36: “Ye Are the Body of Christ” (1 Corinthians 8–13)
Charity never fails—now that’s a powerful promise. And it’s a truth that can especially be helpful to remember when you are unsure how to move forward. This week, we will read what Paul taught the Saints about charity’s power in 1 Corinthians 8–13. And perhaps one of the most important takeaways is this: we all have a place in Christ’s church, and charity is how we will help everyone feel just how much they belong.
Links:
Glue-Ins (free printables for your scriptures)
Divine Quietness: Finding Meaning When Heaven Is Silent by Emily Robison Adams
Segment 1
Scriptures:
1 Corinthians 13:13 (Love is above all)
Segment 2
Scriptures:
1 Corinthians 8:1-6 (One God)
1 Corinthians 8:3 (Love God and be known)
1 Corinthians 9:19-20 (Meet people where they are)
Segment 3
Scriptures:
1 Corinthians 10:1-5 (Wandering in the wilderness)
CR: Exodus 13:21
1 Corinthians 10:11 (Words written for our warning)
D&C 130:20-21 (Blessings are predicated upon obedience)
Numbers 21:5-7 (Not tempting God)
1 Corinthians 10:12-14 (We won’t be tempted more than we are able to endure)
From Talmage’s Jesus the Christ:
It is not to be supposed that Christ’s victorious emergence from the dark clouds of the three specified temptations exempted Him from further assaults by Satan, or insured Him against later trials of faith, trust, and endurance. Luke closes his account of the temptations following the forty-day fast as follows: “And when the devil had ended all the temptation, he departed from him for a season.” This victory over the devil and his wiles, this triumph over the cravings of the flesh, the harassing doubts of the mind, the suggested reaching out for fame and material wealth, were great but not final successes in the struggle between Jesus, the embodied God, and Satan, the fallen angel of light.
That Christ was subject to temptation during the period of His association with the apostles He expressly affirmed. That His temptations extended even to the agony in Gethsemane will appear as we proceed with this study. It is not given to the rest of us, nor was it given to Jesus, to meet the foe, to fight and overcome in a single encounter, once for all time. The strife between the immortal spirit and the flesh, between the offspring of God on the one hand, the world and the devil on the other, is persistent through life. (James E. Talmage, “Jesus the Christ”, Chapter 10: In the Wilderness of Judea)
Segment 4
Scriptures:
1 Corinthians 12:4-11 (Spiritual gifts)
CR: D&C 46:11-26
CR: Moroni 10:9-18
1 Corinthians 12:12-27 (The body of Christ)
1 Corinthians 12:31 (Seek the best gifts)
Links:
The Sunday on Monday study group talks Spiritual Gifts:
D&C 46-48 "Seek Ye Earnestly the Best Gifts"
Moroni 10 “Come unto Christ, and Be Perfected in Him”
Quotes:
Each member of the church is different. But those differences strengthen the entire body of the church. Paul recognizes that the body works best when its various parts are healthy and when those parts are not trying to be something that they are not. (Emily Robison Adams, “Divine Quietness: Finding Meaning When Heaven is Silent”).
Segment 5
1 Corinthians 13 (Charity)
Moroni 7:44-48 (Charity is pure love)
Quotes:
In Christ people and things can finally show up as being perfectly just whatever they are. No longer judging them in light of what I want them to be, I can actually see them, I can see their perfection, and more I can see what kind of care and healing they need. This is what life boils down to. This is what it means to love someone. Their obvious weakness cannot stop me from seeing their present perfection. (Adam S. Miller, “An Early Resurrection: Life in Christ Before You Die”)
Segment 6
Scriptures:
1 Corinthians 9:24-26 (Run your race)
Translations:
Run = Make progress (Greek)
Beateth the air = boxing (Greek)
1 Corinthians 9:26
NIV: Therefore I do not run like someone running aimlessly; I do not fight like a boxer beating the air.
ESV: I do not run aimlessly; I do not box as one beating the air.
NLV: So I run with purpose in every step. I am not just shadowboxing.
View transcript here.