King James Bible Study – [Mark 8:34 And when he had called the people unto him with his disciples also, he said unto them, Whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.]
Date: Thursday, December 01, 2022
Chapters: I CORINTHIANS 5-8
Study: One Body United
Hello My Brother/Sister/Friend,
If there was any reason for those whom have accepted Christ as their Saviour to live their lives unto Christ and not to their flesh, it is this, [1 Corinthians 6:9-11 Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, 10 Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God. 11 And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God.]
As born again Christians, we are one body united in Christ, we are all members of one body, that being of Jesus Christ Himself, joined together by His blood that was shed on the cross for us. Before we were saved we were also a body, one of the world, and if we want to go deep, of the devil himself. While the devil cannot take one soul that receives Jesus Christ as their Saviour, he can bring disruption should one member that is living sinfully keep doing it within the body of Christ. As we continue in the reading of 1 Corinthians, we learn that the Corinthians caused a great stir in the church when they allowed a man who married his father’s wife to remain a prominent member there. Paul, reprimands them for not only allowing, but condoning fornication in the church.
[1 Corinthians 5:1-6 It is reported commonly that there is fornication among you, and such fornication as is not so much as named among the Gentiles, that one should have his father’s wife. 2 And ye are puffed up, and have not rather mourned, that he that hath done this deed might be taken away from among you. 3 For I verily, as absent in body, but present in spirit, have judged already, as though I were present, concerning him that hath so done this deed, 4 In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, when ye are gathered together, and my spirit, with the power of our Lord Jesus Christ, 5 To deliver such an one unto Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that the spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus. 6 Your glorying is not good. Know ye not that a little leaven leaveneth the whole lump?]
[a little leaven leaveneth the whole lump?] What we do or condone in the church affects the whole congregation. It is one thing to accept the sinner it is another thing to accept the sin as being acceptable in the church. Jesus, said this to the woman caught in adultery, [John 8:10-11 When Jesus had lifted up himself, and saw none but the woman, he said unto her, Woman, where are those thine accusers? hath no man condemned thee? 11 She said, No man, Lord. And Jesus said unto her, Neither do I condemn thee: go, and sin no more.]
Trying to convince someone who is not saved or been living their lives as though they are not, that they need to live their lives through Christ is like talking to a brick wall. Until they see the Light, they are going to keep on living in the dark. God, is their judge, and keeping company with them will only bring a lot of heartache and pain in our own lives.
[1 Corinthians 5:9-13 I wrote unto you in an epistle not to company with fornicators: 10 Yet not altogether with the fornicators of this world, or with the covetous, or extortioners, or with idolaters; for then must ye needs go out of the world. 11 But now I have written unto you not to keep company, if any man that is called a brother be a fornicator, or covetous, or an idolater, or a railer, or a drunkard, or an extortioner; with such an one no not to eat. 12 For what have I to do to judge them also that are without? do not ye judge them that are within? 13 But them that are without God judgeth. Therefore put away from among yourselves that wicked person.]
[But them that are without God judgeth.] I have learned one valuable lesson in the two and a half years that I spent compromising with and condoning the man that I thought I was going to spend the rest of my life with, and that lesson was to never compromise with them. We think that we in our own power can somehow convince them to live for Christ like we do, the only thing we do is fall into their trap, which is why we cannot be yoked with them, [2 Corinthians 6:14-16 Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness? 15 And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel? 16 And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.]
We must understand that everyone is welcome to come to church, and while we are all sinners saved by grace, not everyone ought to be a member. When the Church allows members who knowingly live in sin in, with no intention of repentance, it will cause a great division and confusion within the congregation. Why? Sin, never just affects the person, it affects everyone they get around.
[1 Corinthians 6:1-6 Dare any of you, having a matter against another, go to law before the unjust, and not before the saints? 2 Do ye not know that the saints shall judge the world? and if the world shall be judged by you, are ye unworthy to judge the smallest matters? 3 Know ye not that we shall judge angels? how much more things that pertain to this life? 4 If then ye have judgments of things pertaining to this life, set them to judge who are least esteemed in the church. 5 I speak to your shame. Is it so, that there is not a wise man among you? no, not one that shall be able to judge between his brethren? 6 But brother goeth to law with brother, and that before the unbelievers.]
[go to law before the unjust,] Christians, should not contend with one another, but if they do, then the matter ought to be cleared withing the church and never seek the world for help when they do. Salvation, might be given to us by grace, but is not just cause to remain living in sin. We must remember that while our soul will never suffer, our flesh sure will if we are not repentant of sin. Paul reminds the Corinthians and all of us, that our salvation is not the power to remain sinful, rather the power to get out of bondage to it.
[1 Corinthians 6:12-13,18-20 All things are lawful unto me, but all things are not expedient: all things are lawful for me, but I will not be brought under the power of any. 13 Meats for the belly, and the belly for meats: but God shall destroy both it and them. Now the body is not for fornication, but for the Lord; and the Lord for the body. 18 Flee fornication. Every sin that a man doeth is without the body; but he that committeth fornication sinneth against his own body. 19 What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? 20 For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.]
[but I will not be brought under the power of any.] While most of this passage is in reference to sexual immorality, it also applies to things such as tobacco, alcohol, and substance abuse. Anything that we put into our body that can alter the control our bodily functions, [Galatians 5:19-21 Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, 20 Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, 21 Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.]
When I was younger the thought of God living inside of me scared me greatly, I did not want to do anything to my body that would make God sin. Then after I did get saved and understood what all that meant and dedicated my life to Christ, I feared that even more, and that kept me from doing a lot of things that I was once ignorant to, but as time went on and life struck me I have to admit that I lost some of that fear and allowed myself to fall into temptation. Our greatest defense to escape temptation is actually by serving Him, we need to keep ourselves busy in the things of God in order to make temptation not even a thing that comes to our minds
[1 Corinthians 7:17-24 But as God hath distributed to every man, as the Lord hath called every one, so let him walk. And so ordain I in all churches. 18 Is any man called being circumcised? let him not become uncircumcised. Is any called in uncircumcision? let him not be circumcised. 19 Circumcision is nothing, and uncircumcision is nothing, but the keeping of the commandments of God. 20 Let every man abide in the same calling wherein he was called. 21 Art thou called being a servant? care not for it: but if thou mayest be made free, use it rather. 22 For he that is called in the Lord, being a servant, is the Lord’s freeman: likewise also he that is called, being free, is Christ’s servant. 23 Ye are bought with a price; be not ye the servants of men. 24 Brethren, let every man, wherein he is called, therein abide with God.]
[being a servant, is the Lord’s freeman:] Jesus, sets us free the second we accept Him as our Saviour. The liberty we enjoy of not having to worry that we are not doing enough good on our own to be saved from hell. The liberty we enjoy of no longer being held bondage to Satan. The liberty we enjoy of knowing that we are not going to hell, these are the things that Jesus has freed us from. Our salvation may be given to us freely by our faith in Christ, but it was not free, Jesus, paid for it with His own life. Are we so ungrateful that we cannot give up one thing for Christ? [Galatians 5:13-15 For, brethren, ye have been called unto liberty; only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another. 14 For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this; Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. 15 But if ye bite and devour one another, take heed that ye be not consumed one of another.]
I really did not want to focus on this, but I am not the one directing this study, and God sees fit that I explain this passage. Keep in mind that this is Paul’s opinion and not something that God has actually commanded, but we should take it into consideration since it is written in here for a reason.
[1 Corinthians 7:25,27-28,32-33,38 Now concerning virgins I have no commandment of the Lord: yet I give my judgment, as one that hath obtained mercy of the Lord to be faithful. 27 Art thou bound unto a wife? seek not to be loosed. Art thou loosed from a wife? seek not a wife. 28 But and if thou marry, thou hast not sinned; and if a virgin marry, she hath not sinned. Nevertheless such shall have trouble in the flesh: but I spare you. 32 But I would have you without carefulness. He that is unmarried careth for the things that belong to the Lord, how he may please the Lord: 33 But he that is married careth for the things that are of the world, how he may please his wife. 38 So then he that giveth her in marriage doeth well; but he that giveth her not in marriage doeth better.]
[is unmarried careth for the things that belong to the Lord,] This is so true, and probably why I am still not married. Keep in mind that if the only reason one wants to get married is for the flesh, then that is not the reason to get married, that will only lead to destruction in itself. The point of all this is to show that we are all sinners and guilty of something, but the second we accepted Jesus Christ as our Saviour He cleansed our souls of all that. We can never say that when we are tempted that we have no way out, while God allows the devil to tempt us, He does give us a way out, and never brings us to anything that we cannot handle, [1 Corinthians 10:13 There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.]
Our salvation may be given to us freely by our faith in Christ, but it was not free, Jesus, paid for it with His own life. Are we so ungrateful that we cannot give up one thing that our flesh desires for Christ? This is what we need to be asking ourselves if there is something that we are not willing to give up, then we need to get right with Him now. Those things that we are not willing to give up are the actual idols that God is talking about.
[1 Corinthians 8:4-7,9 As concerning therefore the eating of those things that are offered in sacrifice unto idols, we know that an idol is nothing in the world, and that there is none other God but one. 5 For though there be that are called gods, whether in heaven or in earth, (as there be gods many, and lords many,) 6 But to us there is but one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we in him; and one Lord Jesus Christ, by whom are all things, and we by him. 7 Howbeit there is not in every man that knowledge: for some with conscience of the idol unto this hour eat it as a thing offered unto an idol; and their conscience being weak is defiled. 9 But take heed lest by any means this liberty of yours become a stumblingblock to them that are weak.]
[(as there be gods many, and lords many,)] This is often confusing to people, but it does not mean that there are literally several gods and lords. A god or lord was often referred to as a prince; a ruler; or judge, still today men of royalty are called lords. Think about this, we were bought with a price, Christ gave His life for us so we do not have to end up burning in the lake of fire. Instead of using that liberty for our flesh, we need to use it to edify the Church. Why? We would become a stumbling block, [1 Peter 2:7-9 Unto you therefore which believe he is precious: but unto them which be disobedient, the stone which the builders disallowed, the same is made the head of the corner, 8 And a stone of stumbling, and a rock of offence, even to them which stumble at the word, being disobedient: whereunto also they were appointed. 9 But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light:]
Today’s Prayer: Jesus, Thank You for purchasing my life when You gave Yours on the cross. I did nothing to deserve salvation, and yet You willingly gave Your own life so that I could obtain it by grace through my faith in You. Now, there is nothing that I could ever do to earn or keep my salvation, for You paid it all once and for all. All I can do is live the rest of my life giving honor and glory to You. I know I fail You every day, but Your mercy endures and Your grace is sufficient to forgive me every time I confess and repent of my sin. I know that I am already forgiven, I just do not want to use my liberty for an occasion of my flesh, rather to live in Your power and love. I ask these things in Your name, Jesus. Amen.
God Bless You, I am praying for you,
Christina
Are You 100% Sure You Are Going To Heaven?: https://imfollowingjesus.com/Biblestudy/ready-to-follow-jesus/
Receive The KJB Daily Devotions In Your Email: http://eepurl.com/2WMzT
Missed A Message: https://imfollowingjesus.com/Biblestudy/
Visit I’m Following Jesus: https://imfollowingjesus.com/Biblestudy/welcome/
Read Today’s Bible Reading: http://kingjamesbible.imfollowingjesus.com/
I’m Following Jesus On Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/readytofollowJesus/
Copyright © 2022 I’m Following Jesus, All rights reserved.