i. Whatever the preacher may mean in his heart, he will be guilty of the blood of souls if he does not clearly proclaim a real sacrifice for sin. (Spurgeon), vi. He recognizes that the gifts were not the problem, but wrong attitudes and beliefs about the gifts. iv. f. See how important the truth of the resurrection is! It is the heart shown in God when it is said of the Lord, The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance ( 2 Peter 3:9 ). Click to enable/disable _ga - Google Analytics Cookie. i. Paul came to Corinth from Athens, where he contended with the great philosophers of the day in terms they could understand (Acts 17:16-34). They were not looking for the message of the cross. It wasnt because the Corinthian Christians did not believe Jesus rose from the dead. iii. The Greek word has both a Gentile and a Jewish background. This the church of Corinth was famous for. Their desire for wisdom was not bad, but their rejection of Gods wisdom was. Instead of being torn apart, Paul pleads that they would be joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment. Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. ii. 1. has Old Testament associations, especially in the Septuagint (the ancient Greek translation of the Old Testament). For some, this would just be spiritual sounding talk, which showed more pride than humility. There will come a day when in Gods eternal plan, He gives those dead in the Lord their resurrection bodies, and then in an instant He gathers all His people to meet Jesus in the air. Lifting up Jesus, honoring, and proclaiming His goodness to all mankind i. describes the Christians marching orders at the rapture of the Church. ( 1 Corinthians 4:1-2) Servants and stewards. Where does that atom go in the resurrection? But God does not need every atom of a mans body to make a resurrection body. : Instead of giving the Jews and Greeks what they demanded in deliverance and wisdom, God gave them something unexpected: a crucified Messiah. The atoms in the body are taken up in grass and eaten by a steer, and the steer is slaughtered and another man eats the meat and takes the atom into his body. 3. Because these cookies are strictly necessary to deliver the website, refusing them will have impact how our site functions. He specifies utterance and knowledge, v. 5. : A resurrected body is not a resuscitated corpse. How can we die daily? But this is not necessarily the case at all. Cephas is the Aramaic word for Peter. This was in constant use, because seamen were thus enabled to avoid sailing round the dangerous promontory of Malea. (Vincent) Sailors wanted to avoid the dangerous journey around Malea, which was indicated by two popular proverbs: Let him who sails around Malea forget his home, and Let him who sails around Malea first make his will. If the ship was too large to be dragged, the cargo was unloaded and loaded onto another ship on the other side of the isthmus. That Paul did not regard baptism as essential to salvation is also seen by the fact that he did not keep careful track of those he baptized: Besides, I do not know whether I baptized any other. : As Paul describes the gospel in the following verses, it is important to notice that this gospel is not insightful teaching or good advice. Paul will not allow this. 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. ii. Those of Chloes household: Chloe was a woman (probably a Christian) whose business interests caused her representatives (those of her household) to travel between Ephesus and Corinth. Paul thought carefully about this letter. But because of all the time Paul spent in Corinth, and all the letters he wrote them, we know more about the Christians at Corinth than we know about any other church in the New Testament. And if one lets go of the gospel, all their. The resurrection of Jesus is also the. ii. He regarded himself as. i. Paul writes this letter from Ephesus, where these people from Chloes household visited and told him about the condition of the the Corinthian church. : Paul was honest enough to know and to say that he worked hard. Mans flesh only is informed by a reasonable and immortal soul, not so the flesh of other creatures: and hence the difference. (Trapp). Children are apt to be struck with novelty; but do not act like them. d. Those who are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints: Paul continued his description of the Corinthian Christians. The Corinthian Christians did not deny Jesus resurrection; they denied. This conflict had made them divide up into parties or cliques, each party having its own leader., i. i. Paul faced all this for the sake of the resurrection of the dead, both Jesus resurrection and the believers. Click to enable/disable essential site cookies. b. I affirm, by the boasting in you which I have in Christ Jesus our Lord, I die daily. He was a changed man, forgiven, cleansed, and full of love when he used to be full of hate. Session 3: Superiority of the New Covenant. The words, are inserted by translators. It is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body. First, every day carefully consider the certainty of death. God raises the dead. - The point is that reliable people have claimed to have seen the resurrected Christ in the flesh (sarx) and upon that confession we have come to believe. Raised in incorruption raised in glory raised in power: Our resurrection body will be glorious! The church also had even lost Jesus in the message, preaching religious platitudes and social graces. For others, there is resurrection and eternal life, but unto damnation. He has destroyed the wisdom of the wise, just as He said He would., i. In this emphasis on Jesus, Paul promotes the sure cure for the problems of the Corinthians: getting your eyes off self and on Jesus. It isnt. Their problem with the resurrection also indicated the source of many of their moral problems. It was impossible for the Apostle to preach the gospel without presenting the message of the cross. Or were you baptized in the name of Paul: Even more foolish than dividing Jesus is to center parties in the church around men. figuratively, in reference to his violent and wild human opponents (as he faced at Ephesus in Acts 19:21-41). It is wisdom of a different order altogether. : There are all different kinds of bodies in Gods creation, including, . The disunion is unnatural and must be cured.. i. For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. So when this corruptible has put on incorruption, and this mortal has put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written: Death is swallowed up in victory., O Death, where is your sting? (33-34) Knowing the truth about our resurrection should affect the way we live. The Greeks regarded Christ crucified as foolishness. 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? Someone once said to him, Well, what church are you in now? He said, I am in the true church at last. How many belong to it? Just my wife and myself, and I am not sure about her sometimes.. Conceivably, if Paul had not worked as hard as he did, the grace of God would still have been given to him, but in some measure it would be given. This chapter falls logically into two divisions having reference to fellow-laborers in God's field (1 Corinthians 3:1-9 a), and to fellow-workers in God's building (1 Corinthians 3:9b-17), with a short summary and recapitulation of the apostle's argument in the epistle to this point (1 Corinthians 3:18-23).THE FIELD. He had authority in the church. I am of Cephas: There was the Peter Party, who declared We are following in the footsteps of the man who is first among all the apostles. A hard knot must have a hard wedge, a dead heart a rousing reproof. (Trapp). Surely, Paul remembered his converts, but the issue of baptism, though important, was not, , it is impossible to claim that Paul was a sacramentalist. By proceeding, you consent to our cookie usage. We are following in the footsteps of no one less than Jesus Himself. Three glimpses of the bodys glory were seen, in Moses face, in Christs transfiguration, and in Stephens countenance. (Trapp), iii. 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. Should it not show us that gifts are nothing, unless they are laid on the altar of God; that it is nothing to have the gift of oratory; that it is nothing to have the power of eloquence; that it is nothing to have learning; that it is nothing to have influence, unless they all be dedicated to God, and consecrated to his service? (Spurgeon). The doctrine of Christ's death and resurrection, is the foundation of Christianity. No one will stand before God and declare, I figured You out or You did it just like I thought You should. Gods ways are greater and higher, and nothing of the flesh will glory in His presence. I am of Christ: There was the Jesus Party, who declared You all are so carnal, following after mere men. ? They did not value the wisdom expressed in the message of the cross. i. The Corinthians were a rich church, not only materially, but also in their speech and knowledge of Jesus (, all utterance and in all knowledge the testimony of Christ, ), and in that they lived in anticipation of Jesus coming (, i. In His work, He communicates three things to those who are in Christ Jesus. What is there wise (in the Greek sense of wisdom) about a crucified Messiah?. Paul uses this exact phrase five other times in the New Testament. 1. This may be a foolish question (Paul calls his imaginary questioner Foolish one in 1 Corinthians 15:36), but it is a question Paul will answer. i. Freud was wrong when he said: And finally there is the painful riddle of death, for which no remedy at all has yet been found, nor probably ever will be. Compare that with Pauls triumphant declaration, Death is swallowed up in victory! a. The growth of the ivy, covering the message, showed the spiritual decline. . Why then are they baptized for the dead? But this will always prompt you to accept/refuse cookies when revisiting our site. 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. He currently serves now as the senior pastor of Calvary Chapel Santa Barbara. The sting of death lay in this, that we had sinned and were summoned to appear before the God whom we had offended. So also is the resurrection of the dead. This is not some side doctrine, to be believed if one likes it. That he does, : I am in constant peril of my life. Pauls life was lived so on the edge for Jesus Christ that he could say, , . His life was always on the line; there were always people out to kill him. It may simply be unrecorded, or Paul may mean beasts figuratively, in reference to his violent and wild human opponents (as he faced at Ephesus in Acts 19:21-41). i. a. How different for the Christian! i. Does we shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed mean that Paul predicted Jesus would come in his lifetime? But they were. Death is defeated by resurrection. No doubt, many of the Corinthian Christians were beginning to think of themselves in high terms because of Gods work in them. 5. All the more, this is why they had to hold on! Though at the time of his writing 1 Corinthians it was still in the future, Pauls whole arrest, imprisonment, and journey to Rome as done for the sake of the resurrection of the dead (Acts 23:6, 24:15, and 24:21). He is a life-giving spirit. Now, after preparing their minds for rebuke, acting like a good, experienced surgeon, who touches the wound gently when a painful remedy must be used, Paul begins to handle them more severely. (Calvin). 3. This is a question Paul doesnt really answer in the following verses, because the answer is obvious. iv. vi. Grace means that God gives freely, for His own reasons. in the gospel. Paul says, Go ask these people who saw the resurrected Jesus. . It is one thing to prefer one minister to another, but we cannot divide into cliques behind one minister or another. While therefore it is unscriptural to make baptism essential to salvation or a certain means of regeneration, it is nevertheless a dangerous act of disobedience to undervalue or neglect it. (Hodge). It is sown in weakness, it is raised in power. 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. Session 5: Ministry of Reconciliation. Corinth was a major city of business, especially because of its location. Though he was a pagan, Menander told the truth at this point, and Paul (more properly, the Holy Spirit) had no problem quoting a pagan who did tell the truth at a particular point. 2. And if Christ is not risen, then our preaching, If Christ is not risen, then our preaching is in vain, : If there is no resurrection, then Jesus is not risen, and Paul and the other apostles have preached. They got this bad thinking by associating either with Jews who did not believe in the resurrection (such as the Sadducees) or by associating with pagan, Greek philosophical types, who did not believe in the resurrection (Acts 17:31-32). When Paul first came to Corinth, the ruler of the synagogue was a man named Crispus. those who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. You always can block or delete cookies by changing your browser settings and force blocking all cookies on this website. ; it is well to recall what the title means. Please be aware that this might heavily reduce the functionality and appearance of our site. : Paul thanks God for the gifts among the Corinthians, even though they were causing some trouble. : Here, Paul refers to God the Sons desire to glorify God the Father through all eternity. For you see your calling, brethren, that not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, : Paul says to the Corinthians, Look at yourselves. Paul always remembered how he had sinned against Jesus church. Click to enable/disable _gid - Google Analytics Cookie. This is not always the case; some of the most brilliant men of history have been Christians (such as Isaac Newton). Where is the disputer of this age? Let him die the death of a dignified man. 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. As Paul said to Agrippa in Acts 26:8, Why should it be thought incredible by you that God raises the dead? 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! We are following in the footsteps of no one less than Jesus Himself. Since these providers may collect personal data like your IP address we allow you to block them here. This may seem like a small distinction to us, but it must be an important distinction to God. God isnt saying that it is better to be foolish or uneducated. Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; nor does corruption inherit incorruption. If there is no resurrection, and no future judgment, then we may as well have the best time we can right now and Paul was a fool for putting himself in such discomfort and danger for the sake of the gospel. God raises the dead. He will destroy the wisdom of the wise, not bow down before it. . What message does a cruel, humiliating, unrelenting instrument of death have? b. His replacement was a man named Sosthenes, who was beaten by the Roman officials in a bit of anti-Semitic backlash against the Jews who tried to persecute Paul. In terms of what love "is not," Paul says it is not self-seeking, short-tempered, and offensive. d. You come short in no gift: Paul thanks God for the gifts among the Corinthians, even though they were causing some trouble. The ancient Egyptians, at the end of a big banquet, often escorted a wooden image of a man in a coffin around the tables, telling people to have a good time now, because youll be dead sooner than you think. Corruption cant inherit incorruption. I am of Apollos: There was the Apollos Party, who declared We are following in the footsteps of a man who is great in power and spiritual gifts, and an impressive man. There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body. e. If the dead do not rise, Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die. Pauls third proof for the resurrection in this section is also compelling. d. That no flesh should glory in His presence: This is the end result. Where is your scribe? iii. The power of baptism is in the spiritual reality it represents, not in who performs it. You are free to opt out any time or opt in for other cookies to get a better experience. 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. ii. Certain divines tell us that they must adapt truth to the advance of the age, which means that they must murder it and fling its dead body to the dogs which simply means that a popular lie shall take the place of an offensive truth. (Spurgeon). Grace is always first, peace always second. 1 Corinthians 15:51-58 EXEGESIS: THE CONTEXT: Corinth was an important and wealthy city on the isthmus (narrow strip of land) separating Northern and Southern Greece. Even in his introduction, Paul thinks about the critical issues he needs to communicate to the Corinthian Christians. Because it was becoming a divisive issue, Paul was therefore grateful that he had not baptized very many in Corinth (lest anyone should say that I had baptized in my own name). Youre no great bargain. There were, not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, i. For God is not unjust to forget your work and labor of love which you have shown toward His name, in that you have ministered to the saints, and do minister (Hebrews 6:10). It is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts. No. The Apostle Paul spent eighteen months there on his Second Missionary Journey and established a church there. : At the outset of the letter indeed, the very first few words Paul fearlessly declares his apostolic credentials. This is a question Paul doesnt really answer in the following verses, because the answer is obvious. Aramaic is the language that Jesus spoke. 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. If the cross and its message seem weak, they are not; they are powerful and wise. Paul says, In light of what God says in Isaiah 29:14, now where is your wise man? Moreover it is required in stewards that one be found faithful. These cookies are strictly necessary to provide you with services available through our website and to use some of its features. It is as if he says, You all may not recognize my apostolic credentials. : The cumulative testimony of these witnesses is overwhelming. ii. Paul describes "the work of love" in both positive and negative terms. We dont need to waver, we dont need to change direction, we dont need to fall, and we dont need to quit. iii. i. So he was fired from or quit his job as ruler of the synagogue! Encouraging and getting others to study, believe, and rely on God to be real. He knew that he was forgiven; yet he remembered his sin. In these first 10 verses, Paul refers to Jesus in every verse, for a total of 11 times. For Jews request a sign, and Greeks seek after wisdombut we preach Christ crucified, to the Jews a stumbling block and to the Greeks foolishness, but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. Yet, we can see by this that, that he baptized so few in Corinth, and he, as an evangelist, could. Jesus gave him the keys to the kingdom of heaven, and hes our man. Yet He was no phantom; He had a real flesh and bone body. c. To the church of God which is at Corinth: Notice the contrast: The church of God (something good), which is at Corinth (someplace bad). d. There is one glory of the sun, another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars; for one star differs from another star in glory: Some take this to mean there will be different degrees of glory for believers in heaven. 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. The Corinthians boasting about their party leaders was really boasting about themselves. Instead He rose. Otherwise, what will they do who are baptized for the dead, if the dead do not rise at all? If, in the manner of men, I have fought with beasts at Ephesus, what advantage. i. Paul brilliantly links together the ideas of sin, death, and our identification with Jesus death and resurrection in Romans 6:1-14. d. Through our Lord Jesus Christ: This defeat of death is only possible for those who live through our Lord Jesus Christ. After that time, there will be a final, Satan inspired rebellion (Revelation 20:7-10), which Jesus will crush and finally and forever, is an Old Testament figure for total conquest. (Mare), The last enemy that will be destroyed is death, : Death will be present during the millennial reign of Jesus (Revelation 20:9 and Isaiah 65:20), but afterward, death will be abolished. Their idolatry was to conceive of God as ultimate Reason, meaning of course what we deem to be reasonable. (Fee). Paul will tell the Corinthian Christians something they could not have known by reason or research. It was common in the ancient world to dictate a letter to a scribe who would write it all down. It was prosperous, busy, and growing; it had a deserved reputation for the reckless pursuit of pleasure. This previous letter is lost. c. There are contentions among you: Though division is ungodly, it is not wrong to make distinctions between churches and ministers. Paul understood this principle well, writing, . But someone will say, How are the dead raised up? This is the sting of death to you, unconverted ones, not that you are dying, but that after death is the judgment, and that you must stand before the Judge of the quick and dead to receive a sentence for the sins which you have committed in your body against him. (Spurgeon). a. Therefore be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord: Because we know death is defeated and we have an eternal, resurrected destiny with Jesus Christ, we should stand firm and unshakable all the more for Him right now. This last trumpet may be connected with the trumpet of God in 1 Thessalonians 4:16, but not with the trumpets of angels in Revelation 11. That is of little importance to me, because I am not an apostle because of a popular election. iii. The Corinthian people were also world known: for partying, drunkenness, and loose sexual morals. The bottom line is this: is the church influencing the city, or is the city influencing the church? , and each is suited to its own particular environment and needs. How sobering this is! The Gospel of Matthew; The Gospel of Mark; The Gospel of Luke; The Gospel of John; The Book of Acts; The Book of Romans; The Book of 1 Corinthians . : Does this mean everyone is resurrected? Nederlandstalige Bijbelstudies door Stan Marinussen, : The apostle Paul follows the normal pattern for writing a letter in ancient times. Trapp says Paul can write this Because none out of hell ever suffered more than the saints have done.. Without grace there is and can be no peace, but when grace is ours, peace must of necessity follow. (Lenski). The path for Gods glory is Christ crucified; the evidence of Gods glory is His choice of the lowly. iv. Are they lying in the grave, in some kind of soul sleep or suspended animation? It is important and useful for Christians to daily reckon themselves dead to sin with Jesus Christ (as in Romans 6:11. to support that truth is wrong, because in context Paul is writing about the danger to his physical life. 3. He is describing them as they appear to the perishing man, the wise man of this age. Moreover, brethren, I declare to you the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received and in which you stand, by which also you are saved, if you hold fast that word which I preached to you unless you believed in vain. a. ( John 15:1-3) Jesus as the true vine . 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. Click to enable/disable Google Analytics tracking. O Death, where is your sting? Ancient writers considered Corinth rich, prosperous always great and wealthy (Mare). He, from this truth, sets himself to refute those who said, There is no resurrection of the dead, ver 12-19. Jesus: The given name of the son of Mary, and adopted son of Joseph, which is the Greek pronunciation of Joshua. the gospel Paul preached to them. iii. He wrote a letter to the Christians in Corinth from the city of Ephesus (Acts 19), which is mentioned in 1 Corinthians 5:9. Those who feel called to rebuke sin and correct error in the church today should follow Pauls example. 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. c. We preach Christ crucified: Instead of giving the Jews and Greeks what they demanded in deliverance and wisdom, God gave them something unexpected: a crucified Messiah. of our resurrection in the sense that He is our entrance fee to resurrection. The second perfect man, Jesus the, , can give us another kind of body. When Paul looked at the Corinthian church, he could say: These people proclaim Jesus, they know about Jesus, there are the supernatural gifts of God among them, and they are excited about Jesus return. Whatever problems they had, these are some pretty impressive strong points. We should work hard in everything now, working for the Lord, because right now counts forever! But of Him you are in Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from Godand righteousness and sanctification and redemptionthat, as it is written, He who glories, let him glory in the LORD.. No. Probably, was Pauls scribe (or, more technically, his, To the church of God which is at Corinth, to those who are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called, with a building where Christians meet. 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. Click on the different category headings to find out more. I am an apostle of Jesus Christ through the will of God, not the will of any man.. This wisdom is often in contradiction to mans expectation. ! A strong church once inscribed these words on an archway leading to the churchyard. The first perfect man, Adam, gave us one kind of body. Human wisdom is constantly rejecting God and opposing Him, and ultimately showing itself foolish and perishing in doing so. was the ultimate oxymoron, and this was what Paul preached! As Paul wrote to the church in Thessalonica. So when he says we he means we believers. (Morris). Session 6: Paul and Titus. Verse 1 Corinthians 15:3. And what you sow, you do not sow that body that shall be, but mere grainperhaps wheat or some other. e. Confirm you to the end: The Corinthian Christians had their strong points, and they had their weak points. By keeping evil company, the Corinthian Christians were being conformed to this world, and they needed to be transformed by the renewing of your mind. It was founded on a promise of God, when He said, : In his first few words, Paul lays the foundation for a fundamental issue he will address in this letter: Christian unity, based on the common Lordship of Jesus Christ. He would gladly say, i. Note that blocking some types of cookies may impact your experience on our websites and the services we are able to offer. No one saw the actual resurrection of Jesus. iii. 1 CORINTHIANS 15:1-2. For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received, it (and not from man, but from Jesus Christ, according to Galatians 1:11-12), and Paul. Check to enable permanent hiding of message bar and refuse all cookies if you do not opt in. Pauls third proof for the resurrection in this section is also compelling. Secondly, it was right and proper for Paul to live as if the coming of Jesus was imminent, though he did not in fact know when Jesus would return. But he had no desire to compete with other apostles for the Most Valuable Apostle award.
Irs District Director Addresses,
Fast Growing Shrubs In Georgia,
Australia Post Northgate Mail Centre,
For Rent Southside San Antonio,
Florida Chiropractic Seminars 2022,
Articles E
enduring word 1 corinthians 15