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Unity, Cross, Sin(Themes)
We belong to Christ, we are not divided(Unity)
Foolishness of God is wiser than human wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than Human strength(cross)
Paul warns people of Corinth, To not be inflated by pride, boasting is a “radical sin”
God’s Wisdom, Mysterious, hidden, it is his plan for our salvation
Role of God’s ministers, They are the ones God chosen to fulfill his mission, which is to spread his word
Analogy of the planter, the waterer, and the grower:
In the analogy the people who want that connection with God and to know his word are the planters. The ministers, the ones who teach the word to those people in need of God’s word are the waterers. God causes growth.We, the planters and waterers are coworkers of God. Planters and Waterers arequal.
Marriage: Only marry if you ready to marry, not if everyone else is doing it and you feel like you have an obligation. Marriage is a vow not only unto yourselves but also God. Paul also gives the advice to remain unmarried because of marriage being a distraction from the theory that Jesus may be coming very soon. It’s important to note that these people thought that the second coming of Christ was coming soon, therefore, marriage was not a priority because at the time, “time was limited.” People and to spend that time connecting with God. We struggle with a desire to obtain something, and therefore, taking away our focus on what’s truly important.
Divorce: Paul conveys the law against divorce, that a man should never divorce their wife, neither should a wife divorce her husband, for the vow they made is a vow made unto God, and promises with God should not be broken.
Circumsision: At this point whether you are circumcised or not does not matter, keeping God’s Commandments is what matters the most
Warinifn against idolatry: We as people represent the bread we break when we celebrate Christ. The bread is one body, just a we humans are, “we, though many, are one body, for we all partake of the one loaf.” Meals sacrificed to other Gods are not to be eaten, like if meals are sacrificed to the devil, it says you can’t drink from the cup of the Lord and from the cup of demons.
Seeking good of others: “Everything is lawful, but not everything is beneficial” – which means that though they are many things we can do does not mean we should do them, because some of those things can be bad and not only hurt you, but hurt others
Sin: Wealthy(how rich treat the poor), Boasting about oneself when you should be boasting about God
Spiritual gifts: Use your gifts as God intended them to be used, like if he gives you wisdom, convey that wisdom to others, same if you are given the gift of healing or discernment use those gifts to reflect his grace, and divinity.
Peace kind love: While Paul talks about love being patient, kind and does not envy, he is trying to show us how God is love and because of this, God is also patient and kind. Due to our knowledge on God and his love, is humans can understand him, relate to him, and try to model our lives after
God.
Interpretation of the foolishness and wisdom of humans and God: First off, Paul is talking about how Christians should stop looking for a Christian model to follow and argue about which one is better but instead unite and understand the similarities, which is following God. Gods foolishness is stronger than our weakness and Gods weakness is stronger than our strength. We must respect our father and acknowledge his powers and have faith in him. What one may struggle with is trying to obtain that wisdom, therefore diverting us from God. We can never reach God’s wisdom, but can obtain his spiritual wisdom if we just become followers of his.
Addictive behaviors and falling towards sin: Paul states a few examples of addictive behavior and addresses drinking and having excessive sex. Paul shows his concern towards these behaviors because they can lead us to be slaves of sin while distancing our relationship with God. People in our society should try to distance themselves from such addictions because these addictions lead to a horrible end, ruining many lives, while leaving one in the bottom, and away from God.
One body, many parts: Different people have different gifts, but this is just like a human body. All the parts—eyes, ears, feet, hands—need to work together so the body can function. You can’t have a foot going off on its own or the whole thing falls apart. All Christians make up the body of Christ and every single part is important for keeping this body healthy. You’re all in this together. Paul even says that sometimes the puniest, weakest parts of the body turn out to be the most important. Like fingernails? Or toes? We’re all very special little snowflakes. Everyone’s gifts are needed to make things awesome.