Otherwise, what will they do who are baptized for the dead, if the dead do not rise at all? Raised in incorruption raised in glory raised in power: Our resurrection body will be glorious! i. 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. Corinth had a rich ethnic mix, and it was a center for sports, government, military, and business. They did not value the wisdom expressed in the message of the cross. : 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. i. Lord: A title designating not only master and boss, but also the Lord revealed in the Old Testament (known as Yahweh or Jehovah). They are saints together, with all who in every place call on the name of Jesus Christ our Lord. So he was fired from or quit his job as ruler of the synagogue! 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 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. 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. This speaks to the vital need described in Romans 12:2: do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God. 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. b. David Guzik :: Study Guide for 1 Corinthians 4 all the credit for the change in His life. Pauls third proof for the resurrection in this section is also compelling. All flesh is not the same flesh: There are all different kinds of bodies in Gods creation, including celestial bodies. They are not lost; they are sown. (Spurgeon). c. There are contentions among you: Though division is ungodly, it is not wrong to make distinctions between churches and ministers. We sometimes sing: You ask me how I know He lives; He lives, He lives inside my heart. But that is not the best way to prove Jesus lives. i. Session 4: Treasure in Clay Jars. That is of little importance to me, because I am not an apostle because of a popular election. Gods wisdom is not mans wisdom multiplied to the highest degree. a. 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. Grace isnt given because of any works, past, present or promised; yet it is given to, iii. Death is defeated by resurrection. He was also humble enough to know that even his hard work was the work of Gods grace in him. The Greek word has both a Gentile and a Jewish background. Through much of this book, Paul deals with the moral problems of the Corinthians: envy, divisions, pride, immorality, greed, irreverence, and selfishness. Paul will tell the Corinthian Christians something they could not have known by reason or research. If you do not want that we track your visit to our site you can disable tracking in your browser here: We also use different external services like Google Webfonts, Google Maps, and external Video providers. Without grace there is and can be no peace, but when grace is ours, peace must of necessity follow. (Lenski). for the Christians destiny. It doesnt matter if you get the praise or the encouragement; sometimes you will and sometimes you wont. In light of all this, how could the Corinthian Christians let go of such an important truth? how God's power is perfected in our weakness. Youre no great bargain. There were, not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, i. i. 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). We might also think saying called saints is mere flattery, Pauls way of preparing them for coming rebuke. They were not looking for the, : The Greek culture valued the pursuit of wisdom, usually expressed in high, academic, philosophical terms. They are shown to have, at times, morality problems, doctrine problems, church government problems, spiritual gift problems, church service problems, and authority problems. Lifting up Jesus, honoring, and proclaiming His goodness to all mankind 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. I bless God that there are so many denominations. But of Him you are in Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from Godand righteousness and sanctification and redemptionthat, as it is written, He who glories, let him glory in the LORD.. enduring-word-1-corinthians - Enduring Word (Chinese Version) But God did not respond to the polling data. Whatever the preacher may mean in his heart, he will be guilty of the blood of souls if he does not clearly proclaim a real sacrifice for sin. (Spurgeon), vi. I affirm, by the boasting in you which I have in Christ Jesus our Lord, I die daily. 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. The cross was a time of victorious death, a, is part of the gospel. But how we receive grace will help to determine how effective the gift of grace is. But all that is temporary. 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. : The Corinthian Christians had their strong points, and they had their weak points. 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? 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. ) God raises the dead. The idea is that we have been purchased to permanent freedom. Paul may be changing the names to protect the innocent, or to show mercy to the guilty. Understanding the tension between the, Those who are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called, : Paul continued his description of the Corinthian Christians. The gospel, Those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved. One day, students in one of Albert Einsteins classes were saying they had decided that there was no God. If there were no resurrection, why would Paul place his life in jeopardy for the gospel? - 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. 3. It involves truth-telling, fortitude, constancy, and tolerance (1 Corinthians 13:4-5,7). 1 Corinthians 15 Bible Commentary - Matthew Henry (concise) - Christianity iii. Paul tells them just what kind of apostle he is, a called apostle. They are saints together with all who in every place call on the name of Jesus Christ our Lord. 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. Due to security reasons we are not able to show or modify cookies from other domains. But resurrection means, that your labor is not in vain in the Lord, steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord. Unfortunately, many of them never communicate any encouragement with their correction and advice. This is the sharpest and the shrillest note, the boldest and the bravest challenge, that ever man rang in the ears of death Death is here out-braved, called craven to his face, and bidden to do his worst. (Trapp), ii. We are not bound to make every minister our pastor, but we are bound to have a just respect for every minister, who by his doctrine and holy life answereth his profession and holy calling. (Poole). This wisdom is often in contradiction to mans expectation. Not with the, Lest the cross of Christ should be made of no effect, . Does we shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed mean that Paul predicted Jesus would come in his lifetime? Then life is lived only under the sun, as is considered in Ecclesiastes. The bottom line is this: is the church influencing the city, or is the city influencing the church? Christ crucified was the ultimate oxymoron, and this was what Paul preached! a. iv. Enduring Word Bible Commentary 1 Corinthians Chapter 13 The Romans destroyed Corinth in 146 B.C., but Julius Caesar rebuilt the city a hundred years later. We know He lives because the historical evidence, , the brother of Jesus, who is seen as a prominent leader in the church in Acts 15. As Paul said to Agrippa in Acts 26:8, Why should it be thought incredible by you that God raises the dead? There is much in 1 Corinthians that is unflattering to the Christians of Corinth. The growth of the ivy, covering the message, showed the spiritual decline. The great Roman statesman Cicero said: The cross, it speaks of that which is so shameful, so horrible, it should never be mentioned in polite society. If we were witnesses to the trial of Jesus when the crowd was shouting out Crucify him! Click to enable/disable _gat_* - Google Analytics Cookie. Commentary on 1 Corinthians 1 by Matthew Henry - Blue Letter Bible 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. Session 5: Ministry of Reconciliation. 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). 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. But though this text doth not prove the general resurrection, (being only intended of believers, that are members of Christ,) yet it doth not oppose it. isnt detailed in the gospels, but is suggested by Matthew 28:10 and 28:16-17. Yet, we can see by this that, that he baptized so few in Corinth, and he, as an evangelist, could. It is better to bear trouble in this world, than to be miserable for ever. You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you." a. : At the outset of the letter indeed, the very first few words Paul fearlessly declares his apostolic credentials. For you see your calling, brethren, that not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, : Paul says to the Corinthians, Look at yourselves. 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. This passage also makes it clear that the individual doing the baptizing doesnt really affect the validity of the baptism. If the cross and its message seem weak, they are not; they are powerful and wise. You always can block or delete cookies by changing your browser settings and force blocking all cookies on this website. Check to enable permanent hiding of message bar and refuse all cookies if you do not opt in. However, the spiritual is not first, but the natural, and afterward the spiritual. 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 Hodge recognizes that Paul isnt necessarily referring to only believers of his day with all; it is a word that properly embraces all believers, over all time. Note Paul's words: "For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel." - 1 Co 1:17 b. 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. For the abundance of their spiritual gifts. . The relationship of, the Son Himself will also be subject to Him, i. We work in a partnership with God, not because He needs us, but because He wants us to share in His work. 1. No doubt, many of the Corinthian Christians were beginning to think of themselves in high terms because of Gods work in them. Grace is always first, peace always second. 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. Crispus is likely mentioned in Acts 18:8, Gaius in Romans 16:23. b. I thank God Christ did not send me to baptize: For Paul, preaching was more important than baptizing, though he was certainly not opposed to baptism. i. Paul faced all this for the sake of the resurrection of the dead, both Jesus resurrection and the believers. By keeping evil company, the Corinthian Christians were being conformed to this world, and they needed to be transformed by the renewing of your mind. And with what body do they come? i. By proceeding, you consent to our cookie usage. The way Paul lived his life all-out for the gospel was evidence of the truth of the resurrection.
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