Day 329 Reading Schedule: 1 Corinthians 9-11

1 Corinthians 9: Apostle’s Rights and Duties 

[Overview] 

In this chapter, Paul mainly discusses his example of restraining the exercise of freedom for the sake of the gospel. The purpose of this discussion is to teach the Corinthians to follow his example, restrain all freedom and rights in Christ, and take the attitude of a servant for the sake of the gospel. This chapter also highlights the issue of Paul’s apostolic authority. At that time, there were some among the Corinthians who questioned Paul’s apostolic authority. In response, Paul defended his apostolic authority by pointing out that he had seen the resurrected Lord on the road to Damascus and had received a direct revelation from Christ about the mission to the Gentiles, and that the power of the gospel was revealed through him. The contents of this chapter consist of the rights of an apostolic (verses 1-11), the duties of an apostolic (verses 12-18), and Paul’s obedience and restraint (verses 19-27). 

 1 Corinthians 10: Principles of Behavior for the Glory of God

[Summary]

This chapter seriously deals with the teaching on idol-offerings dealt with in Chapter 8 in relation to the history of Israel. In this chapter, Paul warns the Corinthians against their unbelief, using the history of Israel’s Exodus as an example. Israel being chosen as God’s people is like the church being chosen from the world. Israel’s escape from Egypt under God’s guidance, crossing the Red Sea, eating manna in the wilderness, and drinking water from the rock foreshadows that we will be separated from the world, baptized, and united with Christ. In this situation, the issue of eating idol-offerings is directly connected to the serious issue of idolatry in this chapter. The food itself is not the subject of judgment as being clean or unclean, but it teaches that we must pay attention to its effect on our bodies. This chapter consists of a reference to the apostate Israel (verses 1-13), a warning against idolatry (verses 14-22), and a reference to Christian freedom (verses 23-33).

1 Corinthians 11: Paul’s teaching on the order and virtue of the church

[Overview]

This chapter records the proper public worship and the Eucharist. Up until the previous chapter, Paul mainly answered the Corinthians’ questions about problems arising in daily life, but from this chapter on, Paul answers several questions about the church’s worship. Before giving new exhortations, Paul confirms that he is the one who gave them the tradition, and praises the church in Corinth for remembering and practicing the tradition he gave them. Paul passed on the tradition he received from his senior believers wherever he went. This chapter explains the traditions that the saints must keep and their true meaning, and consists of the issue of wearing a veil during worship (verses 1-16), the issue of mocking the Lord's Supper (verses 17-22), and the teachings on the Lord's Supper (verses 23-34).