Coppertop Sermons

I Corinthians 15

I Corinthians 15

I Corinthians 15:1-11: Paul’s letter has ranged over a variety of topics, some the Corinthian Christians had asked him about, and some Paul wanted to address given what he was hearing about this church. Now Paul wants to get back to the bedrock of the faith. In one way he has already

I Corinthians 13

I Corinthians 13

I Corinthians 13:1-13: Paul has been telling the Corinthian Christians that they need each other, that they need the variety of gifts of God’s Spirit if they are to be a whole community. But God’s Spirit does more than enhance gifts, it forms lives, it shapes character, and the foremost expression of

I Corinthians 11

I Corinthians 11

I Corinthians 11:1-16: Verse one is a continuation of the last chapter. The division of these letters into chapters and verses, indeed the division of the entire Bible into chapters and verses came later. Paul is inviting the Corinthian Christians to imitate him, especially in the matter he has

I Corinthians 8

I Corinthians 8

I Corinthians 8:1-13

Paul continues to comment on the relation of Christian faith to bodily existence, but the focus changes dramatically. He now writes about food sacrificed to idols. Meat which had been sacrificed to gods other than the God of the Christians might be available for purchase in the market or

I Corinthians 7

I Corinthians 7

I Corinthians 7:1-16: Paul ended chapter 6 with the encouragement to “glorify God in your body.” He now begins to address issues brought to him by the Corinthian Christian community, beginning with issues that have to do with the body and with sexuality. Discussions of appropriate sexual expression for Christians have apparently