Though most of Western Civilization does not deal with meat sacrificed to idols, there are still biblical principles and precepts that apply to our lives. In this lesson, we look at how Paul's teachings in 1 Corinthians 8 apply to our lives.

There are teachings in Scripture that seem contradictory. "Seem" is the keyword.  In this recording, we look at Paul's teaching on marriage and singleness.  How do we reconcile Paul's teaching?

When we come to a point of confession and repentance, sometimes it is difficult to know the next step.  After addressing marital situations, Paul gives them a principle that he preaches in all the churches.  This principle guides the believer when we search for the next step in obedience.

A secular culture will always have a view of marriage that is less that God's design and desire.  Even within the church, people can adopt views that have more in common with culture than Scripture.  As Paul continues to correct views within the Corinthians church, faithfulness to Scripture in marital situations take center stage.

God designed sex as a glorious part of his creation.  The problem is not with God's design, but distortion that comes from sinful hearts.  When the church is silent in areas like sexual ethics, the culture will fill in the silence with a misrepresentation of the biblical position. 

How does the church stand on a Christian sexual ethic when the world around them doesn't agree or understand?  The way we understand and speak about the consumption f the marital covenant is vital to our faith.  In this passage, see a clear line between God's desire and desire, and practices of the unsaved.  

The way we treat our brothers and sisters in Christ is a testimony to the redemptive work of Christ in us.  As Paul addresses a lawsuits that are occurring between members of the church family, he reminds us that God has given us the grace and mercy we need for reconciliation.

Just as an individual commits sin, so can a church.  Though it is not a popular topic, church discipline is a method that God ordained for his people.  In Paul's letter to the Corinthians, he reminds the church that they are sinning against God by allowing people to remain in the congregation that participate in an unrepentant lifestyle of sin.

Accompanying a sinful desire to be God, our desire to obey God diminishes.  However, God gave us Scripture and the Church to guide us in a pursuit of holiness.  To pursue this holiness, we must submit to God's design and desire.  One of the markers of mature faith is how we respond to correction.

Instead of obeying God, we often desire to be him.  This mindset lays at the root of all sin.  The Within the factions of the Corinthian church, their pride and preference skewed the Creator/Creature distinction.  They forgot that God was the source of all they possessed, both physical and spiritual.