FOR THE LOVE OF THE GOSPEL (3 OF 8)
by Bob Ingle
Scripture: 1 Corinthians 9:1-18
This content is part of a series.
For the Love of the Gospel (3 of 8)
Series: Unselfie
Bob Ingle
1 Corinthians 9:1-18
Let's open our bibles to 1 Cor. 9. No doubt, you've heard many times the phrase 'Do as I say, not as I do'. Do you know where that expression originated? Believe it or not it wasn't your mom and dad. A British legal scholar named John Seldon coined it all the way back in 1654. Interestingly, Seldon used that phrase to mock the preachers of his day. Apparently, the words and lives of the preacher's in England didn't match. They were saying one thing, but doing another. Their hypocrisy was so revolting to Seldon that he created the idiom 'Do as I say, not as a I do' as a way to indict these ministers of their less than exemplary lives.
Fortunately, the Apostle Paul was no such preacher. He not only taught the truth to the Corinthians, but he lived the truth in front of them. The last two weeks have been doozies, haven't they? We learned from chapter 8 that there are actions that are not explicitly condemned nor condoned in Scripture. The same action might be sinful for one believer, but sin-free for another. What's the determining factor? Paul said it depends on the spiritual maturity level of the believer. The spiritual maturity level of every Christian is a combination of our grasp on and obedience to biblical truth, our depth of faith, mixed with our life history, experiences personal convictions. Some believers are stronger, some are weaker. That's not a value statement; it's a reality statement.
These neutral issues or disputable matters can cause conflict in the church, right? For the Corinthians is was eating meat sacrificed to idols. Some thought it was ok; others thought it was sin. And they fought over it. That's not an issue for us today, but we got other stuff, don't we? Like participating in Halloween, or working on Sunday, or drinking alcohol, or dancing in public, or getting a tattoo, or spending money on a new car, or listening to secular music, or a m ...
Series: Unselfie
Bob Ingle
1 Corinthians 9:1-18
Let's open our bibles to 1 Cor. 9. No doubt, you've heard many times the phrase 'Do as I say, not as I do'. Do you know where that expression originated? Believe it or not it wasn't your mom and dad. A British legal scholar named John Seldon coined it all the way back in 1654. Interestingly, Seldon used that phrase to mock the preachers of his day. Apparently, the words and lives of the preacher's in England didn't match. They were saying one thing, but doing another. Their hypocrisy was so revolting to Seldon that he created the idiom 'Do as I say, not as a I do' as a way to indict these ministers of their less than exemplary lives.
Fortunately, the Apostle Paul was no such preacher. He not only taught the truth to the Corinthians, but he lived the truth in front of them. The last two weeks have been doozies, haven't they? We learned from chapter 8 that there are actions that are not explicitly condemned nor condoned in Scripture. The same action might be sinful for one believer, but sin-free for another. What's the determining factor? Paul said it depends on the spiritual maturity level of the believer. The spiritual maturity level of every Christian is a combination of our grasp on and obedience to biblical truth, our depth of faith, mixed with our life history, experiences personal convictions. Some believers are stronger, some are weaker. That's not a value statement; it's a reality statement.
These neutral issues or disputable matters can cause conflict in the church, right? For the Corinthians is was eating meat sacrificed to idols. Some thought it was ok; others thought it was sin. And they fought over it. That's not an issue for us today, but we got other stuff, don't we? Like participating in Halloween, or working on Sunday, or drinking alcohol, or dancing in public, or getting a tattoo, or spending money on a new car, or listening to secular music, or a m ...
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