CRICTOC BOCKRECE BOICTIHY BOCKREC
CHRIST IS
RISEN HE IS RISEN
INDEED!
1 Cor. 15 is the longest chapter in the NT Epistles and it is about the resurrection of our Lord. On this Easter you might want to read it. We are posting this brief survey of the chapter to encourage you in this. May God bless His word to you today as He always will (Isa. 55:10-11)!
v The
Gospel, 15:1-4. Christ died and rose
again. Not too many people deny that Jesus
was crucified. But many deny His death
was the only perfect sacrifice for sin.
The proof that Jesus’ death was an atoning
death is in His resurrection, by which He was declared with power to be the Son
of God (Rom. 1:4).
v Evidence
of His resurrection, 15:5-11. It is in
the witnesses, including Paul who met Christ on the road to Damascus and then
saw Him when he was transported into heaven (2 Cor. 12:1-6). Jesus was seen by over 500 at one time.
v Importance
of His resurrection, 15:12-19. This
sermon has been preached often, the seven negatives if Christ is not
risen. See if you can find them. Clue: the first is “our preaching is empty”
and the last “we are of all men the most pitiable.”
v Results
of His resurrection. 15:20-57.
Ø All
will be made alive after they die, 15:22-28.
Christ is the firstfruits. Because He tasted death for everyone and then
destroyed the chains of death everyone will be raised, the just and the
unjust. But there is an order of events:
Christ, then those who are alive at His coming, and then those raised after His
earthly reign when God promises a new heaven and earth.
Ø We
have a reason to live in this life (i.e. we are not “most pitiable”), 15:29-34. This is a difficult passage and my first
encouragement is that you not stumble here nor ignore the paragraph; it is
powerful. The power is seen in vs. 30-34
as Paul testifies of his willingness to put his life in jeopardy for the sake
of Christ. Denying the resurrection
makes this a ridiculous thought that you would be willing to die for
Christ. The question is: what is meant
by “baptized for the dead”? So first,
the answer must fit the message of vs. 30-34.
Second, it cannot mean, as some say, that living people were being
baptized in proxy for people who died without being baptized. That heresy so clearly flies against the
Bible’s teaching that salvation is not by works (even the work of circumcision
in the OT and baptism in the NT) and the Bible’s teaching that there can be no
change in one’s spiritual condition after
death (Heb. 9:27: it is appointed unto
man once to die, and after that, the judgment). Find a good commentary or two and research
this. Here is the answer from Albert
Barnes (Barnes Notes):
Baptized is used here as it is in Matt. 20:22-23; Mark
10:39; Luke 12:50, in the sense of being overwhelmed with calamities, trials,
and sufferings; and as meaning that the apostles and others were subjected to
great trials on account of the dead, i.e. in the hope of the resurrection; or
with the expectation that the dead would rise. … the phrase “for the dead”
means, with reference to the dead; with direct allusion to the condition of the
dead, and their hopes; with a belief that the dead will rise.
Ø We
have understanding of the life to come, 15:35-49. Because of Christ’s resurrection and the fact
that He remained on the earth for forty days after we have an idea about what
our bodies will be like when we are raised (our
lowly body will be conformed to His
glorious body, Phil. 3:21). First,
like a seed, this body must die before it is transformed into the resurrection
body (v35-38). Second, the resurrection
body is different than the present one in the same way different animals have
different bodies (v39-44). Third, the
natural body must come before the spiritual body just as Adam (the man of dust)
came before Christ (the heavenly man, the
last Adam, v45-49).
Ø We
have certainty concerning the life to come, 15:50-57. We
shall be changed! By the
resurrection of Christ death is swallowed
up in victory … through our Lord Jesus Christ.
v Conclusion
and application, 15:58.
No comments:
Post a Comment