Christ Sent Me Not to Baptize

by Terry Wane Benton In I Corinthians 1:17 Paul said, “For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel, not with wisdom of words, lest the cross of Christ should be made of no effect.” The assumption that denominational people make is that Christ did not send Paul to baptize because…

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What is the power of God in I Corinthians 2:4-5?

Question: In I Corinthians 1:17 “For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the Gospel – not with wisdom and eloquence, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power” and I Corinthians 2:4-5 “My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words but with a demonstration of…

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Not Enslaved

by Matthew W. Bassford From time to time, I receive article requests from brethren who want me to address a particular topic. Sadly, my usual response to these requests is to forget that they have been made and never write about them. However, recently someone asked me about my views of “not enslaved” in 1…

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Why did Paul say, “I say, not the Lord”?

Question: I Corinthians 7:12: “But I (not the Lord)…” I studied this years ago, and I realize Paul is capping his statement from verse ten. But Why? Is this not from the Lord? Answer: In I Corinthians 7:10-11, Paul addresses a command that is based on the Lord’s authority, given while Jesus was here on…

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Were women forbidden to speak in Corinth because they were prostitutes?

Questions: I was told that women in the church of Corinth were prostitutes and that is why they couldn’t speak in the church. And that does not have anything to do with the other churches. Answer: “I was told” makes a useless source. The most detailed information we have about the church in Corinth comes…

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Why Did the Adulterers and Homosexuals at Corinth Change?

by Terry Wane Benton Paul mentions a list of sins which included thieves, drunkards, adulterers, and homosexuals (I Corinthians 6:8-10) and said, “such were some of you”. They were washed from such sins, justified, and sanctified. What was the motivation that moved them to change? They did not argue that they were born this way…

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The Corinthians’ Error on Baptism

by Perry Hall “For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel” (I Corinthians 1:17 CSB). When people today use this passage to discredit the place and importance of baptism, ironically they make the same mistake as the Corinthians but for a different reason. Paul’s actual defense of baptism shows that…

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Isn’t the word for “flesh” and “body” the same in I Corinthians 6:16?

Question: Hi, You claim in “Immorality”, “Paul proves that sex binds the participants. It is not a permanent or stable bond, but it is a bond nonetheless. Those who engage in sexual sins are physically coupled during the act. They become for the moment one body (the Greek word soma).” This is not true. I Corinthians 6:16…

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It had to have been a miracle to cause the Corinthians to change

Question: I’m finding a hard time believing that the people of Corinth actually repented, as you call it. I believe so many of them most have been probably struggling with sin because if you read I Corinthians 6:11, it says they were washed, sanctified and justified all in the name of Jesus, and that applies…

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Why did Paul say Jesus appeared to the twelve when Judas was dead?

Question: Good morning Jeffrey, I have a question on what Paul meant in I Corinthians 15:5 when he said Christ appeared to Peter and the 12. If Judas had died by that time, there were only 11. Can you please explain this to me? It has been bugging me for a while now. Answer: “For…

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Your site was the only one with a detailed explanation of I Corinthians 15:41

Question: Hi Mr. Hamilton, Please extend my thank you to the wonderful person who answers questions on the website. I came across your website by total accident when doing my Bible study tonight. I had googled a passage from I Corinthians 15:41. Surprisingly, your website was the only one on the search engine that actually…

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Why is I Corinthians 7:27 translated differently?

Question: My question is, 23 different bibles all say the same thing. They specifically say “divorced from your wife” no problem there. Yet there are 7 different biles that also say the same thing. Instead of saying divorced from your wife they say ” if you are unmarried” here’s the problem with the word “unmarried”. Does it literally mean that…

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Does I Corinthians 14:34 only apply to the church in Corinth?

Question: Regarding woman’s roles in the church, what would you say to someone who believes I Corinthians 14 was specifically for the church in Corinth? Answer: When someone doesn’t like what a passage says, a common rebuttal is to claim that the passage has a very narrow application — so narrow that it doesn’t apply…

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Why did Paul say he was not sent to baptize?

Question: Good morning, First, I would like to say thank you for your work and effort in spreading the gospel. I really enjoy reading things from your site. I’m writing about baptism. I once wrote a pastor about baptism. I was having difficulty believing it was necessary for salvation. I don’t know why. I guess…

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Is I Corinthians 7:9 a command or a recommendation?

Question: I’ve always wondered about I Corinthians 7:9.  I’m unsure of how to take it: as a command or a recommendation? I read that “let them marry” is a better translation than “they should marry,” but I’m not sure how strongly it’s intended to come across, or even the difference in implication between “let them…

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Why would someone not like the ESV?

Question: Why would someone not like the ESV? What is wrong with the ESV? I saw “Which Translation Should I Use?” concerning I Corinthians 7:15: “The ESV is the clearest that it is talking about slavery” I Corinthians 7:15 seems to be talking about marriage to me, not slavery. Answer: “But if the unbeliever departs, let him…

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Must we confess our sins before eating the Lord’s Supper?

Question: Must we confess sin before eating the body and blood of Christ? What does “examine yourself” mean in I Corinthians 11:28? Answer: The Lord’s Supper is a memorial of Jesus’ death. “For I received from the Lord that which I also delivered to you: that the Lord Jesus on the same night in which…

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Can you explain the three glories found in I Corinthians 15:41-43?

Question: I ran into your web page about Mormons and the three heavens. Paul makes it clear in I Corinthians 15:41-43 that there are three states, or degrees of glory that happen in the resurrection “There is one glory of the sun, and another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars; for one star differeth from another star…

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When does head covering apply?

Question: I am a Christian wife and mother.  First of all, I would like to thank you for your excellent web site, which I just found this morning.  I look forward to reading many more of the articles.  My question at this moment, though, pertains to the teaching of I Corinthians 11.  I was raised…

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What does the word “perfect” mean in I Corinthians 13:10?

Question: Regarding speaking in tongues, in the verse that says “when that which is perfect is come,” what does the word “perfect” mean in Greek? Answer: “Love never fails. But whether there are prophecies, they will fail; whether there are tongues, they will cease; whether there is knowledge, it will vanish away. For we know…

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Sin in the Church: A Study of I Corinthians 6:9-10

by Jeffrey W. Hamilton The church at Corinth had many problems in living the Christian life. Their problems did not come from a rebellious attitude toward God. Most of their problems came from a misunderstanding of God’s law. In I Corinthians 5:1-8, Paul takes the Corinthians to task for accepting an immoral person as a…

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Could Paul have argued against a Jewish tradition in I Corinthians 11:1-16?

Question: While looking around for a Jewish tradition from the first century I’d read some years before that was almost word for word what Paul addressed in the Corinthian letter, I ran across your page.  I’m not sure the point you were making in “Images of Head Coverings During Worship”.  Anyway, as long as I…

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