Episode 193 - "Learn from the example of others" - 1 Corinthians 10:6-13

1Cor. 10:6 Now these things took place as examples for us, that we might not desire evil as they did. 7 Do not be idolaters as some of them were; as it is written, “The people sat down to eat and drink and rose up to play.” 8 We must not indulge in sexual immorality as some of them did, and twenty-three thousand fell in a single day. 9 We must not put Christ to the test, as some of them did and were destroyed by serpents, 10 nor grumble, as some of them did and were destroyed by the Destroyer. 11 Now these things happened to them as an example, but they were written down for our instruction, on whom the end of the ages has come. 12 Therefore let anyone who thinks that he stands take heed lest he fall. 13 No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.

This section begins with a dire warning and ends with strong encouragement. If you read or listened to last week’s post, you know Paul is talking about the Israelites who came out of Egypt. Even though they had witnessed God’s miracles, observed his presence in the cloud that led them during the day and the pillar of fire at night, and provided for them, they repeatedly disobeyed God and complained. You may want to read Exodus 32 to understand the historical context of what Paul refers to. They were idolatrous, self-indulgent, and immoral. God did not tolerate it. The repeated disobedience by the Israelites prevented most of them from entering the promised land. One should not get the idea that God was just waiting for them to slip up in order to punish them. Rather, he was often very patient and provided a means for them to return to God’s blessing and protection. (See Numbers 21:4-9)

Notice what Paul says about these historical events. He says that “these things took place as an example to us” (v. 6) and “they were written down for our instruction.” (v.11). What is Paul saying? It appears that Paul is suggesting that God allowed the Israelites the liberty to make these bad choices and inspired these events to be recorded so that perhaps we might not make the same bad decisions. There is some deep theology happening here. We call this God’s “providence.” James 1:13 makes it clear that God does not tempt people with evil. He continues to say the primary source of temptation comes from one’s own desires. This means that God will not necessarily stop us from exercising the will he’s given us, even if we use that will to do something God would not have us do. In this case, Paul suggests that God allowed these Israelites to do what they wanted and experience the consequences so that we would look at it and say, “I don’t want to follow their lead.” Personally, I find this encouraging that God was looking out for us thousands of years ago, long before I was born.

The importance or urgency Paul attributes to this warning becomes clear at the end of verse 11. Speaking of himself and the Corinthian believers but including us today he says, “On whom the end of the ages has come.” Paul clearly believes that Christ could return any moment, and who would want to be caught by Christ living in an idolatrous, self-indulgent, and immoral way? If the Israelites were judged for their rebellious lifestyles during the Exodus, should we expect not to receive any discipline? Of course not.

Paul transitions from the warning to a word of encouragement and hope. Verse 12 essentially instructs us not to be prideful, but humble before the Lord. He follows it with a promise that while God allows people the freedom to make decisions in their life, God will step in to mitigate the severity of temptation so that you will not experience temptation beyond what you can handle. This means we must be humble in seeking God’s help and wisdom daily. Our minds need to be on Jesus and not on our own desires.

Prayer: Lord - Guide me today. Lead me in your wisdom and truth to live in a way that honors you.

Episode 181 - "Get the leaven out!" - 1 Corinthians 5:6-13

1Cor. 5:6 Your boasting is not good. Do you not know that a little leaven leavens the whole lump? 7 Cleanse out the old leaven that you may be a new lump, as you really are unleavened. For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed. 8 Let us therefore celebrate the festival, not with the old leaven, the leaven of malice and evil, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.

1Cor. 5:9 I wrote to you in my letter not to associate with sexually immoral people— 10 not at all meaning the sexually immoral of this world, or the greedy and swindlers, or idolaters, since then you would need to go out of the world. 11 But now I am writing to you not to associate with anyone who bears the name of brother if he is guilty of sexual immorality or greed, or is an idolater, reviler, drunkard, or swindler—not even to eat with such a one. 12 For what have I to do with judging outsiders? Is it not those inside the church whom you are to judge? 13 God judges those outside. “Purge the evil person from among you.”

This episode picks up where we left off last week. Paul is addressing in this letter with the Christians at Corinth that he has received a report that there is known sexual immorality by someone in their church, and they are not doing anything about it. Specifically, Paul says, “a man has his father’s wife.” Paul points out that even this kind of immorality is “not tolerated among the pagans.” (1 Cor 5:1) Paul counsels them to remove him from the fellowship of the church. While this seems a bit harsh on the surface. Paul’s suggestion that they “hand him over to Satan” (1 Cor 5:5) has the intent that this man, living as he wants, not in the Spirit-dwelt church, will experience the consequences of his rebellion, that his “flesh” will be destroyed, but his “spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord.” (1 Cor 5:5) Paul does not want judgment to come upon this person. He wants him to be saved. Furthermore, Paul wants the church to testify to and exemplify God’s holiness, grace, love, and unity. They cannot do that while they are manifesting arrogance and disregarding egregious sin among them.

Paul uses a simple but powerful illustration of bread. He says, “a little leaven leavens the whole lump.” (1 Cor 5:6) I get this. I love to bake, and I love to bake bread. If I’m baking a normal loaf of white bread, it doesn’t take much yeast mixed in with the ingredients in order for the lump of dough to expand quickly and significantly. Paul suggests that’s how sin works in a community where only a little is allowed to remain. It doesn’t take long before it has an effect on the whole community.

So, what does Paul mean in verse 7 by saying, “clean out the old leaven that you may be a new lump, as you really are unleavened. For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed?” What does Christ being our Passover lamb have to do with leaven or being unleavened and this situation at Corinth? The answer lies in the Hebrew Scriptures. Look at Exodus 12:14-15

“This day shall be for you a memorial day, and you shall keep it as a feast to the LORD; throughout your generations, as a statute forever, you shall keep it as a feast. 15 Seven days you shall eat unleavened bread. On the first day, you shall remove leaven out of your houses, for if anyone eats what is leavened, from the first day until the seventh day, that person shall be cut off from Israel.”

The Israelites had been in bondage in Egypt, and the LORD was preparing to deliver them from that bondage. In the final plague upon the land the LORD would bring to cause this, the Israelites were instructed to sacrifice a perfect lamb, apply some of its blood on the outside door frame and enter into their homes and consume the roasted meat of this lamb if they wanted to be spared the loss of their firstborn. Furthermore, the Israelites were instructed to commemorate God’s deliverance every year. Paul is informing them the principle within this commandment to the Israelites has application within the church. Leaven is a picture of sin. Christ’s sacrifice on the cross liberated us from the power of that sin. Therefore, having experienced that liberty and not wanting to mock that great sacrifice, we should earnestly desire not to have any of that “old leaven” anywhere in our house. The man’s defiant immorality is mocking the sacrifice of Christ, and the arrogance of the church is condoning it by not removing the old leaven.

Our worship requires “sincerity and truth.” Like with the Israelites, removing every atom of leaven is impossible. Returning to my personal experience making sourdough bread in which I add no yeast whatsoever. The bread is leavened through the fermentation of the starter. This was likely what the Israelites had when they did make leavened bread. They didn’t have packs of yeast to carry around with them. Over time the microscopic spores from this fermentation are around the house. You can’t see them. So, you can’t perfectly get rid of it all. But, one can sincerely pursue the cleansing. This is what the church is supposed to do. Paul is saying to the Corinthians, you need to sincerely strive to not let sin remain in the house.

Paul makes an important qualification about this beginning in verse 9. Notice that Paul had written a letter to them before. Yet we call this letter 1 Corinthians. Obviously, this isn’t Paul’s first letter to them. It is the first that has been preserved and considered by the church as valuable and even God-inspired. The point of verses 9-13 is that the church cannot hold the world accountable to the standards God has for them. They cannot avoid speaking with and interacting with unbelievers outside the church. We could not fulfill the Great Commission if we did entirely avoid unbelievers.

God is the true judge of all humanity. The church must hold itself accountable for sincerely pursuing a life in keeping with God’s truth. The church needs to stand out as “different” from the culture around it and be a light in a dark world.

Lord - Give us a heart to pursue righteousness and humility before you and others.

Episode 176 - "You (all) are God' temple" - 1 Corinthians 3:16-17

Do you not know that you are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in you? 17 If anyone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy him. For God’s temple is holy, and you are that temple.

This is a passage I heard a lot as I grew up in the church. It was always used in the context of some prohibition espoused by people in our local and denominational tradition. Don’t drink (alcohol)! Don’t smoke! I even heard some use this Scripture to prohibit listening to certain kinds of music, such as Rock and Roll, because “it changes the rhythm of your heartbeat and damages your body which is the temple of the Holy Spirit.” As an older man, I’m pretty sure the only damage to my body from Rock and Roll is my hearing from listening to it played very loud. I will say that wisdom should lead us to acknowledge the potential problems of indulging in some of these liberties of life. But, while I might tell a younger person, “Don’t smoke! It’s bad for you,” or “Don’t mess with the alcohol. It can lead to trouble,” I have a bigger problem with how people have used this Scripture in that way. It’s a wrong interpretation.

You might think to yourself, “Dave, what do you mean? This seems pretty clear. The Scriptures speak of how God gives us the Holy Spirit and it dwells within us.” Yes. The Scriptures do teach that. But that is not the primary point of what Paul is saying here. So, what is he saying, and how can I be so certain? Let me explain.

There are at least a few clues to help us understand what Paul means. First, when we examine the original Greek language for this text, everything here is in the second-person plural. To translate this into Texan, “Do y’all not know that y’all are the temple of God and that God’s Spirit dwells in y’all?” Paul reminds them that as a corporate body of believers, they are the temple of God in which God’s Spirit dwells. In other words, Paul says the local church is God’s temple.

Another clue supporting this is that from the beginning of this letter, Paul’s instruction has focused on the unity and harmony of the church. He’s not talking about principles for healthier lives as individuals. It’s all about the individuals thinking, speaking, and acting in a way that leads to unity and harmony as a church.

A third and perhaps strongest clue is at the end of verse 9 when he tells them, “You (all) are God’s building.” His assertion is that all of the believers are, together, a singular building. Verse 10 continues by speaking of one foundation which is built upon. It’s in verses 16-17 that we learn this building is God’s temple.

The warning here is that by letting “jealousy and strife” (1. Cor. 3:3) divide believers, we are responsible for destroying God’s temple, and we are at risk of incurring divine discipline. This is not about personality differences. It’s about reverence for the presence of God in the third person of the Trinity.

Prayer: Father in Heaven - Help me revere your purpose for the church and that you are with us in our gathering. Help us show mutual love and submission to reflect the unity and harmony perfectly existing within the Godhead.

Episode 167 - "God is faithful" - 1 Corinthians 1:1-9

1 Paul, called by the will of God to be an apostle of Christ Jesus, and our brother Sosthenes, 2 To the church of God that is in Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints together with all those who in every place call upon the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, both their Lord and ours: 3 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. 4 I give thanks to my God always for you because of the grace of God that was given you in Christ Jesus, 5 that in every way you were enriched in him in all speech and all knowledge— 6 even as the testimony about Christ was confirmed among you— 7 so that you are not lacking in any gift, as you wait for the revealing of our Lord Jesus Christ, 8 who will sustain you to the end, guiltless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9 God is faithful, by whom you were called into the fellowship of his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.

In these few years I’ve been producing this blog and podcast, we covered the Gospel of John and, most recently, the Epistle of James. It’s time to walk through one of the Apostle Paul’s letters. This is the first of two letters to the Christians at Corinth that is included in our New Testament canon. The style of the introductory verses is very common in Paul’s letters. He identifies himself and his role as an apostle through the divine will and “call” of God. Paul is not one of the twelve who were with Jesus through his earthly ministry. We don’t get to know anything about Paul until we get to the book of Acts. Acts begins with the ascension of Jesus to heaven and the sending of the Holy Spirit upon the apostles at Pentecost, which is the initiating event for the church. It’s not long before we read about an antagonist of Christianity who is a Jewish leader named Saul. Saul participated in the stoning of Stephen, a follower of Christ, and sought to persecute as many Christians as possible. On a journey to Damascus for the purpose of arresting Christians, Jesus appeared in a bright light and spoke to Saul from heaven, and Saul became a follower of Christ. His name was changed to Paul. (See Acts 7-9) He is the most prolific author of our New Testament books.

Paul introduced himself as an apostle, but specifying this role is not something he chose or sought himself. He was called by God to fulfill this role. He mentions a brother in Christ named Sosthenes as well as though he has something to contribute to this written message that has been delivered to them. There is no indication I’m aware of regarding Sosthenes’ contribution to the letter. However, in Acts 18:1-17 we read about Paul’s first recorded trip to and ministry among the people he is now writing to. We discover that Sosthenes was with Paul and had been beaten by Jews for their witness to the gospel of Jesus Christ. Paul had been there for around eighteen months, teaching people about Jesus. Maybe Paul mentions Sosthenes's name to remind these Corinthian believers what he and Sosthenes invested in them to get their attention.

After introducing himself, he addresses his readers with specific statements about who they are. First of all, they are “the church of God at Corinth.” They are “God’s assembly.” The primary thing these people have in common besides their residence in Corinth is that they are brought together in fellowship by God's will. Furthermore, they are sanctified in Christ Jesus. The word “sanctified” means set apart for a holy purpose. Followers of Jesus are in Christ intended for God’s holy purpose. He adds these believers are “called to be saints (or holy) together with all those who in every place call upon the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.” (v. 2) We may have local fellowships of Christ followers. But we are also part of a greater fellowship of everyone everywhere who follows Jesus. This should remind us that by trusting in Jesus, we have been intentionally set apart for God’s purposes, and our lives should reflect the holiness to which God has called us.

Paul expresses his blessing to them of God’s grace and peace from the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. What a wonderful thing to know that God wants peace with us and intends to bless us with his grace.

Paul then explained that he always gives thanks because God’s grace to them was evident in how they had been “enriched in him (Christ Jesus) in all speech and knowledge” (v. 5), and they did not lack any gift. (v. 6) What does this mean? It appears to me that when he says in verse 6, “even as the testimony about Christ was confirmed among you,” he means that as they believed the gospel and the word taught them as Paul discipled them, he witnessed how the Holy Spirit enabled them in ways of understanding and communication so that they could encourage, and teach others as well. That’s how the testimony of Christ was confirmed. The work of the Holy Spirit in their lives was obvious. This affirmation by Paul is intended to encourage them. He tells them they are not lacking any gift “as you wait for the revealing of our Lord Jesus Christ, who will sustain you to the end, guiltless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ.” (vs. 7-8) The point is that God is with his people. He will provide what they need.

He concludes his introduction and thanksgiving in verse 9 by saying, “God is faithful.” Paul understands that these believers were facing challenges and needed encouragement by reminding them that God has not abandoned them. His grace and peace are extended to them. He has enabled them through the power of the Holy Spirit, and we are to be holy and focused on Him.

Paul is about to chastise them for getting off track. So, he began this letter by reminding them of what God had done for them and his purpose for them. What encouragement we can draw from knowing that God is with us and is faithful to us.

Episode 56 - A Need for Mercy, A Call to Holiness - John 7:53-8:11

John 7:53   [[They went each to his own house, John 8:1 but Jesus went to the Mount of Olives. 2 Early in the morning he came again to the temple. All the people came to him, and he sat down and taught them. 3 The scribes and the Pharisees brought a woman who had been caught in adultery, and placing her in the midst 4 they said to him, “Teacher, this woman has been caught in the act of adultery. 5 Now in the Law, Moses commanded us to stone such women. So what do you say?” 6 This they said to test him, that they might have some charge to bring against him. Jesus bent down and wrote with his finger on the ground. 7 And as they continued to ask him, he stood up and said to them, “Let him who is without sin among you be the first to throw a stone at her.” 8 And once more he bent down and wrote on the ground. 9 But when they heard it, they went away one by one, beginning with the older ones, and Jesus was left alone with the woman standing before him. 10 Jesus stood up and said to her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?” 11 She said, “No one, Lord.” And Jesus said, “Neither do I condemn you; go, and from now on sin no more.”]]

In many English translations of this section, you will notice a footnote for it or, as in this case, there may be brackets around the text. The reason for this is that a number of scholars believe this story was not in this part of John’s Gospel, or at least not in this location. They have their reasons for that view and I am not equipped to argue one way or the other. But, whatever the answer is, no one is saying that this is not a true story. Most importantly, the story is consistent with Jesus’ actions and teaching. In this story, we find a beautiful balance of a call to living in a manner that is right and pure as well as a demonstration of grace and mercy.

The scribes and Pharisees bring a woman to Jesus who was caught in the act of adultery. (v4) They inform Jesus of the charge and tell him that the Law was given by Moses “commanded us to stone such women.”(v5) This may seem harsh to us that adultery would call for capital punishment. But, we must be careful to not impose our own cultural values upon a people two thousand years removed and half a world away. The view of adultery in the twenty-first century of Western culture is mixed. Adultery leads to much pain and divorce in many marriages. But, there are others who think nothing about it. 

When we look at the creation of marriage in the opening chapters of the Bible, we see that this is a special relationship intended by God to be a tangible expression of unity and harmony that is perfectly existing in the divine Godhead. A marriage relationship is supposed to demonstrate covenant faithfulness. Adultery is a clear and strong violation of that relationship. Therefore, it is an expression of our rebellion against the character of God. In light of that, it becomes more clear as to why God told Moses that this sin merits the death penalty. 

But, there’s a problem here. Did you notice it? They only brought one of the guilty parties. If they caught this woman in the act, did they not catch the man in the act? If so, why did they not bring him as well? The Law didn’t call for the woman to be put to death. The Law required that both of them be put to death. (See Leviticus 20:10 and Deuteronomy 22:22-24) Something is fishy here.

John tells us their motivation in bringing her to Jesus. They wanted to trap Jesus. Nothing in this story lessens the offense of the woman. However, these people who are using this woman for their own evil desires are violating the Law themselves in various ways. 

Jesus’ response is to bend down and draw in the dirt with his finger. He does it twice. What is he drawing? Some have suggested that he’s writing the sins of these accusers. Others have suggested that just as God wrote the Ten Commandments with His “finger,” Jesus is writing the Ten Commandments in the dirt. The text doesn’t tell us. But, I’m inclined to suspect this latter suggestion to be the answer. These two writings in the dirt are split by Jesus standing and telling them, “Let him who is without sin among you be the first to cast a stone at her.”

Whether they are convicted concerning their own sin or simply smart enough to realize their objective had failed is uncertain. But, their response is simply to leave. Jesus is the lone individual who had the right to throw the first stone. According to the Law, he would have been just in doing so. But, he demonstrates mercy and does not condemn her. He also doesn’t downplay her sin. He tells her to stop sinning. 

God’s grace and mercy are never to give us a pass to do what we want. It is not God turning a blind eye to our rebellious actions. God’s grace and mercy are for us to see God’s love toward us and that we should desire to live in a manner that demonstrates God’s faithfulness, love, and mercy to others.