Bible

In the Bible room today, we continue reading the book of I Corinthians with Session 3, the summaries of chapters 6 and 7.

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I Corinthians

Session 3

Chapter 6. Washed

Would one of you, having a complaint against one of your brothers,

• Even consider taking the issue into the world’s legal system,
• Rather than bringing it before your fellow believers?
• Don’t you know that believers will one day control the justice
• System of the world? Then why would you think you are
• Not able to administer justice over even small issues?
• We will be given rule over the angels, so we are more than
• Qualified to settle issues in this life; The court system of the
• World is, in general, run by people not well-respected by the
• Church, and they are not prone to rendering acceptable
• Outcomes; Is there not one man in your church capable of
• Making good decisions between two believers? If not, then
• Believers are left to take their disputes to be settled by
• Unbelievers! Besides all of that, it is not good for you to be
• Taking your fellow believers into the courts, one believer
• Pitted against another; If someone does something wrong to
• You, why don’t you just accept it, and live with it? But you
• Won’t do that. Instead, you return wrong for wrong, even to
• Your fellow believers;
• But understand there are those who are committed to evil
• Behaviors who will never see inside the kingdom of God;
• In plain language, the sexually immoral, the idol worshippers,
• Homosexuals, and those who submit themselves to them, also
• The thieves, those who covet, the drunkards, those who spread
• Lies about others, and the extortioners: None of those people
• Will ever be a part of the kingdom of God; In the past, some of  
• You have been numbered among these people; But now you
• Have been washed clean, and set apart to live upright lives to
• Follow our Lord Jesus by the power of the Spirit of God;
• For me, I have no objections to eating all kinds of food, but
• Some are not necessary, and I will not become overly attached
• To anything; Food is for the stomach, and the stomach is for
• Food, but both are under God’s control; The body is not
• Intended for sexual immorality but for service to the Lord; 
• God has sent Jesus to us, and, by His power, He will take us to
• Himself; Do you know your bodies are members of Christ?
• Then should a member of Christ be used in sexual immorality?
• Absolutely not! Do you know that when someone joins with a
• Prostitute they become as one with that prostitute? God says
• “They become one flesh;” But when one joins with the Lord,
• They become one spirit with Him; Stay far away from sexual
• Immorality; Other forms of sin can affect the outside of the
• Body, but sexual sins are against the body itself;
• Do you know that your body is where the Spirit of God lives?
• Your body does not belong to you, as you have been bought
• And paid for by God, and you should use your body in service
• To Him.

Chapter 7. Opinion

Now, I will respond to the issues you have asked me to address:

• I think it would be good for a man never to touch a woman,
• However, since sexual immorality has become such a serious
• Problem, I recommend that every man have his own wife, and
• Every woman her own husband; This way they can satisfy their
• Mutual needs for affection; They each should yield their bodies
• To one another, and not deprive themselves of their desire for
• Intimate affection, except for occasions when they separate
• Themselves, by mutual agreement, for times of personal fasting
• And prayers; Then afterwards they should reunite to avoid
• Temptation caused by a lack of self-control;
• Now, I am giving you my opinion on this subject, and I am not
• Offering it as a directive for you to follow; In fact, I really
• Would prefer that all men be as I am, but I realize that God has
• Made men to have varying abilities and temperaments; But to
• The unmarried and the widows I recommend they remain
• Single as I am; However, if they are lacking self-control then
• They should be married, as that would be better than suffering
• With overwhelming passion;
• Now, addressing those who are married, I am forwarding these
• Instructions from the Lord: A wife is not to divorce her
• Husband; But if she were to take that action, then she should
• Not marry again, unless she returns to her husband;
• Likewise, a husband is not to divorce his wife;
• Speaking now for myself, not the Lord, I offer this opinion:
• If a man is a believer and his wife is not a believer, but she has
• Agreed to stay with him, then he should not divorce her;
• And if a woman is a believer married to a non-believing man
• Who has agreed to stay with her, then she should not divorce
• Him; And their children are set apart as holy since one of their
• Parents is a believer; If, however, an unbelieving husband or
• Wife decides to leave the marriage, then the believer should let
• The unbeliever go, as they are no longer bound to them, for
• God has told us to be peaceable; But there is no certainty as to
• Whether the believer will be able to save the unbeliever;
• Now I will speak to you as I have spoken to all the churches:
• In the matter of circumcision, continue as you were before you
• Became believers, that is, if you were circumcised then, that’s
• Okay, and if you were uncircumcised then, that’s okay too; Do
• Not even think about being circumcised; There should not be
• Any more discussion about circumcision since it is not an
• Important issue one way or the other; The only thing that
• Really counts is that you are now living for God;
• In the matter of your vocational status, there is no need to
• Make any changes since you have become believers; Whether
• You were a slave or free, just keep working as you were, for
• As believers we are all slaves for Christ because we have been
• Bought for a price; But if you were a slave, and you have an
• Opportunity to become free, take it;
• In the matter concerning unmarried people, I do not have any
• Instruction from the Lord on this, but He has blessed me with
• Good judgement you can believe:
• These are stressful times in which we live, and it would be good
• For you to remain just as you are at present: If you are married,
• Stay married, but if you are not married, don’t be looking for a
• Wife; It would not be wrong for a young woman to get
• Married, however, if she does, she can expect to face troubles;
• My fellow believers, we are living in stressful times, and as the
• World changes, I don’t want you to live with worry over the
• Future; The unmarried can spend their time thinking about
• How they can please the Lord, but the married man must care
• More about pleasing his wife; For a woman, if she is not
• Married she can care more about the Lord, and being holy in
• Both body and spirit; The married woman will have more
• Earthly cares, and think more about pleasing her husband;
• I say all of this not to tie you down, but to encourage you that
• You may better serve the Lord; If a man has an unmarried
• Daughter who is of age, and desires to be married, do not forbid
• Their marriage; However, if a man is firmly convinced in his
• Heart, based on sound reasoning, that it is best for his daughter
• That she not marry, then he should forbid their marriage;
• So, the man who gives his daughter in marriage does well, and
• The man who forbids his daughter to marry does even better;
• By law, a wife is bound to stay married to her husband, but if
• He dies she is free to marry another believer;
• However, in my opinion, and I think it is God’s opinion as well,
• That she would be happier if she were to remain unmarried.

End of Session 3 of the book of I Corinthians.