ICEBREAKER
As an icebreaker, show them a picture of the following cities and say.
Corinth was like these three cities all combined into one.
Q: Do you know what cities they are?
Q: And what does that tell you about Corinth?
1st City: New York
2nd City: Las Vegas
3rd City: Harvard
Q: What does this tell us about Corinth?
Port city/Major economic center/ Wealthy and materialistic society
Hedonistic/Sexually liberal/Immorality acceptable/Ritual prostitution (Sin City of Greece)
Center of philosophic thought and education
Idol worship/Numerous temples and shrines
Q: What might be the major problem with living as a member of the Church in that kind of environment?
A: To live in the world but not of the world. It is difficult to be constantly exposed to and surrounded by the world and not be influenced by it. The members in Corinth are struggling to live “as becometh saints” in this very wicked environment and it’s causing problems within the church.
TRANSITION
We’re in the same boat as the Corinthian saints, aren’t we? We too face the challenge of living righteous in the midst of a wicked world. Corinthians is a book of problems, problems that we also face. Paul is going to try and help them to overcome those problems, and in turn, help us as well. Let’s see if we can find some of those problems in chapters 1-7.
Q: What are three of the problems the Corinthian saints are struggling with in the following verses?
And have them look them up and raise their hands to share what they find.
1:11 Contention and disunity amongst members
1:18/2:14 Those with worldly wisdom making faith look foolish
5:1-2 Sexual sin
Q: So is the Book of Corinthians going to be applicable to us? Are these problems relevant to our day?
A: YES!
SEXUAL IMMORALITY
Ezra Taft Benson Quote:
The plaguing sin of this generation is sexual immorality. This, the Prophet Joseph said, would be the source of more temptations, more buffetings, and more difficulties for the elders of Israel than any other. (See Journal of Discourses, 8:55.) Ezra Taft Benson
(The Teachings of Ezra Taft Benson , p.277)
ICEBREAKER
Ask them to consider the following scenario. A reporter from another country comes to visit the United States to report on America’s views on love and sex. So for research,they come and watch an episode of our 5 most popular tv shows, the 5 most popular movies, 5 most popular songs on the radio, the top internet searches, and then thumb through5 our most popular magazines. What conclusions do you think they would come to about our views on love and sex?
Possible Answers
As long as it is consensual, all sexual activity is permissible
Your first sexual experiences should happen in your youth.
If you are not sexually active as an unmarried person, there is something wrong with you.
Appearance is the number 1 consideration when selecting a partner
Pornographic indulgence is normal and acceptable
Sexual perversion is justifiable
TRANSITION
Sexual immorality was rampant in Corinth. In fact the term to “Corinthianize” meant to engage in gross sexual immorality. And the members are struggling with it too. You saw it in 5:1-2 where not only has a member of the church engaged in a fairly serious form of immorality, but Paul tells us they are puffed up about it. Rather than mourning the sin, they are cheering him on! So Paul is going to make the case for morality or sexual purity. He is going to give us 6 good reasons to be morally clean. But first he’ll start by identifying and dismantling the world’s argument FOR immorality.
Q: Can you find the Corinthians’ argument for immorality in 6:13
A: Meats for the belly, and the belly for meats.
The Corinthians are comparing meat to sex and sexual desire to hunger. In other words. Hey, there is meat over there, I feel the hunger to eat it, therefore, why not eat. It’s the same with sex, there is an opportunity for sexual indulgence, I feel a desire for it, therefore it must be ok to indulge.
Q: Does the world still use that argument today, and if so, how?
Q: Paul is now going to give us 6 good reasons to be morally clean and the first reason is in vs. 13? What does Paul say is the consequence for living according to the “meats for the belly" philosophy?
A: God will destroy both it and them (And I don’t think that means that he’s going to start hurling lightning bolts at them, and smiting them, but there is a type of destruction that comes to the immoral, there are negative consequences for the individuals and the relationship itself)
Q: How could that work? How can immorality destroy both the relationship and the individuals involved in them?
Gordon B. Hinckley Quote:
“I heard Elder John A. Widtsoe … say, ‘It is my observation that a young man and a young woman who violate the principles of morality soon end up hating one another.’ I have observed the same thing. There may be words of love to begin with, but there will be words of anger and bitterness later”
Gordon B. Hinckley and John A. Widstoe
(“True to the Faith,” Ensign, June 1996, 5).
Reason #1 to be morally clean: Immorality destroys love. It does not strengthen it.
Q: What does Paul say about our bodies in vs. 13?
A: And Paul says that The body is not for fornication, but for the Lord, and the lord for the body.
See if you can find the two divine purposes for sex in the following quotes:
Spencer W. Kimball:
The union of the sexes, husband and wife (and only husband and wife), was for the principal purpose of bringing children into the world. Sex experiences were never intended by the Lord to be a mere plaything or merely to satisfy passions and lusts. We know of no directive from the Lord that proper sex experience between husbands and wives need be limited totally to the procreation effort, but we find much evidence from Adam until now that no provision was ever made by the Lord for indiscriminate sex. (75-24)
Spencer W. Kimball
(The Teachings of Spencer W. Kimball, edited by Edward L. Kimball, p.311)
Parley P. Pratt:
The object of the Union of the sexes is the propagation of their species, or procreation; also for mutual affection, and the cultivation of those eternal principles of never ending charity and benevolence, which are inspired by the Eternal Spirit;
Parley P. Pratt
(Key to the Science of Theology/A Voice of Warning, p.164)
TWO DIVINE PURPOSES FOR SEX
1. Procreation (To provide bodies for God’s spirit children)
2. To bring husbands and wives closer together
If our sexual activities do not fulfill one of these two purposes, then I argue that they're wrong.
Reason #2 to be morally clean: To fulfill the Lord’s divine purposes
6:15-17
Q:Can you find the reason here?
A: Paul frequently uses the metaphor of the body to refer to the church. The church is the body of Christ, and we are all individual parts of that body working together to accomplish his work. The point he is making here is that your sexual immorality may have an effect on others and the church as a whole.
Q: How is that possible? How could one member's immorality affect other people and the church as a whole?
Reason #3 to be morally clean: You will not hurt others
6:18
Q: What is the best response to sexual temptation?
A: Flee fornication. Just run from it. Best example of this. Joseph of Egypt with Potiphers wife. Just flee and get out.
Q: What is the reason here?
A: Somebody may try to justify their immoral behaviors by saying things like. Nobody gets hurt by me doing this. If I just practice safe sex, everything will be ok, everything is permissible between consenting adults, pornography is a victimless habit, I’m not hurting anybody. Well, we’ve already decided that that’s not true, but there is an individual that we are really hurting most.
Q: And Who we are sinning against most?
A: Ourselves.
Q:How does immorality hurt the individual themselves?
A: STD’s, unwanted pregnancy, there's the effect it may have on future relationships, you open yourself up to be taken advantage of, it can lead to addictions.
Reason #4 to be morally clean: You will not hurt yourself
READ 6:19
What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God,
Q: Based on vs. 19, if our bodies are a temple of the Holy Ghost, what do you think happens to the Holy Ghost if we commit sexual sin?
A: It leaves. We lose the Spirit.
Reason #5 to stay morally clean: You will maintain the companionship of the Holy Ghost.
6:19-20
Q: What would be Paul’s response to the statement:
“It’s my body, I can do what I want with it!”
A: Paul looks back and says, “Not so fast"
19 and ye are not your own?
20 For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.
So no, your body is not yours. It belongs to God, This body is just a rental, and God sets the rules for it. He bought you with a price. What was that price? His atonement. We have no right to use his bodies for our own selfish reasons, they are not our property. They belong to Him and therefore we must follow the proper instructions for their care and use.
Reason #6 to be morally clean: You will show respect and reverence for God’s property: your body.
If you wanted to add one more point and verse to this discussion, I would add 7:4 with this statement.
Q: You do not hold the key to your sexuality. Somebody else does. Who is it according to 7:4?
A: Our spouse holds that key, whether it is in the present or we are talking about our future spouse.
CONCLUSION
Our Heavenly Father has made us sexual beings for a divine purpose. But if we misuse these sacred powers, the consequences are real. I encourage you all to do things the Lord’s way. Follow his rules and commandments regarding relationships and our lives will be filled with love. As Alma said to his son Shiblon, “Bridle all your passions, that ye may be filled with love”. If you want more love in your life, bridle, or control those powerful emotions and God will fill your cup with love until it runneth over.
Share your love story
THE SOLUTION TO CONTENTION
To help them to liken the scriptures ask:
Q: How many of you have seen contention between ward members cause problems?
Q: What were some of the problems caused by that contention?
This is not what God envisions for his church, he wants his Saints to fit this description in vs. 10.
READ 1:10
10 Now I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you; but that ye be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment.
In order to attain this condition in our congregations, we have to avoid the dangerous mindset of vs. 12.
READ 1:12
12 Now this I say, that every one of you saith, I am of Paul; and I of Apollos; and I of Cephas; and I of Christ.
Members of the church in Corinth were dividing themselves based on who baptized them. Some had been baptized by Paul, others Apollos, and others Peter and they are showing this very human tendency to categorize and rank themselves based on perceived value. For them, it was who baptized them that set them apart. One might boast, Well, Paul, an apostle, baptized me! And another may say, I was baptized back at the beginning, when Christ was still alive, when maybe somebody else who was baptized by Apollos, might feel like less a member since he wasn’t baptized by an apostle.
Q: Now that may not be the issue that divides us today, but what things might cause divisions and ranking in our wards today?
A: Some possible answers: Social status or income, how nice their cars and homes are, political affiliation, race or ethnicity, which callings they serve in, perceived righteousness, even something as frivolous as which sports team they root for have been known to cause major divisions amongst members.
Q: What is Paul’s solution to this? The answer is in vs. 13
A: 13 Is Christ divided? was Paul crucified for you? or were ye baptized in the name of Paul?
When it comes to church, we need to strive to put those worldly differences behind us and focus on what unifies us. And what unifies us? Our common belief and commitment to Christ. Christ is not divided. These things that can divide us have nothing to do with the gospel of Christ. Perhaps something you could ask yourself to determine whether your division is justified, is would Christ care about these things? Does Christ care what my income us? Does Christ care what race somebody is of? Does Christ care what sports team I root for? If the answer is no, then you should put every effort into setting those differences aside. Instead of dividing ourselves up into cilques and factions, we can unite ourselves around Christ. You may live in an affluent neighborhood and I live in a trailer park, but we both believe in Christ’s atonement, you may be a democrat and I a republican, but we both worship in the temple, you may root for the Cougars while I root for the Utes, but we both have a testimony of the Book of Mormon.
Solution #1 Focus on what unifies you, not what divides you.
READ 3:6-9
6 I have planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase.
7 So then neither is he that planteth any thing, neither he that watereth; but God that giveth the increase.
8 Now he that planteth and he that watereth are one: and every man shall receive his own reward according to his own labour.
9 For we are labourers together with God: ye are God's husbandry,
So it’s not the specific work that you do in the church that matters so much as that you are working. It would be pretty silly for somebody who was responsible to plant the seeds to boast themselves over somebody whose job it was to water the seeds. Saying something like, “Planting is where it’s at, those waterers should really get their priorities straight”. Both jobs are necessary for the garden to grow. And it’s God that’s actually causing the garden to grow
Solution #2: No person in the church is more important than another, regardless of what labor they perform in it.
ACTIVITY
Read 3:10-17 silently to yourselves and be prepared to answer the following questions
Paul compares the members of the church to a building, what kind of building is it?
What is the foundation of this building?
What is our job as members of the church?
What building materials are available for us to work with?
Do you notice anything interesting about the materials? Are they all of the same quality?
What will God eventually do to this building?
Why?
What lives in this building?
What do you feel is the moral of this story? What does Paul want you to learn from this?
And here the focus is on the labor itself. What kind of offering do you make in your sacrifices and obedience? If all our offerings are going to be tested by fire. What kind have you put on the temple? Gold, silver, stone, or do you make wood, hay, or stubble offering. What will happen to each in the fire? The gold silver and stone offerings will pass the test of fire, while the wood, hay, and stubble offerings will be burned.
Can you imagine a big piece of plywood nailed to the side of the Salt Lake temple? Or a stack of hay bales on the roof? It would look so out of place
Solution #3: Give your absolute best in your gospel labors.
LIKEN
Ask them to consider what kind of offering they are offering. Gold or Stubble? And be sure to pause for just a few seconds after each to let them contemplate it.
In the way you serve in your church calling?
Your temple attendance?
Your scripture study?
Your personal prayers?
In your efforts to share the gospel?
Your obedience?
CONCLUSION
Then to conclude this portion of the lesson you could say: Jesus once taught us that “a house divided against itself cannot stand”. I’m certain that if we can focus on what unifies us, recognize the unique contribution each member offers, and offer our very best in our labors, then we will stand unified as members of Christ’s church against the adversary and prepare ourselves for Christ’s return.
WORLDLY WISDOM VS. GODLY WISDOM
Q: Have you ever had your faith mocked? What happened and how did you react?
So what can help us to stand firm in the face of scorn? If we wish to endure to the end in faith, we have got to learn to ignore the finger pointing and the ridicule of the world. It is a necessary skill we must develop.
And Paul can help us.
ACTIVITY
How can the following verses help us to have strength in the face of mocking?
1:18-19
2:5
2:10-11
3:2
1:18-19
God will destroy the wisdom of the wise and vindicate the faithful
2:5
Build your faith on the Power of God, not the wisdom of men
2:10-11
Spiritual knowledge comes from God through the Spirit
3:2
Start with milk, then the meat
CONCLUSION
Bear pure testimony to your class.
Ask if any of them would like to do the same.
Love this . . . Very helpful . . . Thank you very much . . . God bless!!!