Reasons to Flee
by Sarah Wootten Corinth Missionary Baptist Church

If you remember from last week, we started the second half of 1 Corinthians 6 where believers are commanded to flee immorality. Paul, however, doesn’t just give the Christians a quick command to flee. Instead, he gives a list of principles to show them how immorality is unfitting for Christians. To us, this is a unique approach because many people have the idea that the Bible is just a list of commands. While there are many commands that must be followed, this isn’t the only thing that God provides for us. He also gives us principles to live by, and in this case, the principles show the “why” behind the command.

Living by Slogans

by Sarah Wootten Corinth Missionary Baptist Church

I used to carry around a small notebook. I filled it with quotes from books, sermons, friends, and songs that were impactful to me. After reading through it often and repeatedly, these quotes became a part of me. When a friend moved away, the words of Winnie the Pooh rang through my ears.

And such were some of you

by Sarah Wootten Corinth Missionary Baptist Church

Hypocrites. They drive us all crazy. If you want to insult someone, you call them a hypocrite. We’ve all witnessed one or two in our lifetimes. It’s the person who says one thing with his mouth, but his actions are completely opposite of what he says. Like a business owner who refuses to forgive a $5 debt right after he has been forgiven a $5 million dollar debt. Or the lady who says she adores her best friend when the friend is around, but then gossips about her at the beauty shop. And it’s when someone sings praises to God with their lips, and yet, disobeys God’s commands at every turn.

Stop Suing Yourself
by Sarah Wootten Corinth Missionary Baptist Church

Last week, we began 1 Corinthians 6 where Paul addressed the church concerning a lawsuit. The main issue Paul wrote about was that no one within the congregation was mediating between the two men. The church should have been exercising spiritual wisdom and helping the brothers resolve the issue. Instead, the two men went to worldly courts. Their behavior didn’t show the mind of Christ they had been given, and the situation damaged the church’s testimony to the lost.

Judging Disputes with the Mind of Christ

by Sarah Wootten Corinth Missionary Baptist Church

Moving into 1 Corinthians 6, the tone of the letter intensifies. In chapter 5, Paul was rebuking the church for not removing the immoral man from the congregation. Now we see Paul’s frustration toward the church come to a head. He asks the congregation “how dare you act like this?” (6:1). He also writes that he is ashamed of them (v. 5). Paul is a spiritual father to the Corinthian believers. What could the church possibly have done to elicit this kind of heightened response from Paul, so much so that he would say that he is ashamed of them?