Love Builds Up

The big question we want to explore in this study is, “How do we live as disciples of Jesus and function together as his Church in an overwhelmingly unbelieving world?”

In Paul’s world, as in our world there were many questions related to the faith, there were issues within the Church. As it turns out, our churches today are not the only imperfect churches to ever exist. Even the early church had struggles, some rather significant, and we come to find a common denominator: relationships. How does the Church relate to God, how do we relate to each other, and how do we relate to the unbelieving world? These are all significant questions that Paul will address in this book.

• There is a concern for spiritual growth, growth in our relationship with God, and growth in our ability to love one another.
• There is a concern for orderly worship, worship that is honoring to God by remaining both culturally sensitive and hospitable towards one who may not yet believe but find themselves present at a worship service.
• Paul will cover a myriad of spiritual gifts and speak to how they are to be used in corporate gatherings to build one another up.
• He will give instruction regarding the ordinances of baptism and the Lord’s Supper.
• He will address matters related to sexual purity and relational purity.
• And he will cover the basic elements of the gospel and defend the veracity of the physical, bodily resurrection of Jesus.

We will come to find that how we function as the body of Christ matters to God. Both as it relates to how we relate to one another and in how we relate to the world he has planted us in as salt and light. Paul will teach us in this letter how we might more effectively live these behaviors out in a culture that is largely living in unbelief.