Readings for this week
Monday: 1st Corinthians 15
Tuesday: 1st Corinthians 16
Wednesday: Zephaniah 1
Thursday: Zephaniah 2
Friday: Zephaniah 3
Saturday: Habakkuk 1
Tuesday: 1st Corinthians 16
Wednesday: Zephaniah 1
Thursday: Zephaniah 2
Friday: Zephaniah 3
Saturday: Habakkuk 1
Sunday: Habakkuk 2
Introduction to 1st Corinthians 15-16
Chapter 15
Paul then offers to the Corinthians a doctrinal correction regarding the resurrection. First, Paul presents the evidence for Christ’s resurrection. Paul wants to remind them of the Gospel he preached to them, saying that if they have lost this Gospel, then their belief was in vain. He says that what he received he also passed on to them 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 (Peter)
And then appeared to the Twelve
After that, he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers and sisters at the same time, most of whom are still living, but some have “fallen asleep”
Then he appeared to James
Then he appeared to all the apostles
And last of all he appeared to Paul also, as to one abnormally born.
Paul then presents his own understanding of his own apostleship:
I am the least of the apostles
I do not even deserve to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God.
But by the grace of God I am what I am
His grace to me was not without effect.
I worked harder than all of them—yet not I, but the grace of God that was with me.
Whether, then, it is I or they, this is what we preach, and this is what you believed.
Paul then argues for the necessity of Christ’s resurrection. First, because it is proof of past forgiveness. Paul is shocked that some of them have claimed that there is no resurrection of the dead. He says that since they preach that Christ has been raised from the dead that is evidence that all people are in need of resurrection… or else the conclusion should be that Christ is still dead. He says that without resurrection, the message is pointless. Without resurrection, those who have died in Christ are lost forever. He says that if it’s only for this life that we have hope in Christ, then we are to be pitied above all people.
Paul then speaks of the future reign of Christ. He points out that Christ’s resurrection was allegorized in Scripture:
Christ is the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man.
Adam = death
Christ = life
But each part of the resurrection has its own turn:
Christ, the firstfruits, is resurrected
Then, when Christ comes, those who belong to him are resurrected
Then the end will come when Christ destroys all dominion, authority and power and hands over the kingdom to God the Father, and Christ will reign over all his enemies.
Christ then destroys his last enemy, death itself.
Paul wants to clarify that when he says that everything will be put under Christ, this does not include God the Father, because God the Father gives Christ his authority. And he says that after Christ has done all this, then the Son himself will be made subject to him who put everything under him, so that God may be all in all.
Paul then offers the proof of the believers’ resurrection. He asks that if the dead are not raised at all, then why are people baptized for them? And he also asks why the apostles would endanger themselves every hour. He asks, “If I fought wild beasts in Ephesus with no more than human hopes, what have I gained?” And he quotes a proverbs saying that if the dead are not raised, then…
“Let us eat and drink,
for tomorrow we die.”
He tells them that bad company corrupts good character and tells them to come to their senses and stop sinning. He compares them to people who are ignorant of God in order to shame them.
Paul then discusses the nature of the resurrection body. He anticipates that someone will surely ask him, “How are the dead raised? With what kind of body will they come?” Paul declares that this a stupid question. He pulls an example from gardening, saying, “What you sow does not come to life unless it dies. When you sow, you do not plant the body that will be, but just a seed, perhaps of wheat or of something else. But God gives it a body as he has determined, and to each kind of seed he gives its own body.
Paul then goes on to compare different types of flesh… or physical existence. He says that people have one kind of flesh, animals have another, birds another, fish another. There are heavenly bodies with one kind of splendor. There are earthly bodies with another kind of splendor. The sun has one kind of splendor. The moon another. The stars another. And star differs from star in splendor. He says so will it be with the resurrection of the dead. The body that is sown is perishable, it is raised imperishable. It is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory. It is sown in weakness, it is raised in power. It is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body. And If there is a natural body… there is also a spiritual body.
And he quotes from scripture, saying, “The first man Adam became a living being”, but then adds that the “last Adam” (Jesus), became a life-giving spirit. He says that the spiritual did not come first, but the natural, and after that the spiritual. The first man was of the dust of the earth. The second man is of heaven. As was the earthly man, so are those who are of the earth. And as is the heavenly man, so also are those who are of heaven. And just as we have borne the image of the earthly man, so shall we bear the image of the heavenly man.
Paul then speaks of the assurance of resurrection. He says that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable. He then tells them to listen to this mystery:
“We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed—in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. For the perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality. When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true: “Death has been swallowed up in victory.”
“Where, O death, is your victory?
Where, O death, is your sting?”
Paul says that the sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But he gives thanks to God that he gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ! Paul’s conclusion is to stand firm and to give oneself fully to the work of the Lord.
Why?
Because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.
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 (Peter)
And then appeared to the Twelve
After that, he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers and sisters at the same time, most of whom are still living, but some have “fallen asleep”
Then he appeared to James
Then he appeared to all the apostles
And last of all he appeared to Paul also, as to one abnormally born.
Paul then presents his own understanding of his own apostleship:
I am the least of the apostles
I do not even deserve to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God.
But by the grace of God I am what I am
His grace to me was not without effect.
I worked harder than all of them—yet not I, but the grace of God that was with me.
Whether, then, it is I or they, this is what we preach, and this is what you believed.
Paul then argues for the necessity of Christ’s resurrection. First, because it is proof of past forgiveness. Paul is shocked that some of them have claimed that there is no resurrection of the dead. He says that since they preach that Christ has been raised from the dead that is evidence that all people are in need of resurrection… or else the conclusion should be that Christ is still dead. He says that without resurrection, the message is pointless. Without resurrection, those who have died in Christ are lost forever. He says that if it’s only for this life that we have hope in Christ, then we are to be pitied above all people.
Paul then speaks of the future reign of Christ. He points out that Christ’s resurrection was allegorized in Scripture:
Christ is the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man.
Adam = death
Christ = life
But each part of the resurrection has its own turn:
Christ, the firstfruits, is resurrected
Then, when Christ comes, those who belong to him are resurrected
Then the end will come when Christ destroys all dominion, authority and power and hands over the kingdom to God the Father, and Christ will reign over all his enemies.
Christ then destroys his last enemy, death itself.
Paul wants to clarify that when he says that everything will be put under Christ, this does not include God the Father, because God the Father gives Christ his authority. And he says that after Christ has done all this, then the Son himself will be made subject to him who put everything under him, so that God may be all in all.
Paul then offers the proof of the believers’ resurrection. He asks that if the dead are not raised at all, then why are people baptized for them? And he also asks why the apostles would endanger themselves every hour. He asks, “If I fought wild beasts in Ephesus with no more than human hopes, what have I gained?” And he quotes a proverbs saying that if the dead are not raised, then…
“Let us eat and drink,
for tomorrow we die.”
He tells them that bad company corrupts good character and tells them to come to their senses and stop sinning. He compares them to people who are ignorant of God in order to shame them.
Paul then discusses the nature of the resurrection body. He anticipates that someone will surely ask him, “How are the dead raised? With what kind of body will they come?” Paul declares that this a stupid question. He pulls an example from gardening, saying, “What you sow does not come to life unless it dies. When you sow, you do not plant the body that will be, but just a seed, perhaps of wheat or of something else. But God gives it a body as he has determined, and to each kind of seed he gives its own body.
Paul then goes on to compare different types of flesh… or physical existence. He says that people have one kind of flesh, animals have another, birds another, fish another. There are heavenly bodies with one kind of splendor. There are earthly bodies with another kind of splendor. The sun has one kind of splendor. The moon another. The stars another. And star differs from star in splendor. He says so will it be with the resurrection of the dead. The body that is sown is perishable, it is raised imperishable. It is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory. It is sown in weakness, it is raised in power. It is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body. And If there is a natural body… there is also a spiritual body.
And he quotes from scripture, saying, “The first man Adam became a living being”, but then adds that the “last Adam” (Jesus), became a life-giving spirit. He says that the spiritual did not come first, but the natural, and after that the spiritual. The first man was of the dust of the earth. The second man is of heaven. As was the earthly man, so are those who are of the earth. And as is the heavenly man, so also are those who are of heaven. And just as we have borne the image of the earthly man, so shall we bear the image of the heavenly man.
Paul then speaks of the assurance of resurrection. He says that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable. He then tells them to listen to this mystery:
“We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed—in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. For the perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality. When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true: “Death has been swallowed up in victory.”
“Where, O death, is your victory?
Where, O death, is your sting?”
Paul says that the sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But he gives thanks to God that he gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ! Paul’s conclusion is to stand firm and to give oneself fully to the work of the Lord.
Why?
Because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.
Chapter 16
Paul then bring his letter to a conclusion. He first brings up the topic of the collection, and he offers instructions on giving. He tells the Corinthians to do what he told the Galatian churches to do:
On the first day of every week, each one of you should set aside a sum of money in keeping with your income, saving it up, so that when I come no collections will have to be made. Then, when I arrive, I will give letters of introduction to the men you approve and send them with your gift to Jerusalem.
Paul then mentions the travel plans of himself and Timothy. He says that after he goes through Macedonia, he will come to Corinth and stay for a while. He says he would like to stay for a longer visit this time rather make a quick stop as he’s passing through. He says he will stay on at Ephesus until Pentecost, because a great door for effective work has opened to him, and there are many who oppose him. He says that When Timothy comes to them, make sure that he has nothing to fear because the two of them do the same work, and to send him back in peace.
Paul then brings some news about Apollos. He says that he strongly urged him to go to Corinth with the other brothers but he was quite unwilling to go now, but he will go when he has the opportunity.
He then gives his final exhortations:
Be on your guard
Stand firm in the faith
Be courageous
Be strong
Do everything in love.
Paul reminds them of how those from the household of Stephanas were the first converts in Achiaia (a nearby town), and he tells them that they should submit to people like them – people devoted to serving the Lord’s people. Paul says that these people were very refreshing to him in comparison with the Corinthians, and that they made up for what the Corinthians lacked. Paul encourages the Corinthians to let their spirit be refreshed by them, just as his own spirit had been.
He then he finally gives his final greetings:
The churches in the province of Asia send you greetings.
Aquila and Priscilla greet you warmly in the Lord, and so does the church that meets at their house.
All the brothers and sisters here send you greetings.
Greet one another with a holy kiss.
I, Paul, write this greeting in my own hand.
If anyone does not love the Lord, let that person be cursed! Come, Lord!
The grace of the Lord Jesus be with you.
My love to all of you in Christ Jesus. Amen.
On the first day of every week, each one of you should set aside a sum of money in keeping with your income, saving it up, so that when I come no collections will have to be made. Then, when I arrive, I will give letters of introduction to the men you approve and send them with your gift to Jerusalem.
Paul then mentions the travel plans of himself and Timothy. He says that after he goes through Macedonia, he will come to Corinth and stay for a while. He says he would like to stay for a longer visit this time rather make a quick stop as he’s passing through. He says he will stay on at Ephesus until Pentecost, because a great door for effective work has opened to him, and there are many who oppose him. He says that When Timothy comes to them, make sure that he has nothing to fear because the two of them do the same work, and to send him back in peace.
Paul then brings some news about Apollos. He says that he strongly urged him to go to Corinth with the other brothers but he was quite unwilling to go now, but he will go when he has the opportunity.
He then gives his final exhortations:
Be on your guard
Stand firm in the faith
Be courageous
Be strong
Do everything in love.
Paul reminds them of how those from the household of Stephanas were the first converts in Achiaia (a nearby town), and he tells them that they should submit to people like them – people devoted to serving the Lord’s people. Paul says that these people were very refreshing to him in comparison with the Corinthians, and that they made up for what the Corinthians lacked. Paul encourages the Corinthians to let their spirit be refreshed by them, just as his own spirit had been.
He then he finally gives his final greetings:
The churches in the province of Asia send you greetings.
Aquila and Priscilla greet you warmly in the Lord, and so does the church that meets at their house.
All the brothers and sisters here send you greetings.
Greet one another with a holy kiss.
I, Paul, write this greeting in my own hand.
If anyone does not love the Lord, let that person be cursed! Come, Lord!
The grace of the Lord Jesus be with you.
My love to all of you in Christ Jesus. Amen.
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