Epistle to Philemon

Paul wrote what is now the book of First Corinthians as a letter to the church of Corinth. After hearing of disputes and worries from members of the church, Paul wrote the congregation letters (including first and second Corinthians) as counsel to guide the church back to the right path (Elwell & Yarbrough, 273). One of the problems listed is the concern of marriage. Paul responds to questions such as: should Christians get married? And what basis is there for divorce? In relation to today’s…

As I walk through the front door, once again, I am confronted by the familiar sound; “drip, drip, drip.” “Not a problem” I think to myself. “Just a drip.” I convince myself that it’s just a part of life and can be dealt with later. I even rationalize that the sound is somewhat comforting, an old friend whose rhythmic sounds are soothing to the soul. After all, it is my home and am I not the king of my own castle? A little water in the basement sink won’t hurt anything. “I just don’t have the…

The lesson this week’s discussion starts off with the question “can we resist temptations”. The author of our lesson points out that our temptations are a part of life from the time we first trade our favorite pacifier in for those temper tantrums that insure everything is going to be done on our terms. I am also sure that none of us every faced a temptation that could have directed us down the wrong path in life during our teenage years. Then when we finally think we are mature adults, and we…

Paul commences his letter to “the Church of God that is in Corinth” as he thanks the Corinthians for their efforts and faithfulness (Corinthians 1:2). However despite making such assertions, the author of this letter directly proceeds to list the problems that had arisen among such converts. The first issue addressed is the division existent within the church. It has been brought to the author’s attention that the Church of Corinth has become divided between the preachers of Cephas (Paul) and…

Next, one should consider the Biblical context of these passages. 1 Cor 14 is about order and keeping the purpose of church assemblies as the building up of others. Within this chapter, an issue arises with the command that tongues speakers, who do not have an interpreter present, should “keep silent in church.” This would lead to a strange conclusion that a tongue speaker is not allowed to sing or pray in normal speech. This same problem applies to 1 Cor 14:34-35. There is an absolute…

Through striving to learn more of what it means for Christ to truly be preeminent in life, Christians are called to consider how that affects our health. The result of Christ’s preeminence can be seen when applying it to the understanding that we are created in God’s image (Genesis 1:27), and we have a responsibility as image bearers to honor God with how we maintain our image. The Bible clarifies for believers how one is to honor God with our bodies through choices that involve nutrition, time…

For the church in Thessalonica, there were some unique circumstances which had warranted an address from Paul. Writing to the Thessalonians from Corinth, a notoriously licentious seaport, Paul had known well of the moral corruption that his new converts were also constantly exposed to in the seaport of Thessalonica. His letter, appropriately warning the new converts, is timely for mostly those of whom had only very recently lived in the low moral standards of the common pagan world around them.…

In traditional western discussion of the apostle Paul – and more specifically his letters to the church in Corinth – the viewpoint that he directly led to a discrimination of women in Christianity often arises. While proponents of this line of thinking can certainly make a convincing argument, when adding historical context into the conversation, the issue becomes less black and white. The passages that traditionally dominate discourse on this topic typically include Paul’s argument for a…

Spiritual Gifts and Unity in Christ from 1st Corinthians 12: 1-31 Paul’s words in his letter to the Corinthian church, lays an emphasis on the virtue and need for unity within these community of believers as it relates to the diverse operations of spiritual gifts (I Corinthians 12:1-31). This is because spiritual gifts and unity are interconnected and vital to their church experience and Christian life. According to him, our effectiveness as the church of Jesus Christ lies in our willingness to…

Patricia Era Bath “There comes a time when the world gets quiet and the only sound left is your heart. So you’d better learn the sound of it. Otherwise you’ll never know what it’s saying.” - Sarah Dessen. To make a change, one must learn the sound of their heart. Patricia Era Bath studied ophthalmology in Massachusetts at Harvard College in 1981 after she learned that African Americans have more eye problems than White People. Not many years afterward, she created the Laserphaco Probe. She…