04/22/20 - Bible study

Pastor Chandroo

To all those reading this lesson on 1 Corinthians: May the Lord bless you to understand and retain its message.

Good evening, all.

I prefer to conduct our study via the FHG website rather than by phone conferencing, because it allows those unable to phone in, to access the lesson online. It also provides for repeated access for further study.

Today we continue our study of 1 Corinthians 15. This is the most lengthy chapter in the entire book and deals with the theme of resurrection. We will examine verses 35 through 58. Please read through these verses before considering my comments below. Also, as you follow through my comments, keep your bible handy so you can cross-reference the relevant portions of scripture.

In Verses 35-39, Paul is attempting to explain the nature of the resurrected body. He creates a hypothetical questioner who asks two questions: "How are the dead raised? And with what kind of body do they come?" The apostle first answers with "You fool", because there are those in Corinth, both Jews and Gentiles who deny the possibility of any resurrection. See for example, Acts 17: 31-32. This Sadduccean kind of thinking rejects the resurrection of Jesus as well. No wonder Paul refers to such doubters as "fools." He goes on to explain that when a farmer sows a grain of wheat, he does not expect to harvest a larger grain, but a stalk or sheaf of wheat. In other words, the body that rises results from the body that dies, but there are fundamental differences between the two. Unlike the body that dies, the resurrected body is free of any disability, weakness, or deformity. It is also fitted for eternal life.

In verse 39-41, Paul is saying that the human body differs from all other animal bodies, in that, humans have souls. This means that as far as we can tell, animals do not participate in the resurrection. (Sorry deacon Ken and sister Faith with their beloved little pet puppies). There are also celestial or heavenly bodies as there are terrestrial or earthly bodies. The sun, moon and stars are celestial and are designed to function in their own. environment. Our bodies are earthly or terrestrial and serve us well here on terra firma. (the earth) But, our resurrected bodies will be celestial as they will have to function in an earthly as well as in a non-earthly environment. Believers in Jesus will receive these new celestial (glorified) bodies at the resurrection of the dead. Praise God!

In verse 42-44, Paul lists 4 profound differences between the earthly and the heavenly body:

The earthly body is perishable, dishonorable, weak and natural while the heavenly body is the exact opposite. i.e. imperishable, honorable or glorious, strong and with no weakness whatsoever, as well as spiritual and equipped for eternity. That's the kind of post-resurrection body that our Lord possesses. Although it is a material body, it is not restricted by the laws of nature. Luke 24: 31-43

In verses 45-49, Paul explains that Adam, the first perfect man on earth, gave us one kind of body made of dust. The last perfect man on earth, Jesus Christ, provides for us a heavenly body.

Now, please slowly read verses 50 through 57, before going through my comments that follow.

In the above verses of scripture, Paul is not saying that materials things cannot inherit the kingdom of God for we know that Jesus' resurrection body was not strictly in spirit-form. He had a material body. The apostle is saying that our bodies in their current state cannot survive in heaven for obvious reasons. They are weak, subject to disease and death and incapable of standing in the presence of God. Our bodies are corruptible and perishable. "Corruptible" does not refer to moral corruption but rather, physical decay. In verse 51, Paul talks about a mystery. In the context of the passage, a mystery may be defined as something that we cannot understand by human perception but only through divine revelation. As Paul believed that Jesus would return in his lifetime, he states that '...we shall not all sleep but we shall all be changed..." The word 'sleep' here means 'die' and although the apostle was wrong about the timing of the rapture, he was right to live his life as if the Lord would return prior to his death. He clearly indicates that there will be a final generation, the one that will be alive at the rapture and second coming of our Lord. We too, do not know the timing of the Lord's return but must live our lives as if the heavenly, beckoning shofar may sound at any minute. Please do not think that Paul's misunderstanding of the timing of Jesus' return, implies that scripture is somehow in error. This is not the case since all scripture is inspired by the Holy Spirit. In writing scripture, Paul was infallible but not omniscient. His message can be applied during his own lifetime as appropriately as it can be applied to any other time period. 1 Thessalonians 4:15-18, gives us a beautiful picture of the resurrection event soon to happen. Please read it.

Verse 58 is very encouraging. to the Christ follower. In his previous verses, the apostle has just confirmed the future resurrection of believers and now lets us know that our labor is not in vain in the Lord. Whatever others may think or say about our work for the kingdom of Christ, God is the final judge.

In this time of restricted movement and "Stay at Home" regulations, we can still employ all the available media and serve as witnesses of Jesus. During this time of fear and uncertainty, our sincere testimony and teaching might be even more effective in attracting others to Christ. Thank God for His inspired word!

Pastor Chandroo