1 Corinthians 7

1 Corinthians 7:1

Greetings and Much More

Romans 16:1-16. Greetings! Look at all those names. Some are real tongue twisters. Shouldn’t we skip this section? To Paul, these names meant a lot. They were people who belonged to the Lord Jesus. Here you have a practical example of the unity of the believers. You greet people for whom you feel something special and with whom you are linked in a certain way. They are people you don’t see every day. Maybe you have never seen them and you have only heard of them. But what you have heard gives you the sense of unity, of belonging together. It can be very encouraging then to receive someone’s greeting. It makes you realize someone is thinking of you. This encourages you.

So greetings are important. They emphasize something you share. When someone tells you to greet this or that brother or sister, this is an important assignment. And so Paul here tells the believers in Rome they should greet a number of brothers and sisters.

What is striking in these greetings is something is added to many of the names. To Paul, this wasn’t just a heap of names. These persons meant something to him. Every one meant something different. With everyone he had a special relationship. In this way, your relationship with every brother and sister will be different. If you begin to have an eye for this difference, it will result in a huge enrichment in the interactions with your brothers and sisters. There are names too that Paul mentions without adding something. You may ask yourself whether there was nothing special to mention. Was there nothing that made them noteworthy? Were they boring brothers and sisters? I don’t know. Maybe they were simply inconspicuous brothers and sisters. In any case, they were included.

You see the same difference with the Lord’s disciples. Of some, we don’t know much because not much is said about them. Of others, we know much more because a lot is told about them. But there are disciples of whom we only know their names. What they did has been kept hidden from us. But God knows it and He doesn’t forget to appreciate their value.

God has His own way with every believer. It’s nice when something more can be said of you than your name alone, but this is not to make yourself more important. It must be clear that you’re driven by love for the Lord Jesus. You see this often with the names that Paul mentions. Often, something is added about the Lord Jesus. He was the motive for their labor.

I will only say something about some of the names. Think about the other ones for yourself. The first one mentioned is Phoebe, “our sister” (Romans 16:1). Paul had a keen eye for the service of sisters. Of all the names he mentions, the first one is a sister’s. And more are mentioned in these verses. Phoebe must have been a special woman. She had served the believers in a practical way. Maybe she had received them in a hospitable way or maybe she made visits. Maybe she wrote encouraging letters. However it may have been, by her service she had assisted many. This means the things she did sustained and helped many to be strengthened. Paul had experienced this as a blessing.

Therefore he could commend her to the believers in Rome. When Phoebe came to them, they were to receive her in a worthy manner and to assist and sustain her. This is really a letter of commendation for Phoebe.

Then there was a couple which Paul especially brought to the attention to the believers in Rome. Her name was Priscilla and his name was Aquila (Romans 16:3). The wife is mentioned first here. They are mentioned in the reverse order in other places in the Bible. If bearing responsibility or explaining the Word of God is in view, Aquila is mentioned first. And if a practical service within the family is in view, for which the wife primarily is responsible, Priscilla is mentioned first, as here. In Acts 18 we read that Paul had stayed with them (Acts 18:1-3). The rest of Acts 18 shows it was dangerous to have someone like Paul in your house. This couple had even risked their lives for him. Because of this, Paul was very grateful to them.

But the assemblies of the nations could also be grateful to them. For through their courage, the assemblies of the nations could continue to reap profit from Paul’s service. Likewise, when you’re doing something for a servant of the Lord, it is also a service to others who are served by this servant.

I want to end by pointing out the last part of Rom 16:16. Paul not only asks the believers to greet his acquaintances, but he sends greetings from all who were connected with them: “All the churches of Christ greet you.” The church in Rome was linked with all the churches of Christ that existed in all sorts of places on earth. How good it is when this too is experienced. You know the church is very divided, outwardly. Is it still possible to experience the unity of the church? Yes, it is still possible. How can this be experienced? That’s what the next letter, the first letter to the Corinthians, is about.

Now read Romans 16:1-16 again.

Reflection: Send greetings to someone who has not heard from you for a long time.

1 Corinthians 7:2

Greetings and Much More

Romans 16:1-16. Greetings! Look at all those names. Some are real tongue twisters. Shouldn’t we skip this section? To Paul, these names meant a lot. They were people who belonged to the Lord Jesus. Here you have a practical example of the unity of the believers. You greet people for whom you feel something special and with whom you are linked in a certain way. They are people you don’t see every day. Maybe you have never seen them and you have only heard of them. But what you have heard gives you the sense of unity, of belonging together. It can be very encouraging then to receive someone’s greeting. It makes you realize someone is thinking of you. This encourages you.

So greetings are important. They emphasize something you share. When someone tells you to greet this or that brother or sister, this is an important assignment. And so Paul here tells the believers in Rome they should greet a number of brothers and sisters.

What is striking in these greetings is something is added to many of the names. To Paul, this wasn’t just a heap of names. These persons meant something to him. Every one meant something different. With everyone he had a special relationship. In this way, your relationship with every brother and sister will be different. If you begin to have an eye for this difference, it will result in a huge enrichment in the interactions with your brothers and sisters. There are names too that Paul mentions without adding something. You may ask yourself whether there was nothing special to mention. Was there nothing that made them noteworthy? Were they boring brothers and sisters? I don’t know. Maybe they were simply inconspicuous brothers and sisters. In any case, they were included.

You see the same difference with the Lord’s disciples. Of some, we don’t know much because not much is said about them. Of others, we know much more because a lot is told about them. But there are disciples of whom we only know their names. What they did has been kept hidden from us. But God knows it and He doesn’t forget to appreciate their value.

God has His own way with every believer. It’s nice when something more can be said of you than your name alone, but this is not to make yourself more important. It must be clear that you’re driven by love for the Lord Jesus. You see this often with the names that Paul mentions. Often, something is added about the Lord Jesus. He was the motive for their labor.

I will only say something about some of the names. Think about the other ones for yourself. The first one mentioned is Phoebe, “our sister” (Romans 16:1). Paul had a keen eye for the service of sisters. Of all the names he mentions, the first one is a sister’s. And more are mentioned in these verses. Phoebe must have been a special woman. She had served the believers in a practical way. Maybe she had received them in a hospitable way or maybe she made visits. Maybe she wrote encouraging letters. However it may have been, by her service she had assisted many. This means the things she did sustained and helped many to be strengthened. Paul had experienced this as a blessing.

Therefore he could commend her to the believers in Rome. When Phoebe came to them, they were to receive her in a worthy manner and to assist and sustain her. This is really a letter of commendation for Phoebe.

Then there was a couple which Paul especially brought to the attention to the believers in Rome. Her name was Priscilla and his name was Aquila (Romans 16:3). The wife is mentioned first here. They are mentioned in the reverse order in other places in the Bible. If bearing responsibility or explaining the Word of God is in view, Aquila is mentioned first. And if a practical service within the family is in view, for which the wife primarily is responsible, Priscilla is mentioned first, as here. In Acts 18 we read that Paul had stayed with them (Acts 18:1-3). The rest of Acts 18 shows it was dangerous to have someone like Paul in your house. This couple had even risked their lives for him. Because of this, Paul was very grateful to them.

But the assemblies of the nations could also be grateful to them. For through their courage, the assemblies of the nations could continue to reap profit from Paul’s service. Likewise, when you’re doing something for a servant of the Lord, it is also a service to others who are served by this servant.

I want to end by pointing out the last part of Rom 16:16. Paul not only asks the believers to greet his acquaintances, but he sends greetings from all who were connected with them: “All the churches of Christ greet you.” The church in Rome was linked with all the churches of Christ that existed in all sorts of places on earth. How good it is when this too is experienced. You know the church is very divided, outwardly. Is it still possible to experience the unity of the church? Yes, it is still possible. How can this be experienced? That’s what the next letter, the first letter to the Corinthians, is about.

Now read Romans 16:1-16 again.

Reflection: Send greetings to someone who has not heard from you for a long time.

1 Corinthians 7:3

Greetings and Much More

Romans 16:1-16. Greetings! Look at all those names. Some are real tongue twisters. Shouldn’t we skip this section? To Paul, these names meant a lot. They were people who belonged to the Lord Jesus. Here you have a practical example of the unity of the believers. You greet people for whom you feel something special and with whom you are linked in a certain way. They are people you don’t see every day. Maybe you have never seen them and you have only heard of them. But what you have heard gives you the sense of unity, of belonging together. It can be very encouraging then to receive someone’s greeting. It makes you realize someone is thinking of you. This encourages you.

So greetings are important. They emphasize something you share. When someone tells you to greet this or that brother or sister, this is an important assignment. And so Paul here tells the believers in Rome they should greet a number of brothers and sisters.

What is striking in these greetings is something is added to many of the names. To Paul, this wasn’t just a heap of names. These persons meant something to him. Every one meant something different. With everyone he had a special relationship. In this way, your relationship with every brother and sister will be different. If you begin to have an eye for this difference, it will result in a huge enrichment in the interactions with your brothers and sisters. There are names too that Paul mentions without adding something. You may ask yourself whether there was nothing special to mention. Was there nothing that made them noteworthy? Were they boring brothers and sisters? I don’t know. Maybe they were simply inconspicuous brothers and sisters. In any case, they were included.

You see the same difference with the Lord’s disciples. Of some, we don’t know much because not much is said about them. Of others, we know much more because a lot is told about them. But there are disciples of whom we only know their names. What they did has been kept hidden from us. But God knows it and He doesn’t forget to appreciate their value.

God has His own way with every believer. It’s nice when something more can be said of you than your name alone, but this is not to make yourself more important. It must be clear that you’re driven by love for the Lord Jesus. You see this often with the names that Paul mentions. Often, something is added about the Lord Jesus. He was the motive for their labor.

I will only say something about some of the names. Think about the other ones for yourself. The first one mentioned is Phoebe, “our sister” (Romans 16:1). Paul had a keen eye for the service of sisters. Of all the names he mentions, the first one is a sister’s. And more are mentioned in these verses. Phoebe must have been a special woman. She had served the believers in a practical way. Maybe she had received them in a hospitable way or maybe she made visits. Maybe she wrote encouraging letters. However it may have been, by her service she had assisted many. This means the things she did sustained and helped many to be strengthened. Paul had experienced this as a blessing.

Therefore he could commend her to the believers in Rome. When Phoebe came to them, they were to receive her in a worthy manner and to assist and sustain her. This is really a letter of commendation for Phoebe.

Then there was a couple which Paul especially brought to the attention to the believers in Rome. Her name was Priscilla and his name was Aquila (Romans 16:3). The wife is mentioned first here. They are mentioned in the reverse order in other places in the Bible. If bearing responsibility or explaining the Word of God is in view, Aquila is mentioned first. And if a practical service within the family is in view, for which the wife primarily is responsible, Priscilla is mentioned first, as here. In Acts 18 we read that Paul had stayed with them (Acts 18:1-3). The rest of Acts 18 shows it was dangerous to have someone like Paul in your house. This couple had even risked their lives for him. Because of this, Paul was very grateful to them.

But the assemblies of the nations could also be grateful to them. For through their courage, the assemblies of the nations could continue to reap profit from Paul’s service. Likewise, when you’re doing something for a servant of the Lord, it is also a service to others who are served by this servant.

I want to end by pointing out the last part of Rom 16:16. Paul not only asks the believers to greet his acquaintances, but he sends greetings from all who were connected with them: “All the churches of Christ greet you.” The church in Rome was linked with all the churches of Christ that existed in all sorts of places on earth. How good it is when this too is experienced. You know the church is very divided, outwardly. Is it still possible to experience the unity of the church? Yes, it is still possible. How can this be experienced? That’s what the next letter, the first letter to the Corinthians, is about.

Now read Romans 16:1-16 again.

Reflection: Send greetings to someone who has not heard from you for a long time.

1 Corinthians 7:4

Greetings and Much More

Romans 16:1-16. Greetings! Look at all those names. Some are real tongue twisters. Shouldn’t we skip this section? To Paul, these names meant a lot. They were people who belonged to the Lord Jesus. Here you have a practical example of the unity of the believers. You greet people for whom you feel something special and with whom you are linked in a certain way. They are people you don’t see every day. Maybe you have never seen them and you have only heard of them. But what you have heard gives you the sense of unity, of belonging together. It can be very encouraging then to receive someone’s greeting. It makes you realize someone is thinking of you. This encourages you.

So greetings are important. They emphasize something you share. When someone tells you to greet this or that brother or sister, this is an important assignment. And so Paul here tells the believers in Rome they should greet a number of brothers and sisters.

What is striking in these greetings is something is added to many of the names. To Paul, this wasn’t just a heap of names. These persons meant something to him. Every one meant something different. With everyone he had a special relationship. In this way, your relationship with every brother and sister will be different. If you begin to have an eye for this difference, it will result in a huge enrichment in the interactions with your brothers and sisters. There are names too that Paul mentions without adding something. You may ask yourself whether there was nothing special to mention. Was there nothing that made them noteworthy? Were they boring brothers and sisters? I don’t know. Maybe they were simply inconspicuous brothers and sisters. In any case, they were included.

You see the same difference with the Lord’s disciples. Of some, we don’t know much because not much is said about them. Of others, we know much more because a lot is told about them. But there are disciples of whom we only know their names. What they did has been kept hidden from us. But God knows it and He doesn’t forget to appreciate their value.

God has His own way with every believer. It’s nice when something more can be said of you than your name alone, but this is not to make yourself more important. It must be clear that you’re driven by love for the Lord Jesus. You see this often with the names that Paul mentions. Often, something is added about the Lord Jesus. He was the motive for their labor.

I will only say something about some of the names. Think about the other ones for yourself. The first one mentioned is Phoebe, “our sister” (Romans 16:1). Paul had a keen eye for the service of sisters. Of all the names he mentions, the first one is a sister’s. And more are mentioned in these verses. Phoebe must have been a special woman. She had served the believers in a practical way. Maybe she had received them in a hospitable way or maybe she made visits. Maybe she wrote encouraging letters. However it may have been, by her service she had assisted many. This means the things she did sustained and helped many to be strengthened. Paul had experienced this as a blessing.

Therefore he could commend her to the believers in Rome. When Phoebe came to them, they were to receive her in a worthy manner and to assist and sustain her. This is really a letter of commendation for Phoebe.

Then there was a couple which Paul especially brought to the attention to the believers in Rome. Her name was Priscilla and his name was Aquila (Romans 16:3). The wife is mentioned first here. They are mentioned in the reverse order in other places in the Bible. If bearing responsibility or explaining the Word of God is in view, Aquila is mentioned first. And if a practical service within the family is in view, for which the wife primarily is responsible, Priscilla is mentioned first, as here. In Acts 18 we read that Paul had stayed with them (Acts 18:1-3). The rest of Acts 18 shows it was dangerous to have someone like Paul in your house. This couple had even risked their lives for him. Because of this, Paul was very grateful to them.

But the assemblies of the nations could also be grateful to them. For through their courage, the assemblies of the nations could continue to reap profit from Paul’s service. Likewise, when you’re doing something for a servant of the Lord, it is also a service to others who are served by this servant.

I want to end by pointing out the last part of Rom 16:16. Paul not only asks the believers to greet his acquaintances, but he sends greetings from all who were connected with them: “All the churches of Christ greet you.” The church in Rome was linked with all the churches of Christ that existed in all sorts of places on earth. How good it is when this too is experienced. You know the church is very divided, outwardly. Is it still possible to experience the unity of the church? Yes, it is still possible. How can this be experienced? That’s what the next letter, the first letter to the Corinthians, is about.

Now read Romans 16:1-16 again.

Reflection: Send greetings to someone who has not heard from you for a long time.

1 Corinthians 7:5

Greetings and Much More

Romans 16:1-16. Greetings! Look at all those names. Some are real tongue twisters. Shouldn’t we skip this section? To Paul, these names meant a lot. They were people who belonged to the Lord Jesus. Here you have a practical example of the unity of the believers. You greet people for whom you feel something special and with whom you are linked in a certain way. They are people you don’t see every day. Maybe you have never seen them and you have only heard of them. But what you have heard gives you the sense of unity, of belonging together. It can be very encouraging then to receive someone’s greeting. It makes you realize someone is thinking of you. This encourages you.

So greetings are important. They emphasize something you share. When someone tells you to greet this or that brother or sister, this is an important assignment. And so Paul here tells the believers in Rome they should greet a number of brothers and sisters.

What is striking in these greetings is something is added to many of the names. To Paul, this wasn’t just a heap of names. These persons meant something to him. Every one meant something different. With everyone he had a special relationship. In this way, your relationship with every brother and sister will be different. If you begin to have an eye for this difference, it will result in a huge enrichment in the interactions with your brothers and sisters. There are names too that Paul mentions without adding something. You may ask yourself whether there was nothing special to mention. Was there nothing that made them noteworthy? Were they boring brothers and sisters? I don’t know. Maybe they were simply inconspicuous brothers and sisters. In any case, they were included.

You see the same difference with the Lord’s disciples. Of some, we don’t know much because not much is said about them. Of others, we know much more because a lot is told about them. But there are disciples of whom we only know their names. What they did has been kept hidden from us. But God knows it and He doesn’t forget to appreciate their value.

God has His own way with every believer. It’s nice when something more can be said of you than your name alone, but this is not to make yourself more important. It must be clear that you’re driven by love for the Lord Jesus. You see this often with the names that Paul mentions. Often, something is added about the Lord Jesus. He was the motive for their labor.

I will only say something about some of the names. Think about the other ones for yourself. The first one mentioned is Phoebe, “our sister” (Romans 16:1). Paul had a keen eye for the service of sisters. Of all the names he mentions, the first one is a sister’s. And more are mentioned in these verses. Phoebe must have been a special woman. She had served the believers in a practical way. Maybe she had received them in a hospitable way or maybe she made visits. Maybe she wrote encouraging letters. However it may have been, by her service she had assisted many. This means the things she did sustained and helped many to be strengthened. Paul had experienced this as a blessing.

Therefore he could commend her to the believers in Rome. When Phoebe came to them, they were to receive her in a worthy manner and to assist and sustain her. This is really a letter of commendation for Phoebe.

Then there was a couple which Paul especially brought to the attention to the believers in Rome. Her name was Priscilla and his name was Aquila (Romans 16:3). The wife is mentioned first here. They are mentioned in the reverse order in other places in the Bible. If bearing responsibility or explaining the Word of God is in view, Aquila is mentioned first. And if a practical service within the family is in view, for which the wife primarily is responsible, Priscilla is mentioned first, as here. In Acts 18 we read that Paul had stayed with them (Acts 18:1-3). The rest of Acts 18 shows it was dangerous to have someone like Paul in your house. This couple had even risked their lives for him. Because of this, Paul was very grateful to them.

But the assemblies of the nations could also be grateful to them. For through their courage, the assemblies of the nations could continue to reap profit from Paul’s service. Likewise, when you’re doing something for a servant of the Lord, it is also a service to others who are served by this servant.

I want to end by pointing out the last part of Rom 16:16. Paul not only asks the believers to greet his acquaintances, but he sends greetings from all who were connected with them: “All the churches of Christ greet you.” The church in Rome was linked with all the churches of Christ that existed in all sorts of places on earth. How good it is when this too is experienced. You know the church is very divided, outwardly. Is it still possible to experience the unity of the church? Yes, it is still possible. How can this be experienced? That’s what the next letter, the first letter to the Corinthians, is about.

Now read Romans 16:1-16 again.

Reflection: Send greetings to someone who has not heard from you for a long time.

1 Corinthians 7:6

Greetings and Much More

Romans 16:1-16. Greetings! Look at all those names. Some are real tongue twisters. Shouldn’t we skip this section? To Paul, these names meant a lot. They were people who belonged to the Lord Jesus. Here you have a practical example of the unity of the believers. You greet people for whom you feel something special and with whom you are linked in a certain way. They are people you don’t see every day. Maybe you have never seen them and you have only heard of them. But what you have heard gives you the sense of unity, of belonging together. It can be very encouraging then to receive someone’s greeting. It makes you realize someone is thinking of you. This encourages you.

So greetings are important. They emphasize something you share. When someone tells you to greet this or that brother or sister, this is an important assignment. And so Paul here tells the believers in Rome they should greet a number of brothers and sisters.

What is striking in these greetings is something is added to many of the names. To Paul, this wasn’t just a heap of names. These persons meant something to him. Every one meant something different. With everyone he had a special relationship. In this way, your relationship with every brother and sister will be different. If you begin to have an eye for this difference, it will result in a huge enrichment in the interactions with your brothers and sisters. There are names too that Paul mentions without adding something. You may ask yourself whether there was nothing special to mention. Was there nothing that made them noteworthy? Were they boring brothers and sisters? I don’t know. Maybe they were simply inconspicuous brothers and sisters. In any case, they were included.

You see the same difference with the Lord’s disciples. Of some, we don’t know much because not much is said about them. Of others, we know much more because a lot is told about them. But there are disciples of whom we only know their names. What they did has been kept hidden from us. But God knows it and He doesn’t forget to appreciate their value.

God has His own way with every believer. It’s nice when something more can be said of you than your name alone, but this is not to make yourself more important. It must be clear that you’re driven by love for the Lord Jesus. You see this often with the names that Paul mentions. Often, something is added about the Lord Jesus. He was the motive for their labor.

I will only say something about some of the names. Think about the other ones for yourself. The first one mentioned is Phoebe, “our sister” (Romans 16:1). Paul had a keen eye for the service of sisters. Of all the names he mentions, the first one is a sister’s. And more are mentioned in these verses. Phoebe must have been a special woman. She had served the believers in a practical way. Maybe she had received them in a hospitable way or maybe she made visits. Maybe she wrote encouraging letters. However it may have been, by her service she had assisted many. This means the things she did sustained and helped many to be strengthened. Paul had experienced this as a blessing.

Therefore he could commend her to the believers in Rome. When Phoebe came to them, they were to receive her in a worthy manner and to assist and sustain her. This is really a letter of commendation for Phoebe.

Then there was a couple which Paul especially brought to the attention to the believers in Rome. Her name was Priscilla and his name was Aquila (Romans 16:3). The wife is mentioned first here. They are mentioned in the reverse order in other places in the Bible. If bearing responsibility or explaining the Word of God is in view, Aquila is mentioned first. And if a practical service within the family is in view, for which the wife primarily is responsible, Priscilla is mentioned first, as here. In Acts 18 we read that Paul had stayed with them (Acts 18:1-3). The rest of Acts 18 shows it was dangerous to have someone like Paul in your house. This couple had even risked their lives for him. Because of this, Paul was very grateful to them.

But the assemblies of the nations could also be grateful to them. For through their courage, the assemblies of the nations could continue to reap profit from Paul’s service. Likewise, when you’re doing something for a servant of the Lord, it is also a service to others who are served by this servant.

I want to end by pointing out the last part of Rom 16:16. Paul not only asks the believers to greet his acquaintances, but he sends greetings from all who were connected with them: “All the churches of Christ greet you.” The church in Rome was linked with all the churches of Christ that existed in all sorts of places on earth. How good it is when this too is experienced. You know the church is very divided, outwardly. Is it still possible to experience the unity of the church? Yes, it is still possible. How can this be experienced? That’s what the next letter, the first letter to the Corinthians, is about.

Now read Romans 16:1-16 again.

Reflection: Send greetings to someone who has not heard from you for a long time.

1 Corinthians 7:7

Be Wise in What Is Good

Romans 16:17. In Romans 14 you have seen that the brothers and sisters in the church in Rome didn’t think the same about everything. This was about observing certain days and eating or not eating certain foods. In Rome there were brothers and sisters who were not yet completely free of the influences of Judaism. They had to learn to live with these differences and to bear with one another regarding them. But now Paul tells them something about people whom they shouldn’t bear with. Tolerance is a fine characteristic in dealing with weaknesses, but tolerance is definitely wrong in dealing with wrong, sinful, unscriptural things. You cannot tolerate these things.

If there are people among the believers who generate division and offenses contrary to the doctrine that has been taught you, you must turn away from them. The devil is always trying to cause divisions and quarrels among believers. He often follows the same approach as the one he followed with Eve at the fall in the Garden of Eden at the beginning of the Bible. He comes with the crafty question: “Indeed, has God said?” (Genesis 3:1). This is how he sowed doubt in Eve’s heart about the things God had clearly said. In the same way satan tries to sow doubt among the believers about “the teaching”.

Romans 16:18. ”The teaching” is not a dull theory, but the living teaching of the Word of God. Yet there are always people who want to make you believe it’s not really meant as said in the Bible and as you have learned it. You must “turn away from” such people. You hear these people speak more about themselves than about the Lord Jesus. They know exactly how to say or write things to mislead unsuspecting believers. These people don’t serve our Lord Jesus, but their belly. It’s only about themselves.

Romans 16:19. I hope it can be said of your obedience that it “has reached to all” and that other brothers and sisters have taken notice of it. Then you would not fall prey to those who sow division. To protect yourself from these people you need to be wise in what is good, but innocent in what is evil. Therefore, occupy yourself with good things and not with evil. Occupy yourself with the Word of God and with the Lord Jesus. You don’t have to inquire into the evil practices of this world to know how evil it all is. Rather, keep yourself far away from it. You shouldn’t try out evil. If you do, it will bring you down.

A number of young people have played with occult games out of curiosity and have become entangled in the occult step by step. Some started with gambling only once and ended up as addicts. Others smoked one cigarette, with or without marijuana, to be tough, and ended up addicted in the drug scene. Don’t try out sin! Take warning. The world you live in is now in satan’s hands. Maybe you know from bitter experience how corrupt the world is. If you have only recently been converted, you will abhor evil. Then you will keep yourself clear from it. Still, temptations will soon come to get you to join in again. Therefore, take care to be wise as to what is good. Persevere!

Romans 16:20. Satan may hold sway in this world now; very soon he will be crushed under our feet. Do you know by whom? By “the God of peace”. What satan wants is to bring discord. The God of peace will put an end to it. When you keep this before your eyes, you will keep peace in your heart. In this way the God of peace will remain your aim and satan would not have an opportunity to occupy you with evil. To make this true in your life, you are wished “the grace of our Lord Jesus”.

Romans 16:21-24. Some more greetings follow from individual believers to the church in Rome. Tertius is among them. He wrote down what Paul dictated to him. This was how Paul usually did. As a kind of signature he sometimes added a personal greeting at the end, as in 1 Corinthians 16 (1 Corinthians 16:21). In an exceptional case he would write the letter himself. The situation in the assemblies in Galatia was so serious that Paul took pen in hand to write them about it (Galatians 6:11). Whether or not Paul made use of a writer doesn’t diminish the authority of what is written. He, as an apostle, was the author and sender.

God wants you to know everything written down in this letter to the Romans. Your justification before God was the main concern. But with this, not everything has been said that God has to say to you. In the last verses of this letter you’ll read some more things that are in God’s heart to make known to you.

Now read Romans 16:17-24 again.

Reflection: How can you be wise as to what is good?

1 Corinthians 7:8

Be Wise in What Is Good

Romans 16:17. In Romans 14 you have seen that the brothers and sisters in the church in Rome didn’t think the same about everything. This was about observing certain days and eating or not eating certain foods. In Rome there were brothers and sisters who were not yet completely free of the influences of Judaism. They had to learn to live with these differences and to bear with one another regarding them. But now Paul tells them something about people whom they shouldn’t bear with. Tolerance is a fine characteristic in dealing with weaknesses, but tolerance is definitely wrong in dealing with wrong, sinful, unscriptural things. You cannot tolerate these things.

If there are people among the believers who generate division and offenses contrary to the doctrine that has been taught you, you must turn away from them. The devil is always trying to cause divisions and quarrels among believers. He often follows the same approach as the one he followed with Eve at the fall in the Garden of Eden at the beginning of the Bible. He comes with the crafty question: “Indeed, has God said?” (Genesis 3:1). This is how he sowed doubt in Eve’s heart about the things God had clearly said. In the same way satan tries to sow doubt among the believers about “the teaching”.

Romans 16:18. ”The teaching” is not a dull theory, but the living teaching of the Word of God. Yet there are always people who want to make you believe it’s not really meant as said in the Bible and as you have learned it. You must “turn away from” such people. You hear these people speak more about themselves than about the Lord Jesus. They know exactly how to say or write things to mislead unsuspecting believers. These people don’t serve our Lord Jesus, but their belly. It’s only about themselves.

Romans 16:19. I hope it can be said of your obedience that it “has reached to all” and that other brothers and sisters have taken notice of it. Then you would not fall prey to those who sow division. To protect yourself from these people you need to be wise in what is good, but innocent in what is evil. Therefore, occupy yourself with good things and not with evil. Occupy yourself with the Word of God and with the Lord Jesus. You don’t have to inquire into the evil practices of this world to know how evil it all is. Rather, keep yourself far away from it. You shouldn’t try out evil. If you do, it will bring you down.

A number of young people have played with occult games out of curiosity and have become entangled in the occult step by step. Some started with gambling only once and ended up as addicts. Others smoked one cigarette, with or without marijuana, to be tough, and ended up addicted in the drug scene. Don’t try out sin! Take warning. The world you live in is now in satan’s hands. Maybe you know from bitter experience how corrupt the world is. If you have only recently been converted, you will abhor evil. Then you will keep yourself clear from it. Still, temptations will soon come to get you to join in again. Therefore, take care to be wise as to what is good. Persevere!

Romans 16:20. Satan may hold sway in this world now; very soon he will be crushed under our feet. Do you know by whom? By “the God of peace”. What satan wants is to bring discord. The God of peace will put an end to it. When you keep this before your eyes, you will keep peace in your heart. In this way the God of peace will remain your aim and satan would not have an opportunity to occupy you with evil. To make this true in your life, you are wished “the grace of our Lord Jesus”.

Romans 16:21-24. Some more greetings follow from individual believers to the church in Rome. Tertius is among them. He wrote down what Paul dictated to him. This was how Paul usually did. As a kind of signature he sometimes added a personal greeting at the end, as in 1 Corinthians 16 (1 Corinthians 16:21). In an exceptional case he would write the letter himself. The situation in the assemblies in Galatia was so serious that Paul took pen in hand to write them about it (Galatians 6:11). Whether or not Paul made use of a writer doesn’t diminish the authority of what is written. He, as an apostle, was the author and sender.

God wants you to know everything written down in this letter to the Romans. Your justification before God was the main concern. But with this, not everything has been said that God has to say to you. In the last verses of this letter you’ll read some more things that are in God’s heart to make known to you.

Now read Romans 16:17-24 again.

Reflection: How can you be wise as to what is good?

1 Corinthians 7:9

Be Wise in What Is Good

Romans 16:17. In Romans 14 you have seen that the brothers and sisters in the church in Rome didn’t think the same about everything. This was about observing certain days and eating or not eating certain foods. In Rome there were brothers and sisters who were not yet completely free of the influences of Judaism. They had to learn to live with these differences and to bear with one another regarding them. But now Paul tells them something about people whom they shouldn’t bear with. Tolerance is a fine characteristic in dealing with weaknesses, but tolerance is definitely wrong in dealing with wrong, sinful, unscriptural things. You cannot tolerate these things.

If there are people among the believers who generate division and offenses contrary to the doctrine that has been taught you, you must turn away from them. The devil is always trying to cause divisions and quarrels among believers. He often follows the same approach as the one he followed with Eve at the fall in the Garden of Eden at the beginning of the Bible. He comes with the crafty question: “Indeed, has God said?” (Genesis 3:1). This is how he sowed doubt in Eve’s heart about the things God had clearly said. In the same way satan tries to sow doubt among the believers about “the teaching”.

Romans 16:18. ”The teaching” is not a dull theory, but the living teaching of the Word of God. Yet there are always people who want to make you believe it’s not really meant as said in the Bible and as you have learned it. You must “turn away from” such people. You hear these people speak more about themselves than about the Lord Jesus. They know exactly how to say or write things to mislead unsuspecting believers. These people don’t serve our Lord Jesus, but their belly. It’s only about themselves.

Romans 16:19. I hope it can be said of your obedience that it “has reached to all” and that other brothers and sisters have taken notice of it. Then you would not fall prey to those who sow division. To protect yourself from these people you need to be wise in what is good, but innocent in what is evil. Therefore, occupy yourself with good things and not with evil. Occupy yourself with the Word of God and with the Lord Jesus. You don’t have to inquire into the evil practices of this world to know how evil it all is. Rather, keep yourself far away from it. You shouldn’t try out evil. If you do, it will bring you down.

A number of young people have played with occult games out of curiosity and have become entangled in the occult step by step. Some started with gambling only once and ended up as addicts. Others smoked one cigarette, with or without marijuana, to be tough, and ended up addicted in the drug scene. Don’t try out sin! Take warning. The world you live in is now in satan’s hands. Maybe you know from bitter experience how corrupt the world is. If you have only recently been converted, you will abhor evil. Then you will keep yourself clear from it. Still, temptations will soon come to get you to join in again. Therefore, take care to be wise as to what is good. Persevere!

Romans 16:20. Satan may hold sway in this world now; very soon he will be crushed under our feet. Do you know by whom? By “the God of peace”. What satan wants is to bring discord. The God of peace will put an end to it. When you keep this before your eyes, you will keep peace in your heart. In this way the God of peace will remain your aim and satan would not have an opportunity to occupy you with evil. To make this true in your life, you are wished “the grace of our Lord Jesus”.

Romans 16:21-24. Some more greetings follow from individual believers to the church in Rome. Tertius is among them. He wrote down what Paul dictated to him. This was how Paul usually did. As a kind of signature he sometimes added a personal greeting at the end, as in 1 Corinthians 16 (1 Corinthians 16:21). In an exceptional case he would write the letter himself. The situation in the assemblies in Galatia was so serious that Paul took pen in hand to write them about it (Galatians 6:11). Whether or not Paul made use of a writer doesn’t diminish the authority of what is written. He, as an apostle, was the author and sender.

God wants you to know everything written down in this letter to the Romans. Your justification before God was the main concern. But with this, not everything has been said that God has to say to you. In the last verses of this letter you’ll read some more things that are in God’s heart to make known to you.

Now read Romans 16:17-24 again.

Reflection: How can you be wise as to what is good?

1 Corinthians 7:10

Be Wise in What Is Good

Romans 16:17. In Romans 14 you have seen that the brothers and sisters in the church in Rome didn’t think the same about everything. This was about observing certain days and eating or not eating certain foods. In Rome there were brothers and sisters who were not yet completely free of the influences of Judaism. They had to learn to live with these differences and to bear with one another regarding them. But now Paul tells them something about people whom they shouldn’t bear with. Tolerance is a fine characteristic in dealing with weaknesses, but tolerance is definitely wrong in dealing with wrong, sinful, unscriptural things. You cannot tolerate these things.

If there are people among the believers who generate division and offenses contrary to the doctrine that has been taught you, you must turn away from them. The devil is always trying to cause divisions and quarrels among believers. He often follows the same approach as the one he followed with Eve at the fall in the Garden of Eden at the beginning of the Bible. He comes with the crafty question: “Indeed, has God said?” (Genesis 3:1). This is how he sowed doubt in Eve’s heart about the things God had clearly said. In the same way satan tries to sow doubt among the believers about “the teaching”.

Romans 16:18. ”The teaching” is not a dull theory, but the living teaching of the Word of God. Yet there are always people who want to make you believe it’s not really meant as said in the Bible and as you have learned it. You must “turn away from” such people. You hear these people speak more about themselves than about the Lord Jesus. They know exactly how to say or write things to mislead unsuspecting believers. These people don’t serve our Lord Jesus, but their belly. It’s only about themselves.

Romans 16:19. I hope it can be said of your obedience that it “has reached to all” and that other brothers and sisters have taken notice of it. Then you would not fall prey to those who sow division. To protect yourself from these people you need to be wise in what is good, but innocent in what is evil. Therefore, occupy yourself with good things and not with evil. Occupy yourself with the Word of God and with the Lord Jesus. You don’t have to inquire into the evil practices of this world to know how evil it all is. Rather, keep yourself far away from it. You shouldn’t try out evil. If you do, it will bring you down.

A number of young people have played with occult games out of curiosity and have become entangled in the occult step by step. Some started with gambling only once and ended up as addicts. Others smoked one cigarette, with or without marijuana, to be tough, and ended up addicted in the drug scene. Don’t try out sin! Take warning. The world you live in is now in satan’s hands. Maybe you know from bitter experience how corrupt the world is. If you have only recently been converted, you will abhor evil. Then you will keep yourself clear from it. Still, temptations will soon come to get you to join in again. Therefore, take care to be wise as to what is good. Persevere!

Romans 16:20. Satan may hold sway in this world now; very soon he will be crushed under our feet. Do you know by whom? By “the God of peace”. What satan wants is to bring discord. The God of peace will put an end to it. When you keep this before your eyes, you will keep peace in your heart. In this way the God of peace will remain your aim and satan would not have an opportunity to occupy you with evil. To make this true in your life, you are wished “the grace of our Lord Jesus”.

Romans 16:21-24. Some more greetings follow from individual believers to the church in Rome. Tertius is among them. He wrote down what Paul dictated to him. This was how Paul usually did. As a kind of signature he sometimes added a personal greeting at the end, as in 1 Corinthians 16 (1 Corinthians 16:21). In an exceptional case he would write the letter himself. The situation in the assemblies in Galatia was so serious that Paul took pen in hand to write them about it (Galatians 6:11). Whether or not Paul made use of a writer doesn’t diminish the authority of what is written. He, as an apostle, was the author and sender.

God wants you to know everything written down in this letter to the Romans. Your justification before God was the main concern. But with this, not everything has been said that God has to say to you. In the last verses of this letter you’ll read some more things that are in God’s heart to make known to you.

Now read Romans 16:17-24 again.

Reflection: How can you be wise as to what is good?

1 Corinthians 7:11

Be Wise in What Is Good

Romans 16:17. In Romans 14 you have seen that the brothers and sisters in the church in Rome didn’t think the same about everything. This was about observing certain days and eating or not eating certain foods. In Rome there were brothers and sisters who were not yet completely free of the influences of Judaism. They had to learn to live with these differences and to bear with one another regarding them. But now Paul tells them something about people whom they shouldn’t bear with. Tolerance is a fine characteristic in dealing with weaknesses, but tolerance is definitely wrong in dealing with wrong, sinful, unscriptural things. You cannot tolerate these things.

If there are people among the believers who generate division and offenses contrary to the doctrine that has been taught you, you must turn away from them. The devil is always trying to cause divisions and quarrels among believers. He often follows the same approach as the one he followed with Eve at the fall in the Garden of Eden at the beginning of the Bible. He comes with the crafty question: “Indeed, has God said?” (Genesis 3:1). This is how he sowed doubt in Eve’s heart about the things God had clearly said. In the same way satan tries to sow doubt among the believers about “the teaching”.

Romans 16:18. ”The teaching” is not a dull theory, but the living teaching of the Word of God. Yet there are always people who want to make you believe it’s not really meant as said in the Bible and as you have learned it. You must “turn away from” such people. You hear these people speak more about themselves than about the Lord Jesus. They know exactly how to say or write things to mislead unsuspecting believers. These people don’t serve our Lord Jesus, but their belly. It’s only about themselves.

Romans 16:19. I hope it can be said of your obedience that it “has reached to all” and that other brothers and sisters have taken notice of it. Then you would not fall prey to those who sow division. To protect yourself from these people you need to be wise in what is good, but innocent in what is evil. Therefore, occupy yourself with good things and not with evil. Occupy yourself with the Word of God and with the Lord Jesus. You don’t have to inquire into the evil practices of this world to know how evil it all is. Rather, keep yourself far away from it. You shouldn’t try out evil. If you do, it will bring you down.

A number of young people have played with occult games out of curiosity and have become entangled in the occult step by step. Some started with gambling only once and ended up as addicts. Others smoked one cigarette, with or without marijuana, to be tough, and ended up addicted in the drug scene. Don’t try out sin! Take warning. The world you live in is now in satan’s hands. Maybe you know from bitter experience how corrupt the world is. If you have only recently been converted, you will abhor evil. Then you will keep yourself clear from it. Still, temptations will soon come to get you to join in again. Therefore, take care to be wise as to what is good. Persevere!

Romans 16:20. Satan may hold sway in this world now; very soon he will be crushed under our feet. Do you know by whom? By “the God of peace”. What satan wants is to bring discord. The God of peace will put an end to it. When you keep this before your eyes, you will keep peace in your heart. In this way the God of peace will remain your aim and satan would not have an opportunity to occupy you with evil. To make this true in your life, you are wished “the grace of our Lord Jesus”.

Romans 16:21-24. Some more greetings follow from individual believers to the church in Rome. Tertius is among them. He wrote down what Paul dictated to him. This was how Paul usually did. As a kind of signature he sometimes added a personal greeting at the end, as in 1 Corinthians 16 (1 Corinthians 16:21). In an exceptional case he would write the letter himself. The situation in the assemblies in Galatia was so serious that Paul took pen in hand to write them about it (Galatians 6:11). Whether or not Paul made use of a writer doesn’t diminish the authority of what is written. He, as an apostle, was the author and sender.

God wants you to know everything written down in this letter to the Romans. Your justification before God was the main concern. But with this, not everything has been said that God has to say to you. In the last verses of this letter you’ll read some more things that are in God’s heart to make known to you.

Now read Romans 16:17-24 again.

Reflection: How can you be wise as to what is good?

1 Corinthians 7:12

Be Wise in What Is Good

Romans 16:17. In Romans 14 you have seen that the brothers and sisters in the church in Rome didn’t think the same about everything. This was about observing certain days and eating or not eating certain foods. In Rome there were brothers and sisters who were not yet completely free of the influences of Judaism. They had to learn to live with these differences and to bear with one another regarding them. But now Paul tells them something about people whom they shouldn’t bear with. Tolerance is a fine characteristic in dealing with weaknesses, but tolerance is definitely wrong in dealing with wrong, sinful, unscriptural things. You cannot tolerate these things.

If there are people among the believers who generate division and offenses contrary to the doctrine that has been taught you, you must turn away from them. The devil is always trying to cause divisions and quarrels among believers. He often follows the same approach as the one he followed with Eve at the fall in the Garden of Eden at the beginning of the Bible. He comes with the crafty question: “Indeed, has God said?” (Genesis 3:1). This is how he sowed doubt in Eve’s heart about the things God had clearly said. In the same way satan tries to sow doubt among the believers about “the teaching”.

Romans 16:18. ”The teaching” is not a dull theory, but the living teaching of the Word of God. Yet there are always people who want to make you believe it’s not really meant as said in the Bible and as you have learned it. You must “turn away from” such people. You hear these people speak more about themselves than about the Lord Jesus. They know exactly how to say or write things to mislead unsuspecting believers. These people don’t serve our Lord Jesus, but their belly. It’s only about themselves.

Romans 16:19. I hope it can be said of your obedience that it “has reached to all” and that other brothers and sisters have taken notice of it. Then you would not fall prey to those who sow division. To protect yourself from these people you need to be wise in what is good, but innocent in what is evil. Therefore, occupy yourself with good things and not with evil. Occupy yourself with the Word of God and with the Lord Jesus. You don’t have to inquire into the evil practices of this world to know how evil it all is. Rather, keep yourself far away from it. You shouldn’t try out evil. If you do, it will bring you down.

A number of young people have played with occult games out of curiosity and have become entangled in the occult step by step. Some started with gambling only once and ended up as addicts. Others smoked one cigarette, with or without marijuana, to be tough, and ended up addicted in the drug scene. Don’t try out sin! Take warning. The world you live in is now in satan’s hands. Maybe you know from bitter experience how corrupt the world is. If you have only recently been converted, you will abhor evil. Then you will keep yourself clear from it. Still, temptations will soon come to get you to join in again. Therefore, take care to be wise as to what is good. Persevere!

Romans 16:20. Satan may hold sway in this world now; very soon he will be crushed under our feet. Do you know by whom? By “the God of peace”. What satan wants is to bring discord. The God of peace will put an end to it. When you keep this before your eyes, you will keep peace in your heart. In this way the God of peace will remain your aim and satan would not have an opportunity to occupy you with evil. To make this true in your life, you are wished “the grace of our Lord Jesus”.

Romans 16:21-24. Some more greetings follow from individual believers to the church in Rome. Tertius is among them. He wrote down what Paul dictated to him. This was how Paul usually did. As a kind of signature he sometimes added a personal greeting at the end, as in 1 Corinthians 16 (1 Corinthians 16:21). In an exceptional case he would write the letter himself. The situation in the assemblies in Galatia was so serious that Paul took pen in hand to write them about it (Galatians 6:11). Whether or not Paul made use of a writer doesn’t diminish the authority of what is written. He, as an apostle, was the author and sender.

God wants you to know everything written down in this letter to the Romans. Your justification before God was the main concern. But with this, not everything has been said that God has to say to you. In the last verses of this letter you’ll read some more things that are in God’s heart to make known to you.

Now read Romans 16:17-24 again.

Reflection: How can you be wise as to what is good?

1 Corinthians 7:13

Be Wise in What Is Good

Romans 16:17. In Romans 14 you have seen that the brothers and sisters in the church in Rome didn’t think the same about everything. This was about observing certain days and eating or not eating certain foods. In Rome there were brothers and sisters who were not yet completely free of the influences of Judaism. They had to learn to live with these differences and to bear with one another regarding them. But now Paul tells them something about people whom they shouldn’t bear with. Tolerance is a fine characteristic in dealing with weaknesses, but tolerance is definitely wrong in dealing with wrong, sinful, unscriptural things. You cannot tolerate these things.

If there are people among the believers who generate division and offenses contrary to the doctrine that has been taught you, you must turn away from them. The devil is always trying to cause divisions and quarrels among believers. He often follows the same approach as the one he followed with Eve at the fall in the Garden of Eden at the beginning of the Bible. He comes with the crafty question: “Indeed, has God said?” (Genesis 3:1). This is how he sowed doubt in Eve’s heart about the things God had clearly said. In the same way satan tries to sow doubt among the believers about “the teaching”.

Romans 16:18. ”The teaching” is not a dull theory, but the living teaching of the Word of God. Yet there are always people who want to make you believe it’s not really meant as said in the Bible and as you have learned it. You must “turn away from” such people. You hear these people speak more about themselves than about the Lord Jesus. They know exactly how to say or write things to mislead unsuspecting believers. These people don’t serve our Lord Jesus, but their belly. It’s only about themselves.

Romans 16:19. I hope it can be said of your obedience that it “has reached to all” and that other brothers and sisters have taken notice of it. Then you would not fall prey to those who sow division. To protect yourself from these people you need to be wise in what is good, but innocent in what is evil. Therefore, occupy yourself with good things and not with evil. Occupy yourself with the Word of God and with the Lord Jesus. You don’t have to inquire into the evil practices of this world to know how evil it all is. Rather, keep yourself far away from it. You shouldn’t try out evil. If you do, it will bring you down.

A number of young people have played with occult games out of curiosity and have become entangled in the occult step by step. Some started with gambling only once and ended up as addicts. Others smoked one cigarette, with or without marijuana, to be tough, and ended up addicted in the drug scene. Don’t try out sin! Take warning. The world you live in is now in satan’s hands. Maybe you know from bitter experience how corrupt the world is. If you have only recently been converted, you will abhor evil. Then you will keep yourself clear from it. Still, temptations will soon come to get you to join in again. Therefore, take care to be wise as to what is good. Persevere!

Romans 16:20. Satan may hold sway in this world now; very soon he will be crushed under our feet. Do you know by whom? By “the God of peace”. What satan wants is to bring discord. The God of peace will put an end to it. When you keep this before your eyes, you will keep peace in your heart. In this way the God of peace will remain your aim and satan would not have an opportunity to occupy you with evil. To make this true in your life, you are wished “the grace of our Lord Jesus”.

Romans 16:21-24. Some more greetings follow from individual believers to the church in Rome. Tertius is among them. He wrote down what Paul dictated to him. This was how Paul usually did. As a kind of signature he sometimes added a personal greeting at the end, as in 1 Corinthians 16 (1 Corinthians 16:21). In an exceptional case he would write the letter himself. The situation in the assemblies in Galatia was so serious that Paul took pen in hand to write them about it (Galatians 6:11). Whether or not Paul made use of a writer doesn’t diminish the authority of what is written. He, as an apostle, was the author and sender.

God wants you to know everything written down in this letter to the Romans. Your justification before God was the main concern. But with this, not everything has been said that God has to say to you. In the last verses of this letter you’ll read some more things that are in God’s heart to make known to you.

Now read Romans 16:17-24 again.

Reflection: How can you be wise as to what is good?

1 Corinthians 7:14

Be Wise in What Is Good

Romans 16:17. In Romans 14 you have seen that the brothers and sisters in the church in Rome didn’t think the same about everything. This was about observing certain days and eating or not eating certain foods. In Rome there were brothers and sisters who were not yet completely free of the influences of Judaism. They had to learn to live with these differences and to bear with one another regarding them. But now Paul tells them something about people whom they shouldn’t bear with. Tolerance is a fine characteristic in dealing with weaknesses, but tolerance is definitely wrong in dealing with wrong, sinful, unscriptural things. You cannot tolerate these things.

If there are people among the believers who generate division and offenses contrary to the doctrine that has been taught you, you must turn away from them. The devil is always trying to cause divisions and quarrels among believers. He often follows the same approach as the one he followed with Eve at the fall in the Garden of Eden at the beginning of the Bible. He comes with the crafty question: “Indeed, has God said?” (Genesis 3:1). This is how he sowed doubt in Eve’s heart about the things God had clearly said. In the same way satan tries to sow doubt among the believers about “the teaching”.

Romans 16:18. ”The teaching” is not a dull theory, but the living teaching of the Word of God. Yet there are always people who want to make you believe it’s not really meant as said in the Bible and as you have learned it. You must “turn away from” such people. You hear these people speak more about themselves than about the Lord Jesus. They know exactly how to say or write things to mislead unsuspecting believers. These people don’t serve our Lord Jesus, but their belly. It’s only about themselves.

Romans 16:19. I hope it can be said of your obedience that it “has reached to all” and that other brothers and sisters have taken notice of it. Then you would not fall prey to those who sow division. To protect yourself from these people you need to be wise in what is good, but innocent in what is evil. Therefore, occupy yourself with good things and not with evil. Occupy yourself with the Word of God and with the Lord Jesus. You don’t have to inquire into the evil practices of this world to know how evil it all is. Rather, keep yourself far away from it. You shouldn’t try out evil. If you do, it will bring you down.

A number of young people have played with occult games out of curiosity and have become entangled in the occult step by step. Some started with gambling only once and ended up as addicts. Others smoked one cigarette, with or without marijuana, to be tough, and ended up addicted in the drug scene. Don’t try out sin! Take warning. The world you live in is now in satan’s hands. Maybe you know from bitter experience how corrupt the world is. If you have only recently been converted, you will abhor evil. Then you will keep yourself clear from it. Still, temptations will soon come to get you to join in again. Therefore, take care to be wise as to what is good. Persevere!

Romans 16:20. Satan may hold sway in this world now; very soon he will be crushed under our feet. Do you know by whom? By “the God of peace”. What satan wants is to bring discord. The God of peace will put an end to it. When you keep this before your eyes, you will keep peace in your heart. In this way the God of peace will remain your aim and satan would not have an opportunity to occupy you with evil. To make this true in your life, you are wished “the grace of our Lord Jesus”.

Romans 16:21-24. Some more greetings follow from individual believers to the church in Rome. Tertius is among them. He wrote down what Paul dictated to him. This was how Paul usually did. As a kind of signature he sometimes added a personal greeting at the end, as in 1 Corinthians 16 (1 Corinthians 16:21). In an exceptional case he would write the letter himself. The situation in the assemblies in Galatia was so serious that Paul took pen in hand to write them about it (Galatians 6:11). Whether or not Paul made use of a writer doesn’t diminish the authority of what is written. He, as an apostle, was the author and sender.

God wants you to know everything written down in this letter to the Romans. Your justification before God was the main concern. But with this, not everything has been said that God has to say to you. In the last verses of this letter you’ll read some more things that are in God’s heart to make known to you.

Now read Romans 16:17-24 again.

Reflection: How can you be wise as to what is good?

1 Corinthians 7:15

A Doxology

Romans 16:25. Here, at the end of his letter, Paul comes to a song of praise to God. God is before him. God fills his whole vision. God is so great to him, that in these last verses he says things about God that go beyond the theme of the letter. Having talked about God and His gospel in such a way, his heart is too full to restrain himself, so to speak, from saying something about the “revelation of the mystery”.

The word “mystery”, used often in the New Testament, means that which was hidden in the Old Testament or was unknown, but has been made known in the New Testament. Paul doesn’t dwell on this, but by mentioning it, he lets you know there is more than what you have discovered in this letter. This doesn’t mean this letter is not as important. Without having studied this letter, you can forget about understanding anything of the mysteries. Paul’s teachings in his other letters, especially in the letter to the Colossians and the letter to the Ephesians, are closely related to his letter to the Romans.

I would like to give you some good advice. Read the letter to the Romans regularly. Then you will remain in direct contact with the basis of your faith-life. On this basis you can build further studies in the Bible. God is mighty to establish you in what you have learned in this letter. Isn’t the Lord Jesus everything to you? When the Word was preached, you came to know Him. He stands at the center of God’s plans and thoughts. By accepting Him as Savior and Lord you’re connected with Him. The Lord Jesus is not on earth but in heaven. This means you’re connected with the Lord in heaven, and because heaven is the dwelling-place of God and the Lord Jesus, you belong there also.

You may ask: ‘Is that so special?’ Yes, it is. Man was created to live on earth. The Old Testament shows this. The highest blessing the Old Testament believers knew was a life on earth under the Messiah’s reign. The Lord Jesus in His future millennial reign will be the central point of the earth. Every blessing will go out from Him over the whole earth and the whole earth will honor Him. The Old Testament believers longed for this time and they were looking forward to it. It will be a wonderful time.

Romans 16:26. But in the New Testament we have blessings that exceed this by far. In the time of the Old Testament, this could not be spoken of because it was hidden. But now it has been revealed! God has given the commandment to make known that people would be with the Lord Jesus in heaven. They are people who believe in Him since He has gone back to heaven. He has then sent the Holy Spirit to earth to bring these people together. In other letters these people who are brought together are called the church. In those other letters you will discover what a huge privilege it is to belong to the church.

In God’s plan and heart, the church existed before the world existed. To form the church, God’s commandment has gone out to preach Jesus Christ among the nations. Whoever submits himself to Him in faith will form part of the church. Throughout eternity the church will be in heaven, in the Father’s house. Throughout eternity, the church will give glory and honor to Him Who, in His great grace and love for man, has given such an all-surpassing position to men, who are sinners in themselves.

Romans 16:27. The only wise God was the only One Who could devise this plan. His Son Jesus Christ was the only One Who could execute it. Who would have formed the idea to elevate tiny human beings, murderers of God’s Son, to the height of the Father’s house? Who else but God could do this in a way that will bring us to eternal admiration and adoration? He sent His Son to the world while knowing what men were going to do with Him! And at the same place where people murdered the Lord Jesus, the same people could receive all the blessings that God had on His heart to give.

Through Jesus Christ and His work at the cross, God will forever be given the glory that only He is worthy of by these people.

Now read Romans 16:25-27 again.

Reflection: Give God honor for all He has shown you of Himself and of His Son.

1 Corinthians 7:16

A Doxology

Romans 16:25. Here, at the end of his letter, Paul comes to a song of praise to God. God is before him. God fills his whole vision. God is so great to him, that in these last verses he says things about God that go beyond the theme of the letter. Having talked about God and His gospel in such a way, his heart is too full to restrain himself, so to speak, from saying something about the “revelation of the mystery”.

The word “mystery”, used often in the New Testament, means that which was hidden in the Old Testament or was unknown, but has been made known in the New Testament. Paul doesn’t dwell on this, but by mentioning it, he lets you know there is more than what you have discovered in this letter. This doesn’t mean this letter is not as important. Without having studied this letter, you can forget about understanding anything of the mysteries. Paul’s teachings in his other letters, especially in the letter to the Colossians and the letter to the Ephesians, are closely related to his letter to the Romans.

I would like to give you some good advice. Read the letter to the Romans regularly. Then you will remain in direct contact with the basis of your faith-life. On this basis you can build further studies in the Bible. God is mighty to establish you in what you have learned in this letter. Isn’t the Lord Jesus everything to you? When the Word was preached, you came to know Him. He stands at the center of God’s plans and thoughts. By accepting Him as Savior and Lord you’re connected with Him. The Lord Jesus is not on earth but in heaven. This means you’re connected with the Lord in heaven, and because heaven is the dwelling-place of God and the Lord Jesus, you belong there also.

You may ask: ‘Is that so special?’ Yes, it is. Man was created to live on earth. The Old Testament shows this. The highest blessing the Old Testament believers knew was a life on earth under the Messiah’s reign. The Lord Jesus in His future millennial reign will be the central point of the earth. Every blessing will go out from Him over the whole earth and the whole earth will honor Him. The Old Testament believers longed for this time and they were looking forward to it. It will be a wonderful time.

Romans 16:26. But in the New Testament we have blessings that exceed this by far. In the time of the Old Testament, this could not be spoken of because it was hidden. But now it has been revealed! God has given the commandment to make known that people would be with the Lord Jesus in heaven. They are people who believe in Him since He has gone back to heaven. He has then sent the Holy Spirit to earth to bring these people together. In other letters these people who are brought together are called the church. In those other letters you will discover what a huge privilege it is to belong to the church.

In God’s plan and heart, the church existed before the world existed. To form the church, God’s commandment has gone out to preach Jesus Christ among the nations. Whoever submits himself to Him in faith will form part of the church. Throughout eternity the church will be in heaven, in the Father’s house. Throughout eternity, the church will give glory and honor to Him Who, in His great grace and love for man, has given such an all-surpassing position to men, who are sinners in themselves.

Romans 16:27. The only wise God was the only One Who could devise this plan. His Son Jesus Christ was the only One Who could execute it. Who would have formed the idea to elevate tiny human beings, murderers of God’s Son, to the height of the Father’s house? Who else but God could do this in a way that will bring us to eternal admiration and adoration? He sent His Son to the world while knowing what men were going to do with Him! And at the same place where people murdered the Lord Jesus, the same people could receive all the blessings that God had on His heart to give.

Through Jesus Christ and His work at the cross, God will forever be given the glory that only He is worthy of by these people.

Now read Romans 16:25-27 again.

Reflection: Give God honor for all He has shown you of Himself and of His Son.

1 Corinthians 7:17

A Doxology

Romans 16:25. Here, at the end of his letter, Paul comes to a song of praise to God. God is before him. God fills his whole vision. God is so great to him, that in these last verses he says things about God that go beyond the theme of the letter. Having talked about God and His gospel in such a way, his heart is too full to restrain himself, so to speak, from saying something about the “revelation of the mystery”.

The word “mystery”, used often in the New Testament, means that which was hidden in the Old Testament or was unknown, but has been made known in the New Testament. Paul doesn’t dwell on this, but by mentioning it, he lets you know there is more than what you have discovered in this letter. This doesn’t mean this letter is not as important. Without having studied this letter, you can forget about understanding anything of the mysteries. Paul’s teachings in his other letters, especially in the letter to the Colossians and the letter to the Ephesians, are closely related to his letter to the Romans.

I would like to give you some good advice. Read the letter to the Romans regularly. Then you will remain in direct contact with the basis of your faith-life. On this basis you can build further studies in the Bible. God is mighty to establish you in what you have learned in this letter. Isn’t the Lord Jesus everything to you? When the Word was preached, you came to know Him. He stands at the center of God’s plans and thoughts. By accepting Him as Savior and Lord you’re connected with Him. The Lord Jesus is not on earth but in heaven. This means you’re connected with the Lord in heaven, and because heaven is the dwelling-place of God and the Lord Jesus, you belong there also.

You may ask: ‘Is that so special?’ Yes, it is. Man was created to live on earth. The Old Testament shows this. The highest blessing the Old Testament believers knew was a life on earth under the Messiah’s reign. The Lord Jesus in His future millennial reign will be the central point of the earth. Every blessing will go out from Him over the whole earth and the whole earth will honor Him. The Old Testament believers longed for this time and they were looking forward to it. It will be a wonderful time.

Romans 16:26. But in the New Testament we have blessings that exceed this by far. In the time of the Old Testament, this could not be spoken of because it was hidden. But now it has been revealed! God has given the commandment to make known that people would be with the Lord Jesus in heaven. They are people who believe in Him since He has gone back to heaven. He has then sent the Holy Spirit to earth to bring these people together. In other letters these people who are brought together are called the church. In those other letters you will discover what a huge privilege it is to belong to the church.

In God’s plan and heart, the church existed before the world existed. To form the church, God’s commandment has gone out to preach Jesus Christ among the nations. Whoever submits himself to Him in faith will form part of the church. Throughout eternity the church will be in heaven, in the Father’s house. Throughout eternity, the church will give glory and honor to Him Who, in His great grace and love for man, has given such an all-surpassing position to men, who are sinners in themselves.

Romans 16:27. The only wise God was the only One Who could devise this plan. His Son Jesus Christ was the only One Who could execute it. Who would have formed the idea to elevate tiny human beings, murderers of God’s Son, to the height of the Father’s house? Who else but God could do this in a way that will bring us to eternal admiration and adoration? He sent His Son to the world while knowing what men were going to do with Him! And at the same place where people murdered the Lord Jesus, the same people could receive all the blessings that God had on His heart to give.

Through Jesus Christ and His work at the cross, God will forever be given the glory that only He is worthy of by these people.

Now read Romans 16:25-27 again.

Reflection: Give God honor for all He has shown you of Himself and of His Son.

1 Corinthians 7:20

Introduction

In the first letter of the New Testament, the letter to the Romans, you have seen that it is foremost about your personal relationship with God. If you have not read that letter yet, I advise you to read it quietly first. In the first letter to the Corinthians you will see that the church and your place in it receive the most attention. That is why this letter connects very well to the letter to the Romans. As a believer you are not supposed to search your way apart from other believers. It is important to discover that believers belong together. At least, that is how God sees it. This letter shows clearly what it should look like in practice.

To the Church of God Which Is At …

In this letter you will find a wide variety of topics. Most of them are about how the church should function in practice, in other words how everything should happen in the church. And because you are a member of the church of God, everything that is written in this letter is also important for you.

Outwardly, the church is no longer a unity. Sadly, this has been true for a long time. There are numerous groups and churches. I suppose you are asking yourself now the great question: ‘Where can I find the place where the church gathers?’ It is not that I am going to name a place for you where that happens, but I would like to examine together with you what this letter says about the gathering of the believers, for together they form the church. When you have discovered what the Bible, God’s Word, says about all this, it will be much easier to find that place.

Let us therefore first take a look at what the Bible tells us about it. Attending a Christian meeting is something you cannot do without. You cannot be a Christian on your own. The choice you have to make is not easy. In many places you might find good things, but also bad things because in all those places fallible people come together.

When I started looking for this place, I asked myself a few questions: 1. Is the Lord Jesus in the center there? 2. Can the Holy Spirit work freely there? 3. Is it the Word of God that has authority there? 4. Is it the church that gathers there or is it a group of people who maintain their own rules, which you first should agree to before you can join them?

Some other important questions are: 1. Do those coming together love each other? 2. Do they have the desire to preach the gospel to those who are still lost that they may be saved?

By the grace of God I have found this place. Yet I do have to keep these questions in mind because there is always a chance that something happens which can cause that the gathering of the believers is not in accordance anymore with what God has said about it. God does not change His thoughts, but we can change and deviate from His Word.

Unfortunately, the latter has been happening time after time throughout church history; hence the great divisions in the church that you see all around. It is sad that the world sees it and also that the Lord Jesus Himself sees it. Even when you meet believers who want to gather just as believers, nothing more and nothing less, yet you can still come across things that are not in accordance with the Bible. You will not find the perfect church on earth. Although that is true, it is vital that in the church the Bible has authority, which means that when mistakes have slipped in, the believers should be willing to be corrected by God’s Word. That is what Paul is doing here in his first letter to the Corinthians.

If you think that the church in Corinth is the perfect example to which Paul can point and say: ‘People, behave like the Corinthians’, you are mistaken. In the church in Corinth, things were far from perfect. The brothers and sisters of Corinth are not the ideal example of how a church should gather and live together. It was all pretty unseemly and disorderly. Marriage and the Lord’s Supper, just to mention two things, were issues which they certainly did not deal with in a Christian way. Paul shows this very clearly in this first letter he writes to them.

Still, even though it may sound strange, in a way we should be thankful that the believers in Corinth behaved so badly. Do you know why? Because we are no better and we now have a letter in the Bible in which we can read how to deal appropriately with each other and with issues like marriage and the Lord’s Supper. Fortunately, we can see from the second letter Paul wrote to them, that the Corinthians listened to him.

That is how it still works today. Everything that is written in this first letter is as relevant as it was back then. Many Christians think that it is no longer possible to gather in the way Paul tells and prescribes here. And what is more: they think that this letter only applied to the Corinthians and that we are free to do things our own way. But God’s Word is clear about this. If you believe that God’s Word is for all times – and why wouldn’t you believe it? –, it will be a challenge for you to experience that it is really still possible to gather in the way this letter tells us.

1 Corinthians 1:1-3. The first three verses show immediately how far-reaching the contents of this letter are. It is written “to the church of God …, with all, in every place …”. So, what is written to the believers in Corinth, applies to every local church on earth where believer call on the Name of the Lord Jesus.

Furthermore, it is the church of God and not of some person. If it is the church of God, it is logical that He determines the way things should go, right? If people in the church of God set their own rules, confusion is inevitable. That is what you clearly see around you in professing Christianity.

But there is another reason why things were going so badly in the church in Corinth. They did not keep themselves separated from the world. In 1 Corinthians 1:2 they are called “sanctified” and “saints by calling”. That is what you are as well. And the result should be that you behave like one as well. If you forget that God sees you as a saint, there is a strong chance that you will allow worldly things into your life again. This also applies to a local church. If it forgets that it is a church which belongs to God and that it does not belong to the world anymore, all kinds of influences of this world have opportunity to enter. We have plenty of examples of it in this letter.

Now read 1 Corinthians 1:1-3 again.

Reflection: How do you know for certain that you are in a place where the church gathers?

1 Corinthians 7:21

Introduction

In the first letter of the New Testament, the letter to the Romans, you have seen that it is foremost about your personal relationship with God. If you have not read that letter yet, I advise you to read it quietly first. In the first letter to the Corinthians you will see that the church and your place in it receive the most attention. That is why this letter connects very well to the letter to the Romans. As a believer you are not supposed to search your way apart from other believers. It is important to discover that believers belong together. At least, that is how God sees it. This letter shows clearly what it should look like in practice.

To the Church of God Which Is At …

In this letter you will find a wide variety of topics. Most of them are about how the church should function in practice, in other words how everything should happen in the church. And because you are a member of the church of God, everything that is written in this letter is also important for you.

Outwardly, the church is no longer a unity. Sadly, this has been true for a long time. There are numerous groups and churches. I suppose you are asking yourself now the great question: ‘Where can I find the place where the church gathers?’ It is not that I am going to name a place for you where that happens, but I would like to examine together with you what this letter says about the gathering of the believers, for together they form the church. When you have discovered what the Bible, God’s Word, says about all this, it will be much easier to find that place.

Let us therefore first take a look at what the Bible tells us about it. Attending a Christian meeting is something you cannot do without. You cannot be a Christian on your own. The choice you have to make is not easy. In many places you might find good things, but also bad things because in all those places fallible people come together.

When I started looking for this place, I asked myself a few questions: 1. Is the Lord Jesus in the center there? 2. Can the Holy Spirit work freely there? 3. Is it the Word of God that has authority there? 4. Is it the church that gathers there or is it a group of people who maintain their own rules, which you first should agree to before you can join them?

Some other important questions are: 1. Do those coming together love each other? 2. Do they have the desire to preach the gospel to those who are still lost that they may be saved?

By the grace of God I have found this place. Yet I do have to keep these questions in mind because there is always a chance that something happens which can cause that the gathering of the believers is not in accordance anymore with what God has said about it. God does not change His thoughts, but we can change and deviate from His Word.

Unfortunately, the latter has been happening time after time throughout church history; hence the great divisions in the church that you see all around. It is sad that the world sees it and also that the Lord Jesus Himself sees it. Even when you meet believers who want to gather just as believers, nothing more and nothing less, yet you can still come across things that are not in accordance with the Bible. You will not find the perfect church on earth. Although that is true, it is vital that in the church the Bible has authority, which means that when mistakes have slipped in, the believers should be willing to be corrected by God’s Word. That is what Paul is doing here in his first letter to the Corinthians.

If you think that the church in Corinth is the perfect example to which Paul can point and say: ‘People, behave like the Corinthians’, you are mistaken. In the church in Corinth, things were far from perfect. The brothers and sisters of Corinth are not the ideal example of how a church should gather and live together. It was all pretty unseemly and disorderly. Marriage and the Lord’s Supper, just to mention two things, were issues which they certainly did not deal with in a Christian way. Paul shows this very clearly in this first letter he writes to them.

Still, even though it may sound strange, in a way we should be thankful that the believers in Corinth behaved so badly. Do you know why? Because we are no better and we now have a letter in the Bible in which we can read how to deal appropriately with each other and with issues like marriage and the Lord’s Supper. Fortunately, we can see from the second letter Paul wrote to them, that the Corinthians listened to him.

That is how it still works today. Everything that is written in this first letter is as relevant as it was back then. Many Christians think that it is no longer possible to gather in the way Paul tells and prescribes here. And what is more: they think that this letter only applied to the Corinthians and that we are free to do things our own way. But God’s Word is clear about this. If you believe that God’s Word is for all times – and why wouldn’t you believe it? –, it will be a challenge for you to experience that it is really still possible to gather in the way this letter tells us.

1 Corinthians 1:1-3. The first three verses show immediately how far-reaching the contents of this letter are. It is written “to the church of God …, with all, in every place …”. So, what is written to the believers in Corinth, applies to every local church on earth where believer call on the Name of the Lord Jesus.

Furthermore, it is the church of God and not of some person. If it is the church of God, it is logical that He determines the way things should go, right? If people in the church of God set their own rules, confusion is inevitable. That is what you clearly see around you in professing Christianity.

But there is another reason why things were going so badly in the church in Corinth. They did not keep themselves separated from the world. In 1 Corinthians 1:2 they are called “sanctified” and “saints by calling”. That is what you are as well. And the result should be that you behave like one as well. If you forget that God sees you as a saint, there is a strong chance that you will allow worldly things into your life again. This also applies to a local church. If it forgets that it is a church which belongs to God and that it does not belong to the world anymore, all kinds of influences of this world have opportunity to enter. We have plenty of examples of it in this letter.

Now read 1 Corinthians 1:1-3 again.

Reflection: How do you know for certain that you are in a place where the church gathers?

1 Corinthians 7:22

Introduction

In the first letter of the New Testament, the letter to the Romans, you have seen that it is foremost about your personal relationship with God. If you have not read that letter yet, I advise you to read it quietly first. In the first letter to the Corinthians you will see that the church and your place in it receive the most attention. That is why this letter connects very well to the letter to the Romans. As a believer you are not supposed to search your way apart from other believers. It is important to discover that believers belong together. At least, that is how God sees it. This letter shows clearly what it should look like in practice.

To the Church of God Which Is At …

In this letter you will find a wide variety of topics. Most of them are about how the church should function in practice, in other words how everything should happen in the church. And because you are a member of the church of God, everything that is written in this letter is also important for you.

Outwardly, the church is no longer a unity. Sadly, this has been true for a long time. There are numerous groups and churches. I suppose you are asking yourself now the great question: ‘Where can I find the place where the church gathers?’ It is not that I am going to name a place for you where that happens, but I would like to examine together with you what this letter says about the gathering of the believers, for together they form the church. When you have discovered what the Bible, God’s Word, says about all this, it will be much easier to find that place.

Let us therefore first take a look at what the Bible tells us about it. Attending a Christian meeting is something you cannot do without. You cannot be a Christian on your own. The choice you have to make is not easy. In many places you might find good things, but also bad things because in all those places fallible people come together.

When I started looking for this place, I asked myself a few questions: 1. Is the Lord Jesus in the center there? 2. Can the Holy Spirit work freely there? 3. Is it the Word of God that has authority there? 4. Is it the church that gathers there or is it a group of people who maintain their own rules, which you first should agree to before you can join them?

Some other important questions are: 1. Do those coming together love each other? 2. Do they have the desire to preach the gospel to those who are still lost that they may be saved?

By the grace of God I have found this place. Yet I do have to keep these questions in mind because there is always a chance that something happens which can cause that the gathering of the believers is not in accordance anymore with what God has said about it. God does not change His thoughts, but we can change and deviate from His Word.

Unfortunately, the latter has been happening time after time throughout church history; hence the great divisions in the church that you see all around. It is sad that the world sees it and also that the Lord Jesus Himself sees it. Even when you meet believers who want to gather just as believers, nothing more and nothing less, yet you can still come across things that are not in accordance with the Bible. You will not find the perfect church on earth. Although that is true, it is vital that in the church the Bible has authority, which means that when mistakes have slipped in, the believers should be willing to be corrected by God’s Word. That is what Paul is doing here in his first letter to the Corinthians.

If you think that the church in Corinth is the perfect example to which Paul can point and say: ‘People, behave like the Corinthians’, you are mistaken. In the church in Corinth, things were far from perfect. The brothers and sisters of Corinth are not the ideal example of how a church should gather and live together. It was all pretty unseemly and disorderly. Marriage and the Lord’s Supper, just to mention two things, were issues which they certainly did not deal with in a Christian way. Paul shows this very clearly in this first letter he writes to them.

Still, even though it may sound strange, in a way we should be thankful that the believers in Corinth behaved so badly. Do you know why? Because we are no better and we now have a letter in the Bible in which we can read how to deal appropriately with each other and with issues like marriage and the Lord’s Supper. Fortunately, we can see from the second letter Paul wrote to them, that the Corinthians listened to him.

That is how it still works today. Everything that is written in this first letter is as relevant as it was back then. Many Christians think that it is no longer possible to gather in the way Paul tells and prescribes here. And what is more: they think that this letter only applied to the Corinthians and that we are free to do things our own way. But God’s Word is clear about this. If you believe that God’s Word is for all times – and why wouldn’t you believe it? –, it will be a challenge for you to experience that it is really still possible to gather in the way this letter tells us.

1 Corinthians 1:1-3. The first three verses show immediately how far-reaching the contents of this letter are. It is written “to the church of God …, with all, in every place …”. So, what is written to the believers in Corinth, applies to every local church on earth where believer call on the Name of the Lord Jesus.

Furthermore, it is the church of God and not of some person. If it is the church of God, it is logical that He determines the way things should go, right? If people in the church of God set their own rules, confusion is inevitable. That is what you clearly see around you in professing Christianity.

But there is another reason why things were going so badly in the church in Corinth. They did not keep themselves separated from the world. In 1 Corinthians 1:2 they are called “sanctified” and “saints by calling”. That is what you are as well. And the result should be that you behave like one as well. If you forget that God sees you as a saint, there is a strong chance that you will allow worldly things into your life again. This also applies to a local church. If it forgets that it is a church which belongs to God and that it does not belong to the world anymore, all kinds of influences of this world have opportunity to enter. We have plenty of examples of it in this letter.

Now read 1 Corinthians 1:1-3 again.

Reflection: How do you know for certain that you are in a place where the church gathers?

1 Corinthians 7:23

Enriched in Him

1 Corinthians 1:4. Before Paul addresses the Corinthians about the wrong things that were found among them, he first thanks God for the good things that were found among them. He does that in almost all of his letters. That is an important lesson for us. Often, when we notice incorrect things in others, we tend to focus our attention only on that. The danger is that we no longer see the good things that this person has as well. When we are convinced that we have to talk to someone about a mistake, let us start with telling him about the good things he has. Then the atmosphere of the conversation will be such, that talking about mistakes will get through in a good way.

It is quite something what Paul says here about the believers in Corinth. But do notice how he thanks God for what He had given them. He does not thank God for the way they were dealing with these gifts from God because they were not using them in a proper way. In the course of the letter this will become clear. Addressing them this way should make them feel ashamed.

In front is “the grace of God” which was “given to you in Christ Jesus”. All blessings and riches that we have received come forth from it. After all there is nothing that we have deserved. When God gives something, it is always connected with the Lord Jesus. God never gives something that is apart from Him. To God, the Lord Jesus is the Center of His thinking and acting. God wants to glorify Him through everything and He wants us to cooperate in this glorification. You should start paying attention to that because you will find it everywhere in the Bible. You will notice this immediately in the following verses.

1 Corinthians 1:5. They were “in everything … enriched”, but only “in Him”. Are you a little bit familiar with these riches? A few of them are listed. The first richness is “in all speech”. Paul had preached the gospel to them by speaking words that came from God. They had accepted these words. This is how they acquired the words of God. Is it not an enormous richness to be able to hold the entire Word of God in your hands? God has not kept anything back from you that was useful for you to know.

But holding it in your hands is something different from really knowing it. Well, the Corinthians were also rich in “all knowledge”. That is the second richness. They knew a lot.

1 Corinthians 1:6. This knowledge is, however, not primarily a matter of the intellect, but of the heart. It is not about how many Bible verses you can say by heart (even though that is important!), but about a Person. In ”all speech” and also in ”all knowledge” it is about “the testimony concerning Christ”. Christ has to be the Center in studying the Word and the increasing of your knowledge.

1 Corinthians 1:7. What God gives, He gives that you may get more understanding of Who the Lord Jesus is. That is why the Corinthians were lacking ”in no gift”, as a third richness. Each gift is meant for honoring Christ. But when believers start using a gift to show off themselves and to receive honor themselves, it is used in a wrong way, and God will have to punish them. He will not give His glory to another (Isaiah 42:8).

A fourth richness is the expecting of “the revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ”. ”Revelation” means: to come out from the hiddenness, so that it becomes visible. The Lord Jesus is not visible to our human eye at the moment. But that will change in time. He will once again appear in this world “and every eye will see Him” (Revelation 1:7). He will not come as a Baby, like the first time, but He will come in power and great glory.

There is another aspect to the revelation of the Lord Jesus. Just before He publicly appears to the world, the believers must appear before the judgment seat of Christ (2 Corinthians 5:10). Everything that the Corinthians have done, said and thought will then be revealed. They surely will have changed their lifestyles immediately if they allowed this to penetrate their hearts. Their conscience will surely have been appealed to about the way they were dealing with the spiritual riches they had received.

You will understand that this aspect of the revelation of the Lord Jesus is also important for you. How do you deal with the things you have received from the Lord?

1 Corinthians 1:8. Fortunately, it also says, and that is the fifth richness, that the Lord Jesus will “confirm you to the end”. The word ”confirm” means that He takes care of you and holds you and does not let you go. He has shown His care for you by bearing the judgment of God on the cross, which you deserved. He also shows His care by listening to you every day when you speak to Him and by speaking to you when you read His Word. He also shows His care in many things in your daily life.

All this care is to make sure that on this day, when He appears, you will be “blameless”, the sixth richness. This means that there will be nothing to be found fault with you for which you should be punished yet. Of course this does not mean that you can now live life the way that suits you best because everything will be fine anyway. No, it is just the other way around. If you know that He will make sure that there is nothing to blame you in the future, you will want to be blameless now already, in the present.

1 Corinthians 1:9. Paul ends his introductory words by pointing at the faithfulness of God. It is always a great encouragement to be reminded of the faithfulness of God when we are unfaithful. But that should not justify our unfaithfulness. This becomes clear from the following words. The faithful God can never approve of His children being unfaithful to the calling to which He has called them. It is written very clearly that we are “called into fellowship with [better: of] His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord”.

In the past we lived in different forms of fellowship. Maybe you lived your own life in a circle of sports fanatics with whom you discussed and/or exercised your favorite sport on every level. Or you belonged to those motorcycle maniacs who can’t talk about nothing else but motorcycles. Or you joined the world of gamers and shared your passion with other club members. Or maybe the pub was the place where you would meet other people. It were certain forms of fellowship where you would meet people who took the same pleasure in this entertainment as you did.

But this has changed radically when you got to know the Lord Jesus. Now you belong to a fellowship where everything ‘revolves’ around the Lord Jesus. Everything you do, should point to that. The more you will love Him, the more you will start with doing away wrong things. You will enjoy the fellowship with Him more and more, a fellowship that you will experience in heaven in a perfect way for all eternity.

Now read 1 Corinthians 1:4-9 again.

Reflection: Name some more riches that you have received in the Lord Jesus. Thank God for them.

1 Corinthians 7:24

Enriched in Him

1 Corinthians 1:4. Before Paul addresses the Corinthians about the wrong things that were found among them, he first thanks God for the good things that were found among them. He does that in almost all of his letters. That is an important lesson for us. Often, when we notice incorrect things in others, we tend to focus our attention only on that. The danger is that we no longer see the good things that this person has as well. When we are convinced that we have to talk to someone about a mistake, let us start with telling him about the good things he has. Then the atmosphere of the conversation will be such, that talking about mistakes will get through in a good way.

It is quite something what Paul says here about the believers in Corinth. But do notice how he thanks God for what He had given them. He does not thank God for the way they were dealing with these gifts from God because they were not using them in a proper way. In the course of the letter this will become clear. Addressing them this way should make them feel ashamed.

In front is “the grace of God” which was “given to you in Christ Jesus”. All blessings and riches that we have received come forth from it. After all there is nothing that we have deserved. When God gives something, it is always connected with the Lord Jesus. God never gives something that is apart from Him. To God, the Lord Jesus is the Center of His thinking and acting. God wants to glorify Him through everything and He wants us to cooperate in this glorification. You should start paying attention to that because you will find it everywhere in the Bible. You will notice this immediately in the following verses.

1 Corinthians 1:5. They were “in everything … enriched”, but only “in Him”. Are you a little bit familiar with these riches? A few of them are listed. The first richness is “in all speech”. Paul had preached the gospel to them by speaking words that came from God. They had accepted these words. This is how they acquired the words of God. Is it not an enormous richness to be able to hold the entire Word of God in your hands? God has not kept anything back from you that was useful for you to know.

But holding it in your hands is something different from really knowing it. Well, the Corinthians were also rich in “all knowledge”. That is the second richness. They knew a lot.

1 Corinthians 1:6. This knowledge is, however, not primarily a matter of the intellect, but of the heart. It is not about how many Bible verses you can say by heart (even though that is important!), but about a Person. In ”all speech” and also in ”all knowledge” it is about “the testimony concerning Christ”. Christ has to be the Center in studying the Word and the increasing of your knowledge.

1 Corinthians 1:7. What God gives, He gives that you may get more understanding of Who the Lord Jesus is. That is why the Corinthians were lacking ”in no gift”, as a third richness. Each gift is meant for honoring Christ. But when believers start using a gift to show off themselves and to receive honor themselves, it is used in a wrong way, and God will have to punish them. He will not give His glory to another (Isaiah 42:8).

A fourth richness is the expecting of “the revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ”. ”Revelation” means: to come out from the hiddenness, so that it becomes visible. The Lord Jesus is not visible to our human eye at the moment. But that will change in time. He will once again appear in this world “and every eye will see Him” (Revelation 1:7). He will not come as a Baby, like the first time, but He will come in power and great glory.

There is another aspect to the revelation of the Lord Jesus. Just before He publicly appears to the world, the believers must appear before the judgment seat of Christ (2 Corinthians 5:10). Everything that the Corinthians have done, said and thought will then be revealed. They surely will have changed their lifestyles immediately if they allowed this to penetrate their hearts. Their conscience will surely have been appealed to about the way they were dealing with the spiritual riches they had received.

You will understand that this aspect of the revelation of the Lord Jesus is also important for you. How do you deal with the things you have received from the Lord?

1 Corinthians 1:8. Fortunately, it also says, and that is the fifth richness, that the Lord Jesus will “confirm you to the end”. The word ”confirm” means that He takes care of you and holds you and does not let you go. He has shown His care for you by bearing the judgment of God on the cross, which you deserved. He also shows His care by listening to you every day when you speak to Him and by speaking to you when you read His Word. He also shows His care in many things in your daily life.

All this care is to make sure that on this day, when He appears, you will be “blameless”, the sixth richness. This means that there will be nothing to be found fault with you for which you should be punished yet. Of course this does not mean that you can now live life the way that suits you best because everything will be fine anyway. No, it is just the other way around. If you know that He will make sure that there is nothing to blame you in the future, you will want to be blameless now already, in the present.

1 Corinthians 1:9. Paul ends his introductory words by pointing at the faithfulness of God. It is always a great encouragement to be reminded of the faithfulness of God when we are unfaithful. But that should not justify our unfaithfulness. This becomes clear from the following words. The faithful God can never approve of His children being unfaithful to the calling to which He has called them. It is written very clearly that we are “called into fellowship with [better: of] His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord”.

In the past we lived in different forms of fellowship. Maybe you lived your own life in a circle of sports fanatics with whom you discussed and/or exercised your favorite sport on every level. Or you belonged to those motorcycle maniacs who can’t talk about nothing else but motorcycles. Or you joined the world of gamers and shared your passion with other club members. Or maybe the pub was the place where you would meet other people. It were certain forms of fellowship where you would meet people who took the same pleasure in this entertainment as you did.

But this has changed radically when you got to know the Lord Jesus. Now you belong to a fellowship where everything ‘revolves’ around the Lord Jesus. Everything you do, should point to that. The more you will love Him, the more you will start with doing away wrong things. You will enjoy the fellowship with Him more and more, a fellowship that you will experience in heaven in a perfect way for all eternity.

Now read 1 Corinthians 1:4-9 again.

Reflection: Name some more riches that you have received in the Lord Jesus. Thank God for them.

1 Corinthians 7:25

Enriched in Him

1 Corinthians 1:4. Before Paul addresses the Corinthians about the wrong things that were found among them, he first thanks God for the good things that were found among them. He does that in almost all of his letters. That is an important lesson for us. Often, when we notice incorrect things in others, we tend to focus our attention only on that. The danger is that we no longer see the good things that this person has as well. When we are convinced that we have to talk to someone about a mistake, let us start with telling him about the good things he has. Then the atmosphere of the conversation will be such, that talking about mistakes will get through in a good way.

It is quite something what Paul says here about the believers in Corinth. But do notice how he thanks God for what He had given them. He does not thank God for the way they were dealing with these gifts from God because they were not using them in a proper way. In the course of the letter this will become clear. Addressing them this way should make them feel ashamed.

In front is “the grace of God” which was “given to you in Christ Jesus”. All blessings and riches that we have received come forth from it. After all there is nothing that we have deserved. When God gives something, it is always connected with the Lord Jesus. God never gives something that is apart from Him. To God, the Lord Jesus is the Center of His thinking and acting. God wants to glorify Him through everything and He wants us to cooperate in this glorification. You should start paying attention to that because you will find it everywhere in the Bible. You will notice this immediately in the following verses.

1 Corinthians 1:5. They were “in everything … enriched”, but only “in Him”. Are you a little bit familiar with these riches? A few of them are listed. The first richness is “in all speech”. Paul had preached the gospel to them by speaking words that came from God. They had accepted these words. This is how they acquired the words of God. Is it not an enormous richness to be able to hold the entire Word of God in your hands? God has not kept anything back from you that was useful for you to know.

But holding it in your hands is something different from really knowing it. Well, the Corinthians were also rich in “all knowledge”. That is the second richness. They knew a lot.

1 Corinthians 1:6. This knowledge is, however, not primarily a matter of the intellect, but of the heart. It is not about how many Bible verses you can say by heart (even though that is important!), but about a Person. In ”all speech” and also in ”all knowledge” it is about “the testimony concerning Christ”. Christ has to be the Center in studying the Word and the increasing of your knowledge.

1 Corinthians 1:7. What God gives, He gives that you may get more understanding of Who the Lord Jesus is. That is why the Corinthians were lacking ”in no gift”, as a third richness. Each gift is meant for honoring Christ. But when believers start using a gift to show off themselves and to receive honor themselves, it is used in a wrong way, and God will have to punish them. He will not give His glory to another (Isaiah 42:8).

A fourth richness is the expecting of “the revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ”. ”Revelation” means: to come out from the hiddenness, so that it becomes visible. The Lord Jesus is not visible to our human eye at the moment. But that will change in time. He will once again appear in this world “and every eye will see Him” (Revelation 1:7). He will not come as a Baby, like the first time, but He will come in power and great glory.

There is another aspect to the revelation of the Lord Jesus. Just before He publicly appears to the world, the believers must appear before the judgment seat of Christ (2 Corinthians 5:10). Everything that the Corinthians have done, said and thought will then be revealed. They surely will have changed their lifestyles immediately if they allowed this to penetrate their hearts. Their conscience will surely have been appealed to about the way they were dealing with the spiritual riches they had received.

You will understand that this aspect of the revelation of the Lord Jesus is also important for you. How do you deal with the things you have received from the Lord?

1 Corinthians 1:8. Fortunately, it also says, and that is the fifth richness, that the Lord Jesus will “confirm you to the end”. The word ”confirm” means that He takes care of you and holds you and does not let you go. He has shown His care for you by bearing the judgment of God on the cross, which you deserved. He also shows His care by listening to you every day when you speak to Him and by speaking to you when you read His Word. He also shows His care in many things in your daily life.

All this care is to make sure that on this day, when He appears, you will be “blameless”, the sixth richness. This means that there will be nothing to be found fault with you for which you should be punished yet. Of course this does not mean that you can now live life the way that suits you best because everything will be fine anyway. No, it is just the other way around. If you know that He will make sure that there is nothing to blame you in the future, you will want to be blameless now already, in the present.

1 Corinthians 1:9. Paul ends his introductory words by pointing at the faithfulness of God. It is always a great encouragement to be reminded of the faithfulness of God when we are unfaithful. But that should not justify our unfaithfulness. This becomes clear from the following words. The faithful God can never approve of His children being unfaithful to the calling to which He has called them. It is written very clearly that we are “called into fellowship with [better: of] His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord”.

In the past we lived in different forms of fellowship. Maybe you lived your own life in a circle of sports fanatics with whom you discussed and/or exercised your favorite sport on every level. Or you belonged to those motorcycle maniacs who can’t talk about nothing else but motorcycles. Or you joined the world of gamers and shared your passion with other club members. Or maybe the pub was the place where you would meet other people. It were certain forms of fellowship where you would meet people who took the same pleasure in this entertainment as you did.

But this has changed radically when you got to know the Lord Jesus. Now you belong to a fellowship where everything ‘revolves’ around the Lord Jesus. Everything you do, should point to that. The more you will love Him, the more you will start with doing away wrong things. You will enjoy the fellowship with Him more and more, a fellowship that you will experience in heaven in a perfect way for all eternity.

Now read 1 Corinthians 1:4-9 again.

Reflection: Name some more riches that you have received in the Lord Jesus. Thank God for them.

1 Corinthians 7:26

Enriched in Him

1 Corinthians 1:4. Before Paul addresses the Corinthians about the wrong things that were found among them, he first thanks God for the good things that were found among them. He does that in almost all of his letters. That is an important lesson for us. Often, when we notice incorrect things in others, we tend to focus our attention only on that. The danger is that we no longer see the good things that this person has as well. When we are convinced that we have to talk to someone about a mistake, let us start with telling him about the good things he has. Then the atmosphere of the conversation will be such, that talking about mistakes will get through in a good way.

It is quite something what Paul says here about the believers in Corinth. But do notice how he thanks God for what He had given them. He does not thank God for the way they were dealing with these gifts from God because they were not using them in a proper way. In the course of the letter this will become clear. Addressing them this way should make them feel ashamed.

In front is “the grace of God” which was “given to you in Christ Jesus”. All blessings and riches that we have received come forth from it. After all there is nothing that we have deserved. When God gives something, it is always connected with the Lord Jesus. God never gives something that is apart from Him. To God, the Lord Jesus is the Center of His thinking and acting. God wants to glorify Him through everything and He wants us to cooperate in this glorification. You should start paying attention to that because you will find it everywhere in the Bible. You will notice this immediately in the following verses.

1 Corinthians 1:5. They were “in everything … enriched”, but only “in Him”. Are you a little bit familiar with these riches? A few of them are listed. The first richness is “in all speech”. Paul had preached the gospel to them by speaking words that came from God. They had accepted these words. This is how they acquired the words of God. Is it not an enormous richness to be able to hold the entire Word of God in your hands? God has not kept anything back from you that was useful for you to know.

But holding it in your hands is something different from really knowing it. Well, the Corinthians were also rich in “all knowledge”. That is the second richness. They knew a lot.

1 Corinthians 1:6. This knowledge is, however, not primarily a matter of the intellect, but of the heart. It is not about how many Bible verses you can say by heart (even though that is important!), but about a Person. In ”all speech” and also in ”all knowledge” it is about “the testimony concerning Christ”. Christ has to be the Center in studying the Word and the increasing of your knowledge.

1 Corinthians 1:7. What God gives, He gives that you may get more understanding of Who the Lord Jesus is. That is why the Corinthians were lacking ”in no gift”, as a third richness. Each gift is meant for honoring Christ. But when believers start using a gift to show off themselves and to receive honor themselves, it is used in a wrong way, and God will have to punish them. He will not give His glory to another (Isaiah 42:8).

A fourth richness is the expecting of “the revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ”. ”Revelation” means: to come out from the hiddenness, so that it becomes visible. The Lord Jesus is not visible to our human eye at the moment. But that will change in time. He will once again appear in this world “and every eye will see Him” (Revelation 1:7). He will not come as a Baby, like the first time, but He will come in power and great glory.

There is another aspect to the revelation of the Lord Jesus. Just before He publicly appears to the world, the believers must appear before the judgment seat of Christ (2 Corinthians 5:10). Everything that the Corinthians have done, said and thought will then be revealed. They surely will have changed their lifestyles immediately if they allowed this to penetrate their hearts. Their conscience will surely have been appealed to about the way they were dealing with the spiritual riches they had received.

You will understand that this aspect of the revelation of the Lord Jesus is also important for you. How do you deal with the things you have received from the Lord?

1 Corinthians 1:8. Fortunately, it also says, and that is the fifth richness, that the Lord Jesus will “confirm you to the end”. The word ”confirm” means that He takes care of you and holds you and does not let you go. He has shown His care for you by bearing the judgment of God on the cross, which you deserved. He also shows His care by listening to you every day when you speak to Him and by speaking to you when you read His Word. He also shows His care in many things in your daily life.

All this care is to make sure that on this day, when He appears, you will be “blameless”, the sixth richness. This means that there will be nothing to be found fault with you for which you should be punished yet. Of course this does not mean that you can now live life the way that suits you best because everything will be fine anyway. No, it is just the other way around. If you know that He will make sure that there is nothing to blame you in the future, you will want to be blameless now already, in the present.

1 Corinthians 1:9. Paul ends his introductory words by pointing at the faithfulness of God. It is always a great encouragement to be reminded of the faithfulness of God when we are unfaithful. But that should not justify our unfaithfulness. This becomes clear from the following words. The faithful God can never approve of His children being unfaithful to the calling to which He has called them. It is written very clearly that we are “called into fellowship with [better: of] His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord”.

In the past we lived in different forms of fellowship. Maybe you lived your own life in a circle of sports fanatics with whom you discussed and/or exercised your favorite sport on every level. Or you belonged to those motorcycle maniacs who can’t talk about nothing else but motorcycles. Or you joined the world of gamers and shared your passion with other club members. Or maybe the pub was the place where you would meet other people. It were certain forms of fellowship where you would meet people who took the same pleasure in this entertainment as you did.

But this has changed radically when you got to know the Lord Jesus. Now you belong to a fellowship where everything ‘revolves’ around the Lord Jesus. Everything you do, should point to that. The more you will love Him, the more you will start with doing away wrong things. You will enjoy the fellowship with Him more and more, a fellowship that you will experience in heaven in a perfect way for all eternity.

Now read 1 Corinthians 1:4-9 again.

Reflection: Name some more riches that you have received in the Lord Jesus. Thank God for them.

1 Corinthians 7:27

Enriched in Him

1 Corinthians 1:4. Before Paul addresses the Corinthians about the wrong things that were found among them, he first thanks God for the good things that were found among them. He does that in almost all of his letters. That is an important lesson for us. Often, when we notice incorrect things in others, we tend to focus our attention only on that. The danger is that we no longer see the good things that this person has as well. When we are convinced that we have to talk to someone about a mistake, let us start with telling him about the good things he has. Then the atmosphere of the conversation will be such, that talking about mistakes will get through in a good way.

It is quite something what Paul says here about the believers in Corinth. But do notice how he thanks God for what He had given them. He does not thank God for the way they were dealing with these gifts from God because they were not using them in a proper way. In the course of the letter this will become clear. Addressing them this way should make them feel ashamed.

In front is “the grace of God” which was “given to you in Christ Jesus”. All blessings and riches that we have received come forth from it. After all there is nothing that we have deserved. When God gives something, it is always connected with the Lord Jesus. God never gives something that is apart from Him. To God, the Lord Jesus is the Center of His thinking and acting. God wants to glorify Him through everything and He wants us to cooperate in this glorification. You should start paying attention to that because you will find it everywhere in the Bible. You will notice this immediately in the following verses.

1 Corinthians 1:5. They were “in everything … enriched”, but only “in Him”. Are you a little bit familiar with these riches? A few of them are listed. The first richness is “in all speech”. Paul had preached the gospel to them by speaking words that came from God. They had accepted these words. This is how they acquired the words of God. Is it not an enormous richness to be able to hold the entire Word of God in your hands? God has not kept anything back from you that was useful for you to know.

But holding it in your hands is something different from really knowing it. Well, the Corinthians were also rich in “all knowledge”. That is the second richness. They knew a lot.

1 Corinthians 1:6. This knowledge is, however, not primarily a matter of the intellect, but of the heart. It is not about how many Bible verses you can say by heart (even though that is important!), but about a Person. In ”all speech” and also in ”all knowledge” it is about “the testimony concerning Christ”. Christ has to be the Center in studying the Word and the increasing of your knowledge.

1 Corinthians 1:7. What God gives, He gives that you may get more understanding of Who the Lord Jesus is. That is why the Corinthians were lacking ”in no gift”, as a third richness. Each gift is meant for honoring Christ. But when believers start using a gift to show off themselves and to receive honor themselves, it is used in a wrong way, and God will have to punish them. He will not give His glory to another (Isaiah 42:8).

A fourth richness is the expecting of “the revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ”. ”Revelation” means: to come out from the hiddenness, so that it becomes visible. The Lord Jesus is not visible to our human eye at the moment. But that will change in time. He will once again appear in this world “and every eye will see Him” (Revelation 1:7). He will not come as a Baby, like the first time, but He will come in power and great glory.

There is another aspect to the revelation of the Lord Jesus. Just before He publicly appears to the world, the believers must appear before the judgment seat of Christ (2 Corinthians 5:10). Everything that the Corinthians have done, said and thought will then be revealed. They surely will have changed their lifestyles immediately if they allowed this to penetrate their hearts. Their conscience will surely have been appealed to about the way they were dealing with the spiritual riches they had received.

You will understand that this aspect of the revelation of the Lord Jesus is also important for you. How do you deal with the things you have received from the Lord?

1 Corinthians 1:8. Fortunately, it also says, and that is the fifth richness, that the Lord Jesus will “confirm you to the end”. The word ”confirm” means that He takes care of you and holds you and does not let you go. He has shown His care for you by bearing the judgment of God on the cross, which you deserved. He also shows His care by listening to you every day when you speak to Him and by speaking to you when you read His Word. He also shows His care in many things in your daily life.

All this care is to make sure that on this day, when He appears, you will be “blameless”, the sixth richness. This means that there will be nothing to be found fault with you for which you should be punished yet. Of course this does not mean that you can now live life the way that suits you best because everything will be fine anyway. No, it is just the other way around. If you know that He will make sure that there is nothing to blame you in the future, you will want to be blameless now already, in the present.

1 Corinthians 1:9. Paul ends his introductory words by pointing at the faithfulness of God. It is always a great encouragement to be reminded of the faithfulness of God when we are unfaithful. But that should not justify our unfaithfulness. This becomes clear from the following words. The faithful God can never approve of His children being unfaithful to the calling to which He has called them. It is written very clearly that we are “called into fellowship with [better: of] His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord”.

In the past we lived in different forms of fellowship. Maybe you lived your own life in a circle of sports fanatics with whom you discussed and/or exercised your favorite sport on every level. Or you belonged to those motorcycle maniacs who can’t talk about nothing else but motorcycles. Or you joined the world of gamers and shared your passion with other club members. Or maybe the pub was the place where you would meet other people. It were certain forms of fellowship where you would meet people who took the same pleasure in this entertainment as you did.

But this has changed radically when you got to know the Lord Jesus. Now you belong to a fellowship where everything ‘revolves’ around the Lord Jesus. Everything you do, should point to that. The more you will love Him, the more you will start with doing away wrong things. You will enjoy the fellowship with Him more and more, a fellowship that you will experience in heaven in a perfect way for all eternity.

Now read 1 Corinthians 1:4-9 again.

Reflection: Name some more riches that you have received in the Lord Jesus. Thank God for them.

1 Corinthians 7:28

Enriched in Him

1 Corinthians 1:4. Before Paul addresses the Corinthians about the wrong things that were found among them, he first thanks God for the good things that were found among them. He does that in almost all of his letters. That is an important lesson for us. Often, when we notice incorrect things in others, we tend to focus our attention only on that. The danger is that we no longer see the good things that this person has as well. When we are convinced that we have to talk to someone about a mistake, let us start with telling him about the good things he has. Then the atmosphere of the conversation will be such, that talking about mistakes will get through in a good way.

It is quite something what Paul says here about the believers in Corinth. But do notice how he thanks God for what He had given them. He does not thank God for the way they were dealing with these gifts from God because they were not using them in a proper way. In the course of the letter this will become clear. Addressing them this way should make them feel ashamed.

In front is “the grace of God” which was “given to you in Christ Jesus”. All blessings and riches that we have received come forth from it. After all there is nothing that we have deserved. When God gives something, it is always connected with the Lord Jesus. God never gives something that is apart from Him. To God, the Lord Jesus is the Center of His thinking and acting. God wants to glorify Him through everything and He wants us to cooperate in this glorification. You should start paying attention to that because you will find it everywhere in the Bible. You will notice this immediately in the following verses.

1 Corinthians 1:5. They were “in everything … enriched”, but only “in Him”. Are you a little bit familiar with these riches? A few of them are listed. The first richness is “in all speech”. Paul had preached the gospel to them by speaking words that came from God. They had accepted these words. This is how they acquired the words of God. Is it not an enormous richness to be able to hold the entire Word of God in your hands? God has not kept anything back from you that was useful for you to know.

But holding it in your hands is something different from really knowing it. Well, the Corinthians were also rich in “all knowledge”. That is the second richness. They knew a lot.

1 Corinthians 1:6. This knowledge is, however, not primarily a matter of the intellect, but of the heart. It is not about how many Bible verses you can say by heart (even though that is important!), but about a Person. In ”all speech” and also in ”all knowledge” it is about “the testimony concerning Christ”. Christ has to be the Center in studying the Word and the increasing of your knowledge.

1 Corinthians 1:7. What God gives, He gives that you may get more understanding of Who the Lord Jesus is. That is why the Corinthians were lacking ”in no gift”, as a third richness. Each gift is meant for honoring Christ. But when believers start using a gift to show off themselves and to receive honor themselves, it is used in a wrong way, and God will have to punish them. He will not give His glory to another (Isaiah 42:8).

A fourth richness is the expecting of “the revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ”. ”Revelation” means: to come out from the hiddenness, so that it becomes visible. The Lord Jesus is not visible to our human eye at the moment. But that will change in time. He will once again appear in this world “and every eye will see Him” (Revelation 1:7). He will not come as a Baby, like the first time, but He will come in power and great glory.

There is another aspect to the revelation of the Lord Jesus. Just before He publicly appears to the world, the believers must appear before the judgment seat of Christ (2 Corinthians 5:10). Everything that the Corinthians have done, said and thought will then be revealed. They surely will have changed their lifestyles immediately if they allowed this to penetrate their hearts. Their conscience will surely have been appealed to about the way they were dealing with the spiritual riches they had received.

You will understand that this aspect of the revelation of the Lord Jesus is also important for you. How do you deal with the things you have received from the Lord?

1 Corinthians 1:8. Fortunately, it also says, and that is the fifth richness, that the Lord Jesus will “confirm you to the end”. The word ”confirm” means that He takes care of you and holds you and does not let you go. He has shown His care for you by bearing the judgment of God on the cross, which you deserved. He also shows His care by listening to you every day when you speak to Him and by speaking to you when you read His Word. He also shows His care in many things in your daily life.

All this care is to make sure that on this day, when He appears, you will be “blameless”, the sixth richness. This means that there will be nothing to be found fault with you for which you should be punished yet. Of course this does not mean that you can now live life the way that suits you best because everything will be fine anyway. No, it is just the other way around. If you know that He will make sure that there is nothing to blame you in the future, you will want to be blameless now already, in the present.

1 Corinthians 1:9. Paul ends his introductory words by pointing at the faithfulness of God. It is always a great encouragement to be reminded of the faithfulness of God when we are unfaithful. But that should not justify our unfaithfulness. This becomes clear from the following words. The faithful God can never approve of His children being unfaithful to the calling to which He has called them. It is written very clearly that we are “called into fellowship with [better: of] His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord”.

In the past we lived in different forms of fellowship. Maybe you lived your own life in a circle of sports fanatics with whom you discussed and/or exercised your favorite sport on every level. Or you belonged to those motorcycle maniacs who can’t talk about nothing else but motorcycles. Or you joined the world of gamers and shared your passion with other club members. Or maybe the pub was the place where you would meet other people. It were certain forms of fellowship where you would meet people who took the same pleasure in this entertainment as you did.

But this has changed radically when you got to know the Lord Jesus. Now you belong to a fellowship where everything ‘revolves’ around the Lord Jesus. Everything you do, should point to that. The more you will love Him, the more you will start with doing away wrong things. You will enjoy the fellowship with Him more and more, a fellowship that you will experience in heaven in a perfect way for all eternity.

Now read 1 Corinthians 1:4-9 again.

Reflection: Name some more riches that you have received in the Lord Jesus. Thank God for them.

1 Corinthians 7:29

Divisions in the Church

1 Corinthians 1:10. What Paul says in 1 Corinthians 1:9 about the fellowship of Jesus Christ, is a starting point for the verses you have just read. He has to admonish the Corinthians because they have forgotten that there is only one Person through Whom they belong together. Paul underlines his admonition by adding: “By the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.” Thereby he says that his admonition is completely supported by the authority of the Lord Jesus.

You can imagine that the Corinthians should be impressed by this. That was necessary because the name of the Lord Jesus was no longer the only Name for them. Other names had become important to them as well: Paul, Apollos, Cephas (1 Corinthians 1:12). As a result, they did not “all agree” or “all speak the same thing” [literal translation] anymore. ”Speak the same thing” does not mean saying things in the same tone or using the same words. It refers to the content of the conversations. That should be the same. The conversations should be about the same Person. The Lord Jesus wants to be unique for His own. He cannot be satisfied with a shared interest of the church.

The result of a shared interest is the start of divisions. If the believers do not turn their eyes on Him only, it will cause division. They do not really form a unity anymore. From the outside, it might still look like a unity. The believers still come together in the same building, but inwardly there are ‘cracks’. A building that starts getting cracks in the inner wall has to be repaired because otherwise these cracks will become wider and the building will collapse. So, Paul continues with an appeal to ‘repair’: they have to be “made complete”. This can be accomplished by being “in the same mind and in the same judgment” again. All the things that brought division had to be put away and they had to start focusing on the One again.

1 Corinthians 1:11. Fortunately, there were also believers in Corinth who were sad about the division, like those of Chloe’s household. They were wondering what they should do about it. They must have prayed a lot. I think the Lord made it clear to them that they should write Paul about it.

That is the best thing for us to do as well. When wrong things happen in the church, we should ‘ask Paul’. He has received special announcements from the Lord about the church. If you have certain questions about the church, you should read in the Bible the letters of Paul in particular. The Corinthians received an answer and you will get one as well. To act as if there are no problems or beat about the bush, is not the answer for the problems. If you run into problems, tell the Lord about it first and listen to what He has to say.

I do not think that the believers of Chloe’s household wrote to Paul behind the back of their fellow believers because Paul mentions their name openly and says that he had heard from them about what is going on in Corinth. They were not gossipers. They must have been reliable people, of whom Paul could expect that they depict a truthful image of the situation in Corinth. If not, Paul would never have reacted this way toward the Corinthians. It is great that there were people like them then and that they still are now because such people are invaluable for the church. Often they are not appreciated in the church and they are seen as troublesome because they point out the wrong things. However, it is of great importance that it happens. At least something will be done about the wrongs.

1 Corinthians 1:12. There were conflicts among the Corinthians. The believers were flatly quarreling. The reason for this was the different groups that had come into being, each of which had a favorite preacher. One group felt drawn to Paul, he was their man. What mysteries he could reveal! Another group followed Cephas, that is Peter. What an ardent man he was! Another group stuck to Apollos. What a speaker he was! And then there were also those who said they belonged to Christ. These were the worst.

It may sound strange to you, but it is the truth. Paul sums up four parties with each their own party leader. Imagine that Christ was one of them! How could He ever be put on a level with any human being? That was exactly what the Corinthians did. Christ was made a party leader, next to Paul, Peter and Apollos. What this party was saying by this was: ‘We are the only good ones. Those who have joined Paul, or Peter, or Apollos, do not belong to our group.’ But every believer belongs to Christ, even though he might (unfortunately) have joined some group that is called after a certain servant.

Christ cannot be compartmentalized – like also His servants didn’t want to be a party leader. When Paul says that Christ is not divided, he indicates that Christ cannot be claimed by some group to be their party leader. You will surely recognize this picture in professing Christianity around you. What a dissension! One group is called after Luther, another after Calvin. There are also groups and churches where people come together, just because they agree on certain passages or subjects from the Bible, for example baptism, whilst others, who do not agree on this, cannot join this group. That the Lord Jesus is the only One through Whom Christians belong together has been pushed into the background more and more.

With the foregoing I do not mean to say that we should ignore the church walls and groups. What you certainly should not be doing, is letting yourself be pigeon-holed. Show the people that you only want to belong to the Lord Jesus and that you feel united with all fellow believers, whatever church or group with a certain name they might belong to.

1 Corinthians 1:13. This division absolutely conflicts with Christ. How could He be “divided”, as if His work would have brought division and not unity (John 11:52)? Paul also did not want to be a party leader – it was not him who was crucified for the Corinthians. They did not owe their salvation to him. He only had to bring them the message of salvation.

1 Corinthians 1:13 is the first time in this chapter that the cross is mentioned. This will be found more often. When you are reminded of the cross, you think back on the judgment that God executed on man. And if man has been judged, there is no more room for division because division is something made by man. They were not baptized in Paul’s name, were they?

1 Corinthians 1:14-16. If that were the case, there would only be a few people who belonged to him because he had only baptized a few. They could be counted on the fingers of one hand, so to speak. He can remember two cases. Oh yes, he also baptized the household of Stephanas. It is as if this name suddenly occurred to him. He does not boast with a lot of names as if they are trophies that magnify him.

Paul does not say this to belittle the meaning of baptism, but he finds himself to be insignificant. Only Christ is important to him. On the other hand some people find it important by whom they are baptized. But it is totally insignificant who is baptizing or who you are baptized by. With baptism, someone is joined with Christ in His death. It is about Him and not about the one who is baptizing.

1 Corinthians 1:17. Paul did not receive an order from Christ to baptize. The twelve disciples, who had followed the Lord Jesus on earth, had received this order. The assignment that Paul got from Christ was to spread the gospel. This should not be done with wisdom of words because then the person of Paul would come to the foreground again and the cross of Christ would become powerless.

It is all about the cross of Christ. There is much more related to it than your salvation as a sinner. When you look at the cross, you will see on the one hand how the holy God hates sin and you will see His adamant judgment on sin. On the other hand you will see His great love for you through the cross because there you see how the Savior in His endless grace did everything for you in His infinite suffering and His deep humiliation. On the one hand you will also see the demonic teamwork of the limitless evil of satan with man who has fallen into sin. On the other hand you see there how man in his pride is wiped out, how sin is done away and how satan is defeated and conquered.

The cross is the place where the judgment has raged and is carried and where God is glorified in Christ. Yes, on the cross, the foundation has been laid for a new heaven and a new earth, where the glory of God shall shine in all eternity.

Now read 1 Corinthians 1:10-17 again.

Reflection: Reflect on the miracle of the cross. (Do it often!)

1 Corinthians 7:30

Divisions in the Church

1 Corinthians 1:10. What Paul says in 1 Corinthians 1:9 about the fellowship of Jesus Christ, is a starting point for the verses you have just read. He has to admonish the Corinthians because they have forgotten that there is only one Person through Whom they belong together. Paul underlines his admonition by adding: “By the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.” Thereby he says that his admonition is completely supported by the authority of the Lord Jesus.

You can imagine that the Corinthians should be impressed by this. That was necessary because the name of the Lord Jesus was no longer the only Name for them. Other names had become important to them as well: Paul, Apollos, Cephas (1 Corinthians 1:12). As a result, they did not “all agree” or “all speak the same thing” [literal translation] anymore. ”Speak the same thing” does not mean saying things in the same tone or using the same words. It refers to the content of the conversations. That should be the same. The conversations should be about the same Person. The Lord Jesus wants to be unique for His own. He cannot be satisfied with a shared interest of the church.

The result of a shared interest is the start of divisions. If the believers do not turn their eyes on Him only, it will cause division. They do not really form a unity anymore. From the outside, it might still look like a unity. The believers still come together in the same building, but inwardly there are ‘cracks’. A building that starts getting cracks in the inner wall has to be repaired because otherwise these cracks will become wider and the building will collapse. So, Paul continues with an appeal to ‘repair’: they have to be “made complete”. This can be accomplished by being “in the same mind and in the same judgment” again. All the things that brought division had to be put away and they had to start focusing on the One again.

1 Corinthians 1:11. Fortunately, there were also believers in Corinth who were sad about the division, like those of Chloe’s household. They were wondering what they should do about it. They must have prayed a lot. I think the Lord made it clear to them that they should write Paul about it.

That is the best thing for us to do as well. When wrong things happen in the church, we should ‘ask Paul’. He has received special announcements from the Lord about the church. If you have certain questions about the church, you should read in the Bible the letters of Paul in particular. The Corinthians received an answer and you will get one as well. To act as if there are no problems or beat about the bush, is not the answer for the problems. If you run into problems, tell the Lord about it first and listen to what He has to say.

I do not think that the believers of Chloe’s household wrote to Paul behind the back of their fellow believers because Paul mentions their name openly and says that he had heard from them about what is going on in Corinth. They were not gossipers. They must have been reliable people, of whom Paul could expect that they depict a truthful image of the situation in Corinth. If not, Paul would never have reacted this way toward the Corinthians. It is great that there were people like them then and that they still are now because such people are invaluable for the church. Often they are not appreciated in the church and they are seen as troublesome because they point out the wrong things. However, it is of great importance that it happens. At least something will be done about the wrongs.

1 Corinthians 1:12. There were conflicts among the Corinthians. The believers were flatly quarreling. The reason for this was the different groups that had come into being, each of which had a favorite preacher. One group felt drawn to Paul, he was their man. What mysteries he could reveal! Another group followed Cephas, that is Peter. What an ardent man he was! Another group stuck to Apollos. What a speaker he was! And then there were also those who said they belonged to Christ. These were the worst.

It may sound strange to you, but it is the truth. Paul sums up four parties with each their own party leader. Imagine that Christ was one of them! How could He ever be put on a level with any human being? That was exactly what the Corinthians did. Christ was made a party leader, next to Paul, Peter and Apollos. What this party was saying by this was: ‘We are the only good ones. Those who have joined Paul, or Peter, or Apollos, do not belong to our group.’ But every believer belongs to Christ, even though he might (unfortunately) have joined some group that is called after a certain servant.

Christ cannot be compartmentalized – like also His servants didn’t want to be a party leader. When Paul says that Christ is not divided, he indicates that Christ cannot be claimed by some group to be their party leader. You will surely recognize this picture in professing Christianity around you. What a dissension! One group is called after Luther, another after Calvin. There are also groups and churches where people come together, just because they agree on certain passages or subjects from the Bible, for example baptism, whilst others, who do not agree on this, cannot join this group. That the Lord Jesus is the only One through Whom Christians belong together has been pushed into the background more and more.

With the foregoing I do not mean to say that we should ignore the church walls and groups. What you certainly should not be doing, is letting yourself be pigeon-holed. Show the people that you only want to belong to the Lord Jesus and that you feel united with all fellow believers, whatever church or group with a certain name they might belong to.

1 Corinthians 1:13. This division absolutely conflicts with Christ. How could He be “divided”, as if His work would have brought division and not unity (John 11:52)? Paul also did not want to be a party leader – it was not him who was crucified for the Corinthians. They did not owe their salvation to him. He only had to bring them the message of salvation.

1 Corinthians 1:13 is the first time in this chapter that the cross is mentioned. This will be found more often. When you are reminded of the cross, you think back on the judgment that God executed on man. And if man has been judged, there is no more room for division because division is something made by man. They were not baptized in Paul’s name, were they?

1 Corinthians 1:14-16. If that were the case, there would only be a few people who belonged to him because he had only baptized a few. They could be counted on the fingers of one hand, so to speak. He can remember two cases. Oh yes, he also baptized the household of Stephanas. It is as if this name suddenly occurred to him. He does not boast with a lot of names as if they are trophies that magnify him.

Paul does not say this to belittle the meaning of baptism, but he finds himself to be insignificant. Only Christ is important to him. On the other hand some people find it important by whom they are baptized. But it is totally insignificant who is baptizing or who you are baptized by. With baptism, someone is joined with Christ in His death. It is about Him and not about the one who is baptizing.

1 Corinthians 1:17. Paul did not receive an order from Christ to baptize. The twelve disciples, who had followed the Lord Jesus on earth, had received this order. The assignment that Paul got from Christ was to spread the gospel. This should not be done with wisdom of words because then the person of Paul would come to the foreground again and the cross of Christ would become powerless.

It is all about the cross of Christ. There is much more related to it than your salvation as a sinner. When you look at the cross, you will see on the one hand how the holy God hates sin and you will see His adamant judgment on sin. On the other hand you will see His great love for you through the cross because there you see how the Savior in His endless grace did everything for you in His infinite suffering and His deep humiliation. On the one hand you will also see the demonic teamwork of the limitless evil of satan with man who has fallen into sin. On the other hand you see there how man in his pride is wiped out, how sin is done away and how satan is defeated and conquered.

The cross is the place where the judgment has raged and is carried and where God is glorified in Christ. Yes, on the cross, the foundation has been laid for a new heaven and a new earth, where the glory of God shall shine in all eternity.

Now read 1 Corinthians 1:10-17 again.

Reflection: Reflect on the miracle of the cross. (Do it often!)

1 Corinthians 7:31

Divisions in the Church

1 Corinthians 1:10. What Paul says in 1 Corinthians 1:9 about the fellowship of Jesus Christ, is a starting point for the verses you have just read. He has to admonish the Corinthians because they have forgotten that there is only one Person through Whom they belong together. Paul underlines his admonition by adding: “By the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.” Thereby he says that his admonition is completely supported by the authority of the Lord Jesus.

You can imagine that the Corinthians should be impressed by this. That was necessary because the name of the Lord Jesus was no longer the only Name for them. Other names had become important to them as well: Paul, Apollos, Cephas (1 Corinthians 1:12). As a result, they did not “all agree” or “all speak the same thing” [literal translation] anymore. ”Speak the same thing” does not mean saying things in the same tone or using the same words. It refers to the content of the conversations. That should be the same. The conversations should be about the same Person. The Lord Jesus wants to be unique for His own. He cannot be satisfied with a shared interest of the church.

The result of a shared interest is the start of divisions. If the believers do not turn their eyes on Him only, it will cause division. They do not really form a unity anymore. From the outside, it might still look like a unity. The believers still come together in the same building, but inwardly there are ‘cracks’. A building that starts getting cracks in the inner wall has to be repaired because otherwise these cracks will become wider and the building will collapse. So, Paul continues with an appeal to ‘repair’: they have to be “made complete”. This can be accomplished by being “in the same mind and in the same judgment” again. All the things that brought division had to be put away and they had to start focusing on the One again.

1 Corinthians 1:11. Fortunately, there were also believers in Corinth who were sad about the division, like those of Chloe’s household. They were wondering what they should do about it. They must have prayed a lot. I think the Lord made it clear to them that they should write Paul about it.

That is the best thing for us to do as well. When wrong things happen in the church, we should ‘ask Paul’. He has received special announcements from the Lord about the church. If you have certain questions about the church, you should read in the Bible the letters of Paul in particular. The Corinthians received an answer and you will get one as well. To act as if there are no problems or beat about the bush, is not the answer for the problems. If you run into problems, tell the Lord about it first and listen to what He has to say.

I do not think that the believers of Chloe’s household wrote to Paul behind the back of their fellow believers because Paul mentions their name openly and says that he had heard from them about what is going on in Corinth. They were not gossipers. They must have been reliable people, of whom Paul could expect that they depict a truthful image of the situation in Corinth. If not, Paul would never have reacted this way toward the Corinthians. It is great that there were people like them then and that they still are now because such people are invaluable for the church. Often they are not appreciated in the church and they are seen as troublesome because they point out the wrong things. However, it is of great importance that it happens. At least something will be done about the wrongs.

1 Corinthians 1:12. There were conflicts among the Corinthians. The believers were flatly quarreling. The reason for this was the different groups that had come into being, each of which had a favorite preacher. One group felt drawn to Paul, he was their man. What mysteries he could reveal! Another group followed Cephas, that is Peter. What an ardent man he was! Another group stuck to Apollos. What a speaker he was! And then there were also those who said they belonged to Christ. These were the worst.

It may sound strange to you, but it is the truth. Paul sums up four parties with each their own party leader. Imagine that Christ was one of them! How could He ever be put on a level with any human being? That was exactly what the Corinthians did. Christ was made a party leader, next to Paul, Peter and Apollos. What this party was saying by this was: ‘We are the only good ones. Those who have joined Paul, or Peter, or Apollos, do not belong to our group.’ But every believer belongs to Christ, even though he might (unfortunately) have joined some group that is called after a certain servant.

Christ cannot be compartmentalized – like also His servants didn’t want to be a party leader. When Paul says that Christ is not divided, he indicates that Christ cannot be claimed by some group to be their party leader. You will surely recognize this picture in professing Christianity around you. What a dissension! One group is called after Luther, another after Calvin. There are also groups and churches where people come together, just because they agree on certain passages or subjects from the Bible, for example baptism, whilst others, who do not agree on this, cannot join this group. That the Lord Jesus is the only One through Whom Christians belong together has been pushed into the background more and more.

With the foregoing I do not mean to say that we should ignore the church walls and groups. What you certainly should not be doing, is letting yourself be pigeon-holed. Show the people that you only want to belong to the Lord Jesus and that you feel united with all fellow believers, whatever church or group with a certain name they might belong to.

1 Corinthians 1:13. This division absolutely conflicts with Christ. How could He be “divided”, as if His work would have brought division and not unity (John 11:52)? Paul also did not want to be a party leader – it was not him who was crucified for the Corinthians. They did not owe their salvation to him. He only had to bring them the message of salvation.

1 Corinthians 1:13 is the first time in this chapter that the cross is mentioned. This will be found more often. When you are reminded of the cross, you think back on the judgment that God executed on man. And if man has been judged, there is no more room for division because division is something made by man. They were not baptized in Paul’s name, were they?

1 Corinthians 1:14-16. If that were the case, there would only be a few people who belonged to him because he had only baptized a few. They could be counted on the fingers of one hand, so to speak. He can remember two cases. Oh yes, he also baptized the household of Stephanas. It is as if this name suddenly occurred to him. He does not boast with a lot of names as if they are trophies that magnify him.

Paul does not say this to belittle the meaning of baptism, but he finds himself to be insignificant. Only Christ is important to him. On the other hand some people find it important by whom they are baptized. But it is totally insignificant who is baptizing or who you are baptized by. With baptism, someone is joined with Christ in His death. It is about Him and not about the one who is baptizing.

1 Corinthians 1:17. Paul did not receive an order from Christ to baptize. The twelve disciples, who had followed the Lord Jesus on earth, had received this order. The assignment that Paul got from Christ was to spread the gospel. This should not be done with wisdom of words because then the person of Paul would come to the foreground again and the cross of Christ would become powerless.

It is all about the cross of Christ. There is much more related to it than your salvation as a sinner. When you look at the cross, you will see on the one hand how the holy God hates sin and you will see His adamant judgment on sin. On the other hand you will see His great love for you through the cross because there you see how the Savior in His endless grace did everything for you in His infinite suffering and His deep humiliation. On the one hand you will also see the demonic teamwork of the limitless evil of satan with man who has fallen into sin. On the other hand you see there how man in his pride is wiped out, how sin is done away and how satan is defeated and conquered.

The cross is the place where the judgment has raged and is carried and where God is glorified in Christ. Yes, on the cross, the foundation has been laid for a new heaven and a new earth, where the glory of God shall shine in all eternity.

Now read 1 Corinthians 1:10-17 again.

Reflection: Reflect on the miracle of the cross. (Do it often!)

1 Corinthians 7:32

Divisions in the Church

1 Corinthians 1:10. What Paul says in 1 Corinthians 1:9 about the fellowship of Jesus Christ, is a starting point for the verses you have just read. He has to admonish the Corinthians because they have forgotten that there is only one Person through Whom they belong together. Paul underlines his admonition by adding: “By the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.” Thereby he says that his admonition is completely supported by the authority of the Lord Jesus.

You can imagine that the Corinthians should be impressed by this. That was necessary because the name of the Lord Jesus was no longer the only Name for them. Other names had become important to them as well: Paul, Apollos, Cephas (1 Corinthians 1:12). As a result, they did not “all agree” or “all speak the same thing” [literal translation] anymore. ”Speak the same thing” does not mean saying things in the same tone or using the same words. It refers to the content of the conversations. That should be the same. The conversations should be about the same Person. The Lord Jesus wants to be unique for His own. He cannot be satisfied with a shared interest of the church.

The result of a shared interest is the start of divisions. If the believers do not turn their eyes on Him only, it will cause division. They do not really form a unity anymore. From the outside, it might still look like a unity. The believers still come together in the same building, but inwardly there are ‘cracks’. A building that starts getting cracks in the inner wall has to be repaired because otherwise these cracks will become wider and the building will collapse. So, Paul continues with an appeal to ‘repair’: they have to be “made complete”. This can be accomplished by being “in the same mind and in the same judgment” again. All the things that brought division had to be put away and they had to start focusing on the One again.

1 Corinthians 1:11. Fortunately, there were also believers in Corinth who were sad about the division, like those of Chloe’s household. They were wondering what they should do about it. They must have prayed a lot. I think the Lord made it clear to them that they should write Paul about it.

That is the best thing for us to do as well. When wrong things happen in the church, we should ‘ask Paul’. He has received special announcements from the Lord about the church. If you have certain questions about the church, you should read in the Bible the letters of Paul in particular. The Corinthians received an answer and you will get one as well. To act as if there are no problems or beat about the bush, is not the answer for the problems. If you run into problems, tell the Lord about it first and listen to what He has to say.

I do not think that the believers of Chloe’s household wrote to Paul behind the back of their fellow believers because Paul mentions their name openly and says that he had heard from them about what is going on in Corinth. They were not gossipers. They must have been reliable people, of whom Paul could expect that they depict a truthful image of the situation in Corinth. If not, Paul would never have reacted this way toward the Corinthians. It is great that there were people like them then and that they still are now because such people are invaluable for the church. Often they are not appreciated in the church and they are seen as troublesome because they point out the wrong things. However, it is of great importance that it happens. At least something will be done about the wrongs.

1 Corinthians 1:12. There were conflicts among the Corinthians. The believers were flatly quarreling. The reason for this was the different groups that had come into being, each of which had a favorite preacher. One group felt drawn to Paul, he was their man. What mysteries he could reveal! Another group followed Cephas, that is Peter. What an ardent man he was! Another group stuck to Apollos. What a speaker he was! And then there were also those who said they belonged to Christ. These were the worst.

It may sound strange to you, but it is the truth. Paul sums up four parties with each their own party leader. Imagine that Christ was one of them! How could He ever be put on a level with any human being? That was exactly what the Corinthians did. Christ was made a party leader, next to Paul, Peter and Apollos. What this party was saying by this was: ‘We are the only good ones. Those who have joined Paul, or Peter, or Apollos, do not belong to our group.’ But every believer belongs to Christ, even though he might (unfortunately) have joined some group that is called after a certain servant.

Christ cannot be compartmentalized – like also His servants didn’t want to be a party leader. When Paul says that Christ is not divided, he indicates that Christ cannot be claimed by some group to be their party leader. You will surely recognize this picture in professing Christianity around you. What a dissension! One group is called after Luther, another after Calvin. There are also groups and churches where people come together, just because they agree on certain passages or subjects from the Bible, for example baptism, whilst others, who do not agree on this, cannot join this group. That the Lord Jesus is the only One through Whom Christians belong together has been pushed into the background more and more.

With the foregoing I do not mean to say that we should ignore the church walls and groups. What you certainly should not be doing, is letting yourself be pigeon-holed. Show the people that you only want to belong to the Lord Jesus and that you feel united with all fellow believers, whatever church or group with a certain name they might belong to.

1 Corinthians 1:13. This division absolutely conflicts with Christ. How could He be “divided”, as if His work would have brought division and not unity (John 11:52)? Paul also did not want to be a party leader – it was not him who was crucified for the Corinthians. They did not owe their salvation to him. He only had to bring them the message of salvation.

1 Corinthians 1:13 is the first time in this chapter that the cross is mentioned. This will be found more often. When you are reminded of the cross, you think back on the judgment that God executed on man. And if man has been judged, there is no more room for division because division is something made by man. They were not baptized in Paul’s name, were they?

1 Corinthians 1:14-16. If that were the case, there would only be a few people who belonged to him because he had only baptized a few. They could be counted on the fingers of one hand, so to speak. He can remember two cases. Oh yes, he also baptized the household of Stephanas. It is as if this name suddenly occurred to him. He does not boast with a lot of names as if they are trophies that magnify him.

Paul does not say this to belittle the meaning of baptism, but he finds himself to be insignificant. Only Christ is important to him. On the other hand some people find it important by whom they are baptized. But it is totally insignificant who is baptizing or who you are baptized by. With baptism, someone is joined with Christ in His death. It is about Him and not about the one who is baptizing.

1 Corinthians 1:17. Paul did not receive an order from Christ to baptize. The twelve disciples, who had followed the Lord Jesus on earth, had received this order. The assignment that Paul got from Christ was to spread the gospel. This should not be done with wisdom of words because then the person of Paul would come to the foreground again and the cross of Christ would become powerless.

It is all about the cross of Christ. There is much more related to it than your salvation as a sinner. When you look at the cross, you will see on the one hand how the holy God hates sin and you will see His adamant judgment on sin. On the other hand you will see His great love for you through the cross because there you see how the Savior in His endless grace did everything for you in His infinite suffering and His deep humiliation. On the one hand you will also see the demonic teamwork of the limitless evil of satan with man who has fallen into sin. On the other hand you see there how man in his pride is wiped out, how sin is done away and how satan is defeated and conquered.

The cross is the place where the judgment has raged and is carried and where God is glorified in Christ. Yes, on the cross, the foundation has been laid for a new heaven and a new earth, where the glory of God shall shine in all eternity.

Now read 1 Corinthians 1:10-17 again.

Reflection: Reflect on the miracle of the cross. (Do it often!)

1 Corinthians 7:33

Divisions in the Church

1 Corinthians 1:10. What Paul says in 1 Corinthians 1:9 about the fellowship of Jesus Christ, is a starting point for the verses you have just read. He has to admonish the Corinthians because they have forgotten that there is only one Person through Whom they belong together. Paul underlines his admonition by adding: “By the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.” Thereby he says that his admonition is completely supported by the authority of the Lord Jesus.

You can imagine that the Corinthians should be impressed by this. That was necessary because the name of the Lord Jesus was no longer the only Name for them. Other names had become important to them as well: Paul, Apollos, Cephas (1 Corinthians 1:12). As a result, they did not “all agree” or “all speak the same thing” [literal translation] anymore. ”Speak the same thing” does not mean saying things in the same tone or using the same words. It refers to the content of the conversations. That should be the same. The conversations should be about the same Person. The Lord Jesus wants to be unique for His own. He cannot be satisfied with a shared interest of the church.

The result of a shared interest is the start of divisions. If the believers do not turn their eyes on Him only, it will cause division. They do not really form a unity anymore. From the outside, it might still look like a unity. The believers still come together in the same building, but inwardly there are ‘cracks’. A building that starts getting cracks in the inner wall has to be repaired because otherwise these cracks will become wider and the building will collapse. So, Paul continues with an appeal to ‘repair’: they have to be “made complete”. This can be accomplished by being “in the same mind and in the same judgment” again. All the things that brought division had to be put away and they had to start focusing on the One again.

1 Corinthians 1:11. Fortunately, there were also believers in Corinth who were sad about the division, like those of Chloe’s household. They were wondering what they should do about it. They must have prayed a lot. I think the Lord made it clear to them that they should write Paul about it.

That is the best thing for us to do as well. When wrong things happen in the church, we should ‘ask Paul’. He has received special announcements from the Lord about the church. If you have certain questions about the church, you should read in the Bible the letters of Paul in particular. The Corinthians received an answer and you will get one as well. To act as if there are no problems or beat about the bush, is not the answer for the problems. If you run into problems, tell the Lord about it first and listen to what He has to say.

I do not think that the believers of Chloe’s household wrote to Paul behind the back of their fellow believers because Paul mentions their name openly and says that he had heard from them about what is going on in Corinth. They were not gossipers. They must have been reliable people, of whom Paul could expect that they depict a truthful image of the situation in Corinth. If not, Paul would never have reacted this way toward the Corinthians. It is great that there were people like them then and that they still are now because such people are invaluable for the church. Often they are not appreciated in the church and they are seen as troublesome because they point out the wrong things. However, it is of great importance that it happens. At least something will be done about the wrongs.

1 Corinthians 1:12. There were conflicts among the Corinthians. The believers were flatly quarreling. The reason for this was the different groups that had come into being, each of which had a favorite preacher. One group felt drawn to Paul, he was their man. What mysteries he could reveal! Another group followed Cephas, that is Peter. What an ardent man he was! Another group stuck to Apollos. What a speaker he was! And then there were also those who said they belonged to Christ. These were the worst.

It may sound strange to you, but it is the truth. Paul sums up four parties with each their own party leader. Imagine that Christ was one of them! How could He ever be put on a level with any human being? That was exactly what the Corinthians did. Christ was made a party leader, next to Paul, Peter and Apollos. What this party was saying by this was: ‘We are the only good ones. Those who have joined Paul, or Peter, or Apollos, do not belong to our group.’ But every believer belongs to Christ, even though he might (unfortunately) have joined some group that is called after a certain servant.

Christ cannot be compartmentalized – like also His servants didn’t want to be a party leader. When Paul says that Christ is not divided, he indicates that Christ cannot be claimed by some group to be their party leader. You will surely recognize this picture in professing Christianity around you. What a dissension! One group is called after Luther, another after Calvin. There are also groups and churches where people come together, just because they agree on certain passages or subjects from the Bible, for example baptism, whilst others, who do not agree on this, cannot join this group. That the Lord Jesus is the only One through Whom Christians belong together has been pushed into the background more and more.

With the foregoing I do not mean to say that we should ignore the church walls and groups. What you certainly should not be doing, is letting yourself be pigeon-holed. Show the people that you only want to belong to the Lord Jesus and that you feel united with all fellow believers, whatever church or group with a certain name they might belong to.

1 Corinthians 1:13. This division absolutely conflicts with Christ. How could He be “divided”, as if His work would have brought division and not unity (John 11:52)? Paul also did not want to be a party leader – it was not him who was crucified for the Corinthians. They did not owe their salvation to him. He only had to bring them the message of salvation.

1 Corinthians 1:13 is the first time in this chapter that the cross is mentioned. This will be found more often. When you are reminded of the cross, you think back on the judgment that God executed on man. And if man has been judged, there is no more room for division because division is something made by man. They were not baptized in Paul’s name, were they?

1 Corinthians 1:14-16. If that were the case, there would only be a few people who belonged to him because he had only baptized a few. They could be counted on the fingers of one hand, so to speak. He can remember two cases. Oh yes, he also baptized the household of Stephanas. It is as if this name suddenly occurred to him. He does not boast with a lot of names as if they are trophies that magnify him.

Paul does not say this to belittle the meaning of baptism, but he finds himself to be insignificant. Only Christ is important to him. On the other hand some people find it important by whom they are baptized. But it is totally insignificant who is baptizing or who you are baptized by. With baptism, someone is joined with Christ in His death. It is about Him and not about the one who is baptizing.

1 Corinthians 1:17. Paul did not receive an order from Christ to baptize. The twelve disciples, who had followed the Lord Jesus on earth, had received this order. The assignment that Paul got from Christ was to spread the gospel. This should not be done with wisdom of words because then the person of Paul would come to the foreground again and the cross of Christ would become powerless.

It is all about the cross of Christ. There is much more related to it than your salvation as a sinner. When you look at the cross, you will see on the one hand how the holy God hates sin and you will see His adamant judgment on sin. On the other hand you will see His great love for you through the cross because there you see how the Savior in His endless grace did everything for you in His infinite suffering and His deep humiliation. On the one hand you will also see the demonic teamwork of the limitless evil of satan with man who has fallen into sin. On the other hand you see there how man in his pride is wiped out, how sin is done away and how satan is defeated and conquered.

The cross is the place where the judgment has raged and is carried and where God is glorified in Christ. Yes, on the cross, the foundation has been laid for a new heaven and a new earth, where the glory of God shall shine in all eternity.

Now read 1 Corinthians 1:10-17 again.

Reflection: Reflect on the miracle of the cross. (Do it often!)

1 Corinthians 7:34

Divisions in the Church

1 Corinthians 1:10. What Paul says in 1 Corinthians 1:9 about the fellowship of Jesus Christ, is a starting point for the verses you have just read. He has to admonish the Corinthians because they have forgotten that there is only one Person through Whom they belong together. Paul underlines his admonition by adding: “By the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.” Thereby he says that his admonition is completely supported by the authority of the Lord Jesus.

You can imagine that the Corinthians should be impressed by this. That was necessary because the name of the Lord Jesus was no longer the only Name for them. Other names had become important to them as well: Paul, Apollos, Cephas (1 Corinthians 1:12). As a result, they did not “all agree” or “all speak the same thing” [literal translation] anymore. ”Speak the same thing” does not mean saying things in the same tone or using the same words. It refers to the content of the conversations. That should be the same. The conversations should be about the same Person. The Lord Jesus wants to be unique for His own. He cannot be satisfied with a shared interest of the church.

The result of a shared interest is the start of divisions. If the believers do not turn their eyes on Him only, it will cause division. They do not really form a unity anymore. From the outside, it might still look like a unity. The believers still come together in the same building, but inwardly there are ‘cracks’. A building that starts getting cracks in the inner wall has to be repaired because otherwise these cracks will become wider and the building will collapse. So, Paul continues with an appeal to ‘repair’: they have to be “made complete”. This can be accomplished by being “in the same mind and in the same judgment” again. All the things that brought division had to be put away and they had to start focusing on the One again.

1 Corinthians 1:11. Fortunately, there were also believers in Corinth who were sad about the division, like those of Chloe’s household. They were wondering what they should do about it. They must have prayed a lot. I think the Lord made it clear to them that they should write Paul about it.

That is the best thing for us to do as well. When wrong things happen in the church, we should ‘ask Paul’. He has received special announcements from the Lord about the church. If you have certain questions about the church, you should read in the Bible the letters of Paul in particular. The Corinthians received an answer and you will get one as well. To act as if there are no problems or beat about the bush, is not the answer for the problems. If you run into problems, tell the Lord about it first and listen to what He has to say.

I do not think that the believers of Chloe’s household wrote to Paul behind the back of their fellow believers because Paul mentions their name openly and says that he had heard from them about what is going on in Corinth. They were not gossipers. They must have been reliable people, of whom Paul could expect that they depict a truthful image of the situation in Corinth. If not, Paul would never have reacted this way toward the Corinthians. It is great that there were people like them then and that they still are now because such people are invaluable for the church. Often they are not appreciated in the church and they are seen as troublesome because they point out the wrong things. However, it is of great importance that it happens. At least something will be done about the wrongs.

1 Corinthians 1:12. There were conflicts among the Corinthians. The believers were flatly quarreling. The reason for this was the different groups that had come into being, each of which had a favorite preacher. One group felt drawn to Paul, he was their man. What mysteries he could reveal! Another group followed Cephas, that is Peter. What an ardent man he was! Another group stuck to Apollos. What a speaker he was! And then there were also those who said they belonged to Christ. These were the worst.

It may sound strange to you, but it is the truth. Paul sums up four parties with each their own party leader. Imagine that Christ was one of them! How could He ever be put on a level with any human being? That was exactly what the Corinthians did. Christ was made a party leader, next to Paul, Peter and Apollos. What this party was saying by this was: ‘We are the only good ones. Those who have joined Paul, or Peter, or Apollos, do not belong to our group.’ But every believer belongs to Christ, even though he might (unfortunately) have joined some group that is called after a certain servant.

Christ cannot be compartmentalized – like also His servants didn’t want to be a party leader. When Paul says that Christ is not divided, he indicates that Christ cannot be claimed by some group to be their party leader. You will surely recognize this picture in professing Christianity around you. What a dissension! One group is called after Luther, another after Calvin. There are also groups and churches where people come together, just because they agree on certain passages or subjects from the Bible, for example baptism, whilst others, who do not agree on this, cannot join this group. That the Lord Jesus is the only One through Whom Christians belong together has been pushed into the background more and more.

With the foregoing I do not mean to say that we should ignore the church walls and groups. What you certainly should not be doing, is letting yourself be pigeon-holed. Show the people that you only want to belong to the Lord Jesus and that you feel united with all fellow believers, whatever church or group with a certain name they might belong to.

1 Corinthians 1:13. This division absolutely conflicts with Christ. How could He be “divided”, as if His work would have brought division and not unity (John 11:52)? Paul also did not want to be a party leader – it was not him who was crucified for the Corinthians. They did not owe their salvation to him. He only had to bring them the message of salvation.

1 Corinthians 1:13 is the first time in this chapter that the cross is mentioned. This will be found more often. When you are reminded of the cross, you think back on the judgment that God executed on man. And if man has been judged, there is no more room for division because division is something made by man. They were not baptized in Paul’s name, were they?

1 Corinthians 1:14-16. If that were the case, there would only be a few people who belonged to him because he had only baptized a few. They could be counted on the fingers of one hand, so to speak. He can remember two cases. Oh yes, he also baptized the household of Stephanas. It is as if this name suddenly occurred to him. He does not boast with a lot of names as if they are trophies that magnify him.

Paul does not say this to belittle the meaning of baptism, but he finds himself to be insignificant. Only Christ is important to him. On the other hand some people find it important by whom they are baptized. But it is totally insignificant who is baptizing or who you are baptized by. With baptism, someone is joined with Christ in His death. It is about Him and not about the one who is baptizing.

1 Corinthians 1:17. Paul did not receive an order from Christ to baptize. The twelve disciples, who had followed the Lord Jesus on earth, had received this order. The assignment that Paul got from Christ was to spread the gospel. This should not be done with wisdom of words because then the person of Paul would come to the foreground again and the cross of Christ would become powerless.

It is all about the cross of Christ. There is much more related to it than your salvation as a sinner. When you look at the cross, you will see on the one hand how the holy God hates sin and you will see His adamant judgment on sin. On the other hand you will see His great love for you through the cross because there you see how the Savior in His endless grace did everything for you in His infinite suffering and His deep humiliation. On the one hand you will also see the demonic teamwork of the limitless evil of satan with man who has fallen into sin. On the other hand you see there how man in his pride is wiped out, how sin is done away and how satan is defeated and conquered.

The cross is the place where the judgment has raged and is carried and where God is glorified in Christ. Yes, on the cross, the foundation has been laid for a new heaven and a new earth, where the glory of God shall shine in all eternity.

Now read 1 Corinthians 1:10-17 again.

Reflection: Reflect on the miracle of the cross. (Do it often!)

1 Corinthians 7:35

Divisions in the Church

1 Corinthians 1:10. What Paul says in 1 Corinthians 1:9 about the fellowship of Jesus Christ, is a starting point for the verses you have just read. He has to admonish the Corinthians because they have forgotten that there is only one Person through Whom they belong together. Paul underlines his admonition by adding: “By the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.” Thereby he says that his admonition is completely supported by the authority of the Lord Jesus.

You can imagine that the Corinthians should be impressed by this. That was necessary because the name of the Lord Jesus was no longer the only Name for them. Other names had become important to them as well: Paul, Apollos, Cephas (1 Corinthians 1:12). As a result, they did not “all agree” or “all speak the same thing” [literal translation] anymore. ”Speak the same thing” does not mean saying things in the same tone or using the same words. It refers to the content of the conversations. That should be the same. The conversations should be about the same Person. The Lord Jesus wants to be unique for His own. He cannot be satisfied with a shared interest of the church.

The result of a shared interest is the start of divisions. If the believers do not turn their eyes on Him only, it will cause division. They do not really form a unity anymore. From the outside, it might still look like a unity. The believers still come together in the same building, but inwardly there are ‘cracks’. A building that starts getting cracks in the inner wall has to be repaired because otherwise these cracks will become wider and the building will collapse. So, Paul continues with an appeal to ‘repair’: they have to be “made complete”. This can be accomplished by being “in the same mind and in the same judgment” again. All the things that brought division had to be put away and they had to start focusing on the One again.

1 Corinthians 1:11. Fortunately, there were also believers in Corinth who were sad about the division, like those of Chloe’s household. They were wondering what they should do about it. They must have prayed a lot. I think the Lord made it clear to them that they should write Paul about it.

That is the best thing for us to do as well. When wrong things happen in the church, we should ‘ask Paul’. He has received special announcements from the Lord about the church. If you have certain questions about the church, you should read in the Bible the letters of Paul in particular. The Corinthians received an answer and you will get one as well. To act as if there are no problems or beat about the bush, is not the answer for the problems. If you run into problems, tell the Lord about it first and listen to what He has to say.

I do not think that the believers of Chloe’s household wrote to Paul behind the back of their fellow believers because Paul mentions their name openly and says that he had heard from them about what is going on in Corinth. They were not gossipers. They must have been reliable people, of whom Paul could expect that they depict a truthful image of the situation in Corinth. If not, Paul would never have reacted this way toward the Corinthians. It is great that there were people like them then and that they still are now because such people are invaluable for the church. Often they are not appreciated in the church and they are seen as troublesome because they point out the wrong things. However, it is of great importance that it happens. At least something will be done about the wrongs.

1 Corinthians 1:12. There were conflicts among the Corinthians. The believers were flatly quarreling. The reason for this was the different groups that had come into being, each of which had a favorite preacher. One group felt drawn to Paul, he was their man. What mysteries he could reveal! Another group followed Cephas, that is Peter. What an ardent man he was! Another group stuck to Apollos. What a speaker he was! And then there were also those who said they belonged to Christ. These were the worst.

It may sound strange to you, but it is the truth. Paul sums up four parties with each their own party leader. Imagine that Christ was one of them! How could He ever be put on a level with any human being? That was exactly what the Corinthians did. Christ was made a party leader, next to Paul, Peter and Apollos. What this party was saying by this was: ‘We are the only good ones. Those who have joined Paul, or Peter, or Apollos, do not belong to our group.’ But every believer belongs to Christ, even though he might (unfortunately) have joined some group that is called after a certain servant.

Christ cannot be compartmentalized – like also His servants didn’t want to be a party leader. When Paul says that Christ is not divided, he indicates that Christ cannot be claimed by some group to be their party leader. You will surely recognize this picture in professing Christianity around you. What a dissension! One group is called after Luther, another after Calvin. There are also groups and churches where people come together, just because they agree on certain passages or subjects from the Bible, for example baptism, whilst others, who do not agree on this, cannot join this group. That the Lord Jesus is the only One through Whom Christians belong together has been pushed into the background more and more.

With the foregoing I do not mean to say that we should ignore the church walls and groups. What you certainly should not be doing, is letting yourself be pigeon-holed. Show the people that you only want to belong to the Lord Jesus and that you feel united with all fellow believers, whatever church or group with a certain name they might belong to.

1 Corinthians 1:13. This division absolutely conflicts with Christ. How could He be “divided”, as if His work would have brought division and not unity (John 11:52)? Paul also did not want to be a party leader – it was not him who was crucified for the Corinthians. They did not owe their salvation to him. He only had to bring them the message of salvation.

1 Corinthians 1:13 is the first time in this chapter that the cross is mentioned. This will be found more often. When you are reminded of the cross, you think back on the judgment that God executed on man. And if man has been judged, there is no more room for division because division is something made by man. They were not baptized in Paul’s name, were they?

1 Corinthians 1:14-16. If that were the case, there would only be a few people who belonged to him because he had only baptized a few. They could be counted on the fingers of one hand, so to speak. He can remember two cases. Oh yes, he also baptized the household of Stephanas. It is as if this name suddenly occurred to him. He does not boast with a lot of names as if they are trophies that magnify him.

Paul does not say this to belittle the meaning of baptism, but he finds himself to be insignificant. Only Christ is important to him. On the other hand some people find it important by whom they are baptized. But it is totally insignificant who is baptizing or who you are baptized by. With baptism, someone is joined with Christ in His death. It is about Him and not about the one who is baptizing.

1 Corinthians 1:17. Paul did not receive an order from Christ to baptize. The twelve disciples, who had followed the Lord Jesus on earth, had received this order. The assignment that Paul got from Christ was to spread the gospel. This should not be done with wisdom of words because then the person of Paul would come to the foreground again and the cross of Christ would become powerless.

It is all about the cross of Christ. There is much more related to it than your salvation as a sinner. When you look at the cross, you will see on the one hand how the holy God hates sin and you will see His adamant judgment on sin. On the other hand you will see His great love for you through the cross because there you see how the Savior in His endless grace did everything for you in His infinite suffering and His deep humiliation. On the one hand you will also see the demonic teamwork of the limitless evil of satan with man who has fallen into sin. On the other hand you see there how man in his pride is wiped out, how sin is done away and how satan is defeated and conquered.

The cross is the place where the judgment has raged and is carried and where God is glorified in Christ. Yes, on the cross, the foundation has been laid for a new heaven and a new earth, where the glory of God shall shine in all eternity.

Now read 1 Corinthians 1:10-17 again.

Reflection: Reflect on the miracle of the cross. (Do it often!)

1 Corinthians 7:36

Divisions in the Church

1 Corinthians 1:10. What Paul says in 1 Corinthians 1:9 about the fellowship of Jesus Christ, is a starting point for the verses you have just read. He has to admonish the Corinthians because they have forgotten that there is only one Person through Whom they belong together. Paul underlines his admonition by adding: “By the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.” Thereby he says that his admonition is completely supported by the authority of the Lord Jesus.

You can imagine that the Corinthians should be impressed by this. That was necessary because the name of the Lord Jesus was no longer the only Name for them. Other names had become important to them as well: Paul, Apollos, Cephas (1 Corinthians 1:12). As a result, they did not “all agree” or “all speak the same thing” [literal translation] anymore. ”Speak the same thing” does not mean saying things in the same tone or using the same words. It refers to the content of the conversations. That should be the same. The conversations should be about the same Person. The Lord Jesus wants to be unique for His own. He cannot be satisfied with a shared interest of the church.

The result of a shared interest is the start of divisions. If the believers do not turn their eyes on Him only, it will cause division. They do not really form a unity anymore. From the outside, it might still look like a unity. The believers still come together in the same building, but inwardly there are ‘cracks’. A building that starts getting cracks in the inner wall has to be repaired because otherwise these cracks will become wider and the building will collapse. So, Paul continues with an appeal to ‘repair’: they have to be “made complete”. This can be accomplished by being “in the same mind and in the same judgment” again. All the things that brought division had to be put away and they had to start focusing on the One again.

1 Corinthians 1:11. Fortunately, there were also believers in Corinth who were sad about the division, like those of Chloe’s household. They were wondering what they should do about it. They must have prayed a lot. I think the Lord made it clear to them that they should write Paul about it.

That is the best thing for us to do as well. When wrong things happen in the church, we should ‘ask Paul’. He has received special announcements from the Lord about the church. If you have certain questions about the church, you should read in the Bible the letters of Paul in particular. The Corinthians received an answer and you will get one as well. To act as if there are no problems or beat about the bush, is not the answer for the problems. If you run into problems, tell the Lord about it first and listen to what He has to say.

I do not think that the believers of Chloe’s household wrote to Paul behind the back of their fellow believers because Paul mentions their name openly and says that he had heard from them about what is going on in Corinth. They were not gossipers. They must have been reliable people, of whom Paul could expect that they depict a truthful image of the situation in Corinth. If not, Paul would never have reacted this way toward the Corinthians. It is great that there were people like them then and that they still are now because such people are invaluable for the church. Often they are not appreciated in the church and they are seen as troublesome because they point out the wrong things. However, it is of great importance that it happens. At least something will be done about the wrongs.

1 Corinthians 1:12. There were conflicts among the Corinthians. The believers were flatly quarreling. The reason for this was the different groups that had come into being, each of which had a favorite preacher. One group felt drawn to Paul, he was their man. What mysteries he could reveal! Another group followed Cephas, that is Peter. What an ardent man he was! Another group stuck to Apollos. What a speaker he was! And then there were also those who said they belonged to Christ. These were the worst.

It may sound strange to you, but it is the truth. Paul sums up four parties with each their own party leader. Imagine that Christ was one of them! How could He ever be put on a level with any human being? That was exactly what the Corinthians did. Christ was made a party leader, next to Paul, Peter and Apollos. What this party was saying by this was: ‘We are the only good ones. Those who have joined Paul, or Peter, or Apollos, do not belong to our group.’ But every believer belongs to Christ, even though he might (unfortunately) have joined some group that is called after a certain servant.

Christ cannot be compartmentalized – like also His servants didn’t want to be a party leader. When Paul says that Christ is not divided, he indicates that Christ cannot be claimed by some group to be their party leader. You will surely recognize this picture in professing Christianity around you. What a dissension! One group is called after Luther, another after Calvin. There are also groups and churches where people come together, just because they agree on certain passages or subjects from the Bible, for example baptism, whilst others, who do not agree on this, cannot join this group. That the Lord Jesus is the only One through Whom Christians belong together has been pushed into the background more and more.

With the foregoing I do not mean to say that we should ignore the church walls and groups. What you certainly should not be doing, is letting yourself be pigeon-holed. Show the people that you only want to belong to the Lord Jesus and that you feel united with all fellow believers, whatever church or group with a certain name they might belong to.

1 Corinthians 1:13. This division absolutely conflicts with Christ. How could He be “divided”, as if His work would have brought division and not unity (John 11:52)? Paul also did not want to be a party leader – it was not him who was crucified for the Corinthians. They did not owe their salvation to him. He only had to bring them the message of salvation.

1 Corinthians 1:13 is the first time in this chapter that the cross is mentioned. This will be found more often. When you are reminded of the cross, you think back on the judgment that God executed on man. And if man has been judged, there is no more room for division because division is something made by man. They were not baptized in Paul’s name, were they?

1 Corinthians 1:14-16. If that were the case, there would only be a few people who belonged to him because he had only baptized a few. They could be counted on the fingers of one hand, so to speak. He can remember two cases. Oh yes, he also baptized the household of Stephanas. It is as if this name suddenly occurred to him. He does not boast with a lot of names as if they are trophies that magnify him.

Paul does not say this to belittle the meaning of baptism, but he finds himself to be insignificant. Only Christ is important to him. On the other hand some people find it important by whom they are baptized. But it is totally insignificant who is baptizing or who you are baptized by. With baptism, someone is joined with Christ in His death. It is about Him and not about the one who is baptizing.

1 Corinthians 1:17. Paul did not receive an order from Christ to baptize. The twelve disciples, who had followed the Lord Jesus on earth, had received this order. The assignment that Paul got from Christ was to spread the gospel. This should not be done with wisdom of words because then the person of Paul would come to the foreground again and the cross of Christ would become powerless.

It is all about the cross of Christ. There is much more related to it than your salvation as a sinner. When you look at the cross, you will see on the one hand how the holy God hates sin and you will see His adamant judgment on sin. On the other hand you will see His great love for you through the cross because there you see how the Savior in His endless grace did everything for you in His infinite suffering and His deep humiliation. On the one hand you will also see the demonic teamwork of the limitless evil of satan with man who has fallen into sin. On the other hand you see there how man in his pride is wiped out, how sin is done away and how satan is defeated and conquered.

The cross is the place where the judgment has raged and is carried and where God is glorified in Christ. Yes, on the cross, the foundation has been laid for a new heaven and a new earth, where the glory of God shall shine in all eternity.

Now read 1 Corinthians 1:10-17 again.

Reflection: Reflect on the miracle of the cross. (Do it often!)

1 Corinthians 7:37

Christ – the Power and Wisdom of God

1 Corinthians 1:18. In these verses Paul depicts the contrast between the old and the new life. To him there is no way in between. The cross doesn’t allow such a way. It is about perishing or being saved. Between these two ways there is the cross.

The “word of the cross” is not popular. At least, how it is presented by God in His Word. I call that the old cross. It often occurs in preaching the gospel to leave out the sharp edges of the “word of the cross” to make it more pleasant and to make it less radical. I call that the new cross. With the new cross one can go on with his life without having gone through a radical change in his motives. He goes on with his own pleasures. The only difference is that many things in his life now have a Christian ‘color’. But with the old cross nothing is left of the old man, he is disappeared completely. The old cross is the symbol of scorn and shame.

During the time the Lord Jesus lived in Israel, the people were dominated by the Romans. The Roman way of executing a criminal was by crucifixion. That is the most horrible sentence of death you can imagine. Anyone who was sentenced to this death in that time, walked with the cross on his back through the streets of the city to the place of execution. He had said goodbye to family, friends and acquaintances. He would not come back anymore. There was no compromise with the cross; it was hard and merciless and it killed a man once and for all.

The Corinthians had forgotten the real meaning of the cross. You can see that immediately from their quarreling and divisions. But how do you deal with the cross? For it is one thing to know that you are saved through the cross, but to live in accordance with the cross is a completely different thing. To the world, “to those who are perishing”, the message of the cross is foolishness. That the Son of God voluntarily took that place to reconcile a hostile man with God, is foolishness for men who are blind to their own sinfulness and to God Who is holy. But to you the cross was the “power of God” through which you were saved.

1 Corinthians 1:19-20. All the wisdom and philosophy of the world, hasn’t ever been able to save anyone. Much fantasy and philosophy have been going on (and still are) about what man is and what would lead him to happiness. Many of these theories were constructed and are still being constructed, the one more impressive than the other. But in the Old Testament God already said that He would destroy the wisdom of the wise men and the understanding of their prudent men He would bring to nothing (Isaiah 29:14).

The wisdom of man is something that comes from man. In Ephesians 4 you can read what man is without God (Ephesians 4:17-19). How could such man ever come up with something meaningful about the origin, the existence and the future of man? All thoughts of man about himself and from himself and all his searching after the truth about himself apart from God, is meaningless. He who yet does that and even admires that – and that was the case with the Corinthians – doesn’t understand anything about the wisdom of God.

1 Corinthians 1:21. The wisdom of God has a totally different approach. God really cannot use anything at all of fallen man to restore him but has to start all over again with him. Someone we might consider the wisest person will never be able to grasp anything of God with his understanding, his intelligence. God does not primarily address the understanding of man, but his conscience. He who begins reasoning about God with his understanding, is judging Him. As if man can grasp God within his own mind!

He, who makes God speak to his conscience, acknowledges that it is quite the opposite: God judges him. Such a person becomes aware of the wisdom of God as demonstrated in “the foolishness of the message”. Isn’t it foolish to listen to something that approaches you through words that you cannot see or touch or reason with your understanding? No, it certainly is not, for if you once have believed the truth of those words, you are really saved indeed.

1 Corinthians 1:22. The Jews wanted to see a sign first or concrete evidence before they believed. The Greek people wanted to be able to reason with understanding first before they believed. But that of course is not believing. Believing is the confidence that is focused on God. You trust that God has good purposes toward you, although He yet has to judge you.

1 Corinthians 1:23. Such contradictions cannot be proved by signs or to be reasoned with the understanding, but to faith it is all to be found in Christ, the Crucified One. The Jews did not want such a Savior. Just imagine what they were thinking: their pride, their Messiah, Who would chase away the enemy (the Romans) out of the land, died on a cross. The Greeks had profound thoughts about the essence of man and believed in their own ideas about it. Just imagine again: such a distinguished being as a man should be saved by something abject as a crucified Man.

1 Corinthians 1:24. However, he who is called by God, as you also are now, whether you are a Jew or a Gentile, knows for sure: only through the cross there is salvation. On the cross you see Christ. In Him the power of God and the wisdom of God have become apparent. The power of God is not comparable to the muscular power of a man. The power of God is seen in the triumph that was achieved over sin, satan and death by the Son of God. The enemy has been defeated, not by might, but by the submission of the Lord Jesus to God all the way to death. It is a final victory. It is the power of God’s love that has reached out to you in His Son and Who gained you for Him.

1 Corinthians 1:25. God in His wisdom was the only One Who could have invented such a way for the salvation of sinners. Never ever could a man think in such a way. As long as a person has not been touched in his conscience, he will continually try to make his life meaningful by his own power and understanding. Until now it appears that all human ingenuity has not lead to a happy world. We are sure that it will never happen.

Every day we have enough evidence that the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men. You have understood and experienced that the ‘foolishness of God’ has brought deliverance in your hopeless situation and that the ‘weakness of God’ was the power that lifted you up from your misery and brought you close to His heart.

Now read 1 Corinthians 1:18-25 again.

Reflection: Compare the foolishness of men to the foolishness of God.

1 Corinthians 7:38

Christ – the Power and Wisdom of God

1 Corinthians 1:18. In these verses Paul depicts the contrast between the old and the new life. To him there is no way in between. The cross doesn’t allow such a way. It is about perishing or being saved. Between these two ways there is the cross.

The “word of the cross” is not popular. At least, how it is presented by God in His Word. I call that the old cross. It often occurs in preaching the gospel to leave out the sharp edges of the “word of the cross” to make it more pleasant and to make it less radical. I call that the new cross. With the new cross one can go on with his life without having gone through a radical change in his motives. He goes on with his own pleasures. The only difference is that many things in his life now have a Christian ‘color’. But with the old cross nothing is left of the old man, he is disappeared completely. The old cross is the symbol of scorn and shame.

During the time the Lord Jesus lived in Israel, the people were dominated by the Romans. The Roman way of executing a criminal was by crucifixion. That is the most horrible sentence of death you can imagine. Anyone who was sentenced to this death in that time, walked with the cross on his back through the streets of the city to the place of execution. He had said goodbye to family, friends and acquaintances. He would not come back anymore. There was no compromise with the cross; it was hard and merciless and it killed a man once and for all.

The Corinthians had forgotten the real meaning of the cross. You can see that immediately from their quarreling and divisions. But how do you deal with the cross? For it is one thing to know that you are saved through the cross, but to live in accordance with the cross is a completely different thing. To the world, “to those who are perishing”, the message of the cross is foolishness. That the Son of God voluntarily took that place to reconcile a hostile man with God, is foolishness for men who are blind to their own sinfulness and to God Who is holy. But to you the cross was the “power of God” through which you were saved.

1 Corinthians 1:19-20. All the wisdom and philosophy of the world, hasn’t ever been able to save anyone. Much fantasy and philosophy have been going on (and still are) about what man is and what would lead him to happiness. Many of these theories were constructed and are still being constructed, the one more impressive than the other. But in the Old Testament God already said that He would destroy the wisdom of the wise men and the understanding of their prudent men He would bring to nothing (Isaiah 29:14).

The wisdom of man is something that comes from man. In Ephesians 4 you can read what man is without God (Ephesians 4:17-19). How could such man ever come up with something meaningful about the origin, the existence and the future of man? All thoughts of man about himself and from himself and all his searching after the truth about himself apart from God, is meaningless. He who yet does that and even admires that – and that was the case with the Corinthians – doesn’t understand anything about the wisdom of God.

1 Corinthians 1:21. The wisdom of God has a totally different approach. God really cannot use anything at all of fallen man to restore him but has to start all over again with him. Someone we might consider the wisest person will never be able to grasp anything of God with his understanding, his intelligence. God does not primarily address the understanding of man, but his conscience. He who begins reasoning about God with his understanding, is judging Him. As if man can grasp God within his own mind!

He, who makes God speak to his conscience, acknowledges that it is quite the opposite: God judges him. Such a person becomes aware of the wisdom of God as demonstrated in “the foolishness of the message”. Isn’t it foolish to listen to something that approaches you through words that you cannot see or touch or reason with your understanding? No, it certainly is not, for if you once have believed the truth of those words, you are really saved indeed.

1 Corinthians 1:22. The Jews wanted to see a sign first or concrete evidence before they believed. The Greek people wanted to be able to reason with understanding first before they believed. But that of course is not believing. Believing is the confidence that is focused on God. You trust that God has good purposes toward you, although He yet has to judge you.

1 Corinthians 1:23. Such contradictions cannot be proved by signs or to be reasoned with the understanding, but to faith it is all to be found in Christ, the Crucified One. The Jews did not want such a Savior. Just imagine what they were thinking: their pride, their Messiah, Who would chase away the enemy (the Romans) out of the land, died on a cross. The Greeks had profound thoughts about the essence of man and believed in their own ideas about it. Just imagine again: such a distinguished being as a man should be saved by something abject as a crucified Man.

1 Corinthians 1:24. However, he who is called by God, as you also are now, whether you are a Jew or a Gentile, knows for sure: only through the cross there is salvation. On the cross you see Christ. In Him the power of God and the wisdom of God have become apparent. The power of God is not comparable to the muscular power of a man. The power of God is seen in the triumph that was achieved over sin, satan and death by the Son of God. The enemy has been defeated, not by might, but by the submission of the Lord Jesus to God all the way to death. It is a final victory. It is the power of God’s love that has reached out to you in His Son and Who gained you for Him.

1 Corinthians 1:25. God in His wisdom was the only One Who could have invented such a way for the salvation of sinners. Never ever could a man think in such a way. As long as a person has not been touched in his conscience, he will continually try to make his life meaningful by his own power and understanding. Until now it appears that all human ingenuity has not lead to a happy world. We are sure that it will never happen.

Every day we have enough evidence that the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men. You have understood and experienced that the ‘foolishness of God’ has brought deliverance in your hopeless situation and that the ‘weakness of God’ was the power that lifted you up from your misery and brought you close to His heart.

Now read 1 Corinthians 1:18-25 again.

Reflection: Compare the foolishness of men to the foolishness of God.

1 Corinthians 7:39

Christ – the Power and Wisdom of God

1 Corinthians 1:18. In these verses Paul depicts the contrast between the old and the new life. To him there is no way in between. The cross doesn’t allow such a way. It is about perishing or being saved. Between these two ways there is the cross.

The “word of the cross” is not popular. At least, how it is presented by God in His Word. I call that the old cross. It often occurs in preaching the gospel to leave out the sharp edges of the “word of the cross” to make it more pleasant and to make it less radical. I call that the new cross. With the new cross one can go on with his life without having gone through a radical change in his motives. He goes on with his own pleasures. The only difference is that many things in his life now have a Christian ‘color’. But with the old cross nothing is left of the old man, he is disappeared completely. The old cross is the symbol of scorn and shame.

During the time the Lord Jesus lived in Israel, the people were dominated by the Romans. The Roman way of executing a criminal was by crucifixion. That is the most horrible sentence of death you can imagine. Anyone who was sentenced to this death in that time, walked with the cross on his back through the streets of the city to the place of execution. He had said goodbye to family, friends and acquaintances. He would not come back anymore. There was no compromise with the cross; it was hard and merciless and it killed a man once and for all.

The Corinthians had forgotten the real meaning of the cross. You can see that immediately from their quarreling and divisions. But how do you deal with the cross? For it is one thing to know that you are saved through the cross, but to live in accordance with the cross is a completely different thing. To the world, “to those who are perishing”, the message of the cross is foolishness. That the Son of God voluntarily took that place to reconcile a hostile man with God, is foolishness for men who are blind to their own sinfulness and to God Who is holy. But to you the cross was the “power of God” through which you were saved.

1 Corinthians 1:19-20. All the wisdom and philosophy of the world, hasn’t ever been able to save anyone. Much fantasy and philosophy have been going on (and still are) about what man is and what would lead him to happiness. Many of these theories were constructed and are still being constructed, the one more impressive than the other. But in the Old Testament God already said that He would destroy the wisdom of the wise men and the understanding of their prudent men He would bring to nothing (Isaiah 29:14).

The wisdom of man is something that comes from man. In Ephesians 4 you can read what man is without God (Ephesians 4:17-19). How could such man ever come up with something meaningful about the origin, the existence and the future of man? All thoughts of man about himself and from himself and all his searching after the truth about himself apart from God, is meaningless. He who yet does that and even admires that – and that was the case with the Corinthians – doesn’t understand anything about the wisdom of God.

1 Corinthians 1:21. The wisdom of God has a totally different approach. God really cannot use anything at all of fallen man to restore him but has to start all over again with him. Someone we might consider the wisest person will never be able to grasp anything of God with his understanding, his intelligence. God does not primarily address the understanding of man, but his conscience. He who begins reasoning about God with his understanding, is judging Him. As if man can grasp God within his own mind!

He, who makes God speak to his conscience, acknowledges that it is quite the opposite: God judges him. Such a person becomes aware of the wisdom of God as demonstrated in “the foolishness of the message”. Isn’t it foolish to listen to something that approaches you through words that you cannot see or touch or reason with your understanding? No, it certainly is not, for if you once have believed the truth of those words, you are really saved indeed.

1 Corinthians 1:22. The Jews wanted to see a sign first or concrete evidence before they believed. The Greek people wanted to be able to reason with understanding first before they believed. But that of course is not believing. Believing is the confidence that is focused on God. You trust that God has good purposes toward you, although He yet has to judge you.

1 Corinthians 1:23. Such contradictions cannot be proved by signs or to be reasoned with the understanding, but to faith it is all to be found in Christ, the Crucified One. The Jews did not want such a Savior. Just imagine what they were thinking: their pride, their Messiah, Who would chase away the enemy (the Romans) out of the land, died on a cross. The Greeks had profound thoughts about the essence of man and believed in their own ideas about it. Just imagine again: such a distinguished being as a man should be saved by something abject as a crucified Man.

1 Corinthians 1:24. However, he who is called by God, as you also are now, whether you are a Jew or a Gentile, knows for sure: only through the cross there is salvation. On the cross you see Christ. In Him the power of God and the wisdom of God have become apparent. The power of God is not comparable to the muscular power of a man. The power of God is seen in the triumph that was achieved over sin, satan and death by the Son of God. The enemy has been defeated, not by might, but by the submission of the Lord Jesus to God all the way to death. It is a final victory. It is the power of God’s love that has reached out to you in His Son and Who gained you for Him.

1 Corinthians 1:25. God in His wisdom was the only One Who could have invented such a way for the salvation of sinners. Never ever could a man think in such a way. As long as a person has not been touched in his conscience, he will continually try to make his life meaningful by his own power and understanding. Until now it appears that all human ingenuity has not lead to a happy world. We are sure that it will never happen.

Every day we have enough evidence that the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men. You have understood and experienced that the ‘foolishness of God’ has brought deliverance in your hopeless situation and that the ‘weakness of God’ was the power that lifted you up from your misery and brought you close to His heart.

Now read 1 Corinthians 1:18-25 again.

Reflection: Compare the foolishness of men to the foolishness of God.

1 Corinthians 7:40

Christ – the Power and Wisdom of God

1 Corinthians 1:18. In these verses Paul depicts the contrast between the old and the new life. To him there is no way in between. The cross doesn’t allow such a way. It is about perishing or being saved. Between these two ways there is the cross.

The “word of the cross” is not popular. At least, how it is presented by God in His Word. I call that the old cross. It often occurs in preaching the gospel to leave out the sharp edges of the “word of the cross” to make it more pleasant and to make it less radical. I call that the new cross. With the new cross one can go on with his life without having gone through a radical change in his motives. He goes on with his own pleasures. The only difference is that many things in his life now have a Christian ‘color’. But with the old cross nothing is left of the old man, he is disappeared completely. The old cross is the symbol of scorn and shame.

During the time the Lord Jesus lived in Israel, the people were dominated by the Romans. The Roman way of executing a criminal was by crucifixion. That is the most horrible sentence of death you can imagine. Anyone who was sentenced to this death in that time, walked with the cross on his back through the streets of the city to the place of execution. He had said goodbye to family, friends and acquaintances. He would not come back anymore. There was no compromise with the cross; it was hard and merciless and it killed a man once and for all.

The Corinthians had forgotten the real meaning of the cross. You can see that immediately from their quarreling and divisions. But how do you deal with the cross? For it is one thing to know that you are saved through the cross, but to live in accordance with the cross is a completely different thing. To the world, “to those who are perishing”, the message of the cross is foolishness. That the Son of God voluntarily took that place to reconcile a hostile man with God, is foolishness for men who are blind to their own sinfulness and to God Who is holy. But to you the cross was the “power of God” through which you were saved.

1 Corinthians 1:19-20. All the wisdom and philosophy of the world, hasn’t ever been able to save anyone. Much fantasy and philosophy have been going on (and still are) about what man is and what would lead him to happiness. Many of these theories were constructed and are still being constructed, the one more impressive than the other. But in the Old Testament God already said that He would destroy the wisdom of the wise men and the understanding of their prudent men He would bring to nothing (Isaiah 29:14).

The wisdom of man is something that comes from man. In Ephesians 4 you can read what man is without God (Ephesians 4:17-19). How could such man ever come up with something meaningful about the origin, the existence and the future of man? All thoughts of man about himself and from himself and all his searching after the truth about himself apart from God, is meaningless. He who yet does that and even admires that – and that was the case with the Corinthians – doesn’t understand anything about the wisdom of God.

1 Corinthians 1:21. The wisdom of God has a totally different approach. God really cannot use anything at all of fallen man to restore him but has to start all over again with him. Someone we might consider the wisest person will never be able to grasp anything of God with his understanding, his intelligence. God does not primarily address the understanding of man, but his conscience. He who begins reasoning about God with his understanding, is judging Him. As if man can grasp God within his own mind!

He, who makes God speak to his conscience, acknowledges that it is quite the opposite: God judges him. Such a person becomes aware of the wisdom of God as demonstrated in “the foolishness of the message”. Isn’t it foolish to listen to something that approaches you through words that you cannot see or touch or reason with your understanding? No, it certainly is not, for if you once have believed the truth of those words, you are really saved indeed.

1 Corinthians 1:22. The Jews wanted to see a sign first or concrete evidence before they believed. The Greek people wanted to be able to reason with understanding first before they believed. But that of course is not believing. Believing is the confidence that is focused on God. You trust that God has good purposes toward you, although He yet has to judge you.

1 Corinthians 1:23. Such contradictions cannot be proved by signs or to be reasoned with the understanding, but to faith it is all to be found in Christ, the Crucified One. The Jews did not want such a Savior. Just imagine what they were thinking: their pride, their Messiah, Who would chase away the enemy (the Romans) out of the land, died on a cross. The Greeks had profound thoughts about the essence of man and believed in their own ideas about it. Just imagine again: such a distinguished being as a man should be saved by something abject as a crucified Man.

1 Corinthians 1:24. However, he who is called by God, as you also are now, whether you are a Jew or a Gentile, knows for sure: only through the cross there is salvation. On the cross you see Christ. In Him the power of God and the wisdom of God have become apparent. The power of God is not comparable to the muscular power of a man. The power of God is seen in the triumph that was achieved over sin, satan and death by the Son of God. The enemy has been defeated, not by might, but by the submission of the Lord Jesus to God all the way to death. It is a final victory. It is the power of God’s love that has reached out to you in His Son and Who gained you for Him.

1 Corinthians 1:25. God in His wisdom was the only One Who could have invented such a way for the salvation of sinners. Never ever could a man think in such a way. As long as a person has not been touched in his conscience, he will continually try to make his life meaningful by his own power and understanding. Until now it appears that all human ingenuity has not lead to a happy world. We are sure that it will never happen.

Every day we have enough evidence that the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men. You have understood and experienced that the ‘foolishness of God’ has brought deliverance in your hopeless situation and that the ‘weakness of God’ was the power that lifted you up from your misery and brought you close to His heart.

Now read 1 Corinthians 1:18-25 again.

Reflection: Compare the foolishness of men to the foolishness of God.