1 Corinthians (Series) (Page 6)
God Gives the Growth
1 Corinthians 3:4-7 Another sign of disunity that Paul saw in the Corinthian church was that some members were elevating various speakers teaching God’s word over the message itself. Pastor Rod Bunton reminds us that all teachers and preachers of the gospel are merely instruments in God’s hand.
Maturing in Christ
1 Corinthians 3:1-3 One of the issues affecting the church in Corinth was that some believers weren’t growing to become more like Christ. Pastor Rod Bunton returns to 1 Corinthians to look at what it means for Christians to mature.
Why Doesn’t Everyone Believe?
1 Corinthians 2:14-16 Can sufficient evidence and argument save a person? Can they be convinced to believe with enough faith to be born again? Pastor Rod Bunton examines Paul’s teaching that, although man is naturally resistant to God’s revelation, faith that saves is a gift from God which requires the intervention of the Holy Spirit.
God Has a Plan
1 Corinthians 2:8-13 Paul began addressing the issue within the Corinthian church of teaching a man-centered gospel by pointing out that is was ever-changing and powerless. In this passage, he continues by pointing out that only God’s inspired scripture reveals His plan. Pastor Rod Bunton teaches that this is crucial because you can have confidence that the message of salvation is truly God’s message.
Wisdom from the Spirit
1 Corinthians 2:6-9 Paul felt the need to address the source of wisdom being preached in the Corinthian church. Pastor Rod Bunton teaches us, likewise, that the “wisdom of this age” — man’s wisdom — is always changing but God’s wisdom, revealed in His word, is forever.
Proclaiming Christ Crucified
1 Corinthians 2:1-5 There have always been Christians that want to take Jesus down off of the cross because it is offensive to non-believers and this became a problem in the Corinthian church. Pastor Rod Bunton explains how the apostle Paul refused to use lofty speech or human wisdom and, instead, preached about the crucifixion of Jesus Christ.
Boast in the Lord
1 Corinthians 1:26-31 The Corinthians were trying to change the Gospel to make it more impressive and to make it match their own understanding. Pastor Rod Bunton explains that we can be in Christ because God alone made it possible so that no man can boast in his own accomplishment of salvation.
The Power of the Offensive and the Unimpressive
1 Corinthians 1:26-31 Paul emphasized that he did not want or need to embellish the Gospel message in order to impress his audience. Pastor Rod Bunton explains that those who want to change the Gospel to appeal to man don’t realize that the point of the Gospel is to humiliate the wisdom of man.
The Folly of Worldly Wisdom
1 Corinthians 1:17-25 Paul called out the Corinthians for their desire to change the Gospel message in favor of clever words designed to appeal to the unregenerate. Pastor Rod Bunton points out the reasons given by Paul that we shouldn’t just try to attract an audience.
The Wisdom and Power of the Gospel
1 Corinthians 1:17-25 In ancient Greece people were in love with human wisdom, that is, philosophy. Pastor Rod Bunton discusses the next issue affecting the Corinthian church who were looking for eloquent speech instead of realizing the power of the gospel message.
Divisions Within the Church
1 Corinthians 1:10-17 The first issue that Paul addressed in this letter is the divisions within the membership that had been reported to him. Pastor Rod Bunton explains the cause for these divisions that leads to a surprising declaration by Paul concerning baptism.
Good News, Bad News
1 Corinthians 1:4-17 After the introduction, Paul reviewed many positive aspects about the church at Corinth for which he was thankful. Pastor Rod Bunton discusses this short burst of good news that stands in contrast to the content of the rest of the letter.