Early Christian Practical Issues free essay sample

Paul believes that sharing grievances with â€Å"unrighteous people† was like giving God a black eye (Krell, 1995). Legal battles were held in pagan courts and treated like entertainment or business transactions. 6. The Problem of Fornication ~ (1 Cor. 6:15-20) Paul admonishes men to stay away from prostitutes for lying with a prostitute is paramount to the flesh of both becoming one. Sexual immorality is a direct sin against God and it is impossible to honor God completely if you have shared your body with an unholy person. 7. The Problem of Marriage and Divorce ~ (1 Cor. :1-16) Many Christians in the Corinth Church believed that marriage was an â€Å"absolute duty†. Others felt marriage was a concession of the flesh. Paul attempted to set the record straight by setting the rules that there was no sexual immorality in marriage between a husband and a wife as long as they both agreed. On the subject of divorce, Paul wrote that married couples should not divorce, â€Å" unless the unbeliever does not want to stay married† for doing so would cause the house to become un-peaceful (v. We will write a custom essay sample on Early Christian Practical Issues or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page 15-16). 8. The Problem of Meats Offered to Idols ~ (1 Cor. 8:1-13) Paul found that some believers felt that by eating meat they had a weak conscience because it had been defiled by the idols (Krell, 1995). Paul tried to show his followers that it was safe to eat with a clear conscience by eating meat himself. Through this lesson Paul was also trying to teach that â€Å"love was more important than freedom (8:1-6) and that â€Å"knowledge can make us arrogant, but love edifies† (Krell, 1995). With these sayings Paul was giving permission for people to put their pride aside, remember that there is no such thing as idols and that there is only one true and loving God† (Krell, 1995). . The Problem of the Role Men and Women Should Have in Christs Church ~ (1 Cor. 11:1-17) When Paul first addressed the Corinthians he told them to imitate him and to â€Å"hold firmly to traditions† (v. 2). One of the traditions in Corinth was for women to have their head covered. This was a cultural custom that Paul initially commends as a symbolic ges ture (Kinchen, 2012). Paul also teaches that wives should submit to their husbands and husbands submit to the Lord. 10. The Problem of Abusing the Lords Supper ~ (1 Cor. 11:20-34) Around the time of the Lord’s Supper, the Church of Corinth was in a problematic state and Paul was instructing that any â€Å"unrepentant† people should not partake in Passover. 11. The Problem of Spiritual Gifts ~ (1 Cor. 12:1-31) Paul tried to teach that the Spiritual Gift was as essential as each part of the body (Deffinbaugh, 1995). They are not meant to benefit the individual but the whole. A spiritual gift allows us to function for the body, so each Spiritual Gift should correlate with the Scripture (Deffinbaugh, 1995). 12. The Problem of a Lack of Love ~ (1 Cor. 13:1-13) Paul finds that the Corinthian’s have become so caught up in certain spiritual gifts that they have, perhaps, unconsciously abandoned true love (Deffinbaugh, 1995). 13. The Problem of Speaking in Tongues ~ (1 Cor. 14:1-40) Tongues are words of praise directed towards God as a means of worship. Person speaking in tongues has fallen short of the communicative ability we desire with God (Daniels, 1977). Speaking in tongues causes a person to lose any and all sense of intellectual thought processes and the sounds that emit from the body are pure emotion without vocabulary (Daniels, 1977). Quite commonly, the person praying in tongues has no recollection of what they are praying, but can feel the prayer from the heart reaching to the Lord and the Spirit interceding in exchange. 14. The Problem of Wrong Teaching about the Resurrection of the Dead ~ (1 Cor. 15:1-58) Paul questions the people of Corinth regarding the resurrection of Christ. He asks why they are in church and how they can call themselves Christians if they do not believe in the resurrection (Daniels, 1977). 15. The Problem of Collecting for the Saints ~ (1 Cor. 16:1-3)