New Testament Reading Plan Week 30: 1 Corinthians 10–14
Compare the idolatry of the Israelites in Exodus 32:1–6 to the idolatry Paul describes in 1 Corinthians 10:14–30. (Remember, God had been feeding the people of Israel with manna at the time [Exodus 16:31–35].) What is the Corinthian church doing? How was their selfishness impacting weaker Christians and nonbelievers?
In The Cross of Christ, John Stott puts Paul’s teaching in 1 Corinthians 10–11 in his own words:
“. . . we attribute our unity to his sacrifice. For we never partake of the Lord’s Supper alone, in the privacy of our own room. No, we ‘come together’ (1 Cor 11:20) in order to celebrate. And we recognize that it is our common share in the benefits of Christ’s sacrifice which has united us: ‘Because there is one loaf, we, who are many, are one body, for we all partake of the one loaf’ (1 Cor 10:17).”
With this in mind, what is the Lord’s Supper supposed to do in the hearts of those who take it? How did the Corinthian practice fall short?
In 1 Corinthians 12, Paul explains particular gifts of the Spirit present in the lives of believers. It’s easy for us to see these gifts and feel boastful about the gifts we have or deprived of the gifts we don’t have, but that’s a symptom of the same idolatry Paul already spoke against: counting yourself as more important than others. Take a few minutes and go through this passage again, noting who gives each gift, to whom, for what purpose, and why each person has different gifts.
We arrive now at one of the most well-known passages in the Bible. First Corinthians 13 is read at weddings, quoted in TV shows, and printed on coffee mugs—often by people who don’t claim to be Christians. The context of 1 Corinthians 13 is distinctly Christian, though. If one of Paul’s main messages in 1 Corinthians is the church’s unity, what does 1 Corinthians 13 illustrate? Why is it significant that chapter 13 follows the previous chapters?
First Corinthians 14 returns to the discussion of spiritual gifts, focusing mainly on prophecy and speaking in tongues. Paul makes a few statements that govern the church gathering as it relates to spiritual gifts. What are those? (Hint: see vv. 33 and 40.) Why are those important for us to consider, especially when we think of unbelievers or new Christians?
New Testament Reading Plan Week 30: 1 Corinthians 10–14
“. . . we attribute our unity to his sacrifice. For we never partake of the Lord’s Supper alone, in the privacy of our own room. No, we ‘come together’ (1 Cor 11:20) in order to celebrate. And we recognize that it is our common share in the benefits of Christ’s sacrifice which has united us: ‘Because there is one loaf, we, who are many, are one body, for we all partake of the one loaf’ (1 Cor 10:17).”
With this in mind, what is the Lord’s Supper supposed to do in the hearts of those who take it? How did the Corinthian practice fall short?