* Ancient Corinth, North ruins. The Temple of Apollo, restored by the Romans in 44 BC. Picture taken by "Forget the Channel".
>1. What life principle is most important? (1-3)
* 1 Corinthians 8:1-3 "Now about food sacrificed to idols: We know that we all possess knowledge. Knowledge puffs up, but love builds up. The man who thinks he knows something does not yet know as he ought to know. But the man who loves God is known by God."
* Chapter 8 Overview.
The Greek and Roman cultures were full of idols and temples where people would offer sacrifices, including meat. People would buy and eat this meat at the temples.
Paul answered a question about this. The Corinthian congregation asking if it was ok to eat this meat since the idols weren't really gods. He said sure as long as it doesn't cause someone with a weak conscience to sin.
According to Paul, some have a weak conscience and others a strong one. How weak or how strong depends on how I continually act with the revealed knowledge of God; his character, his will, his design, his Word, his Son, and his Spirit. (Romans 1:21-25, Ephesians 4:17-19, 1 Timathy 4:2-5) Paul said even Christians can have a weak conscience if their understanding is incorrect.
As I grow in Christ and do the right things my conscience becomes stronger. Truly I have grown a lot and needed to change my thoughts and actions through the years. Growing in conscience isn't easy for my sinful nature is always there. God writes his word on my heart through the Holy Spirit, help to my conscience. (Romans 7:15-22)
God did not create man with a conscience. Adam and Eve knew God. Since they had not sinned they did not need to determine if what they were doing had been right or wrong. Yet God told Adam, "You must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil." When he and his wife ate from the forbidden tree they gained a conscience and passed it down to all. They learned good and evil. They gained a conscience.
Love for others is more important than my rights. God has taught me a lot from years of studying the Bible, prayer, living by faith, and his insights. I see others have a wrong understanding and thus have a weak consciousness. I should not cause them to stumble with my rights.
Listen to the above comments on 1 Corinthians Chapter 8 Overview.
* "Now about food sacrificed to idols" -The next subject the Corinthian congregation asked Paul concerns "food sacrificed to idols". Before Paul gives his direction and explanation for the direction regarding food sacrificed to idols, he makes a statement in verses 1 through 3 that can apply to more than the subject addressed here. This statment can be considered the main point of chapter 8. Paul states that loving others has priority over exersizing rights and priveledges under and because of Christ.
* "We know that we all possess knowledge." -Paul does not condemn knowledge. God does not condemn knowledge. Proverbs starts out by saying the books purpose is to give knowledge and wisdom (Proverbs 1:4). "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and instruction." (Proverbs 1:7) And, "How long will mockers delight in mockery and fools hate knowledge? ...they hated knowledge and did not choose to fear the Lord." (Proverbs 1:22, 29) "For wisdom will enter your heart, and knowledge will be pleasant to your soul." (Proverbs 2:10)
* "Knowledge puffs up, but love builds up." -Knowledge can fill one with false pride. Consider a person standing proud with shoulders high and chest pushed forward. Love building up is explained in verses 7-13. The Christian should love his brother and sister who doubts.
* "The man who thinks he knows something does not yet know as he ought to know." -The wisest and most knowledgeable Christian realizes that his knowlege is limited. God is the only one who knows all (Romans 11:33-36)
* "But the man who loves God is known by God." -A person who tempers his knowledge with love toward God shows that he is really known and thus accepted by God as one of God's own redeemed. (Galatians 4:8-9; 1 John 4:7-8) (NIV Study Bible)
* Love and Knowledge.
Imagine being told of and then given a small deposit of gold with a map to a sure vast treasure. The map consists of learning truths and discovering that things you thought were true are misconceptions and lies that, if held onto, will keep you from the great vast treasure.
Quickly, you obtain knowledge and you begin feeling good about yourself. You begin to look at others and think, "If you only knew the lies you live. If you knew the truth, it would set you on the path to the vast treasure I am seeking. The knowledge I now possess has made me greater than you." Such was the mentality of some in the Corinthian congregation.
Paul shared with them the rich gospel truth and the hope of eternal life with God and his Son, Christ Jesus, a few years earlier. God sent them the Holy Spirit as a down deposit. The Spirit revealed to them truths through the apostles Paul, Apollos, and perhaps others.
The knowledge the congregation obtained puffed them up. They did not build others up in love. Because they did not practice love, they did not know what they ought to know. They did not love their fellow believer.
Jesus said if we love his little ones, we love him. Since those puffed up by knowledge did not practice love for neighbor, they did not love God. Did God know them?
Listen to the above comments on 1 Corinthians 8:1-3.
* The artwork is from the Art Bible, The Holy Bible, Illustrated. Comprising the Authorized Version of the Old and New Testaments. Embellished with 852 Illustrations. London Art Edition, Published by New York: The Christian Herald, 1897.
>What are idols and why were/are they built? (4-5)
* 1 Corinthians 8:4-5 "So then, about eating food sacrificed to idols: We know that an idol is nothing at all in the world and that there is no God but one. For even if there are so-called gods, whether in heaven or on earth (as indeed there are many "gods" and many "lords"),"
* "So then" -After making a general statement in verses 1 through 3, Paul goes back to their questions.
* Apostle Paul in verses 4b-6 repeats what they are saying and perhaps adding his input. Verse 6 is probably lyrics to a rather good song they sung, as the HCSB and GW renders with poetic typeset, and the other English translations has the poetic lines separated by commas.
* "idols" -Physical or material image or form representing a reality or being considered divine and thus an object of worship. In the Bible various terms are used to refer to idols or idolatry: "image", either graven (carved) or cast, "statue," "abomination." Both Testaments condemn idols, but with idols the Old Testament expresses more concern than the New, probably reflecting the fact that the threat of idolatry was more pronounced for the people of the Old Testament. (Holman Bible Dictionary)
An image or anything used as an object of worship in place of the true God. Among the earliest objects of worship, regarded as symbols of deity, were the meteoric stones, which the ancients believed to have been images of the Gods sent down from heaven. From these they transferred their regard to rough unhewn blocks, to stone columns or pillars of wood, in which the divinity worshiped was supposed to dwell, and which were connected, like the sacred stone at Delphi, by being anointed with oil and crowned with wool on solemn days. Of the forms assumed by the idolatrous images we have not many traces in the Bible. Dagon, the fish-god of the Philistines, was a human figure terminating in a fish; and that the Syrian deities were represented in later times in a symbolical human shape we know for certainty. When the process of adorning the image was completed, it was placed in a temple or shrine appointed for it. (Smith's Bible Dictionary: Comprising Antiquities, Biography, Geography, Natural History, Archaeology and Literature)
* "about food sacrificed to idols ...about eating food sacrificed to idols" -A cause of controversy in the early church centering on what Christians were permitted to eat.
"Food offered to idols" (HCSB) is a translation of a single Greek word, "eidolothytos" (a transliteration) which has also been rendered "things offered unto idols" (KJV) and "meat sacrificed to idols" (NIV). The identification of the object of the offering by the term "idol" suggests that it was a name which originated outside first-century paganism. It reflects the perspective and conclusion of someone who spoke as a Jew or Christian. The Greek-speaking pagans of the New Testament era would be more likely to use terms that would mean "food (things) offered to a deity or divinity." Compare 1 Corinthians 10:28 where Paul used one of these terms as an example of a possible comment by a non-Christian to a Christian, "This has been offered in sacrifice." (NIV)
Pagan sacrifices could be thought of as typically consisting of three portions. One small part would be used in the sacrificial ritual. A larger portion would be reserved for the use of the priests or other temple personnel. The largest part would be retained by the worshiper to be used in one of two ways. The one who offered the sacrifice sometimes used the remaining portion as the main course in a meal which might be served at or near the pagan temple. It is this type of religio-social event that stands behind the question raised by the letter (1 Cor. 7:1; 8:1) from the church at Corinth to Paul and consequently as the background for Paul's response in 1 Corinthians 8. The second method of disposing of the worshiper's portion would be to offer it for sale at the local marketplace. Meat that was sold in this fashion would be bought and then served as a part of a regular family meal. This situation is reflected in Paul's comments in 1 Cor. 10:23-11:1.
"Food offered to idols" is specifically mentioned in three New Testament writings, although the issue is suggested by a variety of texts. In canonical order, the first examples are to be found in the Book of Acts. The initial one comes at the conclusion of the Jerusalem conference. According to Acts 15 the success of Paul and Barnabas in evangelizing Gentiles led to a debate about the place of circumcision among Christians. At the end of the debate the acceptance of Gentile Christians by Jewish Christians was supported by a letter from the Jerusalem church which listed "what has been sacrificed to idols" as one thing from which it was expected that even Gentile Christians would abstain (Acts 15:29). This issue is referred to in Acts 15:20, even though the exact term is not used. The very expression ("what has been offered to idols") occurs also at Acts 21:25 in an apparent reference to the letter given in Acts 15. This may be one factor that led some Christians to become vegetarians. Compare Romans 14:1-21.
The term "food offered to idols" also appears in 1 Corinthians 8:1,4,7,10 and 10:19 (some manuscripts include it in 10:28). At Corinth, Paul had plunged into the pagan world in an attempt to bring them the message of Christ. Probably most of his converts were acquainted with the practice of using the leftover portions of a sacrifice for sale or celebration. It is not difficult to imagine a problem emerging as to whether a Christian was doing wrong by the public or private use of food that had been devoted to a pagan deity.
The final occurrences of this term are in Revelation 2:14,20, where in addition to the eating of food offered to idols two of the seven churches are scolded for idolatry and moral failure. It is significant that these problems are regularly connected in the New Testament. (Robert Byrd, Holman Bible Dictionary)
* "We know that an idol is nothing at all in the world" -An idol represents no real god and possesses no power (Deuteronomy 6:4; Psalm 115:4-7, 135:15-17; Isaiah 44:12-20). But there are demons behind them (10:20).
* "that there is no God but one." -Repeated many times in the Bible. (2 Samuel 7:22; 1 Chronicles 17:20; John 1:18
* "For even if there are so-called gods, whether in heaven or on earth" -The alleged gods of Greek and Roman mythology many "gods" and many "lords." Not that there actually are many gods and lords. This would contradict the consistent and emphatic teaching of Scripture that there is but one God. Paul is recognizing that obvious fact that there are many who are worshiped as gods - though they do not actually exist, to say nothing of being deities. (NIV Study Bible)
* "as indeed there are many 'gods' and many 'lords'" -Worshiped by such by many, but not actually diety. See note above.
>What is true about God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ? (6)
* 1 Corinthians 8:6 "yet for us there is but one God, the Father, from whom all things came and for whom we live; and there is but one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom all things came and through whom we live."
* As stated in the comments to the question above, this is a line of a song they sung.
* "yet for us there is but one God, the Father" -There is but one who is truly and essentially God, (though indeed there be more than one person in the Deity), the Father, who is the Fountain of the Deity, communicating his Divine nature to the other two persons, and of whom are all things. It is a term which significant the primary Cause and Author of all things: we subsist in him, according to that of the apostle, Ac 17:28: In him we live, and move, and have our being; and we are for him, created for his honor and glory, as the phrase may also be translated. (Matthew Poole's Commentary on the Holy Bible)
* "from whom all things came and for whom we live" -The Creator God. The Trinity was involved in creation. (John 1:1-3)
* "and there is but one Lord, Jesus Christ," -He is the second person in the holy Trinity. It is the observation of a learned author: That though the name of God be often given to Christ, yet no where by Paul where he make mention of God the Father; from whence he concludes, that the term of Lord given to Christ, significant his pre-eminence above all things, (the Father excepted), according to what the apostle speaks, 1Co 15:27. By this Christ, saith the apostle, are all things: All things were made by him, and without him was not any thing made that was made, John 1:3; yet the difference of the phrase is observable, to denote to us the order of working in the holy Trinity. All things are of the Father by the Son. (Matthew Poole's Commentary on the Holy Bible)
* "through whom all things came and through whom we live." -Jesus is the Word spoken during creation. (John 1:1:3)
* One God. One Lord.
What is an idol? A man-made idea that may be a form put before God, considering Exodus 20:3-5 and Deuteronomy 5:7-9: "You shall have no other gods before me." Jesus further defines an idol with these words, "No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other." (Matthew 6:24; Luke 16:13). "If you love me, you will obey what I command." (John 14:15)
What did Jesus command us? Apostle Paul repeats what Jesus told his apostles on the night that he was betrayed, "A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another." (John 13:34-35)
Our problem is that we do not. Why? Because we have set up idols in our hearts. We have placed ourselves before others. We do not love as Jesus commanded us. We have sinned, sinned, sinned. Oh, what a sinful race we are! What good is it to know there is one God and one Lord and we do not obey them? Yesterday I was too sick to write BDBD. I wonder if anyone assumed something was wrong and prayed for me.
Listen to the above comments on 1 Corinthians 8:4-6.
>2. What is the conscience and how had some Christians defiled it? (8)
* 1 Corinthians 8:7 "But not everyone knows this. Some people are still so accustomed to idols that when they eat such food they think of it as having been sacrificed to an idol, and since their conscience is weak, it is defiled."
* "But not everyone knows this." -Meaning more that they have not truly accepted that an idol is nothing more than stone and wood, not a real personality in their heart, more than actually physically hearing it with their years. "Everyone" here is a brother and/or sister in Christ and/or on the verge of becoming a believer in Jesus as the rest of the passage indicates.
* "still so accustomed to idols" -Idols are part of their society, family history, personal upbringing, and education and personal practice. Pagan worship was an interwoven part of their lifestyle and practice no matter how much they believed in it or not.
* "when they eat such food they think of it as having been sacrificed to an idol" -Sacrificed here is an act of offering something, in this case meat, to a deity in propitiation or homage, especially the ritual slaughter of an animal or a person, rare as it was in Greek and Roman pagan worship.
* "since their conscience is weak"
* "it is defiled."
>Does that mean their relationship with God has changed? (8)
* 1 Corinthians 8:8 "But food does not bring us near to God; we are no worse if we do not eat, and no better if we do."
* "But food does not bring us near to God"
* "we are no worse if we do not eat"
* "no better if we do.""
>How does the life principle in verses 1-3 dictate the actions described in verses 9-13?
* 1 Corinthians 8:9-12 "Be careful, however, that the exercise of your freedom does not become a stumbling block to the weak. For if anyone with a weak conscience sees you who have this knowledge eating in an idol's temple, won't he be emboldened to eat what has been sacrificed to idols? So this weak brother, for whom Christ died, is destroyed by your knowledge. When you sin against your brothers in this way and wound their weak conscience, you sin against Christ. Therefore, if what I eat causes my brother to fall into sin, I will never eat meat again, so that I will not cause him to fall."
* "the exercise of your freedom"
* "a stumbling block to the weak"
* "this weak brother, for whom Christ died, is destroyed by your knowledge"
* "I will never eat meat again" -
* Why? Love is the Reason.
The council in Jerusalem in ~49 A.D. made the most controversial decisions of their time regarding Gentiles coming to believe in Jesus. Should they follow the Laws of the Old Covenant given through Moses? (Acts 15:1-5) First, Apostle Peter reminded the council of the most important truth: through the grace of our Lord Jesus, we are saved, including the Gentiles. He asked them, "Why do you try to test God by putting on the necks of the disciples that yoke.?" (Acts 15:6-11)
James, the brother of Jesus, agreed, adding that they should not make it difficult for the Gentiles who are turning to God (Acts 15:19). The council, with careful words, wrote, "It seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us not to burden you with anything beyond the following requirements: You are to abstain from food sacrificed to idols, from blood, from the meat of strangled animals, and from sexual immorality. You will do well to avoid these things. Farewell." (Acts 15:28-29, reference vs. 20) No explanation is given. Simply, "abstain from these things."
Approximately 11 years later, 6 years after Paul writes these letters to the Corinthians, the council's letter with the instruction "abstain from food sacrificed to idols" is remembered by the Jerusalem elders. (Acts 21:25) Again, no explanation is given. Two churches are rebuked in Revelation 2:14 and 2:20 for "eating food sacrificed to idols and by committing sexual immorality". The reason to abstain is not given there either.
However, 1 Corinthians, written in 55-56 A.D., supplies us with reasons. "Therefore, if what I eat causes my brother to fall into sin, I will never eat meat again, so that I will not cause him to fall." (13) Also, "Do I mean then that a sacrifice offered to an idol is anything, or that an idol is anything? No, but the sacrifices of pagans are offered to demons, not to God, and I do not want you to be participants with demons." (1 Corinthians 10:19-20) More on that later.
Today, food sacrificed to idols is not an issue within congregations and amongst denominations. However, many exist that are just as contentious. Some denominations claim that others are from the devil because they do not do this and they do that evil thing. Why do you try to test God? Who appointed you head of Christ's church? When did Jesus give you the keys? Does the exercise of your religious practices become a stumbling block to the weak, for whom Christ died? If you are such a superior, enlightened Christian, why not bring your teachings to those wandering the streets at night and invite them to eat with you, rather than condemning someone who calls on the name of Jesus and wound their weak conscience?
Listen to the above comments on 1 Corinthians 8:7-12.
II. The Rights of an Apostle (9:1-18)
* In the Acrocorinth, the hill fortress above Corinth, stood the world-renowned Temple of Aphrodite, goddess of love, the site of worship and celebration of sexual excess. Nothing much remains of the temple now, but below is a photo of the hill it stood on. Picture taken by "Forget the Channel".
>3. Who is Paul? (1-2)
* 1 Corinthians 9:1-2 "Am I not free? Am I not an apostle? Have I not seen Jesus our Lord? Are you not the result of my work in the Lord? Even though I may not be an apostle to others, surely I am to you! For you are the seal of my apostleship in the Lord."
* Chapter 9 Overview.
Apostle Paul is continuing his thoughts from the previous chapter. There he wrote that although we are free to eat meat offered to idols because they are not alive and not gods, we shouldn't do it if it would cause a fellow believer who has a weak conscience to sin.
Continuing the thought of freedom and rights in Christ he reflects on his own life actions. Most of the apostles and pastors had a wife that they brought with them as they traveled from congregation to congregation. People who serve the church don't need to be single.
Most apostles and pastors received some of the offerings to support themselves, their wives, and their families. People who serve the church don't need to have an income outside the congregation to support themselves.
Paul did not exercise these two rights because he knew that if he remained single and if he earned his own income it would be better for the congregations and the spread of the gospel. He was telling them these things as an example to them and me. It is more blessed to give than to receive. (Acts 20:35)
Paul's also stated that self-sacrifice does not go without rewards (17, 24-27). Jesus will pass out rewards when he comes again. He expects a return on his investment.
Have I sacrificed for those I love? Have I refused my rights and freedom for the sake of others? Every day I have choices.
Listen to the above comments on 1 Corinthians Chapter 9 Overview.
* Apostle Paul is continuing and expanding on the point he made in the previous chapter 8 by using himself as an example. The point there was that though they have rights and freedoms in Christ they should not exercise those rights if they might cause a fellow believer, one with a weak conscience, to sin. Paul is saying that they should circumcise their freedom.
* "Am I not free? -Paul is adding to the point he is about to make.
* "Am I not an apostle?" -The be an apostle one must have been personally called and sent by Jesus, the general meaning of the word is sent. Jesus is called an apostle in this general meaning in Hebrews 3:1 and by Jesus, himself in John 20:21 because the Father sent him.
Apostle Paul states he is an apostle here because he wants to add the the point that he has freedoms and right as an apostle, but does not use them.
* "Have I not seen Jesus our Lord?" -Paul, when converted saw a bright light and heard Jesus. He was blinded it was so bright. That was Jesus. (Acts 9:1-9; 22:6-16; 26:12-18) Then, shortly after his conversion went into the desert and was taught by Jesus through the Spirit. ()
*
*
>What rights did he have and yet did not exercise? (3-6)
* 1 Corinthians 9:3-6 "This is my defense to those who sit in judgment on me. Don't we have the right to food and drink? Don't we have the right to take a believing wife along with us, as do the other apostles and the Lord's brothers and Cephas? Or is it only I and Barnabas who must work for a living?"
*
*
*
*
* The artwork "Apostles" is from a children's English Bible Selections, 1796 titled "A new hieroglyphical Bible for the amusement & instruction of children : being a selection of the most useful lessons, and most interesting narratives, (scripturally arranged) from Genesis to the Revelations : embellished with familiar figures & striking emblems elegantly engraved : to the whole is added a sketch of the life of our Blessed Saviour, the holy Apostles, &c. : recommended by the Revd. Rowland Hill ...", now in public domain.
Each page has illustrations to replace major topical items in the passage. In this case illustrating 1 Corinthians 9:9 using images for the ten commandments, lips, a bull, and Moses, theissues of Apostleship.
Courtesy of the Digital Image Archive, Pitts Theology Library, Candler School of Theology, Emory University: http://www.pitts.emory.edu.
>What principle is defined in verses 7-10?
* 1 Corinthians 9:7-10 "Who serves as a soldier at his own expense? Who plants a vineyard and does not eat of its grapes? Who tends a flock and does not drink of the milk? Do I say this merely from a human point of view? Doesn't the Law say the same thing? For it is written in the Law of Moses: "Do not muzzle an ox while it is treading out the grain." Is it about oxen that God is concerned? Surely he says this for us, doesn't he? Yes, this was written for us, because when the plowman plows and the thresher threshes, they ought to do so in the hope of sharing in the harvest."
*
*
*
*
>Why didn't Paul exercise these right? (11-12, 15)
* 1 Corinthians 9:11-12 "If we have sown spiritual seed among you, is it too much if we reap a material harvest from you? If others have this right of support from you, shouldn't we have it all the more? But we did not use this right. On the contrary, we put up with anything rather than hinder the gospel of Christ."
* 1 Corinthians 9:15 "But I have not used any of these rights. And I am not writing this in the hope that you will do such things for me. I would rather die than have anyone deprive me of this boast."
* "we put up with anything rather than hinder the gospel of Christ"
*
*
*
>4. What does "receive their living" mean? (13-14)
* 1 Corinthians 9:13-14 "Don't you know that those who work in the temple get their food from the temple, and those who serve at the altar share in what is offered on the altar?
14 In the same way, the Lord has commanded that those who preach the gospel should receive their living from the gospel."
*
*
*
*
>Does this included getting rich from the gospel?
*
*
*
*
>What example can we follow in preaching the gospel? (16-18)
* 1 Corinthians 9:16-18 "Yet when I preach the gospel, I cannot boast, for I am compelled to preach. Woe to me if I do not preach the gospel!
17 If I preach voluntarily, I have a reward; if not voluntarily, I am simply discharging the trust committed to me.
18 What then is my reward? Just this: that in preaching the gospel I may offer it free of charge, and so not make use of my rights in preaching it."
*
*
*
*
III. A Self-Made Slave to Everyone (9:19-27)
* The artwork is from the Art Bible, The Holy Bible, Illustrated. Comprising the Authorized Version of the Old and New Testaments. Embellished with 852 Illustrations. London Art Edition, Published by New York: The Christian Herald, 1897.
>5. Why did Paul use the term 'to win the soul' instead of 'saving the soul' or 'bringing him to Christ'?
* 1 Corinthians 9:19 "Though I am free and belong to no man, I make myself a slave to everyone, to win as many as possible."
*
*
*
>Why did he strive so much to win as many as possible?
*
*
*
*
*
>What was his method in winning as many as possible?
*
*
*
*
*
>6. What would it be like to become like a Jew?
* 1 Corinthians 9:20 "To the Jews I became like a Jew, to win the Jews. To those under the law I became like one under the law (though I myself am not under the law), so as to win those under the law."
*
*
*
*
>What inner struggle did Paul have to go through to become like a Jew?
*
*
*
*
*
>What would be the life style and the way of thinking of those not having the law?
* 1 Corinthians 9:21 "To those not having the law I became like one not having the law (though I am not free from God's law but am under Christ's law), so as to win those not having the law."
*
*
*
*
>How could Paul become like one not having the law?
*
*
*
*
*
>What did he do to win the weak?
* 1 Corinthians 9:22 "To the weak I became weak, to win the weak. I have become all things to all men so that by all possible means I might save some."
*
*
*
*
>Why was it absolutely necessary to win the weak?
*
*
*
*
*
>What was Paul's motivation?
* 1 Corinthians 9:23 "I do all this for the sake of the gospel, that I may share in its blessings."
*
*
*
*
>7. What do the "race", "running" and "prize" refer to? (24)
* 1 Corinthians 9:24 "Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize."
*
*
*
*
>What does Paul's exhortation mean in "Run in such a way as to get the prize"?
*
*
*
*
*
* The artwork "The Sea: For Little, Great Existence" is from a book by Luiken, Jan (1649-1712) titled "Beschouwing der wereld : bestaande in hondert konstige figuuren, met godlyke spreuken en stichtelyke verzen / door Jan Luiken", now in public domain.
Under a dark sky, two sailing ships are tossed at sea by enormous waves. The Dutch artist and poet Jan Luiken (1649-1712) was responsible for drawing this emblem and composed the poem that accompanies it. The etching was executed by Jan Luiken or his son Casper Luiken (1672-1708), who had used this image in an earlier work. The poem is to long to include here. The attendant scripture text is 1 Corinthians 9:25.
Courtesy of the Digital Image Archive, Pitts Theology Library, Candler School of Theology, Emory University: http://www.pitts.emory.edu.
>How is "strict training" demanded of those competing in the games? Give some illustrations of this.
* 1 Corinthians 9:25 "Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last forever."
*
*
*
*
>In what way is strict training required for getting a crown that will last forever just as much as for a crown that will not last?
*
*
*
*
>What are common and different elements in winning these two different crowns?
*
*
*
*
*
>10. What does it mean that Paul runs and fights with a clear aim in his spiritual life?
* 1 Corinthians 9:26 "Therefore I do not run like a man running aimlessly; I do not fight like a man beating the air."
*
*
*
*
>What was the direction of Paul's inner struggle for bearing fruits in preaching the gospel to others?
* 1 Corinthians 9:27 "No, I beat my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize."
*
*
*
*
>Why is this struggle essential for winning the prize?
