Jesus (Christology) – Page 7 – Just Keith Harris

Christ Has Come: The Promised King & His Gift of HOPE — a Refresh & Restore Bible Study

Merry Christmas, Sojourners!

This is one of my favorite times of the year. The weather is crisp and cool (or cold, depending on the Mississippi weather). Lights and decorations abound. There’s more than enough to do – following our kiddos around, gathering for extra worship times, a few opportunities to pause and reflect on a year spent, and finding that people are more willing to listen or even talk about Jesus than in other seasons.

Over the past few years at Christ Community, I’ve begun to think of this more in terms of Advent than just the Christmas season – not out of some sense of religious tradition or necessity but out of a sense of expectation and hope. The word Advent comes from the Latin word adventus, meaning “coming” or “arrival”. It, of course, represents Jesus’s first coming (hence the Christmas aspect) and His arrival as God made flesh and dwelling among us (John 1:1, 14), but it also reminds us that He is coming again and that arrival in the clouds is on the horizon (1 Thessalonians 4:16-17), maybe even in our lifetime. Advent trains our hearts to wait with hope (Romans 8:23-25, Titus 2:11-13).

Now, this isn’t the sort of hope that we’re used to – some sort of vague wish that we want to come about. That sort of hope leads to disappointment and anxiety. For example, I hear my school kiddos say things like, “I hope I do good on this test.” While there’s a certain anxiety that all too often accompanies the tests, the hope can be more sure than wishful thinking. I remind my students in those moments of all they’ve studied and all they’ve learned. My class is the culmination of all of the English classes they have taken since third grade. Getting to my class means they’ve successfully made it from third grade all the way to ninth or tenth grade. Most of my tenth grade students had me for ninth, so I can remind them also of what they’ve learned, studied, and succeeded at in order to get to the end of the class. Their anxiety flowed from feelings of inadequacy and felt thin because it had nothing solid beneath it.

Biblical hope is different. It isn’t rooted in our effort, our performance, or our feelings. It has substance. It is established on something solid – the promises of God (2 Corinthians 1:20).

The hope Jesus offers – the hope we are reminded of through Advent leading up to Christmas – is based in a more substantial substance than our mere life experience and accomplishments; it’s based out of Jesus’s life and His accomplishments on the cross and through the empty tomb. We can “hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering” because “He who promised is faithful” (Hebrews 10:23). He has a flawless record of keeping His promises – promises no human could make and see fulfilled much less fulfill them alone (see “Appendix: OT Messianic Prophecies Fulfilled Through JESUS in the Gospels”). And we can find hope in His faithfulness because He is the One who promised to come and did (Galatians 4:4-5), so when He promises to return, we can rest in the hope that He will (Revelation 22:12, 20).

Hopefully you took the time to look at the OT Messianic Prophecies Fulfilled Through JESUS in the Gospels appendix, taking a look at the fifty-five examples offered there. Today, though, we’re going to find hope not only in prophecy but in how God worked in the real, messy lives of real, sinful people. We will see that He who promised to redeem and save those who call on Him – confess Him as Lord and believe He raised from the dead (Romans 10:9, 13) – is faithful to do that. Their stories show that the God who speaks His promises is the God who brings those promises to fruition through ordinary sinners like us (1 Corinthians 1:26-31).

So, where do we find these people? We find them – these four women – in Jesus’s genealogy in Matthew 1.

Before we look at any of their stories, it’s worth noting something remarkable: women weren’t usually included in genealogies in the ancient world. Genealogies traced the line through the fathers, generation to generation, name to name. Yet Matthew, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, intentionally highlights four women – and not women we might expect. Their stories are messy. Their pasts are complicated. Their situations were soaked in sin, sorrow, scandal, and suffering. And still the Holy Spirit saw fit to weave their names into the family line of Jesus. Why? Because the gospel isn’t a story for the polished but for the broken (Mark 2:17). Their presence in Jesus’s genealogy serves as the Spirit’s way of holding up the gift of hope – hope that God’s grace reaches further than our failures, hope that His mercy is deeper than our mess, and hope that the promised King truly came to save sinners (1 Timothy 1:15).

These women point us forward to the One who would come from their line – Jesus the Christ, Emmanuel, “God with us” (Matthew 1:23) – the Savior who brings hope to people just like them…and just like us.

Tamar – Hope in God’s Faithfulness
Despite Human Sin (v. 3, Genesis 38)

The first woman is Tamar (v. 3), and her story is found in Genesis 38.

Tamar was Judah’s – as in lion of the tribe of Judah (Genesis 49:8-10), the original – daughter-in-law. She was originally married to Judah’s oldest son Er until “the Lord put him to death” because Er was “wicked in the sight of the Lord” (Genesis 38:7). In those days^[2], when the elder son died, it was the role of his younger brother to take his place and father children in his name. This fell to second-born, Onan, but Onan was more sinful and selfish than his big brother, doing what was “wicked in the sight of the Lord” and being “put…to death, also” (Genesis 38:10).

Poor Tamar. Her only hope at bearing children would fall on Judah’s youngest, and last remaining son, Shelah. But Judah lied and had no intention of taking care of or continuing with Tamar. What did she do? She decided to be wicked herself. She tricked Judah and tempted him. How did he respond? He decided to be wicked himself. Judah and Tamar committed sin together, her posing as a prostitute and him partaking in sin with her – honestly sinning against her similarly to his late-son Onan.

Scripture doesn’t hide this, and because of that, we begin to see hope shining through the darkness.

Paul reminds us that “where sin increased, grace abounded all the more” (Romans 5:20), and Tamar’s story is living proof of that. Despite Judah’s sin, despite Tamar’s sin, despite a situation that looked like a generational dead end, God preserved the family line through which the Messiah would come (Genesis 38:27-30). And when faced with evidence of his sin, Judah himself would later confess that Tamar was “more righteous” than him (Genesis 38:26), not because she was righteous in herself, but because God used a broken situation to move His promise and purpose forward.

Tamar’s presence in Jesus’s genealogy shows us that the promised King comes through broken, sinful people to give hope to broken, sinful people.

Rahab – Hope for Outsiders, Sinners,
and the Unlikely (v. 5; Joshua 2, 6:17, 22-25)

The second woman is Rahab (v. 5), and her story is found throughout the Bible in Joshua 2, 6:17, 6:22-25 as well as in the New Testament in Hebrews 11:31 and James 2:25.

Rahab wasn’t an Israelite, so she wasn’t one of God’s chosen people ethnically, and before the Hebrew spies came to her house in Jericho, she was known for her sinful profession as a prostitute, except unlike Tamar, she was not merely posing as one. Yet she exhibited faith in the God of Israel because she had heard of the mighty work He had done with and for His people (Joshua 2:9-11). She chose to side with God’s people rather than her own and hid the Hebrews spies to keep them safe.

And this is what Scripture emphasizes – not the sinfulness of her past but the sincerity of her faith. We see in the book of Hebrews that “by faith Rahab the prostitute did not perish” (Hebrews 11:31), and James says her works proved her faith (James 2:25). Despite her people^[3], her background, and her own history, God rescued her by letting her put a scarlet cord in her window to mark her safe when Jericho fell under His judgment (Joshua 2:18-21).

Why a scarlet cord? Some scholarly preacher folks see in it the foreshadowing of the blood of Jesus – God marking the saved safe through a covering only He can provide. For Rahab, it just represented the promise of the mighty God she had begun serving.

What about the fact that she was a prostitute? Why would someone like her be included in Jesus’s official lineage – in the Bible no less? Because Jesus came to save sinners, outsiders, and the unlikeliest of folks – people like Rahab, people like me and you (Luke 5:31-32). Her inclusion in Jesus’s family tree declares that the hope of the promised King is for all nations and all sinners who take refuge in Him (Psalm 2:12).

Ruth – Hope for the Hopeless
and the Gentile (v. 5; the book of Ruth)

The third woman is actually related to Rahab by marriage as she ended up marrying Rahab’s son Boaz. Her name is Ruth (v. 5), and her story is told in the book of the Bible bearing her name.

Like her mother-in-law, Ruth wasn’t one of God’s chosen people. She was from the land of Moab (a people group started out of a sinful union and messy situation way back in Genesis 19:30-37). Her husband Mahlon came to Moab with his family while trying to escape the Lord’s judgment through a famine, seeking help and relief from their own strength and ingenuity rather than from the Lord (Ruth 1:1-2).

While they were in Moab, her father-in-law, husband, and brother-in-law all died. She could have gone back to her father’s house and been right and righteous in doing so, but she decided to accompany her mother-in-law Naomi back to Israel (Ruth 1:16-17). God blessed that decision and relationship and took care of Ruth and Naomi. Part of the way God took care of them was through Rahab’s son Boaz, first providing food and grain for them and ultimately through him taking on the role of kinsman-redeemer^[4], marrying Ruth.

This is the beauty of Ruth’s story because providing a redeemer for them was more than just a husband; being called a kinsman-redeemer (Ruth 2:20, 3:9, 4:14-15) is a picture pointing forward to Jesus Himself. Ruth, the foreigner and outsider, the one with no earthly hope, found refuge “under the wings of the Lord” (Ruth 2:12). Her story that began with such sorrow and grief had a happy ending, especially considering Ruth would be King David’s great-grandmother (Ruth 4:17), but doesn’t Jesus deserve a more presentable bloodline?

No, God delighted in bringing hope out of hopelessness and writing His redemption story through those the world would overlook so that those who are overlooked could find hope in Him (1 Corinthians 1:27-29). Ruth’s inclusion in Jesus’s lineage shows that the Messiah is the Redeemer of all who take refuge in Him.

“The Wife of Uriah” – Hope through God’s Mercy
to the Deeply Fallen (v. 6, 2 Samuel 11-12)

The fourth woman isn’t even listed in the genealogy by her name, but how she is listed tells the sadness and sin surrounding her: “And David was the father of Solomon by the wife of Uriah” (v. 6). This is not a slight to her but recognition of King David’s sin with her. Yes, David, the king who is most often heralded as a hero and worshiper of the Lord is also a sinner.

The man who slew Goliath and wrote a big chunk of the Bible’s songbook committed particularly heinous sins: murder and adultery (2 Samuel 11:1-5). David stayed behind when he was supposed to be with his troops and gazed upon the “wife of Uriah” from his roof as she took a bath. He, even though he was married to multiple women already and she was married to one of his mighty men, decided that he wanted to make her his. The resulting union led to a child between them. Rather than owning up and confessing his sin – to the Lord, to his wives, to Uriah, to Israel, David undertook a massive cover-up that ended in his arranging Uriah’s murder (2 Samuel 11:14-17). He stole this man’s wife. He took his life.

It looks good to have a giant-killing worshiper of the Lord in your lineage, but why associate Jesus instead with David’s sin and wickedness (and the same or worse from many of the kings listed after him in the family tree)? Because this gets to the very heart of the gospel.

Bathsheba’s story contains much sin and sorrow, but it doesn’t end that way. God confronted David through the prophet Nathan (2 Samuel 12:1-3). Their baby died (2 Samuel 12:15-18). David repented (Psalm 51). And God, in astonishing mercy, allowed David and Bathsheba to become the parents of another child, Solomon – the next link in the chain leading to Christ (2 Samuel 12:24-25).

Where sin is great, God’s grace is greater still (Romans 5:20). Bathsheba – the wife of Uriah – being included in this genealogy reminds us that the promised King didn’t come to hide human sin but to seek and save sinners (Luke 19:10).

Wrapping Up

Each section walking us through these women’s stories included rhetorical questions meant to make us meditate on what God was doing in and through them: why include these women and take honest looks at their stories?

In short, there really are answers to those questions. Why would the Bible recognize and record those sins and sinners in Jesus’s lineage? Why would the Holy Spirit shine a spotlight on the stories of Tamar, Rahab, Ruth, and Bathsheba? Because they all really happened. Sin happens. Every one of them was a real person with a real story marked by real brokenness. And the truth is that all people “have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). None of us – not a single person in the history of the world other than Jesus – deserve to be anywhere near His lineage. But faith in God – trusting in His work, His steadfast love, His kindness, His promises, and in Him – is woven through that lineage like a scarlet cord of grace, like that cord hanging from Rahab’s window, marking those who He saves as safe (Ephesians 2:8-9).

When we look at the mixture of their sin and God’s faithfulness, their failures and His mercy, their weakness and His strength, we are reminded that none of us are worthy of salvation. But that is exactly why He came. Jesus Himself said that He came to “seek and to save the lost” (Luke 19:10). That coming to seek and save is remembered in Christmas – the incarnation – God coming, taking on flesh and dwelling among us (John 1:14). Hope came as God Himself entered the world with a real genealogy filled with real sinners so He could redeem real sinners like us (Philippians 2:5-8).

The stories of these four women aren’t in Matthew 1 to embarrass them or Jesus. They’re there to announce Him! They testify that the promised King comes through stories soaked in sin, sorrow, scandal, and suffering so that He can bring hope where hope seems impossible. Their lives preach to us that no one is too far gone, no past is too messy, no family tree too twisted, no heart too broken or sin too deep for the Redeemer who came from their line (Hebrews 7:25).

So, as you gather with family and friends this Christmas – and maybe as you glance around at some rough-looking fruit on your own family tree – or whether the roughest branch you see is staring back to you in the mirror of God’s Word, remember this: Jesus is more than the reason for the season. He is the gift of hope for sinners. He came through a broken lineage to step into our brokenness. He came to seek and save people like Tamar, Rahab, Ruth, Bathsheba, and David – people like you and people like me (Romans 5:8).

If you haven’t before, won’t you ask Him to save you?

Call on Him. Trust Him. Let the promised King fill your heart with the gift of hope – real hope, lasting hope, the hope that only Jesus can give (1 Peter 1:3-5). If Jesus has saved you, take heart in this beautiful truth: the same King who came to seek and save you is the One who holds you fast. Your hope still isn’t in your performance but in Him and in His promises. And “He who promised is faithful” (Hebrews 10:23). He has redeemed you (Ephesians 1:7), He is with you (Matthew 28:20), and He will come again for you (John 14:3). So fix your eyes on Him this Christmas. Rest in what He’s done. Rejoice in what He’s doing. And let the hope of our Promised King steady your heart now and in every season to come.

^[1] The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2016), Mt 1:1–16.

^[2] This was known as a levirate marriage. The Lexham Cultural Ontology Glossary defines levirate marriage as:

“A law and custom in ancient Israel that if a man died without sons his brother would take the widow for a wife in order to provide male offspring for his dead brother. The children then would be heirs of their dead father’s land and possessions and the family line would not be broken.”

^[3] For clarification, saying “her people” here is not referencing her ethnicity but the fact that God commanded Jericho marked for destruction as punishment for sin.

^[4] The IVP Bible Background Commentary: Old Testament defines kinsman redeemer thusly:

“The kinsman-redeemer’s role was to help recover the tribes losses, whether those loses were human (in which case he hunted down the killer), judicial (in which case he assisted in lawsuits) or economic (in which case he recovered the property of a family member). Since Yahweh had granted the land to the Israelites as tenants, they could not sell it…. In this way the land remained with extended family as a sign of its membership in the covenantal community.”

This describes the way Boaz married Ruth so that Naomi would have access and provision from the land of her husband and family. There was a more closely related person who could have done this, but Boaz chose to take up the mantle of Ruth’s husband in order to give them the care they needed.

1 Corinthians 16 on 12/6 | NT260 — Reading & Growing in Christ

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As Paul closes his letter, he moves from big doctrines to very practical details. He gives instructions about a collection for believers in Jerusalem who are in need, asking each person to set something aside on “the first day of every week”—the day believers gathered in honor of Jesus’s resurrection (vv. 1–2). Giving is to be regular, intentional, and proportionate, not random or forced (v. 2). Paul also shares his travel plans and explains why he is staying in Ephesus for a while longer: “a wide door for effective work has opened to me, and there are many adversaries” (vv. 5–9). Even in opposition, God is at work. He also urges the church to receive Timothy without fear and notes that Apollos will come when he has opportunity (vv. 10–12).

Then Paul gives a series of short but powerful commands: “Be watchful, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong. Let all that you do be done in love” (vv. 13–14). The church is to live alert and courageous, but always with a heart of love. He commends the household of Stephanas, “the first converts in Achaia,” as faithful servants and urges the church to be subject to such godly leaders and to honor those who labor among them (vv. 15–18). The letter closes with warm greetings from the churches in Asia, including Aquila and Prisca and the church that meets in their house, and with the reminder that believers should greet one another with a “holy kiss”—a sign of genuine family love in Christ (vv. 19–20).

Paul signs the ending with his own hand and gives both a sober warning and a hopeful cry: “If anyone has no love for the Lord, let him be accursed. Our Lord, come!” (vv. 21–22). Love for Jesus is not optional—it marks those who truly belong to Him. Yet even as he warns, Paul ends on grace and love: “The grace of the Lord Jesus be with you. My love be with you all in Christ Jesus” (vv. 23–24). Truth, warning, grace, and affection all come together in this closing, showing a pastor’s heart that longs for his people to stand firm in the gospel and live in love until Jesus returns.

🌀 Reflection:
Where do you most need these closing commands today—to stay alert, stand firm, be courageous and strong, and do everything in love (vv. 13–14)? Ask the Lord to help you hold onto truth without losing tenderness, and to shape your giving, your serving, and your relationships so that they clearly flow from love for Jesus and His people.

💬 Mission Challenge:
Set aside a specific gift or act of generosity this week—financial or otherwise—to bless a believer or ministry in need, and let them know you are doing it “in love” because of Jesus (vv. 2, 14).

1 Corinthians 15 on 12/5 | NT260 — Reading & Growing in Christ

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Paul turns to the heart of the gospel—the resurrection of Jesus—and shows why everything we believe depends on it. He reminds the Corinthians of the message they “received” and on which they “stand”: that Christ died for our sins, was buried, and was raised on the third day “in accordance with the Scriptures” (vv. 1–4; cf. Isa. 53:5–12; Ps. 16:10; Hos. 6:2). This isn’t myth or rumor—Jesus appeared to Peter, the Twelve, more than 500 at once, James, all the apostles, and finally to Paul himself (vv. 5–8). These eyewitnesses were living proof that the tomb was empty and Christ is alive. By God’s grace, this risen Christ transformed Paul from a persecutor into an apostle, and this same gospel is what all the apostles proclaim together (vv. 9–11).

Some in Corinth believed Jesus rose but denied that believers will be raised (v. 12). Paul shows that you cannot separate the two: if there is no resurrection for us, then Christ Himself has not been raised (vv. 13, 16). And if Christ is not raised, the consequences are devastating—our preaching is empty, our faith is useless, we remain in our sins, and those who have died in Christ are gone forever (vv. 14–18). But Christ has been raised—the “firstfruits” of a harvest that guarantees our own resurrection when He returns (vv. 20–23). In Adam, death spread to all, but in Christ all His people will be made alive (v. 22; cf. Rom. 5:12–21). When Jesus finally destroys every enemy—finishing with death itself—He will hand the kingdom to the Father, bringing God’s plan to its perfect completion (vv. 24–28).

To those who question how resurrection could work, Paul uses pictures from creation. A seed must die to be raised in a new, glorious form (vv. 35–38). In the same way, our earthly bodies are perishable, weak, and natural, but the resurrection body will be imperishable, glorious, powerful, and fully animated by the Spirit (vv. 42–44). Adam was the first man, made from the dust; Christ is the last Adam, the life-giving Spirit from heaven (vv. 45–49). What is sown mortal will be raised immortal (vv. 50–53). When Christ returns, death will be swallowed up in victory, fulfilling God’s promises (vv. 54–55; cf. Isa. 25:8; Hos. 13:14). Through Jesus, God has removed sin’s sting and broken death’s power forever (vv. 56–57). Therefore, because resurrection is certain, our labor for Christ is never wasted or forgotten (v. 58).

🌀 Reflection:
Where does the hope of resurrection shape the way you live today? Ask the Lord to help you see your body, your work, and your daily struggles in light of the victory Christ has already won—and the glory He has promised at His return.

💬 Mission Challenge:
Encourage someone today who is grieving, suffering, or weary by sharing a verse or truth from this chapter. Remind them that in Christ, death is defeated and their labor is not in vain.

1 Corinthians 14 on 12/4 | NT260 — Reading & Growing in Christ

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After lifting our eyes to the beauty of love, Paul brings that “more excellent way” (13:1, 13) right into the worship gathering. He urges the church to pursue love and still be eager for the gifts of the Spirit—especially prophecy, because it clearly builds up the church (vv. 1–5). Speaking in tongues is real prayer and praise to God, but when no one understands or interprets, it only benefits the one speaking (vv. 2, 4, 14–17). Prophecy, however, is intelligible speech that strengthens, encourages, and comforts others (vv. 3–5). The repeated question is: does this help other people understand and grow? Edification and clarity are the main tests for what should happen in the gathering (vv. 6–12, 19).

Paul also shows how these gifts affect unbelievers who visit the church. Uninterpreted tongues can make outsiders think Christians are out of their minds, which becomes a kind of judgment on their unbelief (vv. 21–23). But when God’s Word is clearly spoken, prophecy can expose the secrets of the heart, bring conviction, and lead someone to fall on their face, worship God, and confess that “God is really among you” (vv. 24–25). Because of this, Paul gives practical instructions: only a few should speak in tongues, and only if there is an interpreter; otherwise, they should be silent and pray quietly (vv. 27–28). Likewise, only a few should prophesy while the others carefully weigh what is said (vv. 29–31). Everything must be self-controlled, peaceful, and orderly because God is not a God of confusion but of peace (vv. 32–33). In that same spirit, Paul calls married women in Corinth to honor their husbands and not disrupt the weighing of prophecies in a way that overturns God’s good order in the church (vv. 34–35).

Paul closes by reminding them that his words are a command of the Lord, not just personal advice (v. 37). So the church should be eager for prophecy, should not forbid tongues when used rightly, and must make sure that “all things should be done decently and in order” (vv. 39–40). Love, clarity, and building up the body are to shape everything we do when we gather in Jesus’s name.

🌀 Reflection:
When you think about Sunday worship, do you primarily ask, “What will I get out of it?” or, “How can I help build others up today?” Ask the Lord to reshape your heart so that your prayers, words, and service—whether seen or unseen—aim at helping others understand God’s Word and experience His presence.

💬 Mission Challenge:
Before your next church gathering, pray intentionally for one way you can build up someone else—through a clear word of encouragement, a Scripture shared at the right time, or a quiet act of service—and then do it for Jesus’s sake and the good of His body.

1 Corinthians 13 on 12/3 | NT260 — Reading & Growing in Christ

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After talking about spiritual gifts, Paul pauses to show the “more excellent way” that must shape everything: love (v. 1; 12:31). He says even the most impressive gifts—speaking in tongues, powerful preaching, knowing “all mysteries,” mountain-moving faith, radical generosity, or even dying for Jesus—amount to nothing without love (vv. 1–3). God cares not just about what we do, but why we do it. Ministry without love is just religious noise.

Paul then paints a beautiful picture of what real, Christlike love looks like. Love is patient and kind; it does not envy, boast, or puff itself up (v. 4). Love doesn’t insist on its own way, fly off the handle, or keep a running record of how others have hurt us (v. 5). Instead, it rejoices in the truth and “bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things” (vv. 6–7). This is the love Jesus has shown us, and it is the love He calls us to show one another (John 13:34–35).

Finally, Paul reminds the Corinthians that spiritual gifts are temporary, but love is forever. Prophecy, tongues, and special knowledge all belong to this present, “in part” age; they will pass away when “the perfect” comes and we see the Lord “face to face” (vv. 8–12). But faith, hope, and love remain—and “the greatest of these is love” (v. 13). Gifts are good and needed, but love is essential. In eternity, no one will be impressed with how gifted we were—but our love will still matter.

🌀 Reflection:
Where do you see yourself using your gifts without much love—maybe in your church, home, or online? Ask the Lord to show you any pride, impatience, or scorekeeping that has crept into your heart. Pray for His Spirit to help you move toward others with the patience, kindness, and endurance described in this chapter.

💬 Mission Challenge:
Practice one concrete act of love today that costs you something—time, attention, comfort, or preference—for the good of another person, and do it quietly, without drawing attention to yourself.

1 Corinthians 12 on 12/2 | NT260 — Reading & Growing in Christ

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Paul turns to the Corinthians’ confusion about spiritual gifts—areas where pride, comparison, and misuse had fractured their unity (v. 1). He reminds them that the Holy Spirit never leads anyone to dishonor Jesus; rather, the Spirit enables believers to confess from the heart that “Jesus is Lord” (v. 3). From there, Paul lifts their eyes to the triune God—Father, Son, and Spirit—who gives a rich variety of gifts but for one purpose: the common good of the church (vv. 4–7). Some believers are gifted to speak wisdom or knowledge, others with faith, healing, miracles, discernment, prophecy, tongues, or interpretation (vv. 8–10). Whatever the gift, each one is given sovereignly and intentionally by the Spirit “as he wills,” not for status but for service (v. 11).

To correct their rivalry, Paul gives the picture of the church as Christ’s body. By the Spirit, all believers—Jew or Greek, slave or free—have been brought into one body and made to drink of one Spirit (vv. 12–13). That means no Christian is unnecessary, inferior, or overlooked. A body cannot be all eye or all ear; every part is needed, and God Himself has arranged each member and each gift exactly as He intended (vv. 14–20). In Corinth, those with showy gifts were exalting themselves, while those with quieter gifts were discouraged. Paul insists that the “weaker” or less visible members are just as indispensable, worthy of honor and care (vv. 21–26). This vision of mutual concern reflects Christ’s heart for His church.

Paul closes by listing some of the church’s foundational roles—apostles, prophets, and teachers—along with other vital gifts like helping, leading, and tongues (v. 28). His series of rhetorical questions makes the point unmistakable: God never gave every gift to every person (vv. 29–30). Diversity is not a flaw but God’s design. And yet there is something more excellent than even the greatest gifts: love—the only attitude that makes any gift truly edifying (v. 31; cf. 13:1–3).

🌀 Reflection:
Do you ever look at your own gifts and feel jealous, discouraged, or proud? Take a moment to thank God for the particular ways He has equipped you—and for the brothers and sisters whose gifts complement yours. Ask Him to help you see your church family the way He does: one body, lovingly arranged for His glory.

💬 Mission Challenge:
Affirm a fellow believer’s gift today. Send a message, speak a word, or write a note that honors how God is using them in the body of Christ. Strengthen unity by strengthening someone’s courage.

1 Corinthians 11 on 12/1 | NT260 — Reading & Growing in Christ

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Paul begins by calling the Corinthians to “be imitators of me, as I am of Christ” (v. 1), then addresses how men and women conduct themselves in gathered worship. He reminds them that God has ordered relationships for our good: Christ is the head of every man, the husband is the head of his wife, and the head of Christ is God (v. 3). In Corinth’s culture, a wife’s head covering signaled respect for her husband and honored God’s design, while casting it off brought shame (vv. 5–6, 13–15). Paul’s concern is not about a particular piece of cloth for all times, but about honoring the Lord’s order and bearing ourselves in worship in ways that point to Christ rather than to ourselves (vv. 7–12, 16).

Then Paul turns to a serious problem with the Lord’s Supper. When they gathered, the wealthier believers were eating and drinking plenty while poorer believers went hungry—even to the point that some were getting drunk while others had nothing (vv. 20–22). Paul reminds them of what the Supper really is: on the night He was betrayed, Jesus took bread and the cup and gave them as signs of His body given and His blood of the new covenant, commanding His people to “do this in remembrance of me” (vv. 23–25). Every time the church eats this bread and drinks the cup, we proclaim the Lord’s death until He comes (v. 26). That means our behavior at the table must match the message of the cross—humble, self-giving, and full of love.

Because the Corinthians were treating this holy meal lightly and ignoring the needs of their brothers and sisters, many were experiencing the Lord’s discipline—even weakness, illness, and death (vv. 27–30). So Paul urges them to “examine” themselves before they eat and drink, to discern the body of Christ, and to wait for one another so that everyone may share together (vv. 28–29, 33–34). God’s goal, even in discipline, is mercy—to correct His children so they will not be condemned with the world (vv. 31–32). The Lord’s Supper is therefore not just a private moment with Jesus, but a family meal that should reflect the gospel we proclaim.

🌀 Reflection:
When you think about the Lord’s Supper, do you tend to see it mainly as a personal habit or a holy sharing with Christ and His people? Ask the Lord to search your heart for any selfishness, bitterness, or carelessness toward your church family, and to help you approach the table with humble remembrance, repentance, and gratitude for Jesus’s death for you (vv. 27–28).

💬 Mission Challenge:
Before the next time your church observes the Lord’s Supper, reach out to one fellow believer you’ve overlooked, avoided, or simply haven’t encouraged lately. Make a deliberate effort to honor Christ’s body—His people—through a text, call, or conversation that seeks their good and reflects the love of the cross (vv. 29, 33).

1 Corinthians 10 on 11/30 | NT260 — Reading & Growing in Christ

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Paul looks back to Israel’s story in the wilderness to warn the Corinthians—and us—about the danger of presumption. Israel experienced amazing spiritual privileges: they passed through the sea, were “baptized into Moses,” and received spiritual food and water from Christ, the true “Rock” who was with them (vv. 1–4). Yet “God was not pleased with most of them,” and they fell under judgment for idolatry, sexual immorality, testing the Lord, and grumbling (vv. 5–10). These events “took place as examples for us” so that we will not desire evil as they did (vv. 6, 11). So Paul warns, “Let anyone who thinks that he stands take heed lest he fall” and reminds us that God is faithful—He will not allow us to be tempted beyond what we can bear but will always provide a way of escape so that we can endure (vv. 12–13).

From that warning, Paul goes straight to the heart of the issue in Corinth: idolatry. Believers must “flee from idolatry” because we belong to Jesus and share in His death and life through the Lord’s Supper (vv. 14–17). To eat and drink at the Lord’s Table is to participate in Christ and in His people; to join idol feasts is to fellowship with demons behind false worship (vv. 18–21). We cannot “drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons” at the same time (v. 21). God is a jealous God who alone deserves our worship, so we dare not treat idol practices or spiritual compromise as harmless (v. 22; Ex. 20:4–5).

Finally, Paul applies gospel-shaped wisdom to everyday choices about food and conscience. “All things are lawful,” some claimed, but Paul reminds them that not everything is helpful or builds others up (v. 23). Believers are free to eat meat from the market without asking endless questions, because “the earth is the Lord’s” (vv. 25–26). Even when dining in an unbeliever’s home, we can eat what is served—unless someone points out that it has been offered to idols; then, for the sake of that person’s conscience, we should refrain (vv. 27–29). The guiding principle is simple but searching: “Whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God,” seeking not our own advantage but the good of others, “that they may be saved” (vv. 31–33).

🌀 Reflection:
Where are you tempted to assume you’re “standing strong” and lower your guard—maybe with your habits, entertainment, relationships, or use of freedom? Ask the Lord to show you any areas of quiet compromise and to help you choose the “way of escape” He provides so that your life points away from idols and toward Jesus.

💬 Mission Challenge:
Choose one ordinary activity today—like a meal, a conversation, or a small decision—and intentionally aim to do it “to the glory of God” (v. 31). Ask, “How can I do this in a way that honors Christ and helps someone else move closer to Him?” Then act on it.

1 Corinthians 9 on 11/29 | NT260 — Reading & Growing in Christ

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Paul uses his own life as an example of how to lay down personal rights for the sake of the gospel. As an apostle, he truly has the right to be supported financially, to eat and drink at others’ expense, and even to travel with a believing wife like the other apostles do (vv.4–6, 11–14). The Corinthians themselves are the “seal” of his apostleship—living proof that God has really called and used him (vv. 1–2). Yet Paul refuses to claim these rights among them, working with his own hands and preaching “free of charge” so that no one can question his motives or hinder the message of Christ (vv. 12, 15–18).

Because he belongs to Jesus, Paul gladly makes himself a servant to all in order to win more people to Christ (v. 19). To Jews, he becomes “as a Jew”; to those under the law, “as one under the law”; to those outside the law, “as one outside the law”—always staying under “the law of Christ” (vv. 20–21). To the weak, he becomes weak. His aim is simple and focused: “I have become all things to all people, that by all means I might save some” (v. 22). Christian freedom, then, isn’t about doing whatever we want; it’s about flexing our preferences and comforts so that others can clearly hear and see the gospel (cf. 8:9–13).

Paul finishes with a picture from the athletic games the Corinthians knew so well. Runners and boxers train hard and practice strict self-control for a prize that soon fades (vv. 24–25). In the same way, Paul disciplines his body and orders his life with purpose so that he will not be “disqualified” from the reward when the race is over (vv. 26–27). The Christian life is not casual or half-hearted; it is a Spirit-empowered, disciplined pursuit of Jesus and the salvation of others.

🌀 Reflection:
Where might God be calling you to loosen your grip on comfort, preference, or “rights” so that someone else can see Jesus more clearly? Ask the Lord to give you Paul’s mindset—a willing heart that says, “I’ll gladly adjust my life if it helps others hear and believe the gospel.”

💬 Mission Challenge:
Identify one specific person or group you want to reach for Christ, and take one concrete step to “become all things” to them today—adjust your schedule, your style, or your approach so that you can listen well, love well, and point them to Jesus.

1 Corinthians 8 on 11/28 | NT260 — Reading & Growing in Christ

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Some believers in Corinth were saying, “We all possess knowledge” (v. 1), meaning they understood that idols are “nothing” and therefore felt free to eat food connected to pagan temples (v. 4). Paul agrees that there is only one God and one Lord, Jesus Christ (vv. 4–6), but he warns that knowledge without love becomes prideful and dangerous. Not every believer’s conscience is equally formed; some, freshly saved out of idol worship, still feel genuinely troubled by eating such food (v. 7). If mature believers use their freedom carelessly, their example could draw a “weaker” brother or sister back toward idolatry—something Paul calls a serious sin against Christ Himself (vv. 9–12).

Because love builds up, Paul urges Christians to lay aside any freedom that endangers another believer’s walk with Jesus. Even if the meat is spiritually neutral (v. 8), participating in pagan temple meals could confuse or even “destroy” someone whose conscience is tender (vv. 10–11; cf. Rom. 14:13, 20). For Paul, the good of others is worth far more than exercising personal rights. His conclusion is simple and sacrificial: he would rather never eat meat again than cause a fellow believer to stumble back into sin (v. 13).

🌀 Reflection:
Where might you be clinging to a spiritual “right” that could actually harm someone newer or weaker in the faith? Ask God to help you desire love over personal freedom, and to make your life a steady encouragement—not a stumbling block—to those walking beside you.

💬 Mission Challenge:
Choose one area of personal freedom—entertainment, habits, speech, or online choices—and intentionally lay it down today if it might confuse or burden someone around you. Let your love build others up in Christ.