Day 265 – 1 Corinthians: Paul addresses church problems

“But to those called by God to salvation, both Jews and Gentiles, Christ is the power of God and the wisdom of God.” 1 Corinthians 1:24 NLT

Read 1 Corinthians 1:1 to 1 Corinthians 6:20

Through various sources, Paul had received reports of problems in the Corinthian Church, including jealousy, sexual immorality, and failure to discipline members. Without his presence, the Corinthian church had fallen into divisiveness and disorder. This resulted in many problems causing conflict and division amongst believers, but Paul addressed it squarely. He was strict but never wavered from showing God’s love through his words. He was honest and used scripture to prove that what he was saying was not from his own accord, but from God’s Word.

 We, as the Body of Christ, must be concerned for the unity and order in our local churches, but we should not take inactivity for order and cordiality for unity. We, too, must squarely address problems in our churches through the love and heart of God.

Prayer: Father, thank You for teaching us what causes division between us and You and within the Body of Christ. May we also take the advice Paul wrote to heart as if it were written to our own church. Amen.