1 Corinthians 6; Psalm 17

In 1 Cor. 5, Paul taught the Corinthians how to deal with immorality in the church. In chapter 6, he tells them how to handle differences among themselves. He says Christians should not have to go to a secular court to settle their differences. As Christians, we have the Holy Spirit and the mind of Christ, and therefore, we ought to have the wisdom to settle these matters. And not only that, Paul reminds them that believers will one day judge the world (even angels), and so it is a bad testimony before the world if we cannot properly resolve our differences. In v. 7, he says that there may be times when we just have to accept injustices. But the Corinthians, he says, are the ones who do wrong and cheat even their fellow believers. This was wrong for them, and it's wrong for us.

Beginning in v. 9, Paul lists some of the sins that keep people from God: sexual sin, idol worship, adultery, male prostitution, practicing homosexuality, thievery, greed, drunkenness, abuse, cheating. "None of these will inherit the Kingdom of God." But then he goes on with these very important words, "Some of you were once like that. But you were cleansed; you were made holy; you were made right with God by calling on the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God." vv. 9-11

• We were cleansed--our sins were washed away!
• We were made holy--set apart as God's child.
• We were made right with God.

This teaches us that Jesus' sacrifice was adequate for any sin we can imagine; no sin is too great for God to forgive. Think about what a wonderful truth this is! Christians come from every conceivable background, and God will save all who will repent and trust Him.

Beginning in v. 12, we come to another error that the Corinthians seemed to be practicing. Apparently they were abusing the freedom that we have as believers. All things may be lawful for the Christian, but all things are not helpful! "You say, 'I am allowed to do anything'--but not everything is good for you." When we abuse the freedom God gives us, we hurt ourselves and others. We should be careful to avoid anything that controls us. God is supposed to be in charge! We belong to Him. "But the person who is joined to the Lord is one spirit with him." v. 17

This passage gives special warning about sexual sin because it tends to take a strong grip on us, and Paul tells us here that it is a sin against our own body. "Don't you realize that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and was given to you by God? You do not belong to yourself, for God bought you with a high price. So you must honor God with your body."

Psalm 17
David prays for protection. He has done all he can think of to be right with God. He has allowed God to examine his heart (v. 3), and he has committed himself to God (vv. 3-5). So he can go to God with confidence. "I am praying to you because I know you will answer, O God. Bend down and listen as I pray. Show me your unfailing love in wonderful ways..." v.6,7

Remember that we have the same God David did!