Yes, doo-woppers, “the book of love” was indeed written by “someone from above.” His name is God and He has given us the book of love, life, liberty, and the pursuit of holiness. It is called the Bible, a collection of sixty-six works written over the span of two millennia by some forty or so human authors who were especially inspired by the Holy Spirit.

We are not saved by works, but we are saved for works. We are not saved by a moral gospel, but when we are saved we live by a gospel morality. 1 Corinthians 6 fleshes this out in full.

Sex education shall be taught in church today, using the pivotal fifth chapter of Paul’s first canonical letter to the Corinthians as our textbook. It addresses a singular subject with a double standard, one for Christians in Christ’s church, the other for non-Christians in a lost world.

Would Paul take “the rod” to us?  I pray not. Still, we need to heed the warning of the Apostle’s epistle and keep our church chained to the Word of God. Otherwise, we may be asking what in the world is wrong with our church?

Paul’s first epistle to the Corinthians is not flattering to the first Corinthian Christians. It reveals division in the church, and a church divided cannot stand. It accuses them of not being very spiritual, and an unspiritual church cannot grow and glorify God.

The name of God appears 21 times in the 16 verses of this chapter. “God,” which we interpret as God the Father, is found 10 times. God the Son, “Jesus Christ,” “Our Lord” is expressly mentioned 4 times. And God the Holy “Spirit” is found 7 times.

The cross divides people, all people living and all people who have ever lived. Like the separation of time and the dividing of Testaments, there are only two sides. The side you are on, lost or saved, depends upon what you have decided and done with the cross of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Paul wrote two canonical letters to the Corinthians. The first is a declaration of war (against sin, not the sinners), the second a peace treaty. Both are very personal, but accessible to every generation of Christ-followers.