This week we shall be finishing the study of First
Corinthians of the New Testament.
Theme: Charismatic common-sense
Chapters 12 and 13 serve as an important foundation for the teaching in this chapter in that the Corinthians should pursue the greater gifts (12:31) of faith, hope and love. The greatest of these is love (13:13) and not tongue-speaking, the gift which they took pride in.
(1) Why are the Corinthians so eager to have spiritual gifts? What might be the reasons?
(2) Why do they appear to aspire more to speak in tongues than other gifts?
(3) From within this passage, record what you know about tongue-speaking:
a. Who enables tongue speaking?
b. To whom is it directed?
c. Who benefits from it?
d. Why then does Paul appear to be against it? Or is he?
(4) In contrast, record what you know about prophesying:
a. Who enables prophesying?
b. To whom it is directed?
c. Who benefits from it?
d. In what way(s) is it greater than tongue-speaking?
(5) What is the point Paul is trying to make using the flute, trumpet and foreign languages as analogies?
(6) Paul urges them to excel in gifts that build up the church. Of the list given by Paul in 12:28-31, which of these gifts do not fit this criterion?
(7) We aspire to having various gifts, but how can we have any of these gifts according to 12:11?
(8) What is the main message to you today and how may you apply it to your life?
Theme: Orderliness
(1) In public gatherings, why is it not enough to speak in tongues, to pray or to sing in the spirit?
(2) Is “spirit” not more important than “mind”?
(3) According to Paul, what is the original intent of the granting of the gift of tongue speaking when he quotes from Isaiah 28:11-12?
(4) How does Acts 2:1-12 fulfill this intent?
(5) How does Paul’s example in v.23 differ from the incident in Acts 2?
(6) Although prophecy (i.e. preaching) is meant for believers, Paul says it could also have an impact on non-believers. How can non-believers, through prophesying, know that “God is really among (us)!”?
(7) Although Paul appears to elevate prophesying above other gifts, it is more important that all be done in a proper manner. What principles does Paul lay down in vv. 26-33a for the church to conduct their gatherings?
(8) What is the main message to you today and how may you apply it to your life?
Theme: A balanced approach
This is a very controversial passage. Not only does it prohibit women in speaking, it is in direct conflict with Paul’s earlier teaching in 11:5 in which he obviously allows women to pray and prophesy, except that they must cover their heads. Many options have been proposed, but it appears the plainer explanation is that Paul will not contradict himself, especially within the same letter. Therefore, the prohibition here only seeks to clarify his earlier teaching and his effort to bring back order to the service within the church. Apart from disturbances caused by tongue-speaking and women praying and preaching with heads uncovered, there were other women in the church who, not having been given these gifts, sought to voice their questions aloud, thereby disrupt the order of the service.
Vv. 33b-35—Women are to be silent in the church
(1) Why does Paul mention that they are “the congregations of the saints”? What is its implication when it comes to the restoration of order in the service?
(2) As Paul addresses these women in the congregation, what can you discern from the text as to their purpose for speaking?
(3) Paul gives two reasons for prohibiting them to speak:
a. The Law (which is the general term for the OT) says so (presumably based on the order of creation).
b. Because such speaking (as in their case) is a reflection of a refusal to submit which is disgraceful.
Do you have problems with Paul’s teaching here? Why or why not?
If your answer has to do with culture, how much do you think Paul’s teaching is influenced by culture and how much is your view influenced by culture?
(4) Lenski writes, “If woman is now (i.e. in our time) assigned a different position, this is done, not by God, but by man, and by man in contradiction to God.” (Lenski, 617)
As Gordon Fee puts it, this complex issue (of women speaking in the church) “has been further complicated by the resurgence in the 1960s…of the feminist movement, both within and outside the church, so that many of the more recent studies on the text are specifically the result of that movement.” (Fee, 492)
What do you think of the comments of the above two scholars?
Vv.36-39—Everything should be fitting and orderly
(5) Paul closes with some strong words for those who might not agree with him. What is the basis of his charge? What is his warning?
(6) Paul ends with two overriding principles concerning church matters in v. 40. What are they and how can we apply to our church today?
(7) What is the main message to you today and how may you apply it to your life?
Theme: Resurrection (I)
(1) In v. 3, Paul succinctly repeats the basic tenets of the gospel:
a. What are they?
b. What has he repeated here? What might be the significance of this repetition?
(2) When it comes to Christ’s resurrection, what proofs does Paul give? Are they convincing? Why or why not?
(3) What are the implications of Christ’s resurrection, including the one alluded to by Paul in v. 12?
(4) Why did Paul say, “(I)f Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith?” (See v. 14)
(5) There are Christians who claim that whether there is life after death or not is not important to them.
a. How do verses18-19 answer them?
b. Why are we to be pitied more than all men?
(6) It appears that in Paul’s days, the doctrine of resurrection was being challenged not by non-believers, but by “some of you”, meaning Christians among the church of Corinth.
a. Why would they not believe in resurrection?
b. What then was their purpose of being a Christian?
(7) V. 13 appears to indicate that they might have believed in Christ’s resurrection, but they did not believe in their own resurrection. If that is so, what then would be the purpose of Christ’s own resurrection? What then, to these skeptics, was the meaning of salvation?
(8) If Christ has not risen, what will happen to our faith?
(9) How important is Christ’s resurrection and your own resurrection to you?
(10) “If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are to be pitied more than all men.” Why is that? Are you then living for this life or the next?
(11) What is the main message to you today and how may you apply it to your life?
Theme: Resurrection (II)
(1) How can we be sure that we, who belong to Christ, will be resurrected and when will it happen?
(2) What are the enemies whom Christ will destroy when He comes?
(3) Although the Trinity is a mystery to us in many ways, vv. 24-28 describe the mutual empowering of the Father and the Son. What can you learn from this mutual empowering?
(4) In vv. 29-34, Paul cites two examples of Christian living that demand the resurrection:
a) People who are baptized for the dead:
It is important that whatever interpretation we have for this verse, it has to be consistent with the overall teaching of the Scripture, because the Word of God cannot contradict itself. Therefore whatever it means it cannot mean that baptism is performed for those who had already died. Among the more likely explanations is that someone has believed and is baptized based on the belief that they will, as a result, be able to be reunited with their loved ones who had believed and passed away.
Do you have any loved ones in the Lord that you long to see?
How important is it to you that all who belong to Christ will be raised upon His return?
b) Paul risks his life “every hour”:
Why are the reasons for which Paul risked his life not “merely human reasons”?
Are you living for “merely human reasons” today?
How do the Corinthians show that they are not living for the hope of resurrection?
How should the sure hope of resurrection affect how you live today?
(5) What is the main message to you today and how may you apply it to your life?
Theme: Resurrection (III)
(1) What appears to be the reason for which some of the Corinthian Christians would object to resurrection? What have you come across as reasons that people use to object to the resurrection?
(2) What analogy does Paul use to show that death is not an end, but that it has its purpose?
(3) Why does Paul describe even earthly bodies as having “glory”?
(4) Though our earthly bodies, as created by God, do have glimpses of glory, what can we look forward to in our future heavenly bodies by contrast (vv. 42- 44)?
(5) In vv. 45-50, Paul goes on to show the incomparability of the second Adam to the first. What is most striking in this comparison? While our inheritance of the former is not by choice, what about our inheritance of the latter? How then shall we live, according to v. 49?
(6) Reflect on the final victory of Jesus Christ as revealed to us in vv. 51-57. Can you define “resurrection”? What might be the most precious or exciting part of Jesus’ return?
(7) With the sure hope of Jesus’ return and our resurrection, how then shall we live according to v. 58?
(8) What is the main message to you today and how may you apply it to your life?
Theme: Final Exhortations
Having answered the questions that these Corinthians had written about earlier, Paul now closes with some practical exhortations. He begins with his commitment (with Barnabas) to collect donations in Asia Minor for famine relief of the Jerusalem believers.
(1) How does Paul exhort them concerning their offering in terms of (a) how often, and (b) the way they should do it? What might be the key to his exhortation in this respect?
(2) How do you give (your offering) to the Lord? What can you learn from Paul’s advice?
(3) Who would be bearing these gifts to Jerusalem? What can you learn from the way Paul manages the money he collects from others?
(4) Why does Paul wish to stay in Ephesus longer? What can you learn from his decision?
(5) Why would Paul think that Timothy might have something to fear in Corinth? How might we inadvertently induce fear in the servants of the Lord?
(6) From Paul’s exhortation in vv. 13-20, can you tell in what areas these Corinthian believers need to change?
(7) Paul ends with a rare curse in v. 22. Why?
(8) As we reach the end of this rather unusual letter, it may be helpful
for you to flip through the pages of the previous chapters (or your notes). Consider the following:
a. What might be the most unusual features of this letter?
b. What might be the most important messages to you that may you apply to your life?