Tag: i corinthians

I Corinthians 12:12-13 ” The body is a unit, though it is made up of many parts; and though all its parts are many, they form one body. So it is with Christ. For we were all baptized by one Spirit into one body – whether Jews or Greeks, slave or free – and we were all given the one Spirit to drink.”

Here Paul is comparing the human body with the body of Christ…the Church.  Just as the many parts of the human body  work together in  complete harmony…each with its own unique purpose, the body of Christ – the Church and its many parts need to come together in like-mindedness also.  And just like the human body, one part cannot work in isolation from the rest.  That would be like one Sunday morning your heart getting up and deciding  not to be part of your body that day!  You may think that your presence at Church doesn’t matter…but it does…the whole body suffers when one part is absent.

I Corinthians 1:10 ” I appeal to you, brothers, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree with one another so that there may be no divisions among you and that you may be perfectly united in mind and thought. “

There was Church division in Corinth…some followed Apollos, some Peter, and some Paul.  All three were Godly men…all three were preaching the Gospel.  So where could there be the disagreement?  Apollos was an Alexandrian Jew that was converted to Christianity and  tutored by Aquila and Priscilla in areas of the faith he was ignorant of.  While Peter was one of the original twelve Disciples that had witnessed firsthand the work of Jesus.  Finally there was Paul, a Jew and persecutor of the Christians until that fateful day on the road to Damascus  when the Lord confronted him.  All three were passionate about the Lord and the desire to evangelize.  But they all came from different backgrounds and different life experiences, and their preaching styles showed it.   Thus Paul exhorted the Believers to be joined together in Christ and the Gospel, not divided apart by man and subtle nuances.

I Corinthians 15:42-44 ” So will it be with the resurrection of the dead. The body that is sown is perishable, it is raised imperishable; it is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory; it is sown in weakness, it is raised in power; it is sown in a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body. “

We all will face death some day.  Our fleeting life will succumb with our last breath…our earthly body will become an empty shell of what we once were.  But what is buried to decay, will be raised immortal…what goes down in shame, will come up in honor, authority, and holiness.

I Corinthians 15: 21-22 ” For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man. For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive.”

The first Adam sinned, and by his actions all humanity was sentenced to death and eternal separation from God.  The second Adam came to earth to make atonement for that sin.  Jesus Christ was born…walked this earth as any other man…was crucified…died and was buried…but rose three days later…taking the sins of the world upon himself.  The resurrection of Jesus – the second Adam – made a way for all mankind to again have intimate fellowship with their Heavenly Father.

I Corinthians 1: 27-29 ” But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. He chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things – and the things that are not – to nullify the things that are, so that no one may boast before Him.”

God is in control…His choices explicitly and precisely are done to direct the course of redemptive history.  He takes the simple-minded, the humble, the frail,  and transforms them by the Holy Spirit into mighty men and women of God.  For it is not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit, says the Lord Almighty in Zechariah 4:6.   Under His anointing, the powerless become strong…the lowly and scorned become bold.  Never underestimate what the Lord can do through you…never underrate the glory and honor  you can give Him  by simple obedience.

I Corinthians 1:8 ” He will keep you strong to the end, so that you will be blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

Many have tried to predict it.  Across the centuries, they have prophesied  His coming time and time again…all with the same results.  No human being knows when the Day of the Lord will come…the day when Jesus returns to  judge the earth.  In I Thessalonians 5:2 it tells us that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night…suddenly and without warning.  So it’s important that we be ready…innocent and faultless before Him.