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FIRST CORINTHIANS How to Live in a Pagan World

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1 st Corinthians 3:1-17 1 And I, brethren, could not speak to you as to spiritual people but as to carnal, as to babes in Christ. 2 I fed you with milk and not with solid food; for until now you were not able to receive it, and even now you are still not able; 3 for you are still carnal. For where there are envy, strife, and divisions among you, are you not carnal and behaving like mere men?

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4 For when one says, "I am of Paul," and another, "I am of Apollos," are you not carnal? 5 Who then is Paul, and who is Apollos, but ministers through whom you believed, as the Lord gave to each one? 6 I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the increase. 7 So then neither he who plants is anything, nor he who waters, but God who gives the increase.

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8 Now he who plants and he who waters are one, and each one will receive his own reward according to his own labor. 9For we are Gods fellow workers; you are Gods field, you are Gods building. 10 According to the grace of God which was given to me, as a wise master builder I have laid the foundation, and another builds on it. But let each one take heed how he builds on it. 11 For no other foundation can anyone lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ.

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12Now if anyone builds on this foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw, 13each ones work will become clear; for the Day will declare it, because it will be revealed by fire; and the fire will test each ones work, of what sort it is. 14 If anyones work which he has built on it endures, he will receive a reward. 15If anyones work is burned, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire.

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16 Do you not know that you are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you? 17 If anyone defiles the temple of God, God will destroy him. For the temple of God is holy, which temple you are.

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Two Mega-Themes In 1 st Corinthians Living as Christians in a pagan world.Living as Christians in a pagan world. Being the Church in a pagan world.Being the Church in a pagan world.

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Two Mega-Themes In 1 st Corinthians Living as Christians in a pagan world. Being the Church in a pagan world.Being the Church in a pagan world.

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Being the Church in a Pagan World Nine Issues: 1.Identity1:1-9 2.Unity1:10-17 3.Maturity3:1-17 4.Authority3:18-4:21 5.Purity5 6.Orderly11 7.Ministry12-14 8.Generosity16:1-4 9.Duty16:5-24

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Being the Church in a Pagan World Nine Issues: 1.Identity1:1-9 2.Unity1:10-17 3.Maturity3:1-17 4.Authority3:18-4:21 5.Purity5 6.Orderly11 7.Ministry12-14 8.Generosity16:1-4 9.Duty16:5-24

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Moving Toward Maturity3:1-17 Two Symptoms of ImmaturityTwo Symptoms of Immaturity

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1. The Inability to Engage Meatier Subjects Vs 1-2 And I, brethren, could not speak to you as to spiritual people but as to carnal, as to babes in Christ. I fed you with milk and not with solid food; for until now you were not able to receive it, and even now you are still not able Two Symptoms of Immaturity

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Hebrews 6:1, NLT So let us stop going over the basics of Christianity again and again. Let us go on instead and become mature in our understanding. Surely we dont need to start all over again with the importance of turning away from evil deeds and placing our faith in God. Two Symptoms of Immaturity

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What Does He Mean by Carnal? Carnal or fleshly sarkikoi Flesh: Me minus God. Me, with only my human resources, apart from the renewing work of the Holy Spirit Romans 7:18 For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh) nothing good dwells; for to will is present with me, but how to perform what is good I do not find.

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What Does He Mean by Carnal? Vs. 1, NAS95 as to men of flesh, as to infants in Christ Paul had to speak to them as he would to men wholly natural, inasmuch as they are still carnal in many respects, notwithstanding their conversion (1:4- 9). JFB

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2. The Presence of Factions in the Church 2. The Presence of Factions in the Church Vs. 3-4 For you are still carnal. For where there are envy, strife, and divisions among you, are you not carnal and behaving like mere men? For when one says, I am of Paul, and another, I am of Apollos, are you not carnal? Two Symptoms of Immaturity

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Maturity Requires a Proper View of the Church Two Portraits of the Church:Two Portraits of the Church: A Field 3:5-8 A Temple3:9-17

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The Church is Like a Field Vs. 9 For we are Gods fellow workers; you are Gods field Two Portraits of the Church

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InstrumentalityInstrumentality Vs. 5 Who then is Paul, and who is Apollos, but ministers through whom you believed, as the Lord gave to each one? DiversityDiversity Vs. 6 I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the increase. Two Portraits of the Church: Field

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DependencyDependency Vs. 7 So then neither he who plants is anything, nor he who waters, but God who gives the increase. Two Portraits of the Church: Field

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The Church is Like a Temple Vs. 9 For we are Gods fellow workers; you are Gods field, you are Gods building. Two Portraits of the Church

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The Right FoundationThe Right Foundation Vs. 10 According to the grace of God which was given to me, as a wise master builder I have laid the foundation, and another builds on it. But let each one take heed how he builds on it. Vs. 11 For no other foundation can anyone lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. Two Portraits of the Church: Temple

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The Right MaterialsThe Right Materials Vs. 12 Now if anyone builds on this foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw, Vs. 13 each ones work will become clear; for the Day will declare it, because it will be revealed by fire; and the fire will test each ones work, of what sort it is. Two Portraits of the Church: Temple

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The Right MaterialsThe Right Materials Vs. 14-15 If anyones work which he has built on it endures, he will receive a reward. If anyones work is burned, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire. Phillips: But if a man's work be destroyed under the test, he loses it all. He personally will be safe, though rather like a man rescued from a fire. Two Portraits of the Church: Temple

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The Proper CareThe Proper Care youVs. 16-17 Do you not know that you are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you? If anyone defiles the temple of God, God will destroy him. For the temple of God is holy, which temple you are. NLT: God will bring ruin upon anyone who ruins this temple Two Portraits of the Church: Temple

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Moving Toward Maturity3:1-17 Summary of this Section:Summary of this Section: When church members cannot dig into the deeper things of the Word -or- when a church is divided, it is a sign that its members need to grow up. The church is like a field and a temple. It is about God and dependant upon God. It is not about the people He uses. Since it is His work, we should be careful not to damage it.

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Translations That May Have Been Used: Abbreviations & Copyright Info AMP or Amplified: Copyright 1954, 1958, 1962, 1964, 1965, 1987 by The Lockman Foundation ESV: The Holy Bible, English Standard Version 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. HCSB: Holman Christian Standard Bible 2001, Broadman & Holman Publishers, LifeWay Christian Resources 127 Ninth Avenue North, Nashville, TN 37234 JPS: The Holy Scriptures (Old Testament) By the Jewish Publication Society All rights reserved MSG or Message: The Message 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene H. Peterson NAS: Scripture quoted by permission. Quotations designated (NAS) are from THE HOLY BIBLE: NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE. Copyright 1960, 1988, by The Lockman Foundation, California. All rights reserved. NAS95: Scripture quoted by permission. Quotations designated (NAS95) are from THE HOLY BIBLE: NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE. Copyright 1960, 1995, by The Lockman Foundation, California. All rights reserved. NET: The NET Bible, New English Translation (NET) Copyright 1996, 1997, 1998 By Biblical Studies Press, LLC. All Rights Reserved The Holy Bible: The NET Bible(r) Copyright 1998 By Biblical Studies Press, L.L.C. All rights reserved www.netbible.orgwww.netbible.org NIV: Scripture quoted by permission. Quotations designated (NIV) are from THE HOLY BIBLE: NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION. Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984 by The International Bible Society. All rights reserved. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House. Scripture quoted by permission. NJKV: Scripture quoted by permission. Quotations designated (NKJV) are from THE HOLY BIBLE: NEW KING JAMES VERSION. Copyright (c) 1982 by Thomas Nelson Inc. All rights reserved. NLT: Quotations designated (NLT) are from THE HOLY BIBLE: NEW LIVING TRANSLATION Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright 1996 by Tyndale Charitable Trust. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois, 60189. All rights reserved. New Living, NLT, and the New Living Translation logo are registered trademarks of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc. NRSV: Scripture quoted by permission. Quotations designated (NRSV) are from THE HOLY BIBLE: NEW REVISED STANDARD VERSION. Copyrighted 1989 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America, and are used by permission. All rights reserved. RSV: Scripture quoted by permission. Quotations designated (RSV) are from THE HOLY BIBLE: REVISED STANDARD VERSION. Copyright 1946, 1952, 1973 by National Council of Churches of Christ. All rights reserved. Weymouth: WEYMOUTH NEW TESTAMENT: NEW TESTAMENT IN MODERN SPEECH by Richard F. Weymouth 3rd Edition (1912)-- Revised & edited E. Hampden-Cooke YLT: Young's Literal Translation of the Holy Bible by J.N. Young, 1862, 1898 (Author of the Young's Analytical Concordance)