 Welcome back. Before we continue, though, for those of you who joined a little late in the previous class, we were just talking about the assignment that I posted last week. So that's due today. I hope everyone has seen it on the classroom. If you have not seen it, please go in and if you have questions, feel free to post it on classroom and I'll respond there. But I was just thinking that maybe I'll give you all an extra day to submit the work. So I had said that it's due today, but you can submit it until tomorrow. And so I'm also grading based on timeliness of submission. So if you submit it after tomorrow, your grade will be cut a bit. You can see all the details of grading and all of that on the classroom. So if you have any questions, please feel free to just post it on classroom. So we will continue from where we stopped. We were discussing Chapter 6, Verses 1-8. So here we see that these believers have gone to a court of law, which looks different from our present day courts of law, but was similar in that they had gone to someone outside the church to judge a case for them and to tell them who was right, who was wrong and how they could find a just solution to their dispute that they had. And so Paul says, how can you go to someone outside to give you a judgment about what is right and what is wrong? Shouldn't you, as people of God, have enough wisdom to make a decision between yourselves, but you are going to an unbeliever and asking them what is right and what is wrong. So don't you have the ability to make that decision for yourselves? And then he goes on to say, don't you know that we will judge the world? And later on he says, don't you know that we will judge even angels? So there are a couple of references that we will look at that talk about how we are given a place, a position of authority in Christ, how we share that throne with Christ. And so when we are seated with Christ in the heavenly realms, we share that responsibility to an extent of judging the world. So let's look at a few of these references. Romans 8, 17 to 18 and Revelation 21, 7. Maybe two people read those references. Romans 8, 17 to 18 and Revelation 21, 7. Romans 8, 17 to 18 and if children and heirs, heirs of God and John hears with Christ, if indeed we suffer with him that we may also be glorified together. For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. And Revelation 21, 7. Revelation 21, 7, he who overcomes shall inherit all things and I will be his God and he shall be my son. Thank you John. So here we see where we are co-heirs with Christ. So we reign with Christ. We share in the inheritance that is Christ and we are heirs of God. With Christ we are heirs of God. We see in Ephesians 3, 8 to 11, someone can read that passage. Ephesians chapter 3 verses 8 to 11. To me who am less than the least of all saints, this grace was given that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ. And to make all see what is the fellowship of the mystery which from the beginning of ages has been hidden in God, who created all things to Jesus Christ. To the intent that now the manifold wisdom of God might be made known by the church to the principalities and powers in the heavenly places. According to the eternal purpose which he accomplished in Christ Jesus I am not. So first, 10 says, his intent was that now through the church the manifold wisdom of God should be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms. So Paul is talking about here how the Gentile believers have now been brought into the body of Christ and now share in the inheritance that before this only belonged to people of Israel. And so he's saying this wisdom of God is being revealed even to those in the heavenly realms, so the angels. And so we see here that there is a way in which God's wisdom is revealed through us, through the church, to the angels. In one Peter one talks about how angels long to look into God's plan for those who are redeemed. And then in several books in Daniel Matthew Revelation talks about how we will reign with Christ and be ruling over or helping in the administration of God's kingdom on earth. And so it's in reference to all of these things that Paul is saying we have a place to judge the world. And there's no specific reference where it says that we will judge angels, but these are the different ways in which humans are lifted up or elevated to a place that is greater than angels. Some of these verses that we saw. And so Paul is saying you have that kind of authority and that kind of power in Christ, but you are going to someone outside to teach you what is true, what is wrong, what is right, what is just. And so he is calling us calling those believers to recognize what is the kind of authority you have with Christ. And so if you have this kind of authority to judge the world to judge angels, then shouldn't you be able to judge these small disputes that are arising within the church. Shouldn't you have at least that much wisdom and understanding. So then what is, what is the role of like a court of law now in our present day. Should we depend on these courts or should we be decision makers for ourselves. Now we see that Paul also appealed to the legal system when he was in a facing trial so acts 20 to 25. If someone can read that we'll just look at that 22 25. I've said 22 was 25. And as they bound him with the arms Paul said to the centurion who stood by is it lawful for you to scourge a man who is a woman and uncontempered. So here we can see that Paul was appealing to the laws the law protected him in that case and he was using the law to defend himself. So, in other instances we see where Paul appeals to Caesar and then he sent to Caesar right. We see also in Romans 13 where Paul talks about being submitted to civil authorities because they have been placed in that position of authority by God. So there is definitely we give respect to people in authority and where there is opportunity for us to get justice or get fair treatment through the law that is that we are subjected to in our countries then we will take advantage of that and we will use that to protect ourselves. But here the issue is that there's a there's a dispute within the church so there are two people within the church who are disagreeing. Right so this kind of thing between believers should be judged within the church. It shouldn't have to go to someone outside the children go have to go to someone who is a non believer. He is saying he's encouraging us to resolve our issues within the church. And we see within scripture how we are to do that in Matthew 1815 to 17. It talks about how if you have a dispute with another believer what should be your response and how do you come to a come to a place of agreement. So I'll just read from there Matthew 1815 to 17. Moreover if your brother sins against you go and tell him his fault between you and him alone. If he hears you you have gained your brother. But if he will not hear take with you one or two more that by the malt of two or three witnesses every word may be established. And if he refuses to hear them tell him to the church. But if he refuses even to hear the church let him be to you like a heathen and a tax collector. So that is that should be the process we should be following scriptures teaching on how we dissolve disputes. The first thing is to address it with that person alone. If you're able to resolve it between the two of you then your relationship is restored. But if they are not willing to listen to what you have to say then you take two or more one or two more witnesses with you who are part of the church. So that they can also hear what is being said and they can witness together what is being said is true. Witness to what the other person how the other person is responding. So once you do that if there still is no resolution then you bring it to the larger church. And if they're not willing to even listen to the larger church then you consider them as an outsider as an unbeliever. So here we see another example of someone being excluded from the body of Christ. Where they are not willing to submit to what the church is saying should be done in a certain instance. So the main issue was that these believers were going to an unbeliever to resolve their issue. And Paul is saying instead of going to someone outside instead of bringing your disputes to the outside and shaming, like you're shaming the church, right? We are called to be a people who carry the glory of God. And so when people look at us from the outside they should see us as people who are living lives that are above the rest of the people around them. And so it should be something that is attractive to them. But if we display a lack of wisdom in the fact that we are not able to resolve our disputes, if we display a lack of love for one another, the fact that we are going to court against one another, if we display disputing to the extent that we want someone else to be cheating one another, right? They're wronging one another. If all of that is within the church then what is going to attract an outsider to the church? Why will they see the church as anything they want to be a part of? So he says here, instead of doing this, going to someone outside, why don't you just let yourself be cheated? It's better to be cheated to undergo injustice than to go to someone outside with such a case. And he's saying what is worse is that it's not that you're letting yourself be cheated, it's that you yourselves are the ones who are cheating and wronging each other. And that too, to people within the church. You're doing this to your own brothers and sisters. And so it's a really sad state of affairs within the church. Any questions on that? What's the next part? Okay, so let him be to you like a heathen and a tax collector. So they were considered the unbelievers, right? A heathen is someone who doesn't believe in God, a tax collector is a sinner. So the word tax collector was just used to refer to someone who's a sinner. So he's saying let him be considered to you as someone who doesn't believe in God, as someone who is not part of this body of believers. So like they're saying take that person out of the church in the previous passage. Here it's saying consider them as someone who is not part of the body of Christ. Because they're not willing to submit to what the body is saying is right. They're not submitting to the authority of the church. So in both these passages we see this, what Paul is really doing is he's calling the church to holiness, right? To keep ourselves holy, to keep ourselves as people who are sanctified, who are set apart from the world around us. To be living lives that are completely different from what we see in the world around us. Whether it be in the way we handle relationships or in the way we conduct ourselves in terms of keeping from sin or keeping from allowing sin to be part of our fellowship. We go on from there to verse 9 to 11. Somebody please read that. Chapter 6. Yes, chapter 6 verse 9 to 11. Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived, neither ornicators, nor idolatrous, nor adulterous, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites, nor thieves, nor cultures, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you, but you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the spirit of our God. Thank you. So here we can see Paul is again listing down some sins, right? So he's not listed. He can't say it's the list of all the possible sins that people could commit. But he's saying those who are unrighteous will not inherit God's kingdom. So before this he's saying you wrong and cheat one another and you're doing this within the church to your own brothers and sisters. And then he's saying the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God. So in that context of wronging and cheating one another, don't you know that if you continue in such unrighteousness, you will not inherit the kingdom of God. And then he lists other sins along with that kind of sin. So let's just look at some of those. So he says, fornicators. So people who are engaging in sexual sin and prostitution, idolaters who are worshiping false gods, adulterers, so people who are breaking their covenant of marriage and having sexual relations with those outside of their marriage covenant, homosexuals. So this could also refer to the male prostitutes that were there in the religions that were around. So this is also for homosexual practice or any other unnatural kinds of sexual practices. Thieves, covetous people, so people are greedy, drunkards, revilers, people who are abusive or extortionist, people who cheat people or try to steal money from people. So a lot of different sins covered there. And then he goes on to say that there is no place for these kinds of people in God's kingdom. And then he says, but don't you know who you really are? You are people who are washed. You are people who are sanctified. You are people who are justified in the name of Jesus and by God's spirit. So this is your true identity. And if this is your identity, then there is no place for sin in you because that should be foreign to you as a people who are washed, sanctified, justified, right? So there are lots of verses that are stated here. We won't read all of these verses. But when it's talking about being washed, it says a person who is, it's talking about physical cleansing, but obviously cleansing of our hearts, of our consciences. Being sanctified is to be set apart. So to be used only for God's purposes, to be made holy and useful for God. To be justified is to be said to be righteous in God's eyes. So before God, we are righteous. God sees us as righteous. And so that is something for us to claim as our identity. To say, I have been washed. I have been sanctified. I have been justified. I have been made clean. I've been made holy. I've been made righteous in Jesus' name and by the spirit of God. And so there is no place for sin to exist in our lives or within the body of Christ. Because it's so outside of these things. It's a contrast to our true identity in Christ. The verse is 12 to 20. Is something in that phrase? All things are lawful for me, but all things are not helpful. All things are lawful for me, but I will not be brought under power of any. Foods for the stomach and stomach for the foods, but God will destroy both it and them. Now the body is not for sexual immorality, but for the Lord and the Lord for the body. And God both raised up the Lord and will also raise us up by His power. Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ? Shall I then take the members of Christ and make them members of the harlot? Certainly not. Or do you not know that he who is joined to a harlot is one body with her? For the two, he says, shall become one flesh. But he who is joined to the Lord is one spirit with him. Flee from sexual immorality. Every sin that a man does is outside the body. But he who commits sexual immorality is against his own body. Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God and you are not your own? For you were bought with a price, therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are Gods. Thank you, John. So here we see all going back to the issue of sexual immorality. So he starts with that initially when he is talking about the man who is sleeping with his father's wife. And then he goes into this other thing of disputes with the rich. And then he's coming back to sexual sin here. And the first verse, verse 12, he says, all things are lawful for me. So this is a kind of argument that people would have, right? It's okay for me to do this. It's not wrong for me to do this. So I can do it. But he's saying even if it's not wrong, it may not be helpful to you. And if it's not helpful, if it's not helpful, it's better not to do it. And then even if it's not wrong, if you're being brought under its power, right? So if it's going to have some kind of power over you and you're going to be in bondage to it, then don't do it. Now on the other hand, what is lawful or what is legal may not always be what is moral, which is a sad thing, right? Sometimes the law allows things that are immoral. So we do not follow what is legally okay. We're not trying to just follow the law of the world. We have time to follow God's law and God's law is moral. So that's where we get our moral standards from. So in that culture, if certain things were not considered wrong, like being in the prostitute was not considered wrong. It was legal to be with a prostitute. But according to God's law, it is immoral. It's wrong. So to say that it's legal for me to do it so I can do it is not a good argument if you belong to the church, right? So we will follow the morality of what we follow the law of God. And so he says, even if it's legal, if it's not helpful and it's going to put you under bondage, under some kind of bondage, then don't engage in it. Verse 13, foods with the stomach and the stomach for foods. So this was a common view in that culture and among some philosophers where they thought that stomach is just for food and food is just for the stomach. So they're taking that same kind of thinking to the body and they're saying so the body is for sex and sex is for the body. Okay, so and the view was that at the end of our lives, we're going to die and our bodies are going to die with us. That's the end of life. So it doesn't make a difference. We can do whatever we want with our bodies. So he's saying but as a believer, your body is for the Lord and the Lord is for your body. So your body no longer belongs to you and you can't just do whatever you want with your body. And this body is not only for this life, but it will be raised up just as Christ's body was raised up and we raised up in power. So verse 14, God both raised up the Lord and will also raise us up by his power. So we are going to be raised up to eternal life. Then on to the next verse, verse 15. Don't you know that your bodies are members of Christ. So now he's taking this very, they did not respect or honor their bodies, their physical bodies as something that should be, that should be treated with reverence. So he is assigning reverence to our physical bodies in this verse 15. Our bodies are members of Christ. Members of Christ is, say it's like a part of the body of Christ. So we can take some parts of our bodies and join them to someone who is a holy, join them to a prostitute. Because in doing that, we are becoming one with that person. He goes back to Genesis talking about the covenant of marriage where the two shall become one flesh. So in the Old Testament, when it's talking about sex, it's pretty much assigning sex to marriage. When you have sex with someone, you are actually committing yourself to that person in marriage. So there was no difference between the two. Sex is one thing and marriage is another thing. When you have sex, you become one flesh with the person. And so he's saying that in this context, when you have sex with a prostitute, you are becoming one with that person. And so you cannot become one with someone who is engaging in sin if you are part of the body of Christ. If your body belongs to Christ, then you cannot also be taking that same body and becoming one with someone who is sinful. So if we are one with Christ, we cannot also be one with sin or one with a sinner. Verse 17, but he who is joined to the Lord is one spirit within. So it's not only one flesh but also one spirit. So our nature within should be sanctified and one with Christ. So that's why he says there is no place for sin in us because if we are one with Christ, sin cannot be a part of who we are. Verse 18, free sexual immorality, every sin that a man does is outside the body, but he who commits sexual immorality sins against his own body. So because sex is such an intimate thing and it is that process of being made one with someone, he is saying this sin is very different from other kinds of sin. In this sin you are actually committing your whole body into that sin and your whole body becomes part of that act of sin that you are committing. Verse 19, do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit? So earlier we saw how he was talking about the church being the temple of the Holy Spirit. Now he is going to be an individual person and he is saying you as a believer, your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit. So before we are talking about keeping the church of Christ holy and pure and sanctified, now we are talking about keeping our own bodies pure and holy and free from sin. There is no place for sin in the body of a believer. Verse 20, so you were bought at a price that will glorify God in your body and in your spirit which are gods. So both our body and spirit belong to God and so God should be glorified in both. And why we should be glorified in both is that Christ's life was given for two buyers back to God. So that was the price that was paid for us. So we were redeemed through the blood of Christ. That was paid as a ransom for us to be bought back and to be restored to God and to that image of God that is within us to that holy image that God had put in us. Any questions on whatever we talked about so far? Let me just see how it is important to cover. I think this is really helpful verse 18 where it talks about free sexual immorality every sin that a man commits is outside his body. So that word free is to escape to run away to go to a place of safety. So to run away from any danger to a place of safety. And I think that is the best advice you can get when it comes to sexual sin. That there is no place for staying there and trying to address what is happening and trying to navigate the situation. The best thing to do is to run away from it and then to think about how do we deal with what was happening or what was going to happen. Because it is too easy to fall into sin if you remain in that place. So just an important word when that is temptation to sexual sin to first take yourself away from that situation to a place of safety and then after that deal with whatever else needs to be dealt with. So we finished verse 20. Okay, so there are a few things that we can declare over ourselves to just remind ourselves of the truth of God's word and to keep away from sexual sin. There are eight points that are mentioned. I think this is on page 57. Can you all see that? If you all have that open, then we will just make those declarations together over our bodies. So yeah, verse from 1 to 8. I have been washed, made clean, sanctified, made holy and justified, made righteous in Jesus' name and by the Spirit of God. The second one, I live by what Jesus got and not by popular opinion. I will not be brought under the control of anything decreasing to God. The third one, my body is not for sexual sin. My body is for the Lord and the Lord is for my body. I consecrate all my appetites, passions and reflections to the Lord. Fourth one, my body is part of the body of Christ. I refuse to allow my body to partake in sexual sin. Christ is revealed and expressed through my body. Fifth one, I'm spiritually one with Jesus. He is in me. I am in Him. All that is mine is His. I live my life out of my union with Him. Sixth, I run from all sexual sin. Seventh, my body is holy. It is the temple of the Holy Spirit and it's a dwelling place of God. And eighth, my body is not mine. My spirit, soul and body have been bought with the blood of Jesus and belong to God. So these are just some helpful declarations based on all the things that Paul talks about in this passage. To keep ourselves from falling into sexual sin and keeping ourselves pure. Okay, we will move on to chapter seven. Okay, now chapter seven talks about sex within marriage. It talks about the gift of singleness. Talks about staying in your marriage. And then after that staying where you were called. Then talks about what was Paul's primary objective when he was serving God. And then the last is the higher happiness of singleness which is being dedicated to God. So we'll see in chapter seven that he continues to talk about sex. But here he's talking about it in the context of being married and being single. Can somebody read verses one to six please? Now concerning the things of which you wrote to me, it is good for a man not to touch a woman. Nevertheless, because of sexual immorality, let each man have his own wife and let each woman have her own husband. Let the husband render to his wife the affection due to her and likewise also the wife to her husband. The wife does not have authority over her own body but the husband does. And likewise the husband does not have authority over his own body but the wife does. Do not deprive one another except with consent for a crime that you may give yourselves to fasting and prayer. And come together again so that Satan does not tempt you because of your lack of self control. But I say this as a concession not as a commandment for I wish that all men were even as I myself. But each one has his own gift from God one in this manner and another in that. But I say to the unmarried and to the widows, it is good for them if they remain even as I am. But if they cannot exercise self control, let them marry for it is better to marry than to burn with passion. Yeah, we can stop that. So here Afritokma's actual morality is bringing it to sex in the context of marriage. So again here in verse one he refers to a letter that they had sent to him, the Corinthians had sent to him and he's talking about a specific question that they asked about whether a man can touch a woman. Now touch again is implying a sexual kind of relation, not like just physically touching someone, a man just physically touching a woman. So he's saying it's better for that not to happen. If it's possible, stay away from sexual relationships. But because there is the temptation to sexual immorality, it's better to, if you have that kind of desire, then it's better to just get married so that you're able to express that desire in a context that is, that is body and that God approves of. So we all have natural desires that are God given and there are God given ways to express those desires. So instead of trying to withhold ourselves from marriage and then burning with that desire because it's not being fulfilled, it's better to then to have to get married and be able to have that desire fulfilled in a way that is approved by God. So verse three says, let the husband render to his wife the affection given and likewise also the wife to her husband. So this is something where we are, it's a mutual giving of oneself to each other. But that word render doesn't mean that we are only giving it for the sake of the other, but it is that you also in the process benefit. You are also receiving some kind of benefit through that giving of yourself. And affection, so it says render affection, right? The affection refers to goodwill or kindness. So in that act of sex, you're also not only expressing affection, but it's also goodwill and kindness towards your spouse. So you are extending that in through the act of sex and the word affection due to your spouse. So the word due is a Greek word called Ophelo and it means what is owed or the debt that is to be paid. So this is something that we owe to our spouse, right? When we are getting married or when we are making our vows, we are committing ourselves to one another. And one of the things that we are committing to the other person is that we will give our boardings to the other person. Because in that we are fully expressing what marriage is, right? It is a coming together of two people, not only in bodies, but also in all other ways, uniting under God's authority. And so one of the ways is in the form of sex. And so it is a duty in that sense that we give ourselves to this, to our spouses. Verse 4, the wife does not have authority over her own body, but the husband does. And likewise, the husband does not have authority over his own body, but the wife does. So again, this is where we have given, we've surrendered our bodies to one another. And so we don't claim authority over our own bodies. We give our bodies over to our spouse to say that you now have authority over my body and I have authority over your body. We are so fully given over to each other and submitted to one another in this context of sex. But in that as we give ourselves over to one another, we treat each other's bodies with reverence. So it should not be that we take authority and we take it to the extent where we abuse that person physically. Rather when our bodies are given over to each other, we respect and we honour one another's bodies. Verses 5 to 6, do not deprive one another except with consent for a time. So that you may give yourselves to fasting and prayer and come together again, so that Satan does not tempt you because of the lack of self-control. I say this as a concession, not as a commandment. So here is if you choose to withhold sex from one another, if you choose to stay apart for some point of time because you want to spend some time in fasting and prayer, you can do that but don't do it to the extent that it becomes a place where Satan can tempt you and you fall into sin as a result. So do it with wisdom, like I say, okay, to this extent we can make the sacrifice but where it becomes an issue of sin or temptation, then it's time to be able to go back and be with one another so that we do not fall into sin. So it should always be mutually agreed on. So when we abstain from sex, it should be something that both the husband and wife agree on and they agree on do it for a specific period of time. It should never be that one person has made the decision and is withholding sex from the other person and it should never be used as a way of controlling the other person. So in the marriage counseling post that we have through the church, that is one thing that is addressed as people are preparing to get married. Never withhold sex to control your spouse to say, okay, because you're not doing this, I'm not going to come to bed with you. So that kind of thing is misusing sex and it's disordering of this gift that God has given you. So like we read before this, the body doesn't belong to you, it belongs to your spouse and so you don't have the right to withhold it from your spouse. So that is a good way to look at it in terms of honoring one another and in terms of submitting to one another in this act of sex. So we won't go into the next part because we just have one minute left. That is the part on singleness. But we can close for now unless anyone wants to say anything, has a question, needs to be addressed. Okay, there's nothing to be closed for this week. Thank you so much for being here. Just a reminder to go back to the classroom and turn in your assignments and let me know if you have any questions. Thank you.