Corinth, Southern Greece, the Forum and Civic Center, painting by Balage Balogh/www.ArchaeologyIllustrated.com

August 19–25

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.

Record Your Impressions

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

1 Corinthians 1:10–17; 3

The members of Christ’s church must be unified.

• 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, or team 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 blessings come to those who are united? The stories shared by President Henry B. Eyring in “Additional Resources” could also help with this discussion.

• 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 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.

• Some people feel unqualified to serve in the Church because they lack education or professional training. Others feel quite qualified because they have education or professional training. Both views reflect a misunderstanding of what truly qualifies us for God’s work. 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.

1 Corinthians 6:9–20

Our physical bodies are sacred.

• To begin a discussion about these verses, you might write on the board questions like the following: How does the Lord 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 D&C 88:15; Moses 6:8–9).

• Your discussion about the sanctity of our bodies could include a conversation about the law of chastity. This could be particularly helpful because as Latter-day Saints, we often have opportunities to explain our beliefs about chastity to those who may not share those beliefs. 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.”

Encourage Learning at Home

Tell your class members that if they would like additional ideas about how to be more united with their spouse, family, or ward, the theme of unity continues in 1 Corinthians 8–11.

Additional Resources

1 Corinthians 1–7

Examples of unity.

President Henry B. Eyring taught:

“I was invited to kneel at bedtime with a family when I was a guest in their home. The smallest child was asked to be voice. He prayed like a patriarch for every person in the family, by name. I opened my eyes for an instant to see the faces of the other children and the parents. I could tell that they were joining their faith and their hearts in that little boy’s prayer.

“Some Relief Society sisters recently prayed together as they prepared to visit for the first time a young widow whose husband died suddenly. They wanted to know what to do and how to work together to help prepare the home for family and friends who would come at the time of the funeral. … An answer to their prayer came. When they arrived at the house, each sister moved to complete a task. The house was ready so quickly that some sisters regretted not being able to do more. Words of comfort were spoken which fit perfectly together. They had given the Lord’s service as one, hearts knit together” (“Our Hearts Knit as One,” Ensign or Liahona, Nov. 2008, 68–69).

The blessings of sexual purity.

At a Worldwide Devotional for Young Adults, Sister Wendy W. Nelson said:

“Personal purity is the key to true love. The more pure your thoughts and feelings, your words and actions, the greater your capacity to give and receive true love. …

“As an important part of the expression of their love, the Lord wants a husband and wife to partake of the wonders and joys of marital intimacy. …

“… Anything that invites the Spirit into your life, and into the life of your spouse and your marriage, will increase your ability to experience marital intimacy. … On the other hand, anything that offends the Spirit will decrease your ability to be one with your spouse. …

“Marital intimacy endorsed by the Spirit is blessed by the Lord and is sanctifying” (“Love and Marriage,” Worldwide Devotional for Young Adults, Jan. 8, 2017, broadcasts.lds.org).

Elder Jeffrey R. Holland taught:

“May I stress that human intimacy is reserved for a married couple because it is the ultimate symbol of total union, a totality and a union ordained and defined by God. …

“But such a total union, such an unyielding commitment between a man and a woman, can only come with the proximity and permanence afforded in a marriage covenant, with solemn promises and the pledge of all they possess—their very hearts and minds, all their days and all their dreams” (“Personal Purity,” Ensign, Nov. 1998, 76).

Elder David A. Bednar explained: “[Sexual] relations are not merely a curiosity to be explored, an appetite to be satisfied, or a type of recreation or entertainment to be pursued selfishly. They are not a conquest to be achieved or simply an act to be performed. Rather, they are in mortality one of the ultimate expressions of our divine nature and potential and a way of strengthening emotional and spiritual bonds between husband and wife. We are agents blessed with moral agency and are defined by our divine heritage as children of God—and not by sexual behaviors, contemporary attitudes, or secular philosophies” (“We Believe in Being Chaste,” Ensign or Liahona, May 2013, 42).

How to stay sexually pure.

• “Chastity: What Are the Limits?” “I Choose to Be Pure” (videos), LDS.org

• “Sexual Purity,” For the Strength of Youth, 35–37

Improving Our Teaching

Bear testimony of Jesus Christ. As you teach, remember Paul’s example: he “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.