Welcome to our wrap-up of Week 2! This week, we have covered a much more intense subject area that can easily be a source of controversy in today’s church. After Paul emphasized the point of doctrine that must be the bedrock of our faith, the cross of Christ, he then goes in for the big punch with the immorality and lack of discipline in the church.

What makes this difficult to tackle is that Paul gives a big speech about not judging in chapter 4 of 1 Corinthians, but then executes judgment in chapter 5. What is the difference? It is similar to what we see on social media when Christians attack each other, and then the argument ensues about not judging and when Christians should judge. We see Christians “shooting their wounded” and stabbing each other in the back in front of a watching world. Yet, on the other hand, for fear of judging, some refuse to address sin at all in the church, which is even more harmful. So, what do we do?

This week, we will learn the difference between mean-spirited and prideful judging and lovingly addressing sin for the sake of restoration. We will learn when we have earned the right to speak into someone’s life and when to simply leave it in God’s hands. We will learn different types of judging and when it slips from Holy Spirit led discernment to sinful condemnation of others. We will learn to recognize the difference between clear, blatant sin and issues that are based on opinions. We will also discuss effective church discipline that is intended to restore the wayward instead of crushing their spirits.

In addition to learning how and when to deliver correction, we will also learn how to receive correction in a spirit of meekness. We do not have to accept abuse, but we can have a teachable spirit that is willing to learn from constructive criticism.

Additional issues we will cover are building “fireproof” lives, stewardship, and spiritual maturity. This is going to be a rich and exciting week of study! Put on your seat-belts, because this is going to be quite an intense ride! Let’s pray that the Holy Spirit speaks clearly to us through Scripture and helps us “rightly divide the Word of Truth.”

Discussion Questions

Here is a sneak peek of the questions we will be discussing this week in our small groups.

Ice Breaker: If you could join the cast from any TV show, which would it be?

When Paul addressed the Corinthians, one of the things he said was:

“…I had to talk as though you belonged to this world or as though you were infants in Christ. I had to feed you with milk, not with solid food, because you weren’t ready for anything stronger. And you still aren’t ready,for you are still controlled by your sinful nature. You are jealous of one another and quarrel with each other. Doesn’t that prove you are controlled by your sinful nature? Aren’t you living like people of the world?” 1 Corinthians 3:1b-3 NLT

QUESTION 1: What are some evidences of someone who is a spiritual infant and one who is maturing in their faith?

QUESTION 2: There is a time to bring correction and a time to hold our tongues. Paul stated that he was not trying to shame the Corinthians, but “to warn them as his beloved children.” He had compared them with infants because they were still living according to their sinful natures, and he needed to address these issues. What are some guidelines we can learn from Paul about offering correction with love instead of coming across as shaming or judging? When do we have the right? (pp. 48-49)

Read this Scripture: “Anyone who builds on that foundation may use a variety of materials—gold, silver, jewels, wood, hay, or straw. But on the judgment day, fire will reveal what kind of work each builder has done. The fire will show if a person’s work has any value.” 1 Corinthians 3:12-13 NLT

Consider this quote from Melissa Spoelstra in preparation for the next question: “Paul isn’t saying that wood, hay, and stubble are bad; they are just ordinary. God calls us to live differently than everyone else. We won’t build lasing spiritual homes with hours of television, scrolling through social media feeds, or wandering through shopping malls looking for more stuff. Many people build their lives with these ordinary things. Instead, the Lord calls us to build a life with rare and difficult-to-obtain materials.”

QUESTION 3: What do you think some of these rare and difficult-to-obtain materials might be? What practices, habits, thoughts, or attitudes are like gold, silver, or jewels? (pp. 55-56)

Question 4: What are some practices, habits, thoughts, or attitudes in our own lives that could be like wood, hay, and straw?

QUESTION 5: It seems that Paul is contradicting himself when he instructs believers not to judge in chapter 4, and then he seems to pass judgment on a church member in chapter 5. Melissa says, “Paul knew the danger of Christians spending their time and energy criticizing one another rather than growing in Christ, but his words suggest that certain circumstances mandate judgment.” We tend to get this mixed up in the church world. When is it wrong to judge, and when is it necessary? What is the difference?

QUESTION 6: In chapter 5, Paul addresses a time when someone must be removed from the fellowship of the church. We are not even to associate with someone who calls himself a believer yet indulges in sexual sin and other specific sins Paul listed (5:11) He seemed to include, along with these extra heinous sins, a non-repentant heart and an attitude that would infect the rest of the body (5:6-7). We are instructed to “hand him over to Satan” (5:5), but it is ultimately for the purpose of restoration.

Later, in 2 Corinthians 2:7-8, Paul instructs the church to forgive and comfort this man and reaffirm their love for him. There was a happy ending to this discipline! Here is the question: what are some ways we can help bring restoration to someone who has fallen?

This Week’s Assignments

Read 1 Corinthians, chapters 6-8 (Read commentary in addition if you wish.)
Read Week 3, “Everybody’s Doing It” pp. 79-104
Attend a small group
Watch this week’s video on Heart to Heart
Work on memorizing this week’s Bible verse: But you must be careful so that your freedom does not cause others with a weaker conscience to stumble. 1 Corinthians 8:9 NLT
Weekly Wrap-Up, pp. 104-105
Digging Deeper article, Week 3: “Defining Church”
Blog or journal your insights.
Choose one “Practical Application” idea to implement this week.