Catholic Caucus: YOPIOS = Your Own Personal Interpretation Of Scripture

1 Cor. 9 is speaking of the rewards, those crowns we spoke of before, one gets when they run a good race.

Look at v.25. The first part is speaking of how we do that, we striveth for mastery by being temprate in all things.

In v. 27 castaway was translated from the Greek word adokimos which means not approved. Paul wants our actions to be good so they will be approved and we will be rewards with a crown.

Becky

I guess you could pick out sentences and interpret them individually to have them make sense in supporting your religious beliefs. It seems to me that this is what you are doing? And please know that I mean no offense here... I think we are being honest with one another.

I read most of 1 Corinthians over the past week or so... and reread chapter 9 and 10 this morning. Correct me if I am wrong in your opinion, but I read the bible as a "seamless whole" and try not to pluck sentences or short passages out to stand alone.

Corinthians 9 is wonderful... Paul is speaking to believers and basically is saying that he has been entrusted by the Lord to preach the Gospel on the same footing as the other apostles although he was chosen by the Lord in a different way than the "original" 12. So Paul explains that he does what he does to win souls... if it means living like a Jew in obedience to the torah (law) in order to try to save them, then that is what he does although he himself is not under the obligations of the torah (law). He tells them via parable (vs 25) that athletes use discipline (I think temperence* and discipline* have different meanings and discipline is more correct here -- and look at the word derived from it "disciple") in all things to "win the race" -- although of course the athletes are striving to win here on earth for a perishible prize, we as Christians must use discipline in our lives to win the non-perishible prize of salvation. Paul drives his body and trains it (discipline) because he is afraid (he uses the word fear) that he himself, will be disqualified/not approved at the end. This would mean salvation itself, not merely getting a crown. Paul used to crown analogy because the Corinthians are very familiar and can relate to the Greek games --- in fact, there were "games" nearby... the Isthmain games.

Paul sees his his own preaching to hearers wherever they may be as necessary for his own salvation. He mentions this disqualification and it provides a nice transition into Chapter 10 which is warning against overconfidence... God gave all of our ancestors spiritual privledges but they abused them and these privledges did not guarantee God's permanant pleasure. In fact after making the analogy between our ancestors and the gifts they were given as examples for us, Paul says "therefore, whoever thinks he is standing secure should take care not to fall." -- Paul then tempers this statement by a reassurance based on God, but the point is made that we can indeed, become overconfident and fall --- nothing mentioned about less crowns, Paul is saying that we can fall and be disqualified.

dis·ci·pline
1. Training expected to produce a specific character or pattern of behavior, especially training that produces moral or mental improvement.
2. Controlled behavior resulting from disciplinary training; self-control.
3a. Control obtained by enforcing compliance or order.
b. A systematic method to obtain obedience: a military discipline.
c. A state of order based on submission to rules and authority: a teacher who demanded discipline in the classroom.
4. Punishment intended to correct or train.
5. A set of rules or methods, as those regulating the practice of a church or monastic order.
6. A branch of knowledge or teaching.
TRANSITIVE VERB: Inflected forms: dis·ci·plined, dis·ci·plin·ing, dis·ci·plines
1. To train by instruction and practice, especially to teach self-control to.
2. To teach to obey rules or accept authority. See synonyms at teach.
3. To punish in order to gain control or enforce obedience. See synonyms at punish.
4. To impose order on: needed to discipline their study habits.
ETYMOLOGY: Middle English, from Old French descepline, from Latin disciplna, from discipulus, pupil. See disciple.
OTHER FORMS: disci·pli·nal (-pl-nl) —ADJECTIVE disci·pliner —NOUN

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moderation
n 1: quality of being moderate and avoiding extremes [syn: moderateness] [ant: immoderation]
2: a change for the better [syn: easing, relief]
3: the trait of avoiding excesses [syn: temperance] [ant: intemperance]
4: the action of lessening in severity or intensity: "the object being control or moderation of economic depressions"

Becky,

I didn't mention it, but since Paul is speaking to a Christian Community, I am assuming that they have all been baptized and are believing Christians ( I guess you would used the words "born again" or "saved") and they are under the grace of God. Just to clarify ;-)

It's funny that the community was falling into factions and divisions among themselves. Sounds familiar!

ping

thanks