1 Corinthians - Lesson 2

By Stafford North

BE SANCTIFIED

Background Information for the Teacher

Objectives:

1. The student can define “sanctified” as the scriptures use the term.

2. The student can explain the difference between “spiritual” and “worldly” as used in 1 Corinthians 3:1-3.

3. The student can explain that our receiving forgiveness of sins at baptism starts our“sanctified” life and that it is important that we stay on the path of the“sanctified.”

4. The student can list ways to become more spiritual and activities to avoid that would move one toward being worldly.

5. The student can relate the concept of being sanctified to love in the sense that if we love God and love the brethren we will want to live a life that blesses them and does not harm them.

Preparation:

  1. Each student should have a Bible.
  2. Each student should have a copy of the Worksheet and a pen/pencil.
  3. Have ready a board to use for writing key words and statements.
  4. Have verses to read ready to hand out before class.
  5. Have the Review Quiz over Lesson 1 ready to distribute at the first of class or as people enter.Theme: Paul addresses the Corinthians as “the sanctified,” and he can do this because they have been forgiven at baptism and have continued faithful. He warns them to be“spiritual” and not “worldly.”Lesson Plan for Conducting the Class

Introduction: (about 10 minutes)

  1. Call the roll and introduce visitors.
  2. Make necessary announcements.
  3. Sing songs if you wish and have a prayer. Songs that fit the theme well are “Have Thine Own Way,” “Let the Beauty of Jesus,” “Take My Life and Let It Be.”
  4. Give the answers to the Review Quiz as a way of reviewing the previous lesson.Encourage students to complete the worksheet on the lesson today so they can prepare for the Review Quiz next week.

Learning Experiences: (about 20 minutes)

  1. Read 1 Corinthians 1:1-3. Q: How does Paul identify himself as the writer of this epistle? A: As “an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God.” Q: Why might he start the epistle with this thought? A: He wants them to know that this letter carries the authority of an apostle who was called by the will of God. He could not have a higher position from which to speak. While this is a letter, it is a letter with authority.
  2. Q: To whom does he address this epistle and what is the meaning of each of the expressions he applies to them? A: To the church of God in Corinth. Q: ReadActs 2:47. Q: From this passage what do we learn about the church? A: ThatGod is the one who adds each saved person to it. It is appropriate, then, to call this church “the church of God.” Q: What are some other names applied to this same group of the saved? A: The body of Christ (Ephesians 1:22-23); the churches of Christ (Romans 16:16); “the holy and faithful brothers in Christ at Colosse (Colossians 1:2), “God’s household (1 Timothy 3:15), and other names.All of these refer to the saved people whom God has added to His church.
  3. Q: What other terms does Paul use in his address? “To those who are sanctified in Christ Jesus and called to be holy.” Q: What does the word “sanctified” mean?A: Set apart, holy, cleansed. Q: Why would this be an appropriate term to apply to Christians? A: They have been cleansed, forgiven, and thus are set apart to beGod’s holy people (Acts 2:38; 22:16).
  4. Q: Should this term “sanctified” apply to all Christians? A: Yes because before one can become a Christian he/she must first have been cleansed or sanctified. Q: If Christians sin after having been cleansed, what do they do to remain“cleansed?” A: Repent of their sin and pray (Acts 8:22). They walk in the light and when they sin, they confess it (1 John 1:5-10).
  5. Read 1 Corinthians 6:9-11. Q: What had these Corinthians been like before they became Christians? A: Sexually immoral; idolaters, homosexuals, thieves,drunkards, slanderers, swindlers. Q: What happened to change them? A:They were washed, sanctified, justified. Q: How does the process of conversion affect the sinful behaviors we had in the past? A: We have to believe and confess this faith to give us a new goal, repent to give us a new heart, and be baptized to give us a new beginning. We really are different after baptism. Paul, then, can address the Corinthian Christians as “sanctified” because they were cleansed and purified when they were “washed” in baptism. And, in repentance, they have promised not to be like this any more. Christians, then, have started on a new life, trying not to sin.
  6. Q: What are some types of behavior you have seen people leave behind because they had become a Christian? Tell something about their situation. A: Lying,drinking, gambling, sexual sins, mistreating family members, swearing, etc.(Look for statements like-I knew a woman once who had been in jail for drugs and she——.) Q: Is there any sin too great for God to forgive it? A*: Not if the person sincerely believes, repents, and is baptized.
  7. Read 1 Corinthians 12:13. Q: How can Paul be so sure that all CorinthianChristians have been baptized that he can refer to this as a common event in their past? A: Because a person had to be baptized before God has added them to the church and before they were considered part of Christ’s body. Baptism was the point of beginning the new life (Romans 6:4).
  8. Read 1 Corinthians 3:1-3. Q: What two ways of thinking does Paul describe here? A: “Spiritual” and “worldly” (carnal). Q: Describe what you think he means by these two terms? A: “Spiritual” means someone whose mind is fixed on things above (Colossians 3:1-2). This person’s aim is to go to heaven and he/she knows that making decisions based on the Word of God is the best way todo that. This person can take the “long view” and does not do those things that may give a short-term satisfaction but long-term regret. The “worldly” person,on the other hand, lives only for the here-and-now and is ruled by an “if it feels good, do it” mentality. These two people have different goals, follow a different guide, and live a different life-style.
  9. Q: How does “love” help us to be strong about sanctification? A: A person who loves God and His people, the church, will want to make them look good by living a Christ-like life.
  10. Q: Based on what we have studied, how would you describe the person who is“sanctified?” A*: A baptized believer whose sins have been forgiven. A person whose aim in life is to go to heaven and who, therefore, follows God’s instructions about how to live. This person is spiritual, not worldly. This person places long-term benefits ahead of short-term ones.Application: (about 15 minutes)
  11. Q: Tell about some real-life situations in which you believe the “sanctified”person will act differently than the “worldly” person would. (Seek examples from work, family, recreation, moral decisions, financial matters, giving to others, etc.)
  12. Q: What should we be doing to develop our “spiritual” mind so we can more truly fit the picture of a “sanctified’ person? (Seek answers such as making our closest associates to be faithful Christians, Bible reading and prayer, keeping out worldly thinking as often portrayed in movies and TV, family talk at the table about the church and spiritual things.)
  13. Q: What advice would you give a teen-ager about how to live a sanctified life?
  14. Q: How does being “spiritually minded” relate to “love?” A: The person who loves God and others will treat others with respect and will not, therefore, engage in immoral activities that will harm them. Love is the motivational force that continually pushes us toward a more spiritual life.

Assignment:

  1. Read for next week 1 Corinthians 1:10-17 and 12:12.
  2. Study today’s worksheet to prepare for the Review Quiz for next week.

Download Worksheets

Back to 1 Corinthians

Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.