You Can Read the Bible Guided Podcast

The first letter to the church at Corinth was written, as Paul asserts today, “…out of much affliction and anguish of heart and with many tears, not to cause you pain, but to let you know the abundant love that I have for you.”  Remember the variety of issues within that church that it tackled: factions had developed around different teachers (including Paul himself); gross sexual sin was being flaunted under the guise of liberty; even the Lord’s Supper was being defiled; and the church appeared impotent to challenge any of this.  

The tone of this second letter is, for the most part, less confrontational.  This is not to say that the Corinthians go unchallenged, and one very important and personal issue will occupy the latter half of the letter.  Once we get there, you’ll see how much foreshadowing Paul dropped into the earlier sections.  Pay attention to Paul’s assertions about his calling, as in his retort that: “We are not, like so many, peddlers of God’s word, but as men of sincerity, as commissioned by God, in the sight of God we speak in Christ.” 

Much of today’s reading is seasoned with affliction.  Paul lets them know what he suffered in Asia, when his party was “so utterly burdened beyond our strength that we despaired of life itself.”  He reminds them of the aforementioned tears that he shed over them, and to forgive if anyone has caused them pain.  Furthermore, he witnesses to the strength that the hope of the Gospel provides him: “For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen.  For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.”

Our verse for this week is Deuteronomy 6:4: Hear, O Israel.  The LORD our God, the LORD is one. 

2 Corinthians 1 through 4.  Now let’s read it!

The first letter to the church at Corinth was written, as Paul asserts today, “…out of much affliction and anguish of heart and with many tears, not to cause you pain, but to let you know the abundant love that I have for you.”  Remember the variety of issues within that church that it tackled: factions had developed around different teachers (including Paul himself); gross sexual sin was being flaunted under the guise of liberty; even the Lord’s Supper was being defiled; and the church appeared impotent to challenge any of this.  

The tone of this second letter is, for the most part, less confrontational.  This is not to say that the Corinthians go unchallenged, and one very important and personal issue will occupy the latter half of the letter.  Once we get there, you’ll see how much foreshadowing Paul dropped into the earlier sections.  Pay attention to Paul’s assertions about his calling, as in his retort that: “We are not, like so many, peddlers of God’s word, but as men of sincerity, as commissioned by God, in the sight of God we speak in Christ.” 

Much of today’s reading is seasoned with affliction.  Paul lets them know what he suffered in Asia, when his party was “so utterly burdened beyond our strength that we despaired of life itself.”  He reminds them of the aforementioned tears that he shed over them, and to forgive if anyone has caused them pain.  Furthermore, he witnesses to the strength that the hope of the Gospel provides him: “For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen.  For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.”

Our verse for this week is Deuteronomy 6:4: Hear, O Israel.  The LORD our God, the LORD is one. 

2 Corinthians 1 through 4.  Now let’s read it!

“Therefore I want you to understand that no one speaking in the Spirit of God ever says "Jesus is accursed!" and no one can say "Jesus is Lord" except in the Holy Spirit.  And there are varieties of service, but the same Lord; and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who empowers them all in everyone. To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good.”  - 1 Corinthians 12:3-7

This, from our reading yesterday, is perhaps the clearest example of Paul’s understanding of the interplay between God the Father, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit.  Throughout this letter Paul has been using these terms interchangeably – referring liberally to the same Being – and here they are tightly wound around a spiral of attributes that synonymously reinforce each other.  It’s easy to imagine that Paul is doing more than making a theological point: God Himself provides the prime example of the unity that Paul wishes upon the Corinthian “body.” 

Pay close attention to the roles of God the Father and Jesus and especially the use of verbs in the 15th chapter.  Only rarely is Christ portrayed as active: “Christ died,” and “appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve…”  Typically, Christ is represented as passively receiving what the Father gives Him: He “was raised on the third day,” and “God has put all things in subjection under His feet.”  Follow this throughout the chapter: Christ did not raise Himself; rather, “We testified about God that He raised Christ.”  This is not at all subtle, and forms the foundation of Paul’s argument that the dead will also be raised. 

There is an energy to chapter 15 that gives us another side of Paul’s personality, of a passion for the Gospel that was displayed in the opening verses of this letter and throughout the book of Acts: “For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures…”

Notice what Paul declares is “of first importance”… notice the number of times the words “raised” and “death” appear... the emphasis on Jesus’ appearances… the interplay of creation and resurrection, mortality and immortality… and the way Paul uses actual and presumptive questions to push the conversation forward.

In the final chapter Paul reviews his travel plans and reinforces his call for a collection for the saints at Jerusalem.  He commends certain believers as models and travelers, including Timothy, who may be coming their way.  His final instructions include a reminder, once more, to “Let all that you do be done in love.” 

Our verse for this week is Deuteronomy 6:4: Hear, O Israel.  The LORD our God, the LORD is one. 

1 Corinthians 15 and 16.  Now let’s read it!

“Therefore I want you to understand that no one speaking in the Spirit of God ever says "Jesus is accursed!" and no one can say "Jesus is Lord" except in the Holy Spirit.  And there are varieties of service, but the same Lord; and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who empowers them all in everyone. To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good.”  - 1 Corinthians 12:3-7

This, from our reading yesterday, is perhaps the clearest example of Paul’s understanding of the interplay between God the Father, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit.  Throughout this letter Paul has been using these terms interchangeably – referring liberally to the same Being – and here they are tightly wound around a spiral of attributes that synonymously reinforce each other.  It’s easy to imagine that Paul is doing more than making a theological point: God Himself provides the prime example of the unity that Paul wishes upon the Corinthian “body.” 

Pay close attention to the roles of God the Father and Jesus and especially the use of verbs in the 15th chapter.  Only rarely is Christ portrayed as active: “Christ died,” and “appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve…”  Typically, Christ is represented as passively receiving what the Father gives Him: He “was raised on the third day,” and “God has put all things in subjection under His feet.”  Follow this throughout the chapter: Christ did not raise Himself; rather, “We testified about God that He raised Christ.”  This is not at all subtle, and forms the foundation of Paul’s argument that the dead will also be raised. 

There is an energy to chapter 15 that gives us another side of Paul’s personality, of a passion for the Gospel that was displayed in the opening verses of this letter and throughout the book of Acts: “For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures…”

Notice what Paul declares is “of first importance”… notice the number of times the words “raised” and “death” appear... the emphasis on Jesus’ appearances… the interplay of creation and resurrection, mortality and immortality… and the way Paul uses actual and presumptive questions to push the conversation forward.

In the final chapter Paul reviews his travel plans and reinforces his call for a collection for the saints at Jerusalem.  He commends certain believers as models and travelers, including Timothy, who may be coming their way.  His final instructions include a reminder, once more, to “Let all that you do be done in love.” 

Our verse for this week is Deuteronomy 6:4: Hear, O Israel.  The LORD our God, the LORD is one. 

1 Corinthians 15 and 16.  Now let’s read it!

These three chapters each address a significant topic, but they flow so neatly together that it’s reasonable to imagine they form a complete unit.  As we did in Romans, pay attention to words like “For” and “Now” and “Therefore” that create logical bridges between subjects. 

“Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit;” Paul asserts in chapter 12. “And there are varieties of service, but the same Lord; and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who empowers them all in everyone. To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good.”  Paul’s attention to unity has taken many forms in this letter: don’t be proud of who baptized you; purge the evil member from among you; don’t sue each other in pagan courts; don’t cause others to stumble…  Here, the theme shines through the Holy Spirit’s manifestation of gifts: “For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ.”

This chapter concludes with a call to “…earnestly seek the higher gifts.”  And the “still more excellent way” he wants to show them flows through chapter 13: “If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels… If I have prophetic powers…. If I have all faith… If I deliver up my body to be burned… but have not love, I gain nothing.”  As you listen through Paul’s explanation of the nature of love, remember all that this church has been through.  What is Paul’s hope for them?  This chapter is to be read not at a wedding, but to a church; not as hopeful sentiment, but as observation of truth. 

The assertion in chapter 13 that, “As for tongues, they will cease…” foreshadows the theme of chapter 14.  Questions around prophecy and speaking in tongues were connected to this letter’s larger themes as well.  Paul implores his readers, at least four times here, to use one’s gifts, in all things, to “build up the church.”  As he summarizes at the end of the chapter: “So, my brothers, earnestly desire to prophesy, and do not forbid speaking in tongues.  But all things should be done decently and in order.”

These chapters are often heard individually in other contexts.  Listen to them now, in sequence, as they were designed, and consider the deep threads that bind them.  But also approach with caution some of the difficult subjects here.  It can be tempting, just as it occasionally was in the prophets, to keep the instructions that come easily and discard the rest.  I encourage you to pay attention to Paul’s reasoning in each instance, and also to honor how each topic contributes to the entire letter. 

Our verse for this week is Deuteronomy 6:4: Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one.

1 Corinthians 12 through 14.  Now let’s read it!

These three chapters each address a significant topic, but they flow so neatly together that it’s reasonable to imagine they form a complete unit.  As we did in Romans, pay attention to words like “For” and “Now” and “Therefore” that create logical bridges between subjects. 

“Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit;” Paul asserts in chapter 12. “And there are varieties of service, but the same Lord; and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who empowers them all in everyone. To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good.”  Paul’s attention to unity has taken many forms in this letter: don’t be proud of who baptized you; purge the evil member from among you; don’t sue each other in pagan courts; don’t cause others to stumble…  Here, the theme shines through the Holy Spirit’s manifestation of gifts: “For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ.”

This chapter concludes with a call to “…earnestly seek the higher gifts.”  And the “still more excellent way” he wants to show them flows through chapter 13: “If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels… If I have prophetic powers…. If I have all faith… If I deliver up my body to be burned… but have not love, I gain nothing.”  As you listen through Paul’s explanation of the nature of love, remember all that this church has been through.  What is Paul’s hope for them?  This chapter is to be read not at a wedding, but to a church; not as hopeful sentiment, but as observation of truth. 

The assertion in chapter 13 that, “As for tongues, they will cease…” foreshadows the theme of chapter 14.  Questions around prophecy and speaking in tongues were connected to this letter’s larger themes as well.  Paul implores his readers, at least four times here, to use one’s gifts, in all things, to “build up the church.”  As he summarizes at the end of the chapter: “So, my brothers, earnestly desire to prophesy, and do not forbid speaking in tongues.  But all things should be done decently and in order.”

These chapters are often heard individually in other contexts.  Listen to them now, in sequence, as they were designed, and consider the deep threads that bind them.  But also approach with caution some of the difficult subjects here.  It can be tempting, just as it occasionally was in the prophets, to keep the instructions that come easily and discard the rest.  I encourage you to pay attention to Paul’s reasoning in each instance, and also to honor how each topic contributes to the entire letter. 

Our verse for this week is Deuteronomy 6:4: Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one.

1 Corinthians 12 through 14.  Now let’s read it!

In Chapter 9, in what feels like the personal center of the letter, Paul tries to connect his own decisions with his instructions to the Corinthians.  As you read it, remember what has led up to this: “You are not your own, for you were bought with a price… Let each person lead the life that the Lord has assigned to him, and to which God has called him…” and “…If food makes my brother stumble, I will never eat meat, lest I make my brother stumble.” 

The line “All things are lawful for me” from chapter 6 is repeated in the middle of chapter 10.  In many English Bibles this is found in quotes, as though Paul is repeating a favored argument of a group which he opposes, and it is followed again by Paul’s retort: “But not all things are helpful.”  Yesterday it was in reference to sexual liberty, and today it refers to the practice of eating meat that has been offered to idols. 

His logic is thus: “The earth is the Lord's, and the fullness thereof” frees Paul to eat whatever he likes, because, as he argued yesterday, “Food will not condemn us to God.  We are no worse off if we do not eat, and no better off if we do.”  However, as he closes this section today, he seems to counter himself: “But if someone says to you, ‘This has been offered in sacrifice,’ then do not eat it…”  Is Paul equivocating?  Or does the context of the offering party matter?  Listen closely, and discern for yourself. 

Chapter 11 opens a new set of instructions regarding head coverings and the Lord’s Supper.  In the section about head coverings, Paul makes arguments from creation and nature to commend men’s and women’s attire while praying.  It’s not readily clear from the text whether this reflects first century Christian practice or a situation specific to the Corinthians, but it may be instructive that this follows directly after the “Give no offense” conversation in chapter 10.

In the final passage, Paul confronts the Corinthian church about their gluttonous approach to breaking bread: “When you come together, it is not the Lord's supper that you eat. For in eating, each one goes ahead with his own meal. One goes hungry, another gets drunk... What shall I say to you?”  Consider his readers when listening to Paul’s basic approach, from the outline of what he “received from the Lord,” to his most elementary reprimand: “So, my brothers, when you come together to eat, wait for one another…”  

Our verse for this week is Deuteronomy 6:4: Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one.

1 Corinthians 9 through 11.  Now let’s read it!