Or don’t you know that the unrighteous will not inherit the Kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor wicked people, nor homosexuals, nor thieves, nor the covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God...
Hieromartyr Seraphim (Chichagov)
There are also people who justify their passions by heredity, assuring that every person is born with a certain passion. This is also a misconception! Every person has only self-love, this is the seed of all passions, which can develop during free activity, or can be drowned out by Christian thoughts and feelings. Therefore, all passions are in our will: every child feels and understands that the satisfaction of a passion or dissatisfaction, habit or non-habit depends on him. Remember, beloved, how, having resorted to the Sacrament of Repentance, you all experienced that after the remission of sins, the heart’s disposition to passion disappeared. But you still had the habit of satisfying her. It required struggle, the manifestation of your will, your consciousness, your love for God. But at the first fall, at the first satisfaction of this passion, the heartfelt disposition towards it returned again. Those who struggled with their passions felt not only obvious, but also secret actions through imagination and dreams of sin. And these secret actions are much stronger and more harmful than overt ones. Doesn't this indicate that passions belong to the soul, and not the body, and that they live in the human heart, possessing all its feelings and thoughts, and not in the brain, not in the blood, not in the tissues? Passions cannot be inherited from parents, but they sometimes develop in a person under the influence of hereditary characteristics and painful principles in the body.
So, a weak person who does not give in to moral healing of his own free will, because he does not want to fight, does not want to improve, does not strive for Christ, does not thirst for grace-filled healing, does not pray to the Lord for this and does not think about perfect repentance - such a person is not can avoid the influence of passions on him. After ordinary repentance, he again continues to envy, condemn, mock, be angry, lie and strive for the blessings of this world. But long stay in such a transitional state it is dangerous, because no one knows either the day or the hour of his death. Even those who have overcome the habit of sinful actions, but sin mentally, cannot consider themselves healed of passions and moral illnesses. Who does not know that before the face of God, thoughts and actions have the same value, since they have the same detrimental effect on the soul and heart. The apostle warns us sternly: “Or do you not know,” he says, “that the unrighteous will not inherit the Kingdom of God?... do not be deceived... do you not know that your body is... the temple of the Holy Spirit who dwells in you, which you have from God... .and in your bodies and in your souls, which are God's! ...every sin that a person commits is outside the body.”(1 Cor. 6:9,18-20). Last words "outside the body" confirm what I said about the non-hereditary nature of sin. Passion lives in the human soul, and not in the body.
In medical practice, the following phenomenon is known: with paralysis, with complete loss of speech, when a person cannot pronounce either “yes” or “no,” he can, nevertheless, completely freely utter entire expressions consisting exclusively of obscenities. The phenomenon, at first glance, is very strange, but it says a lot.
It turns out that the so-called obscenity passes along completely different nerve chains than all other, normal speech. Research conducted back in the twenties of the 20th century showed that these words did not exist either in the Tatar, Mongolian, or Turkic languages.
One of the professors came to the conclusion that the words that we call obscene came from pagan spells that were aimed at destroying the human race, bringing infertility to a nation, cursing a person, etc. It is not for nothing that all these words are connected in one way or another with the reproductive organs of men and women.
In ancient Russian manuscripts, swearing is considered as a feature of demonic behavior, since certain representatives of evil spirits go back to the pagan gods. Swearing has always functioned as a curse among the Slavs.
In general, swear words are the names of pagan gods, that is, demons. A person who utters such words automatically calls demons on himself, his children and his family. Since ancient times, swear words were the language of communication with demonic forces, and they remain so. It is no coincidence that in philology this phenomenon is called infernal vocabulary. "Infernal" means "hellish, from the underworld."
Swearing undoubtedly has the same pagan, occult roots, but its purpose was to curse the enemy. Swearing is an expression of aggression and threat. And if we look at it more deeply, then this is a curse that a person sends to the one whom he “covers.” It aims to hit (curse) the enemy at the very “heart” of his life force: motherhood, life-giving, is cursed. masculinity and everything connected with them.
Perhaps someone does not use “dirty” words. What about the words “damn”, “tree-stick” and others? This is a surrogate for obscene expressions. When pronouncing them, people swear in the same way as those who do not choose expressions.
In ancient Russian manuscripts, swearing is considered a feature of demonic behavior.
It has been proven that all swear words come from the sacred names of the gods, which had incredible power. Mat are words of power that carry terrifying destructive energy (it has a killing effect on a person at the DNA level, especially on children and women).
As a ritual language, swearing was used in Rus' right up to the middle of the last century - however, only in those regions where there was strong Christian-pagan dual faith (for example, in the Bryansk region).
People resorted to him to talk “without an interpreter” with goblins, goblins and deities “more cool” than these small spirits. Even with the unknown god Beelzebub himself, they spoke only with swear words... Neo-pagans and Satanists still use swearing as a powerful magical weapon when performing black masses.
Another interesting observation is connected with swear words. In those countries in whose national languages there are no curse words indicating the reproductive organs, Down's disease and cerebral palsy have not been detected.
God is truly disgusted when we, albeit unconsciously, still utter words-spells of demons! This is why in ancient Judea the warning against swearing was taken so seriously that even to this day swearing is not heard in Jewish homes.
A Russian proverb says: “From a rotten heart come rotten words.” When the human heart is corrupted, rotten, nasty words appear as signs of spiritual corruption.
The Apostle Paul warned that the use of bad words destroys not only a person’s immediate earthly life, but also his eternal life, since a person is born not only for temporary existence, but primarily for Eternity. “Or 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 wicked people, nor homosexuals, nor thieves, nor the covetous, nor drunkards, nor evil-speakers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God" (NT, 1 Corinthians 6: 9-10).
. How dare anyone among you, when dealing with another, sue the wicked and not the saints?
Many were sued in monetary litigation before Hellenic judges, as lawyers. Therefore, he tries to correct this evil, which presented itself to his mind by chance. For, having mentioned the covetous, he suddenly became inflamed with zealous concern for those infected with such sin. And look what indignation he shows from the very beginning, calling this matter insolence and lawlessness. He did not say: among the infidels, but: “among the wicked”;
. for every litigant usually seeks justice, therefore the apostle shows that they will not find it, because they are unrighteous, he says, the Hellenic judges, how will they judge you fairly? He calls the faithful saints, showing by their very names the difference between the first and the last; for some are wicked, and others are holy. Don't you know that the saints will judge
(κρινοΰσι) peace?
. Since the faithful, as unlearned people, seemed incapable of sorting out litigation, he gives them weight and importance: first, he called them saints, then he said that they would judge the world. Not so, however, it should represent that they will take the places of judges and pronounce sentences (the Lord will judge); no, they will only condemn (κατακρινοΰσιν). Indeed, if they, being like everyone else, turned out to believe, and these did not believe, then is this not a condemnation for the unbelievers? If the world is to be judged by you, are you really unworthy to judge the unimportant??
affairs Look, he didn’t say: the court will accept it from you, but"you will be judged" ; because you who believed were an example to the world. Saying“they are unworthy to judge unimportant matters”
. has the following meaning: it seems that the Corinthians were ashamed to be judged by the internal ones; therefore he says: on the contrary, it is a shame for you when you are sued by outsiders; for these judgments are evil, and not such as are internal. If the world is to be judged by you, are you really unworthy to judge the unimportant? Don't you know that we will judge the angels?
everyday?
. Calls demons angels. So, we will condemn demons if, despite the fact that we are clothed with flesh, we turn out to be more perfect than them, who do not have flesh. And you, when you have everyday disputes, supply meaning nothing in the church. To your shame I say: is there really not a single reasonable person among you who could judge between his brothers? (ανά μέσον του αδελφού αυτού )
Wanting to reject them from external courts, he says: perhaps someone will say that in the Church there is no one wise who could sort out litigation. But if, in your opinion, there is not a single wise person in the Church, then it is better to appoint the humble as judges rather than the infidels. However, I said this to your shame, if in fact you have so few wise people that judgment should be carried out by simple and uneducated people. Words "among my brothers" added in order to show that in this case, if there is a dispute with a brother, a lot of different information is not needed, because fraternal disposition most of all contributes to ending the dispute.
. But brother and brother are suing, and, moreover, before the infidels.
The worst evil: one is that it is done with a brother, the other is that it is done before the infidels.
. And it is already very humiliating for you that you have litigation among yourself.
Previously he forbade litigation before the infidels, but now he forbids the court itself, saying: “and that’s already quite humiliating for you”, that is, reprehensible and shameful, “that you have litigation”, that is, controversial matters with each other (this is what the words “among each other” mean). The Apostle said this with particular emphasis, for we Christians must consider each other brothers.
. Why would you rather not remain offended? Why would you rather not endure hardship? But you themselves you offend and take away, and from your brothers.
Lots of accusations. The first is that they do not know how to bear insults; the second is that, on the contrary, they themselves offend; the third is that they offend the brothers. It would be good, he says, not to offend and not to endure insults; but if one of the two must be chosen, then it is better to endure insults.
. Or don’t you know that the unrighteous will not inherit the Kingdom of God?
Concludes the exhortation with a threat, strengthening the speech and asking them about a subject known to everyone.
. Don't be fooled.
Here it alludes to those of the Corinthians who said that they were philanthropic and would not punish, but would lead them into the Kingdom. Therefore he says: "don't be deceived": for indeed it is obvious self-delusion and delusion to expect all sorts of good things here, and then be executed.
Nor fornicators.
He puts the one who has already been convicted in first place.
. Neither idolaters, nor adulterers, nor malakis.
Malachi names those over whom shameful things are committed, and then lists those who commit shameful things.
. Neither homosexuals, nor thieves, nor the covetous, nor drunkards, nor slanderers, nor extortioners will inherit the Kingdom of God.
Many people ask why he put drunkards and slanderers along with idolaters and those who commit indecent acts? Because Christ recognized the one who says to his brother: “mad” (), and again because the Jews, from drunkenness, reached idolatry, were guilty of Gehenna. Further, now we are talking not about punishment, but about deprivation of the Kingdom; All such sinners are equally deprived of the kingdom, and whether there will be a difference in their punishments is not the place to discuss this.
. And such were some of you; but you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.
Consider, he says, what evils God has freed you from and what blessings God has given you. And you were subject to all the above-mentioned vices, but He cleansed you from them, and not only cleansed you, but also sanctified you. How? Having acquitted you; first he washed you, then, having justified you, he sanctified you, not in the name of this or that teacher, but in the name of Christ and the Holy Spirit. That is, the Trinity has given you these benefits; for having said that he sanctified in the name of Christ and the Holy Spirit, he does not express anything else, but precisely the Trinity.
. Everything is permissible for me, but not everything is beneficial.
Since he previously spoke about the one who committed fornication and will soon speak about him again, he introduces speech about gluttony: for the passion for fornication primarily comes from gluttony. So, he says: it is permissible for me to eat and drink, but it is harmful for me to eat and drink in excess.
. Everything is permitted to me, but nothing should possess me.
I, he says, am lord over food and drink; but if I use them beyond measure, then instead of a master I will become their slave. For whoever uses them as they should is master over them; on the contrary, whoever falls into immoderation is no longer a master, but a slave, because in this case satiety becomes his tyrant. Do you see how the apostle showed the one who considered himself a ruler to be a subject? Look: each of the Corinthians said: I can indulge in pleasures; and the apostle says: you surrender to them not because you have power over them, but because you yourself are subject to their power. For as long as you remain intemperate, it is not you who has power over the belly, but the belly over you.
. Food is for the belly, and the belly is for food.
Gluttony is called the womb, not a member of our body; food - excessive consumption of food. So, the meaning of the words is this: excessive consumption of food is in friendship and kinship with gluttony, and vice versa. Both cannot lead us to Christ; on the contrary, those who are devoted to themselves are sent one to the other - immoderation to gluttony, and gluttony to immoderation.
. But it will destroy both.
Not the belly, but gluttony, and not food, but excess in food. In the word “destroy” some see a prediction about the state of the next century, that is, that there will be no need for either food or drink. If there is no moderate consumption of food there, then all the more will it abolish immoderation and gluttony. Having said that along with the abolition of food, the womb will also be abolished, he expressed the idea that along with satiation, the desire for more ceases. According to others, he sealed his admonition with a prayer that both immoderation and gluttony would be abolished, that is, stopped.
. The body is not for fornication, but for the Lord, and the Lord for the body.
From these words it is clear that the apostle is talking about gluttony in connection with the speech about fornication. For it should be said this way: the body is not for the meat and not for the belly. But that’s not what he said, but how?
. “not for fornication,” showing what happens as a consequence of bodily pleasures, namely fornication. And the meaning of his words is this: the body, he says, was not created to drown in pleasures and fall into fornication, but in order to obey Christ as its head, and the Lord rules it as its head.
God raised the Lord, and He will also resurrect us by His power. Do not be embarrassed when you hear that He has raised up the Lord; for the apostle speaks thus, condescending to them as to infants. And since everyone unanimously had the highest concepts about the Father as the source; then the apostle attributes the resurrection to the Father, and declares that He will resurrect us too. For just as He raised up our head, I mean Christ, so He will also raise up the other parts of the body, that is, us. Further, in support of his words, he added: “by His power,” as if to say: do not doubt what I say, for the power of God, which accomplishes great things, will accomplish this too. And that the resurrection of Christ refers to the Father as the culprit is clear from what the Lord said about Himself:“Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up”
. (). And it is also written about Him that He revealed Himself alive (). So, although He raised Himself, this deed is attributed to the Father as the culprit.
Again he turns to the previously offered admonition regarding fornication. Meanwhile, he arms his word with great horrors.
. So shall I take away the members of Christ in order to make their members of a harlot?
He didn’t say: join with a harlot, but what’s worse, "to make members of a harlot". In fact, who would not be horrified to hear these words, that is, to tear off members from Christ and make them members of a harlot?
. It won't happen! Or don’t you know that he who has sex with a harlot becomes one body? with her? for it is said: the two will become one flesh.
It shows what has been said, that is, how the members of Christ become members of the harlot. Through communication, he says, a man becomes one with a harlot; therefore his members, who were members of Christ, become members of the harlot.
. And he who is united with the Lord is one spirit with the Lord.
Look how the very names of the harlot and Christ continue and strengthen the accusation. Says that "united with the Lord" is done by nothing other than the “spirit,” since it does not do anything carnal, that is, it becomes spiritual. For unity with the Lord gives him the sanctification of the Spirit. In these words he also showed how the faithful become members of Christ.
Flee fornication.
It instructs us to avoid fornication, as if it were some kind of persecutor, from which we cannot be safe for a single minute, and to strain all our strength to refrain from it.
. Every sin that a person commits is outside the body, but the fornicator sins against his own body.
Fornication, he says, defiles the whole body, which is why those who commit fornication usually go to baths, testifying that their body is defiled. So, the fornicator sins against the body itself, desecrating and dirtying it. Although murder seems to be committed by the body, it does not defile the entire body; for you can throw a stone, or a tree, or any other substance, but it is impossible to commit fornication without the body: therefore it is always defiled. However, the apostle had the intention of presenting the severity of this sin in an enlarged form, since the present exhortation concerns it; for fornication is by no means a vice worse than all other vices. I know other solutions on this subject. This is the following decision: the fornicator sins against his own body in that he does not mix with the desire to produce children, as when he has intercourse with a lawful wife, but in vain he spoils it by pouring out semen and thereby weakens it. Another solution: the fornicator sins against the woman with whom he mixes, since through this she becomes his body; why, if he mixes with her illegally, then he sins against her. However, the decision of the great is the best: I mean, the first decision. Further, some, expressing doubt, ask: what? Doesn't envy dry out bodies? and again this question is resolved this way: envy is a passion, not an action. The Apostle now speaks of action (for these are his words: "every sin that a man commits"), and not about passion. In fact, envy is not produced by us, but happens in us.
. Do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who dwells in you, which you have from God?
It frightens even more - both by the greatness of the gift, that is, the Spirit, and by the dignity of the one who imparted the gift, that is, God. You, he says, are a temple, and a holy one at that: for you are the temple of the Holy Spirit. Do not desecrate the holy temple and do not make the gift of God useless; For from God you have the gift and the Spirit.
. And you are not your own. For you are bought dear at a price.
You, he says, are under the Lord and have nothing of your own; the body itself is not yours. "For you have been bought dear at a price", that is, the Blood of Christ. Therefore, your members are subject to another Master, and whatever He pleases, that is what their activity should be directed towards. Saying this does not destroy free will, but shows that God, by whom we have been redeemed, rightfully requires us to serve Himself.
. Therefore glorify God in your bodies.
Therefore, since you are bought, he says, glorify God in your body, that is, by doing good works with your body and keeping it holy and pure. For the glorification of God consists in when people see your good deeds and, as a result, glorify Him.
And in your souls.
He shows that it is not only the body that must avoid fornication, but also the soul, so as not to become mentally defiled (for he called thought the soul). The Gospel () also prohibits that adultery that remains only in the heart.
. Which are God's.
Constantly reminds us that we do not belong to ourselves, but are under the dominion of God, who redeemed both our soul and body.
Comments on Chapter 6
INTRODUCTION TO 1 CORINTHIANS
THE GREATNESS OF CORINTH
Just one glance at the map shows that Corinth was destined for an important place. Southern Greece is almost an island. In the west, the Gulf of Corinth juts deep into the land, and in the east it borders the Sardonic Gulf. And so, on this narrow isthmus, between two bays, stands the city of Corinth. This position of the city inevitably led to Corinth becoming one of the greatest trade and commercial centers of the ancient world. All communication routes from Athens and northern Greece to Sparta and the Peloponnesian Peninsula passed through Corinth.
Not only communication routes between southern and northern Greece passed through Corinth, but most of the trade routes from the western to the eastern Mediterranean. The southernmost point of Greece was known as Cape Malea (now Cape Matapan). It was a dangerous cape, and “to go around Cape Malea” sounded in those days the same way as “to go around Cape Horn” sounded later. The Greeks had two sayings that clearly showed their opinion on this: “Let him who sails around Malea forget his home,” and “Let him who sails around Malea first make his will.”
As a result, the sailors chose one of two paths. They sailed up the Sardonic Gulf and, if their ships were small enough, dragged them across the isthmus and then lowered them into the Gulf of Corinth. The isthmus was called Diolkos - a place through which one is dragged. If the ship was too large, then the cargo was unloaded and carried by porters across the isthmus to another ship standing on the other side of the isthmus. These seven kilometers across the isthmus, where the Corinth Canal now passes, shortened the journey by 325 km, and eliminated the dangers of traveling around Cape Malea.
It is clear what a major commercial center Corinth was. Communication between southern and northern Greece passed through it. Communication between the eastern and western Mediterranean, even more intense, was most often carried out through the isthmus. There were three other cities around Corinth: Leheule - on the west coast, Cenchrea - on the east coast, and Scoenus - a short distance from Corinth. Farrar writes: "Luxury goods soon appeared in the markets visited by all the peoples of the civilized world - Arabian balsam, Phoenician dates, ivory from Libya, Babylonian carpets, goat's down from Cilicia, wool from Laconia, slaves from Phrygia."
Corinth, as Farrar puts it, was the vanity fair of the ancient world. People called it the Greek Bridge, it was also called the Hot Spot of Greece. Someone once said that if a person stands still enough for a long time in Piccadilly Circus in London, he may eventually see every inhabitant of the country. Corinth was the Piccadilly of the Mediterranean. In addition to this, the Isthmian Games were also held there, which were second only to the Olympic Games in their fame. Corinth was a rich, populous city, one of the largest trading centers of the ancient world.
THE DECISION OF CORINTH
Corinth gained worldwide fame due to its commercial prosperity, but it also became the personification of immoral life. The very word “Corinthian,” that is, living the Corinthian way, became part of Greek language and meant leading a drunken and depraved life. This word was included in English language, and during the regency, Corinthians were the name given to young people who led a riotous and reckless lifestyle. The Greek writer Aelian says that if a Corinthian ever appeared on stage in a Greek drama, he was sure to be drunk. The very name Corinth was synonymous with revelry. The city was a source of evil known throughout the civilized world. The Acropolis hill rose above the isthmus, and on it stood a large temple of the goddess Aphrodite. At the temple lived a thousand priestesses of the goddess Aphrodite, priestesses of love, sacred prostitutes who came down from the Acropolis in the evenings and offered themselves to everyone for money on the streets of Corinth, until the Greeks had a new saying: “Not every man can afford to go to Corinth.” In addition to these gross sins, even more subtle vices flourished in Corinth, which were brought with them by merchants and sailors from all over the then known world. And therefore Corinth became not only synonymous with wealth and luxury, drunkenness and intemperance, but also synonymous with abomination and debauchery.
HISTORY OF CORINTH
The history of Corinth is divided into two periods. Corinth - ancient city. Thucydides, the ancient Greek historian, states that the first triremes, Greek warships, were built in Corinth. According to legend, the ship of the Argonauts was built in Corinth Argo. But in 235 BC, tragedy befell Corinth. Rome was busy conquering the world. When the Romans tried to conquer Greece, Corinth led the resistance. But the Greeks could not withstand the disciplined and well-organized Roman army, and in the same year, General Lucius Mummius captured Corinth and turned it into a pile of ruins.
But a place with such a geographical position could not remain empty forever. Almost exactly one hundred years after the destruction of Corinth, in 35 BC, Julius Caesar restored it from ruins, and Corinth became a Roman colony. Moreover, it became the capital, the center of the Roman province of Achaia, which included almost all of Greece.
During the time of the Apostle Paul, the population of Corinth was very diverse.
1) Veterans of the Roman army lived in it, who were settled here by Julius Caesar. After serving his term, the soldier received Roman citizenship, after which he was sent to some new city and given a plot of land to settle there. Such Roman colonies were established all over the world, and the main backbone of the population in them were veterans of the regular Roman army, who received Roman citizenship for their faithful service.
2) As soon as Corinth was revived again, merchants returned to the city, since its excellent geographical position gave him significant advantages.
3) Among the population of Corinth there were many Jews. The newly built city offered excellent commercial prospects, and they were eager to take advantage of them.
4) Small groups of Phoenicians, Phrygians and peoples from the east also lived there, with strange and historical manners. Farrar puts it this way: "It was a mixed and heterogeneous population, consisting of Greek adventurers and Roman townspeople, with a corrupting admixture of Phoenicians. There lived a mass of Jews, retired soldiers, philosophers, merchants, sailors, freedmen, slaves, artisans, merchants, brokers." . He characterizes Corinth as a colony without aristocracy, traditions, or established citizens.
And so, knowing that the past of Corinth and its very name were synonymous with wealth and luxury, drunkenness, debauchery and vice, let us read 1 Cor. 6,9-10:
“Or 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 wicked people, nor homosexuals,
Neither thieves, nor the covetous, nor drunkards, nor slanderers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God.”
In this hotbed of vice, in the most, it would seem, unsuitable city for this in all of Greece, Paul performed one of his greatest deeds, and in it one of greatest victories Christianity.
PAUL IN CORINTH
Apart from Ephesus, Paul remained in Corinth longer than in any other city. At the risk of his life, he left Macedonia and moved to Athens. Here he did not achieve much, and therefore went further to Corinth, where he remained for eighteen months. It will become clearer to us how little we know about his work when we learn that all the events about these eighteen months are summarized in 17 verses (Acts 18,1-17).
Upon his arrival in Corinth, Paul settled with Aquila and Priscilla. He preached with great success in the synagogue. After the arrival of Timothy and Silas from Macedonia, Paul redoubled his efforts, but the Jews were so hostile and implacable that he had to leave the synagogue. He moved to Just, who lived next door to the synagogue. The most famous of those converted by him to the faith of Christ was Crispus, the ruler of the synagogue; and among the people, Paul’s preaching also had great success.
In 52, a new governor, the Roman Gallio, known for his charm and nobility, arrived in Corinth. The Jews tried to take advantage of his ignorance and kindness and brought Paul to his trial, accusing him of “teaching people to honor God not according to the law.” But Gallio, in accordance with the impartiality of Roman justice, refused to examine their accusation and did not take any measures. Therefore, Paul was able to complete his work here and then went to Syria.
CORRESPONDENCE WITH CORINTH
While in Ephesus, Paul learned in 55 that not all was well in Corinth, and therefore wrote to the church community there. It is likely that the Corinthian correspondence of Paul that we have is incomplete and that its layout is broken. It must be remembered that it was not until the year 90 or so that Paul's letters and epistles were first collected. It seems that they were available in various church communities only on pieces of papyrus and, therefore, were difficult to collect. When the letters to the Corinthians were collected, they apparently were not all found, they were not collected completely, and they were not arranged in the original sequence. Let's try to imagine how this all happened.
1) There was a letter written before 1 Corinthians. IN 1 Cor. 5:9 Paul writes: “I wrote to you in my letter not to associate with fornicators.” Obviously, this is a reference to a previously written letter. Some scholars believe that this letter was lost without a trace. Others believe that it is contained in 2 Cor. 6.14-7.1. Indeed, this passage echoes the above theme. In the context of the Second Epistle to the Corinthians, this passage is somehow not readable. If we move directly from 2 Cor. 6.13 ko 2 Cor. 7.2, we will see that the meaning and connection are perfectly preserved. Scholars call this passage the "Previous Message." Initially, the messages were not divided into chapters and verses. The division into chapters was not undertaken before the thirteenth century, and the division into verses not earlier than the sixteenth. Therefore, organizing the collected letters presented great difficulties.
2) Various sources told Paul that all was not well in Corinth. a) Such information came from Chloe’s household ( 1 Cor. 1.11). They reported quarrels tearing apart the church community. b) This news reached Paul and with the arrival of Stephen, Fortunatus and Achaic in Ephesus ( 1 Cor. 16,17). Which personal contacts complemented the current state of affairs. c) This information came with a letter in which the Corinthian community asked Paul to give instructions on various issues. 1 Cor. 7.1 begins with the words "What have you written to me about..." In response to all these messages, Paul wrote the First Epistle to the Corinthians and sent it to the Corinthian church with Timothy ( 1 Cor. 4,17).
3) This letter caused, however, a further deterioration in relations between the members of the church, and although we have no written information about this, we can conclude that Paul personally visited Corinth. In 2 Cor. 12:14 we read: "And in third time I'm ready to come to you." In 2 Cor. 13,1,2 he writes to them again that he will come to them the third time. Well, if there was a third visit, then there should have been a second. We only know about one thing, stated in Acts 18.1-17. We have no information about Paul's second visit to Corinth, but it was only two or three days' sailing from Ephesus by ship.
4) This visit did not lead to anything good. Things only escalated and eventually Paul wrote a stern letter. We learn about him from some passages in Second Corinthians. IN 2 Cor. 2:4 Paul writes: “Out of great sorrow and troubled heart I wrote to you with many tears...” In 2 Cor. 7:8 he writes: “Therefore, if I saddened you with the message, I do not regret it, although I did regret it; for I see that that message saddened you, however, for a while.” This letter, as a result of mental suffering, was so severe that he was saddened to send it.
Scientists call this message A stern message. Do we have it? Obviously, this is not 1 Corinthians because it is not heartbreaking or harrowing. It is also obvious that at the time of writing this message the situation was not hopeless. If we now reread the Second Epistle to the Corinthians, we will encounter a strange circumstance. From chapters 1-9, complete reconciliation is visible, but from chapter 10 a sharp change occurs. Chapters 10-13 contain the most heartbreaking things Paul ever wrote. They clearly show that he was deeply hurt, that he was insulted as never before or since. His appearance, his speech, his apostleship, his honor are attacked and criticized.
Most scholars believe that chapters 10-13 are the Strict Epistle, and that it was misplaced in the compilation of Paul's epistles. If we want to have an accurate understanding of Paul's correspondence with the Corinthian church, we need to read chapters 10-13 of 2 first, and chapters 1-9 after them. We know that Paul sent the Stern Letter to Corinth with Titus ( 2 Cor. 2, 13; 7,13).
5) Paul was concerned about everything connected with this letter. He couldn't wait for Titus to return with an answer and went to meet him (2 Cor. 2.13; 7.5.13). He met him somewhere in Macedonia and learned that everything had turned out well and, perhaps, in Philippi, he wrote the Second Epistle to the Corinthians, chapters 1-9, a letter of reconciliation.
Stalker said that Paul's letters lift the veil of obscurity from early Christian communities, telling us what was happening within them. This statement best characterizes the letters to the Corinthians. Here we see what the words “caring for all the churches” meant to Paul. We see here both a broken heart and joy. We see Paul, the shepherd of his flock, taking their concerns and sorrows to heart.
CORRESPONDENCE WITH CORINTH
Before you start detailed analysis messages, we will compile a chronology of correspondence with the Corinthian community.
1) The previous message which, May be, amounts to 2 Cor. 6,4-7,1.
2) The arrival of the household of Chloe, Stephen, Fortunatus and Achaic and Paul’s receipt of the message to the Corinthian church.
3) In response to all this, the First Epistle to the Corinthians was written and sent with Timothy to Corinth.
4) The situation worsens even more, and Paul personally visits Corinth. This visit turns out to be unsuccessful. It weighed heavily on his heart.
5) As a result of this, Paul writes a Stern Epistle, which is likely. composes chapters 10-13 of 2 Corinthians , and it was sent with Titus.
6) Unable to bear waiting for an answer, Paul sets out on the road to meet Titus. He meets him in Macedonia, learns that everything has been formed and, perhaps, in Philippi writes chapters 1-9 of the Second Epistle to the Corinthians: A message of reconciliation.
In the first four chapters of First Corinthians The issue of dissension in God's church in Corinth is addressed. Instead of being united in Christ, it was split into sects and parties identifying themselves with various Christian leaders and teachers. It was Paul's teaching that caused this schism, due to the fact that the Corinthians thought too much about human wisdom and knowledge and too little about the pure mercy of God. In reality, despite all their supposed wisdom, they were still in an immature state. They thought they were wise, but in reality they were no better than children.
THE STUPIDITY OF LEGAL PROCEEDINGS (1 Cor. 6:1-8)
Now Paul deals with a problem that applies to the Greeks. The Jews usually did not go to public court to sue; the issue was decided by the village elders or the synagogue elders; in their understanding, justice was more a matter requiring family resolution than judicial. In fact, Jewish law generally prohibited Jews from bringing litigation before a non-Jewish court; such an act was considered blasphemy and a violation of the sacred law of God. Among the Hellenes, the situation was completely different: they were specifically committed to legal proceedings. Courts were also one of their main entertainments.
By studying the details of Athenian legislation, we see what a large role the courts played in the life of every Athenian citizen, and the situation in Corinth was not much different from Athens. In Athens, they first tried to resolve the dispute in a private arbitration court - arbitration. In this case, each party chose one arbitrator, and the third was chosen by agreement of both parties. He was supposed to be an impartial judge. If arbitration could not resolve the dispute, the case went to a court called forty. The court of forty referred the case to public arbitration, and all Athenians over the age of sixty acted as public arbiters; any of them chosen as an arbitrator was obliged to speak, whether he liked it or not, under pain of punishment - deprivation of the right to vote. If the case could not be resolved in this instance, it was referred to the jury, consisting of two hundred and one people and considered disputes and claims for an amount equivalent to 50 pounds sterling or less. The court of four hundred and one people heard disputes and claims in excess of 50 pounds sterling. Of course, there were other jury trials with the number of jurors from one thousand to six thousand Athenian citizens aged thirty years. They received payment for their service. The citizens of Athens who had the right to serve as jurors assembled in the morning, and lots decided who would sit in court when the case was heard.
Apparently, in Greek cities, every citizen was a lawyer to one degree or another and spent most of his time sitting in court as a listener or deciding a dispute. The Greeks were known for their passion for going to court. It is therefore natural that some Greeks introduced litigation into the church, which clearly shocked Paul. His Jewish background and upbringing made him violently opposed to such practices, and his Christian principles strengthened him in this opinion. “How,” he asked, “does anyone among you, when dealing with another, dare to sue the wicked?”
What struck Paul even more about all this was that in the future the Messiah would judge the nations, and the saints would take part in the judgment. IN Wisdom of Solomon 3:8 says: "They will judge the nations and rule over the nations." IN Book of Enoch 108:12 says: "I will exalt those who loved My Name, clothed with bright light, and I will set everyone on his throne of honor." Therefore Paul asks: “If you are ever going to judge the world, even if angels, the highest creatures, are subject to your judgment, how can you, in the name of all this, submit your affairs to the judgment of men, and that of the Gentiles?
If you must do it,” he says, “do it within the church, and leave the judgment to people of whom you have a low opinion, because no one who is destined to judge the world will take up the task of solving petty everyday squabbles.”
And suddenly Paul comes to a great and extremely important principle. In general, going to court, and especially going to court with a brother in Christ, means falling far below the standards established by Christianity. Long before this, Plato said that a pious man would rather suffer unjustly than act unjustly. If a Christian has even a shadow of Christ in his heart, he will be more likely to bear the insult, the loss, and the harm done to him than to try to turn it all against another. Moreover, if this other is his brother in Christ. Revenge is not a Christian thing at all. Business relationship Christians are not determined by the desire to receive reward. He does not resort to judicial rules to achieve justice, but is guided by a spirit of love, which reminds him to live in peace with his brothers in Christ, and will not allow him to stoop so low as to go to court to litigate.
AND SO WERE SOME OF YOU (1 Cor. 6:9-11)
Paul gives a terrible list of sins, which is a dark commentary on the debauched and depraved civilization in which the Corinthian church grew up. Some sins are unpleasant to talk about at all, but we need to look at them in order to see in what environment the early Christian church arose and developed, and to be convinced that human nature has not changed much since then.
Among them fornicators and adulterers. We have already seen that sexual immorality was the norm of pagan life, and the virtues of chastity and virginity were almost unknown to them. A particularly obscene word fornicators, meaning prostituted men. In the corrupt atmosphere of Corinth, it was obviously difficult to be a Christian.
Were among them idolaters. The largest building in Corinth was the temple of Aphrodite, the goddess of love, in which idolatry and immorality flourished, walking hand in hand. Idolatry is a sad example of what happens when we try to simplify religion. After all, the idol was not originally a god, but only a symbol of God. Its function was to facilitate the worship of the god by creating a material object in which he was incarnated. But very soon people began to worship not the god behind the idol, but the idol itself. This is one of the constant dangers that people begin to worship the symbol rather than the reality behind it.
There were malakia. Word malakos means a soft, pampered, effeminate person who has lost his masculinity and lives for the pleasure of secret vices. We can say that he was mired in luxury and lost all ability to resist the vice of pleasure. Odysseus and his sailors, having arrived on the island of Circe, went ashore where lotus flowers grew. A person who ate such a lotus flower forgot his home and his loved ones, and wanted to live forever where “there was eternal noon.” He no longer had those healthy joys that a person gets from “climbing waves that pile on top of each other.” Malakia - a sensualist striving for a life where it is always noon.
There were the thieves, scourge of the ancient world. It was very easy to rob houses, because they were poorly protected. Thieves and robbers most often attacked bathhouses and gyms, where they stole the clothes of those swimming or exercising. Slaves who had special valuable qualities were also often stolen. The legislation shows us how complex this problem was. Three types of theft were punishable by death: 1) Theft with a value of over 50 drachmas; 2) thefts from baths and gyms, valued at 10 drachmas; 3) night thefts. Christians lived among this thieving population.
There were drunkards. Paul uses the word mephos, meaning rampant drunkenness. After all, in ancient Hellas, even small children drank wine. The Greeks called breakfast akratisma and consisted of bread soaked in wine. The widespread consumption of wine was also caused by poor water supply. But the Greeks were a sober people, because their drink consisted of three parts wine and two parts water. But in rich and luxurious Corinth, unbridled wine drinking became the norm.
There were predators and robbers. Both of these words are interesting: to convey the concept predators Paul uses the word pleonectes, which means, according to the Hellenic definition, “a spirit constantly striving to subjugate more and more, seizing even what it has no right to.” This is aggressive acquisition. This is not the spirit of miserliness, for the predator strives to acquire in order to spend so as to live in even greater luxury and pleasure. The predator doesn't care at all at whom he took away just to gain. Word robbers - haprax, means grab. It is interesting to note that this word is used in relation to a special type of wolf, as well as grappling hooks, with which they grabbed the sides of ships during battle. This is the spirit of an invader using brutal cruelty. The most unnatural sin is mentioned at the end. Sin sodomy penetrated Greece like a cancerous tumor, and captured Rome from Greece. It is difficult for us to imagine how widespread this sin was in ancient world. Even this great person how Socrates was a homosexual. It is known that Plato’s dialogue (Symposium), one of the world’s greatest works about love, is dedicated not to natural, but to unnatural love. Fourteen of the first fifteen Roman emperors indulged in this vice. When Paul wrote this epistle, the emperor Nero was ruling in Rome, who took a boy named Sporus and castrated him, then he married him with all the wedding ceremony, brought him in a wedding procession to his palace and lived with him as his wife. In his rampant depravity, Nero married another man named Pythagoras, and called him her husband. When Emperor Nero was eliminated and Otto ascended the throne, the first thing he did was take Sporus into his own possession. Later, the name of Emperor Hadrian was associated with a young man from Bithynia named Antinous. He lived with him inseparably. After his death, Emperor Hadrian gave him divine honors, decorated the world with his statues, and named a star after him. Thus he perpetuated this sin. In this vice, the world during the time of the early Christian church lost all sense of shame. Undoubtedly, this vice was one of the most important reasons for the degeneration and final decline of this civilization.
Citing this terrible list of natural and unnatural vices, Paul triumphantly exclaims: “and such were some of you.” Christianity can be judged by its strength. Christianity could turn the scum of humanity into people. It could make children of God people who had previously lost all sense of shame. In Corinth, as throughout the world, there were people who were living witnesses to the power of Christ. The power of the Lord is as strong as ever. No one can change himself; only Christ can change him. There is a striking difference between the pagan and Christian literature of that time. Seneca, a contemporary of Paul, cries out that people long for “a hand that has fallen to lift them up.” “People,” he writes, “are highly aware of their weakness and inability to cope with their most pressing problems.” “People love their vices,” he says in despair, “and at the same time hate them.” He called himself homo non golerabilis, that is, an unbearable person. And into this world, conscious of its inevitable decline, which nothing could stop, entered the radiant power of the Christian religion, which had the victorious ability to renew everything.
BOUGHT AT A HIGH PRICE (1 Cor. 6:12-20)
Paul begins to address a number of problems, and ends with the battle cry: “Glorify God in your body.”
The Hellenes have always had a somewhat condescending attitude towards the body. They had a saying: "The body is the grave." Epictetus said: “My poor soul is bound by my body.” The soul, the spirit of a person, was considered important; The Greeks considered the body an unimportant element. From this, one of two views was established: For some, it was expressed as severe asceticism, which did everything to suppress and humiliate all physical desires and instincts. Others - and this second point of view dominated in Corinth - reduced everything to the fact that if the body does not represent any value or importance, you can do whatever you want with it, you can satisfy all its desires. This picture was further complicated by the theory of Christian freedom preached by the Apostle Paul. After all, if a Christian is the freest of all people, then can’t he do whatever he pleases, especially with his body, which has no value?
Therefore, the Corinthians reasoned, as it seemed to them, very cleverly and reasonably: let the body live as it pleases. But what is it intended for? The stomach is for digesting food, and food is for the stomach. Food and stomach are naturally and inevitably destined for each other. In the same way, the body is intended to satisfy instincts, that is, to perform sexual intercourse, and sexual intercourse is intended for the body. So let the desires do as they are destined to do as they see fit.
Paul's answer is clear: the stomach and food are transitory things. The day will come when both the belly and food will disappear into oblivion. But the human body, man, personality, as a whole, will not go into oblivion. Man was created for unity with Christ in this world and for an even closer unity in the other world. What happens if a person commits the sin of fornication? He will give his body to a harlot, for the Scripture says: “The two will become one flesh.” (Gen. 2.24). This means that the body that actually belongs to Christ has been given to someone else.
Let us note that Paul does not write a systematic work, but preaches, pleads with a burning heart, using every suitable argument. He says that of all sins, fornication is the most terrible sin, afflicting and humiliating the human body. In essence, drinking can do the same thing. But Paul is not writing a test on logic, but to save the souls and bodies of the Corinthians. Therefore, he argues that all other sins are external to the body, and with this sin a person sins against his own body, designed for union with Christ.
Then Paul cries: it is because the Spirit of God lives in us that we have become the temple of God, and therefore our very body is sacred. This is all the more so because Christ died not to save some part of a person, but his whole, body and soul. Christ died to give man a redeemed soul and a purified body. Therefore, a man's body does not belong to himself, and he cannot do with it what he pleases; it belongs to Christ, and therefore man should use his body not to satisfy his own lust, but to the glory of Christ. There are two important thoughts in this:
1) Paul insists that while a Christian is free to do everything, he will not allow himself to be enslaved by anything. The essence of the Christian faith is not so much that it frees a person from sin, but that it gives him freedom Not sin. It's so easy to let habits take over, but our Christian faith gives us the strength to overcome them. When a person is truly converted, he ceases to be a slave of the body and becomes its master. A person often says: “I will do what I want,” meaning that he will indulge in his habits or passions that have taken possession of him. Only when a person receives the power of Christ can he say: “I will do what I want,” and not “I will satisfy the desires that possess me.”
2) Paul states that we are not our own. There is no man in this world who created himself.
A Christian does not think about his rights, but about his duty. He can never do what he wants because he does not belong to himself; he will always do what Christ wants, because Christ bought him at the cost of His life.
Corinthians 7-15 deal with a number of issues that the Corinthian church wrote to Paul about, seeking his advice. Paul begins this section with the phrase: “What you wrote to me about is...” On modern language it would sound like this: “referring to your letter...” We will look at each problem individually when we come to it. Chapter 7 discusses questions about marriage. Here is a short list of questions that interested the Corinthian church, to which Paul answered.
Verses 1 and 2: Advice to those who thought that Christians should not marry at all. Verses 3-7: Advice to those who insist that even those who are married should abstain from each other. Verses 8 and 9: Advice to the unmarried and to widows. Verses 10 and 11: Advice to those who believe that married people should divorce. Verses 12-17: advice to those who think that if one of the spouses is a Christian and the other a pagan, then this marriage should be dissolved. Verses 18-24: Advice for living a Christian life, no matter what state a Christian is in. Verses 25 and 36-38: Advice regarding virgins. Verses 26-35: A plea that nothing should hinder Christians from concentrating in their service to Christ, for time is short, and He will soon come again. Verses 38-40: advice to those wishing to get married again.
This chapter should be studied thoroughly for two reasons:
1) Paul wrote to Corinth, which was the most immoral city in the world at that time. Living in such an environment, it was better to adhere to stricter rather than looser rules.
2) In each answer, the dominant belief is that the Second Coming of Christ must occur in the near future. Although this expectation was not realized, Paul was convinced that the advice he was giving was only temporary. If he had known that he was giving advice for a long time, it would undoubtedly sound different. Let's look at the chapter in detail.
Commentary (introduction) to the entire book of 1 Corinthians
Comments on Chapter 6
A fragment of church history, the like of which does not exist. Weisecker
Introduction
I. SPECIAL POSITION IN THE CANON
1 Corinthians is a "book of problems" in the sense that Paul addresses the problems ("As for...") facing the community in the wicked city of Corinth. In this capacity, the book is especially needed for today's churches, torn apart by problems. Separation, hero worship of leaders, immorality, disputes over the law, marriage problems, questionable practices and regulations regarding spiritual gifts are all addressed here. However, it would be wrong to think that the entire book is devoted to problems! This same Epistle contains the most beautiful work about love not only in the Bible, but in all world literature (chapter 13); wonderful teaching about the resurrection - both Christ's and ours (chapter 15); teachings on the sacrament (chapter 11); commandment to take part in material donations. Without this Message we would be much poorer. It is a treasure trove of practical Christian teaching.
All scholars agree that the First Epistle to the Corinthians that we have named came from the pen of Paul. Some (mainly liberal) researchers believe that there are some “alien insertions” in the letter, but these subjective assumptions are not supported by manuscript evidence. 1 Corinthians 5:9 appears to refer to a previous (non-canonical) letter from Paul that was misunderstood by the Corinthians.
External evidence in favor of 1 Corinthians is very early. Clement of Rome (c. 95 AD) speaks of the book as “the epistle of the blessed Apostle Paul.” The book was also quoted by such early church authors as Polycarp, Justin Martyr, Athenagoras, Irenaeus, Clement of Alexandria and Tertullian. It is included in the list of the Muratori canon and follows the Epistle to the Galatians in Marcion's heretical canon, the Apostolikon.
Internal evidence also very strong. Besides the fact that the author himself calls himself Paul in 1.1 and 16.21, his arguments in 1.12-17; 3,4.6.22 also prove Pauline authorship. The coincidences with Acts and other letters of Paul and the strong spirit of sincere apostolic concern rule out forgery and make the case for the authenticity of his authorship more than sufficient.
III. WRITING TIME
Paul tells us that he is writing from Ephesus (16:8-9, cf. v. 19). Since he labored there for three years, it is most likely that 1 Corinthians was written in the latter half of this long ministry, sometime in 55 or 56 AD. e. Some scholars date the Epistle even earlier.
IV. PURPOSE OF WRITING AND TOPIC
Ancient Corinth was (and is) located in southern Greece, west of Athens. During the time of Paul, its location was advantageous: trade routes passed through the city. It became a major center of international trade, with a lot of transport coming into it. Since the religion of the people was perverted, the city soon turned into a center of the worst forms of immorality, so that the very name “Corinth” became the personification of everything unclean and sensual. It had a reputation for being so debauched that it even coined a new verb "korinthiazomai", meaning "lead a vicious lifestyle".
The Apostle Paul first visited Corinth during his second missionary journey (Acts 18). At first he, with Priscilla and Aquila, who, like him, made tents, worked among the Jews. But when the majority of Jews rejected his preaching, he turned to the Corinthian pagans. Souls were saved by the preaching of the Gospel, and a new church was formed.
About three years later, while Paul was preaching in Ephesus, he received a letter from Corinth reporting serious problems facing the community. The letter also asked various questions about the Christian life. In response to this letter, he wrote First Epistle to the Corinthians.
The theme of the Epistle is how to correct the worldly and carnal church, which takes lightly those attitudes, mistakes and actions that so worried the Apostle Paul. As Moffatt aptly puts it, “the church was in the world, as it should be, but the world was in the church, which it should not be.”
Because this situation is still not uncommon in some communities, the significance of 1 Corinthians remains enduring.
Plan
I. INTRODUCTION (1.1-9)
A. Greeting (1,1-3)
B. Thanksgiving (1.4-9)
II. TROUBLES IN THE CHURCH (1.10 - 6.20)
A. Divisions among believers (1.10 - 4.21)
B. Immorality among believers (Chapter 5)
B. Litigation between believers (6:1-11)
D. Moral laxity among believers (6:12-20)
III. THE APOSTLE'S ANSWER TO QUESTIONS ABOUT THE CHURCH (Ch. 7 - 14)
A. About marriage and celibacy (Chapter 7)
B. About food sacrificed to idols (8.1 - 11.1)
B. About the veil for women (11.2-16)
D. About the Lord's Supper (11:17-34)
D. About the gifts of the Spirit and their use in the Church (Ch. 12 - 14)
IV. PAUL'S ANSWER TO THOSE DENYING THE RESURRECTION (Ch. 15)
A. Certainty of the resurrection (15:1-34)
B. Refutation of the arguments against the resurrection (15:35-57)
B. Final Call in Light of the Resurrection (15.58)
V. FINAL INSTRUCTIONS (Ch. 16)
A. About fees (16.1-4)
B. About my personal plans (16.5-9)
B. Final instructions and greetings (16:10-24)
B. Litigation between believers (6:1-11)
The first eleven verses of chapter 6 talk about litigation between believers. Word reached Paul that some Christians were planning to sue their fellow believers by appealing to the judges of this world. Therefore, he gives instructions that have lasting value for the Church. Notice the repetition of the words “know ye not” (vv. 2, 3, 9, 15, 16, 19).
6,1 The opening question expresses shock and amazement that one of the believers could entertain the idea of bringing his brother to trial from the wicked, that is, from unbelieving judges or officials. Paul believes that those who know true righteousness would be inconsistent if they appeared before people who were not righteous. Imagine Christians seeking justice from those who have nothing to give!
6,2 Another glaring manifestation of inconsistency is that people who once will judge the world unable to judge unimportant matters among themselves. Scripture teaches that believers will reign with Christ over the earth when He returns in power and glory, and the works to be judged are committed to Him. If Christians will judge the world Can't they really settle their petty quarrels that are arising among them now?
6,3 Paul reminds the Corinthians that they will judge angels. It is striking how the apostle introduces such an important statement into the text. Without any fanfare or praise, he speaks of the amazing fact that Christians will one day judge angels. We know from the Epistle of Jude (verse 6), and the 2nd Epistle of Peter (2.4.9) that the angels will be judged. We also know that Christ will judge them (John 5:22). It may be said of us that in the day to come we will judge the angels because we are in union with Christ. If we are competent enough to judge angels, then we should be able to understand everyday everyday problems facing us.
6,4 And you, when you have everyday disputes, appoint as your judges those who mean nothing in the church. In many translations this sentence sounds affirmative, but it is better understood as a question. Paul asks whether Christians bring their conflicts to the judgment of worldly people. The local church should not hold unbelieving judges in high esteem or give them places of honor. They are, of course, respected for the work they do in the world, but matters concerning the church are beyond their competence. Thus Paul asks the Corinthians: “When disputes arise between you that require an impartial court from a third party, do you leave the Church, do you submit yourself to the judgment of people for whom the Church does not recognize spiritual insight?”
6,5 Paul says this to make them be ashamed. Is it really true that in a community that boasted of its wisdom and the abundance of spiritual gifts among its members, there is no one reasonable who would settle quarrels between your brothers?
6,6 Apparently, not a single reasonable person was found, since Brother Christian was going sue with his brother in Christ, bringing internal affairs before the judgment of the unbelieving world. Truly a sad situation!
6,7 Expression “and that’s already quite humiliating for you” shows that in this case they were completely wrong. They should not even entertain the idea of suing each other. But perhaps one of the Christians here could object: “Paul, you don’t understand, brother so-and-so deceived me in a business deal.” Pavel answers: "Why would you rather not remain offended? Why would you rather not endure hardships?" Such an attitude would be truly Christian. It is much better to endure evil than to create it.
6,8 But this was not the position of the Corinthians. Instead of patiently accepting evil and deception, they themselves offended others and even our own brothers in Christ.
6,9 Have they forgotten that will the unrighteous not inherit the kingdom of God? If they forgot, he will remind them of the list of sinners who will not be included in Kingdom of God. He does not mean here that Christians who commit these sins are lost; rather, he is saying that people who commit such sins are not Christians. (Some believe that there is a difference between entering the Kingdom and inheriting the Kingdom. They admit that a believer may not overcome the major sin in his life and still be saved. He will "enter" the Kingdom, but will receive a small inheritance (reward) in it, or will not receive it at all, however, in this passage. we're talking about about the unrighteous, that is, the unregenerate.)
In this list fornicators differ from adulterers because fornication is the illegal cohabitation of unmarried people, while adultery means such a relationship on the part of a married person. As in the two previous lists in Chapter 5, again mentioned idolaters. Under malakia this refers to sexual deviants who allow their bodies to be used, whereas homosexuals- these are those who themselves practice homosexuality, using others.
6,10 Paul adds to this list thieves, covetous people, drunkards, slanderers And predators. The thieves- these are those who take what does not belong to them. Please note that the sin of extortion is always listed among the most terrible vices. Although people may excuse him and not take him seriously, God strongly condemns him. Likhoimets is a person who passionately desires to own property, which often leads him to use illegal means to get what he wants. Drunkards Named mainly are those who abuse alcohol. Slanderers- these are people who speak evil of others. Predators- these are those who profit from the poverty or need of others, receiving exorbitant profits.
6,11 Paul does not mean that the Corinthian believers committed all these sins, but he reminds them that these were common to them before they believed: some of you were like that. But They washed, sanctified And justified. They washed from their sin and uncleanness by the precious Blood of Christ and were constantly washed from all filthiness by the Word of God. Separated from the world for God, they sanctified by the action of the Spirit of God. They you have been justified by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God; that is, they are declared righteous before God on the basis of what the Lord Jesus did for them on the cross. What is Paul proving here? This simple thought Gaudet put it well: “Having crossed this immeasurable abyss through grace, the Christian should not turn back and go back.”
D. Moral laxity among believers (6:12-20)
6,12 In the closing verses of this chapter the apostle lays down some principles for judging what is true and what is false. The first principle is that what is legal may not be useful. When Paul says: "Everything is permissible for me" it does not mean absolutely everything. Thus, it would not be permissible for him to commit the sins mentioned above. He talks here only about morally neutral things. For example, in Paul's time the question of whether a Christian should eat pork was a very pressing question. In essence, it had no moral significance. It didn't matter to God whether a person ate pork. Paul is simply saying here that certain things may be lawful but not beneficial. This may be something I am allowed to do, but if anyone else were to catch me doing this, they would be embarrassed by my actions. In this case, this is a completely unsuitable activity for me.
The second principle is that what is lawful can be subjugated. Paul states: "...nothing should possess me." Today this directly applies, for example, to alcohol, tobacco or drugs. They, like many other things, subjugate a person, and a Christian should not allow himself to fall into slavery.
6,13 The third principle states that the value of what is completely lawful for a believer may be transitory. Paul says: "Food is for the belly, and the belly is for food; but God will destroy both." It means that womb The human stomach (or stomach) is designed in such a way that it can receive and digest food. Moreover, God amazingly created food such that the human stomach can accept it. However, we should not live for food, because its value is transitory. It should not be given an inappropriate place in the life of a believer. Don't live as if the most important thing in life is to indulge your appetite.
That the body is wonderfully designed by God to receive and assimilate food is beyond doubt; But the body is not for fornication, A for the Lord, and the Lord for the body.
God never intended the human body to be used for base or unclean purposes. On the contrary, He planned to use it for the glory of the Lord and in His blessed service.
There is an amazing phrase in this verse that cannot be ignored. Not only body for the Lord; even more surprising is the thought that Lord for the body. This means that God is interested in the well-being and proper use of our bodies.
God wants our bodies to be presented to Him as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable (Rom. 12:1). As Erdman said, “Without the Lord the body would never have achieved its true dignity and immortality.” (Erdman, First Corinthians, p. 63.)
6,14 The meaning of the fact that the Lord is for the body is explained in more detail in this verse. God Not only resurrected from the dead Gentlemen, He He will also resurrect us by His power. His interest in our body does not end with death. He's going resurrect the body of every believer, likening it to the glorious body of the Lord Jesus. In eternity we will not be disembodied spirits. No, our spirit and soul will be reunited with our glorified body to enjoy the glory of heaven forever.
6,15 Wanting to emphasize more strongly the need to maintain personal purity in one's life and to guard the body from uncleanness, the apostle reminds us that body our are members of Christ. Every believer is a member of the Body of Christ. Is it possible then take away the members of Christ to make them the members of a harlot? To ask this question is to answer it, and Paul responds with indignation "It won't happen!"
6,16 During sexual intercourse, two bodies become one. This is what was said at the dawn of creation: "The two shall become one flesh"(Gen. 2:24). Since this is so, then the believer copulating with a harlot, makes the members of Christ the members of a harlot. Two become one body.
6,17 Just as two are united into one in a physical act, so is the believer in the Lord Jesus Christ connects with Him, and the union of the believer with Christ becomes such that one can already say about them "one spirit" This is the most perfect fusion of the two ever possible.
This is the closest union. Therefore Paul argues here that united with the Lord must never allow any union to conflict with this spiritual matrimony.
A. T. Pierson writes:
"A sheep can leave the flock, and a branch can be cut off from the vine; one of its members can be separated from the body, a child can be separated from its father, and even a wife from her husband; but when two spirits are fused into one, what can separate them? No external connection or a union, even a marriage, is not such a complete expression of the perfect merging of two lives into one.”(A. T. Pierson, Knowing the Scriptures, p. 147.)
6,18 This is why the apostle advises the Corinthians run fornication. They must not allow him, joke with him, study him, even talk about him. They need to run away from him! A wonderful illustration of this can be found in the Bible, in the story of Joseph, when Potiphar's wife tempted him to sin (Gen. 39). Sometimes it's safer to just run away rather than stay close to the temptation and try to resist it!
Paul then adds: “Every sin that a man commits is outside the body, but the fornicator sins against his own body.” Most sins do not directly affect the body, but fornication- a unique sin in the sense that it affects the body direct impact: a person reaps the fruits of his sin in his own body. Statement that any sin committed by a person outside his body causes difficulty.
We believe that the apostle's words here are relative. Most sins do not affect the human body, while gluttony and drunkenness, for example, do destroy it. But even gluttony or drunkenness does not have such a direct, extensive and destructive effect on the body as fornication. Sex outside of marriage will inevitably and uncontrollably produce destructive effects in the perpetrator.
6,19 Once again, Paul reminds the Corinthians that their calling is holy and majestic. Have they forgotten that their bodies are Temple of the Holy Spirit? The Scriptures contain an important truth: the Spirit of God dwells in every believer.
How can we even think of the body that inhabits Saint Spirit, use in sinful purposes? Not only our body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, but we too not yours. We do not have the right to dispose of our body as we please. Ultimately it does not belong to us, but to the Lord.
6,20 We are the Lord's both by creation and by redemption. Here special attention is paid to the latter. The Lord's dominion over us goes back to Calvary. We bought at a price.
We see the amount that the Lord Jesus valued us at on the cross. He considered us so valuable that He was willing to pay for us with His own precious Blood. How He must have loved us in order to bear our sins on the cross with His body!
With this in mind, I can no longer consider my body to be my own. If I want to dispose of it according to my will, I behave like a thief taking what does not belong to me. No, I have to glorify God in his body, for it belongs to Him.
Bates exclaims:
"Head! Think of Him whose forehead was crowned with thorns. Hands! Work for Him whose hands were nailed to the cross. Legs! Hasten to fulfill the commands of Him whose feet were pierced. My body! Be the temple of Him whose body was tormented by unspeakable torment ".(Edward Herbert Bates, Spiritual Thoughts from the Scriptures of Truth, London: Pickering and Indlis, n.d., p. 137.)
We must glorify God and in souls ours, for both the material and the immaterial in man belong to God. (In a number of translations there is no mention of “spirit” (“soul”).)