Category: Podcast

Great Bible Truths Podcast Episode 122

The Promises of God Talk 3

God’s promises are fulfilled in the salvation offered to us in Christ

 

In our last talk we saw that all God’s promises find their Yes in Christ (2 Corinthians 1:20). He is the fulfilment of all God’s promises. Some we have seen fulfilled already. Others we must patiently wait for, knowing that Christ is the guarantee that God will do what he has promised us because he IS the fulfilment of the promises.

 

In this talk we shall see six facts about our salvation that are directly connected with the word promise:

 

• We are made righteous by faith in our Lord Jesus Christ
• We are God’s children
• We will rise from the dead
• We have eternal life
• We have a glorious inheritance awaiting us
• We have a foretaste of our inheritance in the gift of the Holy Spirit.

 

We are made righteous by faith in our Lord Jesus Christ

 

In Galatians 3:21-22 we read:

 

21. Is the law then contrary to the promises of God? Certainly not! For if a law had been given that could give life, then righteousness would indeed be by the law.
22. But the Scripture imprisoned everything under sin, so that the promise by faith in Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe.

 

These verses directly connect the promises of God with the righteousness we receive by faith in Jesus. Paul teaches very clearly that the law of the Old Testament could not give life because no one was able to keep it. So the righteousness we need to enter heaven could not come through the law. But in God’s mercy he counts us as righteous through faith in Jesus. This is known as justification. As Paul says in Romans 5:1, we have been justified by faith and as a result we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.

 

We are God’s children

 

In Romans 9 Paul warns his fellow-Jews that being physically descended from Abraham does not necessarily mean that you are one of God’s chosen people.

 

6. For not all who are descended from Israel belong to Israel,
7. and not all are children of Abraham because they are his offspring

 

It is not the children of the flesh who are the children of God, but the children of the promise are counted as offspring (v8). As believers in the Lord Jesus then we are the children of the promise. We are the children of God.

 

Beloved, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is (1 John 3:2).

 

Notice that the promise has already been fulfilled. We ARE God’s children now. But there’s another promise in this verse that has yet to be fulfilled – we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is!

 

We will rise from the dead

 

The next wonderful aspect of our salvation that is connected with the word promise is the fact that when Jesus comes again we will rise from the dead. We have already seen that the resurrection of Jesus was a key part of the fulfilment of God’s promises.

 

And we bring you the good news that what God promised to the fathers, this he has fulfilled to us their children by raising Jesus (Acts 13:32).

 

But, as Paul teaches in 1 Corinthians 15, Christ’s resurrection guarantees ours:

 

20. But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.
21. For as by a man came death, by a man has come also the resurrection of the dead.
22. For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive.
23. But each in his own order: Christ the firstfruits, then at his coming those who belong to Christ.

 

In the Old Testament the first sheaf of the harvest was offered to God (Leviticus 23). This was known as the firstfruits and it was offered on the day after the sabbath following the Passover. Now Jesus was crucified during the Passover – Paul describes him as Christ our Passover who was sacrificed for us (1 Corinthians 5:7) – and the day after the sabbath is Easter Sunday! Jesus rose from the dead on the day that the firstfruits were offered to God.

 

But the first sheaf of the harvest was not the only sheaf. There were many more to follow. Just as the first sheaf was the sign of the harvest that was to follow, Paul sees Christ’s resurrection as just the beginning of a much greater  resurrection. All in Christ will be made alive. Because he lives, we shall live too. Whether we are dead or alive when Jesus returns, our bodies will be changed in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed (1 Corinthians 15:52). This is all part of what it means to have eternal life.

 

We have eternal life

 

In 1 John 2:25 we are told that eternal life is the promise that he made to us.

and James 1:12 says:

 

Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him.

 

Now the fact that these verses use the word promise might well suggest that eternal life is something we will receive in the future. We have already said that the resurrection of our bodies when Jesus comes again is part of what it means to have eternal life. Indeed, the majority of references to eternal life in the New Testament speak of it as something we will receive. But other verses seem to indicate that we already have it.

 

1 John 5:11-13, 20

11. And this is the testimony, that God gave us eternal life, and this life is in his Son.
12. Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life.
13. I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life.

 

20. And we know that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding, so that we may know him who is true; and we are in him who is true, in his Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life.

 

John 17:3

And this is eternal life, that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.

 

These last two verses show that to know Jesus is to have eternal life. So we already have eternal life because we know Jesus. But how much better will we know him in the future! As Paul tells us in 1 Corinthians 13:12,

 

For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known.

 

So eternal life is both present already and yet in the future. Eternity transcends time! This is yet another aspect of the already/not yet of our salvation.

 

We have a glorious inheritance awaiting us

 

Another aspect of the salvation which is promised to us as Christians is the fact that there is a glorious inheritance waiting for us. We will not take time to develop this in this talk, but later in the series we will dedicate a whole talk to this important subject. For the time being, please note the following verses.

 

Galatians 3:29

And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s offspring, heirs according to promise.

 

Hebrews 9:15

Therefore he is the mediator of a new covenant, so that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance, since a death has occurred that redeems them from the transgressions committed under the first covenant.

 

James 2:5

Listen, my beloved brothers, has not God chosen those who are poor in the world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom, which he has promised to those who love him?

 

We have a foretaste of our inheritance in the gift of the Holy Spirit.

 

The gift of the Holy Spirit is frequently referred to as a promise (Luke 24:49, Acts 1:4-5; 2:33, 39, Galatians 3:14 etc.) We will return to this theme in more detail in later talks, but here we’ll consider just two passages.

 

2 Corinthians 1:20-22

20. For all the promises of God find their Yes in him. That is why it is through him that we utter our Amen to God for his glory.
21. And it is God who establishes us with you in Christ, and has anointed us,
22. and who has also put his seal on us and given us his Spirit in our hearts as a guarantee.

 

Ephesians 1:13-14

13. In him you also, when (or after) you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit,
14. who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory.

 

In both these passages the Holy Spirit is seen as both a seal and a guarantee of the inheritance which God has promised to us. As we shall see  later, the Greek words which are used in these passages indicate that through our experience of the Holy Spirit we already have a foretaste of our eternal inheritance. Through the Spirit we have already tasted of the powers of the age to come (Hebrews 6:4-5).

 

Conclusion

 

God’s promises are primarily fulfilled already by the coming of Christ, but they will find their ultimate completion at his second coming. Some of God’s promises we see fulfilled already but others we must patiently wait for knowing that their fulfilment is guaranteed in Christ.

 

Meanwhile God has made available to us through the gift of the Holy Spirit a wonderful foretaste of the powers of the age to come. We are in the tension between what is already and what is not yet, but in that interim we have the Holy Spirit.

 

Finally, in this talk we have looked only at verses which contain the word promise, and have seen six wonderful aspects of our salvation. But clearly there are promises in the Bible which do not mention the word promise itself.

In our next talk we will seek to show how we can identify God’s promises even where the word promise is not mentioned.

Great Bible Truths Podcast Episode 121

The Promises of God Talk 2

Christ fulfils all the promises

 

In our last talk we saw that, although God has made many wonderful promises in the Bible, not every verse is a promise and not all the promises are for us, because some of them were made to specific people for a specific purpose. We used God’s promise to Abraham as an example. What God promised to him he is not necessarily promising to us. So we need to be very careful about ‘claiming’ verses taken out of context.

 

We looked at 2 Peter 1:1-8 and saw that Peter describes God’s promises as precious and very great and that it is those who have come to faith in Jesus as their God and Saviour that have access to them. The purpose of God’s promises is that we might know him, become increasingly more like him, and ultimately share in his glory.

 

We suggested that the promises Peter was referring to were not so much a selection of Bible verses as specific themes such as God’s promise of the Holy Spirit and the second coming of the Lord Jesus Christ, both of which Peter describes as promises elsewhere. It is through the fruit of the Holy Spirit in our lives that we can become more like Jesus, and the knowledge that he has promised to come again is a wonderful incentive to do so.

 

But the gift of the Holy Spirit and the glorious prospect of Christ’s second coming are not the only promises.  There are many others, but as we examine other New Testament passages we discover that God’s promises all centre on:

 

• the Lord Jesus Christ (the subject for this talk)
• the salvation offered to us in Christ (the subject for our next talk)

 

The Lord Jesus Christ

The word promise first occurs with regard to Christ back in the Old Testament with the great promises that God made to Abraham. The key passages are Genesis 12:1-3; 15:1-6; 17:1-8 and 22:15-18:

 

Genesis 12:1-3

 

1. Now the Lord said to Abram, “Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you.
2. And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing.
3. I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”

 

 

Genesis 15:1-6

 

1. After these things the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision: “Fear not, Abram, I am your shield; your reward shall be very great.”
2. But Abram said, “O Lord God, what will you give me, for I continue childless, and the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus?”
3. And Abram said, “Behold, you have given me no offspring, and a member of my household will be my heir.”
4. And behold, the word of the Lord came to him: “This man shall not be your heir; your very own son shall be your heir.”
5. And he brought him outside and said, “Look toward heaven, and number the stars, if you are able to number them.” Then he said to him, “So shall your offspring be.”
6. And he believed the Lord, and he counted it to him as righteousness.

 

Genesis 17:1-8

 

1. When Abram was ninety-nine years old the Lord appeared to Abram and said to him, “I am God Almighty; walk before me, and be blameless,
2. that I may make my covenant between me and you, and may multiply you greatly.”
3. Then Abram fell on his face. And God said to him,
4. “Behold, my covenant is with you, and you shall be the father of a multitude of nations.
5. No longer shall your name be called Abram, but your name shall be Abraham, for I have made you the father of a multitude of nations.
6. I will make you exceedingly fruitful, and I will make you into nations, and kings shall come from you.
7. And I will establish my covenant between me and you and your offspring after you throughout their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be God to you and to your offspring after you.
8. And I will give to you and to your offspring after you the land of your sojournings, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession, and I will be their God.”

 

Genesis 22:15-18

 

15. And the angel of the Lord called to Abraham a second time from heaven
16. and said, “By myself I have sworn, declares the Lord, because you have done this and have not withheld your son, your only son,
17. I will surely bless you, and I will surely multiply your offspring as the stars of heaven and as the sand that is on the seashore. And your offspring shall possess the gate of his enemies,
18. and in your offspring shall all the nations of the earth be blessed, because you have obeyed my voice.”

 

In these passages God promises to bless Abraham and to make him a blessing. Abraham will become the father of a multitude of nations and his offspring will be as numerous as the stars in the sky and the sand on the seashore. God’s purpose in this is that all families and nations on earth will be blessed through Abraham’s offspring.

 

As we look at these promises in the light of the New Testament, we find that the ‘offspring’ through whom the the nations will be blessed is none other than the Lord Jesus Christ. This is made clear in Galatians 3:16 where Paul says:

 

Now the promises were made to Abraham and to his offspring. It does not say, “And to offsprings,” referring to many, but referring to one, “And to your offspring,” who is Christ.

 

The point Paul is making here is that in the verse he is quoting the word offspring is in the singular. God’s promise to Abraham is fulfilled in and through one particular descendant, Christ. Romans 15:8 tells us that Christ came to confirm the promises given to the patriarchs and 2 Corinthians 1:20 says that all the promises of God find their Yes in him.

 

This means that all God’s promises find their fulfilment in Christ. By the fact that he has come to earth God has owned his promises; for they are all fulfilled in him. It is in Christ that we who were strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world… have been brought near by the blood of Christ (Ephesians 2:12-13).

 

Before Jesus came we were without hope and without God. But, because Jesus died for us and we have accepted him as our saviour, we have entered  into relationship with him. In receiving Jesus we received the promise of salvation. Jesus is the fulfilment of the promise of salvation.

 

This is further confirmed in Acts 13:32 where Paul says:

 

And we bring you the good news that what God promised to the fathers, this he has fulfilled to us their children by raising Jesus.

 

This verse confirms that God’s promises are fulfilled in Christ and by his resurrection in particular. But it also identifies the gospel as their fulfilment too. (Interestingly, in Greek the words for gospel – euaggelion and promise – epaggelia are very similar). There is no contradiction here. Jesus himself is the good news. The message of Christ is the message of the gospel which Paul summarises in 1 Corinthians 15:1-4:

 

1. Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand,
2. and by which you are being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you— unless you believed in vain.
3. For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures,
4. that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures.

 

So the promises are fulfilled in the gospel, which is the good news of Christ’s death and resurrection. Yet the final outworking of God’s promises will not be complete until Jesus comes again. This is sometimes referred to as the eschatological tension of the ‘already/not yet’ of our salvation.

 

For example, Hebrews tells us that the new covenant which is brought about by the death of Christ (9:15) is established on ‘better promises’ (8:6). The new covenant is already in force, but it gives to those who are called the promised eternal inheritance (9:15) which the patient believer will receive at the second coming (10:35-37). So it’s already but not yet.

 

The same writer tells us that Abraham lived in the land promised to him yet he lived as a stranger there awaiting the final fulfilment of the city of God which he saw contained in the promise given to him (Hebrews11:8ff). The fathers died in faith, not having received the promises but seeing them from afar they sought a heavenly country (Hebrews 11:13-16). It’s the same with us. We have already entered into the territory where God’s promises are fulfilled, yet

 

According to his promise we are waiting for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells (2 Peter 3:13).

 

The fulfilment of God’s promises started with the first coming of Christ, but the final consummation of those promises will not be seen until his second coming. And, as we shall see in future talks, this fact is an important key to our understanding of all God’s promises and how we may appropriate them.

 

So Christ is the fulfilment of all God’s promises. Some we have seen fulfilled already. Others we must patiently wait for knowing that Christ is the cast iron guarantee that God will do what he has promised us because he IS the fulfilment of the promises!

And for this reason New Testament writers also see our salvation as the fulfilment of God’s promises. This will be the subject of our next talk where we will consider six facts about our salvation that are directly connected with the word promise:

 

• We are made righteous by faith in our Lord Jesus Christ
• We are God’s children
• We will rise from the dead
• We have eternal life
• We have a glorious inheritance awaiting us
• We have a foretaste of our inheritance in the gift of the Holy Spirit.

 

 

 

 

Great Bible Truths Podcast Episode 120

The Promises of God Talk 1

The Bible is not a promise box

 

In this series we’ll be looking at what the New Testament teaches about God’s wonderful promises and learning how to identify, understand, and receive them. But first let me tell you about my grandmother’s promise box.

 

Ellen Petts died at the age of 86 when I was just 16. She had lived with us for the last six years of her life and I had had plenty of opportunity to witness the evidence of her strong Christian faith – the time she spent in prayer and reading her Bible, her determination to get to church every Sunday, her perseverance despite the loss of her husband at a relatively young age and the physical difficulties that came with advancing years.

 

Another evidence of her faith was her promise box. This contained pieces of paper, each rolled into a scroll with a verse of the Bible written on it. The idea was that you could pull out a scroll at random each day to see what the Lord wanted to say to you that day.

 

I’m not sure how seriously my grandmother took this, or whether she made it a regular practice, but the problems with promise boxes should be obvious. The verses are never read in their context and the things that God might want to say to us are limited to the number of scrolls in the box. And, although God undoubtedly does make promises to his people, that’s surely not all that he has to say to us? Doesn’t he sometimes give us commands?

 

I’m glad to say that I’ve seen little evidence of promise boxes in Christian circles today, but I am concerned that some people treat the Bible itself rather like a promise box. They take verses at random and claim them without regard to the context in the belief that God is now honour bound to do for them whatever they understand the verse to be saying!

 

I will be dealing with this in more detail later in the series, but here’s an example of what I mean. In Genesis 12:1-2 God tells Abraham that he will make him the father of great nation.

 

Now the Lord said to Abram, “Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you. And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing…

 

I will make of you a great nation is certainly one of God’s promises found in the Bible, but it was made to a specific person at a specific time and clearly cannot be claimed by a Christian today, although we can certainly learn from Abraham’s story that God does keep his promises and we can expect him to do so for us today.

 

But can’t some Bible verses be understood as promises for today? Of course they can. Indeed, there is a sound biblical basis for this. For example, in Ephesians 6:1-3  Paul quotes Exodus 20:12 and says:

 

Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. “Honour your father and mother” (this is the first commandment with a promise), “that it may go well with you and that you may live long in the land.”

 

But this does not mean that every verse in the Bible is a promise. Some are commands, some are questions, some are expressions of praise, and some are simply statements of fact. Nor does it mean that all the verses that are promises are promises for you and me, as we just saw in the case of Abraham.

 

So it’s going to be important that we examine very carefully what the New Testament actually teaches about God’s promises and we’ll begin by looking at 2 Peter 1:1-4, where Peter describes God’s promises as precious and very great. As we continue in the series we’ll be learning how to identify, understand, and receive these wonderful promises of God.

 

2 Peter 1:1-4 (ESV)

1. Simon Peter, a servant and apostle of Jesus Christ, To those who have obtained a faith of equal standing with ours by the righteousness of our God and Saviour Jesus Christ:
2. May grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord.
3. His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence,
4. by which he has granted to us his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire.

 

The word Peter uses is epaggelma which is a variant of epaggelia (pronounced epangelma or epangelia) which has been defined as:

 

• a divine assurance of good
• a self committal by assurance of conferring some good.

 

So when God makes a promise it is his assurance of something good he is going to do for us.

Now let’s look in more detail at the passage we have just read. In it we learn who God’s promises are for and what his purpose is in making them.

 

Who God’s promises are for

Peter says that God’s promises are granted to ‘us’ (v4). His readers have obtained a faith of equal standing with his (v1). They have escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire (v4). This is not through any merit of their own, but by the righteousness of our God and Saviour Jesus Christ (v1). Notice carefully how Jesus is described here. He is our God and Saviour. Through his sinless life and sacrificial atoning death all those who, and only those who, have come to faith in Jesus as their God and Saviour have access to these precious and very great promises.

 

God’s purpose in making these promises

But God’s purpose for our lives is much more than escaping from the consequences of sin. He has called us to his own glory and excellence (v3). He wants us to become partakers of his nature (v4). He has already granted us everything we need to live godly lives (v3). He has accomplished this by making it possible for us to know him (vv2-3). And we know him because of his very great and precious promises (v4).

 

So, God wants us to know him, he wants us to be like him, he wants us to share in his glory. And to make this possible he has granted to us his precious and very great promises.

 

What specific promises is Peter referring to here?

Now in the immediate context Peter does not tell us what these promises are. But, as we shall see in our next talk, New Testament writers tend to use the word promise to refer to major aspects of our Christian faith like the promise of the Holy Spirit and the promise of Christ’s return. Preaching on the day of Pentecost Peter refers to the gift of the Holy Spirit as the promise which may be received by all who repent and are baptised (Acts 2:38), and in 2 Peter 3:9 and 13 he talks of the promise of Christ’s second coming.

 

It seems likely that it is these promises that Peter has in mind when he says that God has given us promises in order that we might be like him and ultimately share in his glory. The verses which follow clearly support this view. It only through the gift of God’s Spirit and the fruit that he produces in our lives (cf. Galatians 5:22-23) that we can hope to increase in the qualities Peter talks about in verses 5-8.

 

5. For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge,
6. and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness,
7. and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love.
8. For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they keep you from being ineffective or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.

 

And it is the promise of the Lord’s return that gives us the incentive!

 

11. For in this way there will be richly provided for you an entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.

 

So the purpose of God’s promises is that we might know him, become increasingly more like him, and ultimately share in his glory. No wonder Peter calls them precious and very great!

 

But for his promises to become effective in our lives we will need to:

 

• Identify them
• Understand them
• Receive them

 

The talks in this series will help you to do just that.

Great Bible Truths Podcast Episode 119

1 Corinthians Talk 21

Concluding Exhortations (16:13-24)

 

Welcome to the final talk in our series on 1 Corinthians. Today we are in chapter 16.

We will be concentrating on verses 13 and 14 which contain five short commands which conveniently summarise all that Paul has been teaching in this letter.

But first let’s read the entire passage from v13 to the end of the chapter.

 

13 Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be courageous; be strong.

14 Do everything in love.

15 You know that the household of Stephanas were the first converts in Achaia, and they have devoted themselves to the service of the Lord’s people. I urge you, brothers and sisters,

16 to submit to such people and to everyone who joins in the work and labours at it.

17 I was glad when Stephanas, Fortunatus and Achaicus arrived, because they have supplied what was lacking from you.

18 For they refreshed my spirit and yours also. Such men deserve recognition.

19 The churches in the province of Asia send you greetings. Aquila and Priscilla greet you warmly in the Lord, and so does the church that meets at their house.

20 All the brothers and sisters here send you greetings. Greet one another with a holy kiss. 

21 I, Paul, write this greeting in my own hand.

22 If anyone does not love the Lord, let that person be cursed! Come, Lord!

23 The grace of the Lord Jesus be with you.

24 My love to all of you in Christ Jesus. Amen.

 

Now, back to vv13-14

13 Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be courageous; be strong.

14 Do everything in love.

 

There are in fact 5 commands in these verses, but for reasons I will explain later, we will deal with them under 4 headings:

 

1. Be on your guard
2. Stand firm in the faith
3. Act like men, be strong
4. Do everything in love

 

These instructions summarise everything that Paul has been teaching in this letter

 

1. Be on your guard (ESV be watchful) v13

 

This verb is used in three main ways in the NT:

 

          (1) To be watchful in the light of the Lord’s return

                  (1Thessalonians 5:6, 10, Mark 13:34-37)

          (2) To be watchful with regard to the enemy (1 Peter 5:8)

          (3) To be watchful against men who distort the truth (Acts 20:31)

 

In the context of 1 Corinthians be watchful could apply to:

 

Divisions in the church

Tolerating wrongdoing

Sexual immorality

Causing weaker Christians to stumble

Inappropriate behaviour at the Lord’s Supper

Misuse of spiritual gifts

Denying the resurrection

 

1. Stand firm in the faith v13

 

The faith relates directly to the Lord Jesus Christ

 

In ch. 1 He is the power and wisdom of God

2:2 For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified.

3:11 He is the foundation of the church

4:4-5 He is the Lord who is coming to judge the world

5:7 He is our Passover lamb who has been sacrificed for us

6:11 He is the One in whose name we have been washed, sanctified and justified

7:17 He is the Lord who assigns to each person their purpose and calling

8:6 He is our one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom are all things and through whom we exist

9:1 He is our risen Lord whom Paul had seen on the road to Damascus

10:13 He is the faithful God who enables us to overcome temptation

11:25 He has brought us into a new covenant with God through the shedding of his blood

12:1-4 It is the confession that JESUS IS LORD that marks a person out as a Christian

13 His character is revealed in Paul’s sublime description of love

15 His triumphant resurrection guarantees ours and our final victory over death

16:21 If anyone does not love him, let him be accursed!

 

1. Act like men (ESV), be strong v13

 

I am taking these two commands together because in the Greek they are very similar in meaning

 

Be courageous (NIV) = andrizomai = act like men

Be strong = Krataioo which can have a similar meaning

Used by Luke to refer to JB and Jesus growing strong as children

 

The Corinthians needed to grow up:

 

1. a) In their understanding of Christian leadership

 

Leaders are servants through whom they had believed

 

3:1-3 mere infants re Paul/Apollos etc

 

Leaders have authority which needs to be recognised

 

15 You know that the household of Stephanas were the first converts in Achaia, and they have devoted themselves to the service of the Lord’s people. I urge you, brothers and sisters,

16 to submit to such people and to everyone who joins in the work and labours (works till weary) at it. (Cf. 1 Tim.5:17)

 

18 For they refreshed my spirit and yours also. Such men deserve recognition.

 

Part of Christian maturity is knowing our place in the body of Christ (cf. Ch.12). When we come to recognise the authority of those in leadership, it shows that we are becoming mature.

 

If we are called to be leaders we will have reached maturity when we hold in correct tension the paradoxical truths that we are both rulers and servants. The NT uses both these terms but rarely, if ever, uses the term ‘leader’.

 

1. b) In their use of spiritual gifts

 

14:20 in your understanding be adults

 

Resisting satanic counterfeits

Recognising that every part of the body is needed Ch. 12

Remembering to put other people first 14

Realising that edification is the great principle

Recognising Paul’s apostolic authority

1. Do everything in love.

 

This reflects ch.13 and covers everything that he has written in the letter. Love was the answer to all the problems he had raised.

 

The first requirement is to love the Lord

 

22 If anyone does not love the Lord, let that person be cursed!

Come, Lord!  Μαράνα θά⸃.”

 

The second requirement is to love one another

 

14 ESV Let everything you do be done in love

 

20      Greet one another with a holy kiss

This is one of five such appeals in the NT. Its background in Judaism can be found in the greeting of both family (Genesis 27:26, Luke 15:20) and friends (1 Samuel 20:41).  It was also the evidence of reconciliation (Genesis 33:4).

 

If the Corinthians truly loved their fellow Christians:

 

There would be no divisions among them

They would forego their rights for the sake of weaker Christians

They would put others first at the Lord’s Supper

They would seek for spiritual gifts that would build others up

They would joyfully join in the collection for the poor

 

Finally, note how Paul sets the example. He tells them that he loves them.

 

24 My love to all of you in Christ Jesus. Amen.

 

Great Bible Truths Podcast Episode 118

1 Corinthians Talk 20

About the Collection and Apollos’ Coming (1 Corinthians 16:1-12)

 

Paul has now dealt with the major matters, but two items remain:

– the collection for the poor in Jerusalem

– and their request that Apollos return soon.

 

These are dealt with in verses 1-12.

The remainder of the chapter is comprised of concluding exhortations and final greetings (13-24).

 

a) Arrangements for the Collection (1-4)

 

1 Now about the collection for the Lord’s people: do what I told the Galatian churches to do.

2 On the first day of every week, each one of you should set aside a sum of money in keeping with your income, saving it up, so that when I come no collections will have to be made.

3 Then, when I arrive, I will give letters of introduction to the men you approve and send them with your gift to Jerusalem.

4 If it seems advisable for me to go also, they will accompany me.

 

These verses teach us much about principles of giving and the handling of financial matters, but first I want to deal with what Paul means by ‘the first day of every week’ (which is of course Sunday, not Monday as in many modern calendars).

 

The first day of the week

 

This verse offers some indication that the Christians used Sunday for worship rather than the Jewish Sabbath (although there is no evidence that the early Christians referred to Sunday as the sabbath).

 

Fee makes the following observations:

 

(1)     The fact that Paul mentions Sunday at all (rather than saying ‘once a week’) suggests that there is some significance to this particular day.

(2)     The view that it was only a matter of when people were paid has no known support from history

(3)     The terminology reflects the Gospel accounts of the resurrection of Jesus

(4)     Acts 20:7 strongly implies that Paul waited in Troas until the first day of the week precisely because that is when the Christians gathered for the breaking of bread. (However the Greek construction in this verse need not imply a regular gathering – KJV could be misleading here).

 

To this I would add that there is no NT requirement for Christians to apply OT regulations re the Jewish Sabbath (Saturday) to what they may or may not do on a Sunday! Paul teaches very clearly in Romans 14 that the observance of special days is a matter of individual Christian conscience.

 

Now about the collection

 

1 Now about the collection for the Lord’s people: do what I told the Galatian churches to do.

 

Now about…

 

This is the fifth ‘now about’ since 7:1 and suggests that Paul is responding to their letter in response to his previous letter (5:9).

 

the collection

 

Elsewhere Paul uses more theological terms:

 

                    fellowship koinonia (2 Corinthians 8:4, 9:13, Romans 15:26)

                    service diakonia (2 Corinthians 8:4, 9:1, 12, 13, Romans 15:31)

                    grace charis (2 Corinthians 8:4, 6, 7, 19)

                    blessing eulogia (2 Corinthians 9:5)

                    divine service leitourgia (2 Corinthians 9:12)

 

This was a special collection that Paul was organising to meet the needs of the poor Christians in Jerusalem. So it’s not the equivalent of the modern Sunday morning offering, but many of the same principles apply. As we shall see, giving should be planned, regular, and proportionate to income. Finances must be seen to be handled with integrity.

 

2 On the first day of every week, each one of you should set aside a sum of money in keeping with your income, saving it up, so that when I come no collections will have to be made.

 

in keeping with his income

 

Note the principle that giving should be proportionate to income (cf. tithing).

 

so that when I come no collections will have to be made

 

Paul’s plan would ensure a greater gift than a single collection at the time of his arrival! Do you have a systematic plan for giving to the poor?

 

3 Then, when I arrive, I will give letters of introduction to the men you approve and send them with your gift to Jerusalem.

 

letters of introduction

 

These were a regular part of business dealings in those days.

Cf. Acts 15:23-29, Romans 16:1-2, 2 Corinthians 8:16-24.

 

men you approve

 

Paul decided to send representatives of the congregations to accompany the gifts. They were not chosen by the apostle but appointed by the churches (cf. Acts 6). There were three good reasons for this:

 

          (1)     They would be carrying a considerable sum, in coin, and there was safety in numbers

          (2)     This method ensured the various churches of the basic integrity of the entire enterprise

          (3)     The personal representation would have been as important as the gifts themselves.

 

4 If it seems advisable for me to go also, they will accompany me.

 

If it seems advisable …

 

Paul is uncertain as to whether he will go personally. Cf. note on perhaps v 6. In fact, by the time he wrote 2 Corinthians, he had decided to accompany the gift (2 Corinthians 1:16, cf. Romans 15:25).

 

b) Travel Plans – Paul’s and Timothy’s (5-11)

 

Paul

5 After I go through Macedonia, I will come to you – for I will be going through Macedonia.

6 Perhaps I will stay with you for a while, or even spend the winter, so that you can help me on my journey, wherever I go.

7 For I do not want to see you now and make only a passing visit; I hope to spend some time with you, if the Lord permits.

 

 

v 5     I will be going through Macedonia

 

It was several years since he had visited Philippi, Thessalonica, and Berea. He planned a tour of inspection.

 

 

v 6     Perhaps…

 

Note the open-ended nature of Paul’s travel plans (cf. if the Lord permits v7).

Cf. Also James 4:13-15.

Paul did not receive prophetic revelation about everything!

He trusted in the over-ruling providence of God.

It is noteworthy that according to 2 Corinthians 1:15-2:4 Paul explains why he did exactly the opposite.

Note the human side in the writing of Scripture.

 

help me on my journey

 

A technical term for providing a person with food, money, and travelling companions so as to ensure a safe arrival at their destination.

 

Bearing in mind what he had said in Chapter 9, this may be seen as something of a ‘peace offering’. He will let them have a share in his ministry after all!

 

8 But I will stay on at Ephesus until Pentecost,

9 because a great door for effective work has opened to me, and there are many who oppose me.

 

v 8     Pentecost

 

This reference may simply reflect Paul’s Jewish heritage, but his readers were predominantly Gentiles.

More likely, the church saw very early a Christian significance to this feast in the light of the events of Acts 2.

What happened at Pentecost must inform our understanding of all that was written afterwards.

 

v 9     a great door… many who oppose

 

This fits in very well with the description of events in Acts 19.

 

Timothy

10 When Timothy comes, see to it that he has nothing to fear while he is with you, for he is carrying on the work of the Lord, just as I am.

11 No-one, then, should treat him with contempt. Send him on his way in peace so that he may return to me. I am expecting him along with the brothers.

 

Timothy worked with Paul in the founding of the Corinthian church for over a year.

In 4:17 Paul had sent Timothy to remind them of his (Paul’s) ways.

This may account for Paul’s insistence that they see that he has ‘nothing to fear’. The NT indicates elsewhere that Timothy may have been of a naturally timid disposition.

 

c) About the Coming of Apollos (12)

 

12 Now about our brother Apollos: I strongly urged him to go to you with the brothers. He was quite unwilling to go now, but he will go when he has the opportunity.

 

Here we have the final ‘now about’.

This suggests that the Corinthians had requested in their letter that Apollos come and minister to them.

Bearing in mind the problems mentioned in chapters 1-4 it is surprising that Paul not only acceded to their request but actually urged Apollos to go.

But Apollos was unwilling, probably because, like Paul, he did not want to be a party to their internal strife.

 

‘If the church in Corinth were Paul’s, the last person in the world he would want to return would be Apollos… Here is another piece of clear evidence… of the incredible bigness of the Apostle to the Gentiles’ (Fee, p 825).

 

Conclusion

 

There is much that we can learn about Paul himself in this chapter:

 

His concern for the poor in Jerusalem

His ability in organising the collection

His determination that everything should be seen to be done with integrity

His humility in leadership

His commitment to the gospel

His trust in the overruling providence of God

His security in his gifting

Talk 19. The certainty of our resurrection and final victory over death – 1 Corinthians 15

 

Last time: The certainty of Christ’s resurrection

 

vv      1-4      Resurrection is an essential part of the Gospel

vv      5-8      The evidence of Christ’s resurrection – he appeared

vv      9-11    Digression – Paul’s unworthiness to be an apostle

vv    12-19    The logical outcome of denying the resurrection

vv    29-34    Further illogicalities in denying the resurrection

 

Today: The certainty of our resurrection and of final victory over death.

 

vv    20-28    Christ’s resurrection and final victory guarantees ours

vv    35-50    How are the dead raised?                                            

vv    51-58    The certainty of final victory over death

 

a) Christ’s resurrection and final victory guarantees ours (20-28)

 

V 20 But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.

 

But the fact is that Christ did rise from the dead!

This obviously disproves the theory that there’s no such thing as resurrection. In fact it guarantees resurrection for all who are in Christ. 

The firstfruits referred to is an allusion to Leviticus 23. 

The full harvest was foreshadowed by the first sheaf brought as an offering on the day following the Sabbath after the Passover – the day Christ rose from the dead!  Christ is the firstfruits.  We are yet to be gathered.

 

Vv 21-22 For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man. For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive.

 

This is reminiscent of Romans 5.  Paul sees Christ’s victory as the divine remedy for Adam’s defeat. 

(The two alls in v22 are not coextensive – all  men die because of Adam’s sin, but only all in Christ will be made alive in Christ).

 

V 23  But each in turn: Christ, the firstfruits; then, when he comes, those who belong to him.

 

This clearly indicates that the resurrection for which Paul is arguing is to take place at Christ’s coming.

24 Then the end will come, when he hands over the kingdom to God the Father after he has destroyed all dominion, authority and power.

25 For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet.

26 The last enemy to be destroyed is death.

27 For he ‘has put everything under his feet’. Now when it says that ‘everything’ has been put under him, it is clear that this does not include God himself, who put everything under Christ.

28 When he has done this, then the Son himself will be made subject to him who put everything under him, so that God may be all in all.

 

Whatever the time-scale, the overall teaching seems to be as follows:

 

All things have been put under Christ’s feet (v27) (cf. Ephesians 1:19-22)

and yet we see not yet all things put under him (cf. Hebrews 2:8). 

But it will be and all enemies will be conquered. 

Christ must continue to reign (basileuein) until finally, when he has accomplished his victorious purpose, he will deliver up the Kingdom to the Father, to whom the Son will be subject, that God might be all in all (vv 24 and 28).

 

b) How are the dead raised? (35-50)

 

But, of course, one of the great problems with believing in physical resurrection is imagining how the dead can possibly be raised.  Paul now deals with this problem.

 

35 But someone will ask, ‘How are the dead raised? With what kind of body will they come?’

36 How foolish! What you sow does not come to life unless it dies.

37 When you sow, you do not plant the body that will be, but just a seed, perhaps of wheat or of something else.

38 But God gives it a body as he has determined, and to each kind of seed he gives its own body.

39 Not all flesh is the same: people have one kind of flesh, animals have another, birds another and fish another.

40 There are also heavenly bodies and there are earthly bodies; but the splendour of the heavenly bodies is one kind, and the splendour of the earthly bodies is another.

41 The sun has one kind of splendour, the moon another and the stars another; and star differs from star in splendour.

42 So will it be with the resurrection of the dead. The body that is sown is perishable, it is raised imperishable;

43 it is sown in dishonour, it is raised in glory; it is sown in weakness, it is raised in power;

44 it is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body. If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual body.

45 So it is written: ‘The first man Adam became a living being’; the last Adam, a life-giving spirit.

46 The spiritual did not come first, but the natural, and after that the spiritual. 47 The first man was of the dust of the earth; the second man is of heaven. 48 As was the earthly man, so are those who are of the earth; and as is the heavenly man, so also are those who are of heaven.

49 And just as we have borne the image of the earthly man, so shall we bear the image of the heavenly man.

50 I declare to you, brothers and sisters, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable.

 

The argument may be summarised as follows: 

 

1. Resurrection is not inconceivable if we do not leave God out of the picture – the reference to foolish in verse 36 follows the OT understanding of a fool as one who does not take God into account.

 

2. Resurrection is not inconceivable because God has given us an abiding example of his power to raise the dead in the world of nature around us (vv 36-38).

 

3. Resurrection is not inconceivable because the resurrection body will be

God has also shown us a great variety of examples of the different types of ‘body’ he has made, both earthly and heavenly (vv 39-41)

Vv 42-44 show the great contrast between the natural body and the spiritual body we receive at resurrection. 

Further, the natural body we inherit from Adam is as different from the spiritual body which will be our inheritance in Christ as Christ is different from Adam himself. 

Adam is of the earth, earthly.  Christ is the Lord from heaven (vv 45-50).

 

This may be seen from the chart below.

 

Body sown                                       Body raised

perishable                                            imperishable

in dishonour                                       in glory

in weakness                                        in power

natural                                                 spiritual

of Adam                                               of Christ

earthly                                                 heavenly

 

 

 

c) The certainty of final victory over death (51-58)

 

The closing verses of the chapter form one of the most powerful passages to be found in the Bible.  When the trumpet sounds at Christ’s coming, Christians still alive will be changed in a split second.  Their corruptible, mortal bodies will become incorruptible and immortal.  The dead, too, will be raised with incorruptible bodies.  So will be manifested the final victory over death.

 

50 I declare to you, brothers and sisters, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable.

51 Listen, I tell you a mystery: we will not all sleep, but we will all be changed 52 – in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed.

53 For the perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality.

54 When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true: ‘Death has been swallowed up in victory.’

 

v 50   flesh and blood…

 

Paul’s point is that the living cannot inherit the Kingdom of God as they are.

It is not death that is essential but transformation.

 

“The perishable body, either dead or alive, cannot inherit the imperishable life of the future” (Fee).

 

v 51   we will all be changed

 

Paul clearly expected to be among the living at the Parousia

The important point is that all must be transformed to bear the likeness of the Man of Heaven.

 

v 52   the trumpet will sound

 

The order of events here is the same as in 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17.

 

 

For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first.

After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord for ever.

 

 

v 53   the perishable must clothe itself…..

 

Cf. he must reign (v25). Our immortality is as certain as his reign!

 

“The long chain of decay and death inaugurated by the first Adam will finally be irrevocably broken by the last Adam” (Fee p 803).

 

v 54   Death has been swallowed up in victory

 

Cf. Isaiah 25:8 God will swallow up death forever

 

vv55-58

 

55 ‘Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?’

56 The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law.

57 But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

58 Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labour in the Lord is not in vain.

 

The connection between sin, death and the law forms a major aspect of Paul’s teaching in his letter to the Romans. 

 

Summarised briefly here, the law is seen as strengthening sin, and sin is the cause of death. 

 

It follows, therefore, that victory over death implies victory over all its causes – including sickness. 

 

Final victory is ours, over law and sin and death – through Jesus Christ our Lord. 

 

Our labour is not in vain.  Christ is risen.  Because he lives we shall live also.  The knowledge of these certainties should inspire us to practical Christian discipleship.

 

Talk 18. The Certainty of the Resurrection of Christ

 

Paul now turns from the subject of public worship to the vitally important matter of the resurrection of the dead. 

Some had been questioning and even denying the great truths of bodily resurrection (v 12). 

1 Corinthians 15 is a masterpiece of literary logic in defence of this fundamental doctrine of the Christian faith.

 

The chapter may be summarised as follows

 

vv      1-4      Resurrection is an essential part of the Gospel

vv      5-8      The evidence of Christ’s resurrection – he appeared

vv      9-11    Digression – Paul’s unworthiness to be an apostle

vv    12-19    The logical outcome of denying the resurrection

vv    20-28    Christ’s resurrection and final victory guarantees ours

vv    29-34    Further illogicalities in denying the resurrection

vv    35-50    How are the dead raised?                                                   

vv    51-58    The certainty of final victory over death

 

We will deal with the chapter under 2 headings:

 

The certainty of Christ’s resurrection

The certainty of our resurrection and of final victory over death.

 

The certainty of Christ’s resurrection

 

1. a) Resurrection is an essential part of the Gospel (1-4)

 

Now, brothers and sisters, I want to remind you of the gospel I preached to you, which you received and on which you have taken your stand.

By this gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you. Otherwise, you have believed in vain.

For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures

 

Paul’s defence of the doctrine of the resurrection of the body centres around the historicity of Christ’s resurrection. 

So he begins by reminding the Corinthians that to believe the Gospel at all means believing in resurrection. 

The Gospel which he preached and which they had accepted was the Gospel by which they had been and still were being saved (unless they had believed in vain).  And what was that Gospel?  Christ died for our sins …. he was raised …. according to the Scriptures. 

And so Paul paves the way for a point he is to make later (vv 14-29) that to deny the resurrection is to render the Gospel meaningless.

 

1. b) The evidence of Christ’s resurrection – he appeared (5-8)

 

…and that he appeared to Cephas, and then to the Twelve.

After that, he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers and sisters at the same time, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep.

Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles,

and last of all he appeared to me also, as to one abnormally born.

 

Since Christ’s resurrection is crucial to Paul’s argument he proceeds to elaborate the evidence for its historicity.  Note the four-fold he appeared in these verses (5, 6, 7, 8).  (Note that the verb here also means ‘he was seen’). He appeared to (and was therefore seen by):

 

• Peter (v5) (cf Luke 24:34)
• the Twelve (v5) (a title rather than a number)
• 500 brothers (v6) (cf. Matthew 28:7,10, 16)
• James (v7) (referred to only here in NT) – James the Lord’s brother who ‘did not believe in him’ during his earthly ministry
• all the apostles (v7) (including Thomas? or does this refer to a wider company than the 12?)
• me also (v8) (note the importance of personal experience)

 

Vv 9-11 Digression – Paul’s unworthiness to be an apostle

 

For I am the least of the apostles and do not even deserve to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God.

But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace to me was not without effect. No, I worked harder than all of them – yet not I, but the grace of God that was with me.

Whether, then, it is I or they, this is what we preach, and this is what you believed.

 

It was appropriate for Paul to digress for a moment to consider his own unworthiness to be called an apostle and the greatness of the grace of God in making him what he was.  But whether it was he, or the other apostles, the message preached was the message of resurrection, and that was what the Corinthians had believed in (v11).

            

1. c) The logical outcome of denying the resurrection (12-19)

 

But if it is preached that Christ has been raised from the dead, how can some of you say that there is no resurrection of the dead?

If there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised.

And if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith.

More than that, we are then found to be false witnesses about God, for we have testified about God that he raised Christ from the dead.

But he did not raise him if in fact the dead are not raised.

For if the dead are not raised, then Christ has not been raised either.

And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins.

Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ are lost.

If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are of all people most to be pitied.

 

The logic of these verses is extremely compelling.  The apostolic preaching in which the Corinthians had believed was that Christ rose from the dead. 

It was, therefore, quite illogical to say that there was no such thing as resurrection (v12)! 

If there is no such thing as resurrection then Christ can’t have risen (v13), and if Christ didn’t rise then Paul’s preaching and their believing were both completely pointless (v14). 

In fact, if Christ didn’t rise, the apostles must be liars (vv 15-16)

and the Corinthians’ faith was futile and their sins unforgiven (v17). 

And those who had already died had perished (i.e. died with their sins unforgiven) (v18). 

In fact, if there’s no resurrection, Christians are to be pitied more than all other men (v19) (not because the Christian life is miserable but because, if Jesus didn’t rise from the dead, we’re completely deluded!)

 

vv    20-28    Christ’s resurrection and final victory guarantees ours

 

We will deal with this next time. We move on now to vv29-34 which continue the theme of the logical outcome of denying the resurrection.

 

1. d) The logical outcome of denying the resurrection (29-34)

 

Now if there is no resurrection, what will those do who are baptised for the dead?

If the dead are not raised at all, why are people baptised for them?

 

Paul is not condoning baptism for the dead. He is using it  as an illustration of their inconsistency. If the dead don’t rise, what’s the point of doing anything on their behalf, baptism or anything else?

 

He probably forbade it on his next visit to Corinth (cf. 11:34), for the practice did not survive in the church.

 

And as for us, why do we endanger ourselves every hour?

I face death every day – yes, just as surely as I boast about you in Christ Jesus our Lord.

If I fought wild beasts in Ephesus with no more than human hopes, what have I gained?

If the dead are not raised, ‘Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die.’

 

And what’s the point of all the persecution Paul has just suffered if there’s no resurrection? 

 

Paul was having a hard time at Ephesus. The reference to fighting with wild beasts (v 32) is probably metaphorical as Roman citizens were not put in the arena, but he was facing the reality of death every day (v 31), there were many adversaries (16:9) and he had despaired of life itself (2 Corinthians 1:8-11).

He might just as well live for the moment (vv 30-32). 

 

And this is just how the Corinthians would start behaving.  Their actions would be influenced by the false doctrines of those who denied the resurrection  (vv 33-34).

 

Do not be misled: ‘Bad company corrupts good character.’

Come back to your senses as you ought, and stop sinning; for there are some who are ignorant of God – I say this to your shame.

 

Summary

 

People were saying that there’s no such thing as resurrection.

But resurrection is an essential part of the Gospel. Without it the Gospel is meaningless.

There is abundant evidence for the fact of Christ’s resurrection – he was seen!

So it’s quite illogical to say that there was no such thing as resurrection.

 

If there is no resurrection:

 

Our Christian faith is completely pointless

The apostles were liars

There is no hope of salvation

We’re completely deluded

We might as well eat, drink and be merry, for tomorrow we die!

 

BUT NOW IS CHRIST RISEN FROM THE DEAD AND BECOME THE FIRSTFRUITS OF THOSE WHO HAVE FALLEN ASLEEP.

 

But that’s for next time.1 

Talk 17 1 Corinthians chapters 12 to 14

 

Welcome to talk 17 in our series on 1 Corinthians. Today’s talk will be rather different from usual as I have decided to cover chapters 12-14 in one single talk. This is because I recently recorded five Podcasts on these chapters under the general heading of The most excellent way. These talks are each somewhat longer than those in our current series, but I encourage you to listen to them in addition to today’s talk which will be a brief summary of the content to be found in the five talks in the earlier series. If you visit my website www.davidpetts.org you will find them by clicking on MENU and then on Podcasts. Look for August 2020 and you will find them under numbers 094-098.

 

1 Corinthians 11 to 14 are the only chapters in the New Testament that deal specifically with the subject of public worship.

 

Of course the Corinthian culture was very different from ours today. But what principles can we learn that will guide us in our worship today? We’ll begin by outlining Paul’s purpose in these chapters:

 

To correct disorder in public worship especially at the Lord’s supper

To teach the right use of spiritual gifts

To demonstrate our dependence on each other as members of the body of Christ

To show the overriding importance of love

To give clear instructions on the public use of gifts such as tongues, interpretation and prophecy

To offer guidelines as to how a believers’ meeting should be conducted.

 

We’ve already dealt with Chapter 11 in our last two talks.

In my series titled The Most Excellent  Way I divide chapters 12-14 into the following sections:

 

Expect the supernatural 12:1-11

We are all needed 12:12-31

It’s all meaningless if we don’t love one another 13:1-13

Put other people first 14:1-25

Take responsibility for your actions 14:26-40

 

Talk 094. Expect the supernatural 12:1-11

 

The major theme of the chapter as a whole is that of:

 

unity       4, 5, 6, 8, 9, 11, 13, 20, 24–25

and interdependence      21,25,26

in the midst of diversity.    4, 5,6,8-11,12,14,20, 24-25.

 

This theme is clear in the first 11 verses where Paul talks about the supernatural gifts of the Holy Spirit. There are various gifts but they are given by the one Spirit. Paul does not want the Corinthians, or us for that matter, to be ignorant about this important subject. It’s vital that we understand how to distinguish between genuine manifestations and those which are false. I go into some detail on this in talk 094.

 

Talk 095.  We are all needed 12:12-31

 

In this section Paul compares the church to the human body and shows clearly that every member is needed. The very purpose of our being baptised in the Holy Spirit is for the benefit of the body (13). Please listen to talk 095 for an explanation of why I believe verse 13 should be interpreted in this way.

 

The basic teaching of the passage is that we are all different but we all need each other and are united by the fact that we are all part of the same body. We are not independent of each other but rather we are interdependent on each other. It is God who has arranged the members of the body just as it has pleased him. We mustn’t think of anyone as useless and we mustn’t think of ourselves as useless. Whether you believe it or not, like it or not, you belong to the body! To say ‘I don’t need you’ is to imply that your gift or ministry is the only thing that matters. Our attitude should be that of the three Musketeers  – all for one and one for all.

 

In talk 095 I also deal with the question of what Paul means by the greater gifts in verse 31 and the implication of his question in verse 30, Do all speak with tongues?

 

Talk 096. It’s all meaningless if we don’t love one another 13:1-13

 

This is one of the greatest chapters in the Bible. However it is frequently taken out of context, the surrounding chapters being often ignored.

 

In talk 096 I covered the following main points:

 

What does Paul mean by tongues of angels in verse one?

I give reasons for believing that when we speak in tongues we are not speaking a heavenly language as is commonly believed.

I also answer the question, Can the devil understand tongues?

 

Another main feature I deal with is the question, What does Paul mean when he says that tongues will be stilled? I dismiss the cessationist view that gifts like tongues ceased with the apostolic age.

 

But of course the overriding emphasis of this wonderful chapter is the supremacy of love and my talk concludes with a devotional consideration of what this means for us personally.

 

 

 

 

Talk 097. Put other people first 14:1-25

 

1 Corinthians 11 to 14 are the only chapters in the New Testament that give an insight into the worship of the early church

 

Chapter 12 teaches us to expect the supernatural and that we are all needed

 

Chapter 13 makes clear that whatever we do and whatever gifts we may have it’s all a waste of time if we don’t love one another

 

That brings us to chapter 14 which may be divided into the following sections:

 

1-5 prophecy is preferable to tongues

6-11 tongues alone are of little value

12-19 edification is the underlying principle

20-25 the case of unbelievers coming in

26-40 the ordering of spiritual gifts

 

The main emphasis of verses 1 to 25 is that we should put other people first. That is a natural continuation of the theme of love. If we love one another we will put others before ourselves.

 

In verses 1-5 Paul shows clearly that in church prophecy is preferable to speaking in tongues because tongues without interpretation does not edify other people. In talk 097 I also deal with what Paul means when he says that the person who speaks in tongues does not speak to men but to God. This is obviously very relevant when we come to the nature of the gift of interpretation of tongues.

 

Verses 6-11 are fairly straightforward. Speaking in tongues (without interpretation) is of little value in the assembled church because nobody understands what is being said.

 

Verses 12-19 teach that edification is the underlying principle. Tongues is of great value for private personal edification but in church it is of little value unless it is interpreted.

 

Verses 20-25 deal with the case of unbelievers coming in. The basic teaching is clear but the details of the argument are difficult in that the verses appear to contain a twofold contradiction. I deal with this suggesting a possible interpretation which does not require us to see a contradiction in scripture.

 

Despite the difficulties in the passage, what is clear is that all our conduct in our meetings should be determined by what is good for others, not what feels good to us.

 

 

Talk 098. Take responsibility for your actions 14:26-40

 

In verses 26-40 Paul gives specific instructions regarding the exercise of the gifts of tongues, interpretation and prophecy. However the overriding principle in his teaching is that we must take responsibility for our actions.

 

Verse 26 is particularly important because it is the only verse in the New Testament which answers the question what shall we do when we come together in church. Seen in this way it may be taken as the pattern for a New Testament believers’ meeting. Themes contained within the verse are participation, variety, and edification.

 

In verses 36-40 Paul summarises his teaching on public worship:

 

Whatever your spiritual gift may be,  you must submit to the authority of the apostle’s commands  (v 37).

This has obvious implications with regard to the authority of scripture.

It also implies the authority of ministry gift over spiritual gift

 

Whatever happens everything should be done in a fitting and orderly way(40).

 

Please listen to talk 098 to see how I interpret Paul’s specific teaching with regard to the verses I haven’t mentioned specifically today.

Talk 16:  The Lord’s Supper – 1 Corinthians 11: 17-34

 

1 Corinthians was written before the Gospels and so this is the first written account of the events that instituted the Lord’s Supper.

 

One of our greatest problems is that we are very familiar with at least part of this passage and our understanding has been conditioned by its liturgical setting.

 

In seeking to understand it we must remember that what Paul writes here is in the context of the abuse of the Lord’s Supper in which the Lord’s people, and therefore the Lord himself, were being dishonoured.

 

The following facts will also help us:

 

1. Cultic meals were an almost universal phenomenon as part of worship in those days.
2. In the early church the Lord’s Supper was probably eaten as, or in conjunction with, such a meal.
3. The church gathered for such meals in the homes of the rich, the host acting as patron (cf. Romans 16:23).
4. The dining room (triclinium) in such homes would not accommodate many guests. The majority would therefore eat in the large entry courtyard (atrium).
5. The host would probably invite those of his own social class to eat in the triclinium.

 

With this in mind we may now approach the text.

 

a) The Problem – Abuse of the Poor (1 Corinthians 11: 17-22)

 

17 In the following directives I have no praise for you, for your meetings do more harm than good.

 

Compare v2 I praise you.  Having commended them where he can Paul proceeds to reproach them for their misbehaviour.

 

18 In the first place, I hear that when you come together as a church, there are divisions among you, and to some extent I believe it.

 

In the first place

 

We might have expected a secondly later in the passage, but there is none.  The expression should therefore be taken as indicating the importance of the subject he is dealing with.

 

 

 

as a church

 

In non-Biblical Greek ekklesia refers to the citizens of a town assembled. Here it refers to the assembled church. The Corinthians’ problem was not that they failed to gather, but that when they gathered they failed to be what God intended them to be. Their divisions (cf. chapters 1-4) are here seen to be directly related to their gatherings. Cf. my comments on 3:16.

 

to some extent I believe it

 

Paul did not automatically believe everything he heard, but on this occasion he had reason to believe there was some truth in the bad report he had received.

 

19 No doubt there have to be differences among you to show which of you have God’s approval.

 

This either means that of logical necessity there has to be error so that truth may be shown to be truth, or, more probably, that their present divisions are a part of the divine testing process which are an inevitable part of the Eschaton. Paul would have expected divisions to accompany the End. Cf. the teaching of Jesus (Matthew 10:34-37, 24:9-13 etc).

 

20 When you come together, it is not the Lord’s Supper you eat,

 

The early church gathered for a common meal which was far more than the modern communion service.  It was a love-feast (agape) (see Jude 12, 2 Peter 2:13). The word Lord’s here is emphatic.  Barrett suggests in honour of the Lord as a translation.  It is not the Lord’s supper that you are eating, but your own. They were thinking of themselves, not the Lord.

 

21 for as you eat, each of you goes ahead without waiting for anybody else. One remains hungry, another gets drunk.

 

This verse either means that the rich ate their sumptuous meals before the others arrived, or that they were eating them at the Lord’s Supper itself. This reveals the total lack of courtesy and consideration that was being shown.  It is hard to imagine such selfish behaviour at a time when they were intended to remember Christ’s selfless love shown at Calvary.

 

22 Don’t you have homes to eat and drink in? Or do you despise the church of God and humiliate those who have nothing? What shall I say to you? Shall I praise you for this? Certainly not

 

homes …the church

 

Note the contrast between eating at home and eating the Lord’s Supper with the assembled church.  The Supper is thus more than Christians having a meal together (as some have suggested). Its purpose was to remember Christ’s death, not to satisfy hunger.

 

despise…humiliate

 

The haves despise the church of God by humiliating the have-nots. The verb humiliate is the same as is in vv. 4-5.

 

b) The Problem – Abuse of the Lord (1 Corinthians 11: 23-26)

 

23 For I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you: The Lord Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, took bread,

 

Paul uses the pronoun ego here. Since Greek pronouns are usually contained in the verb the use of a pronoun in addition normally implies emphasis. I, Paul, have received. 

 

It may be that Paul is thus claiming to have received a direct revelation from the Lord concerning this (cf. Gal. 1:12), and not just to have learned it from the other apostles. However, the context in Galatians is different and Fee (548) concludes that Paul does not mean that Jesus gave him these words personally and directly.

 

24 and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, “This is my body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of me.”

 

when he had given thanks

 

Jesus actually gave thanks knowing that his body was to be broken!

 

This is my body

 

This saying does not substantiate the doctrine of transubstantiation.  Jesus did not say ‘This will become my body’, and the bread was not his body on the first occasion.  Jesus was physically distinct from the bread he broke.  Further, the verb to be does not always imply identity (cf. 10:4).

 

do this

 

Do is a present imperative, a continuous command, keep on doing this.

 

25 In the same way, after supper he took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me.”

 

The communion service is the memorial and expression of a new covenant sealed with the blood of Jesus (cf. Exodus 24:8, Jer. 31:31).

 

26 For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes

 

In the NT the verb kataggello is never used to express proclaiming to God, but always to man.  There is thus no basis for the sacrifice of the mass here.  The verb may be taken as an imperative or an indicative and so may be taken as a statement or a command.  The act itself may be seen as a proclamation, or the events of Christ’s passion may have been recalled by word of mouth.

 

c) The Answer – Discern the Body (1 Corinthians 11: 27-32)

 

27 Therefore, whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of sinning against the body and blood of the Lord.

 

The AV unworthily is an unfortunate translation. It draws attention to the person doing the eating rather than to the manner in which the eating is taking place. The passage is not an exhortation to deep personal introspection. It challenges us to make sure that we are eating with our fellow-Christians in mind. Furthermore, it certainly does not refer to non-Christians taking communion.

 

guilty

 

This word implies liability. To be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord means to be liable for his death.

 

‘To “profane” the meal as they are doing is to place themselves under the same liability as those responsible for that death in the first place’ (Fee, p. 561).

 

28 A man ought to examine himself before he eats of the bread and drinks of the cup.

 

This is not a call for deep personal introspection as to whether one is worthy. It stands in contrast to the divine examination to which unworthy participation will lead (vv29-30).

 

29 For anyone who eats and drinks without recognizing the body of the Lord eats and drinks judgment on himself.

 

The communion bread or the church?  Probably the church (cf. 17-22, 10:16-17). But perhaps there is a double entendre here.

 

30 That is why many among you are weak and sick, and a number of you have fallen asleep.

 

Note that Paul is not saying that all sickness among Christians is related to an abuse of the Lord’s Supper. Fee suggests that Paul had prophetic insight that this was the cause of the Corinthians’ sicknesses at that time.

 

31 But if we judged ourselves, we would not come under judgment.

32 When we are judged by the Lord, we are being disciplined so that we will not be condemned with the world.

 

God’s judgement rested upon them because they would not judge themselves (v 31). However, the remaining verses make it clear that such judgement is remedial.

 

Verses 33-34 summarise the whole discussion.

 

33 So then, my brothers, when you come together to eat, wait for each other.

34 If anyone is hungry, he should eat at home, so that when you meet together it may not result in judgment. And when I come I will give further directions.

 

For further comments on the Lord’s Supper see the relevant chapter in You’d Better Believe It! where I point out that the Lord’s Supper is a time of:

fellowship

self-examination

remembering

proclamation.

Talk 15:  Women and Men in Worship (11:2-16)

 

Paul leaves the matter of meat offered to idols and turns his attention to the subject of public worship. This important theme occupies the next four chapters which deal with head-coverings, the Lord’s Supper and the right use of spiritual gifts in all of which the over-riding consideration must be love.  He opens his discussion with the matter of head-coverings.

 

This passage is full of notorious difficulties. These are largely due to our lack of knowledge about:

• the meaning of certain crucial terms
• prevailing customs in culture and in the churches

 

For example, to what is Paul referring when he says that a woman should not pray or prophesy with her head uncovered? Does he mean without a covering, or without long hair, or with her hair loose? All three have been suggested, although the first seems most likely.

 

Fee suggests that some women were praying/prophesying without the customary head-covering or hairstyle which probably involved some kind of breakdown in the distinction between the sexes.

 

1. a) An Argument from Culture and Shame (2-6)

 

2 I praise you for remembering me in everything and for holding to the teachings, just as I passed them on to you.

 

Paul is about to rebuke them for disorders in their worship, so he begins by praising them where he can.  They were holding to his teachings, but there were still some areas that needed putting right.

 

3 Now I want you to realize that the head of every man is Christ, and the head of the woman is man, and the head of Christ is God.

 

This verse, along with verses 7-9, states certain basic theological principles. 

Paul uses those principles to support the regulations for worship which he gives in the remaining verses.

 

One of the basic principles is that the man is the head of the woman just as God is the head of Christ. 

However, kephale (head) in Greek has the primary meaning of source or origin rather than of ruler (cf. Fee pp 502-503). 

There is no disgrace in the woman’s relationship to the man, just as there is no disgrace in Christ’s relationship to the Father.

It is simply the divine order of things. It is relational not hierarchical.

 

4 Every man who prays or prophesies with his head covered dishonours his head.

 

Literally having down from the head.  Having what down from the head?

This could refer to hair (see NIV footnote) but probably refers to the veil worn by the devout and modest Jewess. 

The man who prayed or prophesied with his head covered in this way dishonoured his head.  Paul probably intends both man’s physical head and Christ his spiritual head here.

 

5 And every woman who prays or prophesies with her head uncovered dishonours her head–it is just as though her head were shaved.

 

Conversely, the woman who prayed or prophesied with her head uncovered dishonoured her head (i.e. her husband or, more probably, ‘man’ in general, in terms of male-female relationships, as well as her physical head).  In fact she might as well have been shaved bald as have her head uncovered.  It is not clear that society in most parts of the world would make the same judgement today.

 

6 If a woman does not cover her head, she should have her hair cut off; and if it is a disgrace for a woman to have her hair cut or shaved off, she should cover her head.

 

For a woman to be shaven at that time was a great disgrace.  It indicated that she was an adulteress.  From this Paul reasons that it is a disgrace for a woman to pray with her head uncovered.  The connection in thought is perhaps explained in vv. 14-15.

 

14 Does not the very nature of things teach you that if a man has long hair, it is a disgrace to him,

15 but that if a woman has long hair, it is her glory? For long hair is given to her as a covering.

 

For more on these verses see below.

 

 

 

1. b) An Argument from Creation (7-12)

 

7 A man ought not to cover his head, since he is the image and glory of God; but the woman is the glory of man.

8 For man did not come from woman, but woman from man;

9 neither was man created for woman, but woman for man.

 

In verses 7-9 the teaching that men should not cover their heads for prayer and that women should is supported by the following theological considerations. 

 

First, man is the image and glory of God whereas woman is the glory of man (7).  But “This is her role in creation; it is not her role in Christ” (Barrett). 

 

Second, man was not made from woman; woman was made from man (8). 

 

Third, man was not made for woman but woman was made for man (9).  Clearly Genesis 1-3 is in mind here.

 

But how does the woman’s coming from the man and being created  for his sake make her his glory? Fee refers back to the Genesis account and suggests:

 

‘Man by himself is not complete; he is alone, without a companion or helper suitable to him. The animals will not do; he needs one who is bone of his bone, one who is like him but different from him, one who is uniquely his own “glory”. In fact, when the man in the OT narrative sees the woman, he “glories” in her by bursting into song’ (p 517).

 

10 For this reason, and because of the angels, the woman ought to have a sign of authority on her head.

 

          a sign of authority

 

This phrase, along with because of the angels (see below) is extremely difficult. At the end of the day we have to say that we do not know. The following explanation must therefore be viewed in that light.

 

For the reasons given in vv 7-9 Paul taught that a woman should wear a sign of authority on her head.  However, a sign of is not to be found in the Greek text.  The verse literally teaches that the veil is the woman’s authority.

 

          because of the angels

 

Various explanations have been offered:

Aggelos means messenger as well as angel and some take the phrase to refer to visiting preachers.  However, this seems unlikely. 

 

Others see the angels referred to as the fallen angels of Genesis 6.  It is by no means certain, however, that the sons of God refers to angelic beings. 

 

The best, simplest, and most obvious explanation is that angels are present with the worshipping church.

 

11 In the Lord, however, woman is not independent of man, nor is man independent of woman.

12 For as woman came from man, so also man is born of woman. But everything comes from God.

 

Paul now puts vv 7-9 in perspective.  If woman came from man in the first place, thereafter man has come of woman.

 

1. c) An Argument from Propriety (13-16)

 

13 Judge for yourselves: Is it proper for a woman to pray to God with her head uncovered?

 

Paul appeals to the Corinthians’ own judgement and expects them to agree with his teaching.  Not every generation and culture, however, would give the same answer.

 

14 Does not the very nature of things teach you that if a man has long hair, it is a disgrace to him,

 

It is not immediately obvious that nature teaches that women should have longer hair than men, but the majority of cultures throughout history have conformed to this practice.

 

15 but that if a woman has long hair, it is her glory? For long hair is given to her as a covering.

 

Paul was not teaching that the head-covering was unnecessary for a woman with long hair but that nature teaches her to cover her head by giving her long hair.

 

16 If anyone wants to be contentious about this, we have no other practice–nor do the churches of God.

 

 

This is probably better translated no such practice (which appears to mean the exact opposite!)

However, if read this way we should understand Paul to be saying that there is no such practice as the women were advocating.

Read the other way he means no other practice than that which he is advocating!

 

There is much in this passage to indicate that Paul’s teaching can only be understood within the culture of his day.   

That the Christian church has not permanently and universally adopted the same practices, however, does not invalidate the underlying theology.