Points to Ponder in 1 Corinthians 8-13

To accompany your Come Follow Me study for August 28 to September 3

In addition to reading the indicated chapters, you may wish to:

Read the applicable portions of the New Testament Institute Student Manual at:

See the following videos:

(2) Come Follow Me (August 28-September 3) | Saintron Unite | 1 Corinthians 8-13 – YouTube

Book of 1 Corinthians Summary: A Complete Animated Overview at Book of 1 Corinthians Summary: A Complete Animated Overview – YouTube

If you would like a Kahoot game related to this material which you could use for personal study or use with your family or your class, click here: . https://create.kahoot.it/share/1-corinthians-8-13/872970ae-09ed-455b-b937-e9da988aa66a. (To use it with a group, after clicking on this link, you will need to log into Kahoot, creating a free account if you have not done so previously, then click on the blue “Start” button.)

For each of the following doctrinal errors in questions 1-6, find a passage in 1 Corinthians 8-13 that refutes it.

1. Religious leaders should not be married.

2. The ministry is as honorable a profession as any other, and since “the laborer is worthy of his hire,” he should logically be paid by his congregation.

3. The Book of Mormon can’t be true, since it speaks of baptism (a Christian ceremony) and Christian worship centuries before Christ’s birth.

4. The devil made me do it.

5. There is no marriage in heaven. Mormon marriages for “time and eternity” are a delusion.

6. A person should take the sacrament each Sunday, no matter what his spiritual failings, as a token of his desire to live better and so people won’t wonder what he’s been up to if he refuses the sacrament.

Other Points to Ponder from 1 Corinthians 8-13

7. The Christian world generally understands that 1 Corinthians 8:5, where Paul says “there be gods many, and lords many,” refers to the multitude of false pagan deities, including those of the Greeks and Romans among whom Paul labored. How could Joseph Smith use it to argue that it is talking about a plurality of true Gods, including a Father of our own Heavenly Father and all saints who are eventually exalted to become as God Himself?

8. Would it be okay to go into a liquor store to buy a bottle of wine for use only in cooking, with the understanding that the alcohol content would all boil off in the process? What does 1 Corinthians 8 have to do with your answer?

9. Which of the following is true? In which verse in 1 Corinthians 9 can we find the answer?

a. Though not converted until after the crucifixion, Paul nonetheless could testify that he had seen Jesus Christ.
b. Despite his fervent testimony, there is no evidence that Paul ever actually saw the Savior.

10. When Paul said, “I am all things to all men,” he evidently meant which of the following?

a. Through the Holy Ghost he had access to all knowledge and power.
b. He tailored his missionary approach to the individual circumstances of his listeners.
c. When necessary he would temporarily compromise his standards in order to meet people on their own level and be in a position to raise them up.
d. He was confessing to being disgustingly wishy-washy.

11. In 1 Corinthians 9:24-25, Paul makes it sound like we have to “run” in order to win a prize. Are we really in competition with each other for a limited number of celestial crowns? This sounds like a lot of work. How is Paul’s counsel to be reconciled with Jesus’ assurance that His yoke was easy and His burden light? Or that His was a gospel of peace?

12. What additional counsel might a youth teacher of 1 Corinthians 10:13 want to add to Paul’s promise that God will not suffer us to be tempted above that which we are able to resist?

13. What does it mean to take the sacrament unworthily? (1 Corinthians 11:27-28.) How worthy does one have to be?

14. Why does Paul say in 12:3 that “no man can say that Jesus is the Lord, but by the Holy Ghost”? Can’t anyone say it, even if he doesn’t believe it?

15. 1 Corinthians 12 is one of three great chapters in sacred writ which catalog the variety of spiritual gifts available to the faithful. What are the other two? How could you find out?

16. 12:8: What would be the difference between having the gifts of wisdom and knowledge and having the gifts of “the word of wisdom” and “the word of knowledge”? What single word could summarize both of these gifts of which Paul speaks in this verse? And what, in just a few words, is the difference between wisdom and knowledge? Which is the rarest in today’s world?

17. 12:14-27. Is Paul just trying to placate those who wish they could be apostles or bishops or hold some other important position in the Church? Is it really accurate to say that the lowliest ministering elder or sister or nursery leader is as important as the apostles and prophets? Why or why not?

18. 12:28. How can you use this verse to answer those who claim, “There is no need for an organized Church. Jesus never contemplated such an organization–it was Paul’s idea”? How many other noteworthy concepts can you find in this one verse?

19. 12:31. How do you reconcile this passage with the 10th Commandment, which forbids coveting?

20. 13:3. Paul seems to think that charity is not synonymous with bestowing one’s goods to feed the poor. What is the difference?

21. 13:7. Does this verse look familiar? Where else do we find this phraseology? Can you paraphrase this verse to make it more literally true?

22. 13:8. This passage is sometimes used to argue that modern day prophecy and revelation should not to be expected, as prophecies were to fail and tongues (and presumably other spiritual gifts) would cease. How would you counter such an argument?

23. 13:1, 2, 13. Why do you think Paul says charity is even more important than faith and hope?

Possible Answers to Points to Ponder in 1 Corinthians 8-13

For each of the following doctrinal errors in questions 1-6, find a passage in 1 Corinthians 8-13 that refutes it.

1. Religious leaders should not be married.

9:5

2. The ministry is as honorable a profession as any other, and since “the laborer is worthy of his hire,” he should logically be paid by his congregation.

Paul didn’t think so. See 9:18. This doesn’t mean, of course, that there is anything wrong with mission presidents and general authorities receiving a living allowance during the time of their full-time service or that seminary and institute teachers shouldn’t have a salary. But at the local level, Paul would be pleased with the Latter-day Saint emphasis on an unpaid ministry, and that young missionaries and senior missionaries alike are not only not paid for their service but pay to serve.

3. The Book of Mormon can’t be true, since it speaks of baptism (a Christian ceremony) and Christian worship centuries before Christ’s birth.

1 Corinthians 10:2-4. It is worth noting that Paul is probably NOT speaking of baptism in ancient Israel as we know it today, but of the passage of the Israelites through the Red Sea. Elder Bruce R. McConkie explains: “[Paul] is saying that even as Israel, when they passed through the Red Sea, fled from the worldliness of Egypt, so their Christian descendants, through baptism, are to forsake the lusts of the flesh and live godly lives” (Doctrinal New Testament Commentary, 2:355).

The Encyclopedia of Judaism, however, acknowledges that baptism was indeed practiced anciently. See BAPTISM – JewishEncyclopedia.com. And Paul does clearly teach that the ancient Israelites “drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them: and that Rock was Christ.” So it should not be strange at all that the Book of Mormon speaks plainly of Christian worship, including baptism, among the ancient Nephites.

4. The devil made me do it.

1 Corinthians 10:13. Paul assures us that God will not allow us to be tempted above what we can withstand. The devil may indeed tempt us to do certain things, but he cannot compel us. All is voluntary.

5. There is no marriage in heaven. Mormon marriages for “time and eternity” are a delusion.

1 Corinthians 11:11: “Neither is the man without the woman, neither the woman without the man, in the Lord.” Admittedly, this passage does not “prove” the Latter-day Saint doctrine to be true, as is evidenced by the fact that no one but Latter-day Saints understands it as we do. But it certainly suggests it. If Paul were only speaking of marriage as essential to the ideal Christian life during mortality, one might reasonably ask why it should be any different in the life to come.

1 Corinthians 11:27-31. Paul clearly taught that prior to taking the sacrament, a person should examine himself and partake of the ordinance only if he finds himself to be sufficiently worthy to do so.

Other Points to Ponder from 1 Corinthians 8-13

Joseph Smith did not learn this doctrine from reading 1 Corinthians more carefully than anyone else. He learned it from revelation. Then, encountering 1 Corinthians 8:5, he saw that as evidence to support what he had already learned directly from God. It is probably not necessary to insist that this is what Paul meant in writing to the Corinthians. Our doctrine comes from living prophets and not from taking apart and debating what previous prophets have said.

It would technically not be a violation of the Word of Wisdom. But Paul suggests in 1 Corinthians 8:9-13 and in 10:23, 27-32 that it could be contrary to “wisdom,” as a member of your ward could see you doing it or see the bottle later in your home and assume the worst.

9. Which of the following is true? In which verse in 1 Corinthians 9 can we find the answer?

a. Though not converted until after the crucifixion, Paul nonetheless could testify that he had seen Jesus Christ.
b. Despite his fervent testimony, there is no evidence that Paul ever actually saw the Savior.

In verse 1 Paul testifies to having seen Jesus Christ, and the editors have included a footnote reference to the occasion.

10. When Paul said, “I am all things to all men,” he evidently meant which of the following?

a. Through the Holy Ghost he had access to all knowledge and power.
b. He tailored his missionary approach to the individual circumstances of his listeners.
c. When necessary he would temporarily compromise his standards in order to meet people on their own level and be in a position to raise them up.
d. He was confessing to being disgustingly wishy-washy.

A careful reading of 1 Corinthians 9:20-22 makes clear that Paul meant “b”: He would in proper ways act like those he was teaching, to gain their trust and enable them to identify with him.

No, of course we are not in competition with each other. There is room in the celestial kingdom for everyone, and in that kingdom, D&C 76 tells us, we will all be “equal.” But the Lord does ask us to serve Him with all our heart, might, mind, and strength. The great secret is that we find greater peace and joy by so doing than by trying to avoid the effort. King Benjamin does remind us in Mosiah 4:27 that “it is not requisite that a man should run faster than he has strength.” But lest we think he is condoning half-hearted effort, he goes on to say, “And again, it is expedient that he should be diligent, that thereby he might win the prize.” Paul, King Benjamin, and Jesus are all perfectly consistent on this point. When Paul in verse 25 suggests that one training for a race is “temperate in all things,” he means he is disciplined, not that he is uncommitted.

12. What additional counsel might a youth teacher of 1 Corinthians 10:13 want to add to Paul’s promise that God will not suffer us to be tempted above that which we are able to resist?

Though we may never lose the power to resist, we may well lose the desire to. The teacher may want to emphasize that we still must do our part to not get into situations where we would be vulnerable. For example, it may well be that a young unmarried couple, parked on a lonely road at 2:00 a.m. and under the influence of liquor or drugs, will not be able to resist the temptations before them. But had they kept the Word of Wisdom, dated in a group, and gone home at a decent hour, they would indeed have qualified for the fulfilment of Paul’s promise.

13. What does it mean to take the sacrament unworthily? (1 Corinthians 11:27-28.) How worthy does one have to be?

There would seem to be two fundamental criteria here:

Would the person really telling the truth when witnessing to God that he is willing to keep His commandments? Or does he really intend to keep sinning the way he did the week before?
Has the person confessed to his bishop and satisfactorily repented of any sins for which his membership status could be called into question? (Most commonly this would refer to violations of the law of chastity.)

If a person can honestly say yes to both questions, he should consider himself worthy to take the sacrament. The sacrament prayer doesn’t say that the participants are witnessing that they were guilty of neither sins of commission nor omission the preceding week, only that they are desirous of keeping the commandments in the future.

14. Why does Paul say in 12:3 that “no man can say that Jesus is the Lord, but by the Holy Ghost”? Can’t anyone say it, even if he doesn’t believe it?

Joseph Smith said this should read, “No man can know that Jesus is the Lord, but by the Holy Ghost.” That change didn’t make it into the Joseph Smith Translation of the Bible, but it makes sense. Certainly, anyone can say that Jesus is the Lord, whether he believes it or not. But only through revelation can he truly know it, as Matt. 16:18 and Rev. 19:10 make clear.

15. 1 Corinthians 12 is one of three great chapters in sacred writ which catalog the variety of spiritual gifts available to the faithful. What are the other two? How could you find out?

It is unfortunate that there isn’t a clearer footnote reference to the answer, but if one follows footnote 4a to the Topical Guide, and looks at the various references given, he will eventually discover that the two comparable chapters are Moroni 10 and D&C 46.

Paul here seems to be talking about the gift of “teaching.” Both D&C 46 and Moroni 10, when speaking of the same gifts, make clear that it is speaking of the gift to teach with wisdom and knowledge or the gift to impart wisdom and knowledge—probably both. Knowledge is to have an awareness of facts. Wisdom is knowing what to do with that information. Today mankind is bombarded with an abundance of information, but very few are wise enough to properly prioritize its use.

Paul does seem to be saying that. We must acknowledge, of course, that an apostle, or bishop, or Relief Society president may need spiritual strengths and organizational abilities that not every faithful Church member possesses and that their absence would be more quickly noted than that of some other local Church officers and teachers. But one with a less visible calling who magnifies it fully will be just as loved by the Lord and rewarded for his or her service as those who have what are generally considered the more “prominent” positions. Ministering elders and sisters as well as priesthood and auxiliary teachers might be compared to the small arteries which carry blood to the extremities and every other organ of the body. They may at first glance seem less important than the heart or the brain, but without them the heart and brain would be powerless to accomplish anything. Similarly, the arteries couldn’t function without the heart and brain. And none of these would sustain life without a properly functioning digestive system, liver, kidneys, and lungs. If Paul were really addressing himself to those who wished they “could be apostles or bishops or hold some other important position in the Church,” he wouldn’t be trying to placate them. He’d be scolding them and trying to teach them the value of every Church position.

Paul takes no credit for the development of church organization. It was God Himself, Paul testifies, who organized His church. This passage is rich with significance, including:

It shows that God intended that His church be led by apostles and prophets.
It lists apostles before prophets, as Paul understood that all who speak with inspiration are in a sense “prophets” (with a small “p”), though the apostles are a group more finite in number of those who comprise a specific leadership council and who can testify from personal knowledge that Jesus is the Son of God.
Paul emphasizes the importance of teaching in the church, listing teachers right after apostles and prophets.
Paul indicates that such spiritual gifts as miracles, healings, and the gift of tongues were to be an integral and permanent part of the true church.

19. 12:31. How do you reconcile this passage with the 10th Commandment, which forbids coveting?

The 10th commandment only forbids coveting and conniving to take away that which belongs to someone else. In 1 Corinthians 12:31, as the footnote makes clear, it means only to “seek earnestly” or “be zealous for.” It is entirely appropriate for everyone to seek all the spiritual gifts they can acquire, and there are plenty to go around.

20. 13:3. Paul seems to think that charity is not synonymous with bestowing one’s goods to feed the poor. What is the difference

The “charity” of which Paul and other scriptures speak is defined in the Book of Mormon as the “pure love of Christ.” That is not the kind of romantic emotion or feeling of friendship that the world equates with love. Nor is it mere generosity. It is rather a self-sacrificing kind of love—the kind Jesus showed for all of us when He suffered and died for us all. True charity could well include giving one’s goods to feed the poor. But one could also feed the poor for less altruistic motives (fame, investment, hope for favors in return, etc.), in which case, as Paul states so clearly, it would have nothing to do with the “charity” he is speaking of.

21. 13:7. Does this verse look familiar? Where else do we find this phraseology? Can you paraphrase this verse to make it more literally true?

This is evidently the source for part of Joseph Smith’s 13th Article of Faith. Coming from 1 Corinthians 13, it makes it easy to remember. It is not an endorsement of gullibility, of course. It does mean that one with charity will be full of faith in God and His prophets, full of optimism, and full of patience.

Quite to the contrary, this passage, with the two verses which follow, constitutes an excellent argument that latter-day prophecy and other spiritual gifts were to be part of the Lord’s true church. It is only when “that which is perfect is come” that such gifts would no longer be needed. Few would argue that we have already reached such perfection.

23. 13:1, 2, 13. Why do you think Paul says charity is even more important than faith and hope?

I can think of a couple of possible reasons: First, it could be considered the starting point for acquiring faith, hope, and other Christian virtues. When we truly divest ourselves of selfishness and love others as ourselves, we will qualify to have the Spirit of the Lord with us, which will make faith, hope, and other spiritual gifts flourish. Secondly, it is the most God-like of virtues. As John will write in 1 John 4:7-8: “Every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God. He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love.”