Useful Bible Studies > 1 Corinthians Commentary > chapter 10

Christians’ attitudes towards other people

1 Corinthians 10:24

This is a very important principle for Christians. God did not save them merely for their own benefit. He wants to use their lives in order to help other people.

Therefore, Christians should not be selfish. They must not care too much about their own desires. Certainly, they must not allow their own emotions to rule their lives.

It is much more important for Christians to think about other people. They must think about how they can bring God’s good news to other people. They must think about how they can help other people to trust God. They must think about how, like Christ, they too can show God’s kindness to other people (John 13:1-17; 1 Corinthians 11:1; 1 Corinthians 9:19-23).

When Christians think about other people, they will not feel such a strong desire to please themselves. They will not want to follow their own plans for their lives. Instead, they will ask God to guide and to direct them. Their desire will be to do God’s work. So they will serve other people with the strength that God gives them.

God has made his people free. That is, free from the evil forces that formerly controlled their lives. The purpose of that freedom is not so that they can satisfy their own desires. God has made them free so that they can serve him. It was not possible for them to serve him while those evil forces still controlled them. Nobody can serve two masters (Matthew 6:24).

Now that they are free, it is their honour to be the servants of God. And as God’s servants, God sends them to do his work for the benefit of other people.

Next part: Can Christians eat all kinds of meat? (1 Corinthians 10:25-26)

 

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© 2014, Keith Simons.