Paul is writing to believers in Corinth some twenty years after Jesus in Luke 24:46–47 “said to them, “Thus it is written that the Christ would suffer and would rise from the dead on the third day, 47 and repentance and the forgiveness of sins would be proclaimed in his name to all the nations”. Those reading this letter were in a Roman colony, a region of great commerce and the site of historic temples to the gods. There were many teaching many things so Paul stays on the message, Christ rose from the dead and in 1 Corinthians 15:49 “we will also bear the image of the heavenly”. This message is also producing great results in Ephesus where in 1 Corinthians 16:9 “a great and effective door has opened for me, and there are many opponents”. We often find that where there is great success, where we are fully in the middle of God’s perfect will, there is also great opposition.
The Gospel I Proclaimed to You
Christ Has Been Raised From the Dead
1 Corinthians 15:12–21
All that we believe as Christians hinges on Jesus Christ being raised from the dead. And, if Christ is raised from the dead, why would some say there is no resurrection in
1 Corinthians 15:12 Now if Christ is preached as raised up from the dead, how do some among you say that there is no resurrection of the dead?
If Christ is not raised from the dead, then we are still cut off from God in 1 Corinthians 15:17 “still in our sin” looking forward to our soon coming death and mourning, in 1 Corinthians 15:18 “those who have fallen asleep in Christ (and) perished”.
But Christ is raised from the dead in
1 Corinthians 15:20 But now Christ has been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who have fallen asleep.
This is not a new message from Paul, but the very message Jesus Christ himself gave to his apostles after he rose and as he commissioned them to proclaim “repentance and the forgiveness of sin” in
Luke 24:45–48 Then he opened their minds to understand the scriptures, 46 and said to them, “Thus it is written that the Christ would suffer and would rise from the dead on the third day, 47 and repentance and the forgiveness of sins would be proclaimed in his name to all the nations, beginning from Jerusalem. 48 You are witnesses of these things.
In Christ All Will be Made Alive
1 Corinthians 15:22–34
The Last Adam Became a Life-giving Spirit
Flesh and Blood is Not Able to Inherit the Kingdom of God
1 Corinthians 15:46–58
Most people understand that there is a difference between our natural existence and the realm where God is. And, there are many ideas about the spirit realm and spirit beings so Paul makes it clear that there is a natural man, but there is also a spiritual one, and he refers specifically now to Jesus Christ, the second man from heaven in
1 Corinthians 15:47 The first man is from the earth, made of earth; the second man is from heaven.
Jesus Christ came to introduce a change, that we could in 1 Corinthians 15:49 “bear the image of the heavenly” but right now, every man, every person is trapped in these fleshly bodies that will die a natural death and, as he says in
1 Corinthians 15:50 But I say this, brothers, that flesh and blood is not able to inherit the kingdom of God, nor can corruption inherit incorruptibility.
but this we know (Paul is talking to believers in Jesus Christ here.), we will all be changed, and in
1 Corinthians 15:54–55 But whenever this perishable body puts on incorruptibility and this mortal body puts on immortality, then the saying that is written will take place: “Death is swallowed up in victory. 55 Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?
This is our (believers) “victory through our Lord Jesus Christ!” in 1 Corinthians 15:57. But what of the others? The unbelieving will be cast out to the place established for the fallen spirits, the evil demonic spirits that some have worshipped as gods through the ages. They also have their place in the spirit realm, but cut off from God forever, the second death.
Revelation 21:8 But as for the cowards and unbelievers and detestable persons and murderers and sexually immoral people and sorcerers and idolaters and all liars, their share is in the lake that burns with fire and sulphur, which is the second death.
A Great and Effective Door Has Opened
1 Corinthians 16:1–12
Paul closes his letter with instruction for an offering, a gift from the church to Jerusalem in 1 Corinthians 16:1-4. This is not a one time gift taken in the moment, but a planned gift for people to bring their contributions each week.
Then Paul lays out his travel plans and his desire to winter and spend time with them in Corinth in 1 Corinthians 16:5-7. However, he is on a mission to take the gospel to the Gentiles so he says in 1 Corinthians 16:8 “I will remain in Ephesus until Pentecost” and this is because in
1 Corinthians 16:9 for a great and effective door has opened for me, and there are many opponents.
It seems odd that these two statements would be together; “a great and effective door has opened” and “there are many opponents”. But this refers to “the situation during his two and a half years at Ephesus, recounted in Acts 19. He spent longer there than anywhere else … He ‘dialogued’ daily in a public lecture-room, the hall of Tyrannus … the whole of the province of Asia ‘heard the word of the Lord’ (see Acts 19:10) … ‘the word of the Lord grew and prevailed mightily’ in Ephesus. (see Acts 19:20).1
While Paul was experiencing this great success, at this same time there was great opposition where “Paul’s confrontation of evil … led to … a public bonfire when the books of magic arts … were consigned to the flames. … their lucrative trade of making silver statues for the worship of Artemis was dramatically diminished (so the workers gathered and the city rioted). … the Jewish hierarchy (was reviling the way)”.2
And there is an important message “from Paul’s experience: the presence of opposition does not mean that we have moved out of the will of God.”2
Stand Firm in the Faith, Act Courageously, be Strong
1 Corinthians 16:13–24
Study Verses
- 1 Corinthians 15:12–21 Christ Has Been Raised From the Dead
- 1 Corinthians 15:46–58 Flesh and Blood is Not Able to Inherit the Kingdom of God
- 1 Corinthians 16:1–12 A Great and Effective Door Has Opened
Today’s Reading
- 1 Corinthians 15:1-58
- 1 Corinthians 16:1-24
References
- 1. Prior, D. (1985). The message of 1 Corinthians: life in the local church (p. 281). Leicester, England; Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press.
- 2. Prior, D. (1985). The message of 1 Corinthians: life in the local church (p. 282). Leicester, England; Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press.