Episode 281: I hear there are fornicators among you

1 Corinthians 1-6

Greetings and salutations!

1 ^1-2 A letter from Paul and Sosthenes to the church in Corinth.

⁷ So that you will be ready when Jesus comes again.

Believe the same things (agree on everything)

¹⁰ I beg you all to say the same thing and agree on everything.

¹¹ I've heard from people in Chloe's house that some of you are arguing with each other.

¹² You're all saying, "I belong to Paul," or "I belong to Apollos," or "I belong to Cephas." or "I belong to Christ."

¹³ Is Christ divided? Was I crucified for you? Were you baptized in the name of Paul?

Thank God I didn't baptize any of you

¹⁴ Thank God I didn't baptize any of you, except for Crispus and Gaius.

¹⁵ Or some might say that I baptized in my own name.

¹⁶ I also baptized Stephanas's family. I can't remember whether I've baptized any others.

¹⁷ Because Christ didn't send me to baptize, but to preach.

God will destroy the wisdom of the wise

¹⁹ Scripture says, "I'll destroy the wisdom of the wise and the understanding of the prudent."

²¹ God saved believers by the foolishness of preaching.

²⁷ God chose the foolishness of the world to confound the wise.

I know nothing but Jesus

2 ² I decided to know nothing but Jesus.

Judge everything (but be judged by no one)

¹⁵ Spiritual people judge everything but are judged by no one.

Aren't you carnal?

3 ⁴ One of you says, "I belong to Paul," and another, "I belong to Apollos."

Aren't you carnal?

⁶ Paul plants, Apollos waters, but God makes it grow.

Save yourself by burning your work

¹⁵ If your work burns, you lose your work, but you save yourself with fire.

¹⁶ You are the temple of God, and the Spirit of God lives inside of you.

¹⁷ If you defile yourself, you defile the temple of God. And God will destroy you.

¹⁸ If you want to be wise, become a fool.

¹⁹ Because the wisdom of the world is foolishness to God.

²⁰ God knows that the thoughts of the wise are worthless.

²² Paul, Apollos, Cephas, the world, life, death, and everything else is yours.

²³ And you are Christ's, and Christ is God's.

Don't judge anyone (until the Lord comes)

4 ³ I don't care if you or anyone else judges me. I don't even judge myself.

⁴ I don't know of anything against me, but the Lord judges me.

⁵ Don't judge anyone or anything until the Lord comes.

¹⁰ We are fools for Christ’s sake.

¹⁶ Be followers of me.

¹⁷ I have sent Timothy, my son in the Lord, to teach you my ways.

¹⁸ Some of you who are proud, think I won't come to visit you.

¹⁹ But I will come soon and deal with those people.

²⁰ Should I come to you in love or with a rod?

I hear there are fornicators among you

5 ¹ I've heard that there are fornicators among you. One of you is having sex with his stepmother.

³ I've already judged him.

Give him to Satan (to save his soul)

⁵ He should be given to Satan to destroy his body so that his spirit may be saved when Jesus returns.

Shun fornicators (and other wicked people)

⁹ In a previous epistle, I told you not to associate with fornicators.

¹⁰ I wasn't referring to fornicators who are nonbelievers, because then you'd have to stay away from everyone.

¹¹ But you must shun all fornicators, idolaters, and drunkards who are believers. Don't even share a meal with them.

¹² Why should we judge nonbelievers? Isn't it only believers that we should judge?

¹³ God will judge the nonbelievers. But you must shun wicked people.

Christians will judge angels

6 ¹ Do you dare take a fellow believer to court to be judged by unjust people?

² Don't you know that believers will judge everyone on earth?

³ We will judge angels, so we can judge everything in this life.

⁴ Don't take believers to court where they'll be judged by unbelievers.

People not allowed in God's kingdom

^9-10 Unrighteous people will not inherit the kingdom of God, including: Fornicators, idolaters, adulterers, effeminate men, men who abuse themselves with other men, thieves, covetous, drunkards, revilers, or robbers.

Everything is lawful to Paul

¹² Everything is lawful to me, but not everything is expedient.

But I am subject to no law.

Fornication (making the members of Christ one with a harlot)

¹³ Meat is for the belly, and the belly is for meat. But God will destroy both meat and bellies.

The body is for the Lord, not for fornication.

¹⁵ Don't you know that your bodies are members of Christ?

Should the members of Christ become members of a harlot?

¹⁶ If you're joined to a harlot you become one body with the harlot.

The harlot and the body become one flesh.

¹⁸ Fornication is a sin against your own body.

¹⁹ And your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost.