3 For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received, that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, 4 and that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, 5 and that He appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve.6 After that He appeared to more than five hundred brethren at one time, most of whom remain until now, but some have fallen asleep;7 then He appeared to James, then to all the apostles; 8 and last of all, as to one untimely born, He appeared to me also. 9 For I am the least of the apostles, and not fit to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. 10 But by the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace toward me did not prove vain; but I labored even more than all of them, yet not I, but the grace of God with me.11 Whether then it was I or they, so we preach and so you believed.
12 Now if Christ is preached, that He has been raised from the dead, how do some among you say that there is no resurrection of the dead?13 But if there is no resurrection of the dead, not even Christ has been raised; 14 and if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is vain, your faith also is vain. 15 Moreover we are even found to be false witnesses of God, because we testified against God that He raised Christ, whom He did not raise, if in fact the dead are not raised. 16 For if the dead are not raised, not even Christ has been raised; 17 and if Christ has not been raised, your faith is worthless; you are still in your sins. 18 Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished.19 If we have hoped in Christ in this life only, we are of all men most to be pitied.
20 But now Christ has been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who are asleep. 21 For since by a man came death, by a man also came the resurrection of the dead. 22 For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ all will be made alive. 23 But each in his own order: Christ the first fruits, after that those who are Christ’s at His coming, 24 then comes the end, when He hands over the kingdom to the God and Father, when He has abolished all rule and all authority and power.25 For He must reign until He has put all His enemies under His feet.26 The last enemy that will be abolished is death. 27 For He has put all things in subjection under His feet. But when He says, “All things are put in subjection,” it is evident that He is excepted who put all things in subjection to Him. 28 When all things are subjected to Him, then the Son Himself also will be subjected to the One who subjected all things to Him, so that God may be all in all.
29 Otherwise, what will those do who are baptized for the dead? If the dead are not raised at all, why then are they baptized for them? 30 Why are we also in danger every hour? 31 I affirm, brethren, by the boasting in you which I have in Christ Jesus our Lord, I die daily. 32 If from human motives I fought with wild beasts at Ephesus, what does it profit me? If the dead are not raised, let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die. 33 Do not be deceived: “Bad company corrupts good morals.”34 Become sober-minded as you ought, and stop sinning; for some have no knowledge of God. I speak this to your shame.
Message: The Hope of Christ's Resurrection
Time: This epistle was written to the church that resided in Corinth of Achaia. First Corinthians is a response to a letter that Paul received from the Corinthian church, and that letter was probably a response to another of Paul's letters. This letter was composed in Ephesus around AD 54-55, and such topics as division, sexual immorality, lawsuits, marriage, Christian liberty, order of worship, and the resurrection are covered in this epistle.
What the Lord is Saying: This passage begins with the proclamation that Christ died for our sins, he was buried and then he rose on the 3rd day. He appeared to Cephas, the 12, and then 500 others, then to James, and also Paul. And this summarizes what Paul will then go into more detail about, most notably that if Jesus did not rise from the dead, then our preaching is in vain and our faith is in vain.
Paul here is addressing specifically those that do not believe in the resurrection from the dead, despite the fact that Jesus appeared to many. So Paul therefore makes it clear in verse 13 and 14 -- if there is no resurrection of the dead... and if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is vain, your faith also is vain, it is worthless and those that have fallen asleep (died) in Christ will have perished.
But, instead, Paul declares that Jesus has risen from the dead (v. 20). Chris is the first fruits, like the very first ripe corn in a harvest. From one man (Adam) all have sinned and every man's life will result in death, so also through one man (Jesus) all men can be saved. It is interesting to me the language Paul uses saying that "in Adam all die" but "in Christ all will be made alive." The condition of every man is death because of Adam, but in Christ, those who make him Lord, will be made alive. The next verse mentions those who are Christ's.
He then speaks of the end (of all evil) when Christ gives up the kingdom of this world to God the Father. He will sit down with the Father on his throne.
Paul then speaks in verse 29 the practice of baptizing for the dead as there existed among some of the Christians at Corinth a practice of baptizing a living person in the stead of some convert who had died before that sacrament had been administered to him. Does St. Paul then, by what he here says, sanction the superstitious practice? Certainly not. He carefully separates himself and the Corinthians, to whom he immediately addresses himself, from those who adopted this custom. And then in verse 30 it is mentioned - Why are we also in danger every hour? -- Not only those who were daily being baptized for the dead witnessed to the universal belief among Christians in a resurrection, but the lives of daily peril in which St Paul and the other missionaries of the Gospel lived were sufficient evidence that they did not conceive all their hopes to be summed up in this life. This practice is in vain unless there is a glorious resurrection. And then by saying, I die daily means that every day his life is danger of death. He then admits if we only had this life, then we might just make the most of it with no care in the world, but we make the best of this life because we have the promise of a future state, of being resurrected with Christ.
In conclusion to all of this, our focus is to stop sinning. Our lives should now model different behavior. We are new creatures in Christ and we should act like we are new.
But, instead, Paul declares that Jesus has risen from the dead (v. 20). Chris is the first fruits, like the very first ripe corn in a harvest. From one man (Adam) all have sinned and every man's life will result in death, so also through one man (Jesus) all men can be saved. It is interesting to me the language Paul uses saying that "in Adam all die" but "in Christ all will be made alive." The condition of every man is death because of Adam, but in Christ, those who make him Lord, will be made alive. The next verse mentions those who are Christ's.
He then speaks of the end (of all evil) when Christ gives up the kingdom of this world to God the Father. He will sit down with the Father on his throne.
Paul then speaks in verse 29 the practice of baptizing for the dead as there existed among some of the Christians at Corinth a practice of baptizing a living person in the stead of some convert who had died before that sacrament had been administered to him. Does St. Paul then, by what he here says, sanction the superstitious practice? Certainly not. He carefully separates himself and the Corinthians, to whom he immediately addresses himself, from those who adopted this custom. And then in verse 30 it is mentioned - Why are we also in danger every hour? -- Not only those who were daily being baptized for the dead witnessed to the universal belief among Christians in a resurrection, but the lives of daily peril in which St Paul and the other missionaries of the Gospel lived were sufficient evidence that they did not conceive all their hopes to be summed up in this life. This practice is in vain unless there is a glorious resurrection. And then by saying, I die daily means that every day his life is danger of death. He then admits if we only had this life, then we might just make the most of it with no care in the world, but we make the best of this life because we have the promise of a future state, of being resurrected with Christ.
In conclusion to all of this, our focus is to stop sinning. Our lives should now model different behavior. We are new creatures in Christ and we should act like we are new.
Promise: We have hope in Christ's Resurrection and we live better lives today because of it.
Prayer:Lord, thank you that my life is not lived in vain, but instead I am living each day in hope of my new life with Jesus for all eternity. I will be in Christ always. Thank you Lord.
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