enduring word 1 corinthians 15 enduring word 1 corinthians 15

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. Where is your disputer of this age? 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.. God has made them all foolish through His wisdom. i. This isnt the gathering of the world, but of God. Let a man so consider us, as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God. Paul was in Athens a day or two; he stayed in Corinth for a year and a half. The second perfect man, Jesus the, , can give us another kind of body. ii. 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. Jesus paid our admission to the resurrection! There is nothing more uncomely, unlovely, and loathsome than a dead body; but it will not be so when it shall be raised again, then it shall be a beautiful, comely body. The changed character of the apostles, and their willingness to die for the testimony of the resurrection, eliminate, For I am the least of the apostles, who am not worthy to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. Not with the, Lest the cross of Christ should be made of no effect, . These bodies which are subject to disease, injury, and one day decay, are unsuited for heaven. Instead, a stalk of wheat grows. Their desire for deliverance was not bad, but their rejection of Gods way of deliverance was. David has been happy to be part of the Blue Letter Bible . Here, he simply states the fact: And has become the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep, of our resurrection in both senses. b. But someone will say, How are the dead raised up? He kept to His gospel, because for those who believed it (both Jews and Greeks), Christ crucified is the power of God and the wisdom of God. : If these few Corinthians were right about the resurrection, then Jesus was still dead! When Jesus came upon the tomb of Lazarus, He, . iv. Because these cookies are strictly necessary to deliver the website, refusing them will have impact how our site functions. As is evident from 1 and 2 Corinthians, Pauls standing and authority as an apostle were not appreciated among the Christians of Corinth. ii. They were, is mere flattery, Pauls way of preparing them for coming rebuke. The hearing and trusting of the true gospel will bring the, . The bottom line is this: is the church influencing the city, or is the city influencing the church? An apostle of Jesus Christ through the will of God: With this, Paul emphasizes his point and already begins contending with the Christians of Corinth. Finally, have all your affairs in order so that you are ready to die. We write a letter by saying who the letter is to first, and we conclude with writing who the letter is from. 1. Corinth had a rich ethnic mix, and it was a center for sports, government, military, and business. In fact, he makes it clear in 1 Corinthians 15:11 that they, i. ( 1 Corinthians) Lenski - The transition is simple and perfect. isnt detailed in the gospels, but is suggested by Matthew 28:10 and 28:16-17. Note that blocking some types of cookies may impact your experience on our websites and the services we are able to offer. Click to enable/disable _gat_* - Google Analytics Cookie. Later in this letter, Paul writes that he transferred to himself and Apollos what applied to others (1 Corinthians 4:6). 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. Those who insist that we must change the emphasis of the gospel because people cant relate to it today must realize that the people of Pauls day couldnt relate to his preaching either, yet he kept it up, and with great results. The gospel is the message of the cross. ii. All flesh is not the same flesh, but there is one kind of flesh of men, another flesh of animals, another of fish, and another of birds. Jesus: The given name of the son of Mary, and adopted son of Joseph, which is the Greek pronunciation of Joshua. Copyright - Enduring Word       |      . : The death of Jesus Christ, the Messiah, the Son of God, is the center of the gospel. If you are an unbeliever, death is not your friend; it is your enemy. If there were no resurrection, why would Paul place his life in jeopardy for the gospel? He is happy to do it in this way, which offends the height of human wisdom. b. c. You do not sow that body that shall be God gives it a body as He pleases, and to each seed its own body: When you plant a wheat seed, a big wheat seed does not come up. ii. He recognizes that the gifts were not the problem, but wrong attitudes and beliefs about the gifts. 5. 2. Session 6: Paul and Titus. a. Because these cookies are strictly necessary to deliver the website, refusing them will have impact how our site functions. It is wisdom of a different order altogether. 4. 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. If you must execute this man, do it honorably. 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. 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? c. Sosthenes our brother: This man Sosthenes is perhaps mentioned in Acts 18:17, as the head of a Corinthian synagogue who was beaten because he protected Paul. Note Paul's words: "For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel." - 1 Co 1:17 b. Death has no power over the person found in Jesus Christ. 1 CORINTHIANS - PROBLEMS OF A LOCAL CHURCH Click chart to enlarge Charts from Jensen's Survey of the NT - used by permission. In terms of what love "is not," Paul says it is not self-seeking, short-tempered, and offensive. It was impossible for the Apostle to preach the gospel without presenting the message of the cross. For it has been declared to me concerning you, my brethren, by those of Chloes household, that there are contentions among you. It is a new order of life that will never die again. Each of us is definitely moving in one of those two directions. Grace to you and peace: The greeting including grace and peace is typical of Pauls letters, and draws from both Greek and Jewish customs. ! A strong church once inscribed these words on an archway leading to the churchyard. : This is not a quotation from the Old Testament, or even from the words of Jesus. And so it is written, The first man Adam became a living being. The last Adam became a life-giving spirit. The doctrine of Christ's death and resurrection, is the foundation of Christianity. By which you are also saved, if you hold fast that word I preached to you. 2018 David Guzik No distribution beyond personal use without permission. : If the Corinthian Christians did not continue to, , one day they might let go of the gospel. For others, there is resurrection and eternal life, but unto damnation. ii. When writing Scripture, Paul was infallible, but not omniscient. Is God supposed to do it or am I supposed to do it? Click to enable/disable Google Analytics tracking. There is inherent power in the preaching of the true gospel, when it is received with faith. Due to security reasons we are not able to show or modify cookies from other domains. Christians must let the Word of God shape their thinking, not the evil company of this world. But God cannot be found through human wisdom, but only through the, : The Corinthians wanted to believe that the gospel itself was a sublime form of wisdom, as the Greeks considered wisdom (. It was common in the ancient world to dictate a letter to a scribe who would write it all down. . a. This passage also makes it clear that the individual doing the baptizing doesnt really affect the validity of the baptism. It is significant that often the most educated people have the least regard for God. We are following in the footsteps of no one less than Jesus Himself. But God did not respond to the polling data. also implies there were some people or some things which might want to snatch the true gospel away from the Corinthian Christians. It was common in the ancient world to dictate a letter to a scribe who would write it all down. Spurgeon gives seven steps to dying daily in a sermon titled. The sting of death lay in this, that we had sinned and were summoned to appear before the God whom we had offended. Instead, a stalk of wheat grows. Paul uses this exact phrase five other times in the New Testament. 1 Co 1:14-17 a. Moreover it is required in stewards that one be found faithful. 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. Otherwise you will be prompted again when opening a new browser window or new a tab. i. This should make us steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the 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. Evil company corrupts good habits: This is not a quotation from the Old Testament, or even from the words of Jesus. The problem is addressed. Therefore, whether it was I or they, so we preach and so you believed. 1. : A title designating not only master and boss, but also the, : The given name of the son of Mary, and adopted son of Joseph, which is the Greek pronunciation of, : This is the ancient Greek translation of the Hebrew word for. iv. For some, this would just be spiritual sounding talk, which showed more pride than humility. 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). Many Christians struggle at this very point. How different for the Christian! But they were. : In a single moment, Jesus will gather His people (both dead and on the earth) to Himself, for resurrection. If you do not want that we track your visit to our site you can disable tracking in your browser here: We also use different external services like Google Webfonts, Google Maps, and external Video providers. In the ancient culture of Paul, a letter began with writing who the letter is from, and then stating who the letter is to. i. Philippians 3:21 repeats Pauls theme: , the best example we have of what a resurrection body will be like is to see what Jesus resurrection body was like. All rights reserved worldwide. It wasnt so much that they thought Apollos was great, but that. Paul, knowing death is a defeated enemy because of Jesus work, can almost taunt death, and mock it. 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). So, he persecuted the church before being confronted by Jesus on the road to Damascus (Acts 9). The Corinthians boasting about their party leaders was really boasting about themselves. iv. But dont expose Him to the horror and the humiliation of hanging on a cross. But God wanted, , and if we dont embrace the cross, even with all its strange contradictions and demands, then we are. 5. In the Old Testament, the offering of firstfruits brought one sheaf of grain to represent and anticipate the rest of the harvest (Leviticus 23:9-14). Otherwise, what will they do who are baptized for the dead, if the dead do not rise at all? iii. 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), in their abounding in the gifts (come short in no gift), and in that they lived in anticipation of Jesus coming (eagerly waiting). When you bury the body of a believer, you are sowing a seed that will come out of the earth as a resurrection body. "THE FIRST EPISTLE TO THE CORINTHIANS" Chapter Fifteen OBJECTIVES IN STUDYING THIS CHAPTER 1) To see how the resurrection of Jesus is the basis of our faith 2) To determine why we believe that Jesus was indeed raised from the dead 3) To notice the sequence of events which will occur at the end of time as presented in this chapter 4) To understand Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit. 15:20-34 All that are by faith united to Christ, are by his resurrection assured of their own. a. Jesus, who became for us wisdom: Jesus perfectly shows us, in His teaching and life, Gods wisdom. i. The term church of God has Old Testament associations, especially in the Septuagint (the ancient Greek translation of the Old Testament). Death is a defeated enemy because of the work of Jesus, an enemy that will one day. God loves them, bears them hearty good-will, and bestows on them his fatherly smiles and blessings. 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. They take the submission of God the Son as proof that He must not be equal in deity to God the Father. Understanding the tension between the church and the city is important to understanding the letter of 1 Corinthians. 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. 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. The Corinthian Christians are called saints, but this was not based on the outward performance of the Corinthians. First, every day carefully consider the certainty of death. 1 Corinthians 15:1 Now I make known to you, brethren, the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received, in which also you stand, (NASB 1995 - Lockman)Now I make known 1Co 15:3-11 1:23,24 2:2-7 Ac 18:4,5 Ga 1:6-12 . 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. Jesus was a unique case. : Here, Paul refers to God the Sons desire to glorify God the Father through all eternity. Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord. 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. : As Paul describes the gospel in the following verses, it is important to notice that this gospel is not insightful teaching or good advice. There may have been many more meetings that are not described in the gospels. The power of baptism is in the spiritual reality it represents, not in who performs it. He would gladly say, i. And so it is written, The first man Adam became a living being. The last Adam, , gave us one kind of body. Ironside says that the last trumpet was a figure of speech that came from the Roman military, when they broke camp. Crucified meant weakness, defeat, and humiliation. Jesus gave him the keys to the kingdom of heaven, and hes our man. Death is defeated by resurrection. (3-4) The content of the gospel Paul preached. However, we learn something just from the meaning of the ancient Greek word " apostolos ," which has the idea of "a special ambassador." Paul was a "special ambassador" of Jesus Christ to the world and to the church. Were the ones really right with God!. Corinth was a major city of business, especially because of its location. Crucify him! if we had our wits about us, we would have shouted back, Dont crucify Him! We sometimes sing: You ask me how I know He lives; He lives, He lives inside my heart. But that is not the best way to prove Jesus lives. And what you sow, you do not sow that body that shall be, but mere grainperhaps wheat or some other. How do some of you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? . Corruption cant inherit incorruption. 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? The Corinthian Christians were indeed gifted, yet carnal. We dont need to waver, we dont need to change direction, we dont need to fall, and we dont need to quit. ? iii. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. Today, some are told to embrace death as a friend, but that is not Biblical thinking. So also is the resurrection of the dead. was the ultimate oxymoron, and this was what Paul preached! Paul came speaking plainly, without any attempt to dazzle with eloquence or intellect. These cookies are strictly necessary to provide you with services available through our website and to use some of its features. d. That no flesh should glory in His presence: This is the end result. Paul doesnt only consider believers in Corinth to be. The great gospel of Jesus Christ, the very power of God unto salvation made empty and of no effect through the pride and cleverness of men! It is as if he says, You all may not recognize my apostolic credentials. The message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing: To those who reject the salvation of the cross, the idea of being saved through the work of a crucified man is foolish. Paul knows that he is not one of the twelve apostles, but he is on par with them because, like them, he is chosen by God. (Robertson), ii. We work in a partnership with God, not because He needs us, but because He wants us to share in His work. i. Since every cell of my body contains the DNA blueprint to make a whole new body, God can no doubt take one cell of my dead body and make a glorious resurrection body out of that old blueprint. : God takes pleasure in accomplishing our salvation in a way no one would have expected. They were called saints. No doubt, many of the Corinthian Christians were beginning to think of themselves in high terms because of Gods work in them. If you must execute this man, do it honorably. He will. how God's power is perfected in our weakness. There are not a handful of self-deluded souls; there are literally hundreds who saw the resurrected Jesus with their own eyes. However, we learn something just from the meaning of the ancient Greek word . Simply put, God the Father will always be God the. i. (33-34) Knowing the truth about our resurrection should affect the way we live. 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. At the first meeting of the resurrected Jesus with His disciples, Thomas was absent and Judas had killed himself. 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. The lack of adequate respiration resulted in severe muscle cramps, which hindered breathing even further. : Even if your labor is vain to everyone else, and everyone else discounts or doesnt appreciate what you do for the Lord, . It is wisdom of a different order altogether. If there is no resurrection, then there is no future judgment to consider. The growth of the ivy, covering the message, showed the spiritual decline. As through the sin of the first Adam, all men became mortal, because all had from him the same sinful nature, so, through the resurrection of Christ, shall all who are made to partake of the Spirit, and the spiritual nature, revive, and live for ever. To the church of God which is at Corinth, to those who are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints, with all who in every place call on the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, both theirs and ours. a. Many things made Corinth famous. The hearing and trusting of the true gospel will bring the power of God into your life. Paul replies, how foolish can you get? Yet, we can see by this that, that he baptized so few in Corinth, and he, as an evangelist, could. a. Was Paul crucified for you? Jesus burial is also important because it fulfilled the Scriptures which declared. When Paul first came to Corinth, the ruler of the synagogue was a man named Crispus. But this is not necessarily the case at all. Gods wisdom is not mans wisdom multiplied to the highest degree. We should work hard in everything now, working for the Lord, because right now counts forever! They are saints together with all who in every place call on the name of Jesus Christ our Lord. 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. Lifting up Jesus, honoring, and proclaiming His goodness to all mankind has Old Testament associations, especially in the Septuagint (the ancient Greek translation of the Old Testament). 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. What is there wise (in the Greek sense of wisdom) about a crucified Messiah?. The Corinthian Christians are, , but this isnt exclusive to them. They were not the spiritual achievements of the Corinthians, but the work of the grace of God in them. 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. a. Where is the wise? I am not an apostle through the appointment of the other apostles. 2. (14-19) What if there is no resurrection? The path for Gods glory is Christ crucified; the evidence of Gods glory is His choice of the lowly. But Hodge recognizes that Paul isnt necessarily referring to only believers of his day with all; it is a word that properly embraces all believers, over all time. 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. For those who are not in Jesus Christ, death still has its sting. b. The words sanctified and saints communicate the same idea, of being set apart from the world and unto God. They could not have known this unless God revealed it to them. In this emphasis on Jesus, Paul promotes the sure cure for the problems of the Corinthians: getting your eyes off self and on Jesus. Angels and human beings denote the universe, as gazing upon the conflicts and struggles of the apostles. Jesus will take His rightful place as, He must reign till He has put all enemies under His feet, : Paul here refers to the one-thousand-year reign of Jesus described in Revelation 20:1-6. 1. i. 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. after His death. Paul tells them just what kind of apostle he is, . See passages such as Numbers 16:3, Numbers 20:4, Deuteronomy 23:1, and 1 Chronicles 28:8. was a secular term (referring to the gatherings of the citizenry in a city-state to discuss and decide on matters of public interest [Mare]), Paul calls the gathering of Christians in Corinth, . The Corinthians were called saints, not called to be saints. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal, Flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, : Paul is not saying, material things cannot inherit the kingdom of God, because Jesus resurrection body was a, , in this context, means our present bodies. Jesus resurrection body was not a pure spirit body, but a material body described as. Where is your scribe? They were not looking for the message of the cross. i. i. Paul expressed the same idea again in 1 Thessalonians 4:15-18. We are not told much about this visit, but we can assume there was some special need for comfort and restoration in Peter that Jesus ministered to. July 17, 2017 / by Enduring Word 1 Corinthians 14:1-19 - The Gifts of Tongues and Prophecy. iii. c. But that you be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment: The contrast to divisions is to be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment. i. . You dont understand the tension between, iii. Einstein thought that their estimate was a little generous, but he replied: Is it possible that God exists in the 95% that you dont know?, d. Through the foolishness of the message: The Corinthians wanted to believe that the gospel itself was a sublime form of wisdom, as the Greeks considered wisdom (sophia). What about the widows son in the days of Elijah (1 Kings 17:17-24) and Lazarus (John 11:38-44), among others? we shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, mean that Paul predicted Jesus would come in his lifetime? It is important to understand that when Paul says, . c. To put to shame the wise: This explains part of the pleasure of God described in 1 Corinthians 1:21. How does His death do anything for our sins? 6. Paul quotes from an ancient, secular comedy play, Thais, written by Menander. 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! Cephas is the Aramaic word for Peter. The disputer of this age was the man who wanted to dispute every issue and solve it by human reason. (Mare). The last trumpet may not refer to the last trumpet of the seven trumpets of Revelation at all, but simply refer to the last trumpet believers hear on this earth. As was the man of dust, so also are those who are made of dust; and as is the heavenly Man, so also are those who are heavenly.