1 Corinthians 5 Lesson

Discipline

DISCIPLINE

In 1 Corinthians Chapter 5,Paul is addressing some serious concerns that have arisen within the church at Corinth

Paul draws a distinction between two groups of people:

  1. The immoral people of the world,
  2. The immoral people within the church.

He makes sure to point out that we are not to stop associating with people of the world who are lost in sin.  For how else will they come to know Christ unless somebody teaches them?

The Bible teaches us that there are different rules for those who are within the church and those outside of the church.

Paul writes about a “so-called brother” that had sexual relations with his father’s wife. 

For this person, Paul writes that he:

  • “Decided to deliver such a one to Satan for the destruction of his flesh, so that his spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus.” – 1 Corinthians 5.

That is an interesting scripture to think about. 

It shows how God allows Satan to wreak havoc in our lives and how He can use those difficult experiences to benefit our souls. 

LEARNING THROUGH ADVERSITY

In Paul’s letter to the Romans, he wrote about the growth we experience by persevering through adversity:

  • “And not only this, but we also exult in our tribulations, knowing that tribulation brings about perseverance ; and perseverance, proven character; and proven character, hope.” – Romans 5:3-5.

This passage tells us that God uses suffering to teach us. 

Through our tribulations, we develop:

  1. Perseverance,
  2. Character,
  3. And hope.

And while nobody likes adversity while they are going through it, it is a great teacher!

Another reason that God allows us to experience suffering is to discipline us. 

Consider the following verse from the Book of Hebrews:

  • “My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord, nor faint when you are reproved by Him; for those whom the Lord loves He disciplines, and He scourges every son whom He receives.” - Hebrews 12:5-6.

Life is hard!

As much as we wish this were not the case, that is a fact of life that we must manage.

All of us make mistakes and get caught up in sin. (Romans 3:23)

As we have read, God allows Satan to reign on Earth as part of His plan to shape us into the people He created us to be. 

Of course, we know that Satan will ultimately be defeated and banned to Hell for all eternity (Revelation 20:10)

It is as if God is saying that sometimes when things get bad enough, He will allow people to struggle in the hopes that they will turn back to Jesus before it is too late.   

CONCLUSION

God loves us!

He loves us so much that He sent His only Son to die on the cross for our sins (John 3:16). 

As a loving Father, He disciplines us for our own good. 

This may not always feel good, but it is always good for us!  

God disciplines us because He loves us; and for this reason, He is patient with us.  Peter wrote about this in his second epistle:

  • “The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance.” – 2 Peter 3:9.

When we are lost in sin, God is working behind the scenes to help us come to repentance

This can come in the form of discipline, adversity, or anything else that God chooses. 

He may allow Satan to wreak havoc in our lives for a while, in the hopes that we will realize the error of our ways and make the necessary corrections. 

How we react to God’s discipline makes all the difference. 

The Apostle Paul wrote in his letter to the Romans:

  • "We rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.” – Romans 5:3-5.

What an amazing way to look at suffering! 

Paul wrote that we should rejoice when we suffer! 

For a lot of us, that is going to require some work, and that is ok.  One decision at a time, we will get there, with God’s help. 

Times of adversity are the perfect time to examine ourselves to see if there are parts of our lives that need to change.  Whatever we are struggling with, Jesus is the answer. 

And when we believe in Jesus, and put our trust in Him, our faith will be rewarded. 

We will conclude today’s lesson with the following scripture:

Comments

Drexel Deal

drexeldeal@gmail.com
Our self-discipline and obedience to The Word of God is proof of our love for God and His Word. Truth be told, there can be no love of anyone or anything without discipline; because love demands devotion and dedication. Could you imagine a marriage without fidelity? How far will any professional athlete get in their field without discipline?
Like-wise, without discipline that is rooted in Christ’s love we as Christians will not get far in our journey through this dark and evil world. As found in 2nd Corinthians 5: 14 & 15,
“For the love of Christ constraineth us; because we thus judge, that if one died for all, then were all dead: And that he died for all, that they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto him which died for them, and rose again.” KJV.

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Pat Dermody

When someone in our midst sins we should be there to help and support them in finding their way back to God. . Making them leave the church withdraws the very support they need.However, when their sin threatens to spread and influence others in a bad way, we must remove them from our midst, but only as a last resort. It is a fine line to walk.

Reply
Dan Wheeler

If we are not careful and vigilant we can become complacent. The church at Corinth, like so many churches today, was apparently lax about following the commandments of Christ. Sin can creep in, and before long the situation looks nothing like what God wants it to be.
The other night we were watching on old black and white TV sitcom, made in 1963. The plot centered on concern that the marriage ceremony of years before was not valid (because of untruth about age told on the application) and thus the marriage was not legal. The immediate concern was to find a justice of the peace to make the marriage legal and their child "legitimate." While the latter is not politically correct today, the takeaway for me is the GREAT CONCERN TO DO THINGS MORALLY--including the remark that the husband should sleep on the couch until a marriage ceremony is accomplished--a far cry from the state of marriage and having children today. Things have changed. Things will change in the church as we drift away from God's truth. When we notice the drifting it needs to be corrected.

Reply
Drexel
Dan Wheeler

One of the challenges that face The Body of Christ comes from within. It’s so easy to turn a blind eye to the wrongs of a person of influence in the business world, or a senior politician who is widely respected in the world and is a member of our church. Not to mention, if we are talking about our relatives whom we often go to for financial assistance. As a result we act as if we don’t notice what is going on, when it is quite evident that even the blind can see the hypocrisy in our behavior.
As a result our so call righteousness has been purchase at a price, because we don’t want to offend such persons whom we will have to turn to for assistance down the road. This is why Jesus said;
“He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me. And he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me.” Matthew 10: 37 NKJV.

Therefore, Jesus is drawing a line in the sand for us all. The question is, whose side will you and I be on? Will we ignore righteousness for the sake of friends, family members or financial benefactors; or will we take a stand for Christ? Being a Christian is not for the weak at heart, nor is it for spineless men and women. True Christians are those rare individuals who can call a spade a spade regardless of who is holding the card. Right is right and wrong is wrong, may The Almighty God continue to give me the courage to be this kind of Christian.

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