1 CORINTHIANS
(Answers)

CHAPTER 1

1. The people were thinking they were more knowledgeable and were self confident because of who may have taught them or baptized them.
2. No - He can use the simple and meek to bring His word and show His glory and power.
3. No, all things we receive are from God. We are not to go beyond God's word by our own self-confidence and wisdom.
4. Jesus came to teach and show us the mind of God, the nature of God, and how He wants us to be. He received this word and knowledge from God.

CHAPTER 2

1. We have like spirits and know the nature of man by our human spirit in each of us.
2. By God's Spirit. God gives us the Holy Spirit which is His own spirit. His Spirit in us helps us to learn and obey His righteousness.

CHAPTER 3

1. God does it. His servants only plant the word while God will give us the understanding.
2. They will receive according to the type of work that they do for the Lord. One will ready the field; another may plant the seed; while another will maintain the field or teach the church.
3. They should be careful in what they teach. It must be true (not a man-made doctrine) and useful for growth of the believer.
4. This is the different levels and accuracy of teachings. The gold being the deepest and most useful teachings for maintaining the faith and strength of the believer. The straw being the more shallow teachings not geared to help the believer maintain a righteous walk.
5. You will either have believers who remain strong and faithful or they will be believers who stumble and fall or even reject their faith.
6. a. When someone deliberately teaches you false doctrines or avoids the absolute truth of God that would teach you complete righteousness that would help you avoid or remove sin in your life. b. God will destroy those who try to destroy the place He now dwells in by His Spirit.

CHAPTER 4

1. As servants only of the word of God. They received all things from God by the servants of God. He also did not want to be judged as good by them. They did not know his heart as well as God. God would judge him at the end.
2. We must be faithful in the faith, doing what God wants us to do and living as God wants us to live.
3. The teachers in the church were going beyond the written word of God and the instructions of Paul to teach their own opinions and doctrines. They had become arrogant and self-confident.
4. The teachers never faced the persecution and suffering that Paul and the other apostles went through.
5. Paul brought the word to them first and instructed them in the ways of the Lord. He was their spiritual father.
6. Paul sent Timothy to the church to get them back to a righteous walk and humble mind. He did not want to have to come in and discipline them harshly.

CHAPTER 5

1. Sexual immorality was in the church.
2. They were to shun him from the church and themselves so that he may fall into misery because of his sin and so, perhaps his fleshly sinful desire would be destroyed and his soul could be saved.
3. a. They felt it was someone else sinning, not them. They thought they were good. b. Paul told them they were all wrong and sinful because they let the sin stay in the church. A little evil has made them all evil because they have not removed it from among them.
4. Anyone who claimed to be a believer but was committing or passionate about a sin, we should not associate with them.
5. Yes, if they are in sin, we must admonish them first (James 5:19,20; 2 Thes. 3:14,15). Then if they still will not change we are to shun them from our association.

CHAPTER 6

1. We should settle disputes between ourselves or before other believers.
2. The souls of the lost will be justly judged by the example of our lives by God in the end.
3. All things are lawful for us but not profitable (vs.12). We should accept a wrong done to us and act out of love since we have wrong others our self. God will be the ultimate judge and righter of wrongs for us against anyone who wrongs us. But, brothers and sisters in Christ should be able to reconcile their differences between themselves.
4. No.
5. We should dedicate our bodies to God. We were bought at the price of His son. God's Spirit is in us. We should not defile His Spirit by any type of immorality to our bodies.

CHAPTER 7

1. To avoid sexual immorality because of lustful inclinations we should have our own spouse.
2. a. A spouse is not to withhold their body from the other. b. When a couple commits to a time of fasting and prayer for the Lord.
3. They must not depart from each other but to remain married. If they do depart they must remain unmarried and try to reconcile.
4. Do not divorce the unbelieving spouse. You sanctify the unbeliever because you are one flesh and your children will be sanctified also.
5. You are not in bondage or do not have to submit to an unbelieving spouse. You do not have to make them stay and you do not have to change your godly beliefs when that spouse threatens to leave or divorce you. Stay in your faith. Let them leave to keep peace and have a chance for reconciliation, not making things worse through fighting or by them staying. You remain faithful and be an example for them. God knows their heart and will give them the opportunity to be a believer even after they leave you. If they commit adultery you will not be bound to the marriage.
6. You will care more about the things of the Lord and how you may please Him.

CHAPTER 8

1. Their knowledge of the Lord may be greater than others but they should not think they have more liberty than the less knowledgable.
2. We must consider his level of understanding and do not do things that he may consider wrong. This may cause him to start doing wrong things because he is falling your example.

CHAPTER 9

1. They should be able to receive material needs for their necessities.
2. They who minister in the temple eat of what was brought to the temple.
3. a. He worked with their beliefs, doing what was necessary to have them accept the gospel. b. No - He was not without law to God and was under law toward Christ. He stayed in God's guidelines.
4. His reward would only be the material gain or money he would receive since he would preach unwillingly.
5. We must live by God's guidelines and to obtain the prize of salvation. We must discipline ourselves against sin.
6. a. He disciplined his body to God's standards and will. ( He walks the walk that he teaches.) b. Paul feared that by not living according to God's will and purity, even though he preached these things to others for their salvation, that he could disqualify himself from the race and the prize. c. He would not be part of the body of Christ and would not receive the prize of salvation.

CHAPTER 10

1. a. They followed him and did as he instructed because he had the spiritual food of God. b. The spiritual food and drink followed the Rock (as revealed in a Greek Interlinear). c. The rock was Moses who was the anointed messenger (Christ) of God. Just like Christ, Moses was an anointed messenger of God. He had the the words and leadership given to him by God to lead and instruct the people.
2. We learn from their example what God expects and what happens if we do not obey, respect, or trust Him. We should be wiser in our walk with God.
3. We may feel upright before God and think we have His favor. But, we could perhaps be tempted in something or influenced by someone else into sin causing us to fall from uprightness. God can and does destroy the sinful person even quickly or certainly at the time of judgment.
4. God does not allow you t be tempted by more than you can resist and overcome. He will also provide a way to escape the temptation.
5. A believer more knowledgeable in the truths of God, must be careful not to partake of anything that a less knowledgeable saint may think is sinful. You may weaken him or cause him to sin in other things.

CHAPTER 11

1. a. God. b. Jesus. c. A man.
2. a. He speaks and prays by his own will. He is not lead by the Spirit of Jesus . b. By not being lead or instructed spiritually by the man, she speaks on her own. She does not seek advice or instruction from the man. c. Woman was made from man and for man. Also, the ministering angels react to the leadership of the man, not the woman.
3. The head of man, Jesus, is the image and glory of God.
4. We should be holy and reverent. We must not be looking for a meal or eat like gluttons or drink as drunkards do. We are to remember and take to heart why Jesus died for us and the reward to come to the believer.
5. So we will be corrected and not be condemned with the world.

CHAPTER 12

1. They make up the whole body of the church which is the body of Christ.

CHAPTER 13

1. The gift of love given to another.
2. Other gifts are easily forgotten by those who hear them. When you bestow love on someone it is not easily forgotten. It is a gift that comes from the heart rather than the mind.
3. The complete understanding of God and His ways of love.

CHAPTER 14

1. a. Prophesying. b. By prophesying, others could be edified by you and the church could be built up.
2. As in the Book of Acts (on the day of Pentecost), people heard the believers talking about God in their own language. They knew God was real from this event. The purpose of tongues then was to reach out to other people of other nations to convince them of the reality of God.
3. Prophesying builds up the church. It gave direction and understanding to believers.
4. a. Two or three at most, should speak in tongues publicly and then one at a time. b. An interpreter should speak for the person speaking in tongues or that person should also interpret his words.

CHAPTER 15

1. a. We must continue to believe, follow, and obey the word we have received and not turn away or fall away to be saved. b. If we believe or obey the gospel only temporarily we will have believed in vain. We will miss out on eternal life.
2. a. All things are in subjection to Christ. We especially are subject to Him b. Jesus is subject to God.
3. Some did not seek knowledge of God's word to live by. This caused them to be in sin and to keep company with evil people.
4. Our bodies will be a spiritual body with greater power than we have now.
5. At the sound of the last trumpet when Jesus returns the second time.

CHAPTER 16

1. At the beginning of the week they were to store up the gift as they may prosper.
2. They held church in their house.