enduring word 1 corinthians 15 enduring word 1 corinthians 15

: At the outset of the letter indeed, the very first few words Paul fearlessly declares his apostolic credentials. The work of God in the Corinthian Christians could be seen by, iii. Click to enable/disable essential site cookies. God has called the weak and ignorant first, but not exclusively; shepherds first, then wise men; fishermen first, then the educated (like Paul, who was himself an educated man). We have all borne the image of the first Adam, and those who put their trust in the last Adam will also bear His resurrection image. The term Korinthiazomai was well known in the Roman Empire and it meant literally to live like a Corinthian. But everyone knew it really meant to be sexually out of control. Aelian, the late Greek writer, tells us that if ever a Corinthian was shown upon the stage in a Greek play he was shown drunk. (Barclay), v. Fee comments on Corinths sexual immorality: The Asclepius room in the present museum in Corinth provides mute evidence to this facet of city life; here on one wall are a large number of clay votives of human genitals that had been offered to the god for healing of that part of the body, apparently ravaged by venereal disease. Fee sums up his analysis of Corinth by writing: All of this evidence together suggests that Pauls Corinth was at once the New York, Los Angeles, and Las Vegas of the ancient world. Leon Morris describes Corinth as Intellectually alert, materially prosperous, but morally corrupt.. (20-23) The resurrection of Jesus was the firstfruit of our resurrection. Not with the, Lest the cross of Christ should be made of no effect, . d. Those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved: The verb tenses of are perishing and are being saved are significant. The person who is gifted with prophecy is the person whom God has inspired to speak His words to people in their own language. for the Christians destiny. This is not to say the other apostles were lazy (although some of them may have been), but that Paul was an exceptionally hard worker. However, we learn something just from the meaning of the ancient Greek word . Those who believe that Jesus gathers His people after He has poured out His wrath on a Jesus-rejecting world sometimes argue that it is the last trumpet of judgment, cited in Revelation 11:15-19. We write a letter by saying who the letter is to first, and we conclude with writing who the letter is from. Over time, two things happened: the church lost its passion for Jesus and His gospel, and ivy began to grow on the archway. does not mean moral or ethical corruption, but physical, material corruption. Our resurrection body will be a heavenly (celestial) body, suited for life in heaven, not only life on this earth. . Otherwise you will be prompted again when opening a new browser window or new a tab. f. See how important the truth of the resurrection is! Those baptized by the great apostle Paul had no advantage over those baptized by some unknown believer. This is not always the case; some of the most brilliant men of history have been Christians (such as Isaac Newton). Let a man so consider us, as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God. d. To the Jews a stumbling block and to the Greeks foolishness: The Jews regarded Christ crucified as a stumbling block; perhaps this is better understood as an offense or a scandal. Jesus does not belong to any one party. These cliques ignore the truth of unity over all diversity in the church, even if they were all in the name of spirituality. a. You have lost a dear friend: yes, but only lost that friend that you may find him again, and find more than you lost. If there were not men who differed a little in their creeds, we should never get as much gospel as we do God has sent different men to defend different kinds of truth; but Christ defended and preached all Christs testimony was perfect. (Spurgeon), ii. , and each is suited to its own particular environment and needs. : Whether Paul or one of the other apostles brought the message, the result was the same. Paul says, Go ask these people who saw the resurrected Jesus. It was prosperous, busy, and growing; it had a deserved reputation for the reckless pursuit of pleasure. The Lord will show His remembrance of our work and labor of love at the resurrection. The sting of death lay in this, that we had sinned and were summoned to appear before the God whom we had offended. This speaks to the vital need described in Romans 12:2: ii. Sanctification speaks of our behavior, and how the believers are to be separate from the world and unto God. a. This is a question Paul doesnt really answer in the following verses, because the answer is obvious. In 1 Corinthians 15 Paul deals more fully with what makes a person an apostle. Finally, have all your affairs in order so that you are ready to die. 1. I thank my God always concerning you for the grace of God which was given to you by Christ Jesus, that you were enriched in everything by Him in all utterance and all knowledge, even as the testimony of Christ was confirmed in you, so that you come short in no gift, eagerly waiting for the revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ, who will also confirm you to the end, that you may be blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. The idea is that we have been purchased to permanent freedom. The really significant background, though, is its use in the Greek translation of the Old Testament to render the divine name, Yahweh Christians who used this as their Bible would be familiar with the term as equivalent to deity. (Morris, in Romans), ii. Jesus gave him the keys to the kingdom of heaven, and hes our man. Their problem with the resurrection also indicated the source of many of their moral problems. : The book of Acts does not record an occasion when Paul faced wild animals in an arena. He was once scandalized by a crucified Christ; it infuriated him that one obviously cursed by God (according to Deuteronomy 21:23) should be honored as Messiah and Lord. So when he says, In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. I will not fear thee, death, why should I? I thank God that I baptized none of you except Crispus and Gaius, lest anyone should say that I had baptized in my own name. He gives thanks for their conversion to the faith of Christ; that grace was given them by Jesus Christ. 3. 1 Corinthians 15:1-19 - The Gospel of Jesus Christ 1 Corinthians 15:20-58 - The Glory of the Resurrection 1 Corinthians 16 - A Collection and a Conclusion 1 2 Bible Commentary Quick Navigation Start Here! 2 By this gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you. The Greek word has both a Gentile and a Jewish background. Now if Christ is preached that He has been raised from the dead, Why did Paul so carefully prove the resurrection of Jesus? ii. It was founded on a promise of God, when He said for I have many people in this city (Acts 18:10). If the dead do not rise, Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die.. Notice the words to be are inserted by translators. Trust God, rely on Him, v. If I neglect my end of the partnership, Gods grace doesnt accomplish all that it might, and is therefore given. They take the submission of God the Son as proof that He must not be equal in deity to God the Father. So also is the resurrection of the dead: Its hard to understand what our resurrection bodies will be like, so Paul will use contrast to help us, giving four contrasts between our present body and our future resurrection body. iii. For since, in the wisdom of God, the world through wisdom did not know God, it pleased God through the foolishness of the message preached to save those who believe. It is wisdom of a different order altogether. : In a single moment, Jesus will gather His people (both dead and on the earth) to Himself, for resurrection. By proceeding, you consent to our cookie usage. I speak, Do not be deceived: Evil company corrupts good habits., Where did the Corinthian Christians get their strange ideas about the resurrection, ideas Paul spent this chapter trying to correct? This speaks to the vital need described in Romans 12:2: do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God. 1. For the unbeliever, this life alone gives them any chance at pleasure, and whatever happiness they can find now is all the happiness they will ever know. If you must execute this man, do it honorably. ii. And as we have borne the image of the man of dust, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly Man. a. We are following in the footsteps of no one less than Jesus Himself. i. Righteousness means that we are legally declared not only not guilty, but to have a positive righteousness. He is the One who has called them into the fellowship of His Son, so He is the One who will confirm them to the end and present them blameless. So, even though our resurrection bodies come from our present bodies, we should not expect that they will be the same bodies or just improved bodies. All flesh is not the same flesh: There are all different kinds of bodies in Gods creation, including celestial bodies. iv. Were the ones really right with God! (Acts 18:24-25), : There was the Peter Party, who declared We are following in the footsteps of the man who is first among all the apostles. 1. Paul uses this exact phrase five other times in the New Testament. a. Do not be deceived: Evil company corrupts good habits. Awake to righteousness, and do not sin; for some do not have the knowledge of God. If it were if the teaching of baptismal regeneration were true then Paul could never thank God that he baptized so few in Corinth, and he, as an evangelist, could never say Christ did not send me to baptize. Barclay says yes, and simply points out that Paul was dead wrong here. Enriched in everything by Him in all utterance and in all knowledge, : This was the effect of grace in the life of the Corinthian Christians. We use cookies to let us know when you visit our websites, how you interact with us, to enrich your user experience, and to customize your relationship with our website. Later in this letter, Paul writes that he transferred to himself and Apollos what applied to others (1 Corinthians 4:6). The Corinthian Christians did not deny Jesus resurrection; they denied. The great Roman statesman Cicero said: The cross, it speaks of that which is so shameful, so horrible, it should never be mentioned in polite society. If we were witnesses to the trial of Jesus when the crowd was shouting out Crucify him! Jesus gave him the keys to the kingdom of heaven, and hes our man. in the gospel. One minister of Christ may be justly preferred to another. Human wisdom is constantly rejecting God and opposing Him, and ultimately showing itself foolish and perishing in doing so. Paul thought, with all I have endured for Jesus Christ, if there is not a resurrection and a heavenly reward beyond this life, I am a fool to be pitied. Can we, in our super-comfortable age, say the same thing? : As Paul describes the gospel in the following verses, it is important to notice that this gospel is not insightful teaching or good advice. i. Barclay on joined together: A medical word used of knitting together bones that have been fractured, or joining together a joint that has been dislocated. They are saints together with all who in every place call on the name of Jesus Christ our Lord. a. Paul: The apostle Paul follows the normal pattern for writing a letter in ancient times. No wonder it is foolishness to those who are perishing! Paul praises God for their positives, and expresses confidence that God will take care of their weak points, and confirm them to the end, so that they would be blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. He, from this truth, sets himself to refute those who said, There is no resurrection of the dead, ver 12-19. The Greek word has both a Gentile and a Jewish background. Simply put, God the Father will always be God the. But though this text doth not prove the general resurrection, (being only intended of believers, that are members of Christ,) yet it doth not oppose it. iv. Believers in Palestine are described this way (1 Corinthians 15:9), as well as the church at large (1 Corinthians 10:31-32). This the church of Corinth was famous for. Click to enable/disable Google Analytics tracking. Some of them denied the reality of resurrection, while believing in a resurrected Jesus. ( 1 Corinthians 4:1-2) Servants and stewards. i. For I delivered unto you first of all . righteousness and sanctification and redemption, . : In the wording of the ancient Greek, it is even stronger: : Paul says our bodies are like seeds which grow into resurrection bodies. The following cookies are also needed - You can choose if you want to allow them: You can read about our cookies and privacy settings in detail on our Privacy Policy Page. i. Jesus was a unique case. It wasnt because the Corinthian Christians did not believe Jesus rose from the dead. i. You always can block or delete cookies by changing your browser settings and force blocking all cookies on this website. How much of this came in because of they kept. Please see our Privacy Policy for cookie usage details. I thank my God always concerning you for the grace of God which was given to you by Christ Jesus, that you were enriched in everything by Him in all utterance and all knowledge, even as the testimony of Christ was confirmed in you, so that you come short in no gift, eagerly waiting for the revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ, who will also confirm you to the end. He had the right, and the authority, to command the Corinthian Christians in these matters. For others, there is resurrection and eternal life, but unto damnation. The students discussed it for a while and decided they had 5% of all human knowledge amongst themselves. Significantly, in the gospels, Jesus brothers are hostile to Him and His mission (John 7:3-5). Yet, we can see by this that baptism is not essential to salvation. Later, James became a leader in the church in Jerusalem (Acts 15:13-21; 21:18). These cookies collect information that is used either in aggregate form to help us understand how our website is being used or how effective our marketing campaigns are, or to help us customize our website and application for you in order to enhance your experience. All the more, this is why they had to hold on! Raised in incorruption raised in glory raised in power: Our resurrection body will be glorious! He compares his own case with that of the Corinthians: " We are fools for Christ's sake, but you are wise in Christ; we are weak, but you are strong; you are honourable, but we are despised, v. 10. a. We may pride ourselves on not having the problems of the Corinthian Christians, but do we have their positives? Christ crucified was the ultimate oxymoron, and this was what Paul preached! . ii. He kept to His gospel, because for those who believed it (. iv. 1. . Crispus believed on the Lord with all his household (Acts 18:8), and was saved. He was also humble enough to know that even his hard work was the work of Gods grace in him. If you are an unbeliever, death is not your friend; it is your enemy. This remarkable, instant gathering of Christians unto Jesus in the clouds has been called the rapture, after the Latin word for caught up in 1 Thessalonians 4:15-18. ii. Not with the wisdom of words, which can be translated cleverness of speaking. In its Gentile sense it denotes chiefly the citizen-assembly of a Greek city but it is its Jewish usage that underlies its use to denote the community of believers in Jesus. How are the dead raised up? The Corinthian Christians are, , but this was not based on the outward performance of the Corinthians. O Hades, where is your victory? isnt detailed in the gospels, but is suggested by Matthew 28:10 and 28:16-17. . . I know thou art no more able to destroy me, but thou art sent as a messenger to conduct me to the golden gate wherein I shall enter and see my Saviours unveiled face for ever. The lack of adequate respiration resulted in severe muscle cramps, which hindered breathing even further. 4. Session 4: Treasure in Clay Jars. 3. iii. The idea is that we have been purchased to permanent freedom. Corinth had a rich ethnic mix, and it was a center for sports, government, military, and business. And with what body do they come?. For the message of the cross: In 1 Corinthians 1:17, Paul declared the idea that the cross could be made of no effect if it were presented with the wisdom of words. Gods wisdom is not mans wisdom multiplied to the highest degree. As noted above, in this chapter Paul deals both with Christ's resurrection (15:1-11) and with our own (15:12-58). Crucified meant weakness, defeat, and humiliation. What is an apostle of Jesus Christ? You dont understand the tension between Christ and crucified. Called to be an apostle is literally a called apostle. c. To put to shame the wise: This explains part of the pleasure of God described in 1 Corinthians 1:21. a. I thank my God always: Paul will later spend most of this letter rebuking sin and correcting error, yet he is still sincerely thankful for Gods work in the Corinthian Christians. They are saints together, with all who in every place call on the name of Jesus Christ our Lord. d. You come short in no gift: Paul thanks God for the gifts among the Corinthians, even though they were causing some trouble. b. If one preaches the word with a reliance on, i. When writing Scripture, Paul was infallible, but not omniscient. i. So, even though our resurrection bodies come from our present bodies, we should not expect that they will be the same bodies or just improved bodies. e. It pleased God: God takes pleasure in accomplishing our salvation in a way no one would have expected. He wrote a letter to the Christians in Corinth from the city of Ephesus (Acts 19), which is mentioned in 1 Corinthians 5:9. ( John 15:1-3) Jesus as the true vine . Paul was in Athens a day or two; he stayed in Corinth for a year and a half. This is not Pauls gospel in the sense that he created it or fashioned it; it is Pauls gospel in the sense that he personally believes it and spreads it. Love suffers long: Love will endure a long time. From the first, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly Man. : Paul will later spend most of this letter rebuking sin and correcting error, yet he is still sincerely thankful for Gods work in the Corinthian Christians. They are shown to have, at times, morality problems, doctrine problems, church government problems, spiritual gift problems, church service problems, and authority problems. The words sanctified and saints communicate the same idea, of being set apart from the world and unto God. Over time, two things happened: the church lost its passion for Jesus and His gospel, and ivy began to grow on the archway. He recognizes that the gifts were not the problem, but wrong attitudes and beliefs about the gifts. God raises the dead. : The Corinthian Christians had their strong points, and they had their weak points. : Paul was honest enough to know and to say that he worked hard. i. how God's power is perfected in our weakness. Surely, Paul remembered his converts, but the issue of baptism, though important, was not, , it is impossible to claim that Paul was a sacramentalist. The disunion is unnatural and must be cured.. Paul says, In light of what God says in Isaiah 29:14, now where is your wise man? a. A hard knot must have a hard wedge, a dead heart a rousing reproof. (Trapp). ii. The disunion is unnatural and must be cured.. c. There are different bodies or structures in the universe (sun moon stars), and each is created with its own glory, and each is suited to its own particular environment and needs. 2. Grace to you and peace: The greeting including grace and peace is typical of Pauls letters, and draws from both Greek and Jewish customs. In this emphasis on Jesus, Paul promotes the sure cure for the problems of the Corinthians: getting your eyes off self and on Jesus. . c. Since we will bear the image of the heavenly Man, the best example we have of what a resurrection body will be like is to see what Jesus resurrection body was like. In light of all this, how could the Corinthian Christians let go of such an important truth? ( 1 Corinthians) Lenski - The transition is simple and perfect. iv. You can also change some of your preferences. ii. The power of baptism is in the spiritual reality it represents, not in who performs it. Surely, Paul remembered his converts, but the issue of baptism, though important, was not as important to Paul. Verse 3. The plain fact is that Paul did not know when these events would take place, and nowhere does he claim to know. Paul isnt condemning all learning or education; he merely says that by themselves they are useless for obtaining spiritual wisdom. iii. (Messiah) meant power, splendor, and triumph. (42-44) Comparison of the two kinds of bodies. iii. : Our resurrection body will be glorious! Because these cookies are strictly necessary to deliver the website, refusing them will have impact how our site functions. That is of little importance to me, because I am not an apostle because of a popular election.