Differences

Posted on by Adrian Clark

“There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit distributes them. There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. There are different kinds of working, but in all of them and in everyone it is the same God at work.”
1 Corinthians 12:4-6 NIVUK

In Peter’s sermon on the day of Pentecost, he mentioned a gift received by all believers in Jesus – the gift of the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:38). Previously, Jesus had encouraged His disciples when He said that He would send them an Advocate, the Holy Spirit.

“If you love me, obey my commandments.“

John 14:15.

John 14:15-17, “If you love me, obey my commandments. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate, who will never leave you. He is the Holy Spirit, who leads into all truth. The world cannot receive him, because it isn’t looking for him and doesn’t recognise him. But you know him, because he lives with you now and later will be in you”. Jesus was faithful to His word, and we all know the Acts 2 story – “And everyone present was filled with the Holy Spirit and began speaking in other languages, as the Holy Spirit gave them this ability” (Acts 2:4). This wasn’t an occasion without drama and impact! But my point this morning is that all Christians receive the Holy Spirit when they make Jesus Lord of their lives through the repentance of their sins. There are not many different types of Holy Spirit, one for each person, because there is only one. This is how Paul began his teaching to the Corinthians about the gifts of the Holy Spirit: many gifts, but one Holy Spirit. In the days ahead, we will explore what these different spiritual gifts are. 

“All Christians receive the Holy Spirit when they make Jesus Lord of their lives”

Paul continues with the thought that “There are different kinds of service, but we serve the same Lord” (1 Corinthians 12:5). In other Bible translations, the word “services” is replaced by “ministries”, but even though there are differences between ministries, there is only one Lord commissioning them. So, in our churches, we have the pastors and teachers, the evangelists and so on, with each person, or even several people, performing the same function. But these are the headline roles, and the ones that people think of when the word “ministry” surfaces in conversations. We forget about the other equally important roles that are present in a church or community. The people who maintain the building, cleaning and decorating, repairing and maintaining, are equally important. A bit further down in 1 Corinthians 12, Paul equates a fellowship of believers with a human body, as we read, “Yes, the body has many different parts, not just one part. If the foot says, “I am not a part of the body because I am not a hand,” that does not make it any less a part of the body” (1 Corinthians 12:14-15). Just as all our body parts have a particular “ministry”, so does the body of Christ as a whole. 

Paul concludes the three verses we are considering today with, “There are different kinds of working, but in all of them and in everyone it is the same God at work”. We have gifts, ministries, and different ways of doing things, but in everything it is God who is at work in them all. But if we stop and think, aren’t we all glad that each person is unique? What if God had created a race of human clones, each identical in looks and abilities? Where would the variety of gifts and ministries then be found? God created each one of us just as He planned, and after our creation, He broke the mould, so that there would never be another you and me. Yes, we may have character traits inherited from our parents. But they uniquely combine to make us who we are.

The differences between believers enrich the Body of Christ in all its facets and functions, and we should be content with how God has made us. We must never spend our time fretting because we are looking at someone else, wishing that we had their gift or ministry. Our function instead is to be faithful with the gifts God has given us, so that one day we will hear those wonderful words, “Well done, good and faithful servant”. 

Dear Father God. Thank You for making us just as we are, with all the gifts and ministries that You want us to have. Please help us to be content and continue in our Christian lives, as we become more and more like your Son, Jesus. In His precious name. Amen. 

Judgment

Posted on by Adrian Clark

“For those who eat and drink without discerning the body of Christ eat and drink judgment on themselves. That is why many among you are weak and ill, and a number of you have fallen asleep. But if we were more discerning with regard to ourselves, we would not come under such judgment. Nevertheless, when we are judged in this way by the Lord, we are being disciplined so that we will not be finally condemned with the world.”
1 Corinthians 11:29-32 NIVUK

In a previous blog, we considered what it means to discern “the body of Christ”. We continue to read today about what will happen to those who fail to “discern” what is really happening in the celebration of the Lord’s Supper. Reading between the lines of what went on in the Corinthians’ service of Communion, it must have been a bit of a riot compared with our sombre services today. They were apparently turning it into a drunken party, with those with the means to supply their own food and drink having a good time, and those without forced to sit on the sidelines and watch. And in some way, they considered that they were sharing in the Lord’s Supper by doing this. But before we condemn them and take the moral high ground, we must confess that some of us might be doing something equally dishonouring in our own thoughts. 

There were consequences to the Corinthians’ behaviour, and Paul made the association between those who shared the Communion in a way that dishonoured Christ and those who were suffering from illness or weakness, and even those who had died. How could that have happened? There is only one explanation, and that is God has brought weakness, illness, and even death to them as discipline for their failure to observe Communion with proper respect for Christ’s sacrifice and for each other. This could be a stumbling block for Christians who think God is a God of love, grace, and forgiveness and would never do such a thing. But God does discipline His children, “because the Lord disciplines the one he loves, and he chastens everyone he accepts as his son“ (Hebrews 12:6). Comparing with the discipline meted out by human fathers, we read, “They disciplined us for a little while as they thought best; but God disciplines us for our good, in order that we may share in his holiness. No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it” (Hebrews 12:10-11).

So, we pilgrims must approach the Lord’s Table in a way that honours Him. Paul wrote, “But if we were more discerning with regard to ourselves, we would not come under such judgment”. We must judge ourselves first with sincerity. In other words, we must be brutally honest with ourselves before joining in the Lord’s Supper, and we must change our attitudes toward Christ’s death and all those He died for. Then we will not have to worry about God’s judgment afterwards.

But a word for all those anxious in these circumstances, and who fear for their salvation, Paul wrote, “Yet when we are judged by the Lord, we are being disciplined so that we will not be condemned along with the world” (1 Corinthians 11:32). When God disciplines us, it does not mean that He has rejected us and slammed the gates of Heaven in our faces. He still loves us and wants us to spend eternity with Him. 

Dear Father God. We are so sorry for the times when we have taken the emblems of Holy Communion in an unworthy manner. We pray for forgiveness and for the Holy Spirit to help us remember You the next time we have the opportunity to celebrate the Lord’s Supper. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Gospel Blessings

Posted on by Adrian Clark

“When I am with those who are weak, I share their weakness, for I want to bring the weak to Christ. Yes, I try to find common ground with everyone, doing everything I can to save some. I do everything to spread the Good News and share in its blessings.”
1 Corinthians 9:22-23 NLT

Paul sought to be all things to all people to try to “save some”. Only someone with a strong and secure character could do this, as there is always a risk of becoming attached to the role they assume. For instance, visiting the local pub or wine bar to attract converts carries the danger of alcohol dependency. The human mind has an extraordinary ability to rationalise its way out of situations, justifying all manner of unwise and even sinful behaviour. However, as we noted earlier, Paul was a driven man, devoted to sharing the Gospel—the Good News about Christ—with everyone he met. He did that for their benefit, of course, because he wanted everyone to experience a living relationship with God just as he had found that momentous day on the Damascus Road. But Paul said there were blessings for himself as well. 

Responding to the Gospel by believing in Jesus brings numerous blessings. Let’s look at a few of them:

We have the primary benefit of salvation and eternal life. We know the verse from John 3:16, “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life”. This is a blessing that we will not immediately experience in this life, but one day we will be with Jesus in Heaven, blessed beyond even our wildest dreams. Paul wrote in his Philippian epistle, “For to me, living means living for Christ, and dying is even better. But if I live, I can do more fruitful work for Christ. So I really don’t know which is better. I’m torn between two desires: I long to go and be with Christ, which would be far better for me. But for your sakes, it is better that I continue to live” (Philippians 1:21-24). Paul was drawn to the benefit of leaving this life because by so doing, he would join his Lord and Master, Jesus, in Heaven.

Another blessing we receive from the Gospel is the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. In Ephesians 1:13-14, we read, “And now you Gentiles have also heard the truth, the Good News that God saves you. And when you believed in Christ, he identified you as his own by giving you the Holy Spirit, whom he promised long ago. The Spirit is God’s guarantee that he will give us the inheritance he promised and that he has purchased us to be his own people. He did this so we would praise and glorify him”. 

When we believe in Jesus and respond to the Gospel through repentance, we achieve right standing before God because Jesus gives us His righteousness. 2 Corinthians 5:21, “For God made Christ, who never sinned, to be the offering for our sin, so that we could be made right with God through Christ”. That is truly amazing, that a sinner estranged from a relationship with God can become like Jesus in His eyes, and in the process, join His family as an adopted son or daughter. Ephesians 1:5, “God decided in advance to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ. This is what he wanted to do, and it gave him great pleasure”. 

As human beings, sin is always lurking at the door of our souls, and we strive to keep short accounts with God through repentance when we get things wrong. We may have to repent daily or even more frequently, as the Holy Spirit reveals to us things we do or say that are wrong and ungodly. However, Paul wrote, “So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus. And because you belong to him, the power of the life-giving Spirit has freed you from the power of sin that leads to death” (Romans 8:1-2). 

There are many more blessings, of course, for a believer in Jesus. Paul continually experienced the blessings of the Good News and shared them with those he met at every opportunity. But we pilgrims do as well. We will always encounter people in our daily lives and find opportunities to share the gospel of Jesus with them. Our hearts, empowered by the Holy Spirit, cannot keep all the blessings to ourselves, and like Paul, we share them with the needy and lost in our society. Our wonderful God works through us with words of comfort, grace and love. Only Jesus has the words of eternal life, something that is too important to squirrel away just for our own benefit.

Dear Father God. Please lead us by Your Spirit to those whom You have pre-ordained to hear the Gospel. We thank You for Your grace and love, and pray that You keep us close to You in this sinful world. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Food and Idols

Posted on by Adrian Clark

“Now regarding your question about food that has been offered to idols. Yes, we know that “we all have knowledge” about this issue. But while knowledge makes us feel important, it is love that strengthens the church. Anyone who claims to know all the answers doesn’t really know very much. But the person who loves God is the one whom God recognizes.”
1 Corinthians 8:1-3 NLT

The Corinthians must have written to Paul a letter containing a series of questions, which seemed to apply to the interface between secular Corinthian society and living the Christian life. An understandable situation for those early Christians, believers living without the benefit of the New Testament and having to rely on men like Paul and Apollos for guidance. We don’t know the structure of the Corinthian church. For example, was there a leadership team and a senior pastor, able to provide the answers the believers were looking for? The origins of the church can be read in Acts 18, and they refer to Paul travelling to Corinth from Athens, and meeting up with a Jew and his wife, Aquila and Priscilla, who had been evicted from Rome by Claudius Caesar. They were tent makers like Paul, so the synergy between them was a good start for their future relationship and the embryonic church that started up in the home of a Gentile called Titius Justus. Those were stormy times, with much opposition from the Jews who worshipped in the synagogue next door. Presumably, Paul spent much time with Aquila and Priscilla, because they encountered a preacher called Apollos, and about him we read, “He had been taught the way of the Lord, and he taught others about Jesus with an enthusiastic spirit and with accuracy. However, he knew only about John’s baptism. When Priscilla and Aquila heard him preaching boldly in the synagogue, they took him aside and explained the way of God even more accurately” (Acts 18:25-26). We don’t know anything about the letter that the Corinthians wrote to Paul, but we know that he was in Ephesus when he wrote his first Corinthian letter, containing the answers to the believers’ questions. 

The previous chapter in 1 Corinthians provided answers to their questions about sexuality and marriage, and now Paul moved on to address their concerns about food that had been offered to idols. In ancient Corinth, offering food to idols was part of pagan worship practices and included consuming meat that had been sacrificed to idols at temples. These meals were not just religious acts but also important social and business gatherings, with temples serving as places for feasts and community events. So it seems that in some way, this food became available to the Corinthian church, and the issue was whether or not they should eat it. Paul addresses this issue in more detail later in 1 Corinthians 8, but he first addresses a situation where some believers think they know all the answers. He addressed their arrogance by pointing out that it was not knowledge that builds up the church but love, love for one another. There is a saying, “A little knowledge is a dangerous thing”, implying that it is risky to base important decisions on a limited amount of knowledge and understanding about a particular subject. I once attended a meeting where a new project was being initiated, and there was one man there who seemed to be very knowledgeable about the technicalities of what was required. I asked him afterwards where he found all the information and knowledge about the project, to which he replied, “In a land of blind men, a one-eyed man is king”, meaning that he only had a little knowledge, but that was more than anyone else present in the meeting. 

So it appears that the believers in Corinth had in their midst people who said they knew all the answers and, consequently, were vociferous in spreading their views. However, the wise among them wrote to Paul, asking for his advice and direction. It is common for believers, particularly those who are young in the faith, to have questions. In the societies in which we live, many customs and issues could directly affect our faith, and about which the Bible is silent. Take, for example, our love of food. Is it right to eat so many carbohydrate-based foods, or drink so many sugary drinks? In Biblical times, it was often the case that any food was a bonus, but here in the West, we have more food than we need. Or many a new Christian is faced with the question about smoking or the consumption of alcohol. Should they smoke and drink as they did before they became Christians? There are other examples, such as the jobs we do or the hobbies we have. And so we try to find the answers from the Bible, and read verses such as 1 Corinthians 6:19-20, “Don’t you realize that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and was given to you by God? You do not belong to yourself, for God bought you with a high price. So you must honour God with your body”. But then our “old man” kicks in and the ancient whisper of the serpent from Genesis 3 sounds in our ears, “surely God didn’t say …”, and we end up in confusion and despair. Asking those around us for a definitive answer isn’t always helpful.

There is only one way to discern God’s will when we have difficult questions, and that is by referring back to our Maker through prayer and Bible study. In the process, we allow the Holy Spirit to gently reveal to us what His answer is and He then helps us to deal with the situation and bring about an answer in the way we live our lives. In obedience we embrace God’s help with addictions and all, trusting in His provision and grace. And if someone else comes to us with a question, we point to God and His Word, and pray with them, in gentleness and love, helping them on their journey. There is no other way. We are all pilgrims on a journey of sanctification, that will one day end up in perfection in God’s presence.

Dear Father God. Only You have the words that lead to eternal life. Only You have the answers to the issues we face in this sad world. And so we reach out to You this morning, asking for more of Your grace and love so that we too can help those around us with the issues of life. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Uncertainty

Posted on by Adrian Clark

“A wife is bound to her husband as long as he lives. If her husband dies, she is free to marry anyone she wishes, but only if he loves the Lord. But in my opinion it would be better for her to stay single, and I think I am giving you counsel from God’s Spirit when I say this.”
1 Corinthians 7:39-40 NLT

So, Paul wrote that “A wife is bound to her husband as long as he lives”. In today’s society, which is conscious of and sensitive to the rights of women, this is not a politically correct instruction. To single out a woman’s responsibility to her husband but not the other way round is enough to make any feminist’s blood boil. But in the misogynistic and patriarchal societies two thousand years ago, instructions such as these were not uncommon. A woman was considered the lesser of the two people in the marriage partnership. In first-century Greece, formal education for women varied significantly according to where a person lived. Corinthian girls would have received little to no formal instruction, instead learning domestic skills like weaving and household management from their mothers to prepare for marriage and motherhood. Male education varied by place as well, but generally involved foundational literacy and numeracy for the wealthy, with higher learning for affluent boys through Sophists and philosophers, emphasising rhetoric and philosophy. Physical training was also standard, often in a gymnasium, to instil discipline and prepare for military service. Today, in Western societies, education is available to all, regardless of sex, providing equal opportunities. This ensures that marriage is equally supported by both men and women, even to the extent of traditional role reversals, with the husband taking on childcare and managing the household.

Paul, however, suggested that, should the husband die first, then the wife, presumably a believer, was free to remarry, as long as the new husband was another believer. But, and here’s the thing, Paul suggested that it would be better for the widow to stay unmarried and remain single. This would not always be the best option for the poor woman, because these were days before Social Security payments were available. The church would have helped out in a way such as was recorded in Acts 6:1, “But as the believers rapidly multiplied, there were rumblings of discontent. The Greek-speaking believers complained about the Hebrew-speaking believers, saying that their widows were being discriminated against in the daily distribution of food”. But nevertheless, Paul promoted singleness for the widow, writing, “I think I am giving you counsel from God’s Spirit when I say this”. “I think …” indicates a degree of uncertainty on Paul’s part, as he showed an honesty about what he thought he was hearing from the Holy Spirit.

If we pilgrims are honest with ourselves today, “I think …” is more common than we might be prepared to admit. Faced with an important decision, it is difficult most of the time to separate our human thoughts from God’s thoughts. Although the Bible is full of God’s counsel, on many matters it is difficult to get a definitive answer from it. Yes, we will receive general advice in line with God’s principles, but often we come up against situations about which Scripture is silent. This introduces a difficulty when it comes to matters of direction. “Should I accept this job …”, or “should I date this girl …”. Perhaps, “Should I become a missionary”, or “Should I go to Bible College”, might be options laid before us. For older people, thoughts of moving to a smaller house or a new part of the country to be nearer family might present themselves as potential “I think’s“. So what should a pilgrim do?

If we find ourselves presented with a life-changing option, such as the widow in Paul’s verses today, we must first pray about the situation, believing that through our faith, the Holy Spirit will lead and guide us. In parallel, we might bounce our thoughts off a trusted friend or pastor, obtaining more guidance and a different perspective. But if we’re still not sure, then for the “risk-averse” amongst us, perhaps the best solution is to put the matter before God, leaving it “on the back burner” until we get the confirmation or direction that we need. This is not always best, though, because sometimes God wants us to step out in faith, much as Jackie Pullinger did when she boarded a steamer asking God to reveal to her the port where He wanted her to start her missionary calling. We must also be aware that often, the decision before us may be acceptable to God, whichever way we go and whatever we do. In the end, He wants us to grow in His grace and love, flourishing in the place and bearing fruit where He has placed us.

“I think …” may be a God-thought that we need to act upon. Consider ourselves a sailing ship, tied up in port, while we wait for the right wind, one that is right in terms of direction and speed. But it never comes, and we remain in the port, increasingly unhappy and frustrated, never going anywhere. Sometimes God wants us to launch out and leave the port anyway, because once we are on the move, God can work in the situation to bring the right circumstances. These may not be what we were expecting while in the port, but once on the move, God can show us the course He wants us to take. Psalm 119:105, “Your word is a lamp to guide my feet and a light for my path“. Psalm 37:5, “Commit everything you do to the Lord. Trust him, and he will help you”. Proverbs 16:3, “Commit your actions to the Lord, and your plans will succeed“. God doesn’t mind sometimes if we make mistakes. Paul wrote in Romans 8:28, “And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them”. Once we are on the move, God will redeem the situation we find ourselves in, and as we look to Him in faith, He will guide us. We don’t know what the future holds for us in our natural lives, but we do know who holds the future, both now and forever.

Dear Father God. We know that You love us and want the very best for each one of Your children. Please lead us and guide us, we pray, as we walk along Your paths in this life, in preparation for the next. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Sexual Lusts – A Remedy

Posted on by Adrian Clark

“So I say to those who aren’t married and to widows—it’s better to stay unmarried, just as I am. But if they can’t control themselves, they should go ahead and marry. It’s better to marry than to burn with lust. But for those who are married, I have a command that comes not from me, but from the Lord. A wife must not leave her husband. But if she does leave him, let her remain single or else be reconciled to him. And the husband must not leave his wife.”
1 Corinthians 7:8-11 NLT

In today’s verses, Paul continues to set out various instructions about marriage. They provide good, practical help for those believers confused about trying to live their lives in the sexually debauched society in Corinth. Marriage, Paul told them, was ordained by God and should be treated as such, regardless of what was promoted otherwise by the unbelievers around them. Society in those days was a reflection of what went on in Sodom and Gomorrah before sulphur rained down from the heavens and destroyed them, a society that adhered to ideologies promoting all kinds of sexual immorality. They must have known that what they were doing was wrong, because every human being is made in God’s image, but such feelings within them were suppressed, and their consciences seared to extinction. Fast forward to the 21st Century, and nothing has changed. The same human lusts and behaviour, but now new ideologies have emerged to replace those previously present two thousand years before, such as the notion that men can become women and vice versa, with the authorities somehow hoodwinked into endorsing such behaviour. We pilgrims, quietly getting on with our lives in accordance with God’s ways, look on in dismay, trusting that God’s grace will continue for the sake of our children and grandchildren. 

But here Paul is saying that marriage is the only outlet for those with insatiable sexual desires. We know from our news reports that there are those in society, mainly men, who occasionally lose their self-control and prey upon women and girls to find an outlet for their sexual lusts. The sexual urge is incredibly strong, but placed there for a purpose that finds its origins right back in Genesis. We read in Genesis 1:27-28, “So God created human beings in his own image. In the image of God he created them; male and female he created them. Then God blessed them and said, “Be fruitful and multiply. Fill the earth and govern it. Reign over the fish in the sea, the birds in the sky, and all the animals that scurry along the ground””. Sometimes it is hard to consider the idea of bringing up children in a society that so often seems so hostile to the concept of procreation. I am writing this at a time when children are returning to school after the summer holidays, and there are news reports of the struggle some parents are experiencing in finding the money for school uniforms. But this is just one factor. I met a retired lady the other day who was mourning the fact that her two married children were not going to have children themselves because they feared for the future of the world and didn’t want their offspring to have to face the global and societal issues they were so fearful might happen. So the poor lady was deprived of the opportunity of having grandchildren, something that is such a pleasure. It is not an easy or painless process to bring up children, but this is what God has commanded.

There will, of course, be those in society who lack the sexual urges that Paul was aware of. He himself was obviously able to control them and devoted himself to a life of celibacy so that he could direct his energies into serving the Lord. And he advised the same for those believers who, like him, were on top of managing their own bodies. We know from well-publicised scandals in certain Christian denominations that some ministers do not find themselves in a comfortable place, being celibate. They find, sometimes much later in life, that their terrible actions against members of their congregations become exposed for all to see, and they then suffer the disgrace of public trials and vilification by the society around them. We should note, of course, that the Bible never promotes celibacy as an essential way of life for a minister. Paul may have advised that such a lifestyle choice is an option for some, but it is unnecessary for life in the Kingdom. 

In the end, Paul said there was a choice that men and women can make about their sexual urges. If they can’t be controlled, then the only outlet is marriage. There is no middle ground, involving all sorts of proxy counterfeits, such as prostitution or pornography. There are no grey areas, where a couple live together, abandoning the relationship when the attraction of sex becomes swamped by the other pressures and demands of living with another person. And certainly all the rainbow ideologies of today are totally off-limits, more the result of a devil-inspired society than anything else.

We pilgrims are called to live a life of purity and holiness, and we must always remember that within us dwells the Holy Spirit. We remember the last two verses of the previous chapter in 1 Corinthians 6. Paul wrote, “Don’t you realise that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and was given to you by God? You do not belong to yourself, for God bought you with a high price. So you must honour God with your body”. In Romans 12:1-2, Paul also wrote, “And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him. Don’t copy the behaviour and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect”. We may have all sorts of urges within us, but when we look at all that Jesus has done for us, we have no other option than to live a life His way. Paul put his finger right on the issue we face when he wrote, “give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you”. That is what our pilgrim lives are all about. We live a life that is acceptable to God, and we reject the ways of the world. One day, we will find that our dedication and faith will bring us to our Heavenly home, away from everything that the devil has conjured up to destroy God’s people. We stand firm in the face of societal pressures and live our lives God’s way.

Dear Heavenly Father. Please lead us and guide us through this minefield of sexual ideologies that have even penetrated Your holy churches. Please forgive us for our sins, we pray, and please strengthen us for our journey. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Marriage

Posted on by Adrian Clark

“Now regarding the questions you asked in your letter. Yes, it is good to abstain from sexual relations. But because there is so much sexual immorality, each man should have his own wife, and each woman should have her own husband. The husband should fulfil his wife’s sexual needs, and the wife should fulfil her husband’s needs. The wife gives authority over her body to her husband, and the husband gives authority over his body to his wife.”
1 Corinthians 7:1-4 NLT

At the start of chapter 7 in Paul’s epistle, we find that the Corinthian believers had already sent a letter to him containing certain questions. We don’t know what this letter said, it having been lost in the mists of time, but one of the questions must have been concerned with marriage and sexual matters. The way Paul starts this chapter indicates that the letter from the Corinthians might have included a question asking if celibacy was the best way. We know that in this period of Greece’s history, sexual immorality was rampant, with all sorts of deviant behaviour, so for a spiritual believer in that society, total abstinence might have been promoted as being the best response to the many invitations and expectations coming from a society deeply involved in all sorts of sexual acts. But imagine what the impact of being born again, saved to become a believer in Christ, would have had on a new Christian who suddenly realised how the immoral society around him or her looked to God. They must have immediately asked themselves how they could avoid being caught up in such debauchery, particularly as there may have still been some in their fellowship who remained addicted and compliant, attending the orgies and the like. But perhaps some of those new believers had read Psalm 119:9, where the Psalmist asked the question, “How can a young person stay pure? … “, and the same question must have hovered in the hearts and minds of the Corinthian believers. The answer, of course, is in the second half of this verse – “By obeying Your Word” – and I’m sure this is what the believers attempted to do. But was celibacy the right response? Paul continued to set out God’s order for something we call marriage. 

In 1 Corinthians 7:1, Paul wrote, “Each man should have his own wife, and each woman should have her own husband”, a simple yet profound definition of marriage. In the Bible, marriage is highlighted as a sacred, lifelong partnership between a man and a woman, which originated in God’s creation and is intended to represent unity and mutual support between the married couple. Marriage is depicted as a partnership where individuals support and strengthen each other, with a strong emphasis on faithfulness, forgiveness, and commitment to one another and to God. It all started in Genesis 2:24, where we read, “This explains why a man leaves his father and mother and is joined to his wife, and the two are united into one“. In the concluding chapter of Hebrews, we read, “Give honour to marriage, and remain faithful to one another in marriage. God will surely judge people who are immoral and those who commit adultery” (Hebrews 13:4). In 1 Corinthians 7, Paul clearly set out that sexual relationships must be between a husband and wife, a man and woman in a marriage-based relationship, where the sexual needs of each person are met in a relationship and atmosphere of mutual love, respect and commitment. 

In today’s society, marriage has, to a certain extent, unfortunately lost its meaning, with the norm being a man and a woman just “living together” without any sort of formal commitment. The general feeling is that if things don’t work out, then either person can just walk away from the relationship. If there are children resulting from the liaison, then the feeling is that one of the couple, usually the mother, will just have to do the best they can, bringing up children without the other partner present. But even marriages today are not honoured in the way that God intended, with divorces recorded from about 38% of marriages here in the UK. 

In Mark 10, we read what Jesus said about divorce and marriage. Jesus had been asked by the Pharisees if a man could divorce his wife, in accordance with the Law of Moses, set out in Deuteronomy 24:1-4. Why did they ask this question? We don’t really know, but perhaps they were trying to trip Jesus up, having found an apparent (to them) contradiction in Scripture. Mark 10:5-9, “But Jesus responded, “He wrote this commandment only as a concession to your hard hearts. But ‘God made them male and female’ from the beginning of creation. ‘This explains why a man leaves his father and mother and is joined to his wife, and the two are united into one.’ Since they are no longer two but one, let no one split apart what God has joined together””. The important point to note from what Jesus said is that no one, meaning either the husband or the wife, or anyone else, should attempt to break up the marriage. 

Marriage and divorce can be very contentious subjects, but for now, the Corinthians were more concerned about the situation with the sexual immorality rife in their society, and what they should do about it. Paul’s answer was clear, and as applicable then as it is today – sexual relationships are good, but only in accordance with God’s order for marriage, between a husband and a wife, in a mutually submissive and loving lifelong relationship. 

Dear Father God. We pray that You would protect our marriages, and for all those who are yet to be married, we pray that You will lead and guide them in Your ways. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Our Bodies

Posted on by Adrian Clark

“You say, “I am allowed to do anything”—but not everything is good for you. And even though “I am allowed to do anything,” I must not become a slave to anything. You say, “Food was made for the stomach, and the stomach for food.” (This is true, though someday God will do away with both of them.) But you can’t say that our bodies were made for sexual immorality. They were made for the Lord, and the Lord cares about our bodies. And God will raise us from the dead by his power, just as he raised our Lord from the dead.”
1 Corinthians 6:12-14 NLT

The Corinthians seemed to have a warped logic. They thought that because of God’s grace, it didn’t really matter what they did, so, consequently, getting involved in any form of sexual immorality would be permissible. Really? But before we say that such a logic wouldn’t happen today, consider how sometimes our human minds take one thought and twist it to apply to something else. We all do it, I’m sure. We make excuses such as “Just one more glimpse at that magazine won’t matter because it’s only for research”. Or, “I’ll watch this film, but if there is any bad language I’ll switch it off”, but never do. Or even, “I’ll just borrow a pen from the office and return it tomorrow”, but somehow the promise is forgotten. The human mind can get involved in convoluted thought processes that somehow do enough to appease a conscience that otherwise is shouting out, “Don’t do it!”.

How do we pilgrims view our bodies? Extraordinary attempts are made by many people here in the West to maximise physical fitness, with a plethora of gyms and leisure centres available and full of all sorts of equipment designed to hone muscles and improve fitness. A professional athlete often dedicates several hours a day, most days a week, to intense, regimented training to gain the stamina, strength, and speed required to succeed. Near where I live, there is a weekly Park Run where the runners do three circuits of the park, puffing and panting in their lycra-clad attire, some giving concern for the health of their hearts. Joggers abound in most towns and cities, pounding the streets to improve their fitness levels. Other people go through processes to lose weight, attending “fat clubs” such as Slimming World and similar. There is a huge market for weight loss jabs and foods designed to reduce calorie and carb intake. People constantly battle between their bodies’ appetites for all the wrong foods and the need to shed the weight they consequently accumulate, for their own longer-term health. And then we have the people who don’t care about their bodies at all, abusing them with smoking, drinking alcohol and taking drugs. Sometimes it is amazing how much punishment a human body can take before it gives way to illness, and death at an early age. In a town in Scotland’s Central Belt there is a particular drug problem, and to go with it, the tragedy of young men and women who find that their lives are cut short through an overdose. One mother I know lost three sons to drug-related deaths. Such a tragedy.

But back to the Corinthians. In this part of his letter, Paul wrote, ” … But you can’t say that our bodies were made for sexual immorality. They were made for the Lord, and the Lord cares about our bodies” (1 Corinthians 6:13b). Regarding “sexual immorality“, Paul earlier in the chapter singled out “adultery“, “male prostitution” and “homosexuality” as being “sexual sin”, but Paul contrasts using their bodies for such practices was at odds with the fact that they were “made for the Lord”. Of course, we know that one day everyone’s body will die and end up in a situation that degrades it to the point that it becomes nothing more than dust, given enough time. But from how our body was will come our new bodies because God will raise us “from the dead by His power, just as He raised our Lord from the dead”. Jesus’ new body was recognisable with the crucifixion scars still present, but it was a body with astounding capabilities, being able to walk through walls and locked doors, and travel distances very quickly. And our Heavenly bodies will be like that as well. 

Paul went on to write about a specific problem that was prevalent in Corinth, and that was the use of prostitutes. He wrote, “Don’t you realise that your bodies are actually parts of Christ? Should a man take his body, which is part of Christ, and join it to a prostitute? Never! And don’t you realise that if a man joins himself to a prostitute, he becomes one body with her? For the Scriptures say, “The two are united into one”” (1 Corinthians 6:15-16). The Corinthians may have been a bit puzzled by Paul’s scathing tone because how could their bodies be joined to Christ? The answer lies in the truth that one day the Church that Jesus established here on earth will become His Bride. When people, men, women, and children, accepted Jesus as their Lord and Saviour, believing in Him and taking on His righteousness, they became God’s children and part of a great assembly of souls that one day will be the Bride of Christ. Revelation 19:7, “Let us be glad and rejoice, and let us give honour to him. For the time has come for the wedding feast of the Lamb, and his bride has prepared herself”. Think about it for a moment. Why were we chosen by God in the first place? Ephesians 1:4, “Even before he made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes”. Being joined to a prostitute, Paul was saying to the Corinthians, was hardly an act of holiness. How could anyone guilty of sexual immorality of any kind ever be a part of the holy assembly that one day will be living in God’s presence? The same questions hang in the air today, as churches and denominations grapple with sexual sins on a similar scale to what was experienced in Corinth two thousand years or so ago. God has provided a design for correct and holy sexual relationships between a man and woman, involving marriage and sexual faithfulness. Anything else is abhorrent to Him, and as Paul wrote, “Run from sexual sin! No other sin so clearly affects the body as this one does. For sexual immorality is a sin against your own body. Don’t you realise that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and was given to you by God? You do not belong to yourself, for God bought you with a high price. So you must honour God with your body” (1 Corinthians 6:18-20).

We pilgrims also have bodies that are the Temple of the Holy Spirit. He lives within us, gifted by God when we accepted Jesus as our Lord and Saviour. So, the question is, how are we treating our bodies? Is it in a way that honours Him? Hmmm…

Dear Father God. We confess that we need to seek Your will and purpose for our bodies daily to ensure that we are honouring You in all that we do. Please help us, we pray. For Jesus’ sake. Amen.

Cleansed, Holy and Righteous

Posted on by Adrian Clark

“Don’t you realise that those who do wrong will not inherit the Kingdom of God? Don’t fool yourselves. Those who indulge in sexual sin, or who worship idols, or commit adultery, or are male prostitutes, or practice homosexuality, or are thieves, or greedy people, or drunkards, or are abusive, or cheat people—none of these will inherit the Kingdom of God. Some of you were once like that. But you were cleansed; you were made holy; you were made right with God by calling on the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.”
1 Corinthians 6:9-11 NLT

Paul provided a list of sins that, although they were probably very relevant to the Corinthian society at that time, are still also very relevant to today’s society. The sexual sins Paul listed are rampant today, hidden away from public view mostly, but the outworkings are seen in displays such as the Pride parades and the occasional references to sexual harassment in the news. But we also have other sins still with us today, such as thieving. Theft from shops has reached epidemic proportions, and burglaries are mostly unsolved. Our police forces are overstretched and have to consider thieving as a minor crime, down the list of priorities. Abusive people were very obvious in Paul’s day, but in these Internet days, the abusers mostly sit behind a keyboard, tapping their vitriol into social media pages and destroying people and their reputations in the process. But the list of sins is endless, and Paul’s list is by no means exhaustive. So, perhaps an all-round list of sins would be better summarised by defining it as rebellion against God and His laws. 1 John 3:4, “Everyone who sins is breaking God’s law, for all sin is contrary to the law of God.” Of course, we might try and claim that believers don’t live under the Law anymore, instead living under God’s grace, but Paul dealt with that in Romans 7:6, “But now we have been released from the law, for we died to it and are no longer captive to its power. Now we can serve God, not in the old way of obeying the letter of the law, but in the new way of living in the Spirit”. The reality, though, is that human beings, believers or not, struggle with sin. Paul put this dilemma very well in Romans 7:14-15, “So the trouble is not with the law, for it is spiritual and good. The trouble is with me, for I am all too human, a slave to sin. I don’t really understand myself, for I want to do what is right, but I don’t do it. Instead, I do what I hate“. He goes on, “I have discovered this principle of life—that when I want to do what is right, I inevitably do what is wrong. I love God’s law with all my heart. But there is another power within me that is at war with my mind. This power makes me a slave to the sin that is still within me” (Romans 7:21-23). And he then provides the answer, “Oh, what a miserable person I am! Who will free me from this life that is dominated by sin and death? Thank God! The answer is in Jesus Christ our Lord. So you see how it is: In my mind I really want to obey God’s law, but because of my sinful nature I am a slave to sin. So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus. And because you belong to him, the power of the life-giving Spirit has freed you from the power of sin that leads to death” (Romans 7:24-8:2). 

But back in 1 Corinthians 6:11,  Paul wrote, “But you were cleansed; you were made holy; you were made right with God by calling on the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God”. The people in the Corinthian church were guilty of a long list of sins before they were saved through an encounter with Jesus, sins so bad that they would have been excused from thinking that they were beyond redemption. Imagine their wonder at being told that Jesus had forgiven them of a terrible sin of which they had been found guilty. Regardless of all the sins that they had committed, they were now children of God, cleansed, made holy, and righteous. These sinful people were deeply and fundamentally opposed to the nature of God, but through repentance and the Holy Spirit, they became children of God. In this verse, Paul immediately changed his tone to one of encouragement and love, because for the believers at Corinth, as for all Christians, something dramatic changed when they came to God through faith in Christ. He declared us righteous and welcomed us into His family as His children. He made us heirs to His glory.

The believers in Corinth were cleansed from their sins. Titus 3:4-5, “But— When God our Saviour revealed his kindness and love, he saved us, not because of the righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He washed away our sins, giving us a new birth and new life through the Holy Spirit”. That process in itself has to be the best news any human being will ever hear. It is a timeless statement that has been hanging over successive generations for the last two thousand years or so. This news is so good that we pilgrims can only shake our heads in wonder and awe that the Creator of this universe would give us a new life so rich and sinless that we can be in God’s presence forever. Jesus Himself, as we know, introduced this concept of a new spiritual birth, but it wasn’t just words. It was His gift to a fallen world, and the children God has always desired.

Paul also reminded the Corinthians believers that they had been “made holy”. There is a religious word we use today to describe what being made holy is all about, and that is “sanctification”. It means that we have been set apart from the rest of sinful humanity for God’s purposes, and we are now God’s people. Earlier in this letter, we read, “I am writing to God’s church in Corinth, to you who have been called by God to be his own holy people. He made you holy by means of Christ Jesus, just as he did for all people everywhere who call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, their Lord and ours” (1 Corinthians 1:2). Paul knew very well how sinful the Corinthians had been, but he started his letter to them with the reassurance that they were now being sanctified. Hebrews 10:14, “For by that one offering he forever made perfect those who are being made holy”. We, of course, note that this is an ongoing process. Sanctification doesn’t happen overnight, but God is patient and works out His purposes within us day by day. 

Paul finishes 1 Corinthians 6:11 by stating that the believers in Corinth “were made right with God by calling on the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God”. The wonderful truth is that when we were saved, when we came to the Cross where Jesus took on the punishment for all our sins, He gave us His righteousness, and we became justified before God through our faith in Jesus. 

So, in the light of all this, how should the Corinthians have behaved? Come to that, how should we behave? The answer to that always leads me to Ephesians 4:22-24, “You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness“. We can only do that through God’s grace and with the help of the Holy Spirit, but as we journey through life, we will find ourselves becoming more and more like the person we should be. What a wonderful God and Saviour!

Dear Heavenly Father. Thank You for Your many blessings, and Your patience with us. Your grace and loving kindness knows no bounds. Amen.

Inheriting the Kingdom

Posted on by Adrian Clark

“Even to have such lawsuits with one another is a defeat for you. Why not just accept the injustice and leave it at that? Why not let yourselves be cheated? Instead, you yourselves are the ones who do wrong and cheat even your fellow believers. Don’t you realise that those who do wrong will not inherit the Kingdom of God? Don’t fool yourselves. Those who indulge in sexual sin, or who worship idols, or commit adultery, or are male prostitutes, or practice homosexuality, or are thieves, or greedy people, or drunkards, or are abusive, or cheat people—none of these will inherit the Kingdom of God.”
1 Corinthians 6:7-10 NLT

The Kingdom of God is mentioned much in the New Testament, particularly from the lips of Jesus. The kingdom of God is the spiritual rule over the hearts and lives of those who willingly submit to God’s authority. Those who defy God’s authority and refuse to submit to Him are not part of the kingdom of God; in contrast, those who acknowledge the lordship of Christ and gladly surrender to God’s rule in their hearts are part of the kingdom of God. In this sense, the kingdom of God is spiritual, and we remember that Jesus said His kingdom was not of this world, as we read what He said at His trial before Pilate, “Jesus answered, “My Kingdom is not an earthly kingdom. If it were, my followers would fight to keep me from being handed over to the Jewish leaders. But my Kingdom is not of this world”” (John 18:36). Importantly, Jesus preached that repentance is necessary to be a part of the kingdom of God, “From then on Jesus began to preach, “Repent of your sins and turn to God, for the Kingdom of Heaven is near”” (Matthew 4:17).‭‭ In 1 Corinthians 6:9-10, Paul supplied the Corinthians with a list of sins that would exclude them from the Kingdom of God, and at the end he wrote that people who cheat others would be amongst the company of those outside the Kingdom. This was, of course, particularly relevant to those in the Corinthian church who had been initiating lawsuits against fellow believers. Paul wrote that it was better for them to let themselves be cheated than head for the courts. We note from the list of sins that these fall into three categories: sins against a person’s body, sins committed against others, and sins against God. But they all have one thing in common, in that they will exclude anyone who commits these sins from inheriting the Kingdom of God.

Right at the start of His conversation with Nicodemus, Jesus said, “ … I tell you the truth, unless you are born again, you cannot see the Kingdom of God” (John 3:3). In the next few verses, Jesus explained the process of spiritual rebirth, but did Nicodemus “get” it? He probably did, because we read about his involvement in the burial of Jesus in John 19:38-39, in the company of a man called Joseph. “Afterward Joseph of Arimathea, who had been a secret disciple of Jesus (because he feared the Jewish leaders), asked Pilate for permission to take down Jesus’ body. When Pilate gave permission, Joseph came and took the body away. With him came Nicodemus, the man who had come to Jesus at night. He brought about seventy-five pounds of perfumed ointment made from myrrh and aloes“. Joseph was the wealthy man who loaned Jesus his tomb for the weekend.

But back to the list of sins mentioned by Paul, sins that he said would exclude people from God’s Kingdom. Quite simply, there will be no sinners present anywhere associated with God because wicked people will be barred. It makes sense, really, because God, His kingdom, and everything to do with Him is sinless, pure, and holy. Absolute truth and righteousness will be found there. The Kingdom of God is, and will be eternally, a place where no sinners will be found and won’t be allowed to enter there either. A quote from “gotquestions.org”, “The Christian life is different from that of a non-Christian. Christians struggle against sin but have the God-given ability to overcome it. Unbelievers, who do not have the Spirit of God, remain slaves to their sin. Even if a Christian falls and lapses into sin, he will always eventually return to the Lord, and the struggle against sin will continue. But the Bible does not support the idea that a person who perpetually and unrepentantly engages in sin can indeed be a Christian”. There is little point in analysing each and every category of sin that Paul described, but we should note that there is an almighty battle going on in our times between those who are involved in sexual sins and those who believe what the Bible says about it. In fact, it is now going further, with the “gender wars” where, somehow, the devil has convinced men that they can become women and vice versa. And who would have thought that such a wicked ideology could even have been approved through legislation introduced by our lawmakers? Although not mentioned specifically in the list of sins, implementing such an ideology in a human being’s body is just as much a sin as any other. The sad thing in our days is that it is the secular feminists who are fighting the battle while the church is strangely silent. What a tragedy!

What do we pilgrims think about our inheritance, the Kingdom of God? In a sense, we have inherited it already.  We pilgrims, through the process of being born again, are now God’s children, and there will be an inheritance awaiting us. We are heirs to His Kingdom, and one day we will be in His presence forever. We may be getting weary about all the battles we are facing, but as Isaiah wrote, ” … strengthen those who have tired hands, and encourage those who have weak knees. Say to those with fearful hearts, “Be strong, and do not fear, for your God is coming to destroy your enemies. He is coming to save you”” (Isaiah 35:3-4). And so we pilgrims encourage our fellow believers, because the Lord will indeed soon come to save us. His Kingdom, the Kingdom of God, is closer than we think, and we are part of it in this life.

Inheriting the Kingdom of God is a given fact for believers, past, present and future, but do we pilgrims feel we have inherited it, or are we unsure? Well, Jesus made it quite clear in John 3:3, 5, “Jesus replied, ‘Very truly I tell you, no-one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again.’ … Jesus answered, ‘Very truly I tell you, no-one can enter the kingdom of God unless they are born of water and the Spirit”. Paul wrote in Ephesians 1:13b-14, ” … When you believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession – to the praise of his glory”. So all believers who believe in Jesus, have repented, and continue to repent, of their sins, become born-again children of God, with an inheritance guaranteed by the Holy Spirit.

Father God, you are truly our Father, and we are deeply thankful for an inheritance assured by You. We worship You today. Amen.