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 ). 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? This speaks to the vital need described in Romans 12:2: ii. This is proving himself the servant of Christ. iii. i. 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. b. . This conflict had made them divide up into parties or cliques, each party having its own leader., i. vi. And the Greek there is hard to translate. d. That no flesh should glory in His presence: This is the end result. Were the ones really right with God!, iv. The Corinthians boasting about their party leaders was really boasting about themselves. The Corinthian people were also world known: for partying, drunkenness, and loose sexual morals. Verse 1. See passages such as Numbers 16:3, Numbers 20:4, Deuteronomy 23:1, and 1 Chronicles 28:8. iii. ; it is a word that properly embraces all believers, over all time. Specifically, they wanted the sign of a miraculous Messianic deliverance. So he was fired from or quit his job as ruler of the synagogue! It is significant that often the most educated people have the least regard for God. i. Note that blocking some types of cookies may impact your experience on our websites and the services we are able to offer. Then Paul wrote 1 Corinthians to respond to these reports. For Paul, the message of the cross was the gospel. Grace isnt given because of any works, past, present or promised; yet it is given to, iii. He regarded himself as. The righteous are put into their graves all weary and worn; but as such they will not rise. 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. Check to enable permanent hiding of message bar and refuse all cookies if you do not opt in. He will. c. Not with wisdom of words: How did Paul preach in Corinth? Was Paul crucified for you? Later in this letter, Paul writes that he transferred to himself and Apollos what applied to others (1 Corinthians 4:6). 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. Dear friends, if such be death if it be but a sowing, let us have done with all faithless, hopeless, graceless sorrow Our family circle has been broken, say you. But God did not respond to the polling data. Changes will take effect once you reload the page. The Corinthian Christians were indeed gifted, yet carnal. Please be aware that this might heavily reduce the functionality and appearance of our site. 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. Cephas is the Aramaic word for Peter. The double speaks, as in 2 Corinthians 5:2, Romans 7:24, out of P.'s painful self-consciousness: cf. No. You see that the mark of a child of God is that by the grace of God he is what he is; what do, His grace toward me was not in vain; but I labored more abundantly than they all, : Though grace made Paul what he was, Paul still, i. i. 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). a. 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. i. : Paul thanks God for the gifts among the Corinthians, even though they were causing some trouble. We dont find freedom by focusing on ourselves, because, He who glories, let him glory in the LORD, : Paul uses this reference to Jeremiah 9:23-24 to show that God did it all this way so that God would get the glory. Jesus is both their Lord and our Lord, and because they share a common Lord, they share an essential unity. The words sanctified and saints communicate the same idea, of being set apart from the world and unto God. Were the ones really right with God! (Acts 18:24-25), iii. Over time, two things happened: the church lost its passion for Jesus and His gospel, and ivy began to grow on the archway. There are also celestial bodies and terrestrial bodies; but the glory of the celestial is one, and the glory of the terrestrial is another. Paul then received reports from people in Chloes household about disturbances in Corinth (1 Corinthians 1:11); and he may have received a delegation from Corinth (1 Corinthians 16:7) who brought him questions from the congregation (1 Corinthians 7:1). b. We might also think saying called saints is mere flattery, Pauls way of preparing them for coming rebuke. All rights reserved worldwide. 2. , he uses the term as a figurative title. I affirm, by the boasting in you which I have in Christ Jesus our Lord, I die daily, : Paul will boast a little here. But this is not necessarily the case at all. The body is sown in corruption, it is raised in incorruption. The second perfect man, Jesus the, , can give us another kind of body. 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. 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. Paul, knowing death is a defeated enemy because of Jesus work, can almost taunt death, and mock it. There may have been many more meetings that are not described in the gospels. 4. The Lord will show His remembrance of our work and labor of love at the resurrection. Paul tells them just what kind of apostle he is, . He clearly denies here that he considers baptism essential to the remission of sin or the means of obtaining forgiveness. (Robertson), iii. Athena, Apollo, Poseidon, Hermes, Isis, Serapis, and Asclepius, among others, had temples to their honor in Corinth. The gospel is the message of the cross. Jesus plainly spoke of both, i. Corinth was a major city of business, especially because of its location. a. Called to be an apostle is literally a called apostle. The words message of the cross sound kind of noble and religious to our twentieth-century ears. To remain willfully ignorant of the truth is sin. Believers in Palestine are described this way (1 Corinthians 15:9), as well as the church at large (1 Corinthians 10:31-32). i. But death is an enemy nonetheless. Human wisdom is constantly rejecting God and opposing Him, and ultimately showing itself foolish and perishing in doing so. v. It is possible there was not an actual Paul Party or Apollos Party or Peter Party or Jesus Party at Corinth. It was bad enough that these associations had affected their thinking on an important matter like the resurrection, but this. 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. : 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. Let him die the death of a dignified man. 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. Therefore, the resurrection of Jesus is not some add on to a more important work on the cross. Ancient writers considered Corinth rich, prosperous always great and wealthy (Mare). First, every day carefully consider the certainty of death. Click to enable/disable _gat_* - Google Analytics Cookie. 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. 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. I thank God that I baptized none of you except Crispus and Gaius, lest anyone should say that I had baptized in my own name. I am of Christ: There was the Jesus Party, who declared You all are so carnal, following after mere men. We write a letter by saying who the letter is. At these meetings He ate with them, comforted them, commanded them to preach the gospel, and told them to wait in Jerusalem for the outpouring of the Holy Spirit after His ascension. He knew that he was forgiven; yet he remembered his sin. They, iii. ; it is well to recall what the title means. Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; nor does corruption inherit incorruption. 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. Though the word gospel isnt in this verse, it is in the previous verse. They did not value the wisdom expressed in the message of the cross. Were the ones really right with God!, vi. By proceeding, you consent to our cookie usage. 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. Mans flesh only is informed by a reasonable and immortal soul, not so the flesh of other creatures: and hence the difference. (Trapp). How are the dead raised up? 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). As noted above, in this chapter Paul deals both with Christ's resurrection (15:1-11) and with our own (15:12-58). These bodies which are subject to disease, injury, and one day decay, are unsuited for heaven. III. 7. Otherwise you will be prompted again when opening a new browser window or new a tab. (58) Final application: how our destiny of resurrection means we should stand fast for the Lord right now. 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. You dont understand the tension between Christ and crucified. Please see our Privacy Policy for cookie usage details. (Messiah) meant power, splendor, and triumph. i. a. Jesus, who became for us wisdom: Jesus perfectly shows us, in His teaching and life, Gods wisdom. But as the ivy grew, one could only read. Many Christians struggle at this very point. 1 Corinthians 15 In this chapter the apostle treats of that great article of Christianitythe resurrection of the dead. 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 . 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? (24-28) The resurrection of Jesus leads to the resolution of all things. The disunion is unnatural and must be cured.. 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. The sting of death lay in this, that we had sinned and were summoned to appear before the God whom we had offended. Yet, we can see by this that, that he baptized so few in Corinth, and he, as an evangelist, could. ii. That there be no divisions among you: The ancient Greek word for divisions is schismata. Although we derive our English word schism from this Greek word, it does not really mean a party or a faction; it properly means tear or rend. Pauls plea is that they stop ripping each other apart, tearing up the body of Christ. In terms of what love "is not," Paul says it is not self-seeking, short-tempered, and offensive. Next, come every day, just as you did at conversion, to the cross of Jesus, as a poor guilty sinner. He specifies utterance and knowledge, v. 5. 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. The ivy kept growing, and one could soon only read, . We get our English word. Besides, I do not know whether I baptized any other. It is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory. The apostle was addressing Christians, and warning them to beware of the temporal judgements with which God chastised his offending servants. God's Sufficient Grace. 2. What will Paul boast about? They have not been chosen because, That no flesh should glory in His presence, : This is the end result. This isnt the gathering of the world, but of God. 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. There was an old, contentious Quaker who went from one meeting to another, never finding the true church. iii. Otherwise, you have believed in vain. But this will always prompt you to accept/refuse cookies when revisiting our site. Yet, these positives were no great credit to the Corinthian Christians themselves. (5-8) Concrete evidence of Jesus resurrection. Importantly, each person of the Trinity desires to glorify another person of the Trinity. No. 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. When you bury the body of a believer, you are sowing a seed that will come out of the earth as a resurrection body. (1-2) Preface to the proclamation of Pauls gospel. He had authority in the church. Some people think that Paul was disappointed by the results in Athens, and resolved to preach differently in Corinth. 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. The point is plain: There is no wise man, no scribe, and no debater who can do what Jesus Christ has done. No wonder it is foolishness to those who are perishing! 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. 1. They both describe a work in progress. Third, hold this world with a loose hand. e. In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed: In a single moment, Jesus will gather His people (both dead and on the earth) to Himself, for resurrection. 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. They did not value the wisdom expressed in, i. They were not looking for the, : The Greek culture valued the pursuit of wisdom, usually expressed in high, academic, philosophical terms. Jesus was a unique case. 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.. iv. Death is a defeated enemy because of the work of Jesus, an enemy that will one day. Everything good the Corinthian Christians have from God has come to them by. You always can block or delete cookies by changing your browser settings and force blocking all cookies on this website. I am not an apostle through the appointment of the other apostles. For it has been declared to me concerning you, my brethren, by those of Chloes, : Chloe was a woman (probably a Christian) whose business interests caused her representatives (those of her. ) a. No doubt, many of the Corinthian Christians were beginning to think of themselves in high terms because of Gods work in them. The way Paul lived his life all-out for the gospel was evidence of the truth of the resurrection. : Jesus perfectly shows us, in His teaching and life, Gods wisdom. For the grace which was given to you by Jesus Christ, : This was the specific reason for Pauls gratitude. This danger was constantly on the mind of the apostle Paul, and should be constantly on the mind of any preacher or teacher. 3. : This is not a quotation from the Old Testament, or even from the words of Jesus. : Does this mean everyone is resurrected? Click on the different category headings to find out more. Where does that atom go in the resurrection? But God does not need every atom of a mans body to make a resurrection body. A, iv. Raised in incorruption raised in glory raised in power: Our resurrection body will be glorious! 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. Please be aware that this might heavily reduce the functionality and appearance of our site. 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. 6. The good news or euangelion, rests on just such a confession which Paul first proclaimed at Corinth and by which they were in the process of being . Yes, but only broken that it may be re-formed. It is sown in weakness; it is raised in power. "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 (Isaiah 55:8-9). e. Was Paul crucified for you? Please see our Privacy Policy for cookie usage details. We write a letter by saying who the letter is to first, and we conclude with writing who the letter is from. 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. Verse 1 Corinthians 15:3. Jesus burial is also important because it fulfilled the Scriptures which declared. Second, by faith put your soul through the whole process of death. 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. But how we receive grace will help to determine how effective the gift of grace is. iv. How sobering this is! 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), 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. Click to enable/disable Google reCaptcha. Were the ones really right with God!, : There was the Jesus Party, who declared You all are so carnal, following after mere men. Foolish one: In the wording of the ancient Greek, it is even stronger: Fools! How sobering this is! Grace to you and peace: The greeting including grace and peace is typical of Pauls letters, and draws from both Greek and Jewish customs. But in the first century, saying message of the cross was about the same as saying message of the electric chair except worse! Through much of this book, Paul deals with the moral problems of the Corinthians: envy, divisions, pride, immorality, greed, irreverence, and selfishness. That is of little importance to me, because I am not an apostle because of a popular election. iv. But they were. Before that he served as director and teacher at Calvary Chapel Bible College, Germany, following more than 20 years of pastoral ministry. : This truth is essential to the gospel. ii. after His death. He is a life-giving spirit. Expiring saints have often said that their last beds have been the best they have ever slept upon. (Spurgeon), iii. a. We have all borne the image of the first, will also bear His resurrection image. 1. . - 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. 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 why do we stand in jeopardy every hour? But the best news ever is that we can be saved from the punishment we deserve from God because of what Jesus did for us. Sin is the ultimate cause of death (Romans 6:23, Genesis 2:17), and the, : This defeat of death is only possible for those who live. Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; nor does corruption inherit incorruption. 4. Copyright - Enduring Word       |      . iv. And what you sow, you do not sow that body that shall be, but mere grainperhaps wheat or some other grain. The first perfect man, Adam, gave us one kind of body. 1. Click on the different category headings to find out more. of our resurrection in the sense that He is our entrance fee to resurrection. Yet not it, but the grace of God which was with me. He is. But Hodge recognizes that Paul isnt necessarily referring to only believers of. Declare that His solutions prepares another generation for life. 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. a. I plead with you, brethren: Paul was an apostle of Jesus Christ. i. Lord: A title designating not only master and boss, but also the Lord revealed in the Old Testament (known as Yahweh or Jehovah). David Guzik is the pastor of Calvary Chapel Santa Barbara, California. 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. 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. From the first Adam, we all are made of dust, but from the last Adam we can be made heavenly. d. We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed: Since sleep is a softer way of describing the death of a believer, Paul tells us that not all Christians will die, but there will be a final generation who will be transformed into resurrection bodies at the return of Jesus before they ever face death. Death is defeated by resurrection. Originally it said strongly, . The Corinthian Christians are, , but this isnt exclusive to them. This isnt the gathering of the world, but, iv. i. 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. 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. July 17, 2017 / by Enduring Word 1 Corinthians 14:1-19 - The Gifts of Tongues and Prophecy. 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). Barclay says yes, and simply points out that Paul was dead wrong here. How different for the Christian! He is happy to do it in this way, which offends the height of human wisdom. Jesus: The given name of the son of Mary, and adopted son of Joseph, which is the Greek pronunciation of Joshua. b. 2. 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. (Read 1 Corinthians 14:15-25) There can be no assent to prayers that are not understood. Believers in Palestine are described this way (1 Corinthians 15:9), as well as the church at large (1 Corinthians 10:31-32). in the gospel. 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. They preached the resurrection of Jesus, and the early Christians believed the resurrection of Jesus. We dont become righteous by focusing on ourselves, because Jesus became for us righteousness. ix. It might be easy for us to think they werent even saved! For it is written: I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent. Where, : In this quotation from Isaiah 29:14, Paul shows that in spiritual matters, God opposes the wisdom of man. For the abundance of their spiritual gifts. God raises the dead. Otherwise, what will they do who are baptized for the dead, if the dead do not rise at all? 15:20-34 All that are by faith united to Christ, are by his resurrection assured of their own. And as we have borne the image of the man of dust, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly Man. 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). For others, there is resurrection and eternal life, but unto damnation. Instead, a stalk of wheat grows. 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. Yes and no. Today, some are told to embrace death as a friend, but that is not Biblical thinking. This is not always the case; some of the most brilliant men of history have been Christians (such as Isaac Newton). But God cannot be found through human wisdom, but only through the message of the cross. It was impossible for the Apostle to preach the gospel without presenting the message of the cross. a. A thousand times no. Mans flesh only is informed by a reasonable and immortal soul, not so the flesh of other creatures: and hence the difference. (Trapp). i. Its wrong to say that Paul preached a watered-down gospel in Athens. It involves truth-telling, fortitude, constancy, and tolerance (1 Corinthians 13:4-5,7). Now I plead with you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you all speak the same thing, and, But that you be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment, perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment, . 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. What message does a cruel, humiliating, unrelenting instrument of death have? (1) The sin of an unnamed Christian in Corinth. At its narrowest part the isthmus was crossed by a level track called the, iv.