1 Corinthians 9 - 2 Corinthians 13

THE BOOK OF 1 CORINTHIANS

Faithlife Study Bible Introduction to 1 Corinthians

First Corinthians is all about living like followers of Christ. A couple of years after Paul established a group of believers in Corinth, he received word that they were losing their way. In 1 Corinthians, Paul gives them practical advice on how to live as Christians in the midst of a culture that pressures them to compromise.

Faithlife Study Bible Introduction to 1 Corinthians

Themes

In 1 Corinthians, Paul emphasizes how to live as a Christian community, which differs from the values of secular culture. The Corinthians had heard the story of Jesus and embraced it with enthusiasm, but over time it had been twisted. Their culture’s stories were distorting their views about following Jesus.

Paul strongly criticizes the believers’ misguided attempts to live according to Christian values, pointing them instead to life in the Spirit of God, based on the work of the Lord Jesus Christ (6:11). The Corinthians think they know what wisdom is, but their wisdom looks no different from their culture’s. They think they know what being spiritual means, but their spirituality leads them to be divisive, immoral, and selfish. By contrast, truly living in the Spirit leads to unity, to putting others first, and to living a holy life. Paul tells the believers to see themselves as a community, and as individuals, as God’s temple—as members of Christ’s body (3:16; 6:15).

Like the Corinthians, we live in a world filled with ideas and practices that are at odds with the gospel. Every day, we hear stories about what it means to be wise and spiritual based on our secular culture, and these often cause us to misunderstand our place in the world or distort the gospel for our own purposes (compare chs. 8; 10). Paul challenges our desires to be sophisticated and powerful and shows them to be empty counterfeits. We are challenged to walk away from immorality and live as God’s people, empowered by the Holy Spirit (chs. 5; 12–14). We are to embrace the power of the resurrection and work for the Lord (1:2, 9; 7:17; 15).

THE DANGER IN THE LITTLE THINGS

Little problems are no big deal right?

Big problems are easy to recognize and address. The danger in the little things is that we often tend to overlook them. We see them as insignificant and incapable of being able to cause much damage. The reality, however, is that small things can grow into big problems if they are left unchecked.

Song of Solomon 2:15 NKJV

15 Catch us the foxes, The little foxes that spoil the vines, For our vines have tender grapes.

The Bible says that it is the little foxes that spoil the vines (grapes).

What are some examples of “little foxes” that can creep into our lives?

What about “little foxes” that can creep into a church or a body of Christ? Are they the same or different?

In 1 Corinthians 6, Paul uses another example to warn the Corinthians of the danger that unchecked sin can cause in a church.

SCRIPTURE

1 Corinthians 5:6–8 NKJV

6 Your glorying is not good. Do you not know that a little leaven leavens the whole lump? 7 Therefore purge out the old leaven, that you may be a new lump, since you truly are unleavened. For indeed Christ, our Passover, was sacrificed for us. 8 Therefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, nor with the leaven of malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.

Your glorying is not Good

The word “glorying” is the Greek word “kauchema” (kow’-khay-mah), which means “boasting.”

The church in Corinth was full of pride, arrogance, and moral corruption. They had allowed the sin and wickedness that was rampant in the city of Corinth to infect the church. Not only were they allowing it, but they were also boasting about it.

Paul rebukes them for boasting about the spiritual condition of their church. Paul had just revealed some a very serious sin that was going on in the church. Apparently they were proud of the fact that they were ignoring this man’s sin. They thought it showed the world how “loving” they were.

Where is the balance between being loving, showing grace, and being open and inclusive with the call to purity and holiness?

We can say that Paul was more concerned about the sin of the entire church (especially the leadership), than the sin of the individual man. Both are important, but the sin of the church is worse.

Why do you think this is the case?

Do you not know that a little leaven leavens the whole lump?

In biblical times, the way they leavened (or added yeast) to their dough was to save a pinch of dough from the previous batch.

The pinch of dough from the previous batch, which was leavened, would make the whole lump of new dough rise and “puff up.” It is for this reason that leaven was thought to symbolize the work of sin and pride.

A little bit can corrupt a large amount. There is Danger in the Small Things.

Therefore, purge out the old leaven, that you may be a new lump, since you truly are unleavened

At the Passover feast, all leaven was to be removed from the house, and nothing with leaven in it was to be eaten for a whole week (The Feast of Unleavened Bread).

The Passover command to purge the leaven out of their dwelling places had a health purpose. This method of fermentation, used week after week, increased the danger of bacterial infection or food poisoning. So at least once per year, during The Feast of Unleavened Bread, the Israelites started from scratch.

The word “purge” is the Greek word “ekkathairo” (ek-kath-ah’-ee-ro), which means “to cleanse out, to clean thoroughly, to keep oneself pure.”

Paul is saying that just like the Israelites were concerned to remove all leaven from their dwellings, so believers and the church should have a concern to remove sin from their lives and congregations.

Purging out the old leaven from our lives individually should be fairly clear.

However, regarding the church as a whole, is Paul talking about removing just the sin from the congregation, or removing a unrepentant sinner that refuses to change and is causing problems in the church, or both?

For indeed Christ, our Passover, was sacrificed for us

Paul makes the connection between Passover and Jesus’ death on the Cross.

Jesus is our Passover Lamb, whose blood was shed so that the judgment of God might pass over us.

As a result, we should live in the purity that Passover represents.

Therefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, nor with the leaven of malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth

Paul’s point here is clear: you must live unleavened because you are unleavened. In other words, “be who you are.”

“Salvation in sin is not possible, it must always be salvation from sin” (Charles Spurgeon).

The word “malice” is the Greek word “kakia” (kak-ee’-ah), which means “ill-will, desire to injure, not ashamed to break laws, evil, trouble.”

The word “wickedness” is the Greek word “poneria” (pon-ay-ree’-ah), which means “depravity, iniquity, evil purposes and desires.”

Sincerity and Truth are two strong guardrails for the way of the Christian life.

The word “sincerity” is the Greek word “eilikrineia” (i-lik-ree’-ni-ah), which means “purity or genuine.”

The word “truth” is the Greek word “aletheia” (al-ay’-thi-a), which means exactly what it is translated. Opposite of what is false.

What are some ways that we can put up guardrails of sincerity and truth in our personal lives?

What about in the church?

Some Key Points

Any church that does not take radical action against sin among its members will find the influence of evil spreading throughout the fellowship and infecting many.

Sin must be confronted and measures of accountability established, or eventually the entire congregation will be compromised and defiled, and will begin to drift toward the lukewarmness that Jesus said was repulsive to Him.

Paul does not expect anyone to be sinless. We all struggle with sin. However, Paul is speaking against those who deliberately sin, feel no guilt, and refuse to repent. This kind of sin cannot be tolerated in the church because it affects others.

While believers should encourage, pray for, and build up one another, they must also be intolerant of sin that jeopardizes the spiritual health of the church.

Three Reasons Why Sin Must Not Be Allowed to Infect a Church:

For the good of the offenders. They need to see their need for forgiveness, which will hopefully lead them to repentance, and ultimately restoration.

For the good of the church. Tolerating evil within a church will slowly lower the moral standard of everyone.

For the good of the world. The church cannot win men and women to Christ if it is like the world.