1, 2 This whole section is taken up with the historical fact of Christ's resurrection. Paul begins this portion of Scripture by saying, "Moreover (or now), brethren, I declare (gnorizo) or relate unto you the gospel (euaggelion) which I preached (eueggelisamen) unto you, which also ye have received (parelabete), and wherein ye stand (hestekate) or abide." Note the close relationship between the word translated gospel and the word translated preached; the latter means "to preach the gospel or the "to preach the good tidings of salvation." Paul had preached the gospel or good tidings to the Corinthians on his second missionary journey (Acts 18:1 - 22); he reminds them anew of the message of the gospel. They must not overemphasize spirituals (gifts) to the neglect of heralding the gospel message, nor were they to let the problems in the church draw away their interest. Probably Paul was relieved that no more problems needed to be solved as least just now; he was happy to write about this thrilling statement about the resurrection of our Lord in this chapter.
Paul is quick to tell the Corinthians they were saved (sozesthe) or made whole under the preaching of the gospel unless they believed in vain (eike) or made an insincere commitment. "They were to have a continued belief, and not merely memory, of this word, a spiritual rather than an intellectual hold of it" (Gould, p. 127). Because of some of the attitudes of the Corinthians possibly Paul questioned whether some of them had been saved or not.
3 - 5 The writer had delivered the message of salvation at the beginning of his ministry in Corinth; it was indeed the most important thing and of first priority. The message was "how that Christ died (apethanen) or perished for our sins, according to the scriptures." Many have died, but Christ died for our sins; that is, His death was substitutionary. Christ died in our place (hupo - "in behalf of us"); He suffered the penalty of death that was due the whole human race. It was predicted and prophesied over and over again throughout the Old Testament. "Christ's death was not an accident; nor was it a misfortune. It was planned before the foundation of the world (Revelation 13:8), announced in Eden (Genesis 3:15), predicted by Jesus Himself (Matthew 16:21), carried out at the precise hour (John 12:27 - 33). It was in keeping with the prophecies of many Old Testament Scriptures (Isaiah 53:5, 6, 8, 9; Daniel 9:26; Zechariah 13:7; Psalm 22:16; etc.)" (Yeager, Volume XIII, p. 159). While going through the epistles of Paul he refers to "according the Scriptures" fourteen times, and he always quoted them as authoritative, never once calling them in question as to authority (Morgan, p. 185).
After Christ's death, "he was buried (etaphe) in a borrowed tomb, and that he was raised (literally) (egegertai - God, the Father raised Him) the third day; according to the Scriptures." When Christ Jesus was raised from the dead, He was raised to die no more. Paul uses the perfect passive indicative to emphasize the permanence of the resurrection of Jesus; He is still risen. Death no longer has dominion over Him. His resurrection was more than a resuscitation. Those raised from the dead like Lazarus and the widow's son died again. Not so with the Lord Jesus Christ; He is alive forevermore and holds the keys to hell and death (Revelation 1:18). Christ's death, burial and resurrection were prophesied in Isaiah 53:9; Psalm 16:9, 10; Psalm 22.
To authenticate the resurrection, Christ manifested (phaneroo) himself or appeared to many; to Cephas or Peter (Luke 24:34, 36), and then to the Twelve, (a technical name probably twelve minus Judas and Thomas - John 20:19). Why Peter? Peter had denied the Lord three times, yet he was to be the spokesman for the apostles; he did not believe in Jesus' resurrection until he saw Him alive.
6 - 9 After His appearances to the apostles, He was seen of over 500 at once probably just prior to His ascension (Matthew 28:18 - 20); many of those who saw the Lord after His resurrection and prior to His ascension were still alive when Paul wrote I Corinthians (A. D. 56), however, some had already passed away. Why did He appear to 500 all at once? If anyone thought that Peter and the Twelve were hallucinating, 500 couldn't be hallucinating at the same time. Paul could have assembled quite a great number of witnesses to testify in a court of law had he been called upon to do so. These witnesses were competent and credible; in fact, many of them testified under threat of death. The evidence was immediately given; their testimonies were harmonious, repeated, openly given and steadfastly maintained.
Furthermore, He was seen of James (the Lord's brother, Galatians 1:19), then of all the apostles. "'Was seen' in all these verses means to see with the natural eye. These appearances were not hypnotic visions brought on by grief as some claim. These people could testify from personal experience. In all Jesus made ten post-resurrection appearances (Mary Magdalene; the other women; the two going to Emmaus; Simon Peter; the ten apostles and others; to the eleven and others; the seven by the sea; to over 500 in Galilee; to the apostles in Jerusalem; to James). Paul mentions only six. "He selected the most prominent ones," says Herschel H. Hobbs (Baptist Standard, June 30, 1976, p. 13). One of the strongest arguments for the resurrection of our Lord was the change wrought in His followers by it.
Last of all, Paul testified that he saw the Lord (on the road to Damascus). He saw Him as one born out of due season or from an untimely birth. The word translated "born out of due time" is the same word for abortion (ektromati) (Job 3:16; Psalm 58:8; Ecclesiastes 6:3). Paul had been called from his mother's womb to be an apostle (Galatians 1:15). He saw Jesus after He had ascended to heaven. However, he saw the Lord face to face in the midst of the Damascus Road. "We do not assume that Paul purposely took a contemptuous term that his opponents may have used to describe him. Rather, the context applies the words one untimely born to Paul to effect a contrast between himself and the others to whom Jesus appeared. The term that Paul used to describe himself is unrefined, but in the succeeding contest he explains the intent" (Kistemaker, p. 534). Paul's untimely birth may have reference to the apostolic family; he was "a miscarriage."
Paul felt unworthy to be called an apostle because he persecuted the church. "There were times when this terrible fact confronted Paul like a nightmare. Who does not understand this mood of contrition?" (Gould, pp. 188, 189). Paul's testimony that he persecuted the church of God should be taken in its institutional sense. He persecuted the church in Jerusalem where Paul vented his rage against the Christians. He sought to destroy the churches in Judea and asked for letters from the high priests to do the same in Damascus (Acts 9:2; 22:5) and other foreign cities (Acts 26:11).
10, 11 Paul states that the grace of God has made him what he is. Amazing grace!! It has made him work harder (perissoteron) or far more than all of the other Apostles; yet he cannot demand credit for it. He had a tremendous energy and used it. It is all because of the divine abiding grace. "Paul's sense of unworthiness explains in part his zeal in working for the Lord. It is true that he labored (toilsome labor) more zealously than any other. As someone said, it is not bragging if it is true. Even so he recognizes that his work is not of himself but God's grace working in him. He did not consider himself self-made but God-made. Self-made people stop before the job is finished" (Hobbs, Baptist Standard, July 7, 1976, p. 13). "Two things stand side by side: a) God's grace is extolled in Paul's life in a special way; all glory is due to God so that Paul can boast in spite of his sins. b) But in 'more than they all,'which refers to the other apostles. Paul places himself on the same level with the other apostles" (Grosheide, p. 353).
Regardless of divine grace upon God's people, Paul continues to preach and people believe. The Corinthians and others believed, and this is what matters both for the preacher and his hearers. It matters not whither Paul was a convert to Christianity during the Lord's personal ministry or later; God especially endowed him with a mind and heart for the mission field. The message is the same, whether Paul delivered it or Peter. He reaffirms and defines what the gospel is - it is the death, burial and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ.
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The Apostle John testified, "That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, of the Word of life (For the life was manifested, and we have seen it, and bear witness, and show unto you that eternal life, which was with the Father, and was manifested unto us) That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us; and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son, Jesus Christ" (I John 1:1 - 3).
Every witness to the fact that Jesus is alive, beginning with the Apostles down to this present hour, is a false witness (pseudomartures) or a liar if He is not alive. This word translated false witnesses is found only twice in the New Testament, here and in Matthew 26:60 where at least two false witnesses came forward to accuse Jesus of saying they heard Jesus say that if they destroyed the temple of God He will rebuild it in three days. If we are false witnesses, Hobbs writes, "This means that we are preaching a lie. But, even more, that God Himself lied! God promised to raise Jesus. If He did not, then He lied to His Son! Unthinkable! But logic can draw no other conclusion--if there be no bodily resurrection" (Baptist Standard, July 21, 1976, p. 19). In verse 16 Paul restates his testimony for emphasis; if the dead rise not then neither has Christ Jesus been raised. Over thirty times, from Matthew 8:15 to Revelation 11:1, the word egertheis is used with reference to the physical resurrection of the dead. Finally Paul writes if Christ did not arise from the grave after three days in Joseph's new tomb, "ye are yet in your sins." If the Lord Jesus Christ did not arise from the grave there is no justification. In Romans 4:25 Paul writes, "Who (Jesus) was delivered from our offenses, and was raised again for our justification." Yeager says of this verse, "The doctrine of justification, forgiveness, redemption, pardon - it all depends upon the fact of the bodily resurrection of our Lord, for only if He arose, as He predicted, can we be sure that the man on the cross was God incarnate. The Romans crucified many people - two others on that same day. What was unique about Jesus of Nazareth?" (p. 172). If there is no resurrection then is our faith vain, empty, or useless; faith is devoid of truth, a lie. "All these passages (Romans 4:24; 5:1f; 8:11; I Corinthians 15:3,4) imply that Christ's death is only of value if He also conquered death and as the Living One applies the benefits of His death to sinners" (Grosheide, p. 359). The logical conclusion is that if Jesus did not arise from the grave, all the saints from Adam to the present time are perished (apolonto), doomed or defeated. Then Paul writes, "if in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable (eleeinoteroi), pitiable or 'more deserving of compassion or pity'." Believers are in a worse condition than the unbelievers, for our hopes are dashed if Jesus did not arise from the grave. The believers are victims of a cruel hoax, and we are robbed of the joy of expectation of life eternal which will never be ours; the unbeliever did not expect anything anyway. Thank God, our hope is in Christ and His bodily resurrection, we will never be disappointed in Him. "If our hope is limited to this life, we have denied ourselves what people call pleasures and have no happiness beyond" (Robertson, p. 190).
20 - 22 With verse 19 Paul's lesson in logic is over. He now states without equivocation, "But now Christ is risen (has been raised) from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept (those who have been sleeping)." Firstfruits (aparche) is an interesting word; it is made up of two words apo meaning "from" plus arche meaning "beginning" or "a choice part of the harvest." Christ's resurrection guarantees that there will be others who will be resurrected. Sleep is a euphemism for death see: Matthew 27:52 and other passages. The Greek word for sleep is kekoimemenon from which we get our English "cemetery." Hobbs states, "'Firstfruits' is a figure drawn from Jewish religious life. Shortly after the Passover, the first heads of grain to ripen were plucked and offered to God as an offering of the firstfruits looking toward the general grain harvest which came several weeks later--about the time of Pentecost. This was the feast of the grain harvest" (Baptist Standard, July 28, 1976, p. 13). Hodge has written, "Christ's rising from the dead was as firstfruits of all the believing 'dead'--as the first sheaf of the harvest presented to God as a thankoffering (Leviticus 23:10 etc.), was a pledge of assurance of the ingathering of the whole harvest, so the resurrection of Christ is a pledge and proof of the resurrection of His people. In Romans 8:23 and 11:16 the word 'firstfruits' has the same force" (The Sunday School Times, March 26, 1966, p. 7). Spiro Zodhiates tells this story, "A mother asked a young boy who lay dying, 'Is Jesus with you in the dark valley?' 'Dark valley?' he whispered. 'Why, Mother, it's not dark! It's getting brighter and brighter. Oh, it's so bright now that I have to shut my eyes'" (pp. 254, 255).
For since death came through (di) a man (anthropos), resurrection from death also will come through (di) a man. Who was that man through whom death came? Who was that man through whom the resurrection comes? The first man was Adam; the second Man was the Lord Jesus Christ Whom Paul clarifies in verse 22. Both spiritual and physical death came through Adam (Genesis 5:8, 11, 14, 17, 20, 27, 31); he was the "federal head" through whom came sin and death. The word "genes" has become a common term among the layman today; it was through Adam's genes that the race dies both spiritually and physically. Adam died spiritually when he sinned against God's command in the Garden of Eden. He died physically many years later because of the sin principle in his body. He became a sinner by nature and a sinner by practice when he ate of the forbidden tree. Because we are the descendants of Adam, we are born sinners by nature, and when we reach the time in life where we know right from wrong; then we become sinners by practice. So in (the) Adam all die, even so in (the) Christ shall all be made alive. Yeager says, "God does not condemn sinners; He does condemn transgressors. Since sin is any want of conformity to the holy nature of God, little children, by that definition are sinners, but they are not transgressors. It is not the fault of a baby that, like David, he was 'shapen in iniquity and conceived in sin' (Psalm 51:5) and God does not hold the baby morally responsible, but it is his fault when he does what he knows is contrary to the will of God" (p. 177). All those in Christ will always live (zoopoiethesontai) or be made alive. Through Christ's substitutionary work on the cross those who trust in Him for atonement will live forever.
23 - 28 Every saint, however, will live eternally in his own order (tagmati) or his own arrangement or company. God has arranged for man to live forever; He has a plan for the man's resurrection. Our Lord is the firstfruits, then according to other passages in the New Testament, "afterward they that are Christ's at his (Second) coming (parousia) or presence." "Tagma, order, was originally a military term referring to a detachment of soldiers, but it came to be used more generally. Paul now separated Christ from men, just as in verse 21 he had linked Him with them. The first company is Christ the firstfruits, and only after that is the second, they that are Christ's (Morris, pp. 214, 215).
The end (telos) of the age will come when Christ Jesus has delivered up the kingdom of God to God the Father. At that time God will put down all rule (archen) and all authority (exousian) and power (dunamin) or works. All three of these words have to do with power. "Three events are being listed in the order of their occurrence: (1) the resurrection of Jesus Christ, (2) His second coming and the resurrection of the dead in Christ and the rapture of the living and (3) the overthrow of all human opposition to God and the final delivery of the kingdom to the Father. The first event took place on the third day after the crucifixion. The second is posttribulational and premillennial. The third is postmillennial. More than nineteen centuries have already separated the first from the second, and at this point there is no way to tell how much more time will elapse before the second coming. Exactly one thousand years will separate the second from the third" (p. 181) (Yeager, p. 181).
Christ will reign (basileuein) or rule and all enemies (echthrous) or foes will be put under His feet. After two thousand years hostility against the Christ and His followers will finally end. At that time Psalm 110:1 will be fulfilled, "The Lord (God) said unto my Lord (Christ), sit thou at my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool." Our Lord is sitting at the right hand of Jehovah God now awaiting the word to return to earth and completely redeem His people.
"The last enemy that shall be destroyed (katargeitai), abolished or overthrown is death." Physical death is the penalty for sin; one day that last enemy of God and man will be overthrown (Revelation 20:13, 14). Jehovah God will put all things under (hupetaxen) or put things in subjection under the feet of the Lord Jesus Christ, but until death is conquered man will not have any satisfaction. Kistemaker writes, "When the kingdom is transferred from the Son to the Father, this does not mean that Christ is no longer His Son. He continues to be God's eternal Son. When the Son subjects Himself to the Father, this does not imply that He no longer exercises power. He continues to sit on His throne but now with those who belong to Him. He does not abdicate His throne but invites His people to sit with Him as judges (Matthew 19:28; Luke 22:30; Revelation 3:21; 4:4; 20:4). Jesus is a Brother to all those whom He has redeemed (Psalm 22:22; Hebrews 21:12) but will always have supremacy (Colossians 1:18)" (p. 557). Our Lord will leave His position at Jehovah's right hand and return to earth to reign for one thousand years thus subjecting all enemies referred to in I Corinthians 15:25.
29 - 32 "Else what shall they do which are baptized for the dead, if the dead rise not at all? Why are they then baptized for the dead?" "Apparently the Corinthians knew about some pagan custom in keeping with which the living were immersed in behalf of some one who had died without immersion. Some of them may have even practiced this strange custom. Under the Christian system such a practice has no merit, but at the least it indicated that those who did so believed in immorality and also in the resurrection of the body. The Greeks believed in the immortality of the spirit but rejected the idea of bodily resurrection. Christianity does not teach the immortality of the soul apart from the resurrection of the body, although the body is not essential to consciousness of the soul and spirit after death" (Yeager, p. 188, 189).
Probably what Paul means relative to the baptism for the dead, "...if there is no resurrection, the symbolism of baptism (immersion in water) is without meaning. Even baptism speaks of the fact of and the believer's faith in the resurrection" (Hobbs, Baptist Standard, August 11, 1976, p. 13). Whatever expositors teach about verse 29, "we can be sure, for example, that it does not teach vicarious, or proxy, baptism for the dead, as claimed by ancient Gnostic heretics such as Marcion and by the Mormon church today. Paul did not teach that persons who has died can be saved, or helped in any way, by another person's being baptized in his behalf" (MacArthur, pp. 424, 425).
Robert S. Candlish presents a logical explanation of verse 29 in this way, "The vacancies left in the ranks of the Christian army, when saints and martyrs fall asleep in Jesus, are supplied by fresh recruits, eager to be baptized as they were, and pledged by baptism to fall as they fell, at the post of duty and danger. It is a touching sight which the Lord's baptized host presents to view, especially in troublous times. Column after column advancing to the breach, as on a forlorn hope, in the storming of Satan's citadel of worldly pomp and power, is mowed down by the ruthless fire of persecution" (pp. 93, 94).
Because of the immorality of the soul the Christian can face persecution with our heads held high because one day we will have a new glorified body and neither persecution nor death can touch the real man. "Why would Paul endure imprisonment, severe flogging, beating, stoning, and repeated exposures to death? If there is no hope for the renewal of life through the resurrection of Christ, why would Paul risk his life again and again? He freely admits, 'We are fools because of Christ' (4:10). He toiled harder than anyone else for the hope of the resurrection" (Kistemaker, p. 561).
For Paul and every Christian in every age, we die daily because of our commitment to the Lord and Christianity. Paul was willing to protest that he risked his life daily for the cause of Christ. He was persuaded that the Christians at Corinth would persevere in the cause of Christ and might even die as Paul was willing to do. No one knows when the opposition will rise up and try to destroy Christ's followers; we are ready when persecution and opposition comes our way. Since our Lord is alive there is no price too great for Christ's followers to pay, more especially his ministers. Paul was willing to fight the wild beasts (etheriomachesa) at Ephesus, since he was willing to die for the cause. Just who were these wild beasts which Paul fought? "We understand this fighting with beasts of one or more events at Ephesus, during which Paul was engaged in a struggle with Jews or Gentiles and in which his life was in danger (cf. Also II Corinthians 1:8, 9; 11:23)" (Grosheide, p. 375). Evidently there were those who bitterly opposed to the preaching of God's Word (especially the Epicureans philosophers). Paul hazarded his life and was willing to die at any time since he had faith in his resurrection as well as Christ's resurrection. The Epicurean philosophy may be what Isaiah meant when he wrote in 22:13 which reads, "And, behold, joy and gladness, slaying oxen, and killing sheep, eating flesh, and drinking wine; let us eat and drink; for tomorrow we shall die." This seemed to be the Epicurean's philosophy.
33, 34 "Be not deceived (planasthe) or seduced: evil communications (homiliai) or company corrupt good manners (ethe), ethics or morals." Paul probably quotes from one of the Greek poets, Menander. In verse 34 he wrote, "Return to sober thinking as you ought, and stop sinning, because some of you have no knowledge (agnosian) or you are ignorant of God. I am saying this to make you ashamed" (Yeager, p 195). The word eknepsate means "to come to your right mind." Paul wanted to shame the Corinthians for their mental stupor. Evidently He thought some were even unsaved; they lacked a knowledge of God; they were agnostics.
"And what you sow is not the body that will grow; instead you plant a bare grain, whatever it may be - wheat or some one of the others" (Yeager's translation). In other words, the seed that you sow is not the plant that will grow. Naked kernels are sown, but when they germinate a blade will appear. Is the blade like the kernel? It is somewhat different, yet if wheat is planted, wheat will arise from the ground; if corn is planted, corn will arise from the ground. There is a difference in the form of seed planted, and the plant that comes forth and that is harvested. Of course, corn is corn if it is in the grain, the blade, the stalk, the tassel, or the corncob. Wheat is wheat if it is in the grain, the blade, the stalk, the head, or the grain again. That which comes forth is not exactly like what was planted; however, wheat does not produce corn, nor does potatoes produce turnips. "The resurrection of the body of the Christian produces the same genus within the same species, within the same family and, unlike the corn and wheat in Paul's analogy, it also has the same form and therefore the same appearance...In our resurrection bodies we will walk, run, jump, stand, sit, sing, laugh and work, to mention a few. We will not sin. Sin is not a normal function of the human body " (Yeager, p. 199). The body of man will be sown in a depraved condition, but it will be raised in a glorified condition. "The butterfly comes out of the dying worm" (Robertson, p. 195). The worm (chrysalis) must die before a beautiful butterfly is born; it goes through a metamorphosis (metamorphoo); that is, a transformation or a change into another form (See: Matthew 17:2).
Jehovah God will give us "a body as it hath pleased him, and to every seed his own body." Hobbs says of this verse, "Men may explain the process, but they cannot explain the reason back of the seed. The farmer sows in faith and reaps in fulfillment. In like fashion it is true of the resurrection. 'God giveth it a body.' Apart from God, there would be neither a harvest nor a resurrection. Thus we can sow our dead loved ones in faith. The 'how' of the resurrection we must leave with God" (Baptist Standard, August 25, 1976, p. 13). Since God made the human body to begin with (in the Garden of Eden), so He can give us a glorified body as He is pleased to do. Whatever God wishes to do, He can do, for He is Sovereign God. Let us leave the glorified body to Him. Will we know each other in heaven, is the question sometimes asked. Since we know each other on earth, we should expect to know more in heaven than we do on earth.
39 - 41 "All flesh is not the same flesh; but there is one kind of flesh of men, another flesh of beasts, another of fishes and another of birds." "Flesh is the unorganized matter, body the organism. The body is built of flesh" (Grosheide, p. 382). God has so ordained in His creative activity that like begets like. The flesh of His creatures (man, beasts, fishes, birds) are not the same. Even the celestial (epourania) or heavenly bodies differ from terrestrial (epigeia) or earthly bodies; there is a glory of one and another glory of the other.
Even the sun is different from the moon and the moon different from the stars; furthermore, one star differs from another in glory. Stars differ in magnitude and brilliancy. Evidently each star is different from any other star; certainly, some shine brighter than others do. "In verses 39 - 41 God is cast in the role of the supreme creative Artist, Whose versatility is displayed in the variety of forms which He has created" (Yeager, p. 204). These designs and species in nature overwhelm us at the wisdom and knowledge of Jehovah God as the Great Creator.
42 - 44a Now Paul in his discussion comes back to the resurrection of the dead. Some aspects in creation remind us that God performs things according to His Divine will. The body of man is sown in corruption (phthora) or subject to decay and raised in incorruption (aphtharsia) or in immortality. The body is sown in dishonor (atimia) or reproach and raised in glory; it is sown in weakness (astheneia) or infirmity and raised in power (dumamei) or strength. "All that is sadly true at the cemetery - disintegration, humiliation and the total weakness of the natural body of death is to be countered by all that will be triumphantly true at the rapture and resurrection - viability, glory and power of the spiritual body" (Yeager, p. 208). Death can never conquer this new body; it is conformed to the body of His glory - Philippians 3:21. The human body is sown a natural (psuchikon), physical or sensual body and raised a spiritual (pneumatikon) body. A person can have a physical body and still be spiritual; man can be spiritual in a natural body. To be spiritual does not mean to be ghostlike or like a phantom or to have no physical and chemical substance. When the Christian is buried; it is not the Christian himself but his body that housed the spiritual man. His spirit is present with the Lord immediately after death (II Corinthians 5:8). At the resurrection every saint of God will have a new body fashioned like unto the glorious body of the Son of God. I John 3:2 says, "Beloved now are we the children of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be, but we know that, when (Christ) shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is." The saints that are on the earth at Jesus' coming will be changed (allagesometha) instantaneously (verse 52, and Philippians 3:21). After His resurrection but before His ascension Jesus met with His disciples and ate broiled fish and honeycomb, and He also appeared to them without coming through doors (Luke 24:42; John 20:19).
44b - 49 "There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body." Three Greek adjectives are important in this connection - psuchikos, sarkikos and pneumatikos. Psuchikos is found seven times in the New Testament and is translated "natural," "sensual," and "that which is natural." It comes from the word psuche meaning "soul" or "life." Yeager says of this word, "A flower has life but no self-consciousness. An animal has life and self-conscienceness but no God-consciousness or ability to reason in the human sense. A man has life as does the flower, self-consciousness, as does the animal and an ability to reason abstractly and also to experience God-consciousness. Psuche is self-consciousness" (Volume I, p. 172). Kittel states, "The term psuche is ambiguous. On the one side it can denote the true life which God has given, which He requires, which will last into eternity...on the other hand psuche means the physical life which is proper to everybody" (Volume IX, p. 662). Sarkikos is found eight times in the New Testament and is translated "carnal," "fleshly" and "carnal things." It comes from the word sarx meaning that which pertains "to the flesh of human origin" or "to the human or other animal body." The word sarkikos is opposed to pneumatikos. Paul speaks of sarx as the muscular part of the body; it always denotes the whole of man's physical existence (Kittel, Volume VII, p. 125). Pneumatkos is found twenty-seven times in the New Testament and is always translated "spiritual." "The fallacy that pneumatikos is "ghostlike," "phantasmagorical," "immaterial" or "lacking in physical and chemical substance" is the reason why some do not believe in a bodily resurrection" (Yeager, Volume XIII, p. 209).
In verse 45 Paul cites Genesis 2:7 which reads, "And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and man became a living soul." "Adam in Eden was created for the purpose of being a self-conscious (psuche) human being endowed with the power to procreate human life. But sin came, though it was not surprise to God, Who in His wisdom permitted it, and the human life which Adam passed on to posterity was destined to die" (Yeager, p. 211). "The first man Adam was made a living (zosan) soul (pschan); the last Adam was made a quickening (zoopoioun) or living spirit (psuchen) or ghost." Of course the natural man, Adam, with the body which was given him of the Creator was first, then came the second Adam (Jesus Christ) Who was the incarnate Son of God. Our Lord's body was fathered by the Holy Spirit in the womb of the virgin Mary. Although Adam was first in consequence of history, the incarnation was in the mind of God before the foundation of the world. "Old Testament sinners who believed God's promise that salvation would be provided, and who thus became Old Testament saints, were saved by faith just as are New Testament saints. They looked forward in time to the cross, on the basis of God's promise, just as we have looked back to it on the basis of God's historical account" (Yeager, p. 212).
In verses 47, 48, 49 Adam was of the earth, earthy (choikos); a man of dust, (R. S. V.); the Lord Jesus Christ was from heaven. Adam's body was made from the soil (dust). As men of the dust we produce children of the dust; the heavenly man is able to produce heavenly children (ones). God has ordained that like begets like; Adam produced "dust" children; Christ Jesus produces a spiritually reborn race of "heavenly" children. Those born of the earthy have the image (eikona) or likeness of the earthy; those born of the heavenly have the image of the heavenly. John wrote (I John 3:2), "Beloved, now are we the children of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be, but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is." Paul also wrote a parallel passage in Romans 8:29, "For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren."
50 - 53 "Now, this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit (kleronomesai) or fall heir to the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption." Because the child of God is born of heaven (born from above - John 3:3, 7) he can inherit heavenly things. John writes in John 1:12, 13, "But as many as received (Christ Jesus), to them gave he power to become the children of God, even to them that believe on his name; who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God." Before even redeemed man can enter heaven, he must have a different body than he possessed here on the earth. At the resurrection or the rapture, all the saints will be given a body that is prepared for heavenly activity. Paul has a mystery to share with the saints. What is that mystery? "...We shall not all sleep, but we shall be changed (allagesometha) or altered." The word allagesometha comes from allasso which means "to change;" that is, "to cause one thing to cease and another to take its place;" "to exchange one thing for another" or "to transform" (Thayer, p. 28). "...The change from psuchikos to pneumatikos, as these adjectives relate to the Christian's body, will occur in resurrection for those who have died and in rapture for those who survive until the Lord comes" (Yeager, p. 217).
That change will happen in a moment in the twinkling (rhipe) or flicker of an eye, at the last trump (salpiggi) or sound of a trumpet. The dead will be raised in incorruption and those who are alive will be changed (see above). In the flick of an eyelid the dead will be raised and the living will be changed. What is that mystery (verse 51)? "This mystery, completed at the time of the last trumpet, is the Body of Christ, the Gentile church, called out from among the Gentiles in the age of grace (Ephesians 3:3 - 7). The church will not be complete until the end of the tribulation period and of course cannot be raptured and resurrected until that time" (Yeager, p. 219). Could this trumpet refer to the trumpet in Revelation 11:15 - 19)? "This change is not to be by the slow growth of centuries or the action of purgatorial disciplines but in a moment (an atom [quite indivisible] of time), in the twinkling of an eye (the time taken to glance). The trumpet of festivity and victory shall sound, the transformed dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we (referring to the believers alive on earth at the time) shall also be changed. (Compare I Thessalonians 4:14 - 18) (The Sunday School Times, October 26, 1963, p. 9).
"This verse (53) confirms the preceding statement in regard to the raising of the dead, and the change of the living, by showing the necessity of the putting on of immortality, common to them both...'To put on' as one puts on a garment is a figurative representation of change" (Gould, p. 141). Our corruptible bodies will put on (endusasthai) or be clothed with incorruption, and our mortal being will put on immortality (athanasian) or no death. Will we know each other in heaven? This is a question that crosses the mind of everyone of us when we think of a new body. We will be glorified, it is true; if we don't know each other in heaven, we will have an eternity to get acquainted with each other.
54 - 57 Paul writes further giving more description of the resurrection. At the time our corruptible bodies put on incorruption and our mortal bodies put on immortality, then Isaiah 25:8 will be fulfilled. Isaiah wrote, "(The Lord of hosts) will swallow up death in victory; and the Lord God will wipe away tears from all faces; and the rebuke of his people shall he take away from all the earth; for the Lord hath spoken it." On that occasion corrupt and mortal bodies will be changed into incorrupt and immortal bodies, and souls will be united with glorified bodies. Instead of death being a tragedy; it will be a victory. The old Adamic nature will be dropped as a garment, and we will have a new body united with our souls. C. H. Spurgeon tells this story, "At Stratford-on-Bow, in the days of Queen Mary, there was once a stake erected for the burning of two martyrs, one of them a lame man, the other a blind man. Just when the fire was lit, the lame man hurled away his staff, and turning round said to the blind man, 'Courage, brother, this fire will cure us both.' So can the righteous say of the grave, 'Courage, the grave will cure us all; we shall leave our infirmities behind us'." (B. I. Volume XLIII, pp. 508, 509).
In verse 55 Paul quotes rather loosely from Hosea 13:14 which reads, "I will ransom them from the power of sheol; I will redeem them from death, O death, I will be thy plagues; O sheol, I will be thy destruction; repentance shall be hidden from mine eyes." Yeager says, "Death contributes to its own defeat, because the last Adam was not a living soul made out of soil from the earth, but a life-giving Spirit from heaven. Christianity is unique in its claim that the body of the saint is destined to be glorified and made like the incarnate body of its Creator (I John 3:2; Philippians 3:20, 21)" (p. 224). Thomas Gray wrote, "The boast of heraldry, the pomp of power and all that beauty and all that wealth e'er gave await alike the inevitable hour. The paths of glory lead but to the grave." Our Savior, however, has won the victory over the grave! God Be Blessed! "The hope of the Christian is expressed by the epitaph Benjamin Franklin wrote for himself, engraved on his tombstone in the cemetery of Christ's Church in Philadelphia, 'The body of Franklin, printer, like the cover of an old book, its contents torn out and stripped of its lettering and gilding, lies here food for worms. But the work will not be lost, for it will appear once more in a new and more elegant edition, revised and corrected by the Author'" (MacArthur, p. 442).
"The sting (kentron) or prick of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law." Just as a bee or a scorpion stings and just as the goad spurs the animal at labor, so death has a sting; however, that sting is not deadly, it is only for a moment because our Savior's victory over death has taken the sting out of it for the child of God. He paid the penalty for sin at Calvary. Paul wrote in Romans 5:12 and in 6:23, "Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin, and so death passed upon all men, for all have sinned...For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ, our Lord." "The poison sting in death is sin that keeps us from the presence and of enjoyment of our holy God whose laws we have broken. Were it not for sin, who could be sorry for going into the presence of God!" (The Sunday School Times, October 26, 1963, p. 9). "In a single verse Paul expresses the doctrine of sin, the law, and death. What is this sting of death? Paul answers: sin. And what is the power of sin? Paul says: the law. So, what is the relation of sin, the law, and death? Sin is the cause of death, and knowledge of sin comes through the law. In brief, the law has a causative function. It brings to light sin committed against God. It gives sin its power, that without the law is dead (Romans 7:8). The law, which is good, arouses sinful passions (Romans 7:5), and such empowers sin. The law convicts and condemns the sinner to death. Thus the law is an instrument of death because the sinner is unable to fulfill its demands" (Kistemaker, pp. 585, 586).
"But thanks be to God which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ." "Instead of death gaining the victory over us, God gives us the victory over death and the hostile powers associated with it" (Gould, p. 142). Although man sinned and transgressed God's law; God made a way of escape in and through His Son.
58 A resounding encouragement is given in this verse, "Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye steadfast (hedraioi), firmly established or settled, unmoveable (ametakinetoi) or steadfast, always abounding (perisseuontes), overflowing or excelling in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labor (kopos) or weariness is not in vain (kenos) or empty in the Lord." The songwriter wrote, "It will be worth it all when we see Jesus/Life's trials will seem so small when we see Christ/One glimpse of His dear face all sorrow will erase/So bravely run the race 'til we see Christ" (Esther Kerr Rusthoi. The labor, the trouble, the pain, the cost and the sacrifice will be worth it all. Other words for labor and weariness are pain, cost, and sacrifice. The sacrifice may seem great at the time, but it will be insignificant when we get to heaven.
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