Bible

In the Bible room today, we continue reading the book of I Corinthians with Session 4, the summaries of chapters 8, 9, and 10.

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I Corinthians

Session 4

Chapter 8. Conscience

Now, concerning the issue of things offered to idols:

• Everyone has a certain amount of knowledge, and this can
• Cause some to become arrogant; But we also know that love
• Builds people up; If someone thinks he knows all there is to
• Know about something, he really does not know everything
• He should; But God knows all those who love Him;
• Regarding food that has been offered to idols:
• We all know that an idol has no earthly value, and we also
• Know that there is only one God; There may be many so-
• Called gods and many lords on the earth, but for us there is
• One God, our Father, who created everything, and made us
• For Himself that we would be His people; And there is One
• Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom all things exist, and for
• Whom we live;
• But the fact is, not everyone is in possession of that portion
• Of knowledge; So, if they eat something, and then learn that
• It has been offered to an idol, their conscience, being sensitive,
• Brings condemnation upon them; However, the food we eat
• Does not have any effect, neither for better nor worse, on our
• Relationship with God;
• But those of you who know this should be cautious with that
• Knowledge: For if a believer, who does not know this, sees you
• Eating in an idol’s temple, this could be a very bad influence on
• Them, even to the point of causing them to abandon their faith;
• For this reason, I will never offend a fellow believer by eating
• Food that has been offered to idols, if it goes against the
• Believer’s conscience.

Chapter 9. Support

Do you not think of me as an apostle sent to you?

• Do I not have all the credentials of an apostle approved by the
• Lord? You are living proof that I am your apostle who brought
• You to know the Lord; When people question me, I ask them if
• We are entitled to have food and drink? And, are we permitted
• To have wives who can travel with us in the ministry as do the
• Other apostles such as Peter? Are Barnabas and I alone among
• All the apostles who, of necessity, must work at jobs outside the
• Ministry? Do soldiers continue to support themselves when
• They must go fight wars? Does the man who plants a vineyard
• Eat some of his own fruit? Does the shepherd drink some of the
• Milk from his own flock? These things I am telling you are also
• Written in the law; The law of Moses says that an ox who is
• Working must not be muzzled; Think about that: Do you
• Think God is speaking there about an ox? Or is He, in truth,
• Speaking about a man? No doubt, He is referring to a man who
• Works in the hope of harvesting after plowing and sowing;
• We have planted spiritual things with you, so I ask you:
• Should we expect to receive material support from you? There
• Are others who may expect your support, but I believe we have
• The right to expect even more from you; But I am not
• Pressuring you to do this if it would distract you from the
• Gospel message of Christ; We will be able to get by; Do you
• Remember that food offerings were brought to the temple for
• The support of those who ministered in the temple? That
• Means the Lord has directed that those who preach the gospel
• Should be supported in that work; I have never demanded that
• The churches support me in what I do, and I am not writing to
• You now for that purpose, as I would sooner die than to have
• Myself become the center of attention; I want nothing in my
• Life except to preach the gospel; I have been entrusted with the
• Stewardship of the gospel, and I preach it without charge that I
• May uphold my integrity;
• I am not beholden to anyone so that I may serve everyone; To
• The Jews under the law I preach as a Jew under the law that I
• Might win them; To those without the law, I preach as only
• Under the law of Christ, that I might win those as well; I try
• To present myself as favorable to everyone so that I might save
• Some of them for the sake of the gospel; I want to be true to the
• Gospel just as I want you to be;
• You know that in a race where everyone is running only one
• Will win the prize; Run this race like you want to be the
• Winner; You should practice self-control as you are looking to
• Win an imperishable crown; Personally, I try to discipline
• Myself and keep my body under control so that I will be a good
• Witness when I preach to others.

Chapter 10. Saved

Now I will remind you, my fellow believers, about our forefathers:

• They all followed the cloud, and they all walked through the
• Sea; Moses was their baptism, and he brought them their
• Spiritual food and drink; That spiritual water came from the
• Rock, and that Rock was Christ; But God was not pleased with
• Most of them so their bodies were left lying around out there in
• The desert; We should look at these people as examples of what
• Not to be, or do, as they tended toward worshiping idols, and
• Just eating, drinking, and playing; Too many of them lived
• Immoral lives, so much that in one day twenty-three thousand
• Fell down dead; Don’t ever tempt Christ as some of them did
• And were killed by serpents, while others were constantly
• Complaining and they were destroyed; All these who died
• Violently in the past, should serve for us as the strongest kind
• Of lesson; Everyone who thinks of himself as too strong to fall,
• Should be careful as he could fall; We will all face temptations
• That are common to everyone, but we can be sure God will
• Never let us be overwhelmed by something too big for us, as He
• Will make a way for us to endure and ultimately escape from it;
• My fellow believers, I know you are smart enough to know
• What I’m talking about, I ask you to stay away from idolatry;
• This cup of blessing we share is our fellowship with Christ, and
• Though we are many, we are brought together into one body
• And one bread;
• Now, think for a minute about the Jews: They eat the food
• Which is brought to the altar of worship, and they have no
• Objections to that practice; Are you getting the point of what I
• Am saying here? Idols mean nothing, and what is offered to
• Idols means nothing; But the Gentiles are different: They offer
• Things to demons, not God, and I will not condone making
• Sacrifices to demons; You cannot eat and drink at the Lord’s
• Table, and at the table of demons; Are we stronger than
• The Lord that we could provoke Him to be jealous?
• For me, everything is permitted, but not always helpful, and
• We should all be looking to be of help to each other; But eat
• What is sold in the market and don’t ask questions about it;
• The earth belongs to the Lord and everything in it; If an
• Unbeliever asks you to eat with him, go ahead and eat without
• Asking him questions about the food if your conscience is
• Concerning you; On the other hand, if he tells you this food
• Has been offered to idols, for his sake, do not eat it, not for your
• Own conscience, but for his; Why should I be concerned about
• The conscience of another man? Try not to offend anyone,
• Neither the Jews, or the Greeks, or anyone in the church, but
• Try to do everything to give glory to God; I am always trying to
• Be helpful to others, more than myself, that I might get them
• Saved.

End of Session 4 of the book of I Corinthians.