1 CORINTHIANS 6 STUDY GUIDE & BREAKDOWN
LAWSUITS: THE CHURCH HAS DISCERNMENT
1 CORINTHIANS 6:1-11
6:1: BEFORE THE UNRIGHTEOUS refers to judges of secular courts at Corinth...Paul asks, why seek justice before the unjust and not before THE SAINTS, THEIR FELLOW CHRISTIANS??? This is the biblical basis for church courts...
6:2-3: SAINTS WILL JUDGE THE WORLD-(v. 2) and ANGELS-(v. 3) because in Christ, Christians share His authority to judge-(see-Matthew 19:28, John 5:22, 27; 2Peter 2:4; Jude 6; Revelation 20:4): This being so, HOW MUCH MORE are we able to judge the everyday concerns of THIS LIFE- (v. 3)???
6:7: LOVE OF LITIGATION is a love of greed, hatred, and retaliation: Christians ought to be possessed of generosity, mercy, and forgiveness...TO LET YOURSELVES BE CHEATED is to turn the other cheek-(Matthew 5:39)...
6:9-10: AS TO THOSE WHO WILL NOT INHERIT THE KINGDOM OF GOD, (See- 1 Corinthians 15:50; Galatians 5:19-21; Ephesians 5:5, and Revelation 21:7-8 and Revelation 22:15)...
6:11: SALVATION includes being WASHED in Holy Baptism, SANCTIFIED through the giving of the Holy Spirit in the oil of chrismation, and JUSTIFIED through our faith...SUCH WERE SOME OF YOU shows that in Christ we can be free from the very worst of our sins-(see vv. 8-10)...
IMMORALITY: THE CHURCH IS A TEMPLE
1 CORINTHIANS 6:12-20
6:12: ALL THINGS ARE LAWFUL FOR ME may be a statement Paul made in Corinth sometime earlier-(perhaps regarding the Mosaic cleanliness code) which the liberties took out of context as their slogan: The apostle sets the record straight: without discipline and discernment through obedience to Christ, freedom from law is a slavery to sin...
6:13: THE LIBERTINES IN CORINTH- AS SOME DO TODAY-ARGUED THAT ILLICIT SEX-(adultery and fornication) is as necessary for the body as eating, and both irrelevant to the spiritual life: Paul contends THE BODY BELONGS TO GOD, and everything is relevant to the spiritual life: Therefore, dealing with sin means controlling our bodies: This is why the Orthodox Church abstains from FOODS is the first discipline of the Fast, which also includes prayer and charitable giving...
6:15: WHEN PAUL CALLS OUR BODIES MEMBERS OF CHRIST-(see 1 Corinthians 12:12; Romans 6:13; and Romans 12:4-5), he is reminding us of our union with Christ in baptism-(see-Romans 6:3-10): Fornication is therefore a sin to be fled in horror, for it joins Christ to harlots...
6:19: TEMPLE here refers to the individual Christian as a dwelling place of the Spirit...
CONCERNING MARRIAGE, CONCERNING VIRGINITY, AND CONCERNING WIDOWHOOD
1 CORINTHIANS 7:1-40
7:1: PAUL'S PERSONAL PREFERENCE is for celibacy, but he knows this is a gift from God-(v. 7) that is not given to all...
7:4: THE MUTUALIITY OF MARRIAGE, the equality of commitment, that Paul enjoins here is unprecedented in his era...Speaking of husband and wife, St. John Chrysostom teaches neither is master of himself...they are servants to each other...
7:5: WHILE PERIODIC ASCETIC PRACTICES, including temporary abstinence from sexual relations for the sake of prayer, are good, sexual abstinence by married people for other reasons and at other times is usually unwise...
7:8-9: IT IS WISE to consider marriage rather than to insist upon virtue of chastity and fight a losing battle against sexual passion...
7:11: IF A CHRISTIAN COUPLE cannot stay together, the two alternatives are to REMAIN UNMARRIED, that is, separated, or BE RECONCILED...DIVORCE is hated by God-(Mal 2:16), a last measure, a great calamity...Paul forbids remarriage while the first spouse is still living-(v. 39):
7:14: IN JUDAISM the family was joined to the covenant through the father: But in the Church, the family is HOLY if either spouse is a believer-(see also- 2 Timothy 1:5): This does not mean that all are saved, but all are affected by the faith of a Christian spouse: The family is a spiritual unit: if one member is a Christian, the whole family is set apart by God's grace...
7:17-28: WHEN THE LORD HAS CALLED-(v. 17)-us into HIS SALVATION, we do not change our ethnic identity-(vv. 18, 19) or our occupations-(vv. 20-23), and we certainly do not rush out and get married or divorced-(vv. 25-28)-though Paul's counsel is preferred option, not a command: KEEPING THE COMMANDMENTS OF GOD IS WHAT MATTERS-(v. 19):
7:26: THE PRESENT DISTRESS probably refers to the trials and tribulations of life just before the glorious coming of Christ, which Paul perceived as imminent-(vv. 29-33):
7:29-35: PAUL EXPECTS an imminent end of this age...THE TIME IS SHORT; it is better to minimize obligations in this age-without being irresponsible-in order to be prepared for the age to come...
7:36-38: IT IS NOT CLEAR WHETHER ANY MAN is the father or the fiance' of the VIRGIN, but in any case the option of her marriage is left open...
7:39-40: THOUGH PAUL once again recommends the unmarried state, he affirms the holiness of marriage and gives the widow a choice: TO BE MARRIED...IN THE LORD -(v. 39), that is to another Christian, or to remain AS SHE IS- (v. 40):
PSALM 19 (20) STUDY GUIDE & BREAKDOWN
PSALM 19 (20): IS A ROYAL PSALM, for it is a prophecy made on behalf of Jesus Christ the KING (v. 10), WHO IS THE END-(v. 1): Also, v. 7 identifies Jesus as God's Christ (HIS ANOINTED) AND AS HIS RIGHT HAND...For the name Christ shows the Father anointed the human nature of Jesus with the Holy Spirit-(see Hebrews 1:9; Luke 1:35; and Isaiah 61:1); and the names "right hand" and "King" show Jesus is one in essence with the Father and coequal with Him...
THIS PROPHECY is the first prayer to the Father, who is called THE LORD AND THE GOD OF JACOD (v. 2): Numerous petitions are made on Christ's behalf-(vv. 2-5), one of which regards His death and Resurrection-(vv. 4, 7; see also Hebrews 5:7): Secondly, the prophecy reveals the response of the Church to His salvation-(vv. 6-10), one element of which is great joy- (v. 6)...