Home and Church Bible Study Commentaries from the Apostle Paul's First and Second Letters to the Corinthians

By Larry D. Alexander

Paul’s first letter to the Church at Corinth was written to address the many problems that had cropped up, immediately following his founding of the church there, during his second missionary journey (Acts 18:1-8). The believers in Corinth had begun to question Paul’s authority as an apostle appointed by CHRIST. They were also misusing worship, suing each other in court, engaging in all sorts of immorality, and even denying that the resurrection of CHRIST ever took place.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Lulu.com
• Release date: Oct 22, 2018
• ISBN: 9780359177035

Book preview

Home and Church Bible Study Commentaries from the Apostle Paul's First and Second Letters to the Corinthians

Home and Church BIBLE STUDY COMMENTARIES from the Apostle Paul’s FIRST and SECOND LETTERS to the CORINTHIANS

by

Larry D. Alexander

Copyright © 2018 by Larry D. Alexander

All rights reserved. Printed in the U.S.A.

ISBN: 978-0-359-17703-5

No part of this book may be reproduced

for any purpose except for brief excerpts

regarding reviews or articles by magazines,

newspapers or broadcast, and, use in churches

for Sunday school, bible study, etc.

without the express written consent of the publisher.

All Scripture are from the King James Version unless otherwise noted and accredited as such from other versions

Larry D. Alexander

214-649-7671

[e-mail]

Cover designed by

Larry D. Alexander

OTHER BIBLE COMMENTARIES BY LARRY D. ALEXANDER:

Sunday school lessons from the Book of the Acts of the Apostles

Sunday school lessons from the Gospel according to John Mark

Sunday school lessons from the Apostle Paul’s letter to the Romans

Home and Church Bible study commentaries from the Gospel of John

Home and Church Bible study commentaries from the Book of Hebrews

Home and Church Bible study commentaries from Paul’s letter to the Romans

Home and Church Bible study commentaries from Galatians, Ephesians, and Philippians

Home and Church Bible study commentaries from the Book of Acts

Home and Church Bible study commentaries from the Book of Ezekiel

I

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Larry D. Alexander is a well-known visual artist, who was called by GOD several years ago to learn, and to teach GOD’s holy word. Alexander has been teaching Sunday school and bible studies for the past thirteen years, and, has an online weekly Sunday school lesson commentary (http://larrydalexander.blogspot.com/index.html) that is based on the International Sunday School Lesson curriculum. He is a devout Christian who lives with his wife of 36 years, Patricia, in Texas’ Dallas-Fort Worth area. They have four grown children, one son, and three daughters, and, they also have four grand children. Alexander has written several books that teach and train on the Christian faith doctrine of JESUS CHRIST. Among them are the trilogy, Sunday lessons from the book of the Acts of the Apostles, Sunday school lessons from the Gospel according to John Mark, and Sunday school lessons from the Apostle Paul’s letter to the Romans, which were aimed at helping Christians conform, more fully, to the word of GOD, in their churches, homes, and communities. Alexander believes that today’s professed Christians have proven themselves to be very naïve concerning the spiritual battle that is set before us, and are grossly unprepared for Christian service, or to fulfill the Great Commission of CHRIST JESUS. Alexander’s trilogy was followed by bible study guides such as "Home Bible Study Commentaries from the Gospel of John", a complete chapter by chapter study guide of the Apostle John’s account of JESUS’ three-year ministry here on earth, "Home and Church Bible Study Commentaries from the Book of Hebrews", the book of the bible that, perhaps, exalts the deity of CHRIST JESUS more than any other book in scripture, Home and Church Bible Study Commentaries from Paul’s Letter to the Romans, "Home and Church Bible Study Commentaries from the books of Galatians, Ephesians, and Philippians, Home and Church Bible Study Commentaries From the Book of Ezekiel, and Home and Church Bible Study Commentaries from the Book of Acts" . These books were all written to give old and new believers a little more insight into the doctrine of Christianity, and to promote Christian spiritual growth by helping us to understand more clearly, JESUS’ life and purpose, and our own life and purpose as HIS followers under GOD. In other words, all of Alexander’s books serve to help develop understanding, fear, and reverence for the ONLY WISE GOD, WHO is our SAVIOR through JESUS CHRIST WHO sent us the HOLY SPIRIT.

II

HOW WE GOT OUR BIBLE

Much has been written about how GOD inspired men to write the pages of the bible. GOD used about forty men to write the scriptures and some of these authors remain a mystery even today. The writers of the last chapter of Deuteronomy, the book of Job, and many of the Psalms are classic examples of biblical texts with unknown human authors. We do not have a single manuscript in the handwriting of Moses, Isaiah, Paul, or any other original writer. That of course always leads to this eternal question, "How do we know that the bible we have today is the written word of those original writers who were inspired by GOD?

We already know that GOD did not inspire all those who copied, or translated the bible into various versions, as HE did the original writers. It is quite evident to those who study to be scholars, that, while the original writers were guided and kept from making mistakes by the power of GOD, both copyists and translators were not, and, could and did make errors.

Even though we have no part of the bible in the handwriting of the original writers, we do have two kinds of sources from which we can learn what the original writers wrote. These sources are called manuscripts and versions. Manuscripts are documents written by hand. In the days before printing was invented, this was the only way of producing books. There are no known bible manuscripts that were written by the original authors available to man today. However, we have many copies of manuscripts that were copied from the original manuscripts, or, copies of them. Versions are translations of a document into a different language. Some of our ancient versions were actually translated from copies of manuscripts older than any we have today. Therefore, they help us to know exactly what the original writers wrote.

The Old Testament books were written in the Hebrew and Aramaic languages between 1400 and 400 B.C. The oldest bible manuscript copies we have today were the ones found among the now famous Dead Sea Scrolls in 1947 and later. These copies date back to circa 100 B.C. The oldest known version of the Old Testament is the Greek version known as the Septuagint, which was written by seventy Jewish scholars in Alexandria, Egypt in about 250 B.C., from Hebrew manuscript copies older than any we have today.

In the first half of the second century the bible was translated into Syriac, and not much later, into Latin. A more careful Latin version was completed, around 400 B.C., by the famous scholar Jerome called the Vulgate, which means common and proper. This version became the official bible of the Roman Catholic Church, and, of Western Europe. Made from very ancient manuscript copies, this book helps us to be sure the bible we have is approximately the same as the original writings.

In 1380 John Wycliffe and his team of scholars translated the bible into middle English, a blend of "Norman French and Anglo-Saxon languages. This version was translated directly from the Latin Vulgate. In 1525, William Tyndale wrote an English version, of the New Testament. He later translated some of the Old Testament books into English. His version was translated directly from the original Hebrew and Greek manuscript copies. English churchmen angrily opposed Tyndale’s version, and they, along with king Henry VIII, decided instead to go with an English version written by Myles Coverdale. Coverdale used the Latin Vulgate and Martin Luther’s German version for his translations.

In Geneva, Switzerland, William Wittington and his group of scholars wrote a revised English version that came to be known as the Geneva Bible in 1560. Some of the marginal notes in the Geneva bible offended the Bishops of the Church at England, and this led to the writing of the Bishops Bible in 1568. Through the remainder of that century, the Bishop’s Bible and the Geneva Bible were split among the churchmen in popularity.

In 1604, however, King James I appointed a commission of 54 scholars, led by Robert Barker, to write a new English version of scriptures. They mostly followed the Bishop’s Bible, but they also consulted other English translations, along with the German, Greek and Hebrew text, the Syriac, the Septuagint, and several Latin versions. In 1611 they completed the book that went on to become the most printed and used text in the history of the English Language, The King James Version of the Bible.

But as the world would have it, all living languages are constantly changing. Many words used in the King James version are now unknown, or obsolete. Some examples are nessing, besom, and wist. Other words have actually changed their meanings. For example let, in those days, meant to hinder (Romans 1:13). Now, however, it means to permit. The word conversation, in those days meant your whole way of living, but today it just means talk.

Today, just like in the old days, every Christian needs a bible, translated in their modern native tongue, and in this country that means a New Living Translation version of the bible. No translation or version has ever been translated without error, and that includes the King James Version. And the reason that it has never been done is because there has never been a perfect scholar, or perfect man period, except CHRIST JESUS, and HE didn’t choose to write one. But most of our available versions are good enough to familiarize us with the word of GOD that has been handed down to us since the foundation of this world. We should trust that GOD is still with us, just as HE was with the original writers.

And while we may think or believe that there may be no more inspired writers, I believe more so that GOD still wants us to get to know HIM through HIS word, and the best way we can understand HIS word is in our own modern-day language. So let’s just try and retire the King James Version to our library of reference books, where it can serve us in our studies most efficiently. GOD wants us to get to know HIM and just like in all generations before us, HE raises up scholars to interpret HIS word in our own present-day language.

III

UNDERSTANDING WHO JESUS IS

When JESUS came bringing healing to the human body, and salvation to the human soul, HE, in effect, had began the work of creation all over again. In beginning everything GOD made was good (Genesis 1:31), and complete and excellent in every way. However, over time, man and his desire to do things his way, sullied and cursed all of the blessings that GOD originally gave us, at one time or the other.

Failure to give reverence to GOD will ultimately result in our failure to treat each other right as human beings made in the spiritual image of GOD. The reason why the gospel must be preached is because we, as human beings, continue to suppress the truth about GOD, and, the truth about ourselves. 

In Romans 1:18-32, Paul shifts gears, from talking about the kind of relationship into which a person can enter into with GOD by faith, to the kind of wrath we can expect to incur if we are intentionally blind to GOD the CREATOR, and choose to worship our own ideas, and, those things which are created by GOD, instead of GOD the CREATOR, HIMSELF.

To the biblical prophets, the wrath of GOD was a perpetual event that would only culminate, or peak, in terror and destruction in The Last Day, or coming Day of the LORD. Remember, in biblical times, whenever Israel strayed away from GOD too long, HIS wrath would eventually come against them and whip them back into line with HIS thinking. 

And so, we must understand that GOD’s wrath will always, even today, visit us before too long. Our human sinfulness is seen quite vividly through our wicked acts, but it is also seen in the way we view and respond to GOD day by day. When we publicly and privately approve things that we know are contrary to GOD’s laws, we show HIM disrespect and rejection. We reject GOD morally through homosexual and adulterous behavior. We reject HIM in our character through greed and wickedness. And we also reject HIM in our relationships by way of envy, murder, deceit, and malice.

GOD’s generous offer of salvation is sorely needed by each of us, and, we do, after all, stand, rightly deserving of HIS divine wrath and judgment instead.  Most of mankind has rejected GOD, because they simply reject the knowledge of HIM that is available to us through HIS Holy and divine Scriptures. It is very much incumbent upon each of us to pick up GOD’s Word daily, read it, and study it, so that we can come to understand plainly, GOD’s Will, and how that Will should play a role in our personal lives.

We can all see, quite clearly, GOD’s invisible qualities of divine nature and eternal power, both through HIS creation, and, through HIS Holy Word. And GOD shared HIS invisible qualities, or, divine nature with us, when HE first created mankind, all those years ago (Genesis 1:27). Those invisible qualities, or, Communicable Attributes, that make up GOD’s divine nature are, Life, Personally, Truth, Wisdom, Love, Justice, and Holiness. Those attributes are what make it possible for man, out of all of GOD’s creation, to have a personal, experiential relationship with HIM. Thereby, we have no excuse for not knowing GOD (Rom. 1:20), or obeying GOD, even before we received the HOLY SPIRIT as Christians (see Rom. 2:14).

Remember, Scripture tells us that the HOLY SPIRIT (Matt. 3:16, Mark 1:10, Luke 3:21-22, & John 1:32-34), did not come upon the MAN, JESUS,  until HE was around thirty years old, and HE had already perfectly obeyed GOD up to that point, as a 100 percent human being, the same way that we are born. JESUS came to show us first, how it is possible to obey GOD in our natural born state, if we choose to.

GOD did not trick us by sending us a supernatural being to show us how to live as an ordinary human being, under HIM, here on earth. HE actually sent JESUS here to function first as a 100% human being in order to show us that we, as 100% humans, can choose to live a life of total obedience to GOD’s Commandments, simply because HE had already placed HIS divine nature in us from birth.

Today, most humans have bought into the lie started by satan, that, it is impossible to obey GOD. JESUS, first and foremost, came to show us that we can, if we really desire to. That is why HE was able to instruct those had a spiritual encounter with HIM, to go and sin no more (quit sinning, or, quit breaking GOD’s law)

GOD is angry at our sin because HE knows that HE made us to do better, for HE made us in HIS OWN spiritual image. GOD wouldn’t have been angry at the people of the Old Testament for their sins, if they couldn’t do any better, or, couldn’t help but sin. GOD, from the beginning, made us to be like HIM, spiritually. We know this because JESUS says, GOD is SPIRIT (John 4:24) and therefore, this means that GOD doesn’t have a physical image.

In Genesis 1:26, where GOD says Let us make man in our Image HE was not speaking of a physical image, but rather, a spiritual image consisting of those seven Communicable Attributes that I mentioned earlier. They are the invisible qualities that Paul speaks of in Romans 1:20 that, make us look like the GOD WHO created us, spiritually. HE supplied us with those attributes so that we would be able to worship HIM, have a personal, experiential, compatible relationship with HIM, and, in fact, could be like HIM.

We’ve all lived a sinful life since Adam, but it was because we chose to, not because we couldn’t help it, as most of us want to believe. And we want to believe that because, in our sinful minds, it enables us to sleep at night, and it gives us a palatable excuse to continue to do wrong each day. However, if we continue to persist in doing wrong things, then, GOD will eventually turn us over to our own shameful desires (reprobate mind). And, at that time, our lives will become filled with all manner of wickedness, and we will even begin to invent new ways to sin, in order to enhance our pleasure (Romans 1:24-31). And, even though we are aware of GOD’s death penalty (permanent separation from HIM), because we have, by then, developed a reprobated mind, we will continue on in our sin, and even begin to encourage others to sin also (Romans 1:32).

The sin, and sometimes amoral attitudes that permeates our society today, and makes our lives so painful to endure, is nothing more than divine judgment on us for rejecting GOD, and choosing immorality over GOD. Our iniquities vividly express our sinful nature, a nature that