Devotions from 1 Corinthians

Passage Read: 1 Corinthians 2-3 Meditation Verses: 3:17-18 Paul affirms the inclusion of the Corinthians in Christ, but also warns and corrects them. Right here he says that they are the sanctuary of God, then in the next sentence warns that anyone who thinks he…

Passage Read: 1 Corinthians 4-5 Meditation Verses: 5:11-13 There's all this talk of Christians shooting their wounded whenever we call out a sinner, especially one who's been concealing their sin for a while. Yet were actually supposed to call out unrepentant sinners. We're supposed to…

Passage Read: 1 Corinthians 6-7 Meditation Verse: 7:19 Circumcision and other rituals that we use to include people as Christians don't matter. What matters is keeping God's commands, walking in His ways. We are not a Christian because we performed some ritual, we are a…

Passage Read: 1 Corinthians 8-9 Meditation Verses: 9:24-27 Paul is in effect challenging every believer to compete with each other, so as to be the one victor. The implication is that we each should be working at greater self-control than the next believer, greater godliness…

Passage Read: 1 Corinthians 10-11 Meditation Verses: 11:29-31 Communion is not a simple eating and drinking a little bread and juice in remembrance of the Lord, it is powerful under the guidance of the Spirit. Those who eat and drink without examining themselves, without recognizing…

Passage Read: 1 Corinthians 12-13 Meditation Verse: 13:11 Paul was an apostle, which he lists as the first among spiritual gifts. He didn't lay aside that gift as he grew in his understanding and practice of love, but neither did he promote his exercise of…

Passage Read: 1 Corinthians 14-15 Meditation Verses: 14:36-38 Everything Paul has written here, concerning spiritual gifts and women in the assembly, perhaps even all the book of Corinthians, all these things are commands of God, not just of Paul. For any church or group to…

Passage Read: 1 Corinthians 2-3 Meditation Verse: 3:3 I should not be jealous of anyone, neither should I quarrel. My goal isn't to impress others or compare myself with others, but to know Christ as completely and closely as possible. I don't need to teach…

Passage Read: 1 Corinthians 4-5 Meditation Verses: 5:11-13 All this talk of not judging is ignorant. It is designed to leave people in their sin; it cares more about keeping the peace at the expense of souls. As if this life were more important than…

Passage Read: 1 Corinthians 6-7 Meditation Verses: 6:2-4 I have no interest in being responsible for other people. I'd much rather be left alone and be responsible for only myself. In truth, being responsible for others is only tolerable if those in your care are…

Passage Read: 1 Corinthians 8-9 Meditation Verse: 9:24 Paul wants every believer to live as if only one of us will win the prize of eternity with Christ. Talk about outdoing one another! Not attacking others; even runners don't do that! That would violate the…

Passage Read: 1 Corinthians 10-11 Meditation Verses: 10:1-5 God is not mocked, and He will not be deceived. He knows those who belong to Him, those who fear Him and who walk in obedience to Him. He's not fooled into thinking that those who were…

Passage Read: 1 Corinthians 12-13 Meditation Verses: 12:1-2 I must continually trust God's Word over the wisdom of men, no matter how wise they may seem to be, no matter how devoted to God they seem to be. False teachers don't announce themselves by denigrating…

Passage Read: 1 Corinthians 14-15 Meditation Verse: 15:32 The resurrection of the dead is huge, and needs to be front and center. This life is not all there is and is not even the most important thing. Its only value is in what it contributes…

Passage Read: 1 Corinthians 16 - 2 Corinthians 1 Meditation Verses: 1 Corinthians 16:15-16 Knowing Christ is a function of obedience to Christ. The more a person gives himself up in obedience to Christ, the more they will understand and know the Lord. The more…

Passage Read: 1 Corinthians 2-3 Meditation Verses: 2:4-6 Paul didn't depend on wise words or polished speech, but on the power of the Spirit. The Spirit worked through him to confirm him as a man who was backed by real power. He preached the Gospel,…

Passage Read: 1 Corinthians 4-5 Meditation Verses: 5:9-11 There are two standards: one for how we treat brothers and one for how we treat unbelievers. The brother we hold to a high standard of righteous behavior, because he has claimed to believe in Christ and…

Passage Read: 1 Corinthians 6-7 Meditation Verse: 7:22 "He who was called while free, is Christ's slave." Several times in these two chapters Paul teaches this concept in different ways. He who belongs to Christ should no longer live for his own agenda, but be…

Passage Read: 1 Corinthians 8-9 Meditation Verses: 9:25-27 There are actually some who preach the Gospel but do not obey it or the Lord they preach about. They are called hypocrites. They may preach and teach correct things about the Lord and His Gospel and…

Passage Read: 1 Corinthians 10-11 Meditation Verse: 11:16 This issue of men and women and their differences in life and specifically in the church has been a source of contention from the beginning of the Church. For Paul to mention that if anyone wants to…

Passage Read: 1 Corinthians 12-13 Meditation Verse: 13:8 Love, agape love in this passage, is not a spiritual gift, but a spiritual discipline. It is learning and choosing to care for the needs, especially the spiritual needs, of others. Spiritual gifts can certainly be a…

Passage Read: 1 Corinthians 14-15 Meditation Verses: 14:36-38 This is so true, not just in regard to Paul's teaching on the role of women in the church, but in every matter about which he taught. The Word of God did not originate with me or…