Points to Ponder in 1 Corinthians 1-7

To accompany your Come Follow Me study for August 21-27

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

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

Chapter 38: 1 Corinthians 1–11 (churchofjesuschrist.org)

See the following videos:

Come Follow Me (August 21-27) | Milk Before Meat | 1 Corinthians 1-7 – 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-1-7/66421d9b-5fa7-4a03-9f79-e1152441dd5b. (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.)

1. Why was Paul glad not to have baptized anyone in Corinth but Crispus, Gaius, and the family of Stephanas? And why did he say “Christ sent me not to baptize, but to preach the gospel”? (1:17) Isn’t baptism one of the most fundamental principles of the gospel? What’s going on here?

2. What does Paul say which could answer those who feel that if the Lord were really to reveal Himself in the latter days, He would have done it through some established and well-known religious leader, such as the Pope or Billy Graham, and not through some ignorant farm boy like Joseph Smith?

3. Is it true that Paul was more impressed with ignorance and foolishness than with learning? How do we reconcile that with the fact that all members of the current First Presidency have doctor’s degrees?

4. How would you summarize what heaven is like, from what Paul says about it in 1 Corinthians 2?

5. Which of the following passages would you guess was changed by Joseph Smith in the JST? (See if you can guess first without checking the footnotes.) After checking the answer in the footnotes, explain what difference the change makes.

1 Cor. 2:91

Cor. 2:10

1 Cor. 2:11

1 Cor. 2:12

6. Paul’s having fed “babes” with milk rather than meat sets a particularly good example for which of the following?

missionaries

dietitians

pediatricians

Gospel Doctrine teachers

7. What examples can you give of something you think Paul would have considered “milk,” and something he would have considered “meat”? Why would missionaries want to avoid the latter in their teaching of potential converts?

8. Which passage in this week’s reading has the best counsel for missionaries who either baptize no one or boast about how many people they have converted?

1 Cor. 1:12-13
1 Cor. 1:26-27
1 Cor. 2:4
1 Cor. 3:6-7

9. Paul’s emphasis in 1 Cor. 1-3 was on the fact that true wisdom begins with which of the following? Why?

acknowledging one’s own foolishness
repentance and baptism for the remission of sin
searnest prayer to the Lord
diligent searching of the scriptures

10. Some Christians believe the Bible contains all the written words of the early apostles and that God would not allow any of the inspired writings of his chosen servants to be lost. What does Paul say that refutes that notion?

11. In 1 Corinthians 5 Paul’s emphasis is that fornicators should be

excommunicated
executed
loved into repentance
tarred and feathered

12. Is that still the Church’s policy today? Why or why not? Isn’t it true that excommunicating an adulterer may so turn him against the Church that there will be no hope of his repenting? Wouldn’t it be better to deal with him meekly and gently in hopes of leading him back onto the straight and narrow path?

13. According to Paul, homosexual acts evidently (1 Cor. 6:9-10) are which of the following?

while perhaps unfortunate, are not a moral sin
while sinful, are less serious than heterosexual fornication
are just as sinful as fornication
are even more sinful than fornication

14. What could you say to someone who felt that if anyone has broken the law of chastity, he may as well give up any hopes of inheriting the celestial kingdom, since “fornicators … shall [not] inherit the kingdom of God”? (1 Cor. 6:9-10)

15. What does Paul say which could be part of an answer to a woman who insists that she should be allowed to have an elective abortion, because she should be able to do whatever she wants with her own body?

16. What similarities can you point to between our bodies and literal temples that make the comparison especially appropriate?

17. (1 Cor. 7) At the time of his writing to the Corinthians, Paul was most likely which of the following? What makes us think so?

a lifelong bachelor by choice
a bachelor who was still eagerly looking for a wife
a previously married man
a happily married husband and father

18. (1 Cor. 7:25-39) Paul’s counsel on marriage in these verses was evidently directed to

members with unbelieving spouses
those who had been previously married
all saints everywhere
those called as missionaries

19. Some critics of Latter-day Saint beliefs assert that if an apostle is found to have a wrong opinion, that proves he is not called of God, as true apostles will be inspired in all they say and write. What does Paul say on the subject?

Possible Answers to Points to Ponder in 1 Corinthians 1-7

Paul believed very strongly in baptism, but he didn’t need credit for having performed it for those who would feel his involvement in their ordinance gave them some kind of special status. No doubt for similar reasons, though Jesus Christ also performed baptisms, the Joseph Smith Translation clarifies that he didn’t perform so many personally as he allowed His apostles and others to perform.

He seems to address this very issue in 1 Corinthians 1:26-29, where he points out that the Lord doesn’t call many wise men after the flesh, but the “foolish things of the world” to confound the wise.

Paul himself was well-educated and had nothing against education per se. He just recognized that it was not through worldly learning that the gospel was best taught, but that conversion was dependent on the Spirit, which in many cases is more likely to attend the unlearned, whose humility causes them to depend on the Lord. Certainly, Paul would have agreed with Jacob, that “to be learned is good, if they hearken unto the counsels of God.” (2 Nephi 9:29). Our current First Presidency members were not called because of their graduate degrees, even though the same qualities which led them to excel in medicine, law, and education also made them great leaders in the Lord’s work, as they laid aside their worldly positions, when called, to dedicate their full time and attention to directing the Church.

4. How would you summarize what heaven is like, from what Paul says about it in 1 Corinthians 2?

He doesn’t give details of just what it will be like, but he does discuss how wonderful it will be: better than anything we could possibly imagine with our finite minds. (1 Cor. 2:9.)

1 Cor. 2:9
1 Cor. 2:10
1 Cor. 2:11
1 Cor. 2:12

The answer is 1 Cor. 2:11, where the ending of the verse was changed in the JST to to read, “The things of God knoweth no man, except he has the spirit of God.” In other words, it is not that man must remain perpetually in ignorance, with only the Spirit of God understanding the things of God, but that with the Lord’s spirit, man, too, can understand spiritual things.

6. Paul’s having fed “babes” with milk rather than meat sets a particularly good example for

missionaries
dietitians
pediatricians
Gospel Doctrine teachers

My answer would be “a. misisonaries,” though even Gospel Doctrine Sunday School teachers may sometimes also need to be careful not to focus on so-called “mysteries” but rather help their class members better understand and apply basic gospel principles.

“Milk” would include such ideas as

We are children of a Heavenly Father, who loves us and with whom we can talk in prayer.
Our loving Father has given us commandments for our happiness.
Jesus paid the price for our sins, if we will repent.
Through baptism we promise to keep God’s commandments, in return for which He promises to forgive our sins.
Through the gift of the Holy Ghost we can receive personal inspiration to direct our lives and strength to keep the covenants we have made.

“Meat” might include

Discussion of a Heavenly Mother
Speculative details about the identity and location of the Lost Ten Tribes
Details of the future building of Zion and the Millennial reign of Christ.
Just how Christ’s suffering satisfied the law of justice, and how it was possible for Him to suffer for the sins of so many in so short a time.

Missionaries would want to steer potential converts away from a focus on the “meat” for the same reason a math teacher would not want to expose a first grader to calculus or statistics: It would be more likely to scare them away than attract them to the subject at hand!

8. Which passage in this week’s reading has the best counsel for missionaries who either baptize no one or boast about how many people they have converted?

1 Cor. 1:12-13
1 Cor. 1:26-27
1 Cor. 2:4
1 Cor. 3:6-7

The answer, of course, is 1 Cor. 3:6-7: “I have planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the increase.” Certainly, members who first arouse interest in a neighbor, or those missionaries who begin the teaching process, or those who befriend and encourage the new investigator are at least as important as whoever finally performs the baptismal ordinance.

9. Paul’s emphasis in 1 Cor. 1-3 was on the fact that true wisdom begins with which of the following? Why?

acknowledging one’s own foolishness
repentance and baptism for the remission of sins
earnest prayer to the Lord
diligent searching of the scriptures

Paul would pick “a. acknowledging one’s own foolishness.” Only when one recognizes he lacks something he really wants is he likely to put forth the effort to get it.

See 1 Corinthians 5:9, where Paul refers to an earlier epistle he had written to the Corinthians, but which is now lost.

11. In 1 Corinthians 5 Paul’s emphasis is that fornicators should be

excommunicated
executed
loved into repentance
tarred and feathered

Paul makes a case for excommunication of such offenders—especially one so conspicuously guilty as the man he cited as having had sexual relations with his own step-mother.

That, in fact, is the approach Church leaders generally take—especially if the offender shows repentance. But while the Church no longer uses the word “excommunication,” as outlined in section 32.11.4 of the General Handbook, it does withdraw membership from:

Those whose conduct makes them a serious threat to others.
Those who have committed especially severe sins.
Those who do not demonstrate repentance of serious sins.
Those who commit serious sins that harm the Church.

It would appear that the transgressors for whom Paul recommended withdrawal of membership fell into one or more of the above categories.

13. According to Paul, homosexual acts evidently (1 Cor. 6:9-10) are which of the following?

while perhaps unfortunate, are not technically a moral sin
while sinful, are less serious than heterosexual fornication
are just as sinful as fornication
are even more sinful than fornication

Both Paul and today’s Church leaders seem to treat homosexual transgression as being just as sinful as the heterosexual variety.

The fact that someone once replaced a washer in a faucet doesn’t make him a plumber. His having planted tomato seeds once doesn’t make him a farmer. And his having once broken the law of chastity doesn’t make him forever a “fornicator.” After outlining the fate of unrepentant fornicators, idolators, adulterers, and others, Paul adds, “And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God.” As such, no longer being fornicators or among any of the other groups of sinners who would never inherit the kingdom of God, the Corinthian saints had every right to expect a glorious future life.

1 Cor. 6:19: “What? Know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?” One could make a case for a woman’s being allowed to do what she wanted with her own body, if she had one. But the body is not hers, but God’s, who has simply loaned it to her for her temporary use. And He has something to say about how it is used. Certainly, the woman has no right to do whatever she wants with someone else’s body, whether the one she is currently inhabiting or that of the unborn child she is carrying.

16. What similarities can you point to between our bodies and literal temples that make the comparison especially appropriate?

For starters, both:

Are beautiful, holy, and should be treated with utmost respect.
Are potential abodes of the Spirit of the Lord.
Require a “recommend” (or marriage license) for someone who would like to have an intimate experience therewith.

17. (1 Cor. 7) At the time of his writing to the Corinthians, Paul was most likely which of the following? What makes us think so?

a lifelong bachelor by choice
a bachelor who was still eagerly looking for a wife
a previously married man
a happily married husband and father

Paul was most likely a previously married man. As the Institute Student Manual states: “Paul probably was married or had been at some point. Most scholars acknowledge that Paul was either a member of the Jewish ruling body—the Sanhedrin—or a close associate of the group (see Acts 8:3; 9:1–2; 22:5; 26:10). To comply with the Sanhedrin’s membership requirements, Paul would have had to be married. Even if Paul was simply a representative of the Sanhedrin, he would have been expected to be in harmony with all accepted Jewish customs and therefore be married. In addition, Paul clearly taught the importance of marriage and family life (see 1 Corinthians 7:2; 11:11; Ephesians 5:21–6:4; 1 Timothy 3:2).”

18. (1 Cor. 7:25-39) Paul’s counsel on marriage in these verses was evidently directed to

members with unbelieving spouses
those who had been previously married
all saints everywhere
those called as missionaries

As the Joseph Smith Translation makes clear, Paul was addressing this counsel “unto you who are called unto the ministry.” Like missionaries today, ancient missionaries would be more effective and cause less inconvenience to others if they went out as unmarried individuals.

Paul certainly didn’t believe that. He freely acknowledged in 1 Corinthians 7:40 that he was giving his personal opinion, believing but not being certain that he was writing under divine inspiration.