i. Crucify him! if we had our wits about us, we would have shouted back, Dont crucify Him! The lack of adequate respiration resulted in severe muscle cramps, which hindered breathing even further. iii. to travel between Ephesus and Corinth. In these first 10 verses, Paul refers to Jesus in every verse, for a total of 11 times. The idea is that we have been purchased to permanent freedom. Paul now will show why this is true of the cross and the message of the gospel. Importantly, each person of the Trinity desires to glorify another person of the Trinity. If there is no principle of resurrection, and if Jesus did not rise from the dead, then the apostles are. Paul shows how the resurrection of Jesus not only proves His own resurrection, but it proves the, If there is no resurrection of the dead, then Christ is not risen. i. Morgan says well in his introduction to 1 Corinthians: The measure of failure on the part of the Church is the measure in which she has allowed herself to be influenced by the spirit of the age We are sometimes told to-day that what the Church supremely needs is that she should catch the spirit of the age. Every Christian must take seriously their responsibility to not only have a good past, and a good present, but to determine to have a great future with the Lord, also. 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. These bodies which are subject to disease, injury, and one day decay, are unsuited for heaven. This Pauline letter is one of earliest writings in the New Testament, alongside his Thessalonian correspondence. Though the idea of glorying in the death of a Savior seems foolishness to the world, it is salvation to those who will believe. (Read 1 Corinthians 15:1-11) The word resurrection, usually points out our existence beyond the grave. For those who are not in Jesus Christ, death still has its, . c. The world through wisdom did not know God: There is a constant tendency to think that the smartest and wisest humans will know the most about God. . It doesnt matter if you get the praise or the encouragement; sometimes you will and sometimes you wont. He regarded himself as. The gospel is the message of the cross. (54-57) Resurrection is the final defeat of death. There was an old, contentious Quaker who went from one meeting to another, never finding the true church. The words message of the cross sound kind of noble and religious to our twentieth-century ears. i. Paul doesnt only consider believers in Corinth to be. 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. Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; nor does corruption inherit incorruption. The pursuit of human wisdom may bring an earthly contentment or happiness (though this is rare), but in itself, it can never bring the true knowledge of the true God. 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. If someone were there, perhaps in a brilliant flash of light, they would have seen the dead body of Jesus transformed, and virtually vaporize out of the grave clothes. We should work hard in everything now, working for the Lord, because right now counts forever! 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. He had the right, and the authority, to command the Corinthian Christians in these matters. In light of all this, how could the Corinthian Christians let go of such an important truth? 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. 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. Jesus work for us didnt just come out of thin air; it was planned from all eternity and described prophetically in the, iv. Thy teeth are broken, oh old lion, wherefore should I fear thee? You must not only work, but you must labour put forth all your strength; and you must work and labour in the Lord under his direction, and by his influence; for without him you can do nothing. (Clarke). Our website uses cookies to store user preferences. Either the present dead in Christ are with the Lord in a spiritual body, awaiting their final resurrection body; or because of the nature of timeless eternity, they have received their resurrection bodies already because they live in the eternal now.. 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. During the time after His resurrection, but before His Ascension, Jesus met with His followers on many different occasions. Death is a defeated enemy because of the work of Jesus, an enemy that will one day. 1 Corinthians 15 In this chapter the apostle treats of that great article of Christianitythe resurrection of the dead. g. So this corruptible must put on incorruption: Resurrection is a must for the Christians destiny. b. Where is your scribe? He recognizes that the gifts were not the problem, but wrong attitudes and beliefs about the gifts. 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. we shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, mean that Paul predicted Jesus would come in his lifetime? We can follow Pauls logic point-by-point: If there is no principle of resurrection, then Jesus did not rise from the dead. 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. 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. This previous letter is lost. For the grace which was given to you by Jesus Christ: This was the specific reason for Pauls gratitude. Lady Huntington, the rich and influential friend of Whitfield and Wesley, said she was going to heaven by an m: it isnt, But God has chosen the foolish things of the world, : Looking again at the Corinthians, Paul can say you arent wise according to the world, you arent mighty, you arent noble but you are among, i. : A resurrected body is not a resuscitated corpse. 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. He currently serves now as the senior pastor of Calvary Chapel Santa Barbara. We get our English word. I am of Paul: There was the Paul Party, who declared We are following in the footsteps of the man who founded our church, the apostle Paul. The ivy kept growing, and one could soon only read, we preach. If Jesus died on the cross to pay for our sins and remove our guilt, then why is the resurrection of Jesus so important? There is inherent power in the preaching of the true gospel, when it is received with faith. He writes of the constant imminent danger to his physical life. The path for Gods glory is Christ crucified; the evidence of Gods glory is His choice of the lowly. We are following in the footsteps of no one less than Jesus Himself. There is a natural body and there is also a spiritual body" (15:42-44). The Corinthian Christians are called saints, but this was not based on the outward performance of the Corinthians. Were the ones really right with God!, ii. If one preaches the word with a reliance on wisdom of words, they can make the gospel of no effect. a. This isnt the gathering of the world, but of God. This is due to the fact that grace is the source of peace. Note that blocking some types of cookies may impact your experience on our websites and the services we are able to offer. Check to enable permanent hiding of message bar and refuse all cookies if you do not opt in. July 15, 2017 / by Enduring Word 1 Corinthians 12:12-31 - Diversity and Unity in the Gifts of the Spirit. Sinners can have no peace with God, nor any from him, but through Christ. Death is defeated by resurrection. Let a man so consider us: Paul asks that he, and the other apostles ( us) be regarded by the Corinthians as servants. I am of Christ: There was the Jesus Party, who declared You all are so carnal, following after mere men. If the cross doesnt seem strange to you, then you either dont understand how the cross was seen in Jesus day, or you dont understand who Jesus is. We ought to honour those most whom God most honoureth, either by a more plentiful giving out of his Spirit, or by a more plentiful success upon their labours; but we ought not so far to appropriate any ministers to ourselves, as for them to despise others. Otherwise, you have believed in vain. . 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 ). Crispus believed on the Lord with all his household (Acts 18:8), and was saved. 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. 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. Please see our Privacy Policy for cookie usage details. Trapp says Paul can write this Because none out of hell ever suffered more than the saints have done.. Instead, with loving heart, he begs them he pleads with them to be unified as believers. The relationship of, the Son Himself will also be subject to Him, i. Sharing the Word of God with passion for Christ. a. 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, . , and each is suited to its own particular environment and needs. By which you are also saved, if you hold fast that word I preached to you. The ancient Christians were for the most part slaves and men of low station; the whole history of the expansion of the church is in reality a progressive victory of the ignorant over the learned, the lowly over the lofty, until the emperor himself laid down his crown before the cross of Christ. (Alford, quoting Olshausen). They were called saints. He has destroyed the wisdom of the wise, just as He said He would., i. ii. Paul always remembered how he had sinned against Jesus church. This may seem like a small distinction to us, but it must be an important distinction to God. 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). It involves truth-telling, fortitude, constancy, and tolerance (1 Corinthians 13:4-5,7). You can check these in your browser security settings. Otherwise, what will they do who are baptized for the dead, if the dead do not rise at all? 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 . Christ crucified was the ultimate oxymoron, and this was what Paul preached! b. 1 Corinthians 15:1-11. All flesh is not the same flesh: There are all different kinds of bodies in Gods creation, including celestial bodies. 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. 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. To remain willfully ignorant of the truth is. If there is no principle of resurrection, then, ii. 1 CORINTHIANS 15:1-2. c. Not with wisdom of words: How did Paul preach in Corinth? Grace is always first, peace always second. Click to enable/disable _gid - Google Analytics Cookie. i. Clarke on Chloe: This was doubtless some very religious matron at Corinth, whose family were converted to the Lord; some of whom were probably sent to the apostle to inform him of the dissensions which then prevailed in the Church at that place., b. Contentions among you: The Corinthian church suffered under quarreling and conflict. The Corinthian Christians were indeed gifted, yet carnal. 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. ii. For Paul, the message of the cross was the gospel. 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. Verse 1 Corinthians 15:3. . The message of the gospel must first be believed and embraced. : The book of Acts does not record an occasion when Paul faced wild animals in an arena. O Hades, where is your victory?. It is wisdom of a different order altogether. They both describe a work in progress. The Corinthian people were also world known: for partying, drunkenness, and loose sexual morals. Fourth, every day seriously test your hope and experience. I am not an apostle through the appointment of the other apostles. When Paul first came to Corinth, the ruler of the synagogue was a man named Crispus. They could not have known this unless God revealed it to them. True wisdom isnt about getting smart. Gods wisdom is received in and through the person of Jesus. Were the ones really right with God!. It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body. Let every pulpit rightly say, we preach Christ crucified! A strong church once inscribed these words on an archway leading to the churchyard. How much of this came in because of they kept. (26-29) Gods foolish wisdom is also displayed by whom He has chosen for salvation. c. Awake to righteousness, and do not sin; for some do not have the knowledge of God: For Christians to resist Gods process of transformation by the renewing of our minds is to neglect the knowledge of God. Are they lying in the grave, in some kind of soul sleep or suspended animation? Paul, knowing death is a defeated enemy because of Jesus work, can almost taunt death, and mock it. Click to enable/disable Google reCaptcha. ii. : This probably refers to the first meeting Jesus had with His assembled disciples, mentioned in Mark 16:14, Luke 24:36-43, and John 20:19-25. in the gospel. Therefore, if Jesus is not risen, He is unable to save. What is there wise (in the Greek sense of wisdom) about a crucified Messiah?. Today, some are told to embrace death as a friend, but that is not Biblical thinking. b. July 17, 2017 / by Enduring Word 1 Corinthians 14:1-19 - The Gifts of Tongues and Prophecy. 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. Because these cookies are strictly necessary to deliver the website, refusing them will have impact how our site functions. Corinth was a major city of business, especially because of its location. . How are the dead raised up? 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. Before that he served as director and teacher at Calvary Chapel Bible College, Germany, following more than 20 years of pastoral ministry. And in the midst of judgement, God remembers mercy: he many times punishes those whom he loves. i. b. O Death, where is your sting? Then Paul wrote 1 Corinthians to respond to these reports. Nor does corruption inherit incorruption: The word corruption does not mean moral or ethical corruption, but physical, material corruption. The bottom line is this: is the church influencing the city, or is the city influencing the church? i. Paul had an extensive history of contact with the city of Corinth, beginning with when he established the church in Corinth, coming there after Athens and staying a year and a half (Acts 18). Were the ones really right with God!, : There was the Jesus Party, who declared You all are so carnal, following after mere men. 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. But God has chosen the foolish things of the world: Looking again at the Corinthians, Paul can say you arent wise according to the world, you arent mighty, you arent noble but you are among the foolish things of the world.. : Its hard to understand what our resurrection bodies will be like, so Paul will use, Raised in incorruption raised in glory raised in power. At the core of the gospel are things that. The point is plain: There is no wise man, no scribe, and no debater who can do what Jesus Christ has done. iii. Paul describes "the work of love" in both positive and negative terms. If you refuse cookies we will remove all set cookies in our domain. 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. 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. 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. This was the. : This refers to a few different meetings, such as in John 20:26-31, John 21:1-25, Matthew 28:16-20, and Luke 24:44-49. Death is defeated by resurrection. 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.. Its wrong to say that Paul preached a watered-down gospel in Athens. Why then are they baptized for the dead? Many things made Corinth famous. This speaks to the vital need described in Romans 12:2: ii. But most prominent was the worship of the Corinthian Aphrodite, who had more than 1,000 hierodouloi (female prostitutes and priestesses) in her service. Paul quotes from an ancient, secular comedy play, Awake to righteousness, and do not sin; for some do not have the knowledge of God, : For Christians to resist Gods process of transformation by the renewing of our minds is to neglect the knowledge of God. 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. This danger was constantly on the mind of the apostle Paul, and should be constantly on the mind of any preacher or teacher. Mans flesh only is informed by a reasonable and immortal soul, not so the flesh of other creatures: and hence the difference. (Trapp). He is. 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. : Paul was honest enough to know and to say that he worked hard. 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. The Greeks regarded Christ crucified as foolishness. You are free to opt out any time or opt in for other cookies to get a better experience. vi. They are saints together, with all who in every place call on the name of Jesus Christ our Lord. iii. Does we shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed mean that Paul predicted Jesus would come in his lifetime? Paul says, In light of what God says in Isaiah 29:14, now where is your wise man? For some, this would just be spiritual sounding talk, which showed more pride than humility. There are also celestial bodies and terrestrial bodies; but the glory of the celestial is one, and the glory of the terrestrial is another. 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). The Greek word has both a Gentile and a Jewish background. 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 material body. We know that Jesus could do this after His resurrection; He could miraculously appear in a room that had all the doors locked and the windows shut. 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). He recognizes that the gifts were not the problem, but wrong attitudes and beliefs about the gifts. Now I say this, that each of you says, I am of Paul, or I am of Apollos, or I am of Cephas, or I am of Christ. Is Christ divided? 5. In this emphasis on Jesus, Paul promotes the sure cure for the problems of the Corinthians: getting your eyes off self and on Jesus. (3-4) The content of the gospel Paul preached. The doctrine of Christ's death and resurrection, is the foundation of Christianity. b. Aramaic is the language that Jesus spoke. Click to enable/disable Google Analytics tracking. He was also humble enough to know that even his hard work was the work of Gods grace in him. b. Famous athletic contests known as the, iii. i. Paul expressed the same idea again in 1 Thessalonians 4:15-18. Some of them denied the reality of resurrection, while believing in a resurrected Jesus. Their desire for deliverance was not bad, but their rejection of Gods way of deliverance was. He was a changed man, forgiven, cleansed, and full of love when he used to be full of hate. Finally, have all your affairs in order so that you are ready to die. i. Christ (Messiah) meant power, splendor, and triumph. Even if this is the case, the picture fits. If there is no resurrection, then there is no future judgment to consider. ( 1 Corinthians 15:1-2) Preface to the proclamation of Paul's gospel. Even in his introduction, Paul thinks about the critical issues he needs to communicate to the Corinthian Christians. 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). This was the meeting where Jesus appeared in the room with the doors and windows shut, and breathed on the disciples, giving them the Holy Spirit. There may have been many more meetings that are not described in the gospels. 2 By this gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you. Sixth, live in such a manner that you would not be ashamed to die at any moment. f. His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord: In these first 10 verses, Paul refers to Jesus in every verse, for a total of 11 times. But they were. It might be easy for us to think they werent even saved! On all counts, the resurrection body wins! 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). i. Paul faced all this for the sake of the resurrection of the dead, both Jesus resurrection and the believers. The gospel, Those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved. This is the sharpest and the shrillest note, the boldest and the bravest challenge, that ever man rang in the ears of death Death is here out-braved, called craven to his face, and bidden to do his worst. (Trapp), ii. And what you sow, you do not sow that body that shall be, but mere grainperhaps wheat or some other. On the positive side, Paul says love is: patient, kind, and selfless. The Lord Jesus Christ: Paul will often (more than 17 times in the letter) refer to Jesus as the Lord Jesus Christ; it is well to recall what the title means. This thought will not only to keep you going, but 1 Corinthians 15:58 also says that it can motivate you to always abound in the work of the Lord.' I believe that God has used this exhortation to encourage the guardians to abound in the work of the Lord. For it is written: In this quotation from Isaiah 29:14, Paul shows that in spiritual matters, God opposes the wisdom of man. 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. was the ultimate oxymoron, and this was what Paul preached! Raised in incorruption raised in glory raised in power: Our resurrection body will be glorious! But our expectations of what God should do keep us from receiving that power and wisdom. The Listener's Bible: NIV Edition Copyright 2011 by Max McLean. The Greek word has both a Gentile and a Jewish background. As Paul said to Agrippa in Acts 26:8, Why should it be thought incredible by you that God raises the dead? The, Copyright - Enduring Word       |      . From the first Adam, we all are made of dust, but from the last Adam we can be made heavenly. Christ: This is the ancient Greek translation of the Hebrew word for Messiah, or Anointed One. This is the One prophesied by the Old Testament Scriptures, sent by the Father to save and deliver us. They are shown to have, at times, morality problems, doctrine problems, church government problems, spiritual gift problems, church service problems, and authority problems. 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. : 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. iii. How can Paul be confident of this when the Corinthian church has so many problems?