Unit 2 LESSON 9

January 26, 2025

STUDY TEXT: 1 Corinthians 3:1-23

CENTRAL TRUTH: Christian unity is an essential characteristic of a healthy local church.

KEY VERSE: 1 Corithians 1:10 Now I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you. but that ye be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment (KJV).

I appeal to you, dear brothers and sisters, by the authority of our Lord Jesus Christ, to live in harmony with each other. Let there be no divisions in the church. Rather, be of one mind, united in thought and purpose united in thought and purpose (NLT).

LET'S GET STARTED

If you've ever been part of a team, you've probably heard the saying, "There is no I in team." Yet many of those teams have an award to recognize the most valuable player! So, who gets the credit when the team is successful--the MVP or the entire organization? Why do people seem obsessed with determining who contributes the most? Good church fellowship dinners don't just happen. They take cooperation and coordination, people working together for a common goal. The same could be said about anything a church does to see God's vison for that body fulfilled. One of the major issues Paul identified in the church at Corinth was a lack of unity among the believers there. In 1 Corinthians 3, Paul dealt with the spiritual immaturity of these believers, resulting from their failure to realize that everything they had come from God. They needed to be reminded they were God's field, God's building, and God's temple.

PART 1- The Church: God's Field

Disunity Displays immaturity           1 Corinthians 3:1-4

The Corinthian believers needed to realize that forming cliques based on certain leaders or teachers displayed spiritual immaturity. Paul used strong contrasts in 3:1-3 to make his point: spiritual versus worldly, mature versus infants, and milk versus meat. Using the analogy of a baby growing to adulthood, Paul reminded these believers of how he had nurtured them when they came to faith in Jesus. Early on, he had fed them with milk, or basic truths of the faith. But just as a baby is weaned from milk to solid food, so too should these believers have progressed spiritually. Instead, they revealed their spiritual immaturity by their divisiveness, jealousy, and quarreling. Church unity is often a difficult topic to discuss. Does it leave no room for differences in doctrine and practice that fall outside the central messages of Scripture? Answers do not come easily, but they do point to the need of believers to grow in the grace and knowledge of Jesus, so they become less like people of the world and more like mature children of God. Christians must agree on the essential Christian belief that cannot be compromised, 

Discuss? How is unity different from uniformity?

You Belong to God                          1 Corinthians 3:5-9

The lack of unity among believers in Corinth was partly to their shortsighted promotion of certain leaders over others. Paul explained that this partisanship was divisive and misguided. All believers are part of the harvest God is gathering, so all believers belong to God. Some may plant the seed. Others may water it. But it's God who makes the seed grow. Several lessons can be drawn from Paul's field metaphor. 1. There is a diversity of ministry. God gives people different gifts to serve in His harvest field while He does His part to provide the increase. 2. There is a unity of purpose in our work as God's servants: the growth of the Church. 3. Serving God requires humility. We must

acknowledge that all who labor are God's servants, and it is He alone who brings the increase. 4. Each worker will be rewarded according to their faithfulness. Worldliness creeps in when Christians begin exalting leaders. hero worship (a form of idolatry) can lead believers to glorify His servants.

Discuss? How can Christians avoid hero worship?

Part 2-- The Church: God's Building

Jesus Is the Foundation                           1 Corinthians 3:9-11

God's field. God's building. These metaphors help clarify the basis for Christian unity. Believers belong to God, entering into faith when He causes the seed of His Word to grow in their hearts. By faith, they become part of the Church that Jesus is building. Paul didn't give ground to those who wanted to rally under the banner of a particular teacher or leader. God's grace enabled Paul to do his part in laying the foundation for the Church. But the substance of the foundation wasn't Paul or his work--it was Jesus and the truth about Him. No other foundation would allow the Church to be God's holy temple in which He dwelt by His Spirit. Other ministers who followed Paul were to build on the Church's gospel foundation. Whatever they taught Christians to believe and do should draw them closer to Jesus and strengthen their faith in Him.

DISCUSS? Why is Jesus the foundation of the Church

          Add Value to Gods Building                     1 Corinthians 3:12-15

Continuing the building metaphor, Paul described a variety of materials that could be used to build on the foundation of Jesus Christ. Some were valuable enough to withstand the fires of judgment. Others had no lasting value and would be consumed. Service is a core value of Christianity and should be motivated by love and performed with humility. Jesus is our example in this (1John 13:14-15).  As we faithfully use our God-given gifts in loving and humble service, we can have assurance that what we're building will last. First Corinthians 3:15 is sobering. The imagery is dramatic, depicting someone who has barely escaped a burning building, losing all their possessions in the fire. They may have survived, but they have little or nothing of value to prove that their lives made a difference for the sake of Christ.

DISCUSS? How can Christians determine what building materials will be valuable on judgment day?

      Part 3- The Church: God's Temple

All Together and Set Apart         1 Corinthians 5:16-17

Paul's "ye" in 1 Corinthians 3:16 is plural ("all of you together"). The Church as a whole is a temple for God's Spirit. Believers are essentially unified because of this; each of us is a living stone that is built into God's temple (1 Peter 2:5). In verses 12-15, he explained that a bad worker would suffer great loss but would still be saved, if only barely. But verse 17 makes it clear that God will destroy those who destroy his temple. The punishment is more severe, resulting in condemnation. False teachers were destroying the local church in Corinth. Their teaching and lifestyle were creating division, promoting immorality, and causing confusion on core truths of the Christian faith. These teachers would answer to God, and they were to be rejected by the believers who comprised God's holy temple.

DISCUSS? What does it mean to you that God sees believers as holy?

Everything Belongs to Believers                    1 Corinthians 3:18-23

Earlier Paul had said the believers in Corinth were spiritual babies because they were acting like worldly people. They thought partisanship and power grabbing would reveal their superior wisdom. Paul used two Old Testament quotations to illustrate the foolishness of worldly wisdom. The quote from Job 5:13 reveals the powerlessness of worldly wisdom to achieve its intended aims. God's plan of salvation has been fulfilled in Christ--the power and wisdom of God (1 Corinthians 1:24-25). Paul reminded the Corinthians that their faith in Jesus meant everything belonged to them (chapter 3). Since each of us belong to God and to each other, rivalry or competition based on human leaders should never take place. Why settle for less? Why risk losing it all through petty divisiveness that undermines God's vision for His Church?

Discuss? How can the knowledge that all things belong to us help us overcome worlding wisdom and its effects?

WHAT IS GOD SAYING TO US?

Unity is an essential characteristic of a healthy local church. It results from a solid understanding of the Christian faith and requires effort to live it out every day. If we thought of ourselves as children of God rather than attenders of a particular church, maybe unity would come easier to us. May we all grasp this precious truth.

LIVING IT OUT

         1). Pray together as a class that as you sow the seed of God's Word it would land on good soil. 2). Serve God faithfully so your works will be found valuable when judged.

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               DAILY BIBLE READING

                                 Monday: United against Opposition. (Nehemiah 4:1-14) 

                 Tuesday: Affirmation of Unity (Psalm 133:1-3)

                                 Wednesday: The Wisdom of Unity (Ecclesiastes 4:9-12)

                           Thursday: Jesus' Prayer for Unity. (John 17:1126). 

Friday. In One Accord. (Acts 2:1-4)

                                        Saturday: One Body of Christ (1 Corinthians 12:4-6, 12-20)

Gospel Publishing House. 1445 N. Boonville Ave. Springfield, Missouri 65802 Volume 106 Number 2. Dec. Jan.  Feb. 2024-25