Jesus does more than remove the threat of death. He promises to give us bodies that won?t die through which we?ll know joy that is endless and complete. With this promise before us, there is nothing in this life we can?t do without for the sake of his kingdom.

For Paul, Christianity stands or falls on whether Jesus is alive. But why? Only a living Jesus can truly free us from guilt in life and fear in death. And only a living Jesus makes the Christian life anything less than pitiful.

The church comes together not for private communion with God but to encourage each other with the gospel. We encourage each other by using our minds to engage our hearts.

Christians are defined by love, not by what they possess or how they perform. Christians are bound by love, because only love like God?s can keep sinful, selfish people together. And Christians are destined for love, for the endless world of love that we taste in part when we love each other well.

For the good of the church, God?s Spirit gives each believer gifts that are unique and indispensable. We?re all gifted. But we?re not self-sufficient. As members of one body, we each need others and others need each of us.

Confronting self-centered divisiveness at Corinth, Paul helps us understand what we do in the Lord?s Supper and what the Lord?s Supper does in us.

What do we do when the message and cultural context of the Bible seem far removed from our values and assumptions?

What does it look like to live our lives ?to the glory of God?? We were made to glorify God by loving his gifts for God?s sake, and by loving each other in God?s strength.

Paul points to the example of Israel to show that receiving great blessing from God doesn?t mean you won?t crave something more and fall into idolatry. Because comfort in Christian trappings isn?t the same as faith in Christ, be careful what you crave.

Christian freedom is not finally about what?s permissible for us but what?s beneficial for others. Jesus frees us from bondage to our own interests, and he frees us for binding ourselves to each other.