FOR the first two months of 2025 C.E. we examined true teachings of the Bible to understanding a few COMMON christian terms.
Take ANY commonly used christian jargon such as: gospel, grace, saved, redeemed, soul, flesh, sanctified, justified, forgiven, hell, heaven, lord, king, priest, prophet.. and MANY MORE..
2024 C.E.
Here’s a QUESTION for fellow believers about our terms of teaching, preaching and our personal fruit of the faith:
Christian Doctrine —What’s the Point?
WHAT teachings did YOUR ‘christian‘ church preach in 2024 of the Common Era?
How has DOCTRINE from Scripture evolved in two millennia of Church teachinginto a blurred line in the sand erasing BiblicalTruth?
Which doctrines will fit into a Common Era culture that no longer lives in Truth or desires a relational church?
Is YOUR Gospel simply GOOD NEWS for a COMMON ERA AUDIENCE to APPLAUD?
IS corporate worship of JESUS Christ as God our Savior, the One Redeemer from SIN INCLUDED in YOUR Common Era evangelism?
As a Christian follower of the Lord JESUS Christ, Roger invites you to examine our evolving COMMON ERA culture in ‘christian‘ worship and practice.
Does worship by your church resist the temptation to ERASE Christ’s DOCTRINES commanded by Scripture?
Compare and apply the teaching and preaching of
The Life of the Common Era church
to Scripture
God-willing, we will continue our focus on preaching in 2025 C.E. by defining, applying and comparing the TEACHING of the church with the Word of the BIBLE.
Find the Way, the Truth and the Lifein our Everlasting Savior the Lord Jesus Christ.
For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you have need again for someone to teach you the elementary principles of the oracles of God, and you have come to need milk and not solid food. –
Although we began this category in 2023 C.E. as an updated look at DOCTRINE, in our travels with the Apostle Paul in ACTS and re-reading some of his LETTERS to the churches I have once again begun ASKING US the QUESTIONS of our Biblical Christian Doctrine and hope to hear your answers about these foundational beliefs. - RH
Proclaim the scriptural doctrinesof the Gospel.
About Roger – TalkofJESUS.com Doctrine & teaching2024 of the COMMON ERA DOCTRINE
Please comment on any DOCTRINES C.E. post listed chronologically below:
I did not come with superiority of word or of wisdom [sophia]..
Superiority, (elevation, pre-eminence, excellence in) Wisdom would have been what many Hellenists in Corinth might have expected in Paul.
Note that the Apostle’s approach of rebuke of his Corinthian ‘brothers’ in the faith relies ONLY on the Authority of Almighty God. NOT speech (logos), NOT of wisdom [sophia], but an ANNOUNCEMENT and PROCLAIMATION.
The APOSTLE of the RISEN CHRIST JESUS is providing ‘something evidential, i.e. (genitive case) evidence given or (specially), the Decalogue (in the sacred Tabernacle):—to be testified, testimony, witness.
Paul has already written his thanks to God for the Corinthians, ‘even as the witnessG3142 about Christ was confirmed in you – 1 Cor 1:6
DO YOU FEAR GOD?
Here is my testimony as Christ's apostle to you, my Corinthian brothers and sisters in the Lord:
Jesus Christ, and Him crucified
And I was with you in weakness and in fear and in much trembling, and my word and my preaching were not in persuasive words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power..
Listen to some of the descriptions Paul uses here for their condition:
WEAKNESS of the body: its native weakness and frailty, feebleness of health or sickness
of the soul: want of strength and capacity requisite
with fear and trembling, used to describe the anxiety of one who distrusts his ability completely to meet all requirements,
but religiously does his utmost to fulfil his duty
Does this description of the Apostle Paul (who rebukes these Corinthians) resemble the pastoral approach of the ministers of YOUR church in any way?
for ministers mature in Christ
Yet when I am among mature believers, I do speak with words of wisdom, but not the kind of wisdom that belongs to this world or to the rulers of this world, who are soon forgotten.
1 Corinthians 2:6 NLT – Paul’s ‘word to the wise,’ mature ministers of God’s word
Jesus taught followers to be mature
“For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same?
“And if you greet only your brothers, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same?
“Therefore you are to be perfectG5046, as your heavenly Father is perfectG5046.
Jesus said to him, “If you wish to be complete G5046, go and sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.”
Matthew 19:21 LSB
PAUL writes to the Corinthians who are MATURE ministers of the Lord to “be PERFECT,” become COMPLETE in your TESTIMONY of GOD.
the Mystery of God’s Wisdom
No, we speak of the mysterious and hidden wisdom of God, (we speak God’s wisdom in a mystery ) which He destined for our glory before time began.
8 None of the rulers of this age understood it. For if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. 9 Rather, as it is written:
The relationship of God and Man can become a Spirit to spirit love in Christ our Lord.
14 The natural [psychikos] person does not accept the things of the Spirit [pneuma ] of God, for they are folly [foolishness] to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned. – ESV
We have not received the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we may understand what God has freely given us.
And this is what we speak, not in words taught us by human wisdom, but in words taught by the Spirit, expressing spiritual truths in spiritual words.
PREVIOUSLY in this Talk of Jesus series from CHURCH LETTERS - IS HE WRITING TO ME? we have glanced at a few of Paul's LETTERS (Epistles) to the Church written during his just completed missionary journeys.
TODAY we continue with a brief look back at more letters already sent to the churches.
WHAT THE CHURCH HAS READ SO FAR:
Just a reminder that all dates from reliable sources may vary but are used for chronological context only.
A.D. 49 – JAMES, the half-brother of Jesus and leader of the church in Jerusalem writes his LETTER
James also sends out a letter to the churches concerning gentiles from the Council in Jerusalem.
The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God – Mark 1:1
Consider the possibility that parts of the Gospel of John Mark, who had accompanied his uncle Barnabas and the Apostle Paul to Cypress, MAY HAVE been known even in Corinth where Paul has already travelled and whose FIRST LETTER we are about to examine.
The GREAT COMMISSION of JESUS CHRIST to the CHURCH is recorded in the Gospel of Mark 16:15
This epistle was most likely written in the first half of A.D. 55 from Ephesus (16:8, 9, 19) while Paul was on his third missionary journey. The apostle intended to remain on at Ephesus to complete his 3 year stay (Acts 20:31) until Pentecost (May/June) A.D. 55 (16:8). Then he hoped to winter (A.D. 55–56) at Corinth (16:6; Acts 20:2). His departure for Corinth was anticipated even as he wrote (4:19; 11:34; 16:8).
CORINTH, ACHAIAis ROMAN; not Macedonian (as in the former Empire of Alexander the Great).
Neither is the large city of Corinth simply Greek, as in ‘ancient Greece’ with ancient Athens whose glory had long ago been reduced to ruins.
In 146 BC, the battle of Corinth signified a defining moment in the history of ancient Greece. Situated on the narrow strip of land connecting the Peloponnese to the mainland of Greece, Corinth was a city-state with a significant strategic and economic position.
Here in CORINTH we immediately read the opening of Paul’s Epistle written in Greek to the CHURCH, beginning with the Apostle’s universal greeting to ALL and specifically to the saints separated to the calling of Christ Jesus our Lord.
Paul had been there and wrote back to encourage these Christians in Corinth.
See if this A.D. first century city of CORINTH sounds vaguely familiar to any city of destruction in our 21st century the Common Era.
Once again, the commentary of John Macarthur on the culture of Corinth.
Even by the pagan standards of its own culture, Corinth became so morally corrupt that its very name became synonymous with debauchery and moral depravity.
To “corinthianize” came to represent gross immorality and drunken debauchery. In 6:9, 10, Paul lists some of the specific sins for which the city was noted and which formerly had characterized many believers in the church there.
Tragically, some of the worst sins were still found among some church members.
Here the Apostle writes to a chosen few SAVED from the surrounding sinful culture of CORINTH (and most every other city in their culturally correct Roman Empire) in a CHURCH separated in worship yet living and working with all of those destined to the wrath of God’s punishment.
These Corinthian Christians were taught and sought to live in complete contrast to sinful lifestyles hopefully left behind.
Later in his letter Paul will describe their love [ ἀγάπη ] more fully.
Although some contemporary Christians include parts of Paul’s list of LOVE in ceremonies of Christian marriage, the love of which Paul writes is not romantic or specifically marital in any way.
These CORINTHIANS were recognized in the city for their uniquely personal LOVE –
sometimes translated as CHARITY for each other and for others.
Their agapē LOVE stood against a CULTURE OF SIN characterized in a “corinthianized” city, fallen nation or evil empire.
Paul later writes what he knows of their Corinthian challenges warning:
Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God?
Do not be deceived;
.. neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor homosexuals, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers, will inherit the kingdom of God.
Paul begins his Epistle with an agape-rooted encouragement.
Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Grace, for which Christians should be so well recognized, written χάρις in Greek charis is:
that which affords joy, pleasure, delight, sweetness, charm, loveliness: grace of speech
good will, loving-kindness, favour
of the merciful kindness by which God, exerting his holy influence upon souls, turns them to Christ, keeps, strengthens, increases them in Christian faith, knowledge, affection, and kindles them to the exercise of the Christian virtues
CAN YOU THINK OF ANY GREETING WHICH ENCOURAGES MORE THAN 'GRACE?'
I thank my God always concerning you for the grace of God which was given you in Christ Jesus, that in everything you were enriched in Him, in all word and all knowledge, even as the witness about Christ was confirmed in you, so that you are not lacking in any gift, eagerly awaiting the revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ, who will also confirm you to the end, beyond reproach in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Paul practically embraces these Corinthian believers in a personal prayer written for them.
Could any introduction of LOVE and Grace be more encouraging?
God is faithful, through whom you were called into fellowship with His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.
Theos is faithful, through Whom you were kaleōinto koinōnia with His Son Ἰησοῦς Χριστός [iēsous christos] our kyrios.
*Linked definitions of GREEK words from 1 Corinthians 1:9 from BlueLetterBible.org
Reintroducing our Lord
Paul begins his letter to a beloved church in a city caught-up in the sins of SELF and worshipping multiple gods of ME with encouragement in the Lord Jesus Christ.
In the Apostle Paul’s two Epistles to the Corinthians he uses:
iēsous – 45x
christos– 111x
kyrios – 95x
θεός – theos – an amazing 185x
- king - only once in his second letter & not referring to Jesus - prophet - prophētēs - only once but referring to gifts of the saints - priest not at all in writing to the Corinthians
That’s what the apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God asks the church of God which is at Corinth.
(It's a good question for those claiming Jesus Christ facing a refining and sanctification of our sinful mortal flesh.)
The Apostle Paul refers to the church as SAINTS, a most holy thing, TWENTY TIMES in his epistles to the Corinthians including his encouragement of the church in this introduction.
To the church of God in Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ Jesus and called to be his holy people, together with all those everywhere who call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ—their Lord and ours:
