Posts by Josh Moody
1 Corinthians 9:13-27: Four Principles of Gospel Effectiveness
Judges 4-5, Psalm 83, Mark 5:21-43, 1 Corinthians 9:13-27 1 Corinthians 9:13-27: Paul continues his defense of his ministry against the criticisms of the Corinthians. They were perturbed that – among other things – he had not taken a salary from them. Perhaps they felt it was a sign that he considered himself better than…
Read More1 Corinthians 9:1-12: Does This Hinder the Gospel?
Judges 1-3, Psalm 82, Mark 5:1-20, 1 Corinthians 9:1-12 1 Corinthians 9:1-12: Paul, who had founded the church at Corinth, now had a strained relationship with the church. The reasons for that strain were several, but among them was the issue that Paul had not accepted a fee from them. Other preachers and travelling speakers…
Read More1 Corinthians 8: Truth with Love
Joshua 24, Psalm 81, Mark 4:21-41, 1 Corinthians 8 1 Corinthians 8: Paul now starts to address what can helpfully be categorized as “conscience issues.” Oftentimes in church life, people confuse or conflate the difference between matters of primary importance, secondary importance, and those that are of tertiary importance. There are things about which we can hold different…
Read More1 Corinthians 7:17-40: Marriage and Singleness
Joshua 22-23, Psalm 80, Mark 4:1-2, 1 Corinthians 7:17-40 1 Corinthians 7:17-40: Paul continues to work out the implications of the principles related to sex and marriage that he taught in the first part of this chapter. The first part of this new section establishes an important application with regard to slavery. While Paul argued that new Christians…
Read More1 Corinthians 7:1-16: Marriage and Singleness
Joshua 20-21, Psalm 79, Mark 3:20-35, 1 Corinthians 7:1-16 1 Corinthians 7:1-16: These verses have, of course, engendered much conversation down through the years. Several points need to be made for us to understand them and also to be to apply them to our lives. First of all, Paul is concerned that we exercise the “gift” that we…
Read More1 Corinthians 6:12-20: Sexual Immorality
Joshua 18-19, Psalm 78:40-72, Mark 3:1-19, 1 Corinthians 6:12-20 1 Corinthians 6:12-20: What is the right Christian attitude to sexual immorality? To understand Paul’s teaching here, we need to have the backstory of the Bible’s approach to sexual ethics. From a biblical standpoint, marriage tells the story – it is as Paul calls it elsewhere a “mystery” –…
Read More1 Corinthians 6:1-11: What Some of Us Were
Joshua 15-17, Psalm 78:1-39, Mark 2:18-28, 1 Corinthians 6:1-11 1 Corinthians 6:1-11: In this passage, Paul deals with two complicated (and controversial) matters. They were controversial in ancient Corinth, and they are controversial also today. First, is it legitimate for a Christian to take another Christian to a law court? Paul’s argument here is that the very question…
Read More1 Corinthians 5: A Balanced Church, a Biblical Church
Joshua 13-14, Psalm 77, Mark 2:13-17, 1 Corinthians 5 1 Corinthians 5: The great challenge: how can a church be both a friend for sinners and discipline Christians who unrepentantly continue in public and flagrant sin? Despite its challenge – and the great need for wisdom from God sought in humble prayer in community of godly leaders –…
Read More1 Corinthians 4: Servants of God
Joshua 10-12, Psalm 76, Mark 2:1-12, 1 Corinthians 4 1 Corinthians 4: What is the nature of true apostleship? Or to put it more broadly, what marks out or characterizes godly Christian leadership? Paul is defending himself to the Corinthians who were doubting his credentials. And in that defense he establishes a number of important principles. First, Christian…
Read More1 Corinthians 3: All Are Yours
Joshua 8-9, Psalm 75, Mark 1:35-45, 1 Corinthians 3 1 Corinthians 3: Paul now begins to address their conflict over human leaders more directly. In the process he establishes some very important principles that pertain to church health and dysfunction. First, divisiveness in church life is a sign of a lack of maturity. We should be hungering for…
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