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, teachers, apostles, and the mind of Christ somehow has no one wise enough to help two Christians settle a grievance.

That's not just sad. That's spiritually foolish.

And that foolishness reveals something deeper than the conflict itself: The issue isn't the lawsuit. The issue is the heart that would rather win than reconcile.

Dragging our spiritual family into court before unbelievers exposes a hidden sickness:

• Pride that won't yield
• Bitterness that wants public victory
• Immaturity that refuses correction
• Selfishness that doesn't care about the witness of the church
• A craving for personal justice instead of God's justice

The lawsuit is only the surface-level problem. The deeper problem is a church unwilling—or unable—to address spiritual rot in its own members.

Paul is essentially saying, "If you can't solve small disputes, what does that say about your spiritual condition?"

Because when believers run to unbelievers to fix their relationships, it reveals:

• A failure of discipleship
• A failure of community
• A failure of wisdom
• A failure of courage
• A failure of love

And the world watches all of it.

Paul's sting is intentional. He wants them to feel the weight of their compromise—not to shame them into despair, but to wake them into maturity. Because a church that can't handle conflict will never be a church that transforms culture.

The deeper message? Until the heart is healed, the conflict won't be. And no secular court on earth can fix what only the Spirit can restore.

DO THIS:

Bring one unresolved conflict before God today. Ask Him to expose anything in your heart—pride, stubbornness, or fear—that may be preventing reconciliation.

ASK THIS:

1. What does my response to conflict reveal about my spiritual maturity?
2. Who in my church family can help me work through a difficult grievance biblically?
3. What heart issue—not just the dispute—needs God's correction?

PRAY THIS:

Father, reveal the deeper issues in my heart that fuel conflict. Give me humility, courage, and wisdom to pursue reconciliation in a way that honors You. Heal what I cannot see and restore what is broken. Amen.

PLAY THIS:

"Give Us Clean Hands"

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 life! — 1 Corinthians 6:1–3

This is Paul at his sharpest—and most surprising.

"You will judge angels."

He's not talking about cute heavenly messengers. He's talking about evil angels—fallen beings—those who rebelled against God.

That's cosmic responsibility. That's eternal authority. That's weight reserved for the redeemed.

Paul's point is simple: If God trusts you with cosmic judgment, why can't you handle everyday conflict?

The Corinthians were acting spiritually powerless, begging unbelievers to settle disputes that believers—with the mind of Christ—were more equipped to handle. Their shame was magnified because they were behaving like spiritual infants while being destined for heavenly authority.

Paul isn't telling Christians to reject the legal system entirely. He's telling them to stop outsourcing what God equipped the church to handle spiritually and relationally.

• You're going to judge angels.
• You're going to judge the world.
• You're entrusted with eternal authority.
• So act like it now.

Paul's rebuke invites us to recover something the modern church has nearly lost: Spirit-filled, Scripture-shaped, wise believers resolving disputes in the household of faith.

We're not powerless. We're not dependent on the world for wisdom. We're not helpless victims needing secular referees.

God has given His people everything they need—truth, Spirit, counsel, unity, courage—to handle conflict within the family of God.

Paul's message is this: You carry future authority, so live with present responsibility.

Don't act like someone who needs the world to fix what the Spirit can resolve.

DO THIS:

Ask God to help you handle conflict with spiritual maturity. If there's a grievance you've been tempted to take outward, bring it inward—to wise believers who can help you resolve it with grace and truth.

ASK THIS:

1. Where have I run to worldly systems for justice instead of pursuing reconciliation within the body of Christ?
2. Who in my church family could help mediate a conflict biblically and wisely?
3. How does my future role in God's kingdom shape how I handle conflict today?

PRAY THIS:

Father, give me wisdom and courage to handle conflict in a way that honors You. Remind me of the authority You've given Your people, and help me pursue reconciliation with humility and strength. Amen.

PLAY THIS:

"Justice"

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 of sin doesn't stay contained. It spreads. It shapes culture. It numbs conviction. It confuses new believers. And eventually it corrupts the whole church.

This command echoes Jesus' words about cutting off a hand or tearing out an eye. Some things must be removed decisively because they can't be managed gently. If we don't cut out what kills us, it will cut out what's holy in us. And Paul draws a hard line that every believer must take seriously...

Our job is not to police unbelievers—God handles that. Our job is to protect the church. Not to condemn the world, but to guard the family of God. Not to rage at culture, but to confront the compromise within our own community.

This means addressing sin when we see it—not ignoring it, excusing it, or hoping it disappears. When a believer we love is drifting into rebellion, we step in. We speak clearly. We call them back. We risk the awkward conversation. That's what love does.

It also means raising concerns when leaders overlook sin. Paul's command applies to pastors, elders, small group leaders, and every believer in the house. If something poisonous is spreading, silence is not faithfulness. Silence is surrender.

And sometimes—this part is hard—the right response is to leave. If your church normalizes what God condemns, if leaders minimize sin or celebrate what Scripture calls destructive, if purity is treated as optional and holiness is mocked as legalism, then the command of Paul lands on your doorstep...

Don't let corruption disciple you. Don't stay where sin is protected. Don't remain where truth is optional.

Leaving isn't betrayal. Leaving is protection. Leaving is obedience. Leaving is spiritual survival.

Paul ends the chapter with a decision-point: Will we be a church that trims sin—or a church that tolerates it?

• Purge what pollutes.
• Remove what corrodes.
• Cut what kills.
• Protect what's holy.
• Guard what Christ died to make clean.

The world doesn't shape us. Sin doesn't define us. And compromise doesn't get a seat at the table. Christ leads us. Holiness marks us. Courage protects us. This is how chapter 5 ends—with fire and clarity. And now it's our turn to act.

DO THIS:

Ask God to reveal one area of compromise—personal or within your church—that needs decisive action. Speak up, confront it, or walk away if needed. Protect what's holy.

ASK THIS:

1. What sin have I tolerated that God wants removed?
2. Where do I need to speak up instead of staying silent?
3. Is my church confronting sin—or quietly accepting it?

PRAY THIS:

Father, give me courage to remove whatever harms my walk with You. Help me protect the purity of Your church and confront sin with boldness, humility, and conviction. Keep me faithful and fearless as I follow Your Word. Amen.

PLAY THIS:

"Clean Heart"

Tolerance feels kind.

Until it destroys a soul—and a church.

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.

1. Where have you seen tolerance confused with love—personally or in the church?

2. Why do you think silence often feels easier than truth?

3. What stood out most to you about Paul's response in 1 Corinthians 5?

4. How does false grace differ from biblical grace?

5. Why does tolerated sin eventually affect more than just one person?

6. How does church discipline actually protect both the sinner and the church?

7. Where do you need to confront sin in your own life rather than excuse it?

8. What fears keep believers from having hard but loving conversations?

9. How should churches balance compassion and conviction today?

10. What does it look like to restore someone without affirming their sin?

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, everything gets upside down.

Jesus didn't police the world—He moved toward it. Paul didn't police the world—he preached to it. The early church didn't police the world—they loved it and reached it. But inside the church? They confronted sin, practiced discipline, and protected one another with humility and truth. They judged behavior not to shame but to restore. That's the difference.

Many believers today get trapped in endless cycles of judging outsiders. We complain about politics, cultural decay, Hollywood, the news, and the morality of people who don't even claim to follow Christ. Meanwhile, friends we love are drifting, compromising, and slipping into patterns that are far more dangerous—and we stay silent. We end up policing the wrong people and ignoring the ones God called us to shepherd.

The real problem isn't worldly people acting worldly. The real problem is God's people acting worldly and no one having the courage to intervene. Policing outside breeds resentment. Policing inside breeds restoration.

So what does it look like to lovingly "police" believers in a biblical way?

• Ask honest questions instead of assuming everything is fine: "Hey, you seem distant lately. How are you doing spiritually?"
• Address what you see, not what you hear: "This is something I've noticed myself, and I care too much not to bring it up."
• Correct gently and clearly: "I'm saying this because it's dangerous for your walk, and I want to help."
• Refuse to normalize what God condemns: "I can't pretend this is okay. I care about you too much."
• Aim for restoration, not embarrassment: "I'm with you in this, and I'm not giving up on you."

This is policing with a shepherd's heart—firm, honest, and aimed at rescue rather than ridicule. It's the kind of accountability that leads believers back to health and strengthens the whole church.

DO THIS:

Choose one believer in your life who may be drifting. Pray, reach out, and take a loving step toward honest conversation or gentle correction.

ASK THIS:

1. Where have I spent more time judging the world than shepherding believers?
2. Who in my life needs loving accountability right now?
3. What step could lead someone I love toward restoration instead of ruin?

PRAY THIS:

Father, help me stop policing the world and start loving, correcting, and restoring the believers You've placed around me. Give me wisdom and courage to speak truth with humility and protect the purity of Your church. Amen.

PLAY THIS:

"Take My Life and Let It Be"

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 because the table represents fellowship, unity, and spiritual agreement, and Paul refuses to let the symbol of unity become a place where rebellion is quietly affirmed.

This is where many Christians struggle. We soften. We overlook. We make excuses for people we care about. We keep sitting at the table, laughing, talking, and living as if nothing is wrong. And without meaning to, we enable them. Enabling is not compassion—it is participation in their destruction. Many believers have watched loved ones drift deeper into sin because the people closest to them confused silence with kindness. They avoided hard conversations. They feared losing the relationship. They didn't want to be labeled judgmental. And all the while, the person they loved took another step toward ruin.

But Paul's instruction turns that thinking upside down. Sometimes the most loving thing you can do is create distance—not abandonment, not humiliation, but a clear and honest boundary that says, "I love you too much to pretend this is okay." This kind of boundary isn't rejection. It's rescue. It's the same heart behind the last passages: the goal is never shame but repentance, never punishment but restoration. Enabling, however, numbs the sinner to their condition, cushions the very fall God may be using to wake them up, and convinces them everything is fine when it isn't.

Love doesn't enable destruction. Love intervenes. Love speaks truth. Love risks misunderstanding for the sake of someone's soul. The call of Christ isn't to protect comfort—it's to protect people from the destruction sin brings. That sometimes requires courage, clarity, and boundaries.

DO THIS:

Identify one relationship where your silence or closeness may be enabling destructive choices. Pray for courage, and take one loving step toward honest clarity or a healthy boundary.

ASK THIS:

1. Where have I confused enabling with compassion?
2. Who is drifting toward destruction while I remain silent?
3. What boundary might awaken repentance instead of reinforcing rebellion?

PRAY THIS:

Father, give me the courage to love others enough to stop enabling what destroys them. Help me speak truth with grace, create boundaries that honor You, and seek restoration over comfort. Amen.

PLAY THIS:

"Together"

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 5:9-10.

I wrote to you in my letter not to associate with sexually immoral people — not at all meaning the sexually immoral of this world, or the greedy and swindlers, or idolaters, since then you would need to go out of the world. — 1 Corinthians 5:9–10

Paul clears up a massive misunderstanding. The Corinthians assumed he meant, "Cut off contact with sinful people entirely." But that was never God's strategy. We don't reach the world by abandoning it, avoiding it, or hiding from it.

Paul's point is far sharper: Christians are not commanded to avoid the world. Christians are commanded to discern the church.

Jesus Himself ate with sinners, welcomed sinners, and loved sinners. But Paul warns believers to be cautious around professing Christians who live openly in sin without repentance—those who claim Christ while rejecting His authority. That's where the real threat lies.

Unbelievers acting like unbelievers doesn't corrupt the church. Believers acting like unbelievers without shame does. When the church begins to affirm what God condemns, the confusion spreads. The witness weakens. The church slowly becomes the very culture it's called to rescue.

That's why Paul says you'd "have to leave the world" to avoid sinners outside the faith. The danger isn't out there. The danger is when what's out there walks into the church, refuses to repent, and finds applause instead of correction. Your mission is in the world—your discernment is in the church.

So be wise about who shapes your spiritual life. Move toward unbelievers with compassion and conviction. But be cautious with believers who live in open rebellion while claiming the name of Christ. Discernment isn't harsh—it's holy. It protects your heart. It protects your relationships. And it protects the church you love.

DO THIS:

Evaluate your closest Christian relationships. Deepen connections with believers who strengthen your walk with Christ, and set boundaries with those who pull you away.

ASK THIS:

1. Who influences my spiritual life the most right now?
2. Are they pushing me toward Christ or pulling me toward compromise?
3. Where do I need to practice healthier discernment?

PRAY THIS:

Father, give me wisdom to love the world like Jesus did while discerning the church like Paul taught. Guard my heart, shape my relationships, and keep me faithful to You. Amen.

PLAY THIS:

"Build My Life"

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 5:6-8.

Your boasting is not good. Do you not know that a little leaven leavens the whole lump? Cleanse out the old leaven that you may be a new lump, as you really are unleavened. For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed. Let us therefore celebrate the festival, not with the old leaven, the leaven of malice and evil, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth. — 1 Corinthians 5:6–8

Paul moves from confronting one man's sin to confronting the entire church's tolerance of it, and he does it with a picture everyone in Corinth understood: leaven.

1. Leaven is quiet.
2. Leaven is small.
3. Leaven works invisibly.

Yet once it's mixed in, it spreads through the whole batch of dough. It doesn't matter if it starts in a corner—it ends everywhere. That's Paul's point.

Sin never stays personal. It always becomes communal.

• A private compromise eventually affects public integrity.
• A hidden lust eventually damages relationships.
• A tolerated sin eventually shapes a church's culture.

Just like leaven, sin spreads beyond the person who commits it.

That's exactly why Paul confronted Corinth so strongly in the previous passage. Discipline wasn't only about the man—it was about the whole church, because what one person hides, the whole body eventually breathes.

This is why Paul commands them to "cleanse out the old leaven." He's pulling from Passover imagery. Every Jewish family searched their home by candlelight, removing every crumb of leaven so the new batch would remain pure. Even a pinch of the old dough could corrupt everything new.

Paul is applying that same spiritual search to the church:

• Remove the old habits.
• Remove the excuses.
• Remove the tolerated sins.
• Remove the attitudes that spread like rot.

If we want a healed church, we must remove what is poisoning both the individual and the body. This is not just about your life. This is about our life together.

But Paul ends with a powerful statement: "As you really are unleavened…" In other words, you're already made new. So live like it. Your identity is clean. Your standing is pure. Your church has been washed. So stop kneading in old corruption. Stop letting sin expand. Stop pretending one compromise won't spread to others.

This is Paul's call to you. This is Paul's call to your church. This is Paul's call to every fellowship that wants to remain spiritually healthy. Remove what spreads death. Keep what spreads life.

DO THIS:

Do a "Passover sweep" of both your personal life and your church involvement. Remove whatever small thing you've been tolerating before it grows and affects more than you realize.

ASK THIS:

1. Where have I underestimated the spread of a small sin?
2. How might my compromise be shaping others around me?
3. What leaven needs to be removed so my life—and my church—can stay healthy?

PRAY THIS:

Father, show me anything in my life that's quietly spreading and corrupting what You want to renew. Give me courage to remove it and help me strengthen the purity of my church as well. Make me unleavened with sincerity and truth. Amen.

PLAY THIS:

"Give Us Clean Hands"