ELNORA'S BIBLE STUDY WITH FRIENDS, 1 Corinthians, Chapter 15 - September 6, 2024

        

                       

Introduction to Chapter 15

In chapters 12, 13, and 14, Scripture focused on the concept of spiritual gifts and how best to use them. Chapter 15 contains extensive teaching on one last issue about which some Corinthians were confused or misled. Apparently, they harbored some doubts about the physical resurrection of Christians from the dead. Will Christians really be raised from the dead as Christ was after the crucifixion? Some of the Corinthians did not think so. A group of them either believed false teaching or blended Christian ideas with the Greco-Roman philosophies of their day. Perhaps they imagined life completely ends in death. More likely, they thought the human spirit continues into the afterlife without a body of any kind. Paul writes this chapter to correct their thinking, teaching about what resurrection from the dead means for born-again believers. (https://www.bibleref.com/1-Corinthians/15/1-Corinthians-chapter-15.html)

The Resurrection of Christ, Verses 1-11, CHARLES

¹ Let me now remind you, dear brothers and sisters,^[a] of the Good News I preached to you before. You welcomed it then, and you still stand firm in it. ² It is this Good News that saves you if you continue to believe the message I told you—unless, of course, you believed something that was never true in the first place. ³ I passed on to you what was most important and what had also been passed on to me. Christ died for our sins, just as the Scriptures said. ⁴ He was buried, and he was raised from the dead on the third day, just as the Scriptures said. ⁵ He was seen by Peter^[c] and then by the Twelve. ⁶ After that, he was seen by more than 500 of his followers^[d] at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have died. ⁷ Then he was seen by James and later by all the apostles. ⁸ Last of all, as though I had been born at the wrong time, I also saw him. ⁹ For I am the least of all the apostles. In fact, I’m not even worthy to be called an apostle after the way I persecuted God’s church. ¹⁰ But whatever I am now, it is all because God poured out his special favor on me—and not without results. For I have worked harder than any of the other apostles; yet it was not I but God who was working through me by his grace. ¹¹ So it makes no difference whether I preach or they preach, for we all preach the same message you have already believed.

^{SECTION QUESTIONS:} 

1. What did Paul remind the brothers and sisters of at the beginning of this chapter? (V.1-4)

2. Paul is highly respected by the Corinthian church. How did he respond to them? Name one scripture which demonstrates Paul's heart, whether he was boastful or humble. 

THOUGHT QUESTIONS: 

1. What do you think Paul meant when he said, "Last of all, as though I had been born at the wrong time, I also saw him."?

2. What's the key difference in Christian doctrine and the doctrine of world philosophers? 

The Resurrection of the Dead, Part 1, Verses 12-23, TEANNIE

¹² But tell me this—since we preach that Christ rose from the dead, why are some of you saying there will be no resurrection of the dead? ¹³ For if there is no resurrection of the dead, then Christ has not been raised either. ¹⁴ And if Christ has not been raised, then all our preaching is useless, and your faith is useless. ¹⁵ And we apostles would all be lying about God—for we have said that God raised Christ from the grave. But that can’t be true if there is no resurrection of the dead. ¹⁶ And if there is no resurrection of the dead, then Christ has not been raised. ¹⁷ And if Christ has not been raised, then your faith is useless and you are still guilty of your sins. ¹⁸ In that case, all who have died believing in Christ are lost! ¹⁹ And if our hope in Christ is only for this life, we are more to be pitied than anyone in the world. ²⁰ But in fact, Christ has been raised from the dead. He is the first of a great harvest of all who have died. ²¹ So you see, just as death came into the world through a man, now the resurrection from the dead has begun through another man. ²² Just as everyone dies because we all belong to Adam, everyone who belongs to Christ will be given new life. ²³ But there is an order to this resurrection: Christ was raised as the first of the harvest; then all who belong to Christ will be raised when he comes back.

^{SECTION QUESTIONS:} 

1.  What do you think Verse 19 is saying, in your own words? 

2. What do verses 21-22 mean? 

^{THOUGHT QUESTIONS:}

1. What is the logic Paul uses to help the Corinthians' unbelief in the resurrection of the dead? 

2. Will all people be resurrected, or just believers?

The Resurrection of the Dead, Part 2, Verses 24-34, TBD

²⁴ After that the end will come, when he will turn the Kingdom over to God the Father, having destroyed every ruler and authority and power. ²⁵ For Christ must reign until he humbles all his enemies beneath his feet. ²⁶ And the last enemy to be destroyed is death. ²⁷ For the Scriptures say, “God has put all things under his authority.”^[e] (Of course, when it says “all things are under his authority,” that does not include God himself, who gave Christ his authority.) ²⁸ Then, when all things are under his authority, the Son will put himself under God’s authority, so that God, who gave his Son authority over all things, will be utterly supreme over everything everywhere. ²⁹ If the dead will not be raised, what point is there in people being baptized for those who are dead? Why do it unless the dead will someday rise again? ³⁰ And why should we ourselves risk our lives hour by hour? ³¹ For I swear, dear brothers and sisters, that I face death daily. This is as certain as my pride in what Christ Jesus our Lord has done in you. ³² And what value was there in fighting wild beasts—those people of Ephesus^[f]—if there will be no resurrection from the dead? And if there is no resurrection, “Let’s feast and drink, for tomorrow we die!”^[g] 33 Don’t be fooled by those who say such things, for “bad company corrupts good character.” ³⁴ Think carefully about what is right, and stop sinning. For to your shame I say that some of you don’t know God at all.

^{SECTION QUESTIONS:} 

1. What are your thoughts about verses 1-26? 

2.  "Bad company corrupts good character." What do you think about that saying? Why did Paul say this to the Corinthians? 

^{THOUGHT QUESTIONS:}

1. What do you think Paul is saying in verse 29?

2. Why do you think Paul is saying, "...some of you don't know God at all?"

The Resurrection of the Body, Verses 35-58, KITTY

³⁵ But someone may ask, “How will the dead be raised? What kind of bodies will they have?” ³⁶ What a foolish question! When you put a seed into the ground, it doesn’t grow into a plant unless it dies first. ³⁷ And what you put in the ground is not the plant that will grow, but only a bare seed of wheat or whatever you are planting. ³⁸ Then God gives it the new body he wants it to have. A different plant grows from each kind of seed. ³⁹ Similarly there are different kinds of flesh—one kind for humans, another for animals, another for birds, and another for fish. ⁴⁰ There are also bodies in the heavens and bodies on the earth. The glory of the heavenly bodies is different from the glory of the earthly bodies. ⁴¹ The sun has one kind of glory, while the moon and stars each have another kind. And even the stars differ from each other in their glory. ⁴² It is the same way with the resurrection of the dead. Our earthly bodies are planted in the ground when we die, but they will be raised to live forever. ⁴³ Our bodies are buried in brokenness, but they will be raised in glory. They are buried in weakness, but they will be raised in strength. ⁴⁴ They are buried as natural human bodies, but they will be raised as spiritual bodies. For just as there are natural bodies, there are also spiritual bodies. ⁴⁵ The Scriptures tell us, “The first man, Adam, became a living person.”^[h] But the last Adam—that is, Christ—is a life-giving Spirit. ⁴⁶ What comes first is the natural body, then the spiritual body comes later. ⁴⁷ Adam, the first man, was made from the dust of the earth, while Christ, the second man, came from heaven. ⁴⁸ Earthly people are like the earthly man, and heavenly people are like the heavenly man. ⁴⁹ Just as we are now like the earthly man, we will someday be like^[i] the heavenly man. ⁵⁰ What I am saying, dear brothers and sisters, is that our physical bodies cannot inherit the Kingdom of God. These dying bodies cannot inherit what will last forever. ⁵¹ But let me reveal to you a wonderful secret. We will not all die, but we will all be transformed! ⁵² It will happen in a moment, in the blink of an eye, when the last trumpet is blown. For when the trumpet sounds, those who have died will be raised to live forever. And we who are living will also be transformed. ⁵³ For our dying bodies must be transformed into bodies that will never die; our mortal bodies must be transformed into immortal bodies. ⁵⁴ Then, when our dying bodies have been transformed into bodies that will never die,^[j] this Scripture will be fulfilled: “Death is swallowed up in victory. ⁵⁵ O death, where is your victory?
O death, where is your sting?^[l]” ⁵⁶ For sin is the sting that results in death, and the law gives sin its power. ⁵⁷ But thank God! He gives us victory over sin and death through our Lord Jesus Christ. ⁵⁸ So, my dear brothers and sisters, be strong and immovable. Always work enthusiastically for the Lord, for you know that nothing you do for the Lord is ever useless.

^{SECTION QUESTIONS:} 

1.  Describe in your own words the symbolism Paul used with the seed&plant and the earthly&spiritual body.

2. What are your thoughts on Verse 43?

3. When will the scripture, "Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting? found in ______ be fulfilled? 

(This verse is a reference to Isaiah 25:8, which says, “He will swallow up death forever; and the Lord God will wipe away tears from all faces”.)

^{THOUGHT QUESTIONS:}

1. Give us your favorite scripture in this section. I bet you have one! 😇

2. Talk to us about verse 56. What does it mean to you?

Present Day Interpretations of "Baptism for the Dead"

• Interpretation 1: Baptism for the dead was a practice in Corinth. This interpretation takes the verse literally, suggesting that some Corinthians were being baptized on behalf of deceased individuals who had not been baptized themselves. This practice is not mentioned anywhere else in the Bible, and its exact nature remains unclear.

•  Interpretation 2: Baptism as a witness to the resurrection. This interpretation suggests that Paul is referring to the baptism of living individuals who were motivated by the hope of resurrection. Seeing others baptized and witnessing their faith in the face of death could have inspired them to be baptized themselves. 
• Interpretation 3: Baptism over the graves of martyrs. Some scholars suggest that the phrase "baptized for the dead" could refer to a practice of baptizing new converts over the graves of Christian martyrs. This would be a symbolic act, demonstrating their commitment to Christ and their belief in the resurrection. 
• Interpretation 4: Paul is arguing against a false belief. Some scholars believe that Paul is not endorsing the practice of baptism for the dead, but rather using it as an example of a flawed argument. He might be saying, "If there is no resurrection, why are people being baptized for the dead?"

Prayer Confession for 1Corinthians, Chapter 15

Heavenly Father, thank You for Your Word of truth. Thank You that You sent the Lord Jesus to die on the Cross to pay the price for our sins, that He rose again the third day, according to the Scriptures, and that His resurrected life has been imparted to us. Just as our old sin nature is identified with His death, so our new life in Christ is identified with His Resurrection and life everlasting.

Dear Lord, thank You for the eyewitness accounts of You in Your resurrected body. Thank You, that Your death and Resurrection united believers from all backgrounds, into one Body in Christ. Thank You that in Your grace, You used the apostle Paul to officially 'unlock' the good news of the gospel to all people, tongues, and nations, and as the apostle to the Gentiles. May we be ready and willing to share the gospel message with whosoever we come in contact today.

Heavenly Father, thank you that like Paul it is by the grace of God that we are your children. It is by Your grace that we have been saved through faith in Christ and it is by grace that we are maturing in the faith and being conformed into the image and likeness of Christ... for Your praise and glory. Thank You for the example of Paul who helps us to understand that it is not the labor of our hands that is reckoned as righteousness... but the grace of God that is with us and working through us... that does the work of God. May we do all to Your praise and glory.

Heavenly Father, thank You for the amazing 15th chapter of Corinthians which goes into such specific detail about Christ's victory over sin and death - on our account. We praise and thank You that because of His great sacrifice on the Cross and glorious, bodily Resurrection, we too are raised into newness of life in Christ - not only in this world but also into the eternal ages to come, where we will be clothed in our eternal, resurrected bodies - for when we see Him as He is, we shall be like Him, for which we praise Your holy name. In Jesus’ name, we pray, amen. 

Source: https://prayer.knowing-jesus.com/1-Corinthians/15