1 Corinthians 15
1 Corinthians 15:1-58
1 Moreover, brethren, I declare to you the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received and in which you stand,
2 by which also you are saved, if you hold fast that word which I preached to you—unless you believed in vain.
3 For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures,
4 and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures,
5 and that He was seen by Cephas, then by the twelve.
6 After that He was seen by over five hundred brethren at once, of whom the greater part remain to the present, but some have fallen asleep.
7 After that He was seen by James, then by all the apostles.
8 Then last of all He was seen by me also, as by one born out of due time.
9 For I am the least of the apostles, who am not worthy to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God.
10 But by the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace toward me was not in vain; but I labored more abundantly than they all, yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me.
11 Therefore, whether it was I or they, so we preach and so you believed.
12 Now if Christ is preached that He has been raised from the dead, how do some among you say that there is no resurrection of the dead?
13 But if there is no resurrection of the dead, then Christ is not risen.
14 And if Christ is not risen, then our preaching is empty and your faith is also empty.
15 Yes, and we are found false witnesses of God, because we have testified of God that He raised up Christ, whom He did not raise up—if in fact the dead do not rise.
16 For if the dead do not rise, then Christ is not risen.
17 And if Christ is not risen, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins!
18 Then also those who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished.
19 If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men the most pitiable.
20 But now Christ is risen from the dead, and has become the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.
21 For since by man came death, by Man also came the resurrection of the dead.
22 For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ all shall be made alive.
23 But each one in his own order: Christ the firstfruits, afterward those who are Christ’s at His coming.
24 Then comes the end, when He delivers the kingdom to God the Father, when He puts an end to all rule and all authority and power.
25 For He must reign till He has put all enemies under His feet.
26 The last enemy that will be destroyed is death.
27 For “HE HAS PUT ALL THINGS UNDER HIS FEET.” But when He says “all things are put under Him,” it is evident that He who put all things under Him is excepted.
28 Now when all things are made subject to Him, then the Son Himself will also be subject to Him who put all things under Him, that God may be all in all.
29 Otherwise, what will they do who are baptized for the dead, if the dead do not rise at all? Why then are they baptized for the dead?
30 And why do we stand in jeopardy every hour?
31 I affirm, by the boasting in you which I have in Christ Jesus our Lord, I die daily.
32 If, in the manner of men, I have fought with beasts at Ephesus, what advantage is it to me? If the dead do not rise, “LET US EAT AND DRINK, FOR TOMORROW WE DIE!”
33 Do not be deceived: “Evil company corrupts good habits.”
34 Awake to righteousness, and do not sin; for some do not have the knowledge of God. I speak this to your shame.
35 But someone will say, “How are the dead raised up? And with what body do they come?”
36 Foolish one, what you sow is not made alive unless it dies.
37 And what you sow, you do not sow that body that shall be, but mere grain—perhaps wheat or some other grain.
38 But God gives it a body as He pleases, and to each seed its own body.
39 All flesh is not the same flesh, but there is one kind of flesh of men, another flesh of animals, another of fish, and another of birds.
40 There are also celestial bodies and terrestrial bodies; but the glory of the celestial is one, and the glory of the terrestrial is another.
41 There is one glory of the sun, another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars; for one star differs from another star in glory.
42 So also is the resurrection of the dead. The body is sown in corruption, it is raised in incorruption.
43 It is sown in dishonor, 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. There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body.
45 And so it is written, “THE FIRST MAN ADAM BECAME A LIVING BEING.” The last Adam became a life-giving spirit.
46 However, the spiritual is not first, but the natural, and afterward the spiritual.
47 The first man was of the earth, made of dust; the second Man is the Lord from heaven.
48 As was the man of dust, so also are those who are made of dust; and as is the heavenly Man, so also are those who are heavenly.
49 And as we have borne the image of the man of dust, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly Man.
50 Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; nor does corruption inherit incorruption.
51 Behold, I tell you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed—
52 in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.
53 For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.
54 So when this corruptible has put on incorruption, and this mortal has put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written: “DEATH IS SWALLOWED UP IN VICTORY.”
55 “O DEATH, WHERE IS YOUR STING? O HADES, WHERE IS YOUR VICTORY?”
56 The sting of death is sin, and the strength of sin is the law.
57 But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
58 Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.
There are many wonderful truths to be uncovered in the Word, but any revelation received and applied is contingent upon the reality of resurrection from the dead. First of all, apart from His rising from the grave, all of Jesus’ teachings would be reduced to nice quotes with no real power for life. It was in His defeat over sin and death that everything He taught was given a validating demonstration. Since this is true for Jesus and all of His ministry on the earth, so it is for us. All of the nice deeds done, and smart thoughts taught will be to no avail apart from love’s completed work in the resurrection. If the focus of our labors is to somehow prosper in and hold on to things of this life alone, it will all prove to be meaningless and no different than any religion. There will be no triumph over sin and its curse in life if there is no death to its body and rising to righteousness. Because this is not just our message, though, but the experience of its reality in our lives, everything we labor to impart is powerful and effective, not just for this life but exponentially beyond. In the complete consecration and presentation of our bodies as living sacrifices, there is an understanding that they are being sown for bodies that will be unlimited in their release from sin’s hold. Instead of fearing death in any aspect of this life, it can be seen as simply planting a seed for something far better in eternity. As we are born again to new life in Him, we can now be freed from the power of this earthly body to discourage and dissuade. It is merely the means by which we will be given entrance into a heavenly body as this one is faithfully sown unto Him.
With an intentional focus on not only Jesus’ resurrection but the following of our bodies with Him in glory, there be a corrected focus on every remaining issue of this life. Our kingdom labors will not be in vain as they remain steadfast, immovable, and always abounding in the hope of an effect being made that is far beyond the here and now.
I couldn’t help but think of tithing in verses 35-44. I know Paul is talking about our bodies being transformed from physical to spiritual, but it made me think of tithing.
Tithing, giving God the first fruits of your income doesn’t make natural sense. We live in a world that operated by money, and to give money right off the top before bills doesn’t make worldly sense. But we don’t live by the world, we operate by faith, and God promises a harvest when we sow.
The only time the Bible instructs us to test God is when it comes to finances and tithing (Malachi 3:10). He instructs us to give in the natural and then watch the supernatural take place! It is sown in the natural and is raised in the spiritual, like verse 44 says in this chapter.
Why is this? Because God is lacking money? Because He wants us to be without that money? No!!! It is so He is able to work in greater ways and give better blessings because we have been obedient and lived by faith, even when our money was on the line. Can you be a Christian and not tithe? Yes, but like all the other promises of God, when we line up with His word and His ways, His blessings operate in greater capacity in our lives.
As for me, it isn’t whether or not I can afford to give God my tithes and offerings, it is that I cannot afford not to. ❤️🥰
What is down in the natural, is raised in the spiritual. Tithing is a spiritual law. We sow in the natural and God brings the increase spiritually!
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