New Book Background: 1 Corinthians - PROCLAIM x BIBLEin365

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Transcript106 lines

[00:00]
A
All right. My Bible in 365. Brothers and sisters, we have arrived at the Book of First Corinthians, and this is a doozy. Now, I cannot wait to go over this with you because I'm going to take a very different approach and I think the approach is critically important. Now, if you want to get deeper into the book of First Corinthians, you can go to James cadist.com where you can dig in. If you want to look at more of my summaries of this book, you can go to Bible in 365. I have done many of them, but
[00:32]
B
I want to focus on an aspect of 1 Corinthians that I think is
[00:35]
A
critical to the modern day in which we live, especially considering the last year that we have been going through, especially
[00:44]
B
since September of last year. Now, I want to point this out because it's important. I've got to lay down some background here.
[00:51]
A
Corinth was prosperous, okay? They were extremely influential and yes, dare I say sophisticated. But the problem is this, they were deeply immoral. Now, I think when I look at Corinth that it reminds me so vividly of the modern day conservative movement as
[01:12]
B
we see it in the current moment.
[01:14]
A
It blows my mind to see the sophistication in many of the social media talking heads and how little they seem to care about what is holy. And I know that I'm stepping on feet when I bring this up, and I know that it kind of bothers people, but this is very important. Look, Paul established this church when he
[01:37]
B
was on his second missionary journey. And it wasn't a dead church by
[01:41]
A
many or from many aspects.
[01:42]
B
It wasn't a dead church.
[01:43]
A
They possessed knowledge.
[01:45]
B
They had gifted teachers.
[01:46]
A
First Corinthians, chapter 1, verse 7 actually says that they came behind in no gift. In other words, they were people who in many ways were exercising spiritual gifts. Yet they were divided, and that's a big term to use. They were immature, they were arrogant, they were proud. They were morally compromised. We know that. And in many levels they were very disorderly. Now, the Corinthians did not lack spiritual gifts, as I said before. They lacked spiritual maturity. And they knew how to even exercise those gifts, but they had forgotten what
[02:23]
B
it meant to belong completely to the Lord.
[02:26]
A
And I think that's where the critical issue is here. Now, the Apostle Paul, when he writes this letter, is writing it, answering a bunch of questions that they had. This letter, by the way, very likely was not the first letter that he
[02:39]
B
wrote to the church in Corinth and
[02:40]
A
as a matter of fact, in First
[02:41]
B
Corinthians, chapter 5, he refers to an
[02:44]
A
earlier letter that he had written. And he had also received some very troubling reports, he says, from the household of Chloe. So he's addressing those things as well. He says in First Corinthians, chapter 7, now, concerning the things whereof you wrote unto me, which means he's answering a
[03:02]
B
bunch of their questions as well. Now they ask questions about marriage, something that everybody's talking about right now.
[03:09]
A
Christian liberty, worship, spiritual gifts, the resurrection is even discussed very clearly and specifically in chapter 15.
[03:19]
B
But underneath all their different questions was one much deeper issue. Paul needed to remind them who they were and even more importantly, whom they belonged to.
[03:35]
A
I had to think very carefully about
[03:36]
B
how he presented this because I think
[03:39]
A
so many people today have forgotten who
[03:42]
B
they are and who they belong to. And that's what we're seeing right now.
[03:46]
A
So let's take a look at what I believe is the core of First Corinthians.
[03:51]
B
And it's important to us today, especially
[03:54]
A
in the world in which we live.
[03:55]
B
Look what it says in 1 Corinthians 6, 19, 20. It says this.
[04:00]
A
What What? Know you not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost, which is in you, which you have of God, and you are not your own, for you are bought with the price. Therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God's.
[04:24]
B
This is one of the core passages of First Corinthians.
[04:29]
A
I believe it may very well be
[04:31]
B
the very core of it. Every problem in the Church can ultimately
[04:36]
A
be traced back to their failure to
[04:38]
B
understand these specific words, words that I just read.
[04:44]
A
You are not your own. Paul, we.
[04:51]
B
Now I'm going to say it. Paul begins with an expression of literal astonishment.
[04:57]
A
He is blown away at the fact
[04:59]
B
that they don't understand.
[05:02]
A
This was something that they had never been taught. They possessed knowledge, but they were literally failing to live according to what they actually knew. And Paul repeatedly asks them this question, know you not? Almost like he's shocked. The greatest problem was not ignorance. It was a disconnect between their theology and their behavior. And it began to even affect their very theology.
[05:29]
B
Look, I want to say this. It is possible to know the truth. It's even possible to discuss the truth
[05:35]
A
or stand up for the truth, defend the truth, like many of these social
[05:38]
B
media personalities are doing, and yet still live as though the truth were not true or that you did not believe the truth. Paul is not merely giving them additional information.
[05:51]
A
He's forcing them to face what they already knew.
[05:57]
B
He talks about the body being a temple. Now, I know the most common context in which this is used is to take good care of yourself physically.
[06:05]
A
You should go to the gym.
[06:06]
B
You should exercise. Listen, I agree the Apostle Paul says
[06:11]
A
a bodily exercise profits a little, but it's still prophets. So I'm not going to put that down. But what he's talking about is he's saying, the Lord lives inside of you. Don't take him to places of evil. Don't continue to do evil things. Don't drag the Holy Spirit into places where he should not be dragged into.
[06:35]
B
Their bodies have become temples of the Holy Ghost.
[06:39]
A
Our bodies have become temples of the Holy Ghost.
[06:41]
B
A temple is a place that belongs to God.
[06:44]
A
It's occupied by God. It exists for the glory of God.
[06:50]
B
The mindset of the Corinthians was being directly confronted, and I believe it's being confronted in the day in which we live. They were living in a culture that separated physical conduct from spiritual identity.
[07:02]
A
I'm seeing it right now. You know how many social media influencers I see that say, we live holy lives, we're doing the right things, and they're living so wrong.
[07:13]
B
Paul here refuses to allow that separation.
[07:16]
A
What they did physically, it literally mattered.
[07:20]
B
Spiritually, you couldn't separate them.
[07:22]
A
Their bodies could not be used casually because their bodies had become sacred property. The sacred property of Almighty God.
[07:30]
B
Christianity. You guys, I need you to listen to me when I say this. Christianity is not occupying one small section of your life. It never has been. Christianity is God laying claim to all of you. That is why the Holy Spirit lives inside of you. Notice the phrase that he uses here,
[07:50]
A
which you have of God. The presence of the Holy Spirit was
[07:55]
B
not something they had produced.
[07:57]
A
Their salvation was a gift. Spiritual gifts that were given to them were exactly that. They were gifts. Their position in Christ was literally a gift. Everything they possessed spiritually came from God.
[08:10]
B
I think if you understand that and you realize it, it will destroy pride completely. See the Corinthians, they actually boasted in their personalities.
[08:21]
A
They boasted in the knowledge that they had. They were super proud of their spiritual gifts. But how in the world can someone boast about something that he received? It's crazy.
[08:33]
B
Paul actually asked this question in First Corinthians, chapter 4.
[08:36]
A
He said, and what hast thou that thou didst not receive? In other words, what do you have that you didn't receive? So why are you acting as though you sort of came up with it on your own when we Understand that
[08:48]
B
everything comes from God. I'm gonna tell you this right now.
[08:51]
A
Pride becomes completely irrational right now. It doesn't seem to be irrational to so many people. And look what he says. He says, you are not your own. That's the phrase that he uses.
[09:05]
B
I want you to slow down. When you hear those words. I want you to consider this, because
[09:11]
A
this is literally the center of the
[09:13]
B
center of the core. Paul does not say by any stretch of the imagination that part of them belongs to God.
[09:21]
A
That's not what he's saying here. He doesn't say that Sundays belong to God. You know, like, what's the rapper's name? God. The Chick Fil A song. Anyway, I know I'm a mess. He doesn't say that their religious activities belong to God. He says, you are not your own. That means my body is not my own. My mind is not my own. My time, yes. My time is not my own. Every relationship that I have is not my own. My variabilities are not my own. And here's one that we oftentimes forget.
[09:55]
B
My future is not my own. It all belongs to God.
[10:00]
A
The world will tell us that freedom
[10:02]
B
means belonging to ourselves. And I'm here to tell you, based
[10:05]
A
on what I know, the Word of God says at. The real freedom begins when we recognize
[10:11]
B
that we belong to Jesus Christ. Think about that for a second.
[10:17]
A
This is precisely where the church in
[10:19]
B
Corinth had gone wrong.
[10:21]
A
They were attempting to receive salvation from Christ while somehow retaining, you know, ownership of themselves. You think about the craziness of that. Who even wants that? We were bought with a price.
[10:35]
B
That's what the Apostle Paul said. He explains why we're not our own.
[10:39]
A
We've been purchased. The price was not silver or gold. It was the blood of the Son of God. It was the blood of God himself.
[10:48]
B
Salvation was freely given to us, you guys, but it was not cheaply obtained. Salvation may be free, but it's not cheap.
[10:56]
A
The cross establishes that for us. It literally establishes Christ's ownership of. Of us. That's such an important thing. Look, Jesus didn't push. He didn't purchase a portion of us, not a little tiny bit. He didn't die merely to improve our circumstances or make our lives better, like some of these people might think.
[11:16]
B
He purchased us completely. We belong to him because he created us. We belong to him again because he redeemed us.
[11:24]
A
He gave us salvation. The cross that we talk about so much doesn't simply offer forgiveness. It produces a. A change of ownership. That's what The Apostle Paul says in Galatians, I have been crucified with Christ. It's no longer I, but Christ who lives in me, in the life that I now live is lived by faith on the Son of God who gave Himself for me.
[11:45]
B
This is what he says, and this is where we really get to the part where I think is so practical. He says, therefore, glorify God, therefore connects every bit of conduct that he's been talking about.
[11:55]
A
Paul's not telling them to glorify God
[11:57]
B
so that they can be purchased. That's ridiculous.
[11:59]
A
He's telling them to glorify God because they've already been purchased. We've already been purchased. Obedience is not the price of redemption, you guys. Obedience is the proper response to redemption. It's our reasonable service.
[12:13]
B
To glorify God means to make his value, his holiness, his authority, his very goodness visible through the obedience that we express in our lives. You guys, the purpose of the temple is to glorify the one who occupies it. Think about that for a minute.
[12:31]
A
When you go look at a temple, you say, oh, what is that temple all about? Actually is a picture of the God who's supposed to occupy it.
[12:40]
B
Our lives should demonstrate at every level that Jesus is the one who is worthy of complete ownership.
[12:48]
A
When people look at our lives, they should say, yes, God occupies them. They're real.
[12:54]
B
If he paid the price, you guys, and we take advantage of what he gave us, he possesses all the rights. Look, First Corinthians addresses all kinds of crazy things, but every single one of those issues go back to one foundational truth, and that centers around the fact that you are not your own. The Corinthians were trying to live as Christians while somehow continuing to exercise ownership over themselves, ownership that they did not
[13:27]
A
have a right to.
[13:29]
B
Paul brings them right back to what the cross did. Paul brings them right back to understanding
[13:35]
A
that they were bought with a price.
[13:39]
B
Everything that we have belongs to Him. Our bodies belong to Him. Our time belongs to Him. Our life belongs to Him. I want to make an appeal to you. Charlie didn't lose his life for some weird, abstract reason. Charlie lost his life because he was dedicated and gave himself fully to the Lord.
[14:11]
A
Shortly before he was killed, he said this to the Lord. He said, here am I. Use me.
[14:19]
B
And when that man killed him, he killed him because he didn't like what Charlie represented, because he was inspired by the devil who hated him. How many of us are going to be able to say the same thing? How many of us are going to be able to say Lord, you've given us this precious gift of life. Here I am.
[14:44]
A
Use me.
[14:45]
B
My life belongs to you. The reward is great. The life that we live on this earth becomes special and filled with peace and the world to come.
[14:58]
A
Oh.
[15:00]
B
The apostle Paul says it in a second letter to the church in Corinth. It's illegal for me to be able to describe heaven because there are no words in the human language that can do so. God owns us. That in and of itself should be the reason to do exactly what I encourage you to do every single day, and that's fighting the good fight.

Summary5 min read

Episode Summary: "New Book Background: 1 Corinthians"

Podcast: PROCLAIM x BIBLEin365
Date: August 8, 2026
Host: Erika Kirk, with Pastoral Advisor James Kaddis

Overview

In this episode, PROCLAIM x BIBLEin365 introduces listeners to the Book of 1 Corinthians, offering essential context and a spiritually rich exploration of its core themes. The host focuses sharply on the issue of spiritual maturity in a morally complex world, drawing vivid parallels between the city of Corinth and modern society. Through close readings and passionate commentary, the episode challenges listeners to embrace the truth that “you are not your own”—a message at the very heart of Paul’s letter.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

Corinth: Wealth, Sophistication, and Crisis

Background on Corinth (00:50):
- "Corinth was prosperous, okay? They were extremely influential and yes, dare I say sophisticated. But the problem is this, they were deeply immoral."
- The host draws modern parallels, likening Corinth's status to "the modern day conservative movement" (01:11), observing that "many... seem to care little about what is holy."

The Church’s Strengths & Failings

Gifts Amidst Division (01:46–02:22):
- Despite possessing "knowledge... gifted teachers," and "exercising spiritual gifts," the church was "divided," "immature," "arrogant," "proud," "morally compromised," and "disorderly."
- Key Point: Their problem wasn’t a lack of gifts but a lack of spiritual maturity.

Paul’s Purpose in Writing

Paul Responds to Deep Concerns (02:26–03:18):
- Reacting to troubling reports (from Chloe’s household in 1 Cor. 5) and specific questions (notably on marriage, liberty, worship, spiritual gifts, and resurrection), Paul aims to address both practical and foundational issues.

The Core Message: Belonging to God

Central Passage & Ownership (03:55–04:44):
- [Reads 1 Corinthians 6:19–20]: “You are not your own, for you are bought with a price. Therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s.” (04:00)
- Key Insight: All the church’s problems stemmed from their failure to grasp that “you are not your own.”
Disconnect Between Belief and Behavior (05:02–05:28):
- "They possessed knowledge, but they were literally failing to live according to what they actually knew."
- The greatest issue was "a disconnect between their theology and their behavior" (05:16).

Practical Implications: Body, Spirit, and Everyday Life

The Body as Temple (06:05–07:15):
- Paul “talks about the body being a temple. ...the Lord lives inside of you. Don’t take him to places of evil. ...Their bodies had become temples of the Holy Ghost."
- The physical cannot be separated from the spiritual (07:15): "What they did physically, it literally mattered. Spiritually, you couldn't separate them."
Total Consecration (07:29–09:10):
- “Christianity is not occupying one small section of your life. It never has been. Christianity is God laying claim to all of you.” (07:29)
- “He doesn't say that Sundays belong to God. ...He says, you are not your own. That means my body is not my own. My mind is not my own. My time, yes. My time is not my own. Every relationship... My future is not my own. It all belongs to God.” (09:10)

Freedom in Surrender

True Freedom Defined (10:05):
- "The real freedom begins when we recognize that we belong to Jesus Christ. Think about that for a second."

Redemption’s Price

Why Aren’t We Our Own? (10:34–10:56):
- “We've been purchased. The price was not silver or gold. It was the blood of the Son of God. ...Salvation was freely given to us... but it was not cheaply obtained. Salvation may be free, but it's not cheap.”
Change of Ownership (11:23):
- “The cross... doesn't simply offer forgiveness. It produces a change of ownership.”

Glorifying God: Our Purpose and Calling

Obedience: Response, Not Requirement (11:57–12:13):
- "Paul’s not telling them to glorify God so that they can be purchased. That's ridiculous. He's telling them to glorify God because they've already been purchased. ...Obedience is the proper response to redemption.”
The Temple and Testimony (12:30):
- “The purpose of the temple is to glorify the one who occupies it. ...Our lives should demonstrate at every level that Jesus is the one who is worthy of complete ownership.”

Final Exhortations and Memorable Appeals

Ownership and Witness (13:27–14:19):
- “The Corinthians were trying to live as Christians while somehow continuing to exercise ownership over themselves, ownership that they did not have a right to.”
- Personal story (14:11): “Shortly before he was killed, he said this to the Lord. He said, here am I. Use me.”
Call to Surrender (14:45):
- “My life belongs to you. The reward is great. The life that we live on this earth becomes special and filled with peace and the world to come.”
Anticipating Heaven (15:00):
- “The apostle Paul says... it's illegal for me to describe heaven because there are no words in the human language that can do so. God owns us. That in and of itself should be the reason to... fight the good fight.”

Notable Quotes & Timestamps

On Ownership:
- “You are not your own, for you are bought with a price. Therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s.” (Host, 04:00)
On Maturity vs. Gifts:
- “The Corinthians did not lack spiritual gifts... They lacked spiritual maturity.” (02:22)
On Freedom:
- “The real freedom begins when we recognize that we belong to Jesus Christ.” (10:11)
On Redemption’s Price:
- “Salvation may be free, but it's not cheap.” (10:56)
On Total Commitment:
- “Christianity is not occupying one small section of your life. It never has been. Christianity is God laying claim to all of you.” (07:29)
On Obedience:
- “Obedience is not the price of redemption, you guys. Obedience is the proper response to redemption. It’s our reasonable service.” (12:13)
On Testimony:
- “When people look at our lives, they should say, yes, God occupies them. They're real.” (12:47)
On Call to Surrender:
- “Lord, you’ve given us this precious gift of life. Here I am. Use me.” (14:44)

Key Timestamps

Background on Corinth & Modern Parallels: 00:50–01:14
Paul’s Motivation and Church’s Gifts/Flaws: 01:36–02:22
Paul’s Correspondence and the Corinthians’ Questions: 02:26–03:18
Central Passage and the Core Message: 03:55–04:44
Spiritual vs. Physical Dichotomy: 06:05–07:21
Call to Surrender and Application: 09:10–10:34
Obedience and Testimony: 11:57–12:47
Story of Charlie & Final Appeal: 14:11–15:00

Tone and Style

The episode is direct, passionate, and pastoral—a blend of expository Bible teaching and heartfelt exhortation. The host challenges modern Christian listeners to embrace total surrender and let their lives bear witness to God’s complete ownership, echoing Paul’s urgent call to the Corinthians.

For those new to 1 Corinthians, this episode offers not just background, but a stirring theological and practical summons: Remember who you are, whose you are, and glorify God with every part of your life.

Loading summary

Transcript106 lines

[00:00]
A
All right. My Bible in 365. Brothers and sisters, we have arrived at the Book of First Corinthians, and this is a doozy. Now, I cannot wait to go over this with you because I'm going to take a very different approach and I think the approach is critically important. Now, if you want to get deeper into the book of First Corinthians, you can go to James cadist.com where you can dig in. If you want to look at more of my summaries of this book, you can go to Bible in 365. I have done many of them, but
[00:32]
B
I want to focus on an aspect of 1 Corinthians that I think is
[00:35]
A
critical to the modern day in which we live, especially considering the last year that we have been going through, especially
[00:44]
B
since September of last year. Now, I want to point this out because it's important. I've got to lay down some background here.
[00:51]
A
Corinth was prosperous, okay? They were extremely influential and yes, dare I say sophisticated. But the problem is this, they were deeply immoral. Now, I think when I look at Corinth that it reminds me so vividly of the modern day conservative movement as
[01:12]
B
we see it in the current moment.
[01:14]
A
It blows my mind to see the sophistication in many of the social media talking heads and how little they seem to care about what is holy. And I know that I'm stepping on feet when I bring this up, and I know that it kind of bothers people, but this is very important. Look, Paul established this church when he
[01:37]
B
was on his second missionary journey. And it wasn't a dead church by
[01:41]
A
many or from many aspects.
[01:42]
B
It wasn't a dead church.
[01:43]
A
They possessed knowledge.
[01:45]
B
They had gifted teachers.
[01:46]
A
First Corinthians, chapter 1, verse 7 actually says that they came behind in no gift. In other words, they were people who in many ways were exercising spiritual gifts. Yet they were divided, and that's a big term to use. They were immature, they were arrogant, they were proud. They were morally compromised. We know that. And in many levels they were very disorderly. Now, the Corinthians did not lack spiritual gifts, as I said before. They lacked spiritual maturity. And they knew how to even exercise those gifts, but they had forgotten what
[02:23]
B
it meant to belong completely to the Lord.
[02:26]
A
And I think that's where the critical issue is here. Now, the Apostle Paul, when he writes this letter, is writing it, answering a bunch of questions that they had. This letter, by the way, very likely was not the first letter that he
[02:39]
B
wrote to the church in Corinth and
[02:40]
A
as a matter of fact, in First
[02:41]
B
Corinthians, chapter 5, he refers to an
[02:44]
A
earlier letter that he had written. And he had also received some very troubling reports, he says, from the household of Chloe. So he's addressing those things as well. He says in First Corinthians, chapter 7, now, concerning the things whereof you wrote unto me, which means he's answering a
[03:02]
B
bunch of their questions as well. Now they ask questions about marriage, something that everybody's talking about right now.
[03:09]
A
Christian liberty, worship, spiritual gifts, the resurrection is even discussed very clearly and specifically in chapter 15.
[03:19]
B
But underneath all their different questions was one much deeper issue. Paul needed to remind them who they were and even more importantly, whom they belonged to.
[03:35]
A
I had to think very carefully about
[03:36]
B
how he presented this because I think
[03:39]
A
so many people today have forgotten who
[03:42]
B
they are and who they belong to. And that's what we're seeing right now.
[03:46]
A
So let's take a look at what I believe is the core of First Corinthians.
[03:51]
B
And it's important to us today, especially
[03:54]
A
in the world in which we live.
[03:55]
B
Look what it says in 1 Corinthians 6, 19, 20. It says this.
[04:00]
A
What What? Know you not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost, which is in you, which you have of God, and you are not your own, for you are bought with the price. Therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God's.
[04:24]
B
This is one of the core passages of First Corinthians.
[04:29]
A
I believe it may very well be
[04:31]
B
the very core of it. Every problem in the Church can ultimately
[04:36]
A
be traced back to their failure to
[04:38]
B
understand these specific words, words that I just read.
[04:44]
A
You are not your own. Paul, we.
[04:51]
B
Now I'm going to say it. Paul begins with an expression of literal astonishment.
[04:57]
A
He is blown away at the fact
[04:59]
B
that they don't understand.
[05:02]
A
This was something that they had never been taught. They possessed knowledge, but they were literally failing to live according to what they actually knew. And Paul repeatedly asks them this question, know you not? Almost like he's shocked. The greatest problem was not ignorance. It was a disconnect between their theology and their behavior. And it began to even affect their very theology.
[05:29]
B
Look, I want to say this. It is possible to know the truth. It's even possible to discuss the truth
[05:35]
A
or stand up for the truth, defend the truth, like many of these social
[05:38]
B
media personalities are doing, and yet still live as though the truth were not true or that you did not believe the truth. Paul is not merely giving them additional information.
[05:51]
A
He's forcing them to face what they already knew.
[05:57]
B
He talks about the body being a temple. Now, I know the most common context in which this is used is to take good care of yourself physically.
[06:05]
A
You should go to the gym.
[06:06]
B
You should exercise. Listen, I agree the Apostle Paul says
[06:11]
A
a bodily exercise profits a little, but it's still prophets. So I'm not going to put that down. But what he's talking about is he's saying, the Lord lives inside of you. Don't take him to places of evil. Don't continue to do evil things. Don't drag the Holy Spirit into places where he should not be dragged into.
[06:35]
B
Their bodies have become temples of the Holy Ghost.
[06:39]
A
Our bodies have become temples of the Holy Ghost.
[06:41]
B
A temple is a place that belongs to God.
[06:44]
A
It's occupied by God. It exists for the glory of God.
[06:50]
B
The mindset of the Corinthians was being directly confronted, and I believe it's being confronted in the day in which we live. They were living in a culture that separated physical conduct from spiritual identity.
[07:02]
A
I'm seeing it right now. You know how many social media influencers I see that say, we live holy lives, we're doing the right things, and they're living so wrong.
[07:13]
B
Paul here refuses to allow that separation.
[07:16]
A
What they did physically, it literally mattered.
[07:20]
B
Spiritually, you couldn't separate them.
[07:22]
A
Their bodies could not be used casually because their bodies had become sacred property. The sacred property of Almighty God.
[07:30]
B
Christianity. You guys, I need you to listen to me when I say this. Christianity is not occupying one small section of your life. It never has been. Christianity is God laying claim to all of you. That is why the Holy Spirit lives inside of you. Notice the phrase that he uses here,
[07:50]
A
which you have of God. The presence of the Holy Spirit was
[07:55]
B
not something they had produced.
[07:57]
A
Their salvation was a gift. Spiritual gifts that were given to them were exactly that. They were gifts. Their position in Christ was literally a gift. Everything they possessed spiritually came from God.
[08:10]
B
I think if you understand that and you realize it, it will destroy pride completely. See the Corinthians, they actually boasted in their personalities.
[08:21]
A
They boasted in the knowledge that they had. They were super proud of their spiritual gifts. But how in the world can someone boast about something that he received? It's crazy.
[08:33]
B
Paul actually asked this question in First Corinthians, chapter 4.
[08:36]
A
He said, and what hast thou that thou didst not receive? In other words, what do you have that you didn't receive? So why are you acting as though you sort of came up with it on your own when we Understand that
[08:48]
B
everything comes from God. I'm gonna tell you this right now.
[08:51]
A
Pride becomes completely irrational right now. It doesn't seem to be irrational to so many people. And look what he says. He says, you are not your own. That's the phrase that he uses.
[09:05]
B
I want you to slow down. When you hear those words. I want you to consider this, because
[09:11]
A
this is literally the center of the
[09:13]
B
center of the core. Paul does not say by any stretch of the imagination that part of them belongs to God.
[09:21]
A
That's not what he's saying here. He doesn't say that Sundays belong to God. You know, like, what's the rapper's name? God. The Chick Fil A song. Anyway, I know I'm a mess. He doesn't say that their religious activities belong to God. He says, you are not your own. That means my body is not my own. My mind is not my own. My time, yes. My time is not my own. Every relationship that I have is not my own. My variabilities are not my own. And here's one that we oftentimes forget.
[09:55]
B
My future is not my own. It all belongs to God.
[10:00]
A
The world will tell us that freedom
[10:02]
B
means belonging to ourselves. And I'm here to tell you, based
[10:05]
A
on what I know, the Word of God says at. The real freedom begins when we recognize
[10:11]
B
that we belong to Jesus Christ. Think about that for a second.
[10:17]
A
This is precisely where the church in
[10:19]
B
Corinth had gone wrong.
[10:21]
A
They were attempting to receive salvation from Christ while somehow retaining, you know, ownership of themselves. You think about the craziness of that. Who even wants that? We were bought with a price.
[10:35]
B
That's what the Apostle Paul said. He explains why we're not our own.
[10:39]
A
We've been purchased. The price was not silver or gold. It was the blood of the Son of God. It was the blood of God himself.
[10:48]
B
Salvation was freely given to us, you guys, but it was not cheaply obtained. Salvation may be free, but it's not cheap.
[10:56]
A
The cross establishes that for us. It literally establishes Christ's ownership of. Of us. That's such an important thing. Look, Jesus didn't push. He didn't purchase a portion of us, not a little tiny bit. He didn't die merely to improve our circumstances or make our lives better, like some of these people might think.
[11:16]
B
He purchased us completely. We belong to him because he created us. We belong to him again because he redeemed us.
[11:24]
A
He gave us salvation. The cross that we talk about so much doesn't simply offer forgiveness. It produces a. A change of ownership. That's what The Apostle Paul says in Galatians, I have been crucified with Christ. It's no longer I, but Christ who lives in me, in the life that I now live is lived by faith on the Son of God who gave Himself for me.
[11:45]
B
This is what he says, and this is where we really get to the part where I think is so practical. He says, therefore, glorify God, therefore connects every bit of conduct that he's been talking about.
[11:55]
A
Paul's not telling them to glorify God
[11:57]
B
so that they can be purchased. That's ridiculous.
[11:59]
A
He's telling them to glorify God because they've already been purchased. We've already been purchased. Obedience is not the price of redemption, you guys. Obedience is the proper response to redemption. It's our reasonable service.
[12:13]
B
To glorify God means to make his value, his holiness, his authority, his very goodness visible through the obedience that we express in our lives. You guys, the purpose of the temple is to glorify the one who occupies it. Think about that for a minute.
[12:31]
A
When you go look at a temple, you say, oh, what is that temple all about? Actually is a picture of the God who's supposed to occupy it.
[12:40]
B
Our lives should demonstrate at every level that Jesus is the one who is worthy of complete ownership.
[12:48]
A
When people look at our lives, they should say, yes, God occupies them. They're real.
[12:54]
B
If he paid the price, you guys, and we take advantage of what he gave us, he possesses all the rights. Look, First Corinthians addresses all kinds of crazy things, but every single one of those issues go back to one foundational truth, and that centers around the fact that you are not your own. The Corinthians were trying to live as Christians while somehow continuing to exercise ownership over themselves, ownership that they did not
[13:27]
A
have a right to.
[13:29]
B
Paul brings them right back to what the cross did. Paul brings them right back to understanding
[13:35]
A
that they were bought with a price.
[13:39]
B
Everything that we have belongs to Him. Our bodies belong to Him. Our time belongs to Him. Our life belongs to Him. I want to make an appeal to you. Charlie didn't lose his life for some weird, abstract reason. Charlie lost his life because he was dedicated and gave himself fully to the Lord.
[14:11]
A
Shortly before he was killed, he said this to the Lord. He said, here am I. Use me.
[14:19]
B
And when that man killed him, he killed him because he didn't like what Charlie represented, because he was inspired by the devil who hated him. How many of us are going to be able to say the same thing? How many of us are going to be able to say Lord, you've given us this precious gift of life. Here I am.
[14:44]
A
Use me.
[14:45]
B
My life belongs to you. The reward is great. The life that we live on this earth becomes special and filled with peace and the world to come.
[14:58]
A
Oh.
[15:00]
B
The apostle Paul says it in a second letter to the church in Corinth. It's illegal for me to be able to describe heaven because there are no words in the human language that can do so. God owns us. That in and of itself should be the reason to do exactly what I encourage you to do every single day, and that's fighting the good fight.