Keeping clear of the abyss

1 Corinthians 6:8-9

8 No, you yourselves do wrong and cheat, and you do these things to your brethren! 9 Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived.

The chapters of 1 Corinthians 5 and 6 are actually an incredible indictment against the church - or then the community of believers.  Paul speaks loudly and clearly to the body of believers, and he points out that we should not tolerate sin within the camp, nor should we be as hypocritical to think that we are better than others because we scandalously and shamelessly sin against God, and our brothers within the community of believers.  In verse 8-9 he says WE do wrong, and cheat AND we do it to each other, and then comes the warning - we should not let ourselves be deceived.  When we do wrong it is unrighteousness - and the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God.  Point made, and yes, I know we have many arguments about what is sin and what is not.  We have a way of thinking how far we can push the boundary before we move into sin and unrighteousness.  We have rights.  We can do whatever we like because we are not under the law, etc. etc.

The picture I have in my mind about this is one of a bus driving down a steep mountain pass, but, the driver tries to see how close he can drive to the abyss before the bus will fall off the edge.    

(Have a look at this short video:  Driving a bus in Peru)

This is what we do - we try to see how close we can come to the boundary before we fall into the abyss of sin.  Would it not be better to ask a different question?  Should the driver's attitude not rather be "how far can I stay away from the edge of the abyss so that I can ensure my own and others' safety"?  I think each and every one of us will agree that we would expect the bus driver to do that if we were a passenger on that bus.  Yet, when we drive the bus of our life, we constantly want to know how far we can go before we fall into the abyss of sin, instead of rather asking the question, "How far can I stay away from sin?"   Should it not be as simple as that? 

Point to ponder:  Paul uses the word "flee" in verse 18. The word means to seek safety by flight.  He admonishes us to seek safety by fleeing from sin.  Thus, the point to ponder for this week is - what sin or unrighteousness should we seek safety from by fleeing, rather than entertaining it?  

I Speak Jesus - Charity Gayle

Unleavened bread

1 Corinthians 5: 6-8

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

In this verse Paul points out to us that leaven permeates the whole lump of dough. In this context it refers to sin.  Once mankind allowed sin into our lives and hearts, it permeated our whole beings.  But Christ, Who is our Passover Lamb, was sacrificed for us - in our place - therefore we can also rise with Him into a new being and into a new life.  The feast Paul refers to here is the feast of unleavened bread which is also celebrated at the time of Passover.  It symbolizes the fact that Christ was without sin - yet became sin for us and it encourages us to not bring any of the old leaven, meaning to bring nothing of our old lives, into our new life with Him.  Paul wants us not just to be aware of the fact that our sin has been dealt with, but he also wants us to know that we can celebrate Christ with immense joy!  He reminds us that we have been purged of the leaven of malice and wickedness and that the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth now is our inheritance.

Point to ponder:

What leaven from my old life am I trying to carry into the new life with Christ?  Leave it all behind and rise to a new life with Christ.  

Come to the Well - Casting Crowns

The thoughts of the wise

1 Corinthians 3:18-21

18 Let no one deceive himself. If anyone among you seems to be wise in this age, let him become a fool that he may become wise. 19 For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God. For it is written, “He catches the wise in their own craftiness”; 20 and again, “The Lord knows the thoughts of the wise, that they are futile.” 21 Therefore let no one boast in men.

It is good to keep in mind that our wisdom here on earth is foolishness with God, for this thought, if pondered and taken to heart, will foster humility and dependence on God and not on our own strength and futile thoughts of human wisdom. God warns us in this passage that if we keep insisting to walk in our own wisdom, that we will be caught in our own craftiness.

Let us pray this week that God will show us where we are holding on to our own futile human wisdom instead of trusting in His Wisdom!  In His presence we cannot become wise in our own age.

Show me your face - Stephany Gretzinger

The dwelling place of God

 1 Corinthians 3:16

16 Do you not know that you are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you? 17 If anyone defiles the temple of God, God will destroy him. For the temple of God is holy, which temple you are.

Dear friends, I have taken quite a long break from a lot of responsibilities, but now I need to start up this year with the speed of lightning otherwise I am never going to catch up with life this year!  As I was picking up the threads where we left them off last year, I realized what an amazing scripture 1 Corinthians 3:16 is to start 2023 off with!   What better thought to start this year than to be reminded that God's dwelling place for His Spirit, His place of presence and abode, is within us?    Do we really KNOW that WE - yes YOU and I are the temple of God, that HIS SPIRIT dwells in us?  We are the temple of God and God takes that so seriously that He says that if anyone defiles the temple of God, God Himself will destroy him?  Ouch - that's a serious statement, because pondering that I realized that we ourselves are the biggest culprits in defiling our own temples. But to God this temple - who is YOU and I - is HOLY.  Yes HOLY...

Thought to ponder:   Let's ask Holy Spirit to show us what is defiling our temples so we can clean it out and up and ask Him to fill us anew and make us His dwelling place once again.  

MW Smith - Agnus Dei