Not Who We Used to Be

Transcription

1 Not Who We Used to Be Summary and Goal When we talk about healthy relationships and sexuality, many of us bring baggage and past mistakes to the conversation. It s important that we acknowledge those things so that we can deal with them and find freedom. However, we need to focus more on who we are in Christ than on the sum total of our sexual experiences or past missteps. Main Passages 1 Corinthians 6:11-12 Session Outline 1. The Past in Its Proper Perspective (1 Corinthians 6:11a) 2. Introducing the Change Agent (1 Corinthians 6:11b) 3. Freedom of a New Identity (1 Corinthians 6:12) Theological Theme Everyone who follows Christ has a past life before Christ. However, a new identity in Christ brings freedom so that Christ followers are not defined by their past, but by their present and future. Christ Connection Christ s atonement broke the grip sin had on those who follow Him, forever. Therefore, Christ followers are no longer destined for the grave that Christ overcame. Missional Application As Christ followers walk through the world, they are models and messengers of freedom to those shackled to sin and shame in their spheres of influence. 1 Leader Guide

2 Historical Context of 1 Corinthians Purpose Paul s purpose in writing 1 Corinthians was to motivate the Corinthian church to acknowledge the Lord s ownership of them and the implications this had in their lives. Key topics Paul addressed in this overarching theme of the ownership and authority of the Lord include: Christian unity, morality, the role of women, spiritual gifts, and the resurrection. Author First Corinthians ascribes Paul as its author (1 Cor 1:1; 16:21). Biblical scholars are almost unanimous that Paul wrote the letter. Date Written Paul wrote 1 Corinthians during the last year of his three-year ministry at Ephesus, probably a few weeks before Pentecost in the spring of a.d. 56 (1 Cor 15:32; 16:8; Ac 20:31). Setting During Paul s second missionary journey, he had a vision at Troas; he heard a man call to him, Cross over to Macedonia and help us! (Ac 16:9). That change in plans led Paul to Philippi, Thessalonica, Athens, and ultimately to Corinth (Ac 18:5). Paul ministered in Corinth for at least 18 months (Ac 18:1-18). He left Corinth accompanied by Aquila and Priscilla (Ac 18:18), leaving them at Ephesus where they met and instructed an eloquent man named Apollos (Ac 18:24-26). Key Verses 1 Corinthians 13; 1 Corinthians 15:3 Special Features First Corinthians contributes greatly to our understanding of the Christian life, ministry, and relationships by showing us how the members of the church Christ s body are to function together. Excerpted and paraphrased from the Holman Christian Standard Study Bible. Holman Bible Publishers, Date of My Bible Study: 2

3 1 Session Plan Not Who We Used to Be Introduction Why do you think it s so much more difficult to address sexual brokenness in healthy relationships than other areas of sin? How would you explain to someone what it means to be a new creation in Christ? Why is having a clear understanding of this concept important for all believers? In this week s session, Paul drew a sharp line of distinction between the sins that characterized the lives of the Corinthians before they knew Christ and the lives of freedom the Corinthians were to live in light of their salvation. In particular, Paul discussed a variety of sexual sins, for which the citizens of Corinth were especially known. In light of their new identities in Christ and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, the Corinthians were not to be known by those former sins any longer. 1. The Past in Its Proper Perspective (1 Cor. 6:11a) The list of vices in 1 Corinthians 6:9-10 repeated a list in 1 Corinthians 5:11, where Paul identified those who are to be treated with church discipline and removed from fellowship. Paul focused on these areas because they were the specific sins with which the Corinthians struggled most significantly. During Paul s day, Corinth was known throughout that region for their sexual immorality. When you read the list of vices that Paul supplied in 1 Corinthians 6:9-10, how similar do you find it with our culture? Why do you say so? When you consider the actions that characterized your life before Christ, how does such recollection impact you? How does your continued struggle on the other side of salvation shape your understanding of righteousness? 3 Leader Guide

4 2. Introducing the Change Agent (1 Cor. 6:11b) In contrast to the stern tone of rebuke that characterized the previous chapter and a half, Paul used the beginning of 6:11 as a pivot to remind the Corinthians that following Christ was not about simply following rules or trying harder. Something greater than behavior modification had occurred. What thoughts do you have when you see astonishing Before and After pictures of someone? How does the transformation represented in those pictures differ from the transformation believers undergo, as described by Paul? How would you explain the relationship between the transformation that the Corinthians experienced and the manner of living Paul was directing them away from? 3. Freedom of a New Identity (1 Cor. 6:12) The Corinthians history of sexual deviance and brokenness, as evidenced in Paul s letter, had become a massive stumbling block to their growth in discipleship. The fact that Paul continually needed to confront such perversion in the Corinthian church demonstrated their need for true understanding of freedom in Christ. Why do you think doing whatever I want to do so frequently leads to bondage, even though it feels like freedom? How do you see that lie perpetuated in our modern context? Who in your life has most vividly demonstrated the joy of freedom in Christ? How would you describe their life and conduct? How does your interaction with them shape your own manner of living? For Further Discussion In your life, where have you experienced freedom in Christ compared to the freedom of the world? From your experience, what is the difference between these two freedoms? Conclusion Who walks with you to encourage and prompt you toward Christlikeness? How often do the topics of identity in Christ and sexual wholeness come up in your conversations? What are some important elements of keeping your affections centered on Christ? How do you keep from meditating on the bondage of your old life? What does it mean to you that you ve been saved to something, not just from something? How have you seen that God wants to use you in the body of Christ for His glory? Session 1 4

5 Expanded Session Content 1 Not Who We Used to Be Introduction In a February 7, 2013 article in Christianity Today, Rosaria Butterfield gave her testimony of coming to Jesus. The tone of the article was set immediately by the title: My Train Wreck Conversion. If that weren t sufficiently indicative of her story, the summary by-line put readers on alert: As a leftist lesbian professor, I despised Christians. Then I somehow became one. Throughout the vulnerable honesty of the article, Butterfield spoke frequently of her lesbian lifestyle and involvement in the local LGBTQ community where she and her partner lived in Syracuse, NY. She felt her life had cause, purpose, direction, and she thoroughly hated Christians. When she received a letter from a Presbyterian minister in Syracuse, things slowly began to change. The minister and his wife befriended Butterfield, offering conversation and engagement instead of the sneers and condemnation with which she had become so accustomed. God began to move. She repeatedly read through the Bible, absorbed by the character of Christ and marked by how much of that character she saw in her new Presbyterian friends. After months of inner anguish and turmoil, Butterfield described her conversion thusly: Then, one ordinary day, I came to Jesus, openhanded and naked. In this war of worldviews...jesus triumphed. And I was a broken mess. Conversion was a train wreck. I did not want to lose everything that I loved. But the voice of God sang a sanguine love song in the rubble of my world. I weakly believed that if Jesus could conquer death, He could make right my world. I rested in private peace, then community, and today in the shelter of a covenant family, where one calls me wife and many call me mother. When God redeemed Rosaria Butterfield, He also redeemed the sexual brokenness of her past, making her a new creation. 1 Why do you think it s so much more difficult to address sexual brokenness in healthy relationships than other areas of sin? 5 Leader Guide

6 How easily do you forgive others for their past sins? What biblical passages that you are aware of speak to forgiving others? How would you explain to someone what it means to be a new creation in Christ? Why is having a clear understanding of this concept important for all believers? Session Summary In this week s session, Paul drew a sharp line of distinction between the sins that characterized the lives of the Corinthians before they knew Christ and the lives of freedom the Corinthians were to live in light of their salvation. In particular, Paul discussed a variety of sexual sins, for which the citizens of Corinth were especially known. In light of their new identities in Christ and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, the Corinthians were not to be known by those former sins any longer. 1. The Past in Its Proper Perspective (1 Corinthians 6:11a) Paul s words to the Corinthians were set in the context of addressing the matter of believers taking one another to civil courts to settle disputes, so that their discord was on display among those outside the church. As Paul was rebuking the matter of legal disputes among brothers in Christ, he expanded his argument to remind the Corinthians that the unrighteous will not inherit God s kingdom. In doing so, Paul outlined several observable behaviors and characteristics of the unrighteous. This is what verse 11 refers to when Paul wrote: And some of you used to be like this. The initial part of the list of vices was primarily different expressions of sexual immorality. The list of vices in 1 Corinthians 6:9-10 repeated a list in 1 Corinthians 5:11, where Paul identified those who are to be treated with church discipline and removed from fellowship. Paul focused on these areas because they were the specific sins with which the Corinthians struggled most significantly. During Paul s day, Corinth was known throughout that region for their sexual immorality. A common practice when referring to sexually deviant behavior was to use the term Corinthianizing. A careful reading of 1 Corinthians will provide numerous examples that bear this truth out. The Corinthian congregation, in many cases, was losing the influence battle; their culture was exerting more influence on them than they were exerting on the culture for the cause of Christ. Session 1 6

7 When you read the list of vices that Paul supplied in 1 Corinthians 6:9-10, how similar do you find it with our culture? Why do you say so? When you consider the actions that characterized your life before Christ, how does such recollection impact you? How does your continued struggle on the other side of salvation shape your understanding of righteousness? It is critical to point out what Paul meant in referring to the unrighteous. Many believers may read these verses and begin to think that, because sin still exists in their life or because they still struggle with former sin, somehow their salvation is deficient. This is a ploy of the enemy, whom Scripture refers to as the accuser of the brothers. Paul wrote 1 Corinthians to believers followers of Christ whose identities, individually and collectively, had been forever changed. In Christ, these people were a new creation. Therefore, the sins that characterized their old life should no longer be pursued. They were making themselves slaves once again to that from which Christ had freed them. That is why Paul wrote, And some of you used to be like this. In other words, this was not their identity anymore. They were acting as though they had developed spiritual amnesia, forgetting their present and eternal identity in Christ. Complete Change In order to make the pivot in verse 11 as strong as possible, each of the three verbs that Paul used to refer to salvation (washed, sanctified, justified) are preceded by the strong adversative, but. Reading it literally would result in but you were washed but you were sanctified but you were justified. English translations generally only include one ( but you were washed ) to mark the transition. Because biblical writers used repetition to communicate importance, we must be careful not to miss the strength of Paul s distinction. 2. Introducing the Change Agent (1 Cor. 6:11b) In contrast to the stern tone of rebuke that characterized the previous chapter and a half, Paul used the beginning of 6:11 as a pivot to remind the Corinthians that following Christ was not about simply following rules or trying harder. Something greater than behavior modification had occurred. As Paul explained the transformation that had taken place, the remainder of verse 11 spelled out perhaps the most important theological statement in 1 Corinthians. The construction of Paul s argument indicated Paul s desire for the Corinthians to see themselves as Before and After photos, to use a modern metaphor. Doing so meant identifying the way those without Christ lived and how the Corinthians should live. Just as the Corinthians had been without Christ previously, they now enjoyed the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit. Their transformation was initiated by Christ and the expression of His grace. That transformation did not just make the Corinthians better versions of their old selves, but new creations altogether. What thoughts do you have when you see astonishing Before and After pictures of someone? How does the transformation represented in those pictures differ from the transformation believers undergo, as described by Paul? 7 Leader Guide

8 How would you explain the relationship between the transformation that the Corinthians experienced and the manner of living Paul was directing them away from? Nothing could be more important in understanding this passage than a correct understanding of the relationship between the conduct of the Corinthians and the reality of their salvation. This is crucial because of the cultural tendency to equate good works with salvation. Paul was not communicating that if the Corinthians wanted to keep their salvation, they had better act like it. Rather, Paul was reminding them that their identities were changed, therefore they had been freed from such sinful entanglements. Seeking to return to prior bondage, then, signaled a failure to appreciate the depth and totality of the work Christ had done for them. The idea that salvation and the indwelling of the Spirit could occur and render no change was impossible. Scholar Gordon Fee explains, Security in Christ there is, to be sure, but it is a false security that would justify sinners who have never taken seriously but such were some of you. That is to whitewash the sinner without regeneration or transformation; Paul simply would not understand such theology Freedom of a New Identity (1 Cor. 6:12) When Paul discussed the freedom of new life in Christ, he did so by referencing a common misperception of the day. In using the phrase, everything is permissible for me, Paul was quoting a false teaching that was an abuse of Christian freedom. The idea went, because Christ had freed a believer from the consequences of sin and also from the constraints of the Law in order to find acceptance before God, then the believer was free to do whatever he or she liked. The theological term for this false teaching is antinomianism. This is false because it supposes that God is not concerned with moral or ethical behavior following salvation. Nothing could be further from the truth! The Depth of Atonement Much effort has gone into examining the use of washed, sanctified, and justified in verse 11 over the years. While those words do speak to theologically distinctive parts of the journey with Christ, such was not Paul s primary interest here. Rather, in coupling the words with the three strong adversatives, Paul was communicating the breadth and completion of Christ s atoning work. All three words were used by Paul to collectively emphasize the various expressions of salvation. In his book Sex in a Broken World, Paul David Tripp, in describing this verse, referred to the principle of mastery. Tripp explains, Paul is saying, when it comes to things like sex, my problem is a fickle, wandering, easily disloyal heart. I say that Jesus is my Lord, but I am daily tempted to give my heart over to the rule of other masters. 3 When Paul wrote that not everything is beneficial, he was referring to being beneficial to the Spirit s ongoing work of transforming the believer into the likeness of Christ. Those things that were not beneficial were detrimental because they subversively switched the believer s allegiance. In doing so, the believer, though feeling free to do whatever he or she wanted, was actually returning to bondage. Session 1 8

9 Why do you think doing whatever I want to do so frequently leads to bondage, even though it feels like freedom? How do you see that lie perpetuated in our modern context? Who in your life has most vividly demonstrated the joy of freedom in Christ? How would you describe their life and conduct? How does your interaction with them shape your own manner of living? The Corinthians history of sexual deviance and brokenness, as evidenced in Paul s letter, had become a massive stumbling block to their growth in discipleship. The fact that Paul continually needed to confront such perversion in the Corinthian church demonstrated their need for true understanding of freedom in Christ. Being mastered by the shackles of culturally-accepted sin continued to stunt their growth as believers, fragment their holy fellowship, dilute their worship into a type of idolatry, and allow sin to remain rooted in their daily interactions with others. In short, the Corinthians desperately needed to remember who they were as new creations and cast off the bondage of their past. Conclusion Paul s words of warning to the Corinthian congregation have tremendous resonance in our culture. The evidences of a society that has been ravaged by immorality are inescapable. The culture within churches, sadly, carries those evidences as well. So how are we to move from pervasive brokenness to wholeness and health in our relationships? Paul s letter offers some helpful insight. First, if we are followers of Christ, we must stop thinking of ourselves as who we once were and, instead, think of ourselves as who Christ made us to be. This is absolutely foundational. The reason Paul made such a strong separation between the Corinthians identity before Christ and their new identity after Christ is because understanding the implications of salvation is critical to healing. We are mindful of our past, only in regard to understanding that from which Christ saved us and restored us. Second, the mission of Christ must be the focus of our lives. Jesus Christ did not only save us from something, but He also saved us to something. Our allegiance and heart s fixation must reflect that. Viewing salvation as something that only forgives our sin is incomplete. Salvation gives believers a new identity, a new purpose, and a new Master. For the Christian, a life solely focused on what used to be, will always meditate on sin, guaranteeing a return to bondage of some sort. However, a life that is pitched Godward, with a relentless fixation on worshipping Him, knowing Him, and serving Him will thrive, even in the difficulty of temptation. 9 Leader Guide

10 Third, we must forgive as we have been forgiven. The reality is that, before Christ, we all were in the and some of you used to be like this camp. The fact that we have new life in Christ, knowing our own sin, must result in our willingness to forgive those who repent of their sin. This is not to say we should pretend that sin never existed and just brush it away. Repentance and brokenness over sin is essential to forgiveness. But for those of penitent heart and contrite spirit, forgiveness must be extended as readily as it was received. Fourth, biblical community must be a regular part of the disciple s life. In order to walk faithfully, followers of Jesus need the blessing of other disciples for encouragement and accountability. Isolation is a threat to biblical obedience. The strengthening and renewed resolve that comes from time intentionally spent in biblical community is an immeasurable help in resisting the pull of the flesh back to former bondage. Who walks with you to encourage and prompt you toward Christlikeness? How often do the topics of identity in Christ and sexual wholeness come up in your conversations? What are some important elements of keeping your affections centered on Christ? How do you keep from meditating on the bondage of your old life? What does it mean to you that you ve been saved to something, not just from something? How have you seen that God wants to use you in the body of Christ for His glory? Prayer of Response Pray that God would remind you that your identity is firmly in Christ. Pray for the power to resist temptation to sin and to encourage other brothers and sisters in Christ to do the same. Pray for the power of the Holy Spirit to live a transformed life of obedience. Additional Resources You Can Change by Tim Chester Instruments in the Redeemer s Hands by Paul David Tripp The Pursuit of Holiness by Jerry Bridges Session 1 10

11 For Next Week Session Title --A Healthy Perspective About Relationships Main Passages --Genesis 2:15-18 Session Outline 1. Man s Job Description (Genesis 2:15) 2. Man s Boundaries (Genesis 2:16-17) 3. Man s Corresponding Helper (Genesis 2:18) Memorize Everything is permissible for me, but not everything is beneficial. Everything is permissible for me, but I will not be mastered by anything. 1 corinthians 6:12, CSB 11 Leader Guide

12 Extended Commentary 1 Corinthians 6: :9-11 For the third time in his discussion of lawsuits Paul asks, Do you not know? What they should know in this instance is that the wicked [or wrongdoers NIV 2011] will not inherit the kingdom of God. Paul follows with a warning of deception and a vice list comparable to 5: First Corinthians 6:10 reiterates that those who are described by the list will not inherit the kingdom of God. In 6:11 Paul reminds the Corinthians of what they used to be in contrast to what they now are by virtue References of their conversion. But how do these three concluding verses relate to the subject of litigation among believers? The most obvious function of 6:9-11 in Paul s argument is the continuing contrast between believer and unbeliever. Unbelievers will not inherit the kingdom. Believers, on the other hand, have been washed, sanctified, and justified. But there is also a stern warning regarding deception (6:9). That they bring their disputes before the unrighteous is shameful and unwise (6:1, 5). Here, however, Paul raises the stakes even higher. To the previous vice list of six sins in 5:10-11 Paul adds four more. The word translated wicked is the same word translated ungodly in 6:1. The cognate verb occurs in 6:8, 149 acting unrighteously. Thus, the wrongdoing of 6:8 takes a wider scope. By engaging in litigation, they themselves are acting unrighteously, just like those who will not inherit the kingdom. Their behavior is no different from the world. Instead of becoming what they are the Corinthians are behaving like they were (6:11). Paul s warning is not hypothetical but real. Those who persist in such behavior exclude themselves from the kingdom of God. The kingdom of God consists of righteousness, joy, and peace in the Holy Spirit (Rom 14:17). Believers have been rescued from the dominion of darkness and brought into the kingdom of God s Son (Col 1:13). The actions of believers should be worthy of those who belong to the kingdom (1 Thess 2:12). While the function of 6:11 is to draw out the contrast between the Corinthians and the unrighteous who will not inherit the kingdom and to remind them of their status in Christ, in and of itself the statement is a remarkable testimony to the power of the gospel in conversion. Barrett comments, Paul is not writing in merely literary or in imaginary terms, but addressing the greatest of miracles, a church of redeemed sinners, won from their old lifestyle by the power of God. Similarly Morris: The tremendous revolution brought about by the preaching of the gospel comes out in the quiet words, And that is what some of you were. In Greek there is a threefold repetition of the strong adversative, but, not Session 1 12

13 captured in the NIV. This emphatic structure notes the contrast of their present condition and their past and the consequent demand which their moral condition makes on them. There is no theological significance in the sequence of the terms, washed, sanctified, and justified since similar terms appear in reverse order in 1:30. The phrase, You were washed, may include the imagery of baptism and its significance. It seems that Paul is speaking of one event using three terms in order to convey his primary concern, namely, the transforming power and renewal of the gospel that occurs by the authority of Jesus and by the Spirit of God. Baptism most certainly depicts this reality. 6:12 We cannot know for certain the origin of the phrase, Everything is permissible for me, or who was making the claim. Even if a Corinthian slogan, the saying may have originated in Paul s own teaching regarding Christian freedom. Either way Paul seems to affirm the pithy statement with two qualifications: Not everything is beneficial and I will not be mastered by anything. Paul championed Christian freedom (Gal 5:1), but his view of freedom was always conditioned by the reality that believers are in Christ, under the Lord s authority, and exist in relation to others in community. The word translated beneficial recurs in the repetition of the same phrase in 10:23 with reference to food sacrificed to idols and also in 12:7 with reference to the manifestations of the Spirit for the common good of all in the church. Paul offers himself as the example of one who does what benefits others for the sake of the gospel (see 9:19-23; 10:31-33). The second qualification, I will not be mastered by anything, indicates that one s actions in the name of so-called freedom can have the exact opposite effect of enslavement. Fee suggests that the notion of being brought under the authority of another ties in to the issue raised in 6:15-16 and should be understood in light of 7:4. In 6:15-16 Paul refers specifically to being brought under the authority of the prostitute. Fee explains, That is, by being joined to her in porneia the believer constitutes someone else, outside of Christ, as the unlawful lord over one s body. In 7:4, husbands and wives each have authority over the body of their spouse in the lawful union of marriage. Robertson and Plummer suggest that the first qualification addresses the effect an action will have on others and the second addresses the effect it will have on oneself. They further suggest that 6:12-13 forms a preface to the subject of porneia in order to show that it is not one of those things that may or may not be lawful according to circumstances. It is always outside the bounds of Christian liberty. While many things are permissible and become wrong only if indulged to the extent that they are harmful to others or ourselves, fornication is not a legitimate use of the body Leader Guide

14 References 1 Butterfield, Rosaria. My Train Wreck Conversion. Christianity Today. February 7, Fee, Gordon D. The First Epistle to the Corinthians. Grand Rapids, MI: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, Tripp, Paul David. Sex in a Broken World: How Christ Redeems What Sin Distorts. Wheaton: Crossway, Taylor, Mark. 1 Corinthians. Vol. 28. New American Commentary. Nashville, TN: B&H Publishing Group, Session 1 14