1 Corinthians Week 5

Day 1 

READ 

1 Corinthians 2:12 

¹² And we have received God’s Spirit (not the world’s spirit), so we can know the wonderful things God has freely given us. 

How can one know the things of God? Just as one human understands another human because they have the same spirit, people can know the things of God by receiving His Holy Spirit, the third person of the Trinity. Then the individual has the same spirit so he or she “can know the wonderful things God has freely given us.” One of the important truths of living the Christian life is to understand that at salvation you received the Holy Spirit who took up residence in your inner person. 

REFLECT 

Have you been taught that you received the indwelling Holy Spirit when you trusted Jesus as Savior? This is an extremely important teaching. 

RESPOND 

Join with a friend to examine some Scriptures about receiving the Holy Spirit. Examine passages such as John 14:16-17, 26; Romans 8:9; 1 Corinthians 6:19; 12:12-13. This is teaching that is based on these and other Scriptures.  

Day 2 

READ 

1 Corinthians 2:13-14 

¹³ When we tell you these things, we do not use words that come from human wisdom. Instead, we speak words given to us by the Spirit, using the Spirit’s words to explain spiritual truths. ¹⁴ But people who aren’t spiritual can’t receive these truths from God’s Spirit. It all sounds foolish to them and they can’t understand it, for only those who are spiritual can understand what the Spirit means. 

Paul continued to explain the difference between the saved and the unsaved. He explained why those not born again by trusting in Jesus are unable to understand spiritual truths. Those not born again only understand human wisdom. Those born again have the indwelling Holy Spirit and can understand spiritual truths.  

REFLECT 

Does this help you better understand why in the same group of people there are some who seem to understand spiritual truths and those who do not? 

RESPOND 

Talk with a friend about the difference of the natural person and the spiritual one. The natural one is the one who has had the birth on earth but has not had the birth that comes from God above and is considered to be born again. The believer has God’s Spirit in him to help him understand the truths of God.  

Day 3 

READ 

1 Corinthians 2:15-16 

¹⁵ Those who are spiritual can evaluate all things, but they themselves cannot be evaluated by others. ¹⁶ For, “Who can know the Lord’s thoughts? Who knows enough to teach him?” But we understand these things, for we have the mind of Christ. 

This does not mean the believer knows everything, but he or she has the capacity to evaluate the things of God. This verse also indicates others do not understand the spiritual person. The followers of Jesus have “the mind of Christ” so they are spiritually equipped to understand the truths of God.  

REFLECT 

If you are a follower of Jesus, does this help to understand why those who are not Christ-followers sometimes do not understand you? You are thinking about eternal matters; they think only of earthly concerns. 

RESPOND 

Visit with a friend about a veil seeming to be over the faces of those who are not Christ-followers. Read 2 Corinthians 3:16-18 to help your thinking in this regard. 

Day 4 

READ 

1 Corinthians 3:1-2 

¹ Dear brothers and sisters, when I was with you I couldn’t talk to you as I would to spiritual people. I had to talk as though you belonged to this world or as though you were infants in Christ. ² I had to feed you with milk, not with solid food, because you weren’t ready for anything stronger. And you still aren’t ready, 

Paul had contrasted the natural with the spiritual. Then he presents another category of people. They are believers because he referred to them as “infants in Christ.” He had to treat them as new believers instead of ones who by this time should have been mature believers. He had to talk to them as though they belonged to the world. They are commonly referred to as “carnal” because they were living according to the flesh rather than according to the Spirit.  

REFLECT 

How is it with you? Have you progressed in the Christian faith to the extent you are able to evaluate the things of God and not just the elementary truths of the Scripture? 

RESPOND 

Paul referred the immature Christians as ones who needed to be fed with milk instead of solid food. To see how one progresses from the milk stage to the meat stage, join with a friend in reading Hebrews 5:11-14. As one is in the Word of God that individual becomes more spiritually mature and better at distinguishing right from wrong. 

Day 5 

READ 

1 Corinthians 3:3-4 

³ for you are still controlled by your sinful nature. You are jealous of one another and quarrel with each other. Doesn’t that prove you are controlled by your sinful nature? Aren’t you living like people of the world? ⁴ When one of you says, “I am a follower of Paul,” and another says, “I follow Apollos,” aren’t you acting just like people of the world? 

Paul had some strong words for these Christians living according to the flesh. How did he know this? It was because he had been told how they were divided over messengers of God rather than the message of God. This divisive spirit revealed to him they were “acting just like people of the world.” They were jealous and quarreling with each other over these matters. 

REFLECT 

How is it in your church assembly? Are people divided over who is the better teacher rather than being more concerned about the teaching itself? 

RESPOND 

Talk with a friend about how a local assembly of believers can reveal to the watching world that they are true believers. See what Jesus said in John 13:34-35. Is this evident in your local church?