Watch Out

"Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall."  1 Corinthians 10:12

In continuing through the 10th chapter of 1st Corinthians we come to the above verse, and it should make us stop and think.  It is an easy thing to look at the faults and failures of others, quickly condemn them, and then provide commentary as to how "that would never happen to me", "I would never let myself get in that situation", ect.  The writer here is finishing up his admonition to the church at Corinth after reviewing the previous failings of the Israelites.  He caps it off by saying "If you think you're standing tall without fault right now, watch out, because a fall is coming".  He undercuts the natural thought process that runs through all of our heads when we compare ourselves to former Israel.  We begin to throw out statements like "Well if I had seen all they had seen, if I had walked through the Red Sea, if I had eaten mana from heaven I would never have done the things they did".....  Take Heed.  We are not as holy as we think we are.  We are not as sturdy as we think we are.  We need to take heed lest we fall.

How does this play out in our lives?  Besides the above mention scenario we all to often doubt the strength of our sins, or we over estimate our own strength. Romans 8:37 will tell us that we are "more than conquerors" through whom?  Ourselves?  Through our resolve, and maturity? Through our theological prowess?  Through our self discipline?  No.  We are more than conquerors through Christ.
Therefore taking heed to ourselves means for us that we should be constantly evaluating our weaknesses, and realizing that it is only through Jesus Christ that we will ever overcome.

Listen to the podcast series at: http://www.zionrestpbc.org/Zion_Rest_PBC/Corinthians_Series.html

Tempt Not...Lest Thou Be Bitten By Serpents

1 Corinthians 10:9 - "Neither let us tempt Christ, as some of them also tempted, and were destroyed of serpents."

Obviously the title isn't literal, but don't let that bother you.

This verse really carries with it two different teachings.  The first is obviously about not tempting Christ.  We will get into that in just a little bit.  The other is that we are told to not tempt Christ "as some of them also tempted".  Paul in keeping with the fashion he has in this entire chapter is telling us that we shouldn't tempt Christ as the Israelites tempted Christ.  Now wait a second?  You mean Christ was in the Old Testament?  I thought Christ was just a New Testament person?  

In verse four Paul had already linked together the two testaments.

10:4 "And did all drink the same spiritual drink: for they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them: and that Rock was Christ."

In today's Christian theology there is the idea that the testaments are completely separated, and that the God of the Old Testament is this mean, hateful, vengeful God who likes to smite people, and the God of the New Testament is this loving, gracious, roses and rainbows God who works through Christ.  These verses remind us that that is not the case.  Hebrews 13:8 tells us "Jesus Christ the same yesterday, to day, and forever".  John 1 will tell us that Christ was in the beginning (as the Word) with God, and that by Him (Christ) all things were made.  Christ was very much present in the Old Testament as we can plainly see.  Obviously He didn't take on the bodily form that He took on out of the womb of Mary, but He was present.  Paul therefore tells us not to tempt Christ as the Israelites did.

I don't know if you're picking up in these verses but these verses are, in general, coming from around the time the Israelites were just getting out of Egypt, and starting to find their identity.  That's important I think because the church at Corinth is in the same situation.  They've just being doing this whole "Christian" thing for about 100 years or less.  They're still very young in it.  

So how do we tempt Christ?  Well the example given to us about Israel involved a time in Israel's life when they had been delivered from 400 years of Egyptian slavery, had been led out of that country by amazing signs and wonders performed by their God, had walked through a sea that was parted for them, had been being led around by this flaming / smoking pillar day and night, but they were doubting God could provide some food and drink for them.  They had murmured already many times about the provisions God had provided for them.  If they didn't have water, God would give it to them, and they would complain that it was bitter. Give them food literally dropped out of heaven, and they complained it was too bland.  In Numbers 26 we see this play out.  The people complained about God, and Moses, and doubted.  They tempted (tried, pushed) God saying He couldn't do what He promised, that He had just led them out in the wilderness to die.  God then sent the fiery serpents into the camp to chastise them.

What's the big picture.  In our lives we are called by Christ to "follow me".  We are told to "seek the kingdom first, and all it's righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you".  In life when we are trying to seek God's will, His path for us, and we begin to question Him in His execution of the plan we are tempting Him.  I give you an example:  

"God I thought you had a plan for me.  I just lost my job.  How's that in your plan?  I thought you had thoughts of peace for me, this isn't peace.  How are you going to provide for me when you don't even have a job for me?  How can I believe what you say if you don't uphold me in all things?"

What we're doing in situations like that is tempting Christ.  When He says "I'll never leave you nor forsake you" then we need to bank on that no matter how rough the situation may be.  When He asks us to "come follow me" it's not conditional on the fact that the following will lead to a path that is always pleasant without any conflict.  As we are traveling in the "wilderness" like the Israelites we have to remember that Christ has promised that He will take care of us.  It may not always be in the way we think, or the manner with think it should be accomplished, but He will take care of us.  It's not our duty to tempt Him in it, it's our duty to obey Him in all things trusting in His grace.

To listen to the podcast for this series: Zion Rest PBC | Corinthians Series

Our Bodies Are Not Our Own

1 Corinthians 10:8

“…Neither let us commit fornication….”

Paul discussed the issue of fornication in depth in chapter of 1st Corinthians.  Since we are diving in the middle of this book lets look at the subject.  Paul tells the church at Corinth, again, to stay away from fornication.  Remember that in each of these cases Paul is point back to Israel.  It’s interesting the timing of both Israel and the New Testament Church.  The time period Paul is referencing in Israel’s life is the time when they were just getting started in the land of Canaan.  These four verses from 7 to 10 highlight four areas where Israel failed in their beginning.  Paul seems to be admonishing the Church to not make the same mistakes.

In pertaining to fornication it seems there is not a consensus on what this word actually covers.  If we look at the greek word for fornication we find the word “porneuo”.  Yep, that is the word, and yes it does form the common word we use today for “pornography”.  

The word means: to prostitute one’s body to the lust of another, to give ones’s self to unlawful sexual intercourse, and to be given to idolatry, to worship idols.

Given this definition we find that fornication covers a wide range of personal, and public sins.  Anything from pornography & masturbation, to adultery, to homosexuality, to beastiality: there is a lot covered in this one word.  Sometimes we try and side step God’s word to justify our own action.  We will question whether what we are doing is actually fornication, and therefore a violation of God’s law.  

Examples: 

 “If we aren’t marry and we just have oral sex is that fornication?”

“If I just look at pornography, is that fornication?”

“If I’m just kissing with someone who’s not my spouse, is that fornication?”

Basically we try to do what we wickedly desire to do, but still want to feel like we’re following after God.

1 Corinthians 6

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.

As we see by Paul’s admonishments our bodies are not our own.  When Christ died on the cross and shed his blood He purchased us, both body and soul.  Since our bodies are not our own we don’t have the choice to choose fornication.  We are to use our bodies for the glory of God.   

That means the answer to the questions listed above is: YES!

We need to quit trying to "prostitute our bodies to the lust of another", and "giving ourselves to unlawful sexual intercourse", and quit trying to justify it.  This is an easy answer, if the act you're trying to justify begins or ends in "sex", and your not married, yes it is fornication.  If you're married, and you're engaging in these actions with anyone or anything beside your wife/husband then you're committing fornication.

In conclusion, we find that in this verse Paul references an occurrence in Numbers when the children of Israel, after being warned of God not to commit whoredom with the surrounding nations, entered in with the daughters of Moab.  After their fornication, and betrayal of God’s commands, they left serving God and began serving Baal-Peor.  Subsequently God slew 23 - 24,000 of them.  Taking that into consideration we would have to assume that God is pretty serious about fornication, and we should be too.

Listen to the Podcast for the series: 1st Corinthians Series - Zion Rest PBC

This Little Idol Of Mine...I'm Gonna Let It Shine

Anyone can start from a beginning, and begin a story.  It takes a really talented person to start in the middle of something.  Or at least that's the excuse I'll use for the fact that I started this blog in July of 2013 with all good intentions of making regular postings.  That obviously didn't work out.  So here we are 6 months later.  My intentions now are, again, to make regular contributions from studies I am conducting.  Hopefully they will be insightful to you as they are to me.

In keeping with my fashion of starting in the middle I'm not going to go back to the beginning of my most recent study of 1 Corinthians 10, but rather....start in the middle.  (At some point in time I promise to review the first 9 chapters)

In first Corinthians 10 we find Paul reiterating some of his earlier comments to the church at Corinth.  He emphasizes again the importance of staying away from idols, fleeing fornication, ect.  He does something slightly different in chapter 10 though.  For a group of predominately Gentile believers he uses the example of the Jews in their initial "launching" from Exodus as a way of communicating how not to live in God's grace.

The first hurtle he tackles, and what we will focus on for a brief, thought provoking moment is in vs. 7
"Neither be ye idolaters, as were some of them..."

Now our immediate response to this is "Easy....I don't have any idols."  Whereas I would agree that as a whole American homes lack Buddha's in our closets, or Vishnu's in our living room, but I would not agree with the fact that we have no idols.  We have idols they just aren't statues in our homes.

America has developed a mentality that is pure idol worship.  Consumerism being a big one.  We worship sports teams to an insane degree.  Now I love college football, but I had to make the decision a couple of years ago to break myself of my idol worship. "What do you mean Adam?"  Glad you asked.  Think about that big game you were waiting for.  You waited all week.  You got geared up.  Put on your teams outfit.  Grilled some amazing ribs.  Watched intensely.  Yelling,  Screaming.  Singing the fight song.  Then as the game turned south for your team so did your emotional state.  Anger.  Depression.  Then they lost, and for four days you pouted acting like the world wasn't as bright a place as it was before the game.
That my friends is idolatry.  If something other than God evokes such a emotional response, and consumes such fervent worship it's idolatry.

Sometimes it's easier for us to just get back to the basics.  God said have no other gods before me.  Lets just keep it simple, and remove the idols from our lives.  If you evaluate yourself, and find things you're investing too much idol worship in (family, jobs, money, sports) it's time for a New Years resolution.  Clean house for 2014 of the idols to enjoy a closer walk with God.

Link to the 1st Corinthians Series -
http://www.zionrestpbc.org/Zion_Rest_PBC/Corinthians_Series.html