1. When Paul said that he never again would eat meat if doing so could endanger the faith of another Christian, what was the point he was trying to get across? Elaborate especially on the concept in today’s society about people’s “right” to do something.
2. Relate your answer in the above question to Paul’s statement in Romans 15:1, “We who are strong ought to bear with the weaknesses of those who are weak, and not to please ourselves.” Where does “Christian charity” (love) fit into this?
3. What is the main point of instruction presented in the parallel passages of 1 Corinthians 9:12-14 and Galatians 6:7?
4. Paul said that he, personally, had striven to “become all things to all people, that I might save some” (1 Cor. 9:20-22). Explain what that does mean, and what it does not mean. Then, provide a modern-day example of how you, too, could “become all things to all people, that you might save some.”
5. What is involved in “spending and being spent” for the Gospel? Does this apply only to individuals who are paid from the church treasury for their services? If not, why not?
6. When Paul observed, “But I discipline my body and bring it into subjection, lest, when I have preached to others, I myself should become disqualified” (1 Cor. 9:27), what was his message to the Corinthian Christians (and thus, to us, too)?
7. In 1 Corinthians 9:24-27, Paul used an analogy of a “race” that Christians are running. What is that race? And what is the prize if we complete it successfully?
8. Paul stressed that “knowledge puffs up…” (1 Cor. 8:1), and “let him who thinks he stands, take heed, lest he fall” (1 Cor. 10:12). Superimpose, as it were, those two passages, and explain what the apostle is trying to get across to the reader.
9. A common doctrine in the religious world today is referred to as “once saved, always saved.” Explain what that doctrine teaches. Then, using Paul’s discussion from 1 Corinthians 10:12 (and his parallel discussion in Galatians 5:4), discuss whether the doctrine is true or false.
10. Are there any examples of people in the New Testament who were Christians, yet who “fell from grace?” If so, list some of them.
11. Paul once described Satan as “the god of this world” (2 Cor. 4:4). Peter referred to the devil as a “as a roaring lion…seeking whom he may devour” (1 Pet. 5:8). It is obvious from such designations that Satan is powerful. Knowing that, what is the importance of Paul’s statement in 1 Corinthians 10:13?
12. Explain the importance of the Word of God in resisting the devil, being sure to discuss Jesus’ temptation by Satan in Matthew 4, and James’ statement James 4:7.
13. What is the lesson taught in such passages as Revelation 2:10 (“be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life”) and Revelation 12:11 (“they did not love their lives to the death”)?
THE GOSPEL OF CHRIST, 607 McLish Ave., Ardmore, OK 73401; (580) 223-3289; www.thegospelofchrist.com