Chapter 1: What does Paul remind the Corinthians about his role as an apostle?
Hey Bible Readers, I'm Tara Lee Cobble and I'm your host for The Bible Recap. Paul opens today in his letter to the church at Corinth with a reminder of his role in their lives. Apparently, some people discredit him or refuse to view him as an apostle. Some are saying he's not an apostle because he doesn't receive money from them. But he says,
He goes on to list the other things apostles have the right to do, including have their physical needs taken care of, get married, and make their sole living and income through ministry. He argues that he has every right to receive support from them, but that he has chosen to deny that right so that they can't second-guess his motives. but it seems to backfire on him.
They're second-guessing him because he's denying their money. How ridiculous is it that he has to defend his right to not get paid? But essentially, he says, you didn't hire me, so you can't fire me. I'm going to preach the gospel regardless. When we get to 2 Corinthians, we'll find out more of what's happening behind the scenes here.
But in the meantime, he's restricting his own rights in order to preach the gospel to more people without putting any kind of stumbling block in their way. He becomes all things to all people, denying himself freedoms in order to meet them where they are. This idea of becoming all things to all people has been wildly taken out of context. It isn't a path to abuse God's grace.
Paul is restricting his freedoms, not taking ungodly liberties with them. He's intentional about all these things, living a life of discipline and purpose, because while all those things are temporary, the rewards of sharing the gospel are eternal. In chapter 10, Paul talks about the church's struggle with idolatry, something the Jews have been familiar with throughout their history.
He says their ancestors witnessed God and his character in a variety of ways through the years. They experienced his presence in the pillar of the cloud that guided them through the wilderness and into the promised land. They experienced his protection when he parted the seas for them to cross, helping them escape the oppression of their enemies.
And they experienced his provision in the way he gave them food and water, even water from a rock. And Paul compares that water-giving desert rock to Christ himself. Despite God's presence, protection, and provision, the hearts of their ancestors still wandered off into idolatry. Some of that idolatry led them into sexual sin.
Paul references a scenario that happened in Numbers 25, where God brought divine judgment on the people who rebelled against him in that way. Paul urges them to turn away from sexual sin, but also from things like grumbling and testing God.
It seems crazy to see grumbling in a list alongside sexual sin, but Paul's words point out that all those things are an affront to God's sovereignty and goodness. All of those things are our way of saying that we know better than God and have a better plan than Him. Whether our sins are subtle or drastic, they represent idolatry of self.
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Chapter 2: Why does Paul choose to deny his rights as an apostle?
Paul says, Hey, if no one mentions that's where it came from, eat up. But if they tell you and you still eat it, they're going to think you're on board with it. So you should refuse to eat it because it gets in the way of your opportunity to share the gospel. In the temple scenario, the problem is idolatry. And in the house scenario, the problem is the other person's mindset.
The problem is never the food itself. It's how the food is used and viewed. These are some very specific scenarios the Corinthian church is dealing with, but they potentially have broader application. In general, as far as Paul is concerned, anyone can eat whatever they want as long as their thanks is directed toward God.
In chapter 11, Paul changes gears a bit and starts talking about different practices within the church. And he hits on some things that are touchy topics when we read these passages today. They weren't as touchy back then, most likely, because of how the culture operated.
Today, there are many ways these passages are unpacked and explained, but I'll address the primary view of Orthodox Christianity through the years. Paul starts out by painting a picture of marriage, which he connects not only to our relationship with God, but to our relationship with the church as well.
Before we jump into this, it's helpful for us to remember that all this is being written by a man who continually lays down his freedoms and doesn't argue for his own rights, so that he can let his humility lay the groundwork for him to share the gospel. In recent years, these verses have been used to craft arguments against Paul and God and Scripture.
But if we remember what Paul's character is like and what we've seen of God's character throughout Scripture and through the ministry of Jesus, we'll have a proper lens for viewing these verses. Because Scripture interprets Scripture. First, Paul unpacks the authority structure in marriage. This idea isn't new to us since we've seen the authority structure in the Trinity demonstrated repeatedly.
They're one, united in purpose and in vision, but with different roles and responsibilities. And the father is the head. In the same way, the husband is the head of the marriage and Christ is the head of the church. Anything without a head is dead. By the way, the word glory means to give the right opinion of something. And Paul says this is what's happening with men as the head.
While Paul doesn't deny Genesis 127, which says women are made in the image of God and gives us equal value to men, he leans into the fact that men are revealing the headship of the Father. Roles don't indicate value, they indicate assignment. In this culture, which is Roman culture, not Jewish culture, men who prayed in pagan temples would cover their head.
Paul says he doesn't want them to bring their pagan culture into the church. He flips the script on them and tells them to uncover their heads. And women typically wore veils to cover their heads if they were married, kind of like an ancient version of the wedding ring, while unmarried women just wore their regular hair.
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Chapter 3: How does Paul address the issue of idolatry in the church?
Do they really understand that it's about the unity of his body who partakes in his body? My God shot was in 10, 12 through 13, where Paul talks about temptation. He says God will not allow us to be tempted beyond what he will empower us to say no to.
This is probably the verse that gets twisted and misinterpreted into the mantra, God won't give you more than you can handle, which isn't in scripture. But when we read this verse in context, we can see that what Paul is really saying is more like, when Satan gives you temptation, God will give you the strength to resist it. So lean into his strength.
This is not about having the strength in ourselves. This is about trusting Him to provide us with what we need to obey Him. Paul says God provides the way out. He is the one who will help us handle what comes our way. He is our escape hatch in every temptation.
And He's where the joy is. You guys, we're almost to the finish line. Can you believe it? Whether you joined us on day one or you joined us for the New Testament, this is a big deal. And what's a finish line without a t-shirt to celebrate? If you're one of this year's finishers, head over to the TBR store to pick up one of our finisher shirts. We have a few options to choose from.
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