“August 21–27. 1 Corinthians 1–7: ‘Be Perfectly Joined Together,’” Come, Follow Me—For Sunday School: New Testament 2023 (2022)
“August 21–27. 1 Corinthians 1–7,” Come, Follow Me—For Sunday School: 2023
Corinth, Southern Greece, the Forum and Civic Center, painting by Balage Balogh/www.ArchaeologyIllustrated.com
August 21–27
1 Corinthians 1–7
“Be Perfectly Joined Together”
Elder Jeffrey R. Holland taught that most people “come [to church] seeking a spiritual experience” (“A Teacher Come from God,” Ensign, May 1998, 26). As you read 1 Corinthians 1–7, prayerfully consider what you can do to help create spiritual experiences in your class.
Invite Sharing
Consider inviting class members to write down how they have acted on what they are learning from the scriptures. Ask a few class members to share what they wrote.
Teach the Doctrine
The members of Christ’s Church strive to be united.
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Discussing the first few chapters of 1 Corinthians may be an opportunity to build greater unity among ward members. You could start by asking class members to talk about a club, group, team, or other organization they belonged to that had a great sense of unity. Why did this group feel so united? You could then explore some of Paul’s teachings on unity in 1 Corinthians 1:10–13; 3:1–11. What do these verses, along with our experiences, teach about what helps create unity and what threatens it? What sacrifices do we have to make in order to achieve unity? What blessings come to those who are united? See also Sister Sharon Eubank’s analogy in “Additional Resources.”
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Paul uses the image of a building to encourage unity in 1 Corinthians 3:9–17. How could this analogy help your class better understand unity? For example, after reading these verses together, you could give each class member a block and let them work together to build something. In what sense are we “God’s building”? (1 Corinthians 3:9). How is God building us individually? What are we building together as fellow Saints? What can we do as a unified ward that we wouldn’t be able to do as individuals?
1 Corinthians 1:17–31; 2; 3:18–20
To accomplish God’s work, we need the wisdom of God.
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Here’s an idea to help your class rely on God: Divide class members into groups and ask them to scan 1 Corinthians 1:17–31; 2; or 3:18–20 searching for words like wise and foolish. Then they could share in their groups what these verses teach about being wise in the Lord’s work. What are things about the gospel that might seem foolish to some people? How do these things demonstrate the wisdom of God? Perhaps class members could also share experiences in which they trusted in God’s wisdom, rather than their own, to accomplish His work.
Our physical bodies are sacred.
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To begin a discussion about these verses, you might write on the board questions like the following: How does the Lord want us to view our bodies? How is this different from the way Satan wants us to think of our bodies? What does it mean that our bodies are temples of the Holy Ghost? Invite class members to find answers to these questions in 1 Corinthians 6:9–20 (see also Doctrine and Covenants 88:15; Moses 6:8–9).
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Your discussion about the sanctity of our bodies could include a conversation about the law of chastity. Perhaps you could ask your class members what they learn from Paul—as well as from other Church resources—that could help them explain to others why chastity is important. Some of these resources may include those listed in “Additional Resources.”
Additional Resources
“Differences can be turned to advantage.”
Sister Sharon Eubank described how competitive rowing teams achieve unity:
“Rowers must rein in their fierce independence and at the same time hold true to their individual capabilities. Races are not won by clones. Good crews are good blends—someone to lead the charge, someone to hold something in reserve, someone to fight the fight, someone to make peace. No rower is more valuable than another, all are assets to the boat, but if they are to row well together, each must adjust to the needs and capabilities of the others—the shorter-armed person reaching a little farther, the longer-armed person pulling in just a bit.
“Differences can be turned to advantage instead of disadvantage” (“By Union of Feeling We Obtain Power with God,” Ensign or Liahona, Nov. 2020, 56; see Daniel James Brown, The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics [2013], 161, 179).
The blessings of sexual purity.
Jeffrey R. Holland, “Personal Purity,” Ensign, Nov. 1998, 76.
David A. Bednar, “We Believe in Being Chaste,” Ensign or Liahona, May 2013, 42.
“Chastity: What Are the Limits?,” “I Choose to Be Pure” (videos), ChurchofJesusChrist.org
Improving Our Teaching
Bear testimony of Jesus Christ. Paul “came not with excellency of speech or of wisdom, declaring … the testimony of God” (1 Corinthians 2:1). Your simple testimony of the Savior can have a profound influence.