Man Talk

Welcome to The Daily, where we study the Bible verse by verse, chapter by chapter, every day. Our shout-out today goes to John Deedrick from Andover, MN. Thanks for your partnership in Project23. We cannot do this without donors like you. Our text today is 1 Corinthians 7:39-40. A wife is bound to her husband as long as he lives. But if her husband dies, she is free to be married to whom she wishes, only in the Lord. Yet in my judgment she is happier if she remains as she is. And I think that I too have the Spirit of God. — 1 Corinthians 7:39-40 Paul closes this long and careful chapter with calm clarity. After addressing desire, marriage, singleness, freedom, and faithfulness, he brings everything to rest on one steady truth: covenant still matters. He begins where Scripture consistently begins—with commitment. Marriage is not a temporary arrangement or a casual agreement. It is a covenant meant to endure for life, and Paul states this plainly, without apology or embellishment. At the same time, Paul is not

We're living in an age of sexual confusion—and the church hasn't escaped it. God's design has been blurred. Conviction has been softened. And clarity has been replaced with chaos. SUMMARY First Corinthians 7 speaks directly into sexual confusion, relational pressure, and delayed obedience. Paul addresses sex without embarrassment, marriage without idealism, singleness without shame, and faithfulness without apology. This chapter draws a clear line between cultural confusion and biblical conviction—and asks every believer where their true allegiance lies. REFLECTION & SMALL GROUP QUESTIONS Where do you see cultural confusion most influencing views of sex and marriage today? Why do you think believers are tempted to stay silent on these issues? How does Paul correct both sexual permissiveness and false holiness in this chapter? In what ways does culture load marriage with expectations it was never meant to carry? How does Paul redefine singleness as a gift rather than a deficiency? What does thi

Welcome to The Daily, where we study the Bible verse by verse, chapter by chapter, every day. Our shout-out today goes to Cory Doden from Red Wing, MN. Thanks for your partnership in Project23. We cannot do this without donors like you. Our text today is 1 Corinthians 7:36-38. If anyone thinks that he is not behaving properly toward his betrothed, if his passions are strong, and it has to be, let him do as he wishes: let them marry—it is no sin. But whoever is firmly established in his heart, being under no necessity but having his desire under control, and has determined this in his heart, to keep her as his betrothed, he will do well. So then he who marries his betrothed does well, and he who refrains from marriage will do even better. — 1 Corinthians 7:36-38 Paul is doing something important here. He is teaching believers how to make faithful decisions when Scripture allows freedom. This passage has sparked debate for centuries—about fathers and daughters, fiancés and engagements—but Paul's pastoral point

Welcome to The Daily, where we study the Bible verse by verse, chapter by chapter, every day. Our shout-out today goes to Jay T. Stilkey from Post Falls, ID. Thanks for your partnership in Project23. We cannot do this without donors like you. Our text today is 1 Corinthians 7:32-35. I want you to be free from anxieties. The unmarried man is anxious about the things of the Lord, how to please the Lord. But the married man is anxious about worldly things, how to please his wife, and his interests are divided. And the unmarried or betrothed woman is anxious about the things of the Lord, how to be holy in body and spirit. But the married woman is anxious about worldly things, how to please her husband. I say this for your own benefit, not to lay any restraint upon you, but to promote good order and to secure your undivided devotion to the Lord. — 1 Corinthians 7:32-35 Paul slows down here. He doesn't issue commands. He offers care. He doesn't shame. He clarifies. His opening line reveals his heart: "I want you to

Welcome to The Daily, where we study the Bible verse by verse, chapter by chapter, every day. Our shout-out today goes to Elijah Kovar from Independence, MN. Thanks for your partnership in Project23. We cannot do this without donors like you. Our text today is 1 Corinthians 7:25-31. Now concerning the betrothed, I have no command from the Lord, but I give my judgment as one who by the Lord's mercy is trustworthy. I think that in view of the present distress it is good for a person to remain as he is. Are you bound to a wife? Do not seek to be free. Are you free from a wife? Do not seek a wife. But if you do marry, you have not sinned, and if a betrothed woman marries, she has not sinned. Yet those who marry will have worldly troubles, and I would spare you that. This is what I mean, brothers: the appointed time has grown very short. From now on, let those who have wives live as though they had none, and those who mourn as though they were not mourning, and those who rejoice as though they were not rejoicing,

Welcome to The Daily, where we study the Bible verse by verse, chapter by chapter, every day. Our shout-out today goes to Kevin Kinney from Mahtomedi, MN. Thanks for your partnership in Project23. We cannot do this without donors like you. Our text today is 1 Corinthians 7:17-24. Only let each person lead the life that the Lord has assigned to him, and to which God has called him. This is my rule in all the churches. Was anyone at the time of his call already circumcised? Let him not seek to remove the marks of circumcision. Was anyone at the time of his call uncircumcised? Let him not seek circumcision. For neither circumcision counts for anything nor uncircumcision, but keeping the commandments of God. Each one should remain in the condition in which he was called. Were you a bondservant when called? Do not be concerned about it. (But if you can gain your freedom, avail yourself of the opportunity.) For he who was called in the Lord as a bondservant is a freedman of the Lord. Likewise he who was free when c

Welcome to The Daily, where we study the Bible verse by verse, chapter by chapter, every day. Our shout-out today goes to Justin Gulbrandson from Olathe, KS. Thanks for your partnership in Project23. We cannot do this without donors like you. Our text today is 1 Corinthians 7:8-16. To the unmarried and the widows I say that it is good for them to remain single, as I am. But if they cannot exercise self-control, they should marry. For it is better to marry than to burn with passion. To the married I give this charge (not I, but the Lord): the wife should not separate from her husband (but if she does, she should remain unmarried or else be reconciled to her husband), and the husband should not divorce his wife. To the rest I say (I, not the Lord) that if any brother has a wife who is an unbeliever, and she consents to live with him, he should not divorce her. If any woman has a husband who is an unbeliever, and he consents to live with her, she should not divorce him. For the unbelieving husband is made holy b

Welcome to The Daily, where we study the Bible verse by verse, chapter by chapter, every day. Read more about Project23 and partner with us as we teach every verse of the Bible on video. Our text today is 1 Corinthians 7:1-7. Now concerning the matters about which you wrote: "It is good for a man not to have sexual relations with a woman." But because of the temptation to sexual immorality, each man should have his own wife and each woman her own husband. The husband should give to his wife her conjugal rights, and likewise the wife to her husband. For the wife does not have authority over her own body, but the husband does. Likewise the husband does not have authority over his own body, but the wife does. Do not deprive one another, except perhaps by agreement for a limited time, that you may devote yourselves to prayer; but then come together again, so that Satan may not tempt you because of your lack of self-control. Now as a concession, not a command, I say this. I wish that all were as I myself am. But e

Welcome to The Daily, where we study the Bible verse by verse, chapter by chapter, every day. Read more about Project23 and partner with us as we teach every verse of the Bible on video. Our text today is 1 Corinthians 6:18-20. We don't flirt with fire. We don't negotiate with danger. And when it comes to sexual sin, Paul gives only one command: Run. Sprint. Get out fast. Not because you're weak—but because you know what's at stake. Flee from sexual immorality. Every other sin a person commits is outside the body, but the sexually immoral person sins against his own body. Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body. — 1 Corinthians 6:18–20 Paul doesn't tell you to manage sexual sin. He doesn't tell you to reason with it. He doesn't even tell you to pray near it. He tells you to flee. Why? Because sexual sin cuts deeper. It reshapes your desires. It wounds your soul. It t

We live in a moment where feelings rule, rights are weaponized, and identity is endlessly redefined. And the church isn't immune. SUMMARY 1 Corinthians 6 confronts the modern obsession with rights, autonomy, and self-defined identity. Paul makes it clear: believers don't belong to themselves—body, identity, and freedom all belong to Christ. Maturity means surrendering self-ownership and living for God's glory. REFLECTION & SMALL GROUP QUESTIONS Why do personal rights feel so important in our culture—and how can they compete with Christian witness? What does Paul mean when he asks, "Why not rather be wronged?" How do lawsuits among believers damage the gospel's credibility? Where do you see the lie of false ownership showing up in the church today? Why does Paul treat fraud as a theological issue, not just a moral one? What stands out to you about the phrase, "And such were some of you"? How does identity received from God differ from identity constructed by the self? What's the difference

Welcome to The Daily, where we study the Bible verse by verse, chapter by chapter, every day. Read more about Project23 and partner with us as we teach every verse of the Bible on video. Our text today is 1 Corinthians 6:15-17. We live in a world that treats sexual sin like it's harmless, private, and victimless. People defend themselves with one sentence that sounds so innocent: "I'm not hurting anyone." Paul destroys that myth in three verses. Because if you are in Christ… your body belongs to Christ. And if your body belongs to Christ… your choices involve Christ. Paul doesn't ease into the point. He detonates it. "Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ? Shall I then take the members of Christ and make them members of a prostitute? Never!" — 1 Corinthians 6:15 He's saying: When you use your body for sexual sin, you drag Jesus into it. Not metaphorically. Not symbolically. Literally. Because your body is a member of Christ. A limb of Christ. A temple of Christ. Your sin isn't private. Your c

Welcome to The Daily, where we study the Bible verse by verse, chapter by chapter, every day. Read more about Project23 and partner with us as we teach every verse of the Bible on video. Our text today is 1 Corinthians 6:12-14. We live in a world that treats the body like a playground—something to indulge, use, bend, and satisfy at any cost. Corinth wasn't any different. They had a saying they loved to quote: "All things are lawful for me." Translation: "I can do whatever I want with my body." But Paul takes that slogan and makes a theological adjustment, as any good Bible teacher would. "All things are lawful for me," but not all things are helpful. "All things are lawful for me," but I will not be dominated by anything. "Food is meant for the stomach and the stomach for food"—and God will destroy both one and the other. The body is not meant for sexual immorality, but for the Lord, and the Lord for the body. And God raised the Lord and will also raise us up by his power. — 1 Corinthians 6:12–14 The Corinthi

Welcome to The Daily, where we study the Bible verse by verse, chapter by chapter, every day. Read more about Project23 and partner with us as we teach every verse of the Bible on video. Our text today is 1 Corinthians 6:9-11. When believers forget who they are, they start acting like who they were. That's exactly what was happening in Corinth. The lawsuits, the fighting, the mistreatment, the "me-first" mindset—none of it fit who they had become in Christ. So Paul brings them back to the foundation: Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God. — 1 Corinthians 6:9–11 Paul's list is not gentle. He names sins

Welcome to The Daily, where we study the Bible verse by verse, chapter by chapter, every day. Read more about Project23 and partner with us as we teach every verse of the Bible on video. Our text today is 1 Corinthians 6:7-8. Most people believe strength looks like fighting back, striking first, or refusing to let anyone take advantage of them. Paul flips that entire worldview in two sentences. To have lawsuits at all with one another is already a defeat for you. Why not rather suffer wrong? Why not rather be defrauded? But you yourselves wrong and defraud—even your own brothers! — 1 Corinthians 6:7–8 Paul doesn't merely say lawsuits are messy or unfortunate. He says they reveal defeat—a spiritual collapse long before a judge renders a verdict. Why? Because believers were willing to destroy each other to protect their pride, their possessions, their image, or their "rights." So Paul asks the question no one wants to ask: "Why not rather suffer wrong?" This cuts against everything the world teaches—yet it m

Welcome to The Daily, where we study the Bible verse by verse, chapter by chapter, every day. Read more about Project23 and partner with us as we teach every verse of the Bible on video. Our text today is 1 Corinthians 6:4-6. We all know what it feels like when a conflict gets ugly. But what Paul describes here is something deeper—something darker. When believers drag each other before unbelievers, it's not just a problem. It's a symptom of a spiritual disease. So if you have such cases, why do you lay them before those who have no standing in the church? I say this to your shame. Can it be that there is no one among you wise enough to settle a dispute between the brothers, but brother goes to law against brother, and that before unbelievers? — 1 Corinthians 6:4–6 Paul says it plainly: "I say this to your shame." He is calling out their foolishness—their lack of wisdom—with almost painful bluntness. Paul isn't shocked that believers disagree. He's shocked that a church claiming to have the Spirit, gifts, tea

Welcome to The Daily, where we study the Bible verse by verse, chapter by chapter, every day. Read more about Project23 and partner with us as we teach every verse of the Bible on video. Our text today is 1 Corinthians 6:1-3. We crave justice—deeply. When someone wrongs us, cheats us, mistreats us, or lies about us, something in our soul cries out, "Make this right." But too often we run to systems that don't share our worldview, don't understand our values, and don't operate under the Lordship of Christ. It's no wonder Paul is stunned: believers are running to secular courts to solve spiritual family matters. Before Paul rebukes them, he raises their identity: When one of you has a grievance against another, does he dare go to law before the unrighteous instead of the saints? Or do you not know that the saints will judge the world? And if the world is to be judged by you, are you incompetent to try trivial cases? Do you not know that we are to judge angels? How much more, then, matters pertaining to this lif

Welcome to The Daily, where we study the Bible verse by verse, chapter by chapter, every day. Read more about Project23 and partner with us as we teach every verse of the Bible on video. Our text today is 1 Corinthians 5:13. Some threats don't walk through the front door shouting. They slip in quietly, sit in the pew, smile during worship, and destroy slowly. Paul ends this chapter by ripping the mask off one of the greatest dangers to a church's health: unrepentant sin that everyone sees but no one confronts. God judges those outside. "Purge the evil person from among you." — 1 Corinthians 5:13 Paul doesn't whisper this. He doesn't soften the command. He ends the chapter with a call so sharp we can feel the edge of it: remove what is destroying the body of Christ before it destroys you. He's not talking about someone who's struggling or fighting sin. He's talking about the person who refuses correction, rejects repentance, and insists on living in open rebellion while claiming the name of Christ. This kind o

Tolerance feels kind. Until it destroys a soul—and a church. SUMMARY Our culture celebrates tolerance—but Paul draws a hard line in 1 Corinthians 5. When a church confuses love with silence, grace with affirmation, and maturity with tolerance, sin spreads and souls are damaged. This chapter reminds us that real love doesn't ignore sin—it confronts it for the sake of repentance, restoration, and the integrity of the church. REFLECTION & SMALL GROUP DISCUSSION QUESTIONS Where have you seen tolerance confused with love—personally or in the church? Why do you think silence often feels easier than truth? What stood out most to you about Paul's response in 1 Corinthians 5? How does false grace differ from biblical grace? Why does tolerated sin eventually affect more than just one person? How does church discipline actually protect both the sinner and the church? Where do you need to confront sin in your own life rather than excuse it? What fears keep believers from having hard but loving convers

Welcome to The Daily, where we study the Bible verse by verse, chapter by chapter, every day. Read more about Project23 and partner with us as we teach every verse of the Bible on video. Our text today is 1 Corinthians 5:12. It's easy to get worked up about everything happening "out there." We shake our heads at culture, critique the headlines, and grow frustrated with people who don't follow Jesus—as if their choices should shock us. But before Paul gives direction, he gives clarity: you can't expect the world to live by a standard it never agreed to. For what have I to do with judging outsiders? Is it not those inside the church whom you are to judge? — 1 Corinthians 5:12 Paul tells the Corinthians to stop policing people who don't claim Christ. Unbelievers behaving like unbelievers is not a crisis. It's expected. What is a crisis is when believers behave like unbelievers and no one says a word. When Christians focus more energy on condemning the outside world than shepherding their own community, everythin

Welcome to The Daily, where we study the Bible verse by verse, chapter by chapter, every day. Read more about Project23 and partner with us as we teach every verse of the Bible on video. Our text today is 1 Corinthians 5:11. Before Paul gives one of the sharpest relational boundaries in the New Testament, he reminds us of something we often forget: love doesn't just embrace—it protects. And protection sometimes requires distance. With that in mind, Paul writes: But now I am writing to you not to associate with anyone who bears the name of brother if he is guilty of sexual immorality or greed, or is an idolater, reviler, drunkard, or swindler—not even to eat with such a one. — 1 Corinthians 5:11 Paul draws a line most believers today avoid. He doesn't tell Christians to distance themselves from the world but from those inside the church who claim the name of Christ while openly rejecting His authority. He says not to associate with them—not even to share a meal. The reason isn't superiority or harshness. It's