Sex and Suing - Part 2

This is the fifth lesson in a series on 1 Corinthians. Please read all about it in the Introduction. This is the second part of the lesson on chapters 5-6. Be sure and review the first part here; Sex and Suing Part 1. This week will have the last 2 journal prompts instead of the usual 5. I’ve still linked the Scripture references to biblegateway.com; click the blue font references. And as always, I’d love to hear what you’re learning!

Week 4: Sex and Suing - Part 2 (1 Corinthians 5-6)

Read 1 Corinthians 5:1-8

It’s Not OK

Sooooo, what’s happening in Corinth? Although there is some speculation about the details, we know that one of the leaders in the church in Corinth is having sex with his stepmother. He is using spiritual freedom to condone his sin and the church is looking the other way. The whole situation is scandalous even to the pagan Corinthians in their community; folks for whom “wanton sexuality would have been common.” (ESV Study Bible, 2189).

Seriously, this is a problem.

Here’s what we know after reading this passage:

• Leaders using grace as an excuse to sin is NOT OK (6:12, 8:1, 10:23; Romans 3:8, 6:1-4, 6:15, Jude 4).
• Church looking the other way and allowing their fruitful influence to be lost is NOT OK (6:2, 6:8). They are growing callous to something that should be breaking their hearts. In a misunderstanding of grace they’ve decided that there are no rules. We are not called to a religion of legalism, but grace is never a license to sin. “Walking in the Spirit is always a matter of steering the middle and narrow course between too much license and too many rules and regulations.” (Prior, 95)

These first two Not Oks are clear….it’s figuring out what to do next that becomes very hard. We see phrases like "deliver to Satan" and "destruction of his flesh" and get awfully bent out of shape. How do we obey the teaching of this passage in a way that is redemptive and body-building? Let's look at some foundational teaching Jesus gave us. The basic Biblical tenets of church discipline are found in Jesus’ own words in Matthew18:15-20. It would be a really good idea to take a look at them as we move on; these guidelines should always be at the center of any conflict between believers and is our starting point.

Back in 1 Corinthians 5 there is one more point in the NOT OK list:

• Discipline without God’s Purpose is NOT OK.

Review 1 Corinthians 5:5 and 5:11 and the end of 5:13. The instruction here is to discontinue relationship with this man; “purge him from your midst.” In the next section we will learn more about how to discern if someone in the church fits the criteria for expulsion, but first it’s very important that we see the purpose of the discipline. Read 1 Corinthians 5:5, 2 Thessalonians 3:15, 1 Timothy 1:20. Go ahead and read them. All you have to do is click and read.

Here’s what I found as the purpose for the discipline; that his spirit may be saved, that he may be warned, that he may learn. As you think back to everything we have learned about the church and the importance of the church being unified and whole, can you see how important it is to understand the purpose of discipline? Redemption of the individual and purity of the church is always the purpose. In our modern day churches we have centuries of experience with the Word and with traditions and policies that, although imperfect, do protect us somewhat from false teaching. Remember that these early baby churches didn’t. They had the Old Testament Scriptures and the teachings of itinerant preachers like Paul and Apollos. What we are about to see is that the man mentioned in 5:1 is a very unique threat.

Read 1 Corinthians 5:9-13

Keep it in the Family

There is one very VERY big point in this section. Unbelievers, outside of the church, are to be left out of discipline. Do you see it in verse 10? Protecting ourselves from sinful folks is not the issue. The ONLY way to do that is to die – um, no thanks. Lost people will behave as lost people. If you are applying church discipline Scriptures to the lost people in your culture, stop. If Holiness could be achieved by not being around bad things it wouldn’t be Inside-Out {if this doesn’t make sense to you, go back to the first week and review the definition of sanctification}. God doesn’t ask us to isolate ourselves from sinful people who don’t know Him, He asks us to take great care to protect our CHURCH from leaders who would intentionally turn us away from complete devotion to Jesus as the foundation, sanctification as the process, and redemption as the goal.

In verse 11 and 13 we see two criteria for someone to be declared an evil church member (remember, lost people attending don’t qualify). My ESV says not to “associate,” meaning literally; don’t “keep company” (Zodhiates, 553) with anyone who bears these two marks:

bears the name of brother BUT is an evil person, “evil in a moral or spiritual sense; wicked, malicious, mischievous.” It differs from another word for evil, which means, “being evil in oneself but not necessarily malicious.” In verb form it means “aptness to do shrewd turns, delight in mischief, evil and tragedy, perverseness.” (Zodhiates, 949).

Honestly now, we all mess up. We cause unseen dissension and hurt one another and don’t even realize it or are too self-focused to notice. We struggle with secret sin sometimes for years and fake through church life like nobody’s business {and truly believe that it is nobody’s business.} In real life, church discipline is very hard to do well. As a pastor, my husband is often asked why we don’t we do church discipline. In the modern church, Biblical discipline happens all the time in the context of understanding and loving small group accountability. Thankfully, the need to expel a truly Biblically evil person is rare.

It’s always dangerous to just jump in and take a few verses out of context to justify discipline in church. When I consider all of the emphasis on unity in 1 Corinthians I go back to the Not Ok list. If there is a person in leadership in a church, who is digging their heels in on their sin, refusing progressive gracious efforts to bring him or her to accountability, over-spiritualizing to justify their sin, then they need to be removed. But that actual list is rigorous. Can you discern that the person you are so bent out of shape toward is evil? Not by your own opinion, but by the Bible’s definition? The Bible says that the person you put out of fellowship should clearly be malicious, shrewd, perverted, and intentional in his plans to destroy the church {not in his efforts to vex you}. If you can say yes to that list; can you also say that you agree with God’s tough love purpose that this evil person be saved through discipline?

Journal Prompt: As you prayerfully review today’s text and definitions, what are the criteria for someone to be removed from church? How can we apply this in our modern church?

Read 1 Corinthians 6:1-8

Should Christians Sue each other?

This is our last section of Scripture for the week. The most helpful commentary on this section came from the study notes in my Bible, “Although some have argued that Paul is prohibiting Christians from ever going to court against another Christian, Paul seems in these verses only to be addressing disputes related to property or money (v7) rather than criminal cases which fall under the jurisdiction of the state (See Romans 13:1-5). It is doubtful, therefore, that Paul’s intention is that this specific example should be applied in every situation.... Whatever the circumstances it is clear from Scripture that disputes between believers need to be handled with the utmost care in a wise and godly manner before the watching world, and with the counsel of spiritually mature Christians who have no stake in the matter and who can give objective Biblical advice.” (ESV Study Bible, 2198).

I love studying Scripture from history and introduction through verse by verse to the end. I love having the foundation of our first three weeks of lessons. I love knowing God’s heart for unity to end brokenness. I love the reminder that what God says is wise and right seems foolish and wrong to the world. I love the value God places on our bodies both individually and together as THE body. I find that studying through those verses, chapters, and words helps me understand the issue of lawsuits among Christians much better. While this Scripture most definitely doesn’t teach that we have to be completely uninvolved in criminal or civic affairs, it does affirm that we need to have the right eternal perspective before EVER pursuing such involvement.

As we finish the week I want to go to the very last phrase of the last verse of chapter 6.

“…So glorify God in your body.”

Glorify comes from the Greek word for glory; “doxa.”

“Doxa comes from dokeo – meaning to think, recognize a person or thing for what it is.

Doxa can mean appearance, reputation, glory. It basically refers to the recognition belonging to a person, honor, renown.

Doxa may denote appearance, form, aspect, that appearance of a person or thing which catches the eye or attracts attention, commanding recognition, looking like something thus equivalent to splendor, brilliance, glory attracting the gaze.

Doxa embraces the excellence and perfection of the divine nature, It comprises all that God will appear to be in His final revelation to us.

More specifically doxa means not the outward glorious appearance, attracting attention to the person or thing itself, but that glory shown from within reflecting in the appearance which attracts attention.”(Zodhiates, 907).

Both of these chapters on sexual sin, church discipline, suing one another hinge on this phrase. Glorify God in your body. Recognize and know the truth about God and show it from within, attracting attention, commanding recognition, shining with the brilliance of Inside Out Holiness that attracts the gaze of ALL who see you. It’s quite amazing how the issues of sexuality and civic duties and church discipline and getting along seem to fade into their rightful, lower places when you simply focus on being a glorifier of the Truth of who God is.

Journal Prompt: How do the issues this week (sexual sin, church discipline, lawsuits among Christians) find their solution in each of us choosing to glorify God with our bodies?

Prayer and Blessings for a great week of study, let me know what you’re learning!

Jamy

                                                              

Grandmother's Cowboy Beans

This recipe is one of my favorites.
{Not your ordinary Baked Beans}. 

It connects me to some wonderful memories.
AND, it might be the recipe I'm asked for the most, next to Apple Brickle Dip. {maybe I'll share that one soon}! 

My Grandparents had a farm I loved, where they grew wheat and raised cattle and did other farm things that are magical in my childhood memories. 

Mud pies from trash dishes, swinging on vines, building forts in the hay barn, bottle feeding baby calves, riding in the back of pick up trucks and throwing "cake" to the cows, delicious meals around a big round table, giggling at uncles misbehaving, chasing cousins and siblings down the hill just next to the house, sleeping over and wearing Pap's tshirts for jammies....

My memories of family times at their place are some of my very favorites. 

Early cooking lessons, MUDPIES!

One of my favorite all-time pictures of my Grandmother, me, and my mom washing dishes.

In the fall my grandparents would host cookouts. My grandpa (Pappy, we called him), would rig up the most fun hayrides. After he drove us all over the pasture and through a path he made in the woods, we would all pile off the flatbed trailer we'd been riding and gather around a campfire toward the end of the pasture, almost to the tree line. 

Next to that campfire was a stove.

A stove.

I get so tickled now thinking back that it never seemed strange to me that there was a white stove/oven combo out in the middle of the pasture. Isn't that one of the joys of childhood? It didn't matter how it worked and I never really considered it, I just knew that there was my Grandmother and her Cowboy Beans there by that stove in the pasture. 

No family is perfect, 
but I had a place with lots of people who loved me. 
A place where innocent, trusting childhood was protected. 
It was a gift I didn't know to appreciate in those days.
That's what childhood should be.

We would roast hot dogs, which I loved and always have, but the Cowboy Beans were the real meal. This recipe is a sweet Baked Beans recipe with the delicious savory addition of hamburger meat browned and seasoned with onions. It seems familiar, but is also unique.

This is also a really versatile recipe, you can make it ahead and take it for tailgating or cookouts in a crockpot. 
You can bake it and wrap your pan up super tight in foil and beach towels (that's how my mom and I do it) - and it stays hot for a LONG time. 

If my Grandmother can make it work magically in the middle of a pasture, then surely these beans can be served anywhere!

You start with two pounds of ground beef, start it browning and then add a large onion, chopped up really fine (because believe it or not, there are folks who don't like chunks of onion). I use lean meat that I don't need to drain, so I also season my meat with seasoned salt and pepper in this stage.

Then you mix 4 cans of beans (2 pork n' beans, 2 Ranch Style beans) with some ketchup, some brown sugar and some maple syrup....

Now about the beans, my Grandmother's recipe instructs me to drain all but one can of beans. Maybe the products have changed some, but it seems to me that in recent years draining has been less necessary. Whatever you do, don't rinse the beans....lots of the flavor comes from the sauce they are packed in. Just pour any extra watery juice off the top of the can. 

Oh, and that little bit of fat at the top of the Pork N' Beans can, take that out. Ick.

This is my handy jar of maple syrup. I keep one on hand for two recipes; Cowboy Beans and my friend Amanda's Cake Cornbread recipe. 

Next you mix in the meat with all the yummy saucy sweet beans you just made. 

Right here is when these actually start smelling like a memory. Have you ever had that happen?

Pour the whole thing into a large baking dish (9x13 or bigger) and bake.....uncovered. 

Sooooo Delicious!

Here's the official recipe.....

Grandmother’s Cowboy Beans

2 pounds ground beef

1 large onion, chopped

2—16 oz cans Pork and Beans

2—16 oz cans Ranch style Beans

1 cup brown sugar

½ cup maple syrup

2 cups ketchup

Brown beef with onion until onions are soft and meat is no longer pink, season well with salt and pepper.  Drain all but one can of Ranch beans.  Stir all ingredients together in a large bowl. Pour into a 9x13 baking dish and bake uncovered at 350 for 30 minutes or until hot through.

Enjoy!!

Jamy

Sex and Suing - Part 1

This is the fourth lesson in a series on 1 Corinthians. Please read all about it in the Introduction. This Sunday, we only made it through half of what I'd prepared, so I've decided to separate the original lesson into 2 parts; one this week and one next. This week will have 3 journal prompts instead of the usual 5. I’ve still linked the Scripture references to biblegateway.com; click the blue font references. And as always, I’d love to hear what you’re learning!

Week 4: Sex and Suing - Part 1 (1 Corinthians 5-6)

This week we talk about sex.

In the class of young unmarried college women I teach; statistics say that almost half of them have already had sex. Even as I’m getting some great feedback from those of you studying these blog lessons with me, I KNOW that this is the place where I can lose you. The beauty of this lesson will be completely lost on some of you because you can’t get past this one point.

You’ve messed up with sex. Regret and shame even now are threatening to grab you by the throat. Your memories may be decades old or so fresh you still feel numb by the shock of what you’ve done.

Please don’t go yet.

This week we are going to start at the end to learn what God says about sex, and more importantly what He says about you. And can I just give you a sneak peek so that you won’t walk away? He says you are loved and that He likes you even now and that this sin that wounds is not the end of you. He washes you, sets you up on new feet, and declares you Not Guilty.

Don’t give up. There is freedom even from sexual sin.

A few years ago I studied the book of Hosea. It’s all about sexual sin and idolatry {um, pretty similar themes to 1 Corinthians}. I want to share this verse from God’s own Voice along with what I wrote about it.

“Read Hosea 6:6 - “For I desire steadfast love and not sacrifice, the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings.” ESV

Consider the word “desire” in Hosea 6:6. This word means “to like very much, to bend toward.” Think about what/who you really like, those people and things that inspire you to bend toward them. Are you grinning? That’s how God feels about sincere repentance, about steady love. If you are hesitant to believe that God really wants to forgive you when you mess up, see this picture. As you try to work up the courage to offer an apology He is already leaning toward you grinning – He is delighted. Read the following verses in several translations and note in your journal what they teach. 1 John 1:8-9, Romans 10:9-10” (Fisher, 67)

  

Journal Prompt: Do you love God? He delights in your love for Him MORE than sacrifices to Him. What are the ways you’ve been trying to earn love through sacrifice?

Read 1 Corinthians 6:15-20, read it over and over in different translations.

The Truth about Sex

What’s the big deal? That’s what the Corinthians would’ve been asking. We are going to cover their sordid story later, first I want you to hear Paul’s question right back into YOUR story; Don’t you know (15)? Your body is precious and important because it is joined to Jesus. The word joined in verses 16 and 17 mean “glued together” (Prior,101). You’re glued to Jesus – one with Him!

A few weeks ago my daughter was trying to fix a headband with super glue. I can never get a second use out of a super glue tube because the lid always glues itself on after I’ve used it once. Finding that exact scenario in our junk drawer, my daughter tried to pry the glued on super glue lid off with her teeth….and it worked! {And got super glue on her tongue}. She came into the kitchen saying something like, “Mahm! ah gah supah glah ahn mah tahnnnn!!”

Super glue is super sticky.

When you choose Jesus for salvation, you are gluing yourself to Him {Jesus}.

When you choose to have sex with someone, you are gluing yourself to him {not Jesus}.

As a believer, when you move and live and think and eat and rest and talk and share and….{get the picture?}, you take Jesus with you. The image that Paul paints for them in verse 15 is shocking. When you visit a prostitute thinking your spirit is separate from what your body is doing, you take Jesus with you.

The glued together imagery started in Genesis 2:24 (the reference Paul quotes in 1 Corinthians 6:16). This is foundational teaching on marriage and sex. Marriage is two people becoming one flesh, glued together. In Ephesians 5:26-27 we see that marriage illustrates God’s great love for His Church. Sex is a physical act that reflects the spiritual connection {oneness} of God and the Church.

Think back to the Hosea verse at the beginning of our study. God’s desire, delight is relationship; to be loved and known. The most intimate way for two people to relate is sex. So sexual sin has a spiritual component that attacks the core of your spiritual identity; which is a pure relationship with God. I think this is what Paul means in verse 18 when he says that sexual sin is against our own body.

Imagine the vulnerability and naked (literally) trust it takes to offer another person your body and emotions in sex. In marriage you are entrusting this most vulnerable part of you to someone who has promised to love and accept you just as you are. In a God-led marriage, sex can banish the insecurity as you are wrapped up in love and acceptance and…..well, oneness.

Now try to make the application spiritually; you have the choice to offer the most secret and vulnerable part of your soul and spirit to God who has promised to love and accept you just as you are. His acceptance banishes insecurity in the oneness of eternal relationship with God, your Creator. He knows and loves you and desires (delights) in being known and loved back.

Don’t you know? Your body is His temple. (6:19)

Remember last week’s teaching on the temple? Click on last week’s lesson and then scroll down to the picture of the Temple to review that section. The words here are the same. In Jesus’ day hundreds would’ve entered the temple. At each progressive level of entrance into the temple, fewer people would’ve been acceptable to pass through to the next level….fewer and fewer until only one – the High Priest on one day a year was acceptable to enter the Holy of Holies where God dwelt. And now you are acceptable, not only to enter but to be the dwelling place of God. No words.

God dwells in US as a body of believers (3:16), now this week we see that He dwells in YOU, in me. How miraculous and beautiful is it that YOU individually AND with a body of believers are the most holy and precious dwelling place of God? You belong to Jesus, He dwells in you. You are glued to Him. When it comes to sexual sin, it’s less that sexual immorality is wrong {although it is}, and more that it’s simply absurd when you know who you are.

Journal Prompt: How does this change your view of your body and your sexuality?

Read 1 Corinthians 6:12-14

No Excuses

The quotes around all things are lawful for me and food is meant for the stomach and the stomach for food indicate that the Corinthians were adopting secular slogans from their culture to defend their sinful actions. “The Corinthians have adopted from the culture around them the idea that the body is permitted to have everything that it craves.” (ESV, 2198) I believe this part to be one of the most applicable points we've seen so far. Our culture is without a doubt about the satisfaction of cravings. It creeps into everything. Because of a rainy Saturday this weekend, our entire family got to stay home for much of the day. We sent our son out twice; once for Sonic and once for frosties from Wendy's. We like to satisfy cravings.

We will visit the subject of resurrection in much depth later when we tackle chapter 15. For now it’s clear in verses 13-14 that Christian bodies aren’t worthless! They are meant for the Lord and will in a resurrected form live forever (14).

Read 1 Corinthians 6:9-11

BE Not Guilty!

Ok, y’all.

This is one of my favorite passages of all time.

Seriously. {I get teased about saying this all the time, but it’s true}.

I love a book called Classic Christianity. There are a few books that truly deeply shaped what I believe, this is one. Author Bob George tells the story of a man named Lee who came to seek counseling. He’d been a homosexual for many years and had recently been introduced to Jesus and trusted Him for salvation. But as he faced the same old temptations, he felt discouraged and unchanged. Bob George points him to 1 Corinthians 6:9-10. Just verses 9-10 {see what he did there?}.

Then he tells us the story of what happened next:

“Why start there [with verses 9-10 only]? Because I’m committed to truth [about homosexuality]…[however]…Too often, we stop reading the Bible in the wrong place. Lee really didn’t need convincing – he knew his sins. What he needed was good news that would set him free! And it’s right there in the next verse: “And that is what some of you were“ (1 Corinthians 6:11). Do you see that, Lee? I asked. “You came in here and told me that you are a homosexual. But the Bible Says that that’s what you were. That’s not your identity today! Let me finish reading the verses: “But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified, in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God” (1 Corinthians 6:1)….Lee responded this way, “Bob, if these things are really who I am, then that old activity just doesn’t make any sense, does it?” That’s exactly the point.” (George, 108)

It is exactly the point.

“and such were some of you” (ESV)

“And such some of you were [once]” (AMP)

“Some of you were once like that.” (NLT)

“A number of you know from experience what I’m talking about, for not so long ago you were on that list. Since then…” (The Message)

“You were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.”

Washed is salvation; the beginning of it all.

Sanctified is Inside Out Holiness; the process of growing up spiritually.

Both of these are such miracles and are enough for this life. But what happens if we trust Jesus for salvation and grow up in Him only to still be found guilty by the sin that we will struggle against until our dying breath?

Meet Justified, “here Paul uses justified not in its ethical sense (be seen righteous), but in its judicial sense (declare righteous).” (ESV, 2198)

Justified means that you are declared righteous, declared not guilty. How tender of God to see us through the entire process. 

Washed. Sanctified. Justified.

He’s not about changing your image, He’s about changing your identity.

The Corinthians were still stuck on image and missing this point.

Journal Prompt: What does 1 Corinthians 6:11 teach about your identity? What are some old names you’ve been calling yourself? Read Romans 5:1 and Romans 8:1, 33 and journal what you learn.

So....there is half of the lesson on Sex and Suing. 

Next week will include 1 Corinthians 5 and the sordid story behind Paul's warnings about sex and church discipline. We will also address the issue of Christians suing each other in chapter 6. 

What a joy and a challenge studying 1 Corinthians has been so far.....looking forward to the rest of the journey with you!

Jamy


PS. I found this blog post that illustrates the "Glued Together" part of our lesson. It would be a good follow up to what we've studied this week.