1 Corinthians 4-6

As part of the premise presented in the first three chapters, Paul showed resolution between the mysteries understood by the Spirit and the things valued by the flesh. Paul began the previous chapter speaking to the church of Corinth carnally because they were being fleshly, as witnessed by their divisions. Paul began this chapter exhorting the church in Corinth to be spiritually-minded, by reminding them they ought to be stewards of the mysteries of God. Not only ought we to know the mysteries of God, we ought to take responsibility for them so that others will be able to learn them.

Paul showed that believers needed to be found faithful (understanding and experience) in order to qualify as stewards.

Doctrine: Man should not judge others; the Lord is our Justifier and our Judge. Paul completely rejected judgment from any man. Paul only recognized the Lord as Judge. If you want to have support of this from Jesus: See Matthew 7:1. If you want to have support from Paul: See Romans 14:12-14.

Doctrine: We should not judge people before Jesus returns. In the New Testament, "judge" meant to equal out Justice. This is Christ's responsibility at Final Judgment. Christ will bring to light the hidden things of darkness. Christ will make the counsels (intentions, be minded) of our hearts appear. Christ, via the Holy Spirit, will guide believers into all truth.

Paul again stated believers should not go beyond what was written: we should not judge other people. Paul specifically stated that he and Apollos did not judge others so that they would not get prideful towards one another. Paul and Apollos had been examples of humility to the people. They were willing to consider they could be wrong.

Paul stated none of the people in the church at Corinth had reason to be prideful because they did not found their church: apostles founded the church.

Doctrine: Apostles are last of all, they ought to be the most humble because they have the toughest road. An apostle will not last very long if they are prideful. Apostles are "as men doomed to death."

Paul referenced the points he made in the premise of the first three chapters. Paul was a fool, weak, and not noble according to the world. He was wise, powerful, and noble in Christ: spiritually.

Apostles are vulnerable vagabonds.

Apostles respond to being reviled by blessing. Apostles endure persecution, persecution that will come.

Apostles are defamed and treated as "the filth of the world." Apostles have a hard existence in this world. How many apostles do we have today that fit this description? Would the church today recognize people who fit this description as "apostles"?

Paul was an exhorter. He realized what he wrote could be taken in a negative fashion, as if the church in Corinth ought to be ashamed. Paul made sure the church in Corinth realized he was not shaming them, he was trying to facilitate their growth as if they were his children that he greatly loved. Paul continued the analogy of being a father...

Paul recognized the church in Corinth had a lot of teachers (tutors). However, Paul pointed out the church in Corinth did not have many spiritual fathers. It appeared the only spiritual fathers were Paul and Apollos.

Paul encouraged the Corinthians to be an imitator of him. Some people may get into condemnation when they try and be like Christ who was sinless. Paul was someone people can better relate to because of his storied background.

Paul sent them Timothy to remind them of the way that Paul (and Timothy) lived. Paul sent his "favored son" to the rest of his "children."

Doctrine: The Kingdom of God is not in word (SAY), but in power (DO). Paul warned the church that he heard some were in pride and they ought to realize he would return and confront them. Paul concluded by allowing them to decide now how Paul would confront them when he arrived...

Theme of Chapter 4: Paul exhorted the church in Corinth to be spiritually-minded and humble themselves just as Paul had humbled himself. Paul concluded his introduction to this letter by asking them to decide how they wanted Paul to arrive: with a rod because they could not humble themselves or in love and gentleness because they chose to humble themselves and stop having divisions. Next, Paul moved to the core of this letter: settling questions of Doctrine so that they could have unity.

Fornication was reported to Paul. "Fornication" meant "to commit idolatry." One effect of fornication is sexual relations with your father's wife, as Paul used in the example in verse 1.

Critical Point: Paul judged the action (stumblingblock) of this man. The rest of this chapter is easy to misinterpret if the following points are not understood:

1. Paul judged an action (WHAT) that had no possible right HOW/WHY. The son was having sex with a woman who was married to his father. There was no possible combination of events that would make this not sin.

2. Paul was speaking to the church, not to the fornicator. Some will state the rest of this letter was Paul addressing the fornicator and miss the fact that Paul was actually addressing the church, the believers.

3. This sin was so widely known, not only within the church, but the information had made its way to Paul. Paul was upset with the church that a well-known fornicator was allowed to remain in the church, as if he was a believer.

We will see Paul's response to the church, but first Paul instructed them what to do about the fornicator.

Paul said that this person (the fornicator) was to be delivered to Satan for the destruction of the flesh. This was done with the hope that this man can be saved in the day of the Lord. Delivering this man to Satan was actually for the man's benefit. The idea was that since he did not learn from understanding, he would end up learning through experience by being in the devil's snare. Paul also presented this Doctrine in 2 Timothy 2:25-26. This involved removing this man from the church and ceasing to pray for him.

This process did not involve prayer. Some believers think this process involves prayer. To whom would the believers pray? Satan? (I hope not.) God? What would that prayer look like? It would not involve God doing anything. If anything, it would involve God not helping this person, which would be prayed for in what manner? Judging is the equaling out of Justice. Paul used the word "judge" in the beginning of this chapter, and now we see an action was taken to equal out Justice: the fornicator would be removed.

Summary: Paul wanted these people to remove the fornicator from being influenced by the Spirit, which could only be coming from outside the individual (church) because he was no longer a believer that had the Spirit within him.

This man would make the entire church of Corinth unprofitable through his fornication, especially because the church was "glorying" in the fornicator remaining among them, and making their ability to get an influence from the Spirit through the church unprofitable.

Purge out the old leaven meant they should have put away (remove from community) the fornicators (unprofitable cells in the church body). Delivering the fornicator to Satan meant removing him from church, which was an action that would result from "judging."

Paul had already written them to not keep company with fornicators. Notice, this meant that this first letter to the Corinthians was actually not the first! Paul had previously written this church. How many letters did Paul write that we do not have access to? Would the "church" today consider those epistles to be inspired by God if they were found? What is your measure for something being scripture; for something being inspired by God?

Doctrine: Believers need to separate the fornicators from community (church) so that believers can go out to the world to interact with them (fornicators). Paul clarified that having no interaction with fornicators did not mean never interacting with fornicators...otherwise, believers would have to remove themselves from the world. Paul clearly stated that the church ought not to have interactions with fornicators within the church.

Critical Point: If the church knows a person is a fornicator and the church recognizes the person as a believer, the church needs to put the fornicator out of the church so that the individuals in the church can reach out to the fornicator...and so that the fornicator is removed from the influence of the Spirit experienced from the church. Major problems come when a fornicator (unbeliever) is within the church and deceives people into thinking he is a believer.

Doctrine: Believers should not judge unbelievers. Believers do not judge those outside of community (unbelievers). Believers do judge those within community (believers).

However, it should be judging between believers: the issues between believers, the conflicts between believers, the stumblingblocks between believers...not the believers themselves, as individuals. The behavior is judged, not the person. Paul's point was that the church in Corinth was putting a stumblingblock in the path of other believers by declaring a fornicator as a believer.

Theme of Chapter 5: Paul addressed the first doctrinal issue. Paul encouraged the church in Corinth to put away the known fornicator, who was seen by the church as a believer, so that other believers would not stumble in their faith. Paul stated the way to interact with fornicators was to remove them from the church so the fornicator and the church knew they were dealing with a fornicator.

The first doctrinal issue dealt with the division within the church because of a fornicator posing as a believer. The second doctrinal issue dealt with division within the church because of a dispute between two believers.

Doctrine: Believers will judge angels. Angels have not been judged yet. Also, believers should be settling disputes within their community. Other believers should be able to resolve a dispute you are having. The church should not have to go to the world to settle internal disputes. The point here was that if believers would judge the world and judge angels, shouldn't believers be wise enough to judge matters between themselves? Believers ought to be examples of judging matters well.

Here was an example of Paul speaking something in order to shame the reader. Paul asked if the Corinthians had even one wise man among them. Remember, Paul was writing to the church of Corinth. It seemed that they had no leaders. A believer who can judge between other believers is considered wise.

Paul did not say going to law against a brother was wrong. Paul was disappointed (and saw it as a defect) that they could not settle the disputes themselves. Paul said it was better to be wronged or defrauded than to have a lawsuit with another believer. Notice, Paul was referencing Reward through Justice. Paul stated it would be better to allow a brother to take advantage of you and get Reward at Final Judgment. However, a first step in doing this is to first understand if you have been defrauded. We ought to confront the brother who sins against us (Luke 17:3 and Matthew 18:15-18). If they do not hear us, we ought to continue the process for their benefit and take it to the church. If they do not hear the church, they fall under the process from the previous chapter. If they hear and do not repent, then we ought to act as mercy towards them and receive whatever Reward we are due on Judgment Day.

Paul warned the believers that handling this issue incorrectly could put them in danger of not inheriting the Kingdom of God, of no longer having Salvation and returning to the condition they were in before becoming believers. Paul transitioned from his original topic to the concept of fornication. Paul did this to set up the next chapter. Pay close attention to Paul's thought process because it was critical to understanding the rest of this letter to the church in Corinth.

Paul wanted the reader to know that to a believer, all things were lawful but not all things were profitable (good/create). This verse continued the transition to show how forming covenants with those outside the church could lead to becoming an unbeliever. Paul first stated in verse 12 that none of the laws outside the church had any power over him so he should not form a covenant with the world through its laws.

Paul then explained that allowing laws (or any other influence) outside the church to have power over us was fornication. Definitions:

• "Fornication" was "to commit idolatry."
• Idolatry was "giving one's self to an image."

There were two ways to do this:

1. worship another god, or

2. covenantal sexual intercourse with an unbeliever.

Both of these result in forming covenants without God's involvement. Remember this definition as you read the rest of this chapter.

Paul stated that having covenantal sexual intercourse with someone caused you to join to their spirit.

Fornication is a sin against one's own body because it is the forming of a covenant to another god.

Our bodies are the temple of the Holy Spirit because He lives in us. Fornication is an attempt to worship another god within the temple of the Holy Spirit.

Theme of Chapter 6: The second doctrinal issue that Paul addressed concerned settling disputes between believers. Paul stated we ought to settle disputes within the church. We should not go outside the church, to the world, to settle our disputes. Paul warned that not being able to settle these disputes could lead to becoming an unbeliever. Paul even continued in this vein by showing that forming covenants with unbelievers was fornication and was a sin against our own body which ought to be the temple of the Holy Spirit.