First Day

Let each one live his life in the situation the Lord assigned when God called him. This is what I command in all the churches. Was anyone already circumcised when he was called? He should not undo his circumcision. Was anyone called while uncircumcised? He should not get circumcised. Circumcision does not matter and uncircumcision does not matter. Keeping God’s commands is what matters. Let each o...

Chapter six ends with Paul’s command to, “Flee from sexual immorality!” Christians must do so, he says, because we can no longer claim ownership of ourselves—of our bodies. Because of Jesus’ work we are no longer free to give ourselves over to our lusts and to those things that we crave. Paul is so concerned with the problem of sexual immorality that he continues addressing the topic of human sexu...

CHAPTER SIX (NRSV) Now Paul goes to meddling where he doesn’t belong.  If any of you has a dispute against another, how dare you take it to court before the unrighteous, and not before the saints? Or don’t you know that the saints will judge the world? And if the world is judged by you, are you unworthy to judge the trivial cases? Don’t you know that we will judge angels—how much more matters of t...

Chapter Five (CSB) 1 It is actually reported that there is sexual immorality among you, and the kind of sexual immorality that is not even tolerated among the Gentiles—a man is sleeping with his father’s wife. 2 And you are arrogant! Shouldn’t you be filled with grief and remove from your congregation the one who did this? 3 Even though I am absent in the body, I am present in spirit. As one who i...

Chapter Four (CSB) 1 A person should think of us in this way: as servants of Christ and managers of the mysteries of God. 2 In this regard, it is required that managers be found faithful. 3 It is of little importance to me that I should be judged by you or by any human court. In fact, I don’t even judge myself. 4 For I am not conscious of anything against myself, but I am not justified by this. It...

PART II (CSB) 16 Do you not know that you are a temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you? 17 If anyone destroys the temple of God, God will destroy that person; for the temple of God is holy, and that is what you are. Although in the preceding verses Paul is speaking to each Corinthian about being careful what is built on the foundation of faith that he established, here in sixteen P...

PART I (CSB) 1 And I, brothers and sisters, could not speak to you as spiritual people, but only as fleshly, as to infants in Christ. 2 I gave you milk to drink, not solid food; for you were not yet able to consume it. But even now you are not yet able, 3 for you are still fleshly. For since there is jealousy and strife among you, are you not fleshly, and are you not walking like ordinary people?...

Chapter Two (CSB) In chapter one we learn that the Corinthians, despite the odds, had come to believe the gospel that Paul preached to them. After he assures them of God’s ongoing faithfulness to keep the church “blameless until the end”, Paul brings up the first problem that we was told the Corinthian congregation is facing: Its members have become balkanized, indicating to Paul that the cultural...

PART II (CSB) Now that Paul has reminded the Corinthians of the fact of their calling and that God has and is keeping them safe and has provided them with the spiritual gifts necessary to prove His divine presence in their lives, here in chapter one verse ten the apostle jumps headlong into addressing issues facing the congregation—most of which are ones that their forgetfulness and pride have hel...

CHAPTER ONE PART I (CSB) Thank for listening to the First Day podcast. I am so happy to be a part of your spiritual journey. Please don’t hesitate to reach out; if you have any questions send them to connect@firstday.us. I want to ask that you share this podcast with others if you have found it helpful in your growth as a disciple and journey with Chirst. I am hoping to have an average of seventy...

1 and 2 Corinthians were written by Paul c.55 and 56 CE, respectively.  Corinth was located on an isthmus connecting the Peloponnese to the rest of Greece. The port of Lechaeum was 1.5 miles north on the Bay of Corinth and Cenchraea (sen’-kre-e) was about seven miles to the east on the Saronic Gulf, placing it at a crossroads of two trade routes. By the time of Paul’s letter, the city’s history co...

Chapter Three (NASB) “Finally, brothers and sisters, pray for us that the word of the Lord will spread rapidly and be glorified, just as it was also with you; 2 and that we will be rescued from troublesome and evil people; for not all have the faith. 3 But the Lord is faithful, and He will strengthen and protect you from the evil one. 4 We have confidence in the Lord concerning you, that you are d...

Part II (NASB) The Thessalonians’ concern for those who have died already indicates that they have accepted the Jewish understanding of what makes up a human being. As Greeks, they would have believed that all people have two parts to their being: one of flesh and the other of spirit. That which is spirit remains even though the flesh will die and decay. As Greeks, they would believe that at death...

Part I (NASB) In 2 Thessalonians chapter 2 Paul continues to address Christ’s coming, the Day of the LORD. As we learned while looking at chapter one, it appears that false teachers have come into the congregation and begun telling the Thessalonians that Christ had already come; some apparently even carried forged letters from Paul as evidence. Being believers struggling under persecution and tria...

Chapter One (NASB) Thank you for listening to the First Day podcast. Please visit the website www.firstday.us to listen to current and past episodes and to subscribe and link to Apple Podcasts and Spotify. And if you are enjoying these series, please share them with others. If you have any questions, please drop me an email at connect@firstday.us.  Paul’s second letter to the Thessalonians was wri...

Part II (NASB) In the final section of 1 Thessalonians 5 Paul brings up, again, the topic of Christian conduct. In chapter four, Paul reminds the church that since it has been sanctified, its life must be different than what it had been before. Here, Paul describes the sanctified life in greater detail than he does previously. If understood to be a continuation of what comes before it, the apostle...

Part I (NASB) Thank you for listening to the First Day podcast. I am Patrick Cooley. Visit the podcast website @ firstday.us to subscribe, listen to past episode, and share. The Thessalonian church has probably had better days. Although we aren’t told precisely the nature of the trial or trials that they are facing, here are some things that we know to be true from history. We know that the city h...

(NASB) In 1 Thessalonians 4, Paul has been encouraging the church to remain faithful in times of trial. He reminds them at the very beginning of the chapter that they have been sanctified and, therefore, can no longer live like the others around them. He begins by focusing on avoiding sexual immorality and then, possibly, moves on to avoiding underhanded, self-serving business practices. They have...

Part II (NASB) In the first half of chapter 4 we finally catch a glimpse of what is happening in Thessalonia that prompts Paul’s letter. It appears that the church’s members are undergoing some trial, and Paul doesn’t want them to give in to temptation. This concern links Paul’s letter to James’ letter, since it, too, deals with the subject of temptation. The differences between the two letters, t...

Part I (NASB) At the end of chapter 3, Paul tells us readers something that many of us probably don’t want to hear and will try our best to reject out of hand: How our choice to remain faithful or to be unfaithful affects others is our responsibility not theirs; the onus is on watched and not the watcher. Finally then, brothers and sisters, we request and urge you in the Lord Jesus, that as you re...

Chapter Three (NASB) Paul is desperate to return to the Thessalonians, but he cannot. He is prevented again and again from them. He tells us at the end of chapter two why he wants toe return to them: It is because they are the proof of calling; they are his miracles. And here is where we pick up in chapter 3.  “Therefore, when we could no longer endure it, we thought it best to be left behind, alo...

Chapter Two (NASB) Paul begins chapter 2 by fleshing out chapter 1 verse 5 when he writes, “for our gospel did not come to you in word only, but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and with full conviction; just as you know what kind of men we proved to be among you for your sakes.” Here in chapter two, he provides the Thessalonians with proof of this.  “For you yourselves know, brothers and sist...

Chapter One (NASB) “Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy, To the church of the Thessalonians in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ: Grace to you and peace.” The letter begins with a typical greeting. Paul identifies that he is not alone in delivering this message to them, and that Silvanus’ and Timothy’s hearts are with the church as well. In the day, it was not uncommon for a person to have and use...

Written in the early 50’s (c.50-51), while Claudius is still emperor of Rome. Paul’s claim that he was called by Christ Jesus to preach the gospel to the Gentiles is one that he quite obviously took seriously. (Galatians 1:16) The gospel that he carried with him took root in at least four Roman provinces: Galatia, Asia (Colossae and Ephesus), Macedonia (Philippi and Thessalonica), and Achaia (Cori...

Chapter 6 (NASB) Paul begins chapter 6 in verses 1-5 with an example of what “competing in love” looks like as opposed to competing in the legal works of the religious Law. The Law could be harsh on those “caught in wrongdoing,” like stoning or/and ostracizing them. These sinners must be restored “in a spirit of gentleness”, and believers must, “Bear one another’s burdens, and thereby [fulfilling]...