Paul's Letters to a Troubled Church: I & II Corinthians

by Bob Utley

Publisher:

Bible Lessons International

, 2002

Overview

In these letters one sees the heart of pastor Paul and the practical oriented, doctrinal mind of the Apostle to the Gentiles. These letters are a treasure of applied truth. Paul loved and worked with a factious, prideful, rebellious Gentile church, affected by Jewish false teachers.

Contents

Top Highlights

“Christianity is more than a message; it is a person, a self-giving, loving, obedient person—Jesus.” (Page 150)

“This may have been a hymn or poem about love, written or quoted by Paul. All of these descriptions of love are active. Love is an action, not simply an emotion. These all describe the ministry of Jesus (the full and complete revelation of YHWH) as He dealt with imperfect people. Love is a person!” (Page 151)

“Notice that Paul does not say believers should be ambassadors, but that they are ambassadors. This is similar to Jesus’ statements in Matt. 5:13–16. Believers are salt and light. The question is what kind of salt and light they will be. This is the question here. Believers are Christ’s representatives, but what kind of ambassadors are they: factious, heretical, unloving, etc.?” (Page 243)

“The theological danger is to isolate any one of these as ‘the’ essence of salvation. We must always be on guard against an easy believism which emphasizes the initial act only or perfectionism which emphasizes the product only. Salvation is an initial, volitional response to God’s free offer in Christ which issues in a daily Christlikeness. It is not only a person to welcome, but a message about that person to be received and a life in emulation of that person to live. It is not a product, an insurance policy, a ticket to heaven, but a growing relationship with Jesus. The NT does not emphasize making a decision, but being a disciple (cf. Matt. 28:19–20).” (Page 20)

“The gospel is the power of God (cf. 1:24; Rom. 1:16). The gospel reveals and channels the power of God. It produces faith. It produces repentance. It produces wisdom, righteousness, sanctification, and redemption (cf. 1:30). The preaching of the cross does all of this. It is God’s power behind the written word (the Bible), the living word (Christ), the preached word (the gospel), and the established word (Christlikeness/the kingdom of God).” (Page 21)

Product Details

• Title: Paul's Letters to a Troubled Church: I & II Corinthians
• Author: Bob Utley
• Publisher: Bible Lessons International
• Publication Date: 2002
• Pages: 327

About Bob Utley

Bob Utley is a dynamic and inspirational Bible teacher. He feels that the Lord has given him a gift of relating to all types of people, especially those who have been turned off by "religiosity." Bob was born in 1947 in Houston, Texas. He is married to the former Peggy Rutta and they have three children and three grandchildren. He has earned degrees from East Texas Baptist College, Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, and Trinity Evangelical Divinity School and has done post-graduate work at Baylor University, Wycliffe Bible Translators' Summer Institute of Linguistics, and Trinity Evangelical Divinity School. He has pastored several churches in Texas. Currently Bob conducts revivals and Bible conferences both in the United States and abroad.