1 Corinthians 8-13: Come Follow Me with Sam

 Welcome!

With my new calling in my unity, my normal time for writing my blog posts has been interrupted. Stake Conference was today so I'm making the most of it to catch up!  These will be short, but one day I plan to add more detail.

Top 3 things to think about in 1 Corinthians 8-13

1. 9:16

16 For though I preach the agospel, I have nothing to glory of: for bnecessity is laid upon me; yea, woe is unto me, if I cpreach not the gospel!

Paul has a certain commission so there are things that apply to him that apply less to us. However, he is making a salient point: The Gospel needs to be preached - so much so that preaching it isn't necessarily a credit to your celestial account as much as it is a duty for the followers of Christ. 

There are some who ask why Christians can't just keep christianity to themselves. They do not understand the irony of that statement or the commandments Christ has given us. 

2. 10:1-4

1 Moreover, brethren, I would not that ye should be ignorant, how that all our fathers were under the acloud, and all passed through the bsea;

2 And were all abaptized unto Moses in the cloud and in the sea;

3 And did all eat the same spiritual ameat;

4 And did all drink the same spiritual drink: for they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them: and that aRock was Christ.

Paul is using this to set the scene to dissuade Christians from worshipping false Gods as the Israelites did. However, I would like to focus back to the base of his argument: The Israelites were of the same faith of the Christians, worshipping the same God, following the same gospel. Christianity existed long before Christ's mortal ministry; it existed from one end of the bible to the other. To be sure, The Israelites were under the law of Moses, and other peoples at sundry times were under the various covenants they made with God. Notwithstanding, Paul is teaching that they are us and we are them and worshipped under Christ's law as we do today.

3. 12:3-7

3 Wherefore I give you to understand, that no man speaking by the Spirit of God calleth Jesus accursed: and that no man can asay that Jesus is the bLord, but by the cHoly Ghost.

4 Now there are diversities of agifts, but the same Spirit.

5 And there are differences of administrations, but the same Lord.

6 And there are diversities of operations, but it is the same God which worketh all in all.

7 But the manifestation of the aSpirit is given to every man to profit withal.

Spiritual gifts are a big deal. See how Paul focuses them on manifestations of the spirit and on the testimony of Christ, whatever their temporal or spiritual capacity.


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