1Corinthians 15D. Up to v.28 Paul has argued three points: The first example is found in v.29. If it isn t true, why are you baptizing for the dead?

Transcription

1 1Crinthians 15D The reality f Resurrectin is s imprtant t the church, that Paul reserved his lngest and mst detailed defense in the letter t this tpic Up t v.28 Paul has argued three pints: The hpe f resurrectin lies at the heart f the Gspel, which the church believed by Paul s testimny Christ Himself was raised, prving the reality f resurrectin Finally, Christ s very purpse in leaving Heaven t be brn as a man was t cnquer death by making a way fr men t receive new, eternal bdies thrugh resurrectin Certainly, these arguments are pwerful evidence f the reality f resurrectin, but Paul isn t dne arguing his case Next, Paul pints ut tw examples where the actins f the Crinthian church were in cntradictin with their beliefs against resurrectin The first example is fund in v.29 1Cr. 15:29 Otherwise, what will thse d wh are baptized fr the dead? If the dead are nt raised at all, why then are they baptized fr them? Paul begins with the wrd therwise, meaning If resurrectin isn t true, then... If it isn t true, why are yu baptizing fr the dead? This phrase is ptentially cnfusing In fact, the Mrmn religin has misunderstd this phrase t the pint f creating a bizarre, false dctrine Jseph Smith and his fllwers invented the practice f researching family genealgies t discver the names f family members wh died withut believing in the Mrmn religin Then in secret rituals, the Mrmns perfrm a baptism n behalf f these dead relatives, thinking they have given them eligibility t enter the Mrmn versin f heaven 2014 Verse By Verse Ministry Internatinal ( May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.

2 1Crinthians 15D 2 f 8 They came t this ridiculus practice frm this ne verse, thinking that Paul was advcating fr baptisms fr the dead We dn t have t be Bible schlars t recgnize the errrs in the Mrmn heresy First, we knw the Bibles teaches that fllwing death cmes judgment withut the pssibility f secnd chances Hebrews says: Heb. 9:27 And inasmuch as it is appinted fr men t die nce and after this cmes judgment, Gd has appinted that men die and He has appinted that ur physical death is fllwed by eternal judgment Therefre, there are n backup plans r escape clauses Secndly, we knw every man r wman will be judged accrding t their wn faith and decisins Ezek. 18:20 The persn wh sins will die. The sn will nt bear the punishment fr the father s iniquity, nr will the father bear the punishment fr the sn s iniquity; the righteusness f the righteus will be upn himself, and the wickedness f the wicked will be upn himself. Ezek. 18:21 But if the wicked man turns frm all his sins which he has cmmitted and bserves all My statutes and practices justice and righteusness, he shall surely live; he shall nt die. Ezek. 18:22 All his transgressins which he has cmmitted will nt be remembered against him; because f his righteusness which he has practiced, he will live. We each stand r fall n the basis f ur wn righteusness A righteusness we receive by faith in Christ N ne can be saved by the decisins f anther persn I can save yu and yu can t save me, whether befre r after I die A parent can t save an infant by baptizing them Nr can a child save a dead parent by sme silly Mrmn ritual 2014 Verse By Verse Ministry Internatinal ( May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.

3 1Crinthians 15D 3 f 8 S if v.29 isn t talking abut baptizing dead peple, what is Paul talking abut and hw des it reinfrce the truth f resurrectin? Let s take a secnd lk at the text again Paul asks what will thse d wh are baptized fr the dead? Paul is speaking f water baptism that every believer under ges fllwing their prfessin f faith Water baptism was given t the Church by Christ t cmmunicate a picture cncerning death and resurrectin When we enter the water and smene submerges ur bdy, we are testifying t ur belief that ur sinful nature was put t death with Christ thrugh ur faith And when that persn lifts us ut f the water, we are testifying t ur hpe that ne day Christ will raise ur dead bdies t eternal life Baptism always requires a secnd persn t cnduct the ritual t illustrate that we cannt save urselves We depended n the Lrd t lay in ur grave in ur place And we rely n the Spirit t raise us int a new bdy S Paul asks why is this church practicing baptist fr the dead if they dn t believe in resurrectin? Paul s questin makes mre sense when we add a missing phrase that s implied but unstated in Paul s wrding 1Cr. 15:29 Otherwise, what will thse d wh are baptized fr the resurrectin f the dead? If the dead are nt raised at all, why then are they baptized fr them? Paul is asking why this church cntinues t practice water baptism if they dn t believe in the resurrectin frm the dead? If they dn t believe in resurrectin, then why d they perfrm a water baptism that illustrates a belief in resurrectin? Paul s secnd example f their behavir cntradicting their beliefs is vs Verse By Verse Ministry Internatinal ( May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.

4 1Crinthians 15D 4 f 8 1Cr. 15:30 Why are we als in danger every hur? 1Cr. 15:31 I affirm, brethren, by the basting in yu which I have in Christ Jesus ur Lrd, I die daily. 1Cr. 15:32 If frm human mtives I fught with wild beasts at Ephesus, what des it prfit me? If the dead are nt raised, LET US EAT AND DRINK, FOR TOMORROW WE DIE. Paul asks why are he and the ther apstles - indeed all Christians - placing themselves in harms way fr the sake f the Gspel if resurrectin isn t true? The apstles remained in danger every hur f the lives They were hunted dwn, imprisned, beaten, starved They were never at ease and always at risk In fact, Paul says in v.31 that because f his wrk in funding the church in Crinth, he received even mre persecutin S then Paul asks why wuld he chse t live this way if his bdy in this life were all any man was t receive? It must mean that he was wrking fr human mtives, fr certainly there wuld be n spiritual reasn t persevere s much Paul says in v.32 that if wrking fr the Gspel nly prduced rewards in this lifetime, then why wuld he have risked his neck? The phrase wild beasts desn t mean animals It s a euphemistic reference t the enemies f the Gspel in Ephesus, where Paul was as he wrte this letter S why take these risks if resurrectin is a lie? Instead, it wuld have been far mre sensible t adpt Slmn s perspective that we wring every last unce f physical enjyment ut f earthly lives fr as lng as we can Fr when we die it all cmes t an end But that s nt what Paul and the ther apstles did Instead, they fught hard against the Gspel s enemies in Ephesus and elsewhere t ensure they pleased the Lrd and served Him well 2014 Verse By Verse Ministry Internatinal ( May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.

5 1Crinthians 15D 5 f 8 And they tk their risks with the earthly lives because they understd that the abundant life Christ prmises is the life that fllws resurrectin, nt the ne that precedes it It s the nly explanatin fr why Paul wuld place himself in harm s way time and time again fr the Gspel The eleventh chapter f Hebrews is a beautiful testimny f saint after saint wh sacrificed their earthly life in faith t Gd s prmises f resurrectin As the writer summarizes Heb. 11:35 Wmen received back their dead by resurrectin; and thers were trtured, nt accepting their release, s that they might btain a better resurrectin; Heb. 11:36 and thers experienced mckings and scurgings, yes, als chains and imprisnment. Heb. 11:37 They were stned, they were sawn in tw, they were tempted, they were put t death with the swrd; they went abut in sheepskins, in gatskins, being destitute, afflicted, ill-treated Heb. 11:38 (men f whm the wrld was nt wrthy), wandering in deserts and muntains and caves and hles in the grund. Heb. 11:39 And all these, having gained apprval thrugh their faith, did nt receive what was prmised, Heb. 11:40 because Gd had prvided smething better fr us, s that apart frm us they wuld nt be made perfect. The writer says these OT saints accepted even greater persecutin fr the sake f a better resurrectin Hw can a resurrectin be made better? The writer is referring t a better reward in the resurrected life We may receive greater rewards in the Kingdm because f greater bedience, sacrifice and faithfulness nw But if the Crinthian church truly believed that resurrectin was a lie, then they shuld have been living accrding t that belief They shuldn t sacrifice fr the Gspel They shuld have been using their ne life t live it up, since there was n future life, n future bdy, n future reward t earn 2014 Verse By Verse Ministry Internatinal ( May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.

6 1Crinthians 15D 6 f 8 But they weren t ding that They were preaching n resurrectin, but they were attempting t live in bedience in the hpe f a reward Once again, their behavir and beliefs were in ppsitin Paul asks these questins t highlight the cntradictins in Crinth, but in the prcess Paul has expsed an even bigger prblem in the church He s expsed the spiritual immaturity f the church The church didn t understand the meaning f the rituals they perfrmed r the rewards they sught And by their ignrance, they cntradicted their wn beliefs They prved the adage that a little knwledge is a dangerus thing While it s easy fr us t chuckle at the ignrance f the Crinthian church, we need t be careful abut pinting fingers t quickly The Lrd ensured Paul s letter fund it s way int the cann f scripture fr gd reasn Because tday s church is nt that much different frm the ne Paul funded in Crinth We can still find plenty f examples f belief and behavir cntradicting in Christian practice tday Sme churches practice baptism by sprinkling, prving they dn t understand hw baptism pictures f death and resurrectin f the bdy Sme churches feature altars in the sanctuary, even thugh altars imply sacrifices which Christians maintain are n lnger needed Sme churches tell believers t seek fr a filling f the Hly Spirit after cming t faith, yet the Bible teaches that faith itself cmes as a result the indwelling f the Spirit The list ges n, but the rt cause is always the same in every case 2014 Verse By Verse Ministry Internatinal ( May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.

7 1Crinthians 15D 7 f 8 Any time ur church practices are discnnected frm the authrity and instructin f scripture, we re ging in the wrng directin Sner r later, ur behavirs will cme int cnflict with the beliefs we claim t hld Befre we knw it, we re wise in ur wn estimatin Instead fllwing the Lrd by His wrd, we re in danger f becming fllwers f denminatins, signs and wnders, styles f wrship r wrse - cults, heresies and the like Paul calls the church t seek fr better influences and better thelgy 1Cr. 15:33 D nt be deceived: Bad cmpany crrupts gd mrals. 1Cr. 15:34 Becme sber-minded as yu ught, and stp sinning; fr sme have n knwledge f Gd. I speak this t yur shame. Paul warns dn t be led astray by this kind f false teaching And Paul qutes a ppular phrase f his day Bad cmpany crrupts gd mrals The qute cmes frm a stage cmedy by the Greek playwright Euripides, and it was s ppular in Paul s day that it had becme a prverb It s still well knwn tday because f Paul s qutatin When we assciate with the wrng peple, we ll find urselves adpting their bad thinking and practices If we assciate with bad teachers, we re ging t fill ur heads with false teaching If we assciate with immature and misled cngregatins, we re ging t becme spiritually immature and misled urselves If we assciate with crrupt and fleshly Christians, we re likely t be pulled int sinful chices N ne remains immune frm these influences nce we place urself under their influence 2014 Verse By Verse Ministry Internatinal ( May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.

8 1Crinthians 15D 8 f 8 Paul admnishes the church in the severest terms yet in v.34 telling them t start thinking in spiritually mature ways and stp sinning What was their sin in this case? Well, amng ther things, clinging t unbiblical thelgy in the light f better teaching is a sin When the Lrd brings us the truth by His wrd and we stubbrn chse t hld nt t cntrary views we re sinning We re demnstrating self-imprtance, pride and disbedience t the wrd f Gd We can get away with prtecting ur pride fr nly s lng Fr ne day, the Lrd will expse us at the judgment But we dn t have t chse spiritual ruin Instead, we can humble urselves, cncede t the truth and becme sber-minded Paul says there were thse in the church wh had n knwledge f Gd and it was t their shame He s nt saying they didn t knw the Lrd, as in were unbelieving He s saying they were utterly ignrant f the Lrd s teaching...f scripture They were prfessing t teach the truth, but their were fls They were prving James teaching true, that nt many shuld desire t be teachers Educating thers cncerning the Lrd and His wrd is an unfrgiving, demanding task in the church, and nthing is mre imprtant This pr church was being led by fls withut a clue, and they were bringing many thers dwn with them 2014 Verse By Verse Ministry Internatinal ( May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.