Lessons From 1 Corinthians – Lesson 17
After Paul deals with every one of them coming with a Psalm, or a revelation, or ect… Every one of them wanted to speak and have the eyes and ears of everyone on them. And he also dealt with the issue of not interrupting who is speaking.
Paul concludes that topic by saying.
1 Cor 14:40 Let all things be done decently and in order.
The context of that verse is dealing with a bunch of carnal Christians having gatherings of chaos. And the instruction let all things be done decently and in order is clearing dealing with church services.
And N.T. churches need to apply that truth to their services.
But I have seen verse 40 be applied to all kinds of things. And that is a miss use of scripture. The context of all things in verse 40 is clearly church services. Not all things as in the churches silverware. It is all things as in what you do and the organization of the church services.
The all things does not apply to sound boards. It does not apply to having better floor mats in the vans. It is a mistake to take a verse dealing with disorderly services and apply it to a matter of preference that has nothing to do with having an orderly church service.
Some might think that a 5,000 sound board will do a more decent job than the 3,000 sound board that they just purchased 6 months ago. But that is not what verse 40 is about so don’t apply verse 40 as justification for something that has nothing to do with orderly services.
Several times in this letter after Paul covered what they were doing wrong, he followed with the right way, the better way, the more excellent way. He did not just cover the wrong way he also covered the correct way.
And the ending of this letter will be no different. There will still be some correction but along with it will be some positive things, the better way, and some encouragement.
Paul has brought up many of the things that they were wrongly focused on.
He is now going to address the top things that they should be focused on. This is the put off and put on principal.
So in this letter it is put off, coveting someone else’s gift, and put of carnal bickering, put off teachings that are not the ways Paul taught, put off doing the Lords supper wrong, and ect…
Stop focusing on all of that carnality. And instead put on. Instead focus on. And that is what Paul starts in Chapter 15.
And the first thing on the focus on list is the Gospel. This is the most important.
A long time ago, before I got sick, I had a website that was getting about 800 real visits a day, and a man who was getting ready to take over a small church emailed me for my advice.
He said this family has this issue and this other family has this hobby horse, and this other family has a problem with this, and so on, and then asked what I would suggest that he should preach to deal with this.
I had no hesitation. You preach Jesus, who He is and what He taught and you preach the gospel. That is the best approach on dealing with a carnal church. And that is Biblical. That is what Paul is setting their focus on.
1 Cor 15:1 Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand;
1 Cor 15:2 By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain.
The only way that someone can believe in vain is if they really did not believe. Either they faked it or just repeated a prayer with no understanding. Or believed in something that they were told was the gospel but was actually something else.
All three of those are possible. They all 3 do happen. And so that there is no confusion on what the gospel that saves is, Paul is going to clearly define it.
1 Cor 15:3 For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures;
1 Cor 15:4 And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:
That is the biblical definition of the Gospel. Christ died for our sins. Not His. He had no sin. He died for our sins because we are all sinners. Christ died, and He was buried but He did not stay dead.
He rose again the 3rd day proving that His payment for our sins was accepted. The Gospel that saves is the death and burial and resurrection of Jesus to pay for your sins.
This is the first thing in Paul’s what you should be focused on list. The gospel. And that fits with the top priority that Jesus gave just before He ascended back to Heaven.
The gospel is to be the top priority for any church. Getting a church properly focused on that goes a long way to fixing carnality and other problems.
Paul will often bring up a topic and then drill down into more detail on it. Paul will give more information that has bearing on what he just said before he moves on. And he does that here.
Paul has just said that the gospel includes the resurrection.
So now he will deal with the fact of the resurrection. And then deal with the ramifications of the resurrection and the absolute necessity of the resurrection.
First the fact of the resurrection.
1 Cor 15:5 And that he was seen of Cephas, then of the twelve:
1 Cor 15:6 After that, he was seen of above five hundred brethren at once; of whom the greater part remain unto this present, but some are fallen asleep.
1 Cor 15:7 After that, he was seen of James; then of all the apostles.
Jesus was seen after He arose. And then Jesus was seen and seen and seen some more. Over 500 people at once saw him. And when Paul wrote this letter most of them were still alive and were still testifying that they had seen Jesus.
And all of the apostles seen Him after He arose. And then later after ascension Paul saw Jesus.
1 Cor 15:8 And last of all he was seen of me also, as of one born out of due time.
Jesus died for our sins and was buried and rose again. The resurrection is just as much a fact as the death on the cross.
Paul brought up apostles and so he gives a little more information on that.
1 Cor 15:9 For I am the least of the apostles, that am not meet to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God.
1 Cor 15:10 But by the grace of God I am what I am: and his grace which was bestowed upon me was not in vain; but I laboured more abundantly than they all: yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me.
Before Paul got saved he persecuted the church and says I am not meet to be called an apostle, but he is one and gives God the glory for it. It was only because of the grace of God.
And Paul was thankful and labored more than any of the other apostles. Just a quick little extra info. And now like Paul it is right back to the topic of the gospel and the resurrection.
1 Cor 15:11 Therefore whether it were I or they, so we preach, and so ye believed.
People hear the gospel and it does not matter who from. They hear, and chose to believe. It is that simple.
And the gospel is both the death and also the resurrection. You cannot have one without the other and still be the gospel.
And now we find out that some of the people in Corinth did not believe in the resurrection.
1 Cor 15:12 Now if Christ be preached that he rose from the dead, how say some among you that there is no resurrection of the dead?
1 Cor 15:13 But if there be no resurrection of the dead, then is Christ not risen:
1 Cor 15:14 And if Christ be not risen, then is our preaching vain, and your faith is also vain.
Without the resurrection you have nothing. It is that important. The wages of sin is death. That is clearly stated in the N.T. and that truth was taught from the very first.
When Adam and Eve sinned, God Himself provided a covering for their sin. Adam and Eve could not provide a covering for sin from their works. They tried, they used fig leaves. It did not work.
The wages of sin is death. So for sin to be paid for someone has to die. Death is the only thing that will pay for sin.
So God took an innocent lamb and sacrificed it to provide the covering for their sin. It was a picture that the innocent can die to pay for the sins of the guilty. It was a picture of what Jesus would do. The Lamb of God that takes away the sins of the world.
The just dying for the unjust. From the first sin, God has clearly taught this.
So here is the point. Since the wages of sin is death, and since Jesus died as our substitute to pay for our sin. If Jesus was still paying for our sin, then Jesus would still be dead.
If Jesus did not rise again, then we would have no hope. Our sin would still not be paid for. So Paul says if there is no resurrection, then our preaching is vain and faith is vain. That is empty and worthless.
Praise God that He did fully pay for our sin. He finished it. He paid for it on the cross, and rose again to show that it was finished. The full payment has been made. And that payment lasts for all eternity.
1 Cor 15:15 Yea, and we are found false witnesses of God; because we have testified of God that he raised up Christ: whom he raised not up, if so be that the dead rise not.
And if Jesus did not rise, then Paul says those that preach Jesus would be liars. The fact that Jesus arose backs up the truth of what they preach.
1 Cor 15:16 For if the dead rise not, then is not Christ raised:
1 Cor 15:17 And if Christ be not raised, your faith is vain; ye are yet in your sins.
1 Cor 15:18 Then they also which are fallen asleep in Christ are perished.
There is no going to heaven without the resurrection. Without the resurrection the only destination for everyone would be to perish in hell.
1 Cor 15:19 If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable.
If hope in Jesus was only good in this life, which is but a vapor, then that brings misery. Hope in Jesus is only good if that includes eternity.
The great news is that our faith is not vain, our hope in Jesus is eternal. Because the gospel is the death and burial and the resurrection.
1 Cor 15:20 But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept.
Now for more information. A comparison between what went before and what came later. A comparison of the bad that came before and how that is turned around by God and how God brings something greater later.
1 Cor 15:21 For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead.
A comparison of Adam and Jesus. Jesus had to become fully man. One reason is to be a suitable sinless substitute to pay for our sin. That is the primary reason. Another reason is so that God can turn around the bad that one man did with another man who came later.
1 Cor 15:22 For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.
1 Cor 15:23 But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ’s at his coming.
And Christ is the firstfruits. He was raised first. What about those like Lazarus? They had to die again. Only Jesus was raised permanently and Jesus was the first one raised that went to Heaven.
Jesus is the first one raised after sin was paid for. Jesus is the firstruits. And then all the believers are resurrected when He comes back.
1 Cor 15:24 Then cometh the end, when he shall have delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father; when he shall have put down all rule and all authority and power.
1 Cor 15:25 For he must reign, till he hath put all enemies under his feet.
And the greatest victory is yet to come. Jesus came and paid for our sin and all that die who believe will be raised again, but people will still die. Most will die before they are raised.
Death still exists. But one day death itself will be no more.
1 Cor 15:26 The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death.
1 Cor 15:27 For he hath put all things under his feet. But when he saith all things are put under him, it is manifest that he is excepted, which did put all things under him.
1 Cor 15:28 And when all things shall be subdued unto him, then shall the Son also himself be subject unto him that put all things under him, that God may be all in all.
Paul now brings up an odd thing, he is still hammering it home that there is a resurrection. They have a very serious error by some in that church.
1 Cor 15:29 Else what shall they do which are baptized for the dead, if the dead rise not at all? why are they then baptized for the dead?
I think this is a reference to some other false teaching that they believed. Believing this false teaching shows the inconsistency and hypocrisy of their false belief. How can you say on one hand that you have to be baptized for the dead if the dead do not exist?
It is literally stupid.
1 Cor 15:30 And why stand we in jeopardy every hour?
1 Cor 15:31 I protest by your rejoicing which I have in Christ Jesus our Lord, I die daily.
1 Cor 15:32 If after the manner of men I have fought with beasts at Ephesus, what advantageth it me, if the dead rise not? let us eat and drink; for to morrow we die.
1 Cor 15:33 Be not deceived: evil communications corrupt good manners.
1 Cor 15:34 Awake to righteousness, and sin not; for some have not the knowledge of God: I speak this to your shame.
Ouch. Believing in the resurrection is righteousness and not believing that there is a resurrection is sin. They were listening to some that have not the knowledge of God. Paul speaks this to their shame.
Now Paul is going to specifically deal with one of their false teachings.
1 Cor 15:35 But some man will say, How are the dead raised up? and with what body do they come?
1 Cor 15:36 Thou fool, that which thou sowest is not quickened, except it die:
1 Cor 15:37 And that which thou sowest, thou sowest not that body that shall be, but bare grain, it may chance of wheat, or of some other grain:
All creation was designed to work this way. There is life in the corn seed. If the seed is too old, there is no life in it and you can plant it and nothing.
If there is still life in the seed, then you plant it and the seed itself is no more. The seed’s life ends, and instead the life of the corn plant springs up.
This is the way it is with us.
1 Cor 15:38 But God giveth it a body as it hath pleased him, and to every seed his own body.
1 Cor 15:39 All flesh is not the same flesh: but there is one kind of flesh of men, another flesh of beasts, another of fishes, and another of birds.
1 Cor 15:40 There are also celestial bodies, and bodies terrestrial: but the glory of the celestial is one, and the glory of the terrestrial is another.
1 Cor 15:41 There is one glory of the sun, and another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars: for one star differeth from another star in glory.
1 Cor 15:42 So also is the resurrection of the dead. It is sown in corruption; it is raised in incorruption:
1 Cor 15:43 It is sown in dishonour; it is raised in glory: it is sown in weakness; it is raised in power:
Right now our bodies are stained with sin. They are corrupt. Bad joints, decay, your teeth go bad, ect. And we are sinners. Sown in dishonor, our bodies are weak.
But that is not how we will be raised. We will be raised in incorruption. And we will no longer be weak. We will be raised in power.
1 Cor 15:44 It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body. There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body.
Our bodies will not be raised the same. The time for a natural body will be over and we will be raised in a spiritual body.
1 Cor 15:45 And so it is written, The first man Adam was made a living soul; the last Adam was made a quickening spirit.
1 Cor 15:46 Howbeit that was not first which is spiritual, but that which is natural; and afterward that which is spiritual.
1 Cor 15:47 The first man is of the earth, earthy: the second man is the Lord from heaven.
So he is starting to wrap up this principal. First the flawed, weak, lowly, then later comes what is vastly better.
1 Cor 15:48 As is the earthy, such are they also that are earthy: and as is the heavenly, such are they also that are heavenly.
1 Cor 15:49 And as we have borne the image of the earthy, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly.
You have to go thru what comes first to get to what comes later that is infinitely better. There are no short cuts. This is the way it works.
1 Cor 15:50 Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption.
1 Cor 15:51 Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed,
1 Cor 15:52 In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.
1 Cor 15:53 For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.
1 Cor 15:54 So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory.
1 Cor 15:55 O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?
Notice that saying is true after you raise, after you get your new body.
1 Cor 15:56 The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law.
1 Cor 15:57 But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
Now the therefore. Because of all that I have said, this is how you should behave. This the better thing you need to put on.
1 Cor 15:58 Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.
Stop the carnality. Put that off and put this on.
be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord
And why. One reason is that it is the correct right thankful thing to do. The Lord is worthy. Another reason is it is a way to Love God and Love your neighbor the 2 great commandments.
And another reason Paul gives here.
ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.
It will matter, God is involved and watching, and laboring for the Lord will make a difference.