conscience” - The brethren were doing okay in their Christian life. Now, because they were tempted to sin (it may not have been a sin to you, but with their background and understanding...) their conscience tells them they have done wrong. You can say that it was their responsibility, not yours. Indeed, they had to make the final decision. But they did it against their own best judgment and now they believe they have sinned.

“you sin against Christ” - Your encouragement to eat dedicated meat was not an enlightenment for them. You were part of the temptation for them to sin. You have offended Christ Jesus our Lord because you didn’t care enough about your fellow Christian. That is your sin - not loving others as Christ has loved you!

“Therefore” - Paul’s conclusion to the object lesson:

“if food causes my brother to stumble” - Your actions do not follow these words in Hebrews, “But encourage one another every day, as long as it is still called “today,” so that none of you will be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin.” (Heb. 3:13) Or, “let’s consider how to encourage one another in love and good deeds, not abandoning our own meeting together, as is the habit of some people, but encouraging one another; and all the more as you see the day drawing near.” (Heb. 10:24-25)

“I will never eat meat again” - More than saying, “Sorry ‘bout that.” I know there are some Christians who drink beer occasionally (myself included). I know there are some for whom drinking beer is anathema. If drinking beer while with them bothers them, I will refrain. I will not, to the best of my ability, live my life in a way that harms another’s faith in the Lord. This is a pretty low hurdle to clear! Live so as to not harm those who already believe in Jesus. An even more important life goal is to live so non-believers will want to know who Christ is and how He has changed your life. God loves us, and Jesus Christ is the only way we can know and understand that love.

*** Note 1: The Biblical law specifies which offerings were eaten and which were wholly consumed. Burnt offerings (olah) were wholly burned on the altar and not eaten (Leviticus 1:9 ESV). By contrast, grain offerings and peace (fellowship) offerings had parts burned but other portions were for the offerer and for the priests to eat—“it shall be eaten on the day of his offering” (Leviticus 2:3,10; 7:11–15 ESV). Some sin and guilt offerings gave the priest a portion to eat in the sanctuary in certain cases (Leviticus 7:6; Numbers 6:19–20 ESV). (From faith assistant AI on “Leading the Way” website.) ***
End of Chapter 

1 Corinthians - Chapter 8 Introduction

Introduction:

What does ‘liberty’ in Christ mean? Paul just finished a long discussion of the concept of Christian marriage. It seems that in the very next breath as he was dictating this letter, the subject changes.
As mentioned at the beginning of chapter seven, Paul is responding to questions being sent to him about how to live the Christian faith. Although Paul almost always started a missionary visit in a synagogue in the town he was visiting, we should remember that many of his ‘converts’ were not of Jewish background. Paul was called by God to spread the gospel to Gentiles. I suspect that most non-Jewish people, not living in Jerusalem or Judea, would ‘know’ some Jews, but know very little about the Jews or their faith, or their scripture.

It might be like it is today in America. Most people know there are churches in their towns, but unless they are regular attendees they only have a vague notion of Christian teachings and beliefs.

Even as we look back to chapter seven, it is quite possible the concept of marriage being a permanent bond because God wanted it that way may be ‘news’ to the Gentiles. Paul’s teaching about the permanence of marriage, through God, would be a major change in the way people think about marriage. Again, looking at the United States today, marriage is not the revered institution Paul is discussing in this letter. Sometimes is seems our leaders or entertainers change marriages like we change underwear. The marriages are thrown away like we throw our dirty clothes in the hamper.

Paul deals with ‘living the Christian life’ more in this letter than any of the others. He deals with more than canonical issues (how to run the church, elders, deacons, pastors, teachers). He is addressing how you live your life for Christ, because you will be unique in your community. You may be the only Christian there. Make sure people see Christ in the way you live, and see Him in such a way that they want to be His also!

1 Cor. 8:1-6 - Sacrifices to Idols

1 Now concerning things sacrificed to idols, we know that we all have knowledge. Knowledge makes arrogant, but love edifies.
2 If anyone supposes that he knows anything, he has not yet known as he ought to know;
3 but if anyone loves God, he is known by Him.
4 Therefore concerning the eating of things sacrificed to idols, we know that there is no such thing as an idol in the world, and that there is no God but one.
5 For even if there are so-called gods whether in heaven or on earth, as indeed there are many gods and many lords,
6 yet for us there is but one God, the Father, from whom are all things and we exist for Him; and one Lord, Jesus Christ, by whom are all things, and we exist through Him.

Now On to Other Matters

V. 1 - “Now...” - Change of subject. We’ve answered the question about marriage thoroughly. On to the next.

“concerning things sacrificed to idols” - This seems to be a huge change of subject. However, Paul is answering questions or responding to problems that have arisen in the Corinthian church. There are a couple of things to consider when reading this letter. Paul was called to witness and win Gentiles to Christ. Many of the Christians asking the questions grew up in cities, or city-states, that did not have a history or tradition based on the Jewish faith. The religions, whether from Greece, Rome, Egypt, Babylon, etc., had idols - statues or symbols of their gods.
The Jews were given very strict instructions regarding idols. (Lev 19:4, 26:1, 26:30; Deut 32:21; 2 Ki 23:24; 1 Chr 16:25; 2 Chr 15:8, 24:18) Not only were the Jews to worship no one but Yahweh, the Lord God, but they were to not have any idols representing the Lord.
We tend to think the pagans worshipped the idols. Michael Heiser, in his book “Unseen Realms”, says the idols were the ‘home’ for the gods here on earth - the people were worshipping the god who occupied the idol. In similar fashion, the Tabernacle with the Holy of Holies was where God resided when He came to visit the Jews on their travels. It was His ‘home-away-from-home.” The Jews had no idols they worshipped. The closest thing we might consider an ‘idol’ is the tabernacle or temple. There is where the offerings were presented, the bulls, goats, lambs, etc., were sacrificed.

Sacrificing to idols meant the worshipper was giving credence to the god the idol represented. They were buying into the rituals and religion of that particular god. It may start off simply or innocently (“I’m just being polite so I don't offend my neighbors”), but worship of another god will change the person, and begin to take away their dedication to the Lord. They will fall away completely, sooner or later.

Christians have no idols we worship, similar to the Jewish faith. The cross of Christ should never be an idol for us. We do not pray to the cross. We do not pray to the empty tomb. We pray to God the Father in heaven, to Christ the Lord in heaven (and in us), to the Holy Spirit given to us as a guarantee that Christ will return for us. We have no images or statues that we worship.
I understand there are believers who pray to persons or saints other than Jesus. These saints are former famous or revered believers in church history. I personally not comfortable praying to anyone other than God the Father, Jesus the Son, and the Holy Spirit. We never see someone in the Bible praying to an angel, or to the spirit of Moses, David, or any of the prophets. I've heard it said that angels carry our prayer requests to the Lord. That makes no sense to me, since God hears all, knows all. Plus we have the Holy Spirit given to us as a gift to help us when we live and worship. We don't have to go out of our own head or heart to have access to the Lord our God, the Savior of the world.

“we all have knowledge” - If the believers in Corinth (or elsewhere) had been listening to the apostles and missionaries, they know that idols can do nothing for them.

“Knowledge makes arrogant” - It seems the problem is not just that some of the new Christians have idols in their homes - whether idols set up to represent Jesus or idols for the pagan religions - but some believers who “know better” are making life difficult for the others. Or perhaps some of the Christians are being ridiculed - some (or many) of the believers are Gentiles, and most likely had idols in their homes because of their former beliefs. It is possible that Jewish Christians were giving the others a bad time. On the other side, it is possible that Gentiles were mocking Jews because, how could the Jewish Christians know who to worship without an idol to focus on. 

Paul is saying we all know stuff, but that ‘knowledge’ is no good reason to feel proud. We are all on the same footing - we do not deserve salvation, it is a gift from God.

“but love edifies.” - Instead of shaming someone (for almost any reason) let the love of God flow through you to them. Let them know, “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” (Rom. 3:23)
And teach them, “But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” (Rom. 5:8)
Plus, they need to know, “He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we did in righteousness, but in accordance with His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit.”(Titus 3:5)

V. 2 - “If anyone supposes that he knows anything, he has not yet known as he ought to know” - If you think that deriding a new believer because they do not have the same understanding as you, then you are missing a significant part of the gospel of Jesus Christ. You are operating on a “little knowledge”, which can be a dangerous thing. The idiom, “jumping to a conclusion” is focused on making a decision based on incomplete information. Sometimes this can be justified. If you see a deer lying along side of the road, broken, busted and dead, concluding the deer was struck by a car or truck is probably a correct assumption. But - if you assume a person in dumb or stupid because of their race, or if you assume a person is racist because the other person is white, or you will be killed because the other person is a police officer, or... Decisions made on faulty or incomplete information can be deadly.

I just read a devotional thought by Watchman Nee. "Here is the simple basis of all our fellowship with others. It is that they belong to the Lord and so do we... Instead of dwelling on the Lord we have in common, we turn to the negative ground of our differences sand stress what is right or wrong in them... The question is not whether he believes exactly what I believe, or has had the same experience as I have had. The sole question is: has God received him." (See note 2, below)

V. 3 - "but if anyone loves God, he is known by Him"- God knows who believes in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. God alone makes that call. God knows what is in the heart of every person. God knows if you are faking it - saying you believe, but living and acting based on your former beliefs. God knows if you are simply immature in your faith, and haven’t yet figured out how to leave your old beliefs behind. We are reminded, “And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are open and laid bare to the eyes of Him to whom we must answer. Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let’s hold firmly to our confession. For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tempted in all things just as we are, yet without sin. Therefore let’s approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace for help at the time of our need.” (Heb. 4:13-16)

I am not saying that when we see a fellow Christian stumble or have difficulties in the faith, that we are to ignore it because it is their personal problem. Again, we are instructed, “But encourage one another every day, as long as it is still called ‘today,’ so that none of you will be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin.” (Heb. 3:13);
“Bear one another’s burdens, and thereby fulfill the law of Christ.” (Gal. 6:2)
“Therefore, encourage one another and build one another up, just as you also are doing.” (1 Thes. 5:11)
“We urge you, brothers and sisters, admonish the unruly, encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, be patient with everyone.” (1 Thes. 5:14)
“and let’s consider how to encourage one another in love and good deeds.” (Heb. 10:24)

V. 4 - “we know that there is no such thing as an idol in the world” - This is an interesting translation of this phrase. Other versions read, “an idol has no real existence” (ESV), or:
“An idol is nothing at all in the world” (NIV). It’s not that the idols people worship are images of gods do not exist (that is: gods, or spiritual beings who are not God, the Lord, Yahweh). Of course they exist. In comparison to the Lord, our God, idols and the gods they represent are inconsequential. Why can I say this?

“there is no God but one” - There is no other. See the following: “For this reason You are great, Lord GOD; for there is no one like You, and there is no God except You, according to all that we have heard with our ears.” (2 Sam. 7:22)
“See now that I, I am He, And there is no god besides Me; It is I who put to death and give life. I have wounded and it is I who heal, And there is no one who can save anyone from My hand.” (Deut. 32:39)
“Hear, Israel! The LORD is our God, the LORD is one!” (Deut. 6:4) (See Note 1, below)  
“Then he said, ‘Tomorrow.’ So he said, “May it be according to your word, so that you may know that there is no one like the LORD our God.” (Exo. 8:10)
“Jesus answered, “The foremost is, ‘Hear, Israel! The LORDis our God, the LORD is one.” (Mark 12:29)

The other gods are imposters, impersonators. They are created by the Creator - our God, Yahweh!

V. 5-6 - “For even if there are so-called gods... yet for us there is but one God, the Father” - We will not be drawn away to other gods. Compare this to Hos 11:2, in which reminds them that it was the Lord God who rescued them from Egypt, but still the people call out to the ineffectual false Gods.

“from whom are all things and we exist for Him; and one Lord, Jesus” - No one says it better than Paul in one of his other letters. See: “He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation: for by Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones, or dominions, or rulers, or authorities--all things have been created through Him and for Him. He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together. He is also the head of the body, the church; and He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that He Himself will come to have first place in everything. For it was the Father’s good pleasure for all the fullness to dwell in Him, and through Him to reconcile all things to Himself, whether things on earth or things in heaven, having made peace through the blood of His cross.” (Col. 1:15-20)

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Note 1: This verse (Deut 6:4) is known as the Shema, a holy prayer of the Jews. It is repeated when they go to bed, and when they arise. Our pastor gave us a detailed explanation of the Shema in his sermon on 25Jan26.
Note 2: Watchman Nee; "A Table in the Wilderness"; CLC Publications; 2022.

1 Corinthians 7:39-40 - Widows and Re-Marriage

39 A wife is bound as long as her husband lives; but if her husband is dead, she is free to be married to whom she wishes, only in the Lord.
40 But in my opinion she is happier if she remains as she is; and I think that I also have the Spirit of God.

‘Til Death Do Us Part...

V. 39 - “A wife is bound as long as her husband lives” - This whole chapter is about marriage. If you get married and are a Christian, you are to stay married as long as the other partner lives. Again, looking back at the beginning of the chapter, remain married unless the non-believing partner insists. (See vs. 10, 11) You need to live in such a Christian manner that the non-believer does not want to leave, instead wants to know Christ for themselves. If at all possible win your mate to Christ.

“if her husband is dead, she is free” - The bond of marriage is broken by death. The widow can remarry. Paul urges her to consider carefully, and to be sure this is the way God wants you to go. Prayerfully take the matter to God, ask Him to show you what He wants for you.

V. 40 - “But in my opinion” - Paul thinks you should stay single. This is a repeat of his opinion given earlier in the chapter, and he is sticking to it.

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End of Chapter (2-20-2026)

1 Cor. 6:12-13 - All Things Lawful

12 All things are lawful for me, but not all things are profitable. All things are lawful for me, but I will not be mastered by anything.
13 Food is for the stomach and the stomach is for food, but God will do away with both of them. Yet the body is not for immorality, but for the Lord, and the Lord is for the body.

We Do Not Commit More Sin in Order to Receive More Forgiveness

V. 12 - “All things are lawful for me” - Some people link this verse to the list in verses 9-10 above. I don’t think so. This phrase is used by Paul twice in this verse. Most commentators think this is from the Corinthians stating that now they are forgiven of all their sin, so anything they do is acceptable. They probably may have said this when they were upbraded for living licentiously. Paul refutes this saying twice - “not all things are profitable” and “I will not be mastered by anything”. 

How could adultery be ‘lawful’ as a Christian? How could any of these sinful practices by ‘lawful’? To be lawful would be behavior that is acceptable to the Lord and does not require forgiveness. I understand that Christians are forgiven their sin. Christ’s sacrifice on the cross and His resurrection took care of that.

Forgiveness is not license for licentiousness! We do not commit more sin in order to receive more forgiveness. Deliberately committing sin, especially those on the list above, must seriously throw doubts on your belief and faith in Christ as Lord and Savior. I cannot pass judgment on the efficacy of your faith in Christ. I do not know your relationship with Him. However, if you do not follow His teaching and commands, your commitment may be in question. This is between you and God.

“but not all things are profitable” - Just as a starting point, anything forbidden in the Ten Commandments would not be ‘lawful’, it is sin - therefore ‘not profitable’. Many of the things we do in life are not on a list of acceptable or unacceptable activities. But some may cause distress, anger, or harm to another person. Those are ‘not profitable’.

There is no list for these things. We must be led by the Holy Spirit to recognize when we are drifting away. I suspect we do not get a flash of light, a majestic being standing before us saying in stentorian tones, “Don’t do that!” (That may and could happen, but I am sure it is rare.)
God deals with our conscience, we feel ‘not right’ doing this. Accepting that leading, that nudge can sharpen our tuning to His leading. Likewise, rejecting the guidance of the Holy Spirt can de-tune our conscience. That makes it harder for us to repent of the sin, turn away from it, accept the forgiveness, and choose to go a different way when the situation crops up again.

“I will not be mastered by anything.” - Rejecting the leading and guidance of the Holy Spirit is ‘not profitable’. The Holy Spirit has been promised and given to us so that we may follow Christ in our daily lives. We are not towed through life like a car attached to a wrecker, or a rail car attached to a freight train. Our daily life is not to be passive, but an active relationship with Jesus and the Holy Spirit - they do not force us to follow.

We may do wrong as we go through life. We do not need to be addicted to sin. We do not need to commit a sin again when the Lord has indicated it is ‘not profitable’. “Tell them, ‘As I live -- this is the declaration of the Lord GOD -- I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but rather that the wicked person should turn from his way and live. Repent, repent of your evil ways! Why will you die...’ “ (Eze. 33:11) Do not be deceived. This way of Christ’s is not hard. He himself has said, “For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.” (Matt. 11:30)

V. 13 - “God will do away with both of them” - We are physical beings. As long as we remain alive, we will need food to keep our bodies going. At some point, either when we die or when Christ returns, the body will no longer need food. (See: Note 1, below) How does this connect with the “lawful... profitable” discussion in verse 12? All food is available to me. But eating too much, gaining weight, etc., is not profitable. I am responsible to take care of my body. It is profitable for me to stay healthy.

“Yet the body is not for immorality, but for the Lord, and the Lord is for the body” - Does this seem like a huge logical jump? We (humans) like to compartmentalize, trying to believe that two different activities in our lives are not connected. Paul has led us from the subject of Christians defrauding one another (see: 1 Cor. 6:1-8), to unrighteousness (vss. 6:9-11), to immorality (vss. 6:12-13).
These are not disparate subjects, but all part of one message: Christians are to live differently than non-Christians. God has saved you. You are His own. No longer should you allow yourself, spirit and body, to be used for immoral purposes - whether immoral interpersonal relationships (6:1-8), or immoral behaviors and activities (6:9-11), or personal immorality (6:12-13).

Why? Because you are the Lord’s; you are Jesus’ own people.

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Note 1: This brings up an interesting dilemma. Our spiritual bodies do not need food because God is eliminating the physical body. So, in the new earth and city (Rev. 20 & 21) there are trees along the river which flows from the city, and the trees bear fruit. I always assumed the fruit was for food. “Eating” is not mentioned much in the book Revelations, so why the fruit? It probably is important, and interesting.

 

1 Corinthians 7:36-38 - More on Marriage and Family

36 But if any man thinks that he is acting unbecomingly toward his virgin daughter, if she is past her youth, and if it must be so, let him do what he wishes, he does not sin; let her marry.
37 But he who stands firm in his heart, being under no constraint, but has authority over his own will, and has decided this in his own heart, to keep his own virgin daughter, he will do well.
38 So then both he who gives his own virgin daughter in marriage does well, and he who does not give her in marriage will do better. 

Virgin Daughters

V. 36 - “But if any man thinks that he is acting unbecomingly toward his virgin daughter” - This may not be prurient. Paul recommends that no one get married, in order to serve the Lord unencumbered. In this case, the man is already married and has a daughter. The problem is the daughter is unmarried, and hanging around the house. When we see the words ‘acting unbecomingly’, our minds immediately jump to incestuous behavior.  I do not think this about fathers being tempted to do immoral things with his daughter. As she gets older, the chances of her getting married decrease. My best guess: the daughter is in love and wants to marry. If the father acts harshly, refusing to let his daughter marry, he is being overly strict or cruel, i.e., ‘acting unbecomingly’.

“let her marry” - Rather than force her into spinsterhood... It is not a sin to be married! It would be wrong to deny your daughter the chance for marriage and happiness because you (the father) insist she remain a virgin in order to serve the Lord as you believe needs to be done. If she wants to remain unmarried, it should be her decision - just as only she can believe and accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior! You cannot believe for your child. (Oh, how I can attest to that! How I pray for my children, and long for them make the decision for Christ!)

V. 37 - “But he who stands firm in his heart, being under no constraint, but has authority over his own will” - Basically, if the father is confident that Christ is leading him in this direction, or is not wavering in this matter... There are no hard and fast rules in these matters.
This whole discussion is odd to our way of thinking. We do not run our families with same authority hierarchy as in those ancient cultures. Women did not run the families, the father had absolute control - not over just the women, but the children, boys and girls. (See note 1) Whether it was Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, or David

V. 38 - “both he who gives his own virgin daughter in marriage, and he who does not give her” - Again, no hard-and-fast rules here. Pray and take the matter to the Lord, and as He leads you, follow.

I don’t know if the the term “virgin daughter” is significant, other than if your daughter had already married and was now single (through divorce or loss) she was no longer under the father’s authority umbrella. The father could only give advice. I do not think this was addressing a family situation in which a daughter was no longer a “virgin daughter”, because she was having pre-marital sex. An unmarried daughter having pre-marital sex may be disowned and banned from the family (that’s my reading of the situation, I could be wrong).

“does well” - If you follow the Lord’s leading, and have prayerfully considered the situation your are doing all the Lord requires. He does not want us to strike out on our own, but to talk with Him to get the guidance needed to make proper decisions.

Personally, I believe that if Paul was talking about fathers having purient thoughts or actions towards their daughters, he would be appalled and would have written accordingly. Doing such things would have set Paul's hair on fire! He would have chastised them and warned them to flee from that sin. He would have prayed that the fathers would cease and desist (stop now, and stop doing it!). Advising them to let their daughters marry is a pretty mild reaction to an evil like having sex with your daughter!
Then, I decided to compare various translations of verse 7:36. I was surprised that several translations treat the "virgin" as the woman the man plans to marry. Which puts a slightly different twist to the verse.  So Paul, if writing about a man contemplating sexual encounters with his bride-to-be, would advise them to get married so nothing untoward happens.

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Note 1: There are many examples of women entrepreneurs in the Bible, and I do not mean the prostitutes. In Proverbs, there are verses in which the industrious woman works and invests, and becomes wealthy. She even travels to other countries to buy goods for her business. In Acts, some of the most influential contributors to the church’s early growth were successful business women. Some are mentioned in the apostles’ letters. Women were not restricted to doing only what a man tells her to do. I do not see women as powerless in the Christian households, mere pawns dominated by the men. It appears that women got more respect in the Christian milieu than in the pagan family settings around them. The concept that a woman could accept and believe in Christ as Lord and Savior on her own, by her own will and understanding was a major step in religions. No longer were women just an adjunct of their husbands’ wishes and beliefs. They did not need permission to believe in Christ!

1 Corinthians 7:25-35 - Demands of Marriage

25 Now concerning virgins I have no command of the Lord, but I give an opinion as one who by the mercy of the Lord is trustworthy.
26 I think then that this is good in view of the present distress, that it is good for a man to remain as he is.
27 Are you bound to a wife? Do not seek to be released. Are you released from a wife? Do not seek a wife.
28 But if you marry, you have not sinned; and if a virgin marries, she has not sinned. Yet such will have trouble in this life, and I am trying to spare you.
29 But this I say, brethren, the time has been shortened, so that from now on those who have wives should be as though they had none;
30 and those who weep, as though they did not weep; and those who rejoice, as though they did not rejoice; and those who buy, as though they did not possess;
31 and those who use the world, as though they did not make full use of it; for the form of this world is passing away.
32 But I want you to be free from concern. One who is unmarried is concerned about the things of the Lord, how he may please the Lord;
33 but one who is married is concerned about the things of the world, how he may please his wife,
34 and his interests are divided. The woman who is unmarried, and the virgin, is concerned about the things of the Lord, that she may be holy both in body and spirit; but one who is married is concerned about the things of the world, how she may please her husband.
35 This I say for your own benefit; not to put a restraint upon you, but to promote what is appropriate and to secure undistracted devotion to the Lord. 

Good Advice

V. 25 - “Now concerning virgins I have no command of the Lord” - Paul’s comments for the next few verses are not commands from the Lord, but best advice as he sees it, at least. This section of the letter is advice to men, women, married and unmarried, and virgins. 

“who by the mercy of the Lord is trustworthy” - Paul is not bragging here. If the Lord can trust Paul with the message of salvation, then Paul must be trustworthy. Paul is an apostle, called by Jesus Christ personally. (See: Acts 9:1-31) He did not earn this, it was by the grace and mercy of Christ. (See: 1 Tim. 1:15-16)  

V. 26 - “it is good for a man to remain as he is” - In view of the turmoil the church and church members were going through - the persecution of Christians in the world at that time -  Paul’s advice is to make no big changes in your life. (See v. 24, above.) These Corinthians have become Christians, and as a result they are being persecuted by the authorities, especially the Jews. The Jews were not in power in very many cities, but they were more than willing to create trouble for believers. They had no trouble lying when making accusations. Look at what they said about Jesus at his ‘trial’. The Jewish leaders, scribes, Pharisees, Sadducees, and priests knew what would spin-up the local governments. They would accuse Christians of being insurrectionists, rebels bent upon over-throwing the Roman rule. That accusation always got the local government's attention - because nobody wanted the Romans to come into quell the uprising. The Romans were brutal when they felt they needed to restore order.  

I don’t think this advice is aimed at men only - “good for a man” - but for believers in general.  

V. 27 - “Are you bound to a wife?” and “Are you released from a wife?” - Are you married to an unbeliever? Don’t get a divorce.  

Did your unbelieving wife divorce or leave you because of your new faith? If you have been left, don’t get remarried, or don’t marry a believer. Paul is not anti-marriage. He is focused, driven to be an apostle. He knows that a wife or a husband will require some of your attention.  

V. 28 - “But if you marry, you have not sinned” - Get married if you feel the need. It is not a sin, nor violates any commandment from the Lord. God instituted marriage, How could it be wrong?  

“Yet such will have trouble in this life, and I am trying to spare you” - Paul knows that your attention will be split between your spouse and Christ. 

V. 29-31 - “the time has been shortened” - I think Paul looked at the world around him, the persecution the church was suffering, the evil that was being done - and figured the Lord would be returning any moment. Paul was obviously wrong, but I feel the same way now. Look at the evil being perpetrated: abortion - millions of babies killed. Consider the insane “woke culture” and “cancel culture” - absolutely asinine decisions being made almost daily. People trying to erase history because it doesn’t meet the ‘woke’ paradigm - so no one will be able to learn from history. There cities and states seriously considering ways to de-legitimize Christianity, to make it illegal. “The end is near” has a ring of truth in it. We may be as wrong as Paul was about the timing, but can understand his feeling.  

“those who have wives... those who weep... and those who rejoice... and those who buy... and those who use the world...” - Don’t make any long term plans. Paul lists five (5) examples of things we do in life that take up our time and energy. I don’t think he is telling us not to do these - to become hermits living in a cave, looking out over the horizon for the signs of Christ's return. Live your life, day-to-day, knowing that Chris can come at any moment. Don’t let your plans for your life replace Christ as the center of your life.  

V. 32 - “I want you to be free from concern” - Don’t let your daily life be the center of your life. That is hard to say, let alone live up to.  

“One who is unmarried” - All of the concerns and attention can be directed at the work of the Lord. 

V. 33-34 - “one who is married... his interests are divided” - If you are married, do not neglect your wife. You are responsible to love and care for her. It is not a bad thing to be married, and therefore not able to give full attention to the Lord, just a fact of life.  

“The woman who is unmarried, and the virgin” - Just as with the bachelor, the single, unmarried woman can focus her service on Christ. Again, being married is not a sin, and being single does not mean automatic sainthood. 

“She may be holy in body and spirit” - That is the goal of every believer, married or not. Peter put it quite clearly,”but like the Holy One who called you, be holy yourselves also in all your behavior; because it is written: “You shall be holy for I AM Holy.” (1 Pet. 1:15-16) 

“ one who is married is concerned about the things of the world, how she may please her husband.“ - If you are married, do not neglect your husband. You are responsible to love and care for him. It is not a bad thing to be married, and therefore not able to give full attention to the Lord, just a fact of life. 

V. 35 - “This I say for your own benefit; not to put a restraint upon you” - Paul is not trying to “cramp your style.” He is reminding us that it is the Lord Christ whom we serve. He is worthy of our worship and dedication. 

“to promote what is appropriate and to secure undistracted devotion to the Lord.” - That’s the aim of this instruction from Paul.

 

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1 Corinthians 7:17-24 - As You Were

17 Only, as the Lord has assigned to each one, as God has called each, in this manner let him walk. And so I direct in all the churches.
18 Was any man called when he was already circumcised? He is not to become uncircumcised. Has anyone been called in uncircumcision? He is not to be circumcised.
19 Circumcision is nothing, and uncircumcision is nothing, but what matters is the keeping of the commandments of God.
20 Each man must remain in that condition in which he was called.
21 Were you called while a slave? Do not worry about it; but if you are able also to become free, rather do that.
22 For he who was called in the Lord while a slave, is the Lord’s freedman; likewise he who was called while free, is Christ’s slave.
23 You were bought with a price; do not become slaves of men.
24 Brethren, each one is to remain with God in that condition in which he was called.

You Were Bought With A Price

V. 17 - “Only, as the Lord has assigned to each one” - It is possible this verse should be included in the previous section regarding marriage. I think this verse applies equally to the subject to be discussed here. Each of us had a life before we met Jesus, before we accepted and believed in Him.

“in this manner let him walk“ - That is, if you were married when you were saved, stay married. If you were single when saved, stay single.
Paul is not teaching that each of us is assigned a particular job or life - you were not born to be an ax murderer, nor a super-villain. You are who you are and where you are in life based on the choices you have made. You can accept or reject God’s guidance. Your decisions have led to where you are now. You have a new life in Christ; you do not need to stay in that life, living in sin. If you have been a criminal up to the point you accepted Jesus Christ, do not continue on that evil path. You can use the skills you have obtained to help others rather than hurt and destroy.

Do not give up what you have been doing (unless it is sinful and hurts or destroys others). If you were a school teacher, continue to teach. If you were a brick mason, lay it on. But, don't continue to steal or lie, or hurt people.

V. 18 - “Was any man called when he was already circumcised? ... Has anyone been called in uncircumcision?” - Don’t try to change the past, eliminate what has been done. (I have no idea how you would undo a circumcision!) However, with respect to Jews and Gentiles: when you ‘met Christ’, and believed in Him as Lord and Savior - those designations no longer are relevant. Being a Jew gains you nothing; it is the Lord Christ who has given His life as a sacrifice for your sin. Jewish-ness has not saved you. Being a Gentile has not condemned you; God loves you and sent His Son to save you. We are called to not live in the past. Jesus is our Savior, and our new life. 

In the United States at this time, we are experiencing what called “cancel culture”. Some people are trying to wipe clean the history books. They claim to be “woke”! They want to erase from history books, from the public square, from society in general, things done in the past. As if tearing down a statue of Robert E. Lee will eliminate what was done in the slave-states prior to the Civil War. They want to tear down to the ground and build anew. This was the aim of the Jacobin movement during the French Revolution. The old, bad thoughts and practices will be torn down and replaced with new, good thoughts. By the way, we will destroy you and your home and business if you don’t comply. Our past actions may not be laudatory, but we cannot be confined by them. We can learn, and change - through the leading of Jesus and the Holy Spirit. Destroying the records of the past prevents us from learning what was evil and what was good. 

Paul is instructing you to accept the new life and purpose Jesus has given you. Use it to build upon, and improve your life and those around you. You are saved! You can say, “I once was lost. Now I am saved!” Jesus has given you the opportunity to share the Gospel that others may come to know Him also. This is not tearing down, destroying in order to rebuild. It is a chance to start anew, living for Jesus. There is a difference between the two ways of living - destroy/rebuild vs. new life in Christ. (See 2 Cor 5:17) One method tries to eliminate from memory what has gone before, the other knows we can learn from that time and thank God that He has given us a chance of new life in Christ. Thank God! Jesus has saved me from my sin. I know what I have done, and be sensitive so as to not fall back into it again.

V. 19 - “Circumcision is nothing” - What an astounding statement, considering it comes from a devout Jew, a Pharisee! This emphasizes what Paul has stated previously that it does not matter what you were, only what you are now. You are a child of God. You are a believer in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. You have been changed. You have new commandments from Jesus. Follow them.

V. 20 - “Each man must remain in that condition” - The NASB notes that “condition” can also be translated “called”. The big message here is that Jesus Christ has saved you, and is now sending you out in the world from which you came to be his messenger to that world. If you were a Jew when you accepted Christ, now you are a Christian Jew. If you were an engineer, now you are a Christian engineer. The engineering doesn't change; you have since you are now in Christ. Go be an engineer, giving glory to God and Jesus, letting your faith in Him be known. The physical parameters of the universe remain the same. Your spiritual condition has changed.

A caveat that comes to mind is that if your way of life, or making a living violates God’s moral laws - that way of life must change. If you were a bank robber, and are now saved - you must give up robbing banks. If you were are prostitute - Christ in your life dictates a career change.

All other things - job, ethnicity, family, country, education, etc., - are not important when compared to salvation offered to you.

V. 21 - “Were you called while a slave?” - Would you give up life eternal with Jesus to be able to cling to something here on earth. Being a slave of another man does not prevent you from having Jesus Christ in your life. All this you see around you is of little importance compared to knowing Jesus. Being a slave is not good. We all want to be free. Being a slave is not important for salvation to be yours.

On the other hand, if your master/owner grants you freedom, jump on it! This is a hard concept for us to grasp. Slavery has such a horrible history, especially here in the United States. I suspect that the slavery here was no worse than slave conditions anywhere or anytime. The juxtaposition of ‘freedom’ here in the U.S. with slavery being the opposite of freedom makes it seem more odious. I am not denigrating the horribleness of slavery. Other cultures and times accepted slavery as a way of life. These places and people did not champion FREEDOM! Our country broke free from England and claimed all people to be free. Yet, we allowed slavery to exist. It took a war, and thousands upon thousands of deaths to establish in fact what we espoused in words. Although slavery was officially banished, some of the thoughts and ways of slavery persisted, and oppression of the blacks was tolerated.

V. 22 - “For he who was called in the Lord” - It does not matter if you were a slave or not. Now you are Christ’s own. You are free in Christ. You are now free from sin, that is the penalty of sin as well as the coercion of sin in the life. (See: Luk. 4:18; John 8:32, 36; Rom. 6:20, 8:2, 8:21; 1 Cor. 9:1; Gal. 4:7, 5:1; Heb. 2:15) Free from sin, but beholden to Christ who saves you from your sin. You are not your own, you are Christ’s. He has paid the price - death on the cross for you. (See: Rom. 6:20; John 8:34, 15:15; 1 Cor. 12:27, 15:23; 2 Cor. 10:7)

It does not matter where you are from, what you were before. There is no difference between us when we are in Christ. We have all been purchased from sin by Christ. We could not do this ourselves. We do not have the power to overcome sin on our own. So now we are all the same - we are His own. (See: 1 Cor. 12:13; Gal. 3:28; Col. 3:11)

V. 23 - “You were bought with a price” - Christ’s life, death, burial, and resurrection.

“Do not become slaves of men.” - We are required to do what Jesus Christ tells us to do. When men begin making rules on what you have to do to be saved, these rules almost always have the effect of taking us further away from Jesus. When we follow their lead, we become their followers and not the Lord’s.
Jesus died for your sin, the pastor did not, nor the priest, bishop, pope, nor any of the deacons or elders. When any of these start piling on requirements (maybe not all at once) they begin to ‘own’ you.

V. 24 - “Each one is to remain with God in that condition in which he was called.” - Don’t make any big moves. (You’ve already made one - you accepted Christ as Lord and Savior. Can’t get much bigger than that.)

1 Corinthians 7:10-17 - Married to an Unbeliever

10 But to the married I give instructions, not I, but the Lord, that the wife should not leave her husband
11 (but if she does leave, she must remain unmarried, or else be reconciled to her husband), and that the husband should not divorce his wife.
12 But to the rest I say, not the Lord, that if any brother has a wife who is an unbeliever, and she consents to live with him, he must not divorce her.
13 And a woman who has an unbelieving husband, and he consents to live with her, she must not send her husband away.
14 For the unbelieving husband is sanctified through his wife, and the unbelieving wife is sanctified through her believing husband; for otherwise your children are unclean, but now they are holy.
15 Yet if the unbelieving one leaves, let him leave; the brother or the sister is not under bondage in such cases, but God has called us to peace.
16 For how do you know, O wife, whether you will save your husband? Or how do you know, O husband, whether you will save your wife?
17 Only, as the Lord has assigned to each one, as God has called each, in this manner let him walk. And so I direct in all the churches.

Ma-Widge!

(See note 1)

V. 10 - “But to the married I give instructions, not I, but the Lord” - Paul continues the discussion of believers and marriage. You already know his opinion that it is better to be single and serve the Lord, but if temptation toward sexual immorality becomes a problem for the single Christian, then marriage is the solution (staying faithful to the spouse in that marriage is a significant part of the solution). The rest of the this chapter is about living married.

Previously (v. 6) Paul indicated his instructions were in the form of good advice. He is not telling people to stay single no-matter-what, nor is he telling everyone to get married.

“the wife should not leave her husband” - I suspect the question was posed to Paul: Now that I am a Christian and am the Lord’s should I leave my spouse? Being dedicated to the Lord, should husbands and wives separate in order to wholly serve Jesus Christ? See the discussion for 1 Cor. 7:5, above. As I said there, this dilemma may be the result of misunderstanding Christ’s teaching about marriage in heaven.

The reason this is a command not a suggestion is that Jesus clearly indicated God did not approve of divorce, (See: Matt. 5:31; 19:3-12; Mark 10:2-12).

V. 11 - “but if she does leave, she must remain unmarried” - A parenthetical insert.

“the husband should not divorce his wife” - A continuation of the command in verse 10. It is not clear to me if this command is aimed at couples where both are believers. It seems aimed at believer/non-believer marriages. It would be easy to think it is for believing couples since Paul addresses “unequally yoked” marriages in the next few verses. However, why would “believing couples” feel the need to divorce because of their faith?

V. 12-13 - “But to the rest I say, not the Lord” - Let me assume the commands in verses 10-11 are to “believer/non-believer” marriages. First, a believer is not to divorce a believing spouse (if at all possible). Especially there should be no divorce because of theological or religious reasons.

But to the rest... Remember, Christians are a minority in the world in the first century A.D. (This is probably between 35-60 A.D.) Most people in Greece have no idea what the church of Jesus Christ is all about. It is likely that a woman will have heard the Good News and given her life to Christ, but her husband has not. Ditto for a man to have heard, but the wife not so. This could create relationship problems in a household.

“if any brother has a wife who is an unbeliever” - Just because you have accepted Christ as savior, that is no reason to divorce your wife who has not yet believed. If she wishes to stay with you, let it be so. Remember, Paul sees this is a command from the Lord.

V. 13 - “a woman who has an unbelieving husband” - Just because you have accepted Christ as savior, that is no reason to divorce your husband who has not yet believed. If he wishes to stay with you, let it be so. Remember, Paul sees this is a command from the Lord.

V. 14 - “the unbelieving husband is sanctified through his wife” - Wowsers! The wife is a child of God. (1 John 3:1) The unbelieving husband is not. This does not mean the husband is saved. “Sanctification”: The dominant meaning is separation from the secular and sinful, and setting apart for a sacred purpose. In the OT, things, places, times, people were sanctified, i.e., consecrated to holy purposes - usually only in a ceremonial and legal sense, to remind the Jews of the need for spiritual cleansing and the grace of God. In the NT, people are called to consecrate themselves to God, that is the inward cleansing work of God and Holy Spirit. We cannot be in God’s life if we are not holy (“sanctified”); we cannot live with Him in eternity if we are not pure and holy. Christ’s sacrifice did that for we who believe and accept Him as Lord and Savior.

Marriage is not a ‘man-made’ artifact. It is instituted by God. (Gen. 2:21-24) A possible meaning of this verse is the unbelieving husband should not be considered as a heathen by the church members; i.e., because the woman is saved the husband is to be treated with some respect. This sounds a little goofy, because Christians should not treat the unsaved with disdain. How can we possibly expect someone to turn to Christ if we treat that person like dirt because they are not saved?

“the unbelieving wife is sanctified through her believing husband” - The same line of reasoning applies to an unbelieving wife of a Christian man. The married couple are now set apart for each other - i.e., sanctified. I do not believe this means the unbelieving spouse is ‘saved’ - cleansed from sin and part of Christ’s body, and body of believers.

“for otherwise your children are unclean, but now they are holy” - And I have no idea how children of Christians are ‘holy’ - again they are not saved by Christ until they commit to belief and acceptance of Him as Lord. ( I need to discuss this with a pastor... )
Ezra 9:2 indicates the children of Israel were a “holy race” - obviously that does not mean they were sinless and holy as the Lord is holy! They had been set apart to be God’s own people, and witness to the world the power and majesty of God the Father. They were to stay set apart, but they intermingled with the heathen nations who rejected God. As a result they became anathema to the Lord. Well, maybe that is a bit too strong. God was very upset with them, and disciplined them, but was not so angry as to wipe them out completely.

So maybe this verse indicates that children of Christian parents are set apart from the rest of the world in that God’s care and love He has for their parents gets reflected upon the children. They have ‘advantages’ the other children do not.

V. 15 - “Yet if the unbelieving one leaves, let him leave” - If the unbelieving spouse decides they ‘just can’t take any more of this’, and so decides to divorce or separate themselves, Paul says let them go.

“Not under bondage in such cases” - The believing husband or wife is under no obligation to stay married in this circumstance. I do not know if this statement negates verse 11 above, i.e., the wife should not remarry if the unbelieving husband wants out of the marriage, and vice versa. I suspect it does not. If the non-believing spouse walks out or demands a divorce, don’t fight it, let them go in peace. Because, “God has called us to peace.”

V. 16 - “For how do you know, O wife, whether you will save your husband?” - Showing love and compassion to the unbelieving spouse may convince them ‘there might be something to this new found faith in Jesus’. Being a loving witness for Christ may soften their hearts so they will come to Christ and also see Him as Savior and Lord!

V. 17 - “Only, as the Lord has assigned to each one” - It is possible this verse should be included in the previous section regarding marriage. Each of us had a life before we met Jesus, before we accepted and believed in Him.

“in this manner let him walk“ - That is, if you were married when you were saved stay married. If you were single when saved, stay single. Paul is not teaching that each of us is assigned a particular job or life - you were not born to be an ax murderer, nor a super-villain. You are who you are and where you are in life based on the choices you have made. You can accept or reject God’s guidance. Either way will lead to where you are now. If you have been a criminal up to the point you accepted Jesus Christ, do not continue on that evil path. You can use the skills you have obtained to help others rather than hurt and destroy.

Do not give up what you have been doing (unless it is sinful and hurts or destroys others).

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Note 1: (Reference: the movie: Princess Bride )
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1 Corinthians 7:7-9 - If Possible

7 Yet I wish that all men were even as I myself am. However, each man has his own gift from God, one in this manner, and another in that.
8 But I say to the unmarried and to widows that it is good for them if they remain even as I.
9 But if they do not have self-control, let them marry; for it is better to marry than to burn with passion.

Each Man Has His One Gift From God

V. 7 - “I wish that all men were even as I myself am” - From this it appears that Paul was celibate, a confirmed bachelor. His whole life was dedicated to serving the Lord - first as a zealous Pharisee, and later, finally, as a zealous apostle and teacher of the Word of Salvation in Jesus Christ our Lord. I don’t think Paul thought it was good for every person to be single and celibate. He thought it would be good for every person to be so dedicated to service for Christ that they would not need to be married.

“However, each man has his own gift from God” - This is not ‘One-Size-Fits-All’. He did not denigrate those who are married and believe in Christ. God has a wonderful plan for your life. Live that plan for Him.

V. 8 - “But I say to the unmarried” - If you can, stay single (whether unmarried or widowed) so that your work for the Lord will be unhindered by family responsibilities. Paul is not downgrading the needs of your families. He knows that when you have a family the needs - wife, husband, children, house and home - will consume part of your attention and time. These cannot be denied or ignored. As a result your attention to the work of the Lord has competition from your family. So, in Paul’s opinion - coming from a hardworking apostle - it would be better for the church if you all were single-mindedly working just like him.

V. 9 - “if they do not have self-control” - same advice as in verses 3-6, above. Immorality - sexual sin whether single or married - is unacceptable.

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1 Cor 7:1-6 - Chap. 7 - Introduction to Married Life

Chap. 7 - Outline
7:1-6 - Marry or Immorality - your choice
7:7-9 - If Possible
7:10-16 - Married to an Unbeliever
7:17-24 - As You Were
7:25-35 - Demands of Marriage
7:36-38 - Virgin Daughters
7:39-40 - Widows and Re-Marriage

Introduction:

The church in Corinth wrote to Paul for advice or guidance. What were their questions? Perhaps the Corinthian church wrote concerning marriage - were Christians to marry, or should they stay single, or if married should they separate - but it most likely was not about the subjects discussed in the early part of this letter. The following list briefly shows the subjects chapters 7-16 cover.

ch. 7 - primarily deals with marriage;
ch. 8 - ‘liberty’, or using your freedom in Christ correctly;
chs. 9-11- expound on Paul’s ministry to them;
ch. 12 - the church as a organization or body of Christ;
ch. 13 - love;
ch. 14 - prophecy and tongues;
ch. 15 - Christ’s resurrection, and
ch. 16 - closing thoughts.

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1 Corinthians 7:1-6 -Marriage

1 Now concerning the things about which you wrote, it is good for a man not to touch a woman.
2 But because of immoralities, each man is to have his own wife, and each woman is to have her own husband.
3 The husband must fulfill his duty to his wife, and likewise also the wife to her husband.
4 The wife does not have authority over her own body, but the husband does; and likewise also the husband does not have authority over his own body, but the wife does.
5 Stop depriving one another, except by agreement for a time, so that you may devote yourselves to prayer, and come together again so that Satan will not tempt you because of your lack of self-control.
6 But this I say by way of concession, not of command.

Who Has Control?

V. 1 - “Now concerning the things about which you wrote” - Paul begins to answer questions presented to him from the Corinthian church. We must infer from the letter what the questions Paul was being asked...

“it is good for a man not to touch a woman” - I do not think Paul was teaching isolation of men from women. (This is not rehashing Mosaic law: like dealing with a leper, or touching a woman during her menstrual cycle, or touching a dead body (See: Lev. 11:31, 32; 13:45; 14:2, 3; 15:19, 25,33; 21:1, 11; 22:4; Num. 5:2; 6:6.) Paul was warning against romantic or sexual involvement. Both men and women can be distracted from the Lord during a romantic encounter with the opposite sex. This is fleshed out more clearly in the following verses.

V. 2 - “because of immoralities” - Men and women are attracted to each other. This is the way God designed us (See: Gen. 2:18-25). There is nothing immoral or sinful about this mutual attraction. The problem is not in the attraction, but in the way humans meddle or pervert the plan. It is not a surprise that sex is a big business - pornography, prostitution, etc. - or that non-criminal sexual acts are prevalent in every society. It is difficult to write about this without sounding prudish, or stodgy, or puritanical. I do not mean that males simply talking with females turn into slavering louts, or that the females become harlots luring the males into sin. Paul is saying it is difficult to be single-minded, focused on the Lord’s work in some situations.

“each man is to have his own wife” - The solution: get married! Paul is teaching/preaching monogamy. We can see from the OT scripture that it was not uncommon for a man to have several wives and/or concubines - AT THE SAME TIME! 

“each woman is to have her own husband” - The solution: get married! I haven't noticed that a woman would have several husbands - at the same time - in scripture.

And I think these were not unusual situations all over the ancient world. My personal understanding is that God intended a one-man-one-woman relationship, or marriage. And like so many things we touch, it (marriage) gets marred by our sin. This discussion is not connected to divorce or remarrying.

V. 3 - “The husband must fulfill his duty to his wife and likewise also the wife to her husband” - Sexual intercourse within a marriage is neither immoral or sinful. It is as God intended. I am not sure that I see that as a “duty” that has to be done, a “chore” or “task” that must be checked off as completed. A husband shows his love to his wife by this intimate act. The wife shows her love by providing the way to keep the man’s mind from wandering into sinful thoughts or relations. Their love for each other supports them and keeps them from sexual sin.

V. 4 - “The wife does not have authority over her own body... the husband does not have authority over his own body” - This is not an authoritarian, master-slave relationship. This is to be a mutual surrendering of self to another. Our society seems to treat sex as a simple physical function - see almost any movie or TV show. (Two people meet in a bar and are strangers; the next thing you know they’ve hopped into bed for sex, hop out of bed and go about their business as if nothing special has occurred.) We try to pretend that sex is merely satisfying a physical attraction or need. We try to pretend it is not what God has intended for us.

V. 5 - “Stop depriving one another” - Addressing a problem that may have come about between married couples. This may be a result of misunderstanding Jesus’ teaching, or a misunderstanding of what it means to be spiritual and a member of the body of Christ while here on earth.

In the first instance, we know Jesus Christ taught that when the kingdom of God is fully realized there will be no marriage between man and woman. (See: Matt. 22:30; Mk. 12:23; Lk 20:34-35) Does that mean there should be no marriage now here on earth before the Lord returns in power and glory? I do not think that is what Jesus is teaching. We will be His and there will be no need for marriage in His kingdom. More than that i cannot guess.

In the second instance, I suspect that people were drawing the conclusion that since we are now in Christ and Christ is in us, we should not be having sex, subjecting Christ to those physical, emotional and spiritual activities. In other words, ‘defiling’ the body of Christ with our bodies. This is taking the teaching from chapter six (1 Cor.6:15) and applying it to the marriage bed. Sexual immorality with a harlot is not in the same category as sexual intercourse with your spouse. Unmarried sex with a harlot is a sin. Sex with your lawfully wedded spouse is not. Plain and simple.

“and come together again so that Satan will not tempt you because of your lack of self-control“ - If you cannot control your urges, those sexual desires lead you into sin. Sexual desire is extremely strong. I do not think it is only emotional, but far deeper because it is the way life is extended. All animals and humans (Humans are not animals, even though we eat, breathe, live, die, and procreate as animals do - we are more! God has made us so). Know that sex is important for life to go on. It doesn’t mean you will die if you don’t have sex, but the human race will die out if we don’t. Rather than trying to tamp down those natural urges, get married and enjoy them with your spouse. Rather than give in to the sexual desires and do it any time with any one, get married and avoid the sin, and the penalty of sin.

V. 6 - “But this I say by way of concession, not of command” - Paul is not telling them they must get married and must have marital intercourse. It is better for them to be married and satisfy their desires within that marriage than stay single and fall into sin. We are not ignoring that it is possible to be married and yet sin outside of marriage. He knows that sexual sin is less likely when needs are being met within the marriage.

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1 Cor. 6:9-11 - Inheritors of the Kingdom

9 Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived; neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor homosexuals,
10 nor thieves, nor the covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers, will inherit the kingdom of God.
11 Such were some of you; but you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God.

You Are To Be Different!

V. 9-10 - “do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God?” - In some ways, this paragraph seems to coming from left field! Paul was upbraiding them for not getting along and then lays this list of people who will not “inherit the kingdom”. I do not think Paul has changed directions, going off in a totally different path. The list is not exhaustive, nor is it exclusive (i.e., any sinner not on the list can inherit the kingdom). It is just a good list of ‘recognizable sins’ - those sins almost anyone can agree that the doers are not saved and therefore will not be in heaven.

“Do not be deceived” - You must not believe you can do anything you want because now you are forgiven. You are to be different. As a believer you are a new person in Christ. The righteous, the forgiven, are not to live and act like the unrighteous. You now have choice. God does not coerce you to live and act in a certain way. You are not a robot, a little human “app" that can only act one way because that is how you are programmed. Christ and the Holy Spirit will guide you, will help you, will lead you into the right path. Do not fall back into the behavior of the unrighteous.

See this list of ten... (the following are not dictionary definitions - nor is the list comprehensive)

fornicators - sexually active, but not married
idolaters - worshipping anything other than the Lord
adulterers - sexually active outside of marriage
effeminate - acting and living as if you are the opposite sex, (e.g., male prostitute)
homosexuals - sexually active with members of the same sex
thieves - robbers, stealers
covetous - greedy, desirous of others’ things
drunkards - over use of alcohol
revilers - demeanors of spiritual things, especially of God
swindlers - robbing people by trickery and deception, a thief but done cleverly.

V. 11 - “but you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified” - This is the ‘punch line’. Now, as Christians, you no longer have to live like that. The unsaved, the secular world is free to act in evil ways toward each other. But you as a Christian are now different. You have no reason to be selfish, hard-hearted, stingy, grasping, always demanding your ‘rights’. You have the Holy Spirit living in you to guide and protect.

• You were dirty in your sin. Now you have been washed in the blood of Christ. You are clean. 
•  You were common and unholy, you were human. Now you are set apart, holy, made suitable for holy purposes, that is, serving the Lord Jesus Christ. Now you are sanctified.
• You were a sinner, unworthy of being in God’s presence. Now you have been declared righteous because Jesus took your sins upon Himself. You have been justified. I learned a mnemonic: Justified = Just-as-if-I’d-never sinned.
• Now you are acceptable.  

"in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God." - Does this sound incredible, amazing, maybe even impossible? Not to worry. You are not on your own. You are Jesus' own people.(See: 1 Pet 2:9-10). You were not a 'people'. Now you are God's own possession! And you have God living in you. You have been given a gift because you put your faith in Jesus - You have the Holy Spirit in you to lead you, to correct, to instruct, to counsel, to comfort, and to rejoice when you follow Him.

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1 Cor. 6:1-8 - Rules for harmonious living

1 Corinthians Chapter 6
6:1-8 - Going to Court vs. Handling Disputes Internally 
6:9-11 - Inheritors of the Kingdo 
6:12-13 - All Things Lawful
6:14-20 - In the Body of Christ
***

This is a continuation of the discussion in the previous chapter: 

1 Corinthians 6:1-8 - Going to Court

1 Does any one of you, when he has a case against his neighbor, dare to go to law before the unrighteous and not before the saints?
2 Or do you not know that the saints will judge the world? If the world is judged by you, are you not competent to constitute the smallest law courts?
3 Do you not know that we will judge angels? How much more matters of this life?
4 So if you have law courts dealing with matters of this life, do you appoint them as judges who are of no account in the church?
5 I say this to your shame. Is it so, that there is not among you one wise man who will be able to decide between his brethren,
6 but brother goes to law with brother, and that before unbelievers?
7 Actually, then, it is already a defeat for you, that you have lawsuits with one another. Why not rather be wronged? Why not rather be defrauded?
8 On the contrary, you yourselves wrong and defraud. You do this even to your brethren. (NASB)

Don't Go To Court If Possible

V. 1 - “Does any one of you... dare to go to law” - The question is: Are you going to take a fellow Christian to court over a dispute? The “neighbor” in this verse and the “brother” (vss. 6, 8) is someone in the same church as you, believes in the same Lord Jesus Christ as you. Are you willing (if not eager to do so) to take your dispute with another Christian and air that out to the non-believing world? Why would you show the world that Christians cannot get along? Why would you want the world to know you cannot work out differences face-to-face?

This train of thought places the church on a different plane than non-believers. We tend to think of the law as a moral influence or force in the world. Indeed, some of our laws are based on Biblical principles (murder, rape, theft, etc.). Many of societies laws are rules devised to bring some sort of order to society, and may not be moral at all.

“before the unrighteous and not before the saints?” - Going to court in the secular world (the unrighteous world) rather than asking for help and decisions from fellow believers (the saints). Paul is not saying the court system is immoral, or evil. It is not Christian; it is not operated on Biblical principles. Our court system has decoupled itself from Scripture and God.

Don’t take your disputes and differences into the secular system. Is this concept a command? I don’t think so, but is sound advice for the church.

V. 2 - “Or do you not know that the saints will judge the world?” - Whoa! How does this correlate with Jesus and God the Father judging the universe at the Great White Throne judgement (See: Rev. 20). John sees people on thrones who have the authority to judge (Rev. 20:4) - it doesn’t say what they are judging. Later in the chapter, all will come before God, where it will be revealed whether they are in the Lamb’s Book of Life. (Rev. 20:11-15). Christians, involved in judgements at the end times are listed in several New Testament verses. (See: Mat. 19:28; Jude 14, 15; 1 Thes. 3:13). They (believers) have already been judged and approved by the Lord. (Mat. 25:31-41). We cannot supplant the Lord and His power and authority to judge all creation. On view has us there to nod our heads in agreement. Another view is that we will have the mind of Christ; we are resurrected in our new minds and bodies and will be able to reflect the judgment of Christ on the world and unbelievers. Remember, God has the final authority.

“are you not competent to constitute the smallest law courts?” - Being led by Jesus Christ, and empowered by the Holy Spirit, following the precepts of the Lord, we are (should be...) more than competent to make judgments on ‘legal’ or ‘disputes’ between members of the church. 

V. 3 - “Do you not know that we will judge angels?” - See Rev. 20:4-15. (See notes on verse 2, above.) I don’t understand how we will judge angels. It is pointed out that Jesus was ‘a little lower than angels (see: Heb. 2:7, 9) when he was born as a human. He returned to his position, greater than the angels when he was raised from the dead to be seated at the right hand of God the Father. We can extrapolate we too will be greater than the angels, because we will be just like Him. (See: 1 John2:1-3).

“How much more matters of this life?” - So, if we will judge angels, spiritual beings, how big a deal is it to make judgements on our physical lives? One commentary (I looked at several to try to get a better understanding) noted the Greek word used here is not about issuing a verdict of guilty or innocent, but indicates a relative value decision. That is, we will acknowledge that what was done or said does not comport with God’s standards, and thereby agree with Jesus’ judgement. We will applaud Jesus’ righteous decisions, but will not make or execute any such decision. We will be ‘like Him’ (1 John 3:3), but will not be Him. Only God is God. 

There is also the aspect of this being about civil matters, not legal or moral matters. This is about disagreements between individuals, not criminal issues. Matters of conflict within the church body should never be aired in public civil courts.

V. 4 - “do you appoint them as judges who are of no account in the church?” - Are you really going take personal disagreements between Christian church members (a.k.a. - brothers) to secular civil courts? Are you really going to air out your dirty laundry before non-believers? Whether it is as trivial as arguing about padded church pews, or musical instruments in the worship leaders, or more seriously - immoral behavior in the church body - are these things you want to broadcast to the world?

V. 5-6 - “Is it so, that there is not among you one wise man” - Is there no one you can trust in the church to help you resolve these issues? Not one person? Not the pastor/preacher, nor a teacher, nor an elder or deacon, the guy in the back row - no one in the family of believers can help?

“but brother goes to law with brother, and that before unbelievers?” - Rather than work it out inside the church family, you go to those who do not accept or believe in Jesus Christ as Lord and ask them to make a judgement. Now the whole world, people who have no respect for God, knows you cannot live in harmony with likeminded believers! The dirty secret is out - your “faith” has not made you a better person than before. You are as petty and vindictive as any heathen. Paul is chastising them for a couple of things: that they cannot resolve disputes, and that they are appealing to non-believers. 

V. 7 - “Actually, then, it is already a defeat for you” - What a victory for Satan! You have just shown the world that ‘Christ in you, the hope of glory’ is a fraudulent concept. You do not have the ‘peace of Christ’ in you. You do not have the love and forgiveness that Jesus promised. Your actions, taking issues to civil court, have indicated the church of Christ is bogus. Why should anyone bother with all that church stuff if they end up no different than before? No one needs extra baggage.

But that is not the way it should be.

“Why not rather be wronged?” - It is better for you to suffer a little, than to damage the image of the church. This is not telling them to put on a bag over their head, and be blindfolded so as not to see what is happening. Also, Paul is not telling them to be punching bags, to be victims to every person’s schemes.

No. We Christians should first talk to each other, especially if there is a problem between two. Work it out between you. If you can’t work it out with each other. Go to your church leaders. Lay out the problem to them. Look back at verse 5, above, “Is there not one wise man among you?” Find a wise leader, pastor, elder, deacon - tell them. Tell both sides, viewpoints. Perhaps you won’t like the ruling. On the other hand, it might go in your favor and the other person is not pleased. Either result is better than going into civil court. Going to court shows the world that Christians cannot get along and fight with each other.

This is not a New Testament ‘invention’, i.e., taking a dispute or problem to a religious leader to decide. When Moses led the people of Israel out of Egypt, the people began to quarrel with God and each other (Surprise! Surprise!). They were camped in the wilderness at the mount of God, and Moses’ father-in-law (Jethro) noticed how overwhelmed Moses was. Moses was being besieged by people bringing their disputes with each other. They wanted him to ask God for a ruling. So, we have 2-3 million cantankerous people needing disputes settled. The advice given to Moses was to appoint leaders - leaders of tens (10s), fifties (50s), hundreds (100s), and thousands (1000s) - who would make decisions on these disputes. A dispute would be resolved in the lowest ‘court’ possible (the 10s). If that didn’t work, they went to the next higher level. A dispute might eventually make its way to Moses, but it had been heard many times with many opportunities to end the dispute. (See: Exo. 18:13-26)

The ‘judges’ in the book of Judges were not just military leaders. They also governed the people and made decisions about issues that came up. During the time of the kings, the famous dispute is the two mothers disagreeing about a baby. (See: 1 Ki. 3:16-26) The leaders of the synagogues also had the duty of resolving differences.

Jesus did teach something similar. (See: Matt. 18:15-17)… Interesting observation: Jesus is directing His comments to the ‘church’, the body of His believers, not the synagogue or the nation of Israel. He is guiding those who believe in Him to new relationships with other believers. Why do I thing this is 'interesting'? Jesus is calling His followers the 'church', but this was well before Jesus was arrested, tried, executed, and resurrected. It was well before the apostles were given the Holy Spirit at Pentecost to preach and lead people to salvation. Jesus was foretelling that His family of believers would be the church.

V. 8 - “You yourselves wrong and defraud. You do this even to your brethren” - Paul accuses them to treating people in wrong ways and defrauding others, especially fellow Christians. Perhaps this is the point, even more than not going to civil court against a brother in Christ. Not that as good Christian you will never have a dispute with another Christian, but that you will resolve it by being kind, forgiving, and loving each other. You have a good example to follow, for you have been forgiven by God, even though you do not deserve it. But even before you get to the point of conflict, as followers of Jesus you should not be treating other people in ways that cause offense. Here are some teachings with respect to living with others:

Be kind to each other. (Eph. 4:32; Titus 2:5, 3:2)

Forgive each other (Eph. 4:32; Col. 3:13)

Love one another. (John 13:34, 35; 15:12, 17; Rom. 12:10; 13:8; Gal. 5:13; Eph. 4:2)

Live at peace with each other (1 Thes. 5:13).

Remember, love covers a multitude of sins (1 Pet. 4:8).

This is a theme repeated throughout this letter. Paul accuses them of acting like unbelievers in 1 Cor 3:3, etc.

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