Discussion Questions

The chapter opens with “the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God” (1 Cor. 6:9) and then defines unrighteousness to include retaliation “by action, word, or desire”; how does that expansion into desires reshape what repentance and holiness must address in everyday life? JumpstartAnother way to ask: The chapter says “unrighteousness” includes not just actions and words, but even desires. How does that change what repentance and holiness need to deal with in everyday life?

The author says, “the gospel addresses even the unspoken desire,” and then adds, “this is what some of you were. But you are washed…with knowledge”; what does he seem to mean by being “washed…with knowledge,” and how would an early Christian community expect that “knowledge” to change a person’s inner life? JumpstartAnother way to ask: What do you think the author means by being “washed…with knowledge”? How would early Christians expect that “knowledge” to reshape a person’s thoughts and desires?

The chapter links becoming “part of the goodness of God’s care” with being “long-suffering” and forgiving “both the just and the unjust” (Matt. 5:45); what picture of God’s character is assumed here, and where do you feel resistance to extending kindness toward the “unjust” in concrete situations? JumpstartAnother way to ask: This chapter links God’s care with being patient and kind even to the “unjust.” What does that say about what God is like, and where is it hardest for you to show that kind of kindness in real life?

“He who has been sanctified…does not give in to fleshly desires in any way…as though he was already freed from his body”; how should a group interpret language this absolute without watering it down—what practices or community expectations might early Christians have used to pursue this kind of sanctification? JumpstartAnother way to ask: The text says a sanctified person does not give in to fleshly desires at all. How should a group take words that strong seriously, and what habits or group standards might early Christians have used to live that way?

The text quotes “All things are lawful to me…yet I will not be brought under the power of any” (1 Cor. 6:12) and concludes, “you are not to do, think, or speak anything contrary to the gospel”; how does this framing of Christian “freedom” confront modern assumptions that freedom mainly means permission rather than powerlessness to sin? JumpstartAnother way to ask: It says, “All things are lawful…yet I will not be mastered by any,” and that we shouldn’t do, think, or say anything against the gospel. How does this view of Christian “freedom” challenge the idea that freedom just means “I’m allowed to”?

The author criticizes living “as though they were made for eating,” saying such people don’t eat “for the purpose of sustaining life” and that “knowing God is not their primary goal”; what might it look like to organize ordinary appetites (food, entertainment, comfort) around “knowing God” as the primary goal, and what would have to change in your weekly routines? JumpstartAnother way to ask: The author warns against living mainly for food and comfort instead of “knowing God.” What would it look like to plan your eating, entertainment, and comfort around knowing God first, and what would need to change in your weekly routine?

The chapter’s “body” imagery describes the church as a “spiritual and holy choir,” and says those “merely called Christians” but not living by the Word are “the fleshly parts”; how does that challenge the modern tendency to treat church membership as an identity label, and how should a church respond to “fleshly parts” without becoming self-righteous? JumpstartAnother way to ask: The church is pictured as a holy choir, and people who claim the name but don’t obey the Word are called “fleshly parts.” How does that challenge treating church membership like just a label, and how should a church respond without becoming self-righteous?

The author calls adopting “pagan life” a form of “fornication” against both the church and one’s own body, and says the one whose conduct is “contrary to the covenant” becomes “joined to the harlot” (1 Cor. 6:15); what modern behaviors or thought-patterns would fit his category of “pagan life,” and why does he treat them as covenant-breaking rather than minor mistakes? JumpstartAnother way to ask: The author says living a “pagan life” is like sexual unfaithfulness against the church and your own body. What modern habits or mindsets might he call “pagan life,” and why would he see them as breaking covenant, not just small mistakes?

“He who is joined to the Lord in spirit becomes a spiritual body…fully a son…intimate with God…perfect without fleshly desires,” and then “will receive the mansion that is due to him”; how does tying intimacy, sonship, and final reward to present holiness confront common evangelical ways of speaking about assurance, grace, and rewards? JumpstartAnother way to ask: The chapter connects closeness with God and being a true son with living holy now, and then with receiving a final reward. How does that challenge common evangelical talk about assurance, grace, and rewards?

The chapter defines perfection as “forgiving sins, forgetting injuries, and living free of fleshly desires every day,” yet rejects the Stoic claim that virtue in man and God is the same, concluding, “The Father wishes us to be perfect by living blamelessly, being obedient to the gospel”; where do you personally try to escape the sharpness of “blameless” and “obedient,” and what would repentance look like if you took this definition of perfection literally for the next month? JumpstartAnother way to ask: The chapter says “perfection” means forgiving, letting go of hurts, and resisting fleshly desires every day, and calls us to be blameless and obedient. Where do you avoid those strong words, and what would repentance look like if you took this seriously for the next month?