94+ articles · Verse by verse
Articles.
Long-form study. Plain English.
Every article does the hard work — what the words meant to the first readers, the historical context, the first-century background — then hands it to you in words you already know.
94 articles · page 4 of 4
Spiritual Gifts and Speaking by God's Spirit 1 Cor 12:1
Paul turns to spiritual gifts, and begins somewhere unexpected: with a test for whether it is really the Spirit of God speaking at all.
The Gifts of the Spirit 1 Cor 12.4.6
Diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit. Every spiritual gift named in the New Testament, listed and briefly defined in one place.
One Body One Spirit - 1 Co 12:12–19
If the foot says it is not a hand, is it no longer part of the body? Paul's answer reframes what belonging to a church actually means.
The gifts and manifestations of the Spirit 1 Cor. 12:6-7
Forty-five years shaped by Pentecostal and evangelical thinking, and a good many convictions now held more loosely. Where I actually stand on the gifts, and why.
Gifts of the Spirit - Are they for today? 1 Cor 12:8-11
Are the gifts of the Spirit still for today? The question behind the question is usually about authority, and it deserves a straight answer.
Unity, Diversity, and the Primacy of Love 1Cor 12:20-13:1
The parts of the body that seem weakest are the necessary ones. Paul's picture of the church leaves nobody spare, and then he turns to love.
Paul defines sacrificial love 1 Cor 13: 1-23
Tongues of angels, mountain-moving faith, everything given away, and without love it counts for nothing. Paul's definition of love is far tougher than the wedding version.
1 Co 4:17 – Paul and Timothy: The Power of Relational Ministry
For this reason, I have sent Timothy to you, who is my beloved and faithful son in the Lord, who will remind you of my ways in Christ, as I teach everywhere in every church. (1 Co 4:17).
Speaking in Tongues 1 Cor 14:6-17
An uncertain trumpet gets nobody ready for battle. Paul's argument about tongues in the assembly rests on whether anyone can understand what was said.
Biblical Tongues - Public And Private 1 Co 14:18–25
Paul says he speaks in tongues more than all of them, then says he would rather speak five words people understand. Public and private are not the same thing.
Tongues, Prophecy, and Women 1 Corinthians 14:26-40
Order in the gathering, two or three at a time, and one of the hardest verses in the letter about women keeping silent. Working through it without flinching.
The Gospel and Its Foundation 1Cor. 15:1-11
Died, buried, raised, and seen. Paul hands over the gospel in four facts and a list of witnesses, most of whom were still alive to be asked.
The Literal Ressurection of Christ, not an optional belief 1Cor. 15:12-19
If Christ is not risen, Paul says, the preaching is empty and so is the faith. He leaves no room for treating the resurrection as a metaphor.
The Resurrection of our bodies 1 Cor.15:20-28
Christ is the firstfruits, which means a harvest is expected to follow. Paul's argument for the resurrection of our bodies, laid out in order.
Christ must reign till his enemies become his footstool
He must reign until every enemy is under His feet, and the last enemy is death. What Paul means by the Son finally being subject to the Father.
1 Corinthians 15:27-35 The Foundation of Resurrection and Christian Hope
Baptised for the dead, fighting beasts at Ephesus, eat and drink for tomorrow we die. Paul stacks up arguments that only make sense if resurrection is real.
How Are the Dead Raised? 1 Cor. 15:36-38
With what body do they come? Paul answers with a seed, and the answer is neither a ghost nor the same body you have now.
The Kingdom of God and the end of Death. 1 Cor. 15:50-55
“Flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God.” Paul is not ruling out a body. He is describing what has to change before we can carry one that lasts.
What we learn From Paul final Regards. 1 Corinthians 16
Paul ends his hardest letter with travel plans, a building fund, and a list of names. The ordinary details turn out to carry the weight of the whole letter.
Ep. 1 Cor 14:1-5 Pursue Love & Desire Gifts
Pursue love, and desire spiritual gifts. Paul ranks prophecy above tongues in the gathering, and his reason is entirely about who else is in the room.
1 Co 4: 18–2 – Kingdom of God is Not Just Words
"Now some are puffed up, as though I were not coming to you. But I will come to you shortly if the Lord wills, and I will know, not the word of those who are puffed up, but the power. For the kingdom of God is not in word but in power. What do you want? Shall I come to you with
1 Co 5: 1–5:Unacceptable Behavior in the Church
It is actually reported that there is sexual immorality among you, and such sexual immorality as is not even named among the Gentiles—that a man has his father’s wife! And you are puffed up, and have not rather mourned, that he who has done this deed might be taken away from amon