First Presbyterian Church of Baton Rouge

All human life is sacred and precious to our God. How do we know that in the deepest way of all? Because we have news, news like no other ever announced on the face of the earth. The eternal God has stepped into our world through the womb of a human being. Jesus became an embryo, alive within the womb of Mary, completely himself but also completely dependent on her. The Son of God became an embryo on behalf of all embryos. He brothered every single human being as he, the Creator God, took up our humanity as his own.

• The Biblical views of marriage, sex, and singleness are all very countercultural, and all much higher than the world makes them out to be, but not in the ways we expect.
• Marriage is a one-flesh union (where "two become one flesh") in both body and soul. Sex is a unique and beautiful blessing that was designed to be enjoyed within the sanctity of marriage. It's a shared intimacy, a gift we give each other.
• It's unfortunate that the church doesn't have a louder voice when it comes to the BEAUTY of sex, to combat our seemingly stuffy and rigid reputation. The fact that we only celebrate sex within the bounds of marriage may seem limiting to the world, but it actually frees us to enjoy it more fully, the way it was intended.
• Marriage requires a heightened level of commitment. We don't take it lightly; it's not something we come in and out of casually, so ending a marriage requires much prayer, discernment and Godly counsel.
• Singleness is not a trial to be endured; it’s a gift to be cherished and maximized. It allows for undivided devotion to the Lord, undistracted freedom to serve Christ, and uninterrupted time to focus on what God is calling you into.
• Both marriage and singleness are highly valuable (and beautiful!) in God’s eyes, for much more important reasons that the world’s reasons. They are also both hard, in their own ways, and they both require much humility, patience and self-sacrifice.
• There is purpose in where you are, and purpose in the place God has you. And yet we can’t cling to this place (the present "status” we're in) because at any point that may change. Our statuses (and everything in this world) is fleeting. So whatever the Corinthians were seeking, whatever WE are seeking, and for whatever reason (it may be a good and right reason!), know this: Our ultimate satisfaction will not be found in a spouse, in a marriage, in sex, in singleness, in celibacy, or even in ourselves.... but in Jesus Christ. We ALL find our satisfaction in Him.
• Jesus Christ our Lord, is our bridegroom, and we (the church), are his bride… his adulterous, sinful, idolatrous, undeserving bride. And he took you and washed you clean so that you are spotless, he clothed you in his righteousness, justified you in His name, joined himself to you forever, and will NEVER leave you or let you go no matter what. Even when he was staring death square in the face, he refused to let you go. Even when you run or pull away, he relentlessly pursues you, he sanctifies you, transforming you from one degree of glory to another, he loves you more than you could ever understand.

We're about being connected to the world's only hope; the deepest reality that can be known. If we sink our roots into that, we discover that we are living and breathing in unity with eternal beings all around us.

• The Corinthians have an identity crisis. They've forgotten who we are and to whom they belong. Stephen Um says the Corinthians were suffering from "gospel amnesia." They were living their lives with the WORLD in view instead of the GOSPEL in view. Paul wants to change that.
• When we seek to resolve internal trivial disputes outside of the church walls, we imply that the gospel is insufficient to do so, and that we value and trust the world's wisdom and counsel more than the Lord's. Why would we seek to handle disputes to an unbelieving world "whose way of life is scorned by the church?"
• “The church is a place where radically broken individuals are restored, a place where the default position is forgiveness rather than rejection." (Stephen Um)
• The list of sins in verses 9-10 make us uncomfortable because Paul lumps them all together as if they all carry the same weight. We'd like to believe that certain sins are less severe than others. And although some sins do carry heavier consequences, God hates ALL sin. God judges ALL sin. ALL sin separates us from him. Thankfully, the story doesn't end there . . . we have the hope of verse 11, which reminds us that we've been washed clean, sanctified, justified by the Lord Jesus Christ. We still wrestle with sin, but we are no longer enslaved to it or defined by it; we've been given a new identity in Christ. Amen to that!
• The Corinthians (and our current culture today) have a very casual, cheap, devalued view of sex, believing "I have the right to anything" (vs. 12). But Paul reminds us, our bodies are not our own, they belong to God. More than that, our bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit. Think of the significance of this . . . how sacred the inner room of the temple, the Holy of Holies, was . . . it was the place where the very presence of God dwelt. And now, WE are the temple. We house the Holy of Holies! By the blood of Jesus, we've been washed clean so that we can be forever joined to our Triune God, we are ONE with him. Wow. How does this combat the worldview of our bodies and of sex?
• Reflection: How do we overcome our identity crisis and remember who we are? How do we resolve our "gospel amnesia?"

It matters that you are here! We are called to one another because we belong to one another. We gather in person to be formed as a living temple in which the weary find encouragement, the weak find strength, the anxious peace and the lost come home. It matters that you are here!

• Paul does well in these chapters to humble them and deflate their view of themselves (and their leaders), and shift their focus back on Christ . . . but at the same time, he reminds them of how important they are to the body of Christ, why it's necessary to hold them accountable for their actions because their obedience matters, the way they live their lives . . . matters.
• Paul doesn't just preach the gospel. He lives it out faithfully, with two feet in the kingdom of God. Take notice of how Paul describes this gospel-driven life in chapter 4. What a counter-cultural way to live . . . to count it a blessing to be humbled and called the “scum of the earth” in the eyes of the world for the sake of the Kingdom?! This is the upside-down life we've been called to. This is what it looks like to be "a servant of Christ, and a steward of the mysteries of God."
• In chapter 5, we see not only Paul's love and care for the body of Christ, but also his willingness to hold them accountable to their sin. Paul shows us that what's so dangerous is not as much the sin itself, but the church's tolerance of sin. Our tolerance of sin suggests we condone sin. The real danger is when we aren't convicted by our sin, when we overlook it, excuse it, or worse, celebrate it.
• If a person’s sin is left unchecked, it can compromise and weaken the whole church body. If sin is left uncorrected, it can spread and contaminate the rest of the body and destroy it from the inside out. What we do matters to the health of the body of Christ, and to protect the body from harm.
• Read Matthew 7: 3-5. How does this passage add to understanding of how we are to handle accountability?
• It's so tricky to get this right. What we do know is that it takes a complete reliance on the Holy Spirit and a huge dose of humility, love and grace. We also know that accountability comes into play when there's a lack of conviction and repentance. And we know that this only applies to those in Christ, not the outside world.
• Read Matthew 18: 15-17 and 2 Corinthians 2: 5-11. How do these passages add to our understanding of how are to handle accountability?
• Reflection Question: What can we do to view our sin more seriously, both in our own lives and in the church as a whole?
• Reflection Question: How can we better practice loving accountability within the body of Christ? What does that look like practically?

We reach our wits’ end and collapse in a puddle of tears and frustration. We drop to our knees in helplessness. We are not the lords of the universe. We are not the captains of our destiny. We are just frail children of dust and as feeble as frail. What a mercy it is to realize that! What freedom to stop trying to do God’s job and let him be God. What peace to lean back on the everlasting arms. We can stop being so frantic, so demanding, so demeaning, so frustrated and annoyed all the time. The LORD God reigns, and God is good, and we are his people.