1 Corinthians 15:58

"Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain."

Because of the confidence that Christians can have about what lies ahead, our lives should be resolute. We should have an immovably fixed persistence to our lifestyle. We should be driven to serve the Lord. The text says we should be "abounding in the work of the Lord." The word translated abounding conveys the idea of an abundance. We do not merely meet expectations, fulfilling the minimum required to get by. We exceed what anyone might expect of us. We push forward with an insatiable drive to serve the one who freed us from all fear because we want to bring Him glory. And He is most clearly glorified by our worship spreading to others. When we worshipfully serve the Lord, the Holy Spirit uses our efforts to bring others to meet the Savior.

1 Corinthians 14:33b-35

"As in all the churches of the saints, the women should keep silent in the churches. For they are not permitted to speak, but should be in submission, as the Law also says. If there is anything they desire to learn, let them ask their husbands at home. For it is shameful for a woman to speak in church."

What does it mean that “women . . . are not permitted to speak in church”? If we take these two and a half verses in isolation, they seem to indicate that women are not permitted to say anything at all in church services. But that cannot be true because chapter eleven, when dealing with head coverings, puts guidelines on how women are to pray and prophecy in church. So in what sense should women “keep silent in the churches”?

I believe that the key to understanding the prohibition lies in the immediately preceding verses. The previous verses addressed how to keep prophets accountable. If there was a prophecy that contradicted revealed truth, the others were to call the contradictory prophecy and prophet into question. I submit that the restriction forbidding women to speak applies specifically to this necessary challenging of contradictory prophecy.

If a woman believed that what was being asserted as truth was really false, she was not to publicly call it into question. Instead she was to ask her husband at home. Notice how the prohibition is linked with the need to be in submission: "they are not permitted to speak, but should be in submission." It is possible to converse, pray, or explain submissively. But challenging an assertion is not usually an act of submission.

This fits perfectly with the likelihood that the prohibition was a prohibition from publicly challenging men. Perhaps this was due to the cultural realization that it would have shamed a man to be corrected by a woman. Whatever the motivation, it frees women to participate in church while clarifying that everything should be done in a way that recognizes and respects authority.

1 Corinthians 14:26-28

"What then, brothers? When you come together, each one has a hymn, a lesson, a revelation, a tongue, or an interpretation. Let all things be done for building up. If any speak in a tongue, let there be only two or at most three, and each in turn, and let someone interpret. But if there is no one to interpret, let each of them keep silent in church and speak to himself and to God."

Everything done in a church service should have a purpose. The overarching purpose, not explicitly mentioned here, is the glory of God. However, the purpose drawn attention to in this chapter is for building up, the growth of the church—numerical growth of the church body through the conversion of unbelievers and the personal growth of individual believers as they understand more truth and walk more and more consistently with God.

In order for growth to occur, the various parts of a service must be orderly. That is not to say that churches should rigidly eradicate all vestiges of flexibility, as if flexibility were a problem. We are not directed to embrace rigid structure verses flexibility. However, Paul makes it clear that activities focused through the lens of church growth will be much more effective than a chaotic service.

The specific example is the exercise of the gift of tongues. The first century church was instructed to take turns in speaking in tongues—one speaker at a time. They were also limited to one to three people exercising the gift in a church service. This may have required some preferring of others and intentional restraint on the part of some church members. Also clearly all tongues speaking had to be interpreted. There is no instruction for how long or as to when in the service people should present "a hymn, a lesson, a revelation, a tongue, or an interpretation." This lack of specifics probably indicates that there was room for flexibility here. But the flexibility existed within the confines of a spiritually beneficial, organized service.

Sadly, almost no Pentecostal or Charismatic groups today operate within these guidelines. Personally, I don’t believe that the gift is in operation at all. But if God were to give someone the gift of tongues, it would have to be exercised within the confines of biblical revelation so that the church would be built up and God glorified. And if this were clearly happening, I could not argue with a fellow believer.

1 Corinthians 14:23-25

"If, therefore, the whole church comes together and all speak in tongues, and outsiders or unbelievers enter, will they not say that you are out of your minds? But if all prophesy, and an unbeliever or outsider enters, he is convicted by all, he is called to account by all, the secrets of his heart are disclosed, and so, falling on his face, he will worship God and declare that God is really among you."

Chaotic, disorganized gatherings do not cause people to praise God. Unbelievers who are exposed to confusing situations where truth is not clearly proclaimed do not benefit from them. If an unbeliever comes into a Christian congregation and sees Christians all speaking in different foreign languages, he will not attribute the tongues speaking to the gifting of the Holy Spirit. He will attribute it to foolishness at best and insanity at worst.

Unbelievers need to be confronted with truth. They need to hear about God’s greatness and of their standing before this great God. The secrets of each individual's heart need to be disclosed. Perhaps the exposing of a person’s heart referred to the supernatural exposure of particular hidden sins in the unbeliever’s heart to himself or others, or perhaps the exposing of a person’s heart referred to him understanding for the first time the universal, biblical truths about man’s heart.

Either way, when a tender-hearted man hears truth from God, he will recognize that he is a condemned sinner in need of a savior. And he will fall on his face, worshiping God and turning from his sin.

1 Corinthians 14:13-15

"Therefore, one who speaks in a tongue should pray for the power to interpret. For if I pray in a tongue, my spirit prays but my mind is unfruitful. What am I to do? I will pray with my spirit, but I will pray with my mind also; I will sing praise with my spirit, but I will sing with my mind also."

The Corinthian believers who were blessed with the gift of tongues could not use the gift however they pleased. If they were going to speak in tongues, they needed to have an interpreter. It wasn’t enough to be blessed by God. They needed to let God’s gift to them keep on blessing others by using it in the right way so others could understand what they were saying.

We need to do the right things, the right way, for the right reasons. We cannot put our brains on autopilot during prayer. We need to engage our minds and emotions when addressing the King of the Universe. When we pray and when we sing (which Luther referred to as type of prayer), we need to worship in a self-aware, God-aware understanding thankfulness. This will bring us and others closer to God.

1 Corinthians 12:8-11

"For to one is given through the Spirit the utterance of wisdom, and to another the utterance of knowledge according to the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit, to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another the ability to distinguish between spirits, to another various kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues. All these are empowered by one and the same Spirit, who apportions to each one individually as he wills."

The Spirit has complete liberty to grant whatever gifts He chooses to grant. If you know my belief concerning miraculous sign gifts—that they have stopped and are not for today—you might think my last statement to be contradictory. But I don’t feel in conflict with myself on this matter. I have an understanding from scripture that I believe is accurate and universal. However, God is not confined by my understanding of Him or by how He typically does things. He can do whatever He wants whenever He wants.

So what kind of gifts does He grant (or has he granted in the past)? I have not studied these phrases in depth. Therefore, the following definitions are in no way authoritative but are my thoughts on what these gifts might look like.

Utterance of wisdom / knowledge - these are two different gifts, but both have to do with the ability to communicate something true. God has gifted some believers with an amazing ability to communicate truth in an interesting and understandable manner.

Faith - all believers have been given the gift of saving faith. But some believers have been given a special measure of faith. For us, this gift seems to be coming through the experiences that God has been allowing to come into our lives.

Gifts of healing - the text does not specify whether the gift is the ability to heal someone or if it is the gift of personal healing from some kind of illness. Both might have been in view at the time of the book’s writing. However, I don’t believe God uses healers anymore, but I do believe that God miraculously heals people. Why else would we pray for sick people?

Working of miracles - I believe that God still does miracles and that He can use an individual as a vessel through which that miracle flows. However, I don’t believe that God is currently gifting people to work the supernatural. And yet, our lives as Christians ought to be filled with things that unbelievers can’t explain.

Prophecy - a much broader term than we think of it today. It goes beyond foretelling the future and focuses primarily on the message of truth from God for those in need. Frequently, prophecy was a call to turn from sin. In the Old Testament, it was said that people would prophecy on musical instruments. Both men and women should be declaring God’s truth in church today.

Ability to distinguish between spirits - some people trust everyone. They haven’t met someone who isn’t a great guy (until they stab them in the back later). But others are more discerning. I have met some people that seem to be able to accurately describe a person after talking with them for five minutes. My pastor seems to be this way. Early in our relationship, he kept on saying, “Joshua you are like this (and he would describe some personality trait of mine), and therefore you will need to do this.” I would think, “Yes, that’s right, but how do you know that?” Perhaps it is a special ability given to him by the Spirit.

Various kinds of tongues / interpretation of tongues - these gifts are dealt with in greater detail later. I will address them then.

1 Corinthians 12:1-3

"Now concerning spiritual gifts, brothers, I do not want you to be uninformed. You know that when you were pagans you were led astray to mute idols, however you were led. Therefore I want you to understand that no one speaking in the Spirit of God ever says 'Jesus is accursed!' and no one can say 'Jesus is Lord' except in the Holy Spirit."

Those who are not believers live lives of worthlessness. They are led astray to passionately pursue things that have no value. They follow after powerless, motionless, speechless idols. They worship physical idols of wood or metal, or they worship the modern idols of our western world—success, happiness, entertainment, physical pleasure, or one or more of the many other false god’s set up in our western pantheons.

I find it interesting that they are “led astray to mute idols.” It’s not even the idols that lead them astray. The idols cannot lead anyone. They are powerless. Nevertheless people are led to them. By whom? I believe they are led to the idols by evil—by Satan and his demons, through the influence of the world system, and by their own sinful fallen nature. People are led to idols hoping for fulfillment, but they find no lasting satisfaction.

In contrast to that sad estate, a person who comes to Christ finds great fulfillment and is richly blessed in many ways. One way in which he is blessed is through spiritual gifts. What spiritual gifts God gives and how they should be exercised will be discussed later, in this and the following two chapters. But for now, God simply indicates that one who is exercising a spiritual gift will be led by the Spirit to affirm truth. One who is exercising a spiritual gift will not deny truths about Jesus’ nature; he will affirm them.

1 Corinthians 11:27-30

"Whoever, therefore, eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty concerning the body and blood of the Lord. Let a person examine himself, then, and so eat of the bread and drink of the cup. For anyone who eats and drinks without discerning the body eats and drinks judgment on himself. That is why many of you are weak and ill, and some have died. "

Continuing to show the importance of carefully observing the Lord’s Table, we are told to examine ourselves before participating in the Lord’s Table. Flippancy brings guilt and judgment. The good act of observing the Lord’s Table, if done the wrong way, can bring illness or even death.

With consequences that are so severe and with warnings that seem to be so frequent, one might come to the conclusion that it would be better just to abstain. Some times that is true. If you are not willing to examine yourself, you better not take communion. However, these verse are not encouraging abstinence but rather careful observance. We are told to examine ourselves and then partake.

Consider your relationship with the Lord. Is there anything between you and the Lord? Is there any anger, bitterness, envy? Are you willing to deal with it? Focus on what God has done for you, and let it effect your life and relationships. Before and as you partake, think on these things.

1 Corinthians 11:23-26

"For I received from the Lord what I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it, and said, “This is my body which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” In the same way also he took the cup, after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.” For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes."

God used men to write the Bible, but He breathed out all of the words. And yet, in some special way, these directives carry with them an extra weightiness beyond the rest of this letter because they were “received from the Lord.”

Further supporting the importance of this practice is the time that it was instituted—”the night when he was betrayed.” In the face of the most difficult experience of Jesus’ earthly ministry, he takes time to teach the disciples. Knowing that He was going away, He set up the means whereby all who follow after Him would remember Him pictorially in the bread and the cup. When we celebrate the Lord’s supper, we give thanks and remember his sacrificial, substitutionary death.

But Communion goes beyond mere remembrance. When the Lord’s Table is observed, the participants are actively proclaiming the Lord’s death. How important it is then to do this the right way! Worship should never be approached casually or carelessly. But remembering and proclaiming the Lord’s death should be with even greater care.

1 Corinthians 11:13-15

"Judge for yourselves: is it proper for a wife to pray to God with her head uncovered? Does not nature itself teach you that if a man wears long hair it is a disgrace for him, but if a woman has long hair, it is her glory? For her hair is given to her for a covering."

This is the point where many people discussing the issue of head coverings, mistakenly assert that the hair is the covering and that coverings on top of the hair are not needed, citing "her hair is given to her for a covering." However, the fact that God gave women hair for a covering is being used here to support the assertion that they ought to put something over their hair during public worship.

We might restate it this way, "See, it is natural for wives to wear a head covering when they pray. Look at the way men and women are made. It's natural and beautiful for women to have longer hair than men. God designed women to be this way, and the design points to the fact that they should wear a covering in public worship."

1 Corinthians 8:4-6

"Therefore, as to the eating of food offered to idols, we know that 'an idol has no real existence,' and that 'there is no God but one.' For although there may be so-called gods in heaven or on earth—as indeed there are many 'gods' and many 'lords'—yet for us there is one God, the Father, from whom are all things and for whom we exist, and one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom are all things and through whom we exist."

There is only one God. He is the true God, and He actually exists. The rest are not really gods. They are fakes. They have no real existence. The true God is the creator of all things. We all owe Him our beginning and our continued existence. Without Him we would not be. An idol (and other false gods) does nothing. It creates nothing. It sustains nothing. You owe nothing to an idol. False gods are man's creation. Man makes them and without man they would cease to exist.

When someone worships an idol, he is praising something that has no real existence. We look upon such actions as worthless and ridiculous. But what of eating food offered to idols? I suppose the next verses will deal with that.

1 Corinthians 5:6-8

"Your boasting is not good. Do you not know that a little leaven leavens the whole lump? Cleanse out the old leaven that you may be a new lump, as you really are unleavened. For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed. Let us therefore celebrate the festival, not with the old leaven, the leaven of malice and evil, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth."

Boasting is almost never good, but boasting about the acceptance of sin is absolutely horrible. The destructive nature of the sin that a church accepts and allows to go unchallenged will spread, destroying the whole church. What Christian would rejoice over that happening?

Because of what Christ has done, we stand before the Father without sin. We are without sin before the Father not because we are actually sinless but because we are positionally sinless in Christ. And because of what we are positionally, we need to avoid being something else practically. We should not be sinning when we have been cleansed from our sin.

Is this cause to cloister yourself away and be ever quiet, keeping yourself from sin by never enjoying anything around you? Quite to the contrary, our positional sinlessness before the Father, because of Christ, should motivate us to celebrate. And that celebration should be a sinless, joyful consideration and outflow of what Christ truly has done.