He was not shy about saying he worked harder than any of the other apostles did. i. It is wisdom of a different order altogether. We fully respect if you want to refuse cookies but to avoid asking you again and again kindly allow us to store a cookie for that. For others, there is resurrection and eternal life, but unto damnation. So when he says we he means we believers. (Morris). Session 2: God's Answer Is Yes! a. (12-13) The resurrection of Jesus proves there is a resurrection. 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. 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). But as the ivy grew, one could only read we preach Christ, and the church also started preaching Jesus the Great Man and Jesus the Moral Example instead of Christ crucified. 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. Here, he simply states the fact: And has become the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep, of our resurrection in both senses. There was an old, contentious Quaker who went from one meeting to another, never finding the true church. : God takes pleasure in accomplishing our salvation in a way no one would have expected. It is significant that often the most educated people have the least regard for God. But the ancient Greek word for, i. At its narrowest part the isthmus was crossed by a level track called the diolcus, over which vessels were dragged on rollers from one port to the other. Has not God made foolish the wisdom of this world? to travel between Ephesus and Corinth. 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? a. Paul now will show why this is true of the cross and the message of the gospel. How sobering this is! When we understand what Paul meant when he wrote, , If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men the most pitiable, , then we understand what a difficult life Paul lived. Verse 3. But every man Shall be reanimated, raised, and glorified; in his own order Or in his own band, as more properly signifies, denoting a band of soldiers, a cohort, or legion; the word for order being rather . Paul says, In light of what God says in Isaiah 29:14, ? Youre no great bargain. There were not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble among the Christians at Corinth. Significantly, Paul did not say, we baptize for the dead, but asked, . It is one thing to prefer one minister to another, but we cannot divide into cliques behind one minister or another. Human wisdom is constantly rejecting God and opposing Him, and ultimately showing itself foolish and perishing in doing so. Where is the scribe? . By man came death, by Man also came the resurrection of the dead, : Here, Paul communicates the same ideas found in Romans 5:12-21. ( 1 Corinthians 15:1-2) Preface to the proclamation of Paul's gospel. ii. Jesus work for us didnt just come out of thin air; it was planned from all eternity and described prophetically in the, iv. Sixth, live in such a manner that you would not be ashamed to die at any moment. : Our resurrection body will be glorious! 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. God's Sufficient Grace. Barclay says yes, and simply points out that Paul was dead wrong here. 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). Grace means that God gives freely, for His own reasons. i. 1. How does His death do anything for our sins? What of the dead in Christ before that day? 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. There may have been many more meetings that are not described in the gospels. Grace, by definition, is given freely. As the chief things, or matters of the greatest importance; fundamental truths.. That which I - received By revelations from God himself, and not from man.. That Christ died for our sins The death of Jesus Christ, as a vicarious sacrifice for sin, is ; among the things . He is happy to do it in this way, which offends the height of human wisdom. For Paul, the message of the cross was the gospel. In the Septuagint it is one of the words used to denote the people of Israel in their religious character as Yahwehs assembly. (Bruce in his. Famous athletic contests known as the, iii. Perhaps it would be something along the lines of the way a body was transported on the old Star Trek series; the molecules would alter, and the person could pass through a solid object, and re-assemble themselves into a solid person. Finally, have all your affairs in order so that you are ready to die. Knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord: Even if your labor is vain to everyone else, and everyone else discounts or doesnt appreciate what you do for the Lord, your labor is not in vain in the Lord. 5. All the more, this is why they had to hold on! a. 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. It wasnt so much that they thought Apollos was great, but that. True wisdom isnt about getting smart. Gods wisdom is received in and through the person of Jesus. Though the word gospel isnt in this verse, it is in the previous verse. explains why animals do not rise in the resurrection. Einstein asked them, how much of all the knowledge in the world they had amongst themselves collectively, as a class. 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. iv. The expression means that he was public in his trials, and that this was exhibited to the universe. They are saints together, with all who in every place call on the name of Jesus Christ our Lord. ii. The point is plain: There is no wise man, no scribe, and no debater who can do what Jesus Christ has done. At the core of the gospel are things that. 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.. 1. iii. Specifically, they wanted the sign of a miraculous Messianic deliverance. As is evident from 1 and 2 Corinthians, Pauls standing and authority as an apostle were not appreciated among the Christians of Corinth. 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. And the Greek there is hard to translate. , and because in Matthew 12:40 Jesus refers to, : Because this idea is so important, Paul repeats it twice in these two verses. : Paul would argue hard for his apostolic credentials, because he knew he had to be respected as an apostle. 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. 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. a. Not with the, Lest the cross of Christ should be made of no effect, . (1-2) Preface to the proclamation of Pauls gospel. Christ crucified was the ultimate oxymoron, and this was what Paul preached! ii. No wonder it is foolishness to those who are perishing! Is God supposed to do it or am I supposed to do it? i. 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. iv. Otherwise you will be prompted again when opening a new browser window or new a tab. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. Thou lookest like a dragon, but thy sting is gone. ii. This is proving himself the servant of Christ. Were the ones really right with God!, vi. 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. 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. 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). b. O Death, where is your sting? The great gospel of Jesus Christ, the very power of God unto salvation made empty and of. a. As much as Paul was once offended by a crucified Messiah, so the Greeks thought a message of salvation through a humiliating instrument of death foolish. The lack of adequate respiration resulted in severe muscle cramps, which hindered breathing even further. : Here, Paul refers to God the Sons desire to glorify God the Father through all eternity. ii. 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. Pauls third proof for the resurrection in this section is also compelling. iii. July 17, 2017 / by Enduring Word 1 Corinthians 14:1-19 - The Gifts of Tongues and Prophecy. Even in his introduction, Paul thinks about the critical issues he needs to communicate to the Corinthian Christians. Let every pulpit rightly say, we preach Christ crucified! A strong church once inscribed these words on an archway leading to the churchyard. Our website uses cookies to store user preferences. Notice the words to be are inserted by translators. If there is no principle of resurrection, then the dead in Christ are gone forever. You can check these in your browser security settings. I Corinthians 15:3-6 " For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas, and then to the Twelve. iii.Redemption is a word from the slave trade. : The cumulative testimony of these witnesses is overwhelming. Behold, I tell you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changedin a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. 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). 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. The sting of death is sin, and the strength of sin is the law. Who became for us: Jesus is not only wisdom for us; He is also 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 term church of God has Old Testament associations, especially in the Septuagint (the ancient Greek translation of the Old Testament). b. iv. It predates the writing of the Gospels, Acts, and Revelation by decades. Session 4: Treasure in Clay Jars. We may pride ourselves on not having the problems of the Corinthian Christians, but do we have their positives? He speaks of utterance and knowledge. 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. The words, are inserted by translators. : There are all different kinds of bodies in Gods creation, including, . It was prosperous, busy, and growing; it had a deserved reputation for the reckless pursuit of pleasure. If there were no resurrection, why would Paul place his life in jeopardy for the gospel? Please be aware that this might heavily reduce the functionality and appearance of our site. 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 bottom line is this: is the church influencing the city, or is the city influencing the church? 1. All flesh is not the same flesh explains why animals do not rise in the resurrection. In Ephesians 1:10, Paul reveals Gods eternal purpose in history: When He puts an end to all rule and all authority and power, to men, to Satan, and even to death. For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel, not with wisdom of words, lest the cross of Christ should be made of no effect. They go there with the furrowed brow, the hollowed cheek, the wrinkled skin; they shall wake up in beauty and glory. (Spurgeon). iii. 2. God is faithful, by whom you were called into the fellowship of His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. Otherwise, what will they do who are baptized for the dead, if the dead do not rise at all? Not with the wisdom of words, which can be translated cleverness of speaking. He will destroy the wisdom of the wise, not bow down before it. Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; nor does corruption inherit incorruption. 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. of our resurrection in the sense that He is our entrance fee to resurrection. He would gladly say, i. They both describe a work in progress. Death has no power over the person found in Jesus Christ. 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. 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). I will not fear thee, death, why should I? 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. Check to enable permanent hiding of message bar and refuse all cookies if you do not opt in. But this will always prompt you to accept/refuse cookies when revisiting our site. Our website uses cookies to store user preferences. a. Jesus, who became for us wisdom: Jesus perfectly shows us, in His teaching and life, Gods wisdom. It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body. : God was at His most foolish and very weakest at the cross, but it was infinitely wiser and stronger than anything man could do. He can be confident because God is faithful. "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 This danger was constantly on the mind of the apostle Paul, and should be constantly on the mind of any preacher or teacher. Famous athletic contests known as the Isthmian Games second only to the Olympian Games were held at the temple of Poseidon in Corinth every two years. The Corinthian Christians are, , but this isnt exclusive to them. 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). Lady Huntington, the rich and influential friend of Whitfield and Wesley, said she was going to heaven by an m: it isnt any noble; instead it is not many noble. 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. He has destroyed the wisdom of the wise, just as He said He would., was the man who wanted to dispute every issue and solve it by human reason. (Mare), 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. We might also think saying called saints is mere flattery, Pauls way of preparing them for coming rebuke. You can also change some of your preferences. They did not value the wisdom expressed in the message of the cross. 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. For believers, the promise is sure: we shall also bear the image of the heavenly Man. The righteous are put into their graves all weary and worn; but as such they will not rise. In His work, He communicates three things to those who are, means that we are legally declared not only not guilty, but to have a, speaks of our behavior, and how the believers are to be separate, by focusing on ourselves, but on Jesus, because Jesus, is a word from the slave trade. The resurrection of Jesus is also the. a. The sting of death lay in this, that we had sinned and were summoned to appear before the God whom we had offended. : When you plant a wheat seed, a big wheat seed does not come up. ( 1 Corinthians) Lenski - The transition is simple and perfect. 5. Let a man so consider us: Paul asks that he, and the other apostles ( us) be regarded by the Corinthians as servants. This term could be no more than a polite form of address like our Sir. But it could also be used of the deity one worships. c. To us who are being saved it is the power of God: Though it is a strange message, and regarded as foolish by the perishing, to those who trust in it and are being saved, this message of the cross becomes to them the actual power of God. : 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. Paul tells them just what kind of apostle he is, . You see your calling, brethren: Paul says to the Corinthians, Look at yourselves. i. Click on the different category headings to find out more. Was Paul crucified for you? The plain fact is that Paul did not know when these events would take place, and nowhere does he claim to know. When writing Scripture, Paul was infallible, but not omniscient. No. Not only did they see Jesus after His death, but they saw Him in a manner which revolutionized their faith and trust in Him. (14-19) What if there is no resurrection? i. ii. 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 ). See passages such as Numbers 16:3, Numbers 20:4, Deuteronomy 23:1, and 1 Chronicles 28:8. iii. It is a vain inquiry here, whether he means good or bad angels. Finally, have all your affairs in order so that you are ready to die. . i. Paul will tell the Corinthian Christians something they could not have known by reason or research. Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men. The Corinthians boasting about their party leaders was really boasting about themselves. But resurrection means, that your labor is not in vain in the Lord, steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord. It might be easy for us to think they werent even saved! Although Jesus bore the full wrath of God on the cross, iii. But most prominent was the worship of the Corinthian Aphrodite, who had more than 1,000 hierodouloi (female prostitutes and priestesses) in her service. If the cross is the, iv. Now if Christ is preached that He has been raised from the dead, Why did Paul so carefully prove the resurrection of Jesus? Probably, Sosthenes was Pauls scribe (or, more technically, his amanuensis). ix. ii. 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. The doctrine of Christ's death and resurrection, is the foundation of Christianity. We provide you with a list of stored cookies on your computer in our domain so you can check what we stored. Click to enable/disable _gat_* - Google Analytics Cookie. We dont need to waver, we dont need to change direction, we dont need to fall, and we dont need to quit. 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. O Death, where is your sting? Paul isnt condemning all learning or education; he merely says that by themselves they are useless for obtaining spiritual wisdom. the gospel Paul preached to them. 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. Where is your scribe? iii. 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. 2. Their idolatry was to conceive of God as ultimate Reason, meaning of course what we deem to be reasonable. (Fee). 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. It is truly the, i. Paul reminds us of something important: death is an, . In the ancient culture of Paul, a letter began with writing who the letter is from, and then stating who the letter is to. Three glimpses of the bodys glory were seen, in Moses face, in Christs transfiguration, and in Stephens countenance. (Trapp), iii. Perhaps this same Sosthenes in Acts 18:17 is now with Paul, so Paul calls attention to the man with him whom the Corinthian Christians would know: Sosthenes our brother. We provide you with a list of stored cookies on your computer in our domain so you can check what we stored. ii. Youre no great bargain. There were, not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, i. : This truth is essential to the gospel. This should make us steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord! This is not always the case; some of the most brilliant men of history have been Christians (such as Isaac Newton). No. iii. For I delivered unto you first of all . The church also had even lost Jesus in the message, preaching religious platitudes and social graces. Corinth had a rich ethnic mix, and it was a center for sports, government, military, and business. For the grace which was given to you by Jesus Christ: This was the specific reason for Pauls gratitude. Many Christians struggle at this very point. Therefore, the resurrection of Jesus is not some add on to a more important work on the cross. In 1 Corinthians 15 Paul deals more fully with what makes a person an apostle. (5-8) Concrete evidence of Jesus resurrection. 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. And so it is written, [verse 1 Corinthians 15:45 ,] The first man Adam was made a living soul; but the last Adam [Jesus Christ] was made a quickening spirit ( 1 Corinthians 15:45 ). There is inherent power in the preaching of the true gospel, when it is received with faith. What happened to change them? 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.. (58) Final application: how our destiny of resurrection means we should stand fast for the Lord right now. 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. 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.
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