Please read as much as you can of I Corinthians. If you are short of time, read Chapters 1-3, Chapters 6-7, and Chapters 12-13. Choose any one verse in I Corinthians you think particularly interesting, important, or hard to understand, and explain why you think this verse interesting, important, or hard to understand.
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
I Corinthians
Please read as much as you can of I Corinthians. If you are short of time, read Chapters 1-3, Chapters 6-7, and Chapters 12-13. Choose any one verse in I Corinthians you think particularly interesting, important, or hard to understand, and explain why you think this verse interesting, important, or hard to understand.
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22 comments:
I like the verses of 4:9-13.
Paul writes of the arguments he hears that divide the followers of Christ. He says that these things are petty in comparison to what he and the other leading apostles suffer.
As the leaders of this new faith Paul and the others are the most visible targets for persecution; "we have become a spectacle...we are fools for Christ's sake...we are ill-clad...and homeless...," he takes on this burden so that all the others can establish their worship in relative safety.
Paul and his fellow apostles are true leaders in this sense; they face the risks and smooth down the path for future generations to follow. And he seems exasperated in having to remind the people of this fact, but he knew that "to admonish...my beloved children" is also part of his responsibility as Jesus did for him.
Sam Merkel
I chose 6:1-3
It says dare any of you having a matter against another, go to law before the unjust, and not before the saints? It also says that the saints are the ones who judge the world. To me this verse is important because it tells the people not to take up any kind of grief that one is having with another by yourself or with another person but to leave it to the saints. That the saints will do the correct thing and that true justice will be done since they are the ones that judge the world. Let them worry about the problems of the world while we live our lives.
1 Corinthians 13:1-3 Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I have become sounding brass or a clanging cymbal. And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, but have not love, it profits me nothing.
These verses are particularly interesting, because they reflect how useless gifts, talents, and abilities can be without love. This is applicable to any scenario. There is no personal satisfaction in any activity without love, whether it is direct or indirect love. The most talented athletes may never amount to anything without out a love for their sport, but consequently, athletes with an immeasurable amount of passion will not produce without talent.
I have questions about Corinthians 6:12 and 10:23.6:12 says, "All things are lawful for me, but all things are not helpful. All things are lawful for me, but I will not be brought under the power of any." 10:23, "All things are lawful for me, but not all things are helpful;all things are lawful for me, but not all things edify."
Is Paul talking about things people couldn't do under the Mosaic laws and those of the Pharisee's. If so, he must be saying that the laws of Jesus are the only true laws to follow.
I choose the verse 3:8. It says, "Now he who plants and he who waters are one, and each one will receive his own reward according to his own labor."
I really like this verse because it speaks to those who go through life working hard and doing right. That in my opinion is the way to live. God will reward those who are good and try hard. Not for appearing good on the outside, being rich or just doing what they are supposed to do just to do it. I believe that this verse is points to how we should all live our lives.
I chose chapter 13, verses 4-8. These are the verses commonly read at various weddings, starting "Love is patient, love is kind, love is not jealous..."
Contrary to being difficult, these verses are actually very easy and straight to the heart of the message. Just like Jesus said, "Faith, hope, love. But the greatest of these is love." This is a particular favorite verse of mine, as it describes one of the most important characteristics of the message of Jesus, love.
Paul is able to portray his message effectively through his writing, and being this is our first book we have read so far, I would like to think that most of Paul's letters will certainly contain much of the same message, depending on the audience.
Zach Anderson
1 Corinthians 13:9
"Now there abide faith, hope, love, these three; and the greatest of these is love."
I find this to be a great verse for its simple beauty, and its great message of the overall gift that god has given man. You also see this verse written in many places, and I think it becomes tired and loses some of its meaning when it is overplayed in the secular world. People get the wrong impression saying that love is the greatest gift, but if we lose the first two what are we left with. I think anyone can love but it if you do not have faith or the hope that everyday brings then you will never feel the true greatest gift of love. I think that is important message of what religion should have, and what Christianity offers,all three.
Annie Merkel
1 Corinthians 7:1-2 "Now concerning the matters about which you wrote. It is well for a man not to touch a woman. But because of the temptation to immorality, each man should have his own wife and each woman her own husband."
I find this interesting because it lays out the rules for marriage. The only thing I do not understand is why it says that a man is better off not touching a woman. If that is the case, then we would never exist. If a man never touched a woman, there would be no reproduction, and there would be no more generations. This is just confusing to me why he would write that men should not touch women - everyone should be single.
I guess it states it very clearly that each man should only have one woman, and each woman one man. For me, I like to think that everyone has someone meant for them; true love will come.
King James
1Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal.
2And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing.
New Century
I may speak in different languages[a] of people or even angels. But if I do not have love, I am only a noisy bell or a crashing cymbal. 2 I may have the gift of prophecy. I may understand all the secret things of God and have all knowledge, and I may have faith so great I can move mountains. But even with all these things, if I do not have love, then I am nothing. 3 I may give away everything I have, and I may even give my body as an offering to be burned.[b] But I gain nothing if I do not have love.
NIV
1 If I speak in human or angelic tongues, [a] but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. 2 If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. 3 If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body [to hardship] that I may boast, [b] but do not have love, I gain nothing.
I picked the same verse but grabbed it out of different translations. I hear this verse at weddings quite often. I think it would be interesting to see peoples reactions to this verse if they read it out of the King James Version. Because this verse is heard over and over again and the them is that love is the greatest thing in the world. It would be funny if someone said charity. I am not sure if charity had the same meaning as love back when the King James was written but it seems definitely jazzed up a bit today. At least to push the theme of love.
I liked 3:10-11 “According to the grace of God given to me, like a wise master builder I laid a foundation, and another is building upon it, for no one can lay a foundation other than the one that is there, namely Jesus Christ.” The most important part of any building is its foundation. Without a well-built foundation, what is placed on it will not last. On the other hand, if the foundation is built well and with care, what is placed on it will last. It’s the same way with people. Christ lays the foundation for each of us.
The part that confused me about this reading was chapter 7, the advice Paul gives about not marrying…and remaining slaves. My Bible explains that he does this because he thought the return of Christ was happening soon and he wanted to avoid the confusion that comes when making big life changes. But, I still don’t exactly get it.
Amanda Imberi
I was a bit short on time so I read the suggested chapters, and what really stuck out in my mind was the all of chapter seven. I think Paul did an excellent job answering these questions. He gave the correct Christian answer, but also made it sound more appealing in the process.
His bit on marrage was pretty good. But I think his biggest success with in this chapter of this book was with the men.
1 Corinthians 7:18-19 "...Is man called in unciecumcised? let him not be circumcised. Circumcision is nothing, and uncircumcision is nothing..."
His bit on circumcision was a great way to easy some of the stress male converters must have had about wanting to become Christian. Paul was a very intelligent man, he would have rather had uncircumcised Christians then no Christians.
I found this paticularly interisting.
Jon Hepola
Joe Adam
Corinthians 6:4-7
If therefore you have judgments of things pertaining to this world, set them to judge who are the most despised in the church.
I speak to your shame. Is it so that there is not among you anyone wise man that is able to judge between his brethren?
But brother goeth to law with brother: and that before unbelievers.
Already indeed there is plainly a fault among you, that you have lawsuits one with another. Why do you not rather take wrong? why do you not rather suffer yourselves to be defrauded.
What these verses are talking about is a certain law system that isn’t in like with god. What the argument is here is that the law that is being used is based more on the laws of man then the laws of god. Corinthians 6:7 says it right when it says that you should suffer because something bad has happened to you instead of taking vengeance upon your brother.
Significance here is that the argument here is trying to change these law codes because they are too much in tuned in the material world.
Well the part I found to be pretty interesting was 2:9-10 However, as it is written: "no eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him" but God has revealed it to us by his Spirit. The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God.
For some reason I find this section pretty interesting. It speaks a lot about you just having to believe in God to in the end get the reward. Of course with the little saying in these two sections where no one has seen or heard of what is to come, you get the idea of just needing to believe. This is one of the main points of the bible as well and one of the hardest to grasp in the sence that all you can do is believe. There is no hard proof that there is anything once you are done here on Earth, you just have to believe and hope that there is something more when the time comes to finally meet God and when it does come you will recieve that reward promised to you by him.
Eric Bengs
Chapter 13 is very interesting because we are told that charity is preferred above all other gifts (faith and hope). The deed of giving charity is also never forgotten.
What strikes me as odd is how the Calvinist movement deemed charity as inadequate to go to heaven because God had already decided where you are going to go. It's always fun to read something that will put other people in their place.
Jon Adam
Ruth Wilson
1 Cor 13
"Every man's work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man's work of what sort it is."
Points out that the world is not kind or easy. Everyone has heard of trials by fire. This would also be nice for religous leaders to take to heart. If they would be following the Pharisee or Sadducee's footsteps and doing everything they could to look holy as opposed to actually being holy, this should point out that while those actions might look good to the world, but will shortly go through the fire, be stripped of the varnish to see the heart of the matter. I like that.
Brian Johnson
1 Corinthians 6:9
"Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God.."
The rest of this verse goes on to list various sins.
The reason I found it interesting is because it makes the point that your works do matter. There is some debate as to whether faith alone or good works are needed to obtain salvation. This verse suggets that works do play some part in obtaining it.
The Christians in Corinth were struggling with everything. There was corruption, sin and people wanted to them to adapt. They understood that they were free; however they really didn't understand their freedom.
Paul heard about these struggles and he confronted them in this letter. The verse I like best is Corinthians 1:10 I think that this one verse describes the entire chapter.
Now I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you; but that ye be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment.
Jesse Peck
I like the verses 7:12-16. This is an interesting passage because i would assume marrying a non-believer would be a touchy subject. In this case i think Paul has worked out a pretty good policy. In the verse he essentially said it is ok for Christians to marry non-believers. If a follower fell in love with some one who is not christian this policy allowed for the follower to not have to choose between their faith and their love. Then once they are married it seems that two endings are likely. Either The partner will convert or the marriage will break up. If the partner converts it is all good and Paul allows for divorce when it comes marrying non-believers to deal with the other situation.
I like the verses of Chapter 13
Paul talks about having "gifts". He says that you can talk in tongues, you can move mountains, you can have the gift of prophecy, you can have all knowledge. But, these are nothing if you do not have charity. Doing good for your fellow man is very important. Paul says, "charity never fails". Charity is doing things that you do not have to get credit for doing. Doing things that might not bring you fame, fortune or lots of hoopla, but doing the right thing by helping those who need it. I like the last verse (13:13). Paul says, "And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity."
I agree with Ken Vander Vorst by saying I like Chapter 13. I think its the most memorable Chapter. I really like verse 13 where it says that Love is greater then faith and hope.
I think this is a great verse because it tells us that we should love everything. This reinforces the idea to love your neighbor and your enemies. This whole chapter tells us that selfless love is a very important attribute to have and that love is better then just having faith or hoping something will come true.
I like all or chapter 13, but also i really like 12: 12-13.
"As a body is one though it has many parts, and all the parts of the body, though many, are one body, so also Christ. For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body, whether Jews or Greeks, slaves or free persons, and we were all given to drink one Spirit.
This is a very important message that is being sent here. This passage says that everyone is made equal, and everyone is a child of God. Everyone has a purpose in life, and it is their job to find what that purpose is. God created everyone for a reason, just like all of the body parts.
Brett Newton
Corinthians 5: 12-13
"what business is it of mine to judge those outside the church? Are you not to judge those inside? God will judge those outside." Expel the wicked man from amoung you."
This idea and message are very important because it speaks to so many people directly. We as humans have a bad habit to judge those other than ourselves. In judging others, we take on the role of God. Something that God clearly states isn't our right or job. God will be the final judge and we only answer to him. When we judge we are worse than those who we are judging. No man other than God has the right to do this.
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