1 Corinthians Chapter 5 Breakdown

1 It is actually reported that there is sexual immorality among you, and such sexual immorality as is not even named among the Gentiles—that a man has his father’s wife!

Leviticus 18:8 (NIV)

Do not have sexual relations with your father’s wife; that would dishonor your father.

Paul claims there are reports of the Corinthian believers of sexual immorality, but of a kind that not even gentiles take part in. These believers were sleeping with their mothers. This directly violated one of the commands given in the Law of God. Remember back in chapter three, Paul talks about defiling one’s body, which is the Temple of God, this is one of the laws in which believers were breaking which was defiling the temple of God.

2 And you are puffed up, and have not rather mourned, that he who has done this deed might be taken away from among you.

Leviticus 18: 29

Everyone who does any of these detestable things—such persons must be cut off from their people.

The teachers in Corinth are proud of this deed their people are committing when they should be saddened because of the fact they can be removed from their congregation. These men broke one of Gods laws. Paul not only says these men should not be breaking this law of God, but also discusses the exact punishment for breaking this law.

3 For I indeed, as absent in body but present in spirit, have already judged (as though I were present) him who has so done this deed.

While Paul is not in Corinth, he has judged the men who were breaking this law according to the prescribed judgment found in the word of God.

4 In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, when you are gathered together, along with my spirit, with the power of our Lord Jesus Christ, deliver such a one to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that his spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus.

Now Paul instructs them to gather together as a church body, in the name of Yeshua, for this man’s sin give him over to Satan for the destruction of his flesh. In destroying his flesh, his spirit may be saved at the return of Yeshua.

6 Your glorying is not good. Do you not know that a little leaven leavens the whole lump?

The Corinthians thinking this sin is acceptable is nothing considered good. One bad member being not only tolerated but celebrated will cause the rest of the members to become lawless as well.

7 Therefore purge out the old leaven, that you may be a new lump, since you truly are unleavened. For indeed Christ, our Passover, was sacrificed for us.

Because of this, cut this man off from the congregation. Become a new church without this sinful behavior considering Christ was sacrificed for our sin.

8 Therefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, nor with the leaven of malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.

Do not go into the feast days as a lawless body, but go into this feast as unleavened or without sin and participate with sincerity and truth.

9 I wrote to you in my epistle not to keep company with sexually immoral people.

Paul has already told them to not associate with sexual immoral people.

10 Yet I certainly did not mean with the sexually immoral people of this world, or with the covetous, or extortioners, or idolaters, since then you would need to go out of the world.

It is not the sexually immoral or the other sinners who are not part of the body of believers they are told not to associate with, but rather those within the body of Christ. If you are a believer, you should not be committing these sins.

11 But now I have written to you not to keep company with anyone named a brother, who is sexually immoral, or covetous, or an idolater, or a reviler, or a drunkard, or an extortioner—not even to eat with such a person.

Don’t even eat with a person who calls themselves a believer but continues in these sinful deeds.

12 For what have I to do with judging those also who are outside? Do you not judge those who are inside?

It is not the people of the world we need worry about judging, but those who are of Christ. We need only worry about keeping believers in line with God’s Word.

13 But those who are outside God judges. Therefore “put away from yourselves the evil person.”

God Himself will judge those who are not part of His body. Paul then quotes from a number of places in Torah when he says “put away from yourselves the evil person”.

1 Corinthians Chapter 4 Breakdown

1 Let a man so consider us, as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God.

Paul says men should only view them as servants of Christ, agents to bring the mysteries of God.

2 Moreover it is required in stewards that one be found faithful.

Anyone considered an agent of God, must be found faithful to God. (What does it mean to be faithful?)

3 But with me it is a very small thing that I should be judged by you or by a human court. In fact, I do not even judge myself.

Paul does not consider being judged by men or by a human court to mean anything. He then says he doesn’t even judge himself.

4 For I know of nothing against myself, yet I am not justified by this; but He who judges me is the Lord.

Paul says he does not have anything weighing on his conscience but isn’t justified by that, but his judge is God. Just because he doesn’t see himself doing anything wrong, he still answers to God. 

5 Therefore judge nothing before the time, until the Lord comes, who will both bring to light the hidden things of darkness and reveal the counsels of the hearts. Then each one’s praise will come from God.

Do not be quick to judge a man before the time Yeshua comes. When He comes he will bring to light all hidden things found in darkness. He will reveal the purposes of the heart. It will be at this time God will reveal to each man the praise they deserve.

6 Now these things, brethren, I have figuratively transferred to myself and Apollos for your sakes, that you may learn in us not to think beyond what is written, that none of you may be puffed up on behalf of one against the other.

Paul uses figures of speech to try to help them understand. Paul then says something very important that seems to be overlooked. He does not want anyone thinking beyond what is written, that none of them become puffed up for one against another. Simply said, just use the Tanakh to judge if someone is speaking truth or not. If everyone is using the same instructions, there will be limited problems.

7 For who makes you differ from another? And what do you have that you did not receive? Now if you did indeed receive it, why do you boast as if you had not received it?

Why do you think you are different than the next guy? What do you have that wasn’t given to you from God? If God did give it to you, why do you act as if you obtained it on your own?

8 You are already full! You are already rich! You have reigned as kings without us—and indeed I could wish you did reign, that we also might reign with you!

Paul tells them they are already satisfied and have an abundance of goods. They have been kings without the Apostles. Then he says if they were still kings they could all reign together.

9 For I think that God has displayed us, the apostles, last, as men condemned to death; for we have been made a spectacle to the world, both to angels and to men.

In Paul’s mind, God has sent the apostles to prove His Word, and they will be the last men condemned to death, they have been made known to the world with their message, made known to both angels and men.

10 We are fools for Christ’s sake, but you are wise in Christ! We are weak, but you are strong! You are distinguished, but we are dishonored!

The apostles are considered fools for the cause of Christ to those in Corinth. But they consider themselves wise. The Apostles are considered weak in Corinth. But those in Corinth consider themselves to be strong with Christ. Paul is clearly mocking these men at this point. They set themselves apart, but dishonor the Apostles.  

11 To the present hour we both hunger and thirst, and we are poorly clothed, and beaten, and homeless.

Paul now says both the Apostles and those in Corinth are hungry and thirsty, and are poor, beaten and homeless.

12 And we labor, working with our own hands. Being reviled, we bless; being persecuted, we endure; being defamed, we entreat. We have been made as the filth of the world, the off scouring of all things until now.

The Apostles are working to bring the truth, the word, to men. When they are shown hate, they give blessing, and so on. Believers of the world have been viewed as the filth of the world, until now.

14 I do not write these things to shame you, but as my beloved children I warn you.

Paul says this letter is a warning for those in Corinth, because their conduct is contrary to the word of God.

15 For though you might have ten thousand instructors in Christ, yet you do not have many fathers; for in Christ Jesus I have begotten you through the gospel.

Corinth has many preachers, but there is only One Father. Paul has brought them all to the Father through Christ with the Gospel.

16 Therefore I urge you, imitate me.

Paul says those in Corinth should do as he does and we will see in chapter 11 he repeats this and says the he imitates Christ..

17 For this reason I have sent Timothy to you, who is my beloved and faithful son in the Lord, who will remind you of my ways in Christ, as I teach everywhere in every church.

Timothy is being sent to Corinth to show them how to imitate Paul, who imitates Christ which is what Paul teaches in every church.

18 Now some are puffed up, as though I were not coming to you.

Paul points out that because some teachers in Corinth did not think Paul was coming back, they began to place themselves on high.

19 But I will come to you shortly, if the Lord wills, and I will know, not the word of those who are puffed up, but the power.

Paul plans to go to Corinth. He says he may not know what these puffed up teachers are saying, but they will be able to see the power they have.

20 For the kingdom of God is not in word but in power.

God’s kingdom doesn’t rely on men’s word but in power.

21 What do you want? Shall I come to you with a rod, or in love and a spirit of gentleness?

Should Paul come at them with fierce anger or in gentle kindness? Which is better?

1 Corinthians Chapter 3 Breakdown

1 And I, brethren, could not speak to you as to spiritual people but as to carnal, as to babes in Christ.

Paul cannot speak to these men in Corinth as spiritual people but rather carnal minded, such as babies just beginning to learn the things of Christ.  

2 I fed you with milk and not with solid food; for until now you were not able to receive it, and even now you are still not able; for you are still carnal. For where there are envy, strife, and divisions among you, are you not carnal and behaving like mere men?

Paul did not get too deep into the understanding of spirituality with these men because they would not have been able to understand it. They are all still carnal minded men. We need to understand that these people are believers and teachers of the Gospel. But they were envious, causing conflicts, and dividing among each other.

4 For when one says, “I am of Paul,” and another, “I am of Apollos,” are you not carnal?

Paul is still addressing the issue from chapter one, so let’s keep in mind this is a letter and meant to be read as such. He calls all these men carnal, as in still living in the flesh.

5 Who then is Paul, and who is Apollos, but ministers through whom you believed, as the Lord gave to each one?

These men, Paul and Apollos, are nothing more than preachers or ministers of the word of God that was given to them from the Spirit of God.

6 I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the increase.

Paul breaks down the situation. Paul says he planted the original info of God, then Apollos gave them more, but it was God who made it grow within them.

7 So then neither he who plants is anything, nor he who waters, but God who gives the increase.

Now he goes on to say neither he, nor Apollos is anything. It is only God who can make a real impact within your life to bring you closer to Him. Paul is simply a man spreading the Word, it is the Spirit of God who takes control after you have heard.

8 Now he who plants and he who waters are one, and each one will receive his own reward according to his own labor.

The one who spreads the word and the one who nourishes the word are the same as far as both men, and anyone doing so will be rewarded for their labor.

9 For we are God’s fellow workers; you are God’s field, you are God’s building.

The Apostles are workers for God, and men are the field and the building of God’s.

10 According to the grace of God which was given to me, as a wise master builder I have laid the foundation, and another builds on it. But let each one take heed how he builds on it.

God has given Paul grace and understanding to be a wise builder of men in which he lays the foundation for their faith and salvation, others come along and build upon what Paul has started. But, those building on the foundation must be careful of how they build up others.

11 For no other foundation can anyone lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ.

No one can lay another foundation on top of the foundation of Yeshua. Doing so will cause many issues of faith and understanding.

12 Now if anyone builds on this foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw, each one’s work will become clear; for the Day will declare it, because it will be revealed by fire; and the fire will test each one’s work, of what sort it is.

However you choose to build on that foundation of Christ will be shown in the last days because it will be tested by fire.

14 If anyone’s work which he has built on it endures, he will receive a reward.

If the work you have done to build on the foundation withstands the fire, there will be a reward.

15 If anyone’s work is burned, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire.

If the work you have done to build on the foundation is burned up, there will not only be no reward but also the suffering of loss, but because of the foundation the man himself will be saved, purified through the fire.

16 Do you not know that you are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?

The foundation is the foundation to the temple of God and you are that foundation. This allows the Holy Spirit to live within you.

17 If anyone defiles the temple of God, God will destroy him. For the temple of God is holy, which temple you are.

If you defile your own body, you are defiling the temple of God, and God will destroy you. God’s temple is holy, making you holy. The Torah mentions something that Paul discusses in chapter 5 but also is concerning the defilement of the body, which is the temple.

Leviticus 18: 24

Do not defile yourselves in any of these ways, because this is how the nations that I am going to drive out before you became defiled.

18 Let no one deceive himself. If anyone among you seems to be wise in this age, let him become a fool that he may become wise.

Do not allow anyone to deceive you, nor deceive yourself. If anyone in that age seemed to be wise, he should throw out all he knows because he should become a fool in order to become wise. Because men claiming a man is wise is only wise in the eyes of the world. They are wise of foolery.

19 For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God. For it is written, “He catches the wise in their own craftiness”; and again, “The Lord knows the thoughts of the wise, that they are futile.”

Job 5:13

He catches the wise in their own craftiness, And the counsel of the cunning comes quickly upon them.

Psalm 94:11

The Lord knows the thoughts of the wise, that they are futile

Paul repeats what he said in an earlier portion of the letter, what men consider to be wise is utter stupidity to God. Then Paul goes on to quote from the Tanakh, which is what he knows better than any other man.

21 Therefore let no one boast in men. For all things are yours: whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas, or the world or life or death, or things present or things to come—all are yours.

Do not listen to anyone claiming that man is wiser than another. All things are yours.

23 And you are Christ’s, and Christ is God’s.

They are all yours because you are of Christ and Christ is of God.

1 Corinthians Chapter 2 Breakdown

1 And I, brethren, when I came to you, did not come with excellence of speech or of wisdom declaring to you the testimony of God.

Paul says he did not come to those in Corinth speaking eloquently and using the wisdom of men to bring them the testimony of God.

2 For I determined not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified.

He simply came to them preaching Christ and what His crucifixion accomplished.

3 I was with you in weakness, in fear, and in much trembling.

Acts 18:8-10

And Crispus, the ruler of the synagogue, believed in the Lord with all his house; and many of the Corinthians hearing believed, and were baptized. And the Lord said unto Paul in the night by a vision, Be not afraid, but speak and hold not thy peace: for I am with thee, and no man shall set on thee to harm thee: for I have much people in this city.

Paul was afraid during his time in Corinth during his preaching. Paul was rebuked by God for being afraid of teaching His truth.

4 And my speech and my preaching were not with persuasive words of human wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, that your faith should not be in the wisdom of men but in the power of God.

Paul, again says he did not use human wisdom and persuasive words in his preaching. He used demonstrations of the Spirit. Men’s faith should not be in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God.

6 However, we speak wisdom among those who are mature, yet not the wisdom of this age, nor of the rulers of this age, who are coming to nothing.

After all that, Paul says “But” meaning what he does next is not the same as what he was doing in the previous statements. He now says he does speak wisdom among the men who are mature in the Word. But not the same wisdom of the men of this world, but the wisdom of God.

7 But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, the hidden wisdom which God ordained before the ages for our glory, which none of the rulers of this age knew; for had they known, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.

Paul, as well as the other Apostles, spoke to these men with the wisdom of God and in a mystery. The mystery hidden by God and unknown to the rulers of that current age. The mystery clearly pertained to the crucifixion of Christ because if they had known, they would not have killed Him. So, we can gather Paul was referring to the mystery of the death of Christ. That being said, we have to understand His death was a mystery, as in, why did He have to die?

9 But as it is written: “Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, Nor have entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for those who love Him.”

Isaiah 64:4-5; 65:17

For since the beginning of the world Men have not heard nor perceived by the ear, Nor has the eye seen any God besides You, Who acts for the one who waits for Him. You meet him who rejoices and does righteousness, Who remembers You in Your ways. You are indeed angry, for we have sinned— In these ways we continue; And we need to be saved.

“For behold, I create new heavens and a new earth; And the former shall not be remembered or come to mind.

Paul quotes from the Prophet Isaiah and talks about how men have not seen or heard the things God had prepared for them who love Him. The context in which the quote is written in refers to men who remember God in His ways, and it is in those ways men need to continue to be saved. I do understand this is not a popular opinion of what Paul teaches, but this is what the Word says.

10 But God has revealed them to us through His Spirit. For the Spirit searches all things, yes, the deep things of God.

The mystery has been revealed to the Apostles through the Spirit of God. It is the Spirit who searches all things including the deeper things of God.

11 For what man knows the things of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him? Even so no one knows the things of God except the Spirit of God.

Paul says it is the spirit of man who knows the things of a man. But only the Spirit of God knows the things of God. Basically, none of us have a chance to know the things of God unless His Spirit chooses to reveal it to us.

12 Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things that have been freely given to us by God.

Now, Paul says, they have received the Spirit form God, and they were revealed thing freely given to them. This included the mystery of the death of Yeshua, considering that is what was previously being discussed.

13 These things we also speak, not in words which man’s wisdom teaches but which the Holy Spirit teaches, comparing spiritual things with spiritual.

The things of God are the things in which the Apostles were teaching, but not similarly to what men’s wisdom would teach. Paul would compare spiritual things with spiritual things.

14 But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.

Men living by the desires of the flesh, which is in the carnal mind, will not receive the things of the Spirit, because the things of the Spirit seem like stupidity to them. Not only that, but these men cannot know them because they are spiritually determined.

15 But he who is spiritual judges all things, yet he himself is rightly judged by no one.

God is spiritual and judges all things, but He himself is no judged by anyone, because He is perfected.

16 For “who has known the mind of the Lord that he may instruct Him?” But we have the mind of Christ.

Isaiah 40:13

Who has directed the Spirit of the Lord, Or as His counselor has taught Him?

Paul again quotes from the Prophet Isaiah saying no one can instruct YHWH, because no one has His mind. But, the Apostles have the mind of Christ, which too was perfected. Paul is saying none of the teachers of that day had authority to instruct the Apostles, but they should be judged by the Apostles. Paul will be addressing some major concerns within the churches of Corinth in the coming pages of this letter.

1 Corinthians Chapter One Breakdown

1 Paul, called to be an apostle of Jesus Christ through the will of God, and Sosthenes our brother, To the church of God which is at Corinth, to those who are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints, with all who in every place call on the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, both theirs and ours: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Paul says he, as well as Sosthenes were called to be apostles of Christ. He is writing to the church of God in Corinth. This shows us that this is one continuous letter, helping to establish part of the context in which it should be read and understood. He is writing to the converts who are believers of Christ, who are considered to be saints.  

4 I thank my God always concerning you for the grace of God which was given to you by Christ Jesus, that you were enriched in everything by Him in all utterance and all knowledge, even as the testimony of Christ was confirmed in you, so that you come short in no gift, eagerly waiting for the revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ, who will also confirm you to the end, that you may be blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ.

God has enhanced every part of these people, including what they say and the knowledge in which they say those things. They fall short of none of the gifts. They are all awaiting revelation of Christ. In Christ they will be approved at the end, and blameless in the day of the Lord.

9 God is faithful, by whom you were called into the fellowship of His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.

God faithfully called them into the fellowship of Yeshua.

10 Now I plead with you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment.

Paul begs these men in Corinth to be sure they are all teaching the same thing. He begs them to have no division between each other. They are to all have the same mindset in terms of what is to be taught and how to judge accordingly.

11 For it has been declared to me concerning you, my brethren, by those of Chloe’s household, that there are contentions among you.

Someone has told Paul there are disagreements between certain groups.

12 Now I say this, that each of you says, “I am of Paul,” or “I am of Apollos,” or “I am of Cephas,” or “I am of Christ.”

They are claiming each of the apostles, as well as Christ, are giving different teachings. This is obviously not the case.

13 Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Or were you baptized in the name of Paul?

Paul taught the same thing Christ taught. There is no reason for division because they teach the same thing in unity.

14 I thank God that I baptized none of you except Crispus and Gaius, lest anyone should say that I had baptized in my own name.

Paul realizes that if he had baptized any of these people, they may be saying Paul did so in his own name. This is not what Paul wants.

16 Yes, I also baptized the household of Stephanas. Besides, I do not know whether I baptized any other.

Paul remembers he also baptized another household, but cannot remember any further than that.

17 For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel, not with wisdom of words, lest the cross of Christ should be made of no effect.

Paul was not sent to simply baptize people, but instead to teach the good news. But, he does not teach it in a confusing manner, such as with clever words.

18 For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.

Some people will regard the message of Christ as foolishness, but these people will perish. Teaching the good news the best way Paul knew how was straight out of the Torah, and doing so will cause some to consider it foolishness. Those who consider it worthwhile will be saved. This good news shows the power of God.

19 For it is written: “I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, And bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent.”

Here Paul quotes from the Old Testament in reference to his previous statement. Paul does not teach the Good News according to what the wise men of that day considered smart. For example, the Pharisees believed the scattered Northern Kingdom were gentiles dogs and would have had to convert to their version of Judaism in order to be saved. So they considered Paul’s message foolish. In today’s time, I believe we face many of the same type of problems, but different ideas. For example, we have science as the major belief system. Many try to link science and religion, but it does not always work out in sync and this is where men say science trumps God.

20 Where is the wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the disputer of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of this world?

No Paul seemingly mocks the wise of this world. God has made the wise look foolish with Christ. He took their wisdom, which again stated that those outside of Judaism could never obtain salvation. I submit this will be the same in the last days but with science. The scientifically impossible, will happen.

21 For since, in the wisdom of God, the world through wisdom did not know God, it pleased God through the foolishness of the message preached to save those who believe.

It is the wisdom of the world that causes men not to know God. God is pleased when men believe in Him by things that men’s wisdom calls foolish.

22 For Jews request a sign, and Greeks seek after wisdom; but we preach Christ crucified, to the Jews a stumbling block and to the Greeks foolishness, but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.

Here we have Paul saying the Jews request a sign to believe. The Greeks seek out the wisdom of men to believe. But, Paul said they preach belief of faith. This causes problems for both of them. But, it does help to weed out those who are not called.

25 Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men.

Both the foolishness of God as well as the weakness of God is wiser and stronger than men.

26 For you see your calling, brethren, that not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called.

Paul shows how those who are called are not generally considered wise among most men. They are not typically considered strong or high ranking or famous either.

27 But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty; and the base things of the world and the things which are despised God has chosen, and the things which are not, to bring to nothing the things that are, that no flesh should glory in His presence.

It will be the foolish things of this world that will put the wise men to shame. It will be things considered weak that will put the strong to shame. The things men despise are the very things God has chosen. Basically, everything will be opposite of what men believe so that no man shall have any glory in the presence of God.  

30 But of Him you are in Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God—and righteousness and sanctification and redemption— that, as it is written, “He who glories, let him glory in the Lord.”

Jeremiah 9:23-24

Thus says the Lord: “Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, Let not the mighty man glory in his might, Nor let the rich man glory in his riches; But let him who glories glory in this, That he understands and knows Me, That I am the Lord, exercising lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness in the earth. For in these I delight,” says the Lord.

Yeshua became wisdom for us from God. Paul then goes on to quote the Prophet Jeremiah.

Testimony of my Life

I grew up in a single parent home with a sister. My father had been put into prison when I was two years old. My mother had just turned 15 years old when I was born, and was just 17 when all responsibility of parenthood was placed on her shoulders. It was not long before she developed a major drug addiction. Continually moving from house to house due to eviction after eviction. As you may have guessed, this put my family in sever danger on several occasions. We lived in a small 400 sq. ft. apartment on the South Side of Saginaw in Michigan. There was a lot of gang activity in the area and due to the drug addiction, my sister and I were left home alone often. I started staying home alone with her when I was 8 years old. By the time we lived in Saginaw, I was 10-11 and the addiction had gotten so bad that we would be left there for upwards of three weeks at a time.

There is one time during a particularly long absence of my mother that a man tried to break into the apartment while we were there. Fortunately, the deadbolt and door were brand new and the window that was just off of the staircase was a bit too far to access easily. Although, that did not stop the assailant from attempting to get in through the window. He was ultimately unsuccessful at gaining access to the inside of the apartment.

One of the more pressing issues we continually ran into is the fact that with the drug problem, there was no way for my mother to hold down a job, let alone one that would have paid a high enough salary to live off. That being said, we only got groceries once a month, and that was when food stamps were issued. The biggest problem with getting food in the house was that this time of the month always led to an upcoming absence of my mother. We would regularly run out of food to eat in the house. When there is no adult in the house, and no food, what should a child do? I remember one time, my sister and I found fifty cents in the couch cushions. We lived only four or five blocks from a party store. We took the change and went to the store to buy little Debbie cake snacks because we knew they were only 25 cents each. One the walk to the store we past a house with about 14 gang members hanging out on the front porch. They all had their gang color displayed for all to see. When we walked past, they all continually hollered at my little sister saying crude and vulgar things. She was only 8 years old. They said a few things to me as well, about hurting me but honestly I cant remember what they were because I was more afraid for her safety. Ultimately, this never turned into anything but it was a traumatic event because if anything happened, there was no one either of us could go and tell. We would have been gone.

Eventually, we moved from there into a type of Foster care where my sister and I were split up. We did get reunited a year later, back with my mother at my grandfathers house.

There is a lot more to this story, but I really just wanted to say this. I believe God was with me the entire time. He had to have been. There were so many things that should have equated to me being dead, or in prison, or addicted to drugs, or all of the above. To not only come out of this virtually unscathed leads me to believe He has a plan for my life. I did not starve to death, and no one was ever able to get into any of the houses we occupied while we were home alone. There is no doubt in my mind He is real and watching over me.

I plan to add more to this in the future.

Paul is difficult to Understand

One thing that amazes me is the fact that so many claiming Christians either don’t read their Bibles enough to know, or they simply disregard the warning Peter makes about Paul in reference to the Law of God. For me, I always tend to force all scripture to bend to the words of Yeshua (Jesus), this includes everything Paul had to say. In doing this, I find it much easier to understand what Peter’s warning was all about. The following is my understanding of the warning Peter gives based on multiple scriptures to back up this understanding.

2 Peter 3:14-17

Therefore, beloved, looking forward to these things, be diligent to be found by Him in peace, without spot and blameless; and consider that the longsuffering of our Lord is salvation—as also our beloved brother Paul, according to the wisdom given to him, has written to you, as also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things, in which are some things hard to understand, which untaught and unstable people twist to their own destruction, as they do also the rest of the Scriptures. Therefore, dear friends, since you have been forewarned, be on your guard so that you may not be carried away by the error of the lawless and fall from your secure position.

This verse seems to be overlooked or intentionally ignored all too often. I would like to take the time to really break down what Peter is talking about here. I believe this is vital to really understanding our place within Christianity. If Paul truly is difficult to take at his own word, does that mean we cannot simply take the words he wrote at simple face value? Why is he so difficult to understand? What is it that Paul says that makes him difficult to understand?

The first thing we see from Peter is him telling believers to be diligent and to be found by God “without spot and blameless.” Starting there, let’s search through the scriptures to find other areas using the same terminology.

Job 11:13-15

“If you would prepare your heart, And stretch out your hands toward Him; If iniquity were in your hand, and you put it far away And would not let wickedness dwell in your tents; Then surely you could lift up your face without spot; Yes, you could be steadfast, and not fear;

Notice Job mentions preparing your heart and follows it up by saying get rid of your iniquity. The word used here for iniquity is the Hebrew Strong's H205 - 'aven. Its meaning is evil, or wickedness. Simply understood as sin. So to boil this down, Job is saying to be without spot, is to be without sin, and to be without sin means to get rid of wickedness in your life. Now, let’s jump to an example in the New Testament.

1 Peter 1:17-19

And if you call on the Father, who without partiality judges according to each one’s work, conduct yourselves throughout the time of your stay here in fear; knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things, like silver or gold, from your aimless conduct received by tradition from your fathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot.

This comes from the 1 letter Peter wrote. He says the Father judges according to each man’s work. He goes on to say that we, as believers, were not redeemed with corruptible things, but were redeemed from aimless works we received by traditions of men, our biological fathers, or parents. Then He compares Jesus to the lamb without spot. We all know Jesus kept the Law of God perfectly which is what made Him perfect, or without spot. This seamlessly agrees with the account from Job.

Now, we will check out “blameless.”

Deuteronomy 18:9-13

“When you come into the land which the Lord your God is giving you, you shall not learn to follow the abominations of those nations. There shall not be found among you anyone who makes his son or his daughter pass through the fire, or one who practices witchcraft, or a soothsayer, or one who interprets omens, or a sorcerer, or one who conjures spells, or a medium, or a spiritist, or one who calls up the dead. For all who do these things are an abomination to the Lord, and because of these abominations the Lord your God drives them out from before you. You shall be blameless before the Lord your God.

God, when giving commandments says do not learn the abominations of the people in these nations He is sending them. These abominations are sins. He gives a list of these things which are all things we should still not be doing today.

2 Samuel 22:22-24

For I have kept the ways of the Lord, and have not wickedly departed from my God. For all His judgments were before me; And as for His statutes, I did not depart from them. I was also blameless before Him, And I kept myself from my iniquity.

Keeping the ways of God, not departing from Him, meaning abiding by all His judgments and statutes is what made Samuel blameless before Him. Samuel did not commit iniquity, again meaning he was not committing sin.

Luke 1:6

And they were both righteous before God, walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless.

Not only is Luke saying walking in all the commandments of the Lord made Zacharias and Elizibeth were blameless, but also righteous. Therefore, we can conclude from both the Old and New Testaments in order to be considered without spot and blameless means we should be keeping the Laws God gave.

Now Peter goes on to say, Paul is “hard to understand”. So, what does he mean by this? Peter follows this up by saying it is the “untaught and unstable people twist to their own destruction”. And he says the very same people who do this also twist the rest of scripture. Peter knew Paul, and warned us that in order to understand Paul we would have to know what Paul knew. Or at the very least, understand that Paul knew the Old Testament better than just about everyone else on earth. Today, many teachers of the Word read Paul’s words and claim we no longer need to keep the Law of God. However, that teaching directly contradicts what Peter is saying. Remember, to be without spot and blameless is to follow the Law of God. Furthermore, Peter warns, “be on your guard so that you may not be carried away by the error of the lawless”. It is the people teaching against keeping the Law who twist Paul’s words. It is the Pharisees who teach the traditions of men who also claim Paul teaches against the commandments of God.

There is no reason to believe Paul taught against the Law of God. If we were cautioned specifically that Paul is difficult to understand and then warned to not be carried away with those who do not keep the Law. Remember these words from the mouth of God Himself.

Psalm 89:34

My covenant I will not break, Nor alter the word that has gone out of My lips.

If God will not break His covenant and will not alter any of the word He spoke, according to God Himself, why do we think He has? Why do we give Paul the authority to alter the word of God? The simple fact is, He hasn’t and Paul doesn’t have that authority either. This is why Paul is difficult to understand. He argues against the law of sin, and the laws based on the traditions of men, all while arguing in favor of keeping the Law God gave. There is nothing in the Law of God that should be considered hard to keep, or immoral. Some teach believers only need to keep the ten commandments, but then also say we really only need to keep nine of the ten. Others say we need only keep the “moral” law, when in fact there is no such mention of a “moral” law throughout the entire scripture. It is simply a made up term to pick and choose what laws they want to follow.

The majority of the Law of God is kept by the majority of Believers unknowingly to them. There are only a few laws that most believers refuse to keep and actually argue against keeping. Unfortunately, this list is growing as we approach the last days.

So, the first thing we must understand about Paul is that he was the most passionate Jew when it came to studying scripture, specifically what we refer to as the Old Testament Law. That is because there was no such thing as a new testament in the time of Paul. Saul/Paul studied under Gamaliel. Paul is difficult to understand because he has a higher level of scriptural intelligence than most men. He basically had a doctorate in Scriptural Law of God.

Acts 22:3

I am indeed a Jew, born in Tarsus of Cilicia, but brought up in this city at the feet of Gamaliel, taught according to the strictness of our fathers’ law, and was zealous toward God as you all are today.

Gamaliel was one of the high priests and even plays a role in the Bible. Historians say he was held in great renown as one of the most intelligent men in terms of the Law of God. That being said, Paul too would have to be one of the most intelligent men in terms of the Law of God. I believe this is precisely why it was Paul chosen to go among the gentile nations with the good news.

The second reason Paul is difficult to understand is because of his usage of the word Law. Paul speaks of eight different laws.

1) The Law of God (Romans 3:31; 7:22-25; 8:7)

2) The Law of Sin (Romans 7:23-25)

3) The Law of Sin and Death (Romans 8:2)

4) The Law of the Spirit of Life (Romans 8:2)

5) The Law of Faith (Romans 3:27)

6) The Law of Righteousness (Romans 9:31)

7) The Law of Christ (1 Corinthians 9:21)

8) The Oral Traditional Laws of men (Colossians 2:8)

Due to all these different laws, it should be clear why Peter says Paul is difficult to understand on issues concerning the Law of God.

Paul himself actually kept the Torah found in the Old Testament. We also know that when Paul and Silas were in Berea the Jews there did their due diligence to hold Paul accountable for every word he said. They scoured the scriptures daily in order to ensure everything Paul taught lined up with the Old Testament writings of the Law and Prophets.

Acts 17:10-11

Then the brethren immediately sent Paul and Silas away by night to Berea. When they arrived, they went into the synagogue of the Jews. These were more fair-minded than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness, and searched the Scriptures daily to find out whether these things were so.

If Paul would have been teaching against the Law of God, these Jews would have called him out on it. They would not have accepted what he had to say and would not have protected him. It would have been their duty to stone him for blasphemy, according to Deuteronomy 13.

Deuteronomy 13:1-5

“If there arises among you a prophet or a dreamer of dreams, and he gives you a sign or a wonder, and the sign or the wonder comes to pass, of which he spoke to you, saying, ‘Let us go after other gods’—which you have not known—‘and let us serve them,’ you shall not listen to the words of that prophet or that dreamer of dreams, for the Lord your God is testing you to know whether you love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul. You shall walk after the Lord your God and fear Him, and keep His commandments and obey His voice; you shall serve Him and hold fast to Him. But that prophet or that dreamer of dreams shall be put to death, because he has spoken in order to turn you away from the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt and redeemed you from the house of bondage, to entice you from the way in which the Lord your God commanded you to walk. So you shall put away the evil from your midst.

We know the Jews held themselves to the standard of killing anyone who disagreed with them and taught blasphemy, so why did this not happen with Paul if he was teaching against the keeping of the Torah? The simple answer is, he wasn’t, and he never did. Paul believed the keeping of Torah was important and that is why he kept it himself.

Acts 17:2-3

Then Paul, as his custom was, went in to them, and for three Sabbaths reasoned with them from the Scriptures, explaining and demonstrating that the Christ had to suffer and rise again from the dead, and saying, “This Jesus whom I preach to you is the Christ.”

Acts 18:4

And he reasoned in the synagogue every Sabbath, and persuaded both Jews and Greeks.

Acts 24:14

But this I confess to you, that according to the Way which they call a sect, so I worship the God of my fathers, believing all things which are written in the Law and in the Prophets.

Romans 3:31

Do we then make void the law through faith? Certainly not! On the contrary, we establish the law.

The Greek word used here for “establish” is Strong's G2476 – histēmi and it has a few interesting definitions.

1.       to cause a person or a thing to keep his or its place

2.       to stand, be kept intact (of family, a kingdom), to escape in safety

3.       to uphold or sustain the authority or force of anything

Acts 28:23

So when they had appointed him a day, many came to him at his lodging, to whom he explained and solemnly testified of the kingdom of God, persuading them concerning Jesus from both the Law of Moses and the Prophets, from morning till evening.

So, we can see, Paul kept Sabbath, believed everything from the Law and Prophets, states we should keep the Law, and taught about Jesus from the Law and the Prophets. There is absolutely no reason to believe Paul ever taught anyone not to keep and follow the Law of God.