1 Corinthians #10 – Study Questions
A Righteous Community
1 Corinthians (CGS#10) – 5:1-13
INTRODUCTION: In our study of 1 Corinthians, we have learned that chapters 1-4 were a unique opening section of Paul’s letter. In that section, Paul gave us the melodic line (main idea) of his letter in 1:2, “To the church of God that is in Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints together with all those who in every place…” This opening idea will be unpacked all throughout the letter, and can be summed up this way, “Because you are in Christ, you are to no longer live like the world, you are to live like Christ.” Paul would then go on in the opening section to address their pride problem and how they are boasting in the wrong thing, their intellect, and sin. Instead, they are to boast only in Christ, the one who has given them everything.
This takes us to chapter five. Paul begins a new section that includes chapters 5-7, which applies the main idea to matters of sexuality, marriage, lawsuits, and interpersonal relationships. Again, we can hear Paul saying it this way, “Because you are in Christ, you should think about these things this way, and you should live it out like this…” See, Paul identifies in chapter five that the root of their problem continues to be pride. They are arrogant in their sin, and it is having disastrous consequences both in the church and in the community.
The problem of sexual immorality in chapter five is so particularly startling that Paul will tell them, “a kind that is not tolerated even among pagans.” Wow! And when we understand the sin that is going on, incest, we are left scratching our heads, wondering how that was even a thing?!? Again, it was their pride that got the best of them and slowly but surely paved the way from one excused sin to another and finally to this. They even got to the place with this sin that they were bragging about it! How absurd and tragic! It is almost as if they were bragging, “Look at us, we are loving, patient, accepting, and inclusive.” Yet, as Paul reminds them, they are desperately and tragically wrong on this one. So yes, their pride got the best of them, and if we’re honest, pride gets the best of all of us, doesn’t it? It blinds us, where we think we see something clearly, yet we’re comingling two things that really aren’t compatible, righteousness and sin. Or, we elevate ideas (social, political, and theological) that are really matters of preference, to the level of gospel and absolute truth. Don’t hear this wrong, those ideas are often worth our time and thought, but they aren’t worth dividing over, and they certainly aren’t essentials of the faith. However, our pride creeps in, and all of a sudden, we’re just like the Corinthian church.
Paul will speak to the Corinthian church about what they do with their bodies, sexually speaking. He will teach them that their bodies aren’t accidental; instead, they are to honor God and others with their bodies. Yes, incest is wrong. Kind of surprising that Paul has to say it, right? But more than the behavior of our bodies, we are seeing a picture of a community that failed. They failed to support one another in righteousness and to avoid sin. They failed to keep each other humble and rooted in the true gospel. They failed to be a faithful witness to their community. But, they don’t have to stay there. Nor do we. This is why we have said in this series that Christianity is a you, me, and we thing. There is individual effort to walk in righteousness. But we also need each other; we need community. That is why we want to be a purposefully responsive people to continue growing and transformed in our faith. The warning we should take from the Corinthian experience is that we can be worldly while appearing religious. They did all the churchy things while growing in sin, instead of righteousness. And a watching world couldn’t believe their eyes.
GETTING STARTED – As you begin your group time, take time to answer this question together: When was a time in your life that you realized you were just going through the motions in your relationship with God? What helped you break out of that cycle?
IN THE WORD – Let’s dig back into the passage. It is important to strengthen our muscles in reading God’s Word. On Sunday, we walked through the passage in the sermon. Hopefully, that helped you to see the landmarks of the passage with fresh eyes. Now, with your group, go back through it and see what God is saying to you specifically.
First, before you read the passage, take a moment to ask God’s Spirit to quiet your mind and heart and to illuminate the text to you. Second, read the passage aloud to the group. Then, follow the simple method below. (O.P.A)
Observe: Make 8-10 observations from the passage. Pay close attention to observe and note repeated words and phrases, names, places, and themes.
Principles: From your list of observations, what patterns or big ideas do you see emerging? Can you distill it down into 2-4 big idea truths?
Apply: Moving from your list of principles, it is time to apply God’s Word. Remember, we believe that God’s Word is living and active and that it can change the way we live Monday-Friday. What is one tangible way to apply a truth from your list above?
Note: Another way to approach your time together is to talk through the following questions about the article of faith we are studying that week.
- What did you hear God’s Spirit say to you through the passage this week? How does it encourage you? How does it sharpen you?
- How have you seen God at work in your life this week? Have you enjoyed him? Have you heard his voice and the leading of his Spirit? Big ways or small ways.
- Pride is a sneaky problem for all of us. How can you identify when pride is sneaking up into your life? Do you have people who can be truly honest with you and call out sin in your life?
- Who shares your tough stuff? – One of the important values of community is that we have someone who can share our tough stuff and help us stay rooted in the gospel. We need to share our tough stuff and bear the tough stuff of someone else.
- What is one intentional step of growth for you to take this fall? Consider joining a group or a class in order to grow in your formation (knowledge and actions) with Jesus. Click through to org/next-steps to see what opportunities our church has for you.