1. a non-sequiter?
the transition into 15 is very abrupt...he moved from church affairs
to the resurrection so rapidly that some say that 15 is a separate letter
that was inserted. others view it as paul just changing topics quickly...
any way you slice it, there is a big transition between 14:40 and 15:1
2. the core issue?
acknowledging the jump in topic, it should also be noted that 15 serves in many
ways as the core of the entire book. paul takes the corinthians back to the
gospel, addresses questions about the gospel that have effects in their
lifestyle (15:33,34), and provides them expectation. so viewing the chapter
as a capstone (that paul has been saving?) that ties together the issues and
themes of the book under one common idea expresses much of the implication
raised by paul in the chapter and recalls some of the issues he opened the book
with.
this echoes 15:12-19 where paul says that christ's resurrection is necessary
a. v29-32 if the dead are not raised, "let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die
1. v29 - baptism for the dead?
what is meant by this? nobody knows...options are :
1. the dead are those dead in their sins...ie everyone who is baptized.
2. baptism is the suffering and death of martyrdom
3. baptism is 'washing' (the washing of the dead)
4. vicarious baptism on behalf of those who are dead
5. actual baptism of those who are dead
2. v30-32 paul's life of hardship
this echoes and reinforces v19; "if there is no resurrection,
we are of all men most to be pitied"
other 'catalogs' of suffering are :
1 cor 4:
2 cor 4:7-18
2 cor 11:23-28
acts and 2 tim also speak of hardship...
Remember that paul has declared himself to be a model
"imitate me", in 11:1 and 4:16
his life, even with difficulty, is one that we should
attempt to live.
the contrast between the way paul lives in light of the resurrection and
the way he would live if there weren't is stark...
if there is no resurrection however, and this is all there is, then
why should we not maximize our pleasure in the life we have?
this should make perfect sense...
b. v33,34 some of the corinthians live this way...
v33 bad company corrupts good morals
this is apparently a quote from menander's play thais; thiselton
cautions that there is evidence that by this point it was a cultural
maxim (just because i say "to be or not to be" means i know shakespeare)
- it appears that the corinthians were having their christianity changed
by non-christians; epicurians?
- in a way, this verse reads as paul addressing the cause for their
questions; the rest of the time he addresses the questions.
- this reminds me of a dad who, after he gets a weird question,
answers the question but also asks "where did you hear that?"
v34 Become sober-minded as you ought, and stop sinning; for some
have no knowledge of God. I speak this to your shame.
'become sober-minded'; paul compares them to one who can't think straight;
evidentally it is also leading to sin (or is the position sin?)
'stop sinning' - rather a theme in this book...is he here addressing
a potential underpinning for their sin? in any case, he
definitely ties 'ideas' to 'actions' here...
'for some have no knowledge of god' - back towards the questions of
worldly wisdom vs the wisdom of god...
note : christianity is a matter of deferred enjoyment
credit cards (instant gratification) vs investment (greater long term )
self-denial in the now pays off with christianity in a huge way...
this is so hard for us because we're intensly stupid
we (humanity) are unable to make the decision to pursue eternal
enjoyment at the cost of current self-denial and 'momentary affliction'
the reality is that christianity is the most decision we can make.
Romans 2:5-10
But because of your stubbornness and unrepentant heart you are
storing up wrath for yourself in the day of wrath and revelation
of the righteous judgment of God,
who WILL RENDER TO EACH PERSON ACCORDING TO HIS DEEDS:
to those who by perseverance in doing good seek for glory and
honor and immortality, eternal life;
but to those who are selfishly ambitious and do not obey the
truth, but obey unrighteousness, wrath and indignation.
There will be tribulation and distress for every soul of
man who does evil, of the Jew first and also of the Greek,
but glory and honor and peace to everyone who does good,
to the Jew first and also to the Greek.
paul addresses philisophical problems/issues with the resurrection
a. v35 but someone will say 'how are the dead raised'
it seems as though paul is anticipating a philisophical problem
that they have with this concept...
b. v36-50 the arguments
v36-38 seed analogy
v39-41 different types of flesh
v42-44 body is sown in one flesh and raised in another
v45-49 from earthly to the heavenly
v50 the transformation is necessary...
note : the point? we look foward to a heavenly body
v49 Just as we have borne the image of the earthy, we will also bear
the image of the heavenly.
Revelation 21:3-5
And I heard a loud voice from the throne, saying, "Behold, the
tabernacle of God is among men, and He will dwell among them, and
they shall be His people, and God Himself will be among them,
and He will wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there will no
longer be any death; there will no longer be any mourning, or crying,
or pain; the first things have passed away."
And He who sits on the throne said, "Behold, I am making all things
new." And He *said, "Write, for these words are faithful and true."
1. 51-53 the style of the resurrection
- 'in the twinkling of an eye' == very quickly...
- 'at the last trumpet' == at the revelation of god? when he
comes in a very public and dramatic fashion?
1 Thess 4:13-18
But we do not want you to be uninformed, brethren, about those who
are asleep, so that you will not grieve as do the rest who have no hope.
For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will
bring with Him those who have fallen asleep in Jesus.
For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are
alive and remain until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those
who have fallen asleep.
For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the
voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in
Christ will rise first.
Then we who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them
in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we shall always be
with the Lord.
Therefore comfort one another with these words.
v54 "Death is swallowed up in victory"
v55 "O DEATH, WHERE IS YOUR VICTORY ? O DEATH, WHERE IS YOUR STING ?"
the culmination of the idea expressed in his use of the term 'sleep' for
death...death was separation from god; the ultimate evil. now it is just
a pause - where is the sting in sleep?
loose quote culled from isa 25:8 and hosea 13:14
isa 25:8 - he will swallow up death (instead of 'death is swallowed
up in victory)
hosea 13:14 - O Death, where are your thorns? O Sheol, where is
your sting?
lxx, heb, or different greek (hebrew?) text? or is he being
literary...not to large of an issue...
1 Corinthians 15:58
Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable,
always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your
toil is not in vain in the Lord.
the conclusion: the ressurection defines our thought
the resurrection is our measure
5 year plan? 10 year plan? 100 year plan? our scope
dwarfs life and history; we are to live in light of
our immortal resurrection.
v58 "therefore...be steadfast, immovable, always abounding
in the work of the lord"
long term investor parallel : current swings in stock price don't
matter when you're worried about how it's going to come out
in 40 years...
the resurrection is our hope
paul has contrasted our hope in the resurrection vs the
utter futility of our lives without it in 15:16-19
2 Cor 4:16-18
Therefore we do not lose heart, but though our
outer man is decaying, yet our inner man is being
renewed day by day.
For momentary, light affliction is producing for
us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison,
while we look not at the things which are seen, but
at the things which are not seen; for the things
which are seen are temporal, but the things which
are not seen are eternal.
paul, in 1 thess 4:18 (parallel to 15:50-58), says that we should
'comfort each other with these words'
it should be something that we think about and bear in mind; our lifestyle
and thought patterns should reflect our hope, and our decisions should
be made in light of the eternal perspective....this provides us with hope,
and with gravity; we are not pleasure seekers ('eat, drink, and be merry)
in the immediate sense; we seek after long term pleasure...