1. FIRST CORINTHIANS How to Live in a Pagan World

2. 1 st Corinthians 6:9-11 9 Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites, 10 nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God. 11 And such were some of you. But you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God.

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

4. 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.

5. Being the Church in a Pagan World Nine Issues: 1.Identity1:1-9 2.Unity1:10-17 3.Maturity3:1-23 4.Authority4:1-21 5.Purity5 6.Orderly11 7.Ministry12-14 8.Generosity16:1-4 9.Duty16:5-24

6. Being the Church in a Pagan World Nine Issues: 1.Identity1:1-9 2.Unity1:10-17 3.Maturity3:1-23 4.Authority4:1-21 5.Purity5 6.Orderly11 7.Ministry12-14 8.Generosity16:1-4 9.Duty16:5-24

7. 1 st Corinthians 1:1-9 1 Paul, called to be an apostle of Jesus Christ through the will of God, and Sosthenes our brother, 2 To the church of God which is at Corinth, to those who are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints, with all who in every place call on the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, both theirs and ours: 3 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. 4 I thank my God always concerning you for the grace of God which was given to you by Christ Jesus,

8. 5 that you were enriched in everything by Him in all utterance and all knowledge, 6 even as the testimony of Christ was confirmed in you, 7 so that you come short in no gift, eagerly waiting for the revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ, 8 who will also confirm you to the end, that you may be blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9God is faithful, by whom you were called into the fellowship of His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. (NKJV)

9. 1. The Call of God Upon Our Lives “To the church of God which is at Corinth, to those who are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints, with all who in every place call on the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, both theirs and ours” Verse 2

10. 1.1 The Event: “ 1.1 The Event: “Sanctified” “Sanctified” = separated from all else for God’s exclusive purposes 1. The Call of God Upon Our Lives

11. 1.1 The Event: “ 1.1 The Event: “Sanctified” “Sanctified” = separated from all else for God’s exclusive purposes An action that was completed in the past, once and for all, not needing to be repeated. 1. The Call of God Upon Our Lives

12. 1.2 The People: “Saints” NAS95: “saints by calling” Phillips: “called to be God's men and women” 1. The Call of God Upon Our Lives

13. 1.3 The Call To call, invite, summon Verse 1, Amplified: “PAUL, SUMMONED by the will and purpose of God to be an apostle” 1. The Call of God Upon Our Lives

14. 1.3 The Call Counter-culture Church = the people who have been called out A gathering of citizens called out from their homes into some public place People who have been called out of the world as God’s special people 1. The Call of God Upon Our Lives

15. 1.3 The Call Christ-centered Jesus, Christ, Him: 10 times in nine verses 1. The Call of God Upon Our Lives

16. 2. The Grace of God at Work in Our Lives “I thank my God always concerning you for the grace of God which was given to you by Christ Jesus” vs. 4

17. 2.1 Enriched 2. The Grace of God at Work in our Lives “That by Him you were made rich in everything--in all speaking and all knowledge” Vs. 5, Holman Christian Standard

18. 2.1 Enriched 2. The Grace of God at Work in our Lives “That by Him you were made rich in everything--in all speaking and all knowledge” Vs. 5, Holman Christian Standard Amplified: “…in every respect you were enriched, in full power and readiness of speech [to speak of your faith] and complete knowledge and illumination [to give you full insight into its meaning].”

19. 2.1 Enriched 2. The Grace of God at Work in our Lives The Ability to Articulately Express the Truth The Ability to Deeply Understand the Truth

20. 2.2 Confirmed 2. The Grace of God at Work in our Lives “Even as the testimony of Christ was confirmed in you” verse 6

21. 2.2 Confirmed 2. The Grace of God at Work in our Lives “Even as the testimony of Christ was confirmed in you” verse 6 Jewish New Testament: “Indeed, the testimony about the Messiah has become firmly established in you”

22. 2.2 Confirmed 2. The Grace of God at Work in our Lives Gifted “Therefore you do not lack any spiritual gift…” verse. 7, NIV

23. 2.2 Confirmed 2. The Grace of God at Work in our Lives Gifted “Therefore you do not lack any spiritual gift…” verse. 7, NIV Waiting “…as you eagerly wait for our Lord Jesus Christ to be revealed”

24. 3. The Faithfulness of God Throughout our Lives “Who will also confirm you to the end, that you may be blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is faithful, by whom you were called into the fellowship of His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.” verses 8-9 Vs. 9, Amplified: “God is faithful (reliable, trustworthy, and therefore ever true to His promise, and He can be depended on)”

25. 3 Key Phrases 3. The Faithfulness of God Throughout our Lives “To the end” vs. 8 Amplified: “And He will establish you to the end [keep you steadfast, give you strength, and guarantee your vindication”

26. 3 Key Phrases 3. The Faithfulness of God Throughout our Lives “Blameless”vs. 8 Amplified: “He will be your warrant against all accusation or indictment so that you will be] guiltless and irreproachable in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ (the Messiah).”

27. 3 Key Phrases 3. The Faithfulness of God Throughout our Lives “Fellowship of His Son” vs. 9

28. 3 Key Phrases 3. The Faithfulness of God Throughout our Lives “Fellowship of His Son” vs. 9 Amplified: “By Him you were called into companionship and participation with His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.”

29. Photo courtesy of bibleandscience.com

30. 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)