i. (Read 1 Corinthians 14:15-25) There can be no assent to prayers that are not understood. (11-13) Paul exposes the foolishness of their divisions. For it is written: I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent. Where is the wise? Sanctification speaks of our behavior, and how the believers are to be separate from the world and unto God. It doesnt matter if you get the praise or the encouragement; sometimes you will and sometimes you wont. They preached the resurrection of Jesus, and the early Christians believed the resurrection of Jesus. Yet, we can see by this that, that he baptized so few in Corinth, and he, as an evangelist, could. We may pride ourselves on not having the problems of the Corinthian Christians, but do we have their positives? 1 Corinthians 15:1-11. 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. Apparently, some of the Corinthian Christians (probably those of the Paul Party) made a big deal of the fact that they had been baptized by Paul. Paul uses this exact phrase five other times in the New Testament. It was common in the ancient world to dictate a letter to a scribe who would write it all down. His boasting is both, (that is, in the Corinthian Christians) and, . i. Famous athletic contests known as the, iii. Subscribe * indicates required Email Address * First Name Last Name Phone Number Get Prayer Requests and Updates from David Guzik For those who are not in Jesus Christ, death still has its sting. The cross was a time of victorious death, a, is part of the gospel. i. It may simply be unrecorded, or Paul may mean . to travel between Ephesus and Corinth. e. It pleased God: God takes pleasure in accomplishing our salvation in a way no one would have expected. b. 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. Then Paul wrote 1 Corinthians to respond to these reports. i. For I delivered unto you first of all . 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. As noted above, in this chapter Paul deals both with Christ's resurrection (15:1-11) and with our own (15:12-58). For the grace which was given to you by Jesus Christ, : This was the specific reason for Pauls gratitude. : This truth is essential to the gospel. b. 3. This may seem like a small distinction to us, but it must be an important distinction to God. Paul isnt condemning all learning or education; he merely says that by themselves they are useless for obtaining spiritual wisdom. : Jesus perfectly shows us, in His teaching and life, Gods wisdom. As is evident from 1 and 2 Corinthians, Pauls standing and authority as an apostle were not appreciated among the Christians of Corinth. 1 Corinthians 15:35 - Verse-by-Verse Bible Commentary - StudyLight.org I thank my God always concerning you for the grace of God which was given to you by Christ Jesus, that you were enriched in everything by Him in all utterance and all knowledge, even as the testimony of Christ was confirmed in you, so that you come short in no gift, eagerly waiting for the revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ, who will also confirm you to the end, that you may be blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. But God did not respond to the polling data. ii. 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. This also demonstrates Jesus credibility, because He proclaimed He would rise three days after His death (Matthew 16:21, 17:23, 20:19). If the cross is the, iv. a. Jesus, who became for us wisdom: Jesus perfectly shows us, in His teaching and life, Gods wisdom. They got this bad thinking by associating either with Jews who did not believe in the resurrection (such as the Sadducees) or by associating with pagan, Greek philosophical types, who did not believe in the resurrection (Acts 17:31-32). The students discussed it for a while and decided they had 5% of all human knowledge amongst themselves. But dont expose Him to the horror and the humiliation of hanging on a cross. But God wanted Christ crucified, and if we dont embrace the cross, even with all its strange contradictions and demands, then we are lost. It is as if he says, You all may not recognize my apostolic credentials. i. For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. Paul will not allow this. For those who are not in Jesus Christ, death still has its, . He was once scandalized by a crucified Christ; it infuriated him that one obviously cursed by God (according to Deuteronomy 21:23) should be honored as Messiah and Lord. Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; nor does corruption inherit incorruption. i. Philippians 3:21 repeats Pauls theme: Who will transform our lowly body that it may be conformed to His glorious body, according to the working by which He is able even to subdue all things to Himself. (54-57) Resurrection is the final defeat of death. Evil company corrupts good habits: This is not a quotation from the Old Testament, or even from the words of Jesus. Death is a defeated enemy because of the work of Jesus, an enemy that will one day. But most prominent was the worship of the Corinthian Aphrodite, who had more than 1,000 hierodouloi (female prostitutes and priestesses) in her service. 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. This isnt the gathering of the world, but, iv. So He receives resurrection first as, of Jesus described here uses the ancient Greek word, of our resurrection, does that mean He was the first one raised from the dead? b. Paul writes this letter from Ephesus, where these people from Chloes household visited and told him about the condition of the the Corinthian church. 1. Barclay says yes, and simply points out that Paul was dead wrong here. 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. David has been happy to be part of the Blue Letter Bible . Click to enable/disable _gat_* - Google Analytics Cookie. Instead He rose. Encouraging and getting others to study, believe, and rely on God to be real. Whether there are degrees of glory, as it seems probable, so we shall certainly know, when we come to heaven. (Trapp). He is happy to do it in this way, which offends the height of human wisdom. What is there wise (in the Greek sense of wisdom) about a crucified Messiah?. The words message of the cross sound kind of noble and religious to our twentieth-century ears. He has destroyed the wisdom of the wise, just as He said He would., i. ii. Instead, a stalk of wheat grows. They take the submission of God the Son as proof that He must not be equal in deity to God the Father. 1 Corinthians 15:1-11 - Bible Gateway : Here, Paul refers to God the Sons desire to glorify God the Father through all eternity. Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men. The Corinthian Christians are called saints, but this was not based on the outward performance of the Corinthians. 1 Corinthians 15:20-58 - The Glory of the Resurrection - Enduring Word Flesh and blood, in this context, means our present bodies. Jesus resurrection body was not a pure spirit body, but a material body described as flesh and bones (Luke 24:39) instead of flesh and blood. iii. He was a changed man, forgiven, cleansed, and full of love when he used to be full of hate. . iii. 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. 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. For the unbeliever, this life alone gives them any chance at pleasure, and whatever happiness they can find now is all the happiness they will ever know. The Greek word has both a Gentile and a Jewish background. Death has no power over the person found in Jesus Christ. caromont health medical records; japanese pistachio tree; wentworth golf club general manager; how many vaquitas are left 2022. Verse 1. The Book of 1 Kings; The Book of 2 Kings; The Book of Job; The 119th Psalm; The Book of Ecclesiastes; The Song of Solomon; The Book of Isaiah; The Book of Jeremiah; The Book of Daniel; New Testament. They had been enriched by him with all spiritual gifts. ix. Are they lying in the grave, in some kind of soul sleep or suspended animation? You dont understand the tension between Christ and crucified. (33-34) Knowing the truth about our resurrection should affect the way we live. 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 ). As Paul said to Agrippa in Acts 26:8, Why should it be thought incredible by you that God raises the dead? Everything good the Corinthian Christians have from God has come to them by grace. Jesus gave him the keys to the kingdom of heaven, and hes our man. 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. Commentary on 1 Corinthians 1 by Matthew Henry - Blue Letter Bible Paul doesnt only consider believers in Corinth to be the church of God. But resurrection means that your labor is not in vain in the Lord. 1 Corinthians 15:1-11 New International Version The Resurrection of Christ 15 Now, brothers and sisters, I want to remind you of the gospel I preached to you, which you received and on which you have taken your stand. The resurrection of Jesus, iv. 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. e. Confirm you to the end: The Corinthian Christians had their strong points, and they had their weak points. Remember though, that it was Jesus, not the Old Testament, which. 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. b. 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. 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). 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. iii. ( 1 Corinthians 4:1-2) Servants and stewards. 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. You can check these in your browser security settings. We should work hard in everything now, working for the Lord, because right now counts forever! He is a life-giving spirit. There is a natural body and there is also a spiritual body" (15:42-44). d. That no flesh should glory in His presence: This is the end result. The Lord will show His remembrance of our work and labor of love at the resurrection. The church also had even lost Jesus in the message, preaching religious platitudes and social graces. And why do we stand in jeopardy every hour? In light of I thank God that I baptized none of you, it is impossible to claim that Paul was a sacramentalist. 1 Corinthians 15:51-58 EXEGESIS: THE CONTEXT: Corinth was an important and wealthy city on the isthmus (narrow strip of land) separating Northern and Southern Greece. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. Gods wisdom is not mans wisdom multiplied to the highest degree. In this emphasis on Jesus, Paul promotes the sure cure for the problems of the Corinthians: getting your eyes off self and on Jesus. 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. He does not speak of the spiritual putting to death of the flesh. 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. Believers in Palestine are described this way (1 Corinthians 15:9), as well as the church at large (1 Corinthians 10:31-32). It is a vain inquiry here, whether he means good or bad angels. Expiring saints have often said that their last beds have been the best they have ever slept upon. (Spurgeon), iii. 1. And what you sow, you do not sow that body that shall be, but mere grainperhaps wheat or some other. But Hodge recognizes that Paul isnt necessarily referring to only believers of. 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 . 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 Acts commentary). i. Were the ones really right with God!, iv. True wisdom isnt about getting smart. Gods wisdom is received in and through the person of Jesus. b. They could not have known this unless God revealed it to them. 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? 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. This is in contrast to the Galatian church, who was quickly being moved away to another gospel (Galatians 1:6). We are no longer subject to the penalty of the law (death), and we are set free from sin. Importantly, each person of the Trinity desires to glorify another person of the Trinity. iii. This was in constant use, because seamen were thus enabled to avoid sailing round the dangerous promontory of Malea. (Vincent) Sailors wanted to avoid the dangerous journey around Malea, which was indicated by two popular proverbs: Let him who sails around Malea forget his home, and Let him who sails around Malea first make his will. If the ship was too large to be dragged, the cargo was unloaded and loaded onto another ship on the other side of the isthmus. i. explains why animals do not rise in the resurrection. 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. There was an old, contentious Quaker who went from one meeting to another, never finding the true church. 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. All flesh is not the same flesh explains why animals do not rise in the resurrection. The Corinthians boasting about their party leaders was really boasting about themselves. How can Paul be confident of this when the Corinthian church has so many problems? : We dont often think of the burial of Jesus as part of the gospel, but it is. He will. 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? Youre no great bargain. There were, not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, i. . I am of Christ: There was the Jesus Party, who declared You all are so carnal, following after mere men. : In a single moment, Jesus will gather His people (both dead and on the earth) to Himself, for resurrection. a. Therefore be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord: Because we know death is defeated and we have an eternal, resurrected destiny with Jesus Christ, we should stand firm and unshakable all the more for Him right now. We provide you with a list of stored cookies on your computer in our domain so you can check what we stored. The ivy kept growing, and one could soon only read, . We get our English word. Nor does corruption inherit incorruption: The word corruption does not mean moral or ethical corruption, but physical, material corruption. Because these cookies are strictly necessary to deliver the website, refusing them will have impact how our site functions. e. The foolishness of God is wiser than men: God was at His most foolish and very weakest at the cross, but it was infinitely wiser and stronger than anything man could do. A distinction may be made between the trumpet of an angel and the trumpet of God. They were not the spiritual achievements of the Corinthians, but the work of the grace of God in them. To remain willfully ignorant of the truth is sin. Otherwise you will be prompted again when opening a new browser window or new a tab. 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). David Guzik is the pastor of Calvary Chapel Santa Barbara, California. When Paul explained it like this, it shows how foolish it is to focus on anyone but Jesus. 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. ii. i. Righteousness means that we are legally declared not only not guilty, but to have a positive righteousness. Though the word gospel isnt in this verse, it is in the previous verse. i. Which is at Corinth: Corinth was one of the great cities of the ancient world, and a community very much like Southern California. After what has been said about the value of love only one admonition is in place: "Pursue love!" was the ultimate oxymoron, and this was what Paul preached! Ironside says that the last trumpet was a figure of speech that came from the Roman military, when they broke camp. The ivy kept growing, and one could soon only read, we preach. The burial of Jesus is important for several reasons. Paul praises God for their positives, and expresses confidence that God will take care of their weak points, and, blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ, i. It means that the righteous deeds and character of Jesus are accounted to us. When you bury the body of a believer, you are sowing a seed that will come out of the earth as a resurrection body. He compares his own case with that of the Corinthians: " We are fools for Christ's sake, but you are wise in Christ; we are weak, but you are strong; you are honourable, but we are despised, v. 10. i. : The Corinthian Christians had their strong points, and they had their weak points. Please see our Privacy Policy for cookie usage details. how to stop a computer worm from spreading; nick jr yo gabba gabba magic word game. Study Guide for 1 Corinthians 13 by David Guzik - Blue Letter Bible Foolish one, what you sow is not made alive unless it dies. d. I have fought with beasts at Ephesus: The book of Acts does not record an occasion when Paul faced wild animals in an arena. Otherwise, you have believed in vain. Crucify him! if we had our wits about us, we would have shouted back, Dont crucify Him! 1 Corinthians 15:1-11 Commentary - Desperate Preacher I am not an apostle through the appointment of the other apostles. 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. i. So he was fired from or quit his job as ruler of the synagogue! No. The Listener's Bible: NIV Edition Copyright 2011 by Max McLean. There are also celestial bodies and terrestrial bodies; but the glory of the celestial is one, and the glory of the terrestrial is another. So, preaching a high moral standard is not preaching the gospel, preaching the universal fatherhood of God is not preaching the gospel, and preaching the universal brotherhood of man is not preaching the gospel. Sinners can have no peace with God, nor any from him, but through Christ. This should make us steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord! (10) Initial plea: dont be torn apart, but joined. 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.. . That is of little importance to me, because I am not an apostle because of a popular election. Is made a "making alive spirit," a spirit that makes alive. But our expectations of what God should do keep us from receiving that power and wisdom. If there is no resurrection, then there is no future judgment to consider. If one preaches the word with a reliance on wisdom of words, they can make the gospel of no effect. First, every day carefully consider the certainty of death. You can also change some of your preferences. If Jesus is not God, He cannot offer a complete sacrifice for sins. We are following in the footsteps of no one less than Jesus Himself. iv. Grace to you and peace: The greeting including grace and peace is typical of Pauls letters, and draws from both Greek and Jewish customs. 2. It is certain that a blind man is no judge of colours, a deaf man is no judge of sound, and a man who has never been quickened into spiritual life can have no judgment as to spiritual things. (Spurgeon). 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. Then comes the end, when He delivers the kingdom to God the Father. Believers in Palestine are described this way (1 Corinthians 15:9), as well as the church at large (1 Corinthians 10:31-32). And the Greek there is hard to translate. Even more foolish than dividing Jesus is to center parties in the church around men. We can follow Pauls logic point-by-point: If there is no principle of resurrection, then Jesus did not rise from the dead. The Greeks regarded Christ crucified as foolishness. It isnt. a. Paul, called to be an apostle of Jesus Christ through the will of God, and Sosthenes our brother. Click to enable/disable _gat_* - Google Analytics Cookie. , and the church also started preaching Jesus the Great Man and Jesus the Moral Example instead of Christ crucified. (58) Final application: how our destiny of resurrection means we should stand fast for the Lord right now. 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. Paul uses this exact phrase five other times in the New Testament. 3. It was on a four-and-one-half mile-wide isthmus of land. They did not value the wisdom expressed in the message of the cross. What happened to change them? This is the sting of death to you, unconverted ones, not that you are dying, but that after death is the judgment, and that you must stand before the Judge of the quick and dead to receive a sentence for the sins which you have committed in your body against him. (Spurgeon). The path for Gods glory is Christ crucified; the evidence of Gods glory is His choice of the lowly. These cookies are strictly necessary to provide you with services available through our website and to use some of its features. all the credit for the change in His life. 1 Corinthians 15:1-19 - The Gospel of Jesus Christ 1 Corinthians 15:20-58 - The Glory of the Resurrection 1 Corinthians 16 - A Collection and a Conclusion 1 2 Bible Commentary Quick Navigation Start Here! Note that blocking some types of cookies may impact your experience on our websites and the services we are able to offer. Were the ones really right with God! (Acts 18:24-25), iii. . Many things made Corinth famous. You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you." a. c. There are contentions among you: Though division is ungodly, it is not wrong to make distinctions between churches and ministers. Commentary on 1 Corinthians 15:1-26, 51-57 - Working Preacher 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. Let a man so consider us: Paul asks that he, and the other apostles ( us) be regarded by the Corinthians as servants. Jesus was a unique case.