Sexuality and Spirituality

Dennis McCallum

Genesis 2:24

Paul warned the Corinthian Church that sexual sins are sins against their own body. God's plan for sex in the context of a monogamous heterosexual marriage is given to us for our benefit. Sex in the context of a committed marriage is the best sex, and sexual promiscuity leads to an unquenchable sexual appetite.

Love in Community: Setting Limits

Dennis McCallum

2 Corinthians 2:5-8

The cultural view of love and God's view of love are quite different. Our culture views love as an emotional connection while God views love as a choice to act for the benefit of someone else. God's love includes discipline which we do in order for the good of a brother or sister in Christ.

Sexual Purity

Gary DeLashmutt

1 Thessalonians 4:1-10

Paul speaks about God's design for sexual purity. The Bible defines sexual immorality as all sexual relations outside heterosexual marriage. Common rationalizations to this truth include: 1) Paul's instruction is personal opinion or cultural, and therefore not authoritative; 2) suppression of sexual desire is unnatural and harmful; 3) sexual relations between consenting partners is not harmful; and 4) sexual purity is unconnected to spiritual vitality. God's provision for restoration in this area includes forgiving our guilt and healing our wounds.\r\n

Living in Real Spiritual Community

Dennis McCallum

Titus 3:10-11

The Corinthian church was plagued with many moral issues, but God was able to speak powerfully in Corinth. Paul called them to unity and to focus on the Gospel.

Accountability and Stewardship

Dennis McCallum

Matthew 25:14-30

In the parallel accounts of Matthew and Luke, Jesus tells the parable of three servants who were entrusted with money while their master was away. He teaches the principle of stewardship, that we do not own what we have been given. We will be held accountable to God at the end of our lives for what we chose to do with the things given to us. Two servants act wisely and make smart investments for the master with the stewarded money while the third servant buries it in the ground and receives the master's wrath for being irresponsible and lazy. With the stewardship God has given to us, we have the opportunity to achieve something lasting with our lives that will affect eternity.

Christian Community (Part 5) - Confess to One Another

Gary DeLashmutt

1 John 1:7

The Bible calls us to confess our sins to one another to help us overcome the destructive power of sin in our life. Verbally acknowledging our own wrong behaviors or attitudes to another person can bring us healing and reconciliation in relationships. Confession is a crucial part of Christian community and a powerful way to experience God's merciful grace.

Cleansing from a Guilty Conscience

Gary DeLashmutt

Psalms 51

The Psalms often provide empathy and instruction, and in this case David writes about cleansing oneself of a guilty conscience. When he took Bathsheba and had her husband killed, his sin was called out by the prophet Nathan. In response to his crime and its revelation, David cried out to the Lord. Through his Psalms we learn that the only way to cleanse a guilty conscience is to sincerely seek out God's grace.

Salvation by Faith Apart From Works

Dennis McCallum

Romans 3

Writing to both Jews and Gentiles in Rome, Paul explains that no one is made righteous by the Law. Rather, one's righteousness comes through faith in Jesus Christ. Throughout the Old Testament, animal sacrifices were used to atone for sin. Christ's death on the cross was the ultimate sacrifice of atonement, where Jesus took upon himself the punishment deserved by all of humanity - separation from God. It is only through this act of sacrifice that anyone can be made right with God.

The Sin of Self-Righteousness

Dennis McCallum

Luke 18:9-14

The religious paradox is that people who believe they are righteous commit wrongdoing when they pass judgment on others who do not meet their standards. In this way, religious self-righteousness is sinful and self-contradictory. Paul addresses the problems of the religious mindset that had permeated Judaism in Rome.