Young People’s Blog

“For though there be that are called gods, whether in heaven or in earth, (as there be gods many, and lords many,) But to us there is but one God, the Father…and one Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Corinthians 8:5-6).

In the Roman world they worshiped heathen gods, and there were many of them. Authorities tell us that there were about 30,000 different gods among the pagan Greeks and Romans. Today, some false religions have even more than the Greeks and Romans. According to some authorities, there are 330 million gods and goddesses in Hinduism, with some being more important than others. The Greeks and Romans had both “heavenly” and “earthly” gods, and this is why Paul talks about those “that are called gods, whether in heaven or in earth.”

It is a wonderful thing to know the one true God, and that He has revealed Himself through His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. There need be no confusion now about who God is, for He has fully made Himself known. Also, He has made Himself known in His full character—as a God of holiness, but also a God of love. Do you know the Lord Jesus as your Savior?

“They that use the world, as not disposing of it as their own; for the fashion of this world passes” (1 Corinthians 7:31 JND).

You and I are left in this world for a short time, until the Lord takes us home to be with Him. While we are here, we need to get a certain amount of education, to work to earn a living, and to manage our affairs in an orderly way. In that sense, we are entitled to use the things in this world. However, we are also to recognize that those things do not belong to us. We are to use them for God’s glory, and not simply to indulge ourselves.

However, there is another reason why we should not use the things of this world as if they were ours. The “fashion of this world passes.” Nothing here is permanent, and we must leave it all behind someday. The Lord would have us to use the things of this world to further His interests, but to hold them lightly. He wants us to focus on those things which are eternal—things that will never pass away!

“And, behold, there was a man named Joseph…this man went unto Pilate, and begged the body of Jesus. And he took it down, and wrapped it in linen, and laid it in a sepulchre that was hewn in stone, wherein never man before was laid” (Luke 23:50,52-53).

As I write this on September 19, 2022, much of the world is taken up with the state funeral of the late Queen Elizabeth II of Great Britain. She was buried today, with all the pomp and ceremony that Britain could muster. Well over 2000 family members, friends, and world leaders were present to honor the queen who had reigned longer than any other British monarch.

But our verse today talks about the grandest funeral that ever took place in this world, although it was attended by only a handful of people. It seems that only Joseph of Arimathaea and Nicodemus, together with a few faithful women, were present at it. Yet God saw to it that His beloved Son was honored with a rich man’s burial, in a new tomb.

But there was something different about that funeral that made it grander than any other. The One who was buried that day would rise again from among the dead, by His own power. He is no longer in the grave; He is risen and seated at God’s right hand. Because He is risen, all who are dead in Christ will also rise, when He comes back for them.

“Know ye not that…ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s” (1 Corinthians 6:19-20).

As human beings, we like to think that we are masters of ourselves, and that we are entitled to use our minds and our bodies in any way we wish. Recently in the U.S.A. there has been a lot of discussion in the news about the repeal of certain laws governing abortions, and the outcry from some women has been, “Hands off our bodies!” As you may imagine, there is never any reference to right and wrong in God’s eyes, and whether having an abortion is contrary to the Word of God.

For you and me as Christians, we ought to recognize that we are not our own; we have been bought with the precious blood of Christ. Paul speaks of the same thing in the next chapter, when he uses the same words—“Ye are bought with a price” (1 Corinthians 7:23). In Roman times slaves were bought and sold, and thus belonged to the master who had paid for them. But you and I belong to Christ; now we have the privilege of glorifying God. We are left here in this world to do the will of God.

“We shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye” (1 Corinthians 15:51-52).

It is a wonderful thing to think of the Lord’s coming for us, to take us home to be with Himself! It could happen at any time, and it is the proper hope of every Christian to expect the Lord to come. But what a change it will be for us, and how quickly!

Some have tried to define how long the twinkling of an eye is, and a close estimate is 1/10th of a second. Think of being here in this world, perhaps engaging in one of the various everyday activities that we usually do—schoolwork, housework, earning money at a job, shopping, traveling, walking, etc., and then suddenly being with the Lord!

Also, it says that “we shall all be changed.” This means that we will have changed bodies—bodies of glory that are suited to that heavenly place. The Lord wants us to expect Him at any moment, and not to get bogged down with what is happening in our lives down here. We belong to heaven, and are to be waiting and watching for our Lord to come.

“I have planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase” (1 Corinthians 3:6).

It is a great privilege to work for the Lord, and often God uses different believers to take part in the same work. Paul had been the one who began the work of the Lord in Corinth, and he stayed there a year and a half, preaching and teaching. But Apollos was involved too, and later he followed up on Paul’s work in Corinth. Later Titus went to Corinth as well, and was used of the Lord there.

As we see in this verse, the important thing to remember is not the servant that the Lord might use in any given place, but rather that it is the Lord who gives the blessing. Paul uses the analogy of planting and watering. One person might plant and another might add water, but ultimately it is only the Lord that can make something grow. So it is with the Lord’s work; we may plant and water, but it is the Lord that makes the Word grow. He must have all the glory.

“The cup which My Father hath given Me, shall I not drink it?” (John 18:11).

We see the wickedness of man’s heart, when we read of the crucifixion of the Lord Jesus. They did everything possible to humiliate and ill-treat Him. (Let us remember that our hearts were no better before we were saved.) Some of His disciples were indignant at this, and Peter used his sword on one of the servants of the high priest, cutting off his ear. We know that the Lord Jesus healed that ear—a wonderful display of grace.

But then, in our verse for today, the Lord Jesus accepts the suffering from His Father, and not from man. Yes, man scourged Him, put the crown of thorns on His head, mocked Him, and nailed Him to the cross. But the cup of suffering, including the three hours of darkness, He took from His Father, and was fully obedient to His Father’s will.

While we are not called upon to suffer in the same way as the Lord Jesus, yet we must recognize that whatever comes in our lives is allowed of God, and we are to accept it from Him. It is easy to look at those who directly cause that suffering, but again, the Lord has allowed it. If we accept it from Him, we can learn what He has in it for us.

“We preach Christ crucified” (1 Corinthians 1:23).

“I determined not to know anything among you, save Jesus Christ, and Him crucified” (1 Corinthians 2:2).

Why did the Apostle Paul lay such emphasis on the fact that Christ was crucified? Yes, it is true that while He was on the cross, the Lord Jesus bore our sins and settled the matter of sin once and for all. But here the meaning goes deeper than this, for the Corinthians were a proud people who did not want to be despised and rejected in this world. They wanted to be saved, but they wanted to be respected and to have a place in this world.

Paul has to remind them that the Lord Jesus died on a cross—a shameful and disgraceful way to die. The world did not want the Lord Jesus, and it does not want us either, if we follow Him. For this reason, when Paul preached to those in Corinth, he did not use any of the natural advantages he possessed. Paul had had a good education and spoke several languages, but all his efforts in Corinth were to show them that they must give up their worldliness and pride. They must be ready to follow One who had been cast out of this world in a dishonorable way, and who was treated as a common criminal.

“And the God of peace shall bruise Satan under your feet shortly” (Romans 16:20).

Satan is very active in the world today, wanting to keep people from being saved. But he also wants to deprive God’s people, those who are saved, from enjoying all that they have in Christ. Satan uses those who are clever to “deceive the hearts of the simple” by “good words and fair speeches” (Romans 16:18). While this can be done by unbelievers, it is sad that Satan can use even believers to carry on this bad work.

It is an encouragement to us to realize that shortly God will “bruise Satan” under our feet. How will this happen? We do not have power to bruise Satan, but the Lord Jesus will do so, and since we are united to Him, Satan will be under our feet too. The word translated “bruise” actually means to crush completely, or to shatter in pieces. This is what will eventually happen when Satan is consigned to hell forever. Despite all of Satan’s activities now, the Lord Jesus will have the victory in the end—a victory in which we will share.

“Seeing it is a righteous thing with God to recompense tribulation to them that trouble you” (2 Thessalonians 1:6).

We know that God has told us that we will not have an easy path through this world. We are following a rejected Christ, and the current of this world is against us. The Thessalonians were suffering tribulation (much trouble and suffering), but in our verse for today Paul tells them that in a coming day, God will remember all that unbelievers have done to the Christians in this world.

If you and I are suffering tribulation today, God will recompense (pay back) those who have done it, unless they repent and turn to Christ. It is a solemn thing to think that those who treat us badly in this world will suffer for it in a coming day. Not that we want them to suffer, but God is a righteous God, and those who harm His people will be made to realize that He took notice, and will not simply forget about it.