We dont need to waver, we dont need to change direction, we dont need to fall, and we dont need to quit. ii. Not with the, Lest the cross of Christ should be made of no effect, . The Corinthian people were also world known: for partying, drunkenness, and loose sexual morals. 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. It is important to understand that when Paul says, . i. The plain fact is that Paul did not know when these events would take place, and nowhere does he claim to know. 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). viii. 1. : If the Corinthian Christians did not continue to, , one day they might let go of the gospel. ii. 2. Jesus paid our admission to the resurrection! vi. If you refuse cookies we will remove all set cookies in our domain. a. i. Paul expressed the same idea again in 1 Thessalonians 4:15-18. We are no longer subject to the penalty of the law (death), and we are set free from sin. And with what body do they come? It is one thing to prefer one minister to another, but we cannot divide into cliques behind one minister or another. Besides, I do not know whether I baptized any other. Click on the different category headings to find out more. The sting of death lay in this, that we had sinned and were summoned to appear before the God whom we had offended. iii. 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. Otherwise you will be prompted again when opening a new browser window or new a tab. 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. ii. His boasting is both, (that is, in the Corinthian Christians) and, . Paul, called to be an apostle of Jesus Christ through the will of God, and Sosthenes our brother. The, Copyright - Enduring Word | . Check to enable permanent hiding of message bar and refuse all cookies if you do not opt in. Session 5: Ministry of Reconciliation. No wonder it is foolishness to those who are perishing! Can even this much be said about many churches today? 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. It is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body. 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. For some, this would just be spiritual sounding talk, which showed more pride than humility. It was common in the ancient world to dictate a letter to a scribe who would write it all down. d. To the Jews a stumbling block and to the Greeks foolishness: The Jews regarded Christ crucified as a stumbling block; perhaps this is better understood as an offense or a scandal. Cephas is the Aramaic word for Peter. Ironside says that the last trumpet was a figure of speech that came from the Roman military, when they broke camp. 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. The disunion is unnatural and must be cured.. (42-44) Comparison of the two kinds of bodies. . ( John 15:1-3) Jesus as the true vine . God raises the dead. In this emphasis on Jesus, Paul promotes the sure cure for the problems of the Corinthians: getting your eyes off self and on Jesus. a. How can Paul be confident of this when the Corinthian church has so many problems? (12-13) The resurrection of Jesus proves there is a resurrection. Paul says, Go ask these people who saw the resurrected Jesus. 3. Crispus believed on the Lord with all his household (Acts 18:8), and was saved. You dont understand the tension between Christ and crucified. He writes of the constant imminent danger to his physical life. do not mean Paul actually considered the message and God foolish. 1 Corinthians 15:23. 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. Check to enable permanent hiding of message bar and refuse all cookies if you do not opt in. For I delivered unto you first of all . Before that he served as director and teacher at Calvary Chapel Bible College, Germany, following more than 20 years of pastoral ministry. So, he persecuted the church before being confronted by Jesus on the road to Damascus (Acts 9). 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. You have lost a dear friend: yes, but only lost that friend that you may find him again, and find more than you lost. 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. Notice the words to be are inserted by translators. It is as if he says, You all may not recognize my apostolic credentials. The sting of death is sin, and the strength of sin is the law. b. They are saints together with all who in every place call on the name of Jesus Christ our Lord. Second, by faith put your soul through the whole process of death. 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). a. : This is not a quotation from the Old Testament, or even from the words of Jesus. 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. Encouraging and getting others to study, believe, and rely on God to be real. Our website uses cookies to store user preferences. There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body. Probably, Sosthenes was Pauls scribe (or, more technically, his amanuensis). Instead of being torn apart, Paul pleads that they would be joined together in the, : A medical word used of knitting together bones that have been fractured, or joining together a joint that has been dislocated. The idea is that we have been purchased to permanent freedom. The Listener's Bible: NIV Edition Copyright 2011 by Max McLean. That is of little importance to me, because I am not an apostle because of a popular election. ( 1 Corinthians 4:1-2) Servants and stewards. iii. What of the dead in Christ before that day? We use cookies to let us know when you visit our websites, how you interact with us, to enrich your user experience, and to customize your relationship with our website. Of course, Paul did baptize a few in Corinth. Yet, we can see by this that, that he baptized so few in Corinth, and he, as an evangelist, could. 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. They could not have known this unless God revealed it to them. They were called saints. He clearly denies here that he considers baptism essential to the remission of sin or the means of obtaining forgiveness. (Robertson), How did Paul preach in Corinth? It is sown in weakness; it is raised in power. Paul uses this exact phrase five other times in the New Testament. But in the first century, saying message of the cross was about the same as saying message of the electric chair except worse! There may have been many more meetings that are not described in the gospels. If Jesus died on the cross to pay for our sins and remove our guilt, then why is the resurrection of Jesus so important? With enemies like that, no wonder Paul could say, , ii. Paul may be changing the names to protect the innocent, or to show mercy to the guilty. 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 affirm, by the boasting in you which I have in Christ Jesus our Lord, I die daily. 2. body, suited for life in heaven, not only life on this earth. Changes will take effect once you reload the page. We provide you with a list of stored cookies on your computer in our domain so you can check what we stored. 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. : 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. : In the wording of the ancient Greek, it is even stronger: : Paul says our bodies are like seeds which grow into resurrection bodies. The power of baptism is in the spiritual reality it represents, not in who performs it. 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). Einstein asked them, how much of all the knowledge in the world they had amongst themselves collectively, as a class. : God takes pleasure in accomplishing our salvation in a way no one would have expected. Why then are they baptized for the dead? But by the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace toward me was not in vain; but I labored more abundantly than they all, yet not I, but the grace of God. On the positive side, Paul says love is: patient, kind, and selfless. : Here, Paul refers to God the Sons desire to glorify God the Father through all eternity. They could not have known this unless God revealed it to them. The phrases foolishness of the message and foolishness of God do not mean Paul actually considered the message and God foolish. Paul uses this exact phrase five other times in the New Testament. 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. We are no longer subject to the penalty of the law (death), and we are set free from sin. Then comes the end, when He delivers the kingdom to God the Father. Corinth had a rich ethnic mix, and it was a center for sports, government, military, and business. The first trumpet meant, strike the tents and prepare to leave; the second trumpet meant, fall into line; the third and last trumpet meant march away. This last trumpet describes the Christians marching orders at the rapture of the Church. Of the apostle's doctrine not a trace can be found in all the teaching of philosophers. In the Old Testament, the offering of firstfruits brought one sheaf of grain to represent and anticipate the rest of the harvest (Leviticus 23:9-14). Yet not it, but the grace of God which was with me. are significant. i. This wisdom is often in contradiction to mans expectation. 2018 David Guzik No distribution beyond personal use without permission. 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. 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. Let a man so consider us, as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God. Despite all their problems with carnality, lack of understanding, strife, divisions, immorality, and weird spirituality, they still stood for the gospel. We are following in the footsteps of no one less than Jesus Himself. Moreover it is required in stewards that one be found faithful. The work of God in the Corinthian Christians could be seen by what they said, by what they learned, by a supernatural element in their lives, and by their expectant anticipation of Jesus return. for the Christians destiny. Even in his introduction, Paul thinks about the critical issues he needs to communicate to the Corinthian Christians. Instead of being torn apart, Paul pleads that they would be joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment. 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. Next, come every day, just as you did at conversion, to the cross of Jesus, as a poor guilty sinner. ii. Jesus is both their Lord and our Lord, and because they share a common Lord, they share an essential unity. Corinth had a rich ethnic mix, and it was a center for sports, government, military, and business. To remain willfully ignorant of the truth is sin. 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, . i. However, we never speak of the physical sufferings of Jesus to make us feel sorry for Jesus, as if He needed our pity. Grace means that God gives freely, for His own reasons. (Read 1 Corinthians 14:15-25) There can be no assent to prayers that are not understood. But this is not necessarily the case at all. Jesus also made a special appearance to Peter (Luke 24:34; 1 Corinthians 15:5). (Isaiah 55:8-9). 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. : The book of Acts does not record an occasion when Paul faced wild animals in an arena. i. Then life is lived only under the sun, as is considered in Ecclesiastes. No one was present in the tomb with Him when His body transformed into a resurrection body. (33-34) Knowing the truth about our resurrection should affect the way we live. But God cannot be found through human wisdom, but only through the, : The Corinthians wanted to believe that the gospel itself was a sublime form of wisdom, as the Greeks considered wisdom (. Sharing the Word of God with passion for Christ. a. I plead with you, brethren: Paul was an apostle of Jesus Christ. Corruption cant inherit incorruption. This also demonstrates Jesus credibility, because He proclaimed He would rise three days after His death (Matthew 16:21, 17:23, 20:19). d. Is Christ divided? Note that blocking some types of cookies may impact your experience on our websites and the services we are able to offer. 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). Chuck Smith points to a grammatical construction that would be different if this trumpet were the trumpet of Revelation 11. iii. e. It pleased God: God takes pleasure in accomplishing our salvation in a way no one would have expected. How sobering this is! ii. 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. 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, : Some take this to mean there will be different degrees of glory for believers in heaven. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. 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? : This truth is essential to the gospel. is simply a thing to be understood by spiritual, rather than by merely human perception. The plain fact is that Paul did not know when these events would take place, and nowhere does he claim to know. 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. Originally it said strongly, we preach Christ crucified. Paul will tell the Corinthian Christians something they could not have known by reason or research. They are saints together, with all who in every place call on the name of Jesus Christ our Lord. b. On all counts, the resurrection body wins! They both describe a work in progress. And with what body do they come?. 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. , and each is suited to its own particular environment and needs. . We can follow Pauls logic point-by-point: If there is no principle of resurrection, then Jesus did not rise from the dead. Session 7: Christ's Poverty, Our Wealth. 1. First, every day carefully consider the certainty of death. Grace means that God gives freely, for His own reasons. And why do we stand in jeopardy every hour? There is another significant difference between Pauls ministry in Athens and his work in Corinth. Yet, these positives were no great credit to the Corinthian Christians themselves. d. That no flesh should glory in His presence: This is the end result. figuratively, in reference to his violent and wild human opponents (as he faced at Ephesus in Acts 19:21-41). 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. isnt detailed in the gospels, but is suggested by Matthew 28:10 and 28:16-17. Paul thought carefully about this letter. Believers in Palestine are described this way (1 Corinthians 15:9), as well as the church at large (1 Corinthians 10:31-32). But someone will say, How are the dead raised up? 3. 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 ). Love suffers long: Love will endure a long time. 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. Raised in incorruption raised in glory raised in power: Our resurrection body will be glorious! In 1 Corinthians 1:17, Paul declared the idea that the cross could, 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, sound kind of noble and religious to our twentieth-century ears. Like the biblical revelation itself, his argument begins with God the creator of all and ends with God the judge of all The speech as it stands admirably summarizes an introductory lesson in Christianity for cultured pagans. (Bruce, in his commentary on Acts) At the same time, it is not unreasonable to think that Paul came from the intellectual environment of Athens, to the open wickedness of Corinth, with a renewed passion to preach the gospel plainly and without compromise. However, we learn something just from the meaning of the ancient Greek word . The Apostle Paul spent eighteen months there on his Second Missionary Journey and established a church there. Paul isnt condemning all learning or education; he merely says that by themselves they are useless for obtaining spiritual wisdom. a. (26-29) Gods foolish wisdom is also displayed by whom He has chosen for salvation. a. If there is no principle of resurrection, then, ii. The destruction of death was shown at the resurrection of Jesus, when, But when He says all things are put under Him, it is evident that He who put all things under Him is excepted, : Paul reminds us that the Son will not someday be superior to the Father. In the ancient culture of Paul, a letter began with writing who the letter is from, and then stating who the letter is to. This remarkable, instant gathering of Christians unto Jesus in the clouds has been called the rapture, after the Latin word for caught up in 1 Thessalonians 4:15-18. ii. He establishes the certainty of our Saviour's resurrection, ver 1-11. Nederlandstalige Bijbelstudies door Stan Marinussen, : The apostle Paul follows the normal pattern for writing a letter in ancient times. We should work hard in everything now, working for the Lord, because, Knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord. b. This isnt the gathering of the world, but 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. For those who are not in Jesus Christ, death still has its, . It may simply be unrecorded, or Paul may mean . This conflict had made them divide up into parties or cliques, each party having its own leader., i. Some mock the idea of resurrection. And why do we stand in jeopardy every hour? iii. , and because in Matthew 12:40 Jesus refers to, : Because this idea is so important, Paul repeats it twice in these two verses. 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). ix. The doctrine of Christ's death and resurrection, is the foundation of Christianity. He was a changed man, forgiven, cleansed, and full of love when he used to be full of hate. ii. i. It is better to bear trouble in this world, than to be miserable for ever. If you do not believe Jesus Christ rose from the dead in a resurrection body the way the Bible says He did, then, g. When you know what rests on the resurrection, you know why, if in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men the most pitiable. Sin is the ultimate cause of death (Romans 6:23, Genesis 2:17), and the result cant be defeated unless the cause is defeated. Session 6: Paul and Titus. Foolish one: In the wording of the ancient Greek, it is even stronger: Fools! Those who deny the deity of Jesus say this verse proves their point. Paul tells them just what kind of apostle he is, . He would gladly say, i. 1 CORINTHIANS - PROBLEMS OF A LOCAL CHURCH Click chart to enlarge Charts from Jensen's Survey of the NT - used by permission. : 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. . 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.. 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.. The work of God in the Corinthian Christians could be seen by, iii. a. 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 . Instead He rose. Because these cookies are strictly necessary to deliver the website, refusing them will have impact how our site functions. By which you are also saved, if you hold fast that word I preached to you. 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. ; it is well to recall what the title means. d. You come short in no gift: Paul thanks God for the gifts among the Corinthians, even though they were causing some trouble. For the grace which was given to you by Jesus Christ: This was the specific reason for Pauls gratitude. Note Paul's words: "For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel." - 1 Co 1:17 b. We dont become righteous by focusing on ourselves, because Jesus became for us righteousness. This is not always the case; some of the most brilliant men of history have been Christians (such as Isaac Newton). i. 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). Each of these were resuscitated from death, but none of them were. a. Paul: The apostle Paul follows the normal pattern for writing a letter in ancient times. The idea is that we have been purchased to permanent freedom. It wasnt because the Corinthian Christians did not believe Jesus rose from the dead. But he had no desire to compete with other apostles for the Most Valuable Apostle award. a. We write a letter by saying who the letter is. It is important and useful for Christians to daily reckon themselves dead to sin with Jesus Christ (as in Romans 6:11. to support that truth is wrong, because in context Paul is writing about the danger to his physical life. Let every pulpit rightly say, we preach Christ crucified! A strong church once inscribed these words on an archway leading to the churchyard. The Lord will show His remembrance of our work and labor of love at the resurrection. Apparently, some of the Corinthian Christians (probably those of the Paul Party) made a big deal of the fact that, lest anyone should say that I had baptized in my own name. 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. As Paul wrote to the church in Thessalonica. i. c. Not with wisdom of words: How did Paul preach in Corinth? iii. a. How much of this came in because of they kept. 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. Subscribe * indicates required Email Address * First Name Last Name Phone Number Get Prayer Requests and Updates from David Guzik
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