1 Sunday, March 25, 2018 I Crinthians 15:1-2 IF Ye Keep in Memry: Is I Cr. 15:3-4 Paul s Gspel? I Crinthians 15:1 Mrever, brethren, I declare unt yu the gspel which I preached unt yu, which als ye have received, and wherein ye stand; Paul begins the chapter by addressing the Crinthians as brethren. Why wuld he d that? Because the Crinthians were already saved. They had already trusted in the finished wrk f Christ as the nly ttal cmplete payment fr their sins. I Crinthians 1:2 I Crinthians 6:11 the Crinthians have already been washed, sanctified, and justified In additin, the verb declare is in the present tense. Paul is making a present tense declaratin f the that gspel that he had previusly preached unt the Crinthians. Als nte the past tense n the verbs preached and received. Had Paul already preached the gspel unt them? Had the Crinthians already received Paul s gspel? Yes. Therefre, the Crinthians pssessed a present tense standing in the truth f Paul s gspel. I Crinthians 15:2 By which als ye are saved, if ye keep in memry what I preached unt yu, unless ye have believed in vain. The expressin by which ye are saved is in the present tense. S, the Crinthians are saved in the present if they keep in memry what Paul preached unt them. if ye keep in memry what I preached unt yu here we encunter the cnditin causing a lt f fuss fr sme saints. Is the functin f this cnditin t call int questin whether the Crinthians are justified based upn whether they keep Paul s gspel in memry? Or, is this verse saying that ne must keep Paul s gspel in memry in rder t be justified r saved frm their sins? The use f the cnditin if is causing sme t say the I Crinthians 15:3-4 is nt Paul s gspel because they are n cnditins attached t justificatin during the dispensatin f grace. In rder t get t the bttm f we must spend a bit f time reviewing hw cnditins wrk. Hw D Cnditinal Statement Wrk First, anytime yu see the English wrd if yu are dealing with a cnditin. The questin ne must ask is what TYPE f cnditin am I dealing with? Pastr Bryan Rss
2 The Oxfrd English Dictinary (OED) ffers the fllwing basic definitin fr the English wrd if. Intrducing a clause f cnditin r suppsitin (the prtasis f a cnditinal sentence). On cnditin that; given r granted that; in (the) case that; suppsing that; n the suppsitin that. S accrding t the basic definitin, the English wrd if can either intrduce a clause f cnditin r intrduce a suppsitin i.e., a lgical assertin. The dictinary uses the technical term prtasis. The wrd prtasis is a wrd f English grammar. a prpsitin, the majr premise f a hypthetical clause In ther wrds, it deals with the prtin f a cnditinal sentence cntaining the if statement. In philsphy and lgic a prtasis is als knwn as an antecedent. prtasis = antecedent i.e., they are the same thing. Please identify the prtasis/antecedent in the fllwing statement. If yur my sn, then act like it. If yur my sn = the apdsis/antecedent. S then what d we call the then act like it prtin f the statement? In English grammar the secnd part f the statement is knwn as an apdsis r cnsequent in philsphy and lgic. The OED defines apdsis as, The cncluding clause f a sentence as cnstructed with the intrductry clause, r prtasis, nw usually cnstricted t the cnsequent clause in a cnditinal sentence. apdsis = cnsequent i.e., they are the same thing. S, the then act like it prtin wuld be the cnsequent r main result f the statement If yur my sn, than act like it. In this example, what is the functin f the cnditin? T call int questin r raise dubt as t whether r nt the child is my sn. OR Establish the FACTUAL relatinship between bth parts f the statement. Pastr Bryan Rss
3 Smetimes the cnditin if means t establish the abslute FACTUAL relatinship between tw things; whereas ther times it seeks raise a questin r intrduce dubt. The determining factr in which functin a particular cnditin is serving is the md n the verb fllwing the cnditin. Accrding t the OED cnditins fllwed by the indicative md are FACT stating. With the cnditinal clause r prtasis in the indicative. The indicative after if implies that the speaker expresses n adverse pinin as t the truth f the statement in the clause; it is cnsistent with his acceptance f it. The entry fr the wrd indicative reads as fllws: Gram. That pints ut, states, r declares: applied t that md f a verb f which the essential functin is t state a relatin f bjective fact between the subject and predicate (as ppsed t a relatin merely cnceived, thught f, r wished, by the speaker). (OED) Of a frm f statement: Having the verb in the indicative md; assertive f bjective fact. (OED) Cnditins f this TYPE are knwn as indicative cnditinal statements and are FACT stating, i.e., IF AND ITS TRUE. In cntrast, a cnditin with a verb in the subjunctive md fllwing if serves a cmpletely different functin. The OED entry fr if identified these TYPES f cnditins as well. The subjunctive after if implies that the speaker guards himself frm endrsing the truth r realizatin f the statement; it is cnsistent with his dubt f it. Likewise, the OED defines subjunctive as: That is subjined r dependent. Designating a md the frms f which are emplyed t dente an actin r a state as cnceived (and nt as a fact) and therefre used t express a wish, cmmand, exhrtatin, r a cntingent, hypthetical, r prspective event. S, a subjunctive cnditinal statement means t express DOUBT and can be summarized as, IF MAYBE IT IS MAYBE IT ISN T. Pastr Bryan Rss
4 Clssians 3:1 what is the functin this cnditin? Is Paul calling int questin whether r nt the Clssians are risen with Christ? N, he is telling them n the basis f the FACT that they are risen with him t seek thse things which are abve. Clssians 2:12 established the FACT that the Clssians ARE RISEN WITH HIM. Clssians 3:1 takes the established FACT frm chapter 2 and infrms the Clssian hw t live in light f it. The functin f the cnditin here is IF AND ITS TRUE. Rmans 7:2 s the wife being bund by the law t her husband is subject t whether r nt he is alive. S if the husband is alive is the wife subject t the law f the husband? Yes. The nly way the wife is lsed frm the law f the husband is if the husband is dead. In this example its subjunctive. In ther wrds, the satisfactin f the cnditin is subject t the circumstances. As lng as the husband is alive is the wife bund t the husband? Yes. If the husband is dead is the wife lsed frm the law f the husband? Yes. The functin f the cnditin here is MAYBE IT IS MAYBE IT ISN T. Helpful Hint when dealing with a cnditinal statement always ask yurself the fllwing questin, what type f cnditin am I dealing with? Des the cnditin calling anything int questin r establish the abslute cnnectin between tw things? If and it s true? OR If maybe it is maybe it isn t? I Crinthians 15:2 S, is verse 2 saying that ne must keep Paul s gspel in memry in rder t be justified r saved frm their sins? I believe the answer is NO. First, the verb keep is in the indicative md meaning that this is the TYPE f cnditin designed t establish the FACTUAL cnnectin between tw things i.e., it is serving the lgical functin. If ne reads this cnditin as the TYPE that intrduces dubt r cntingency int the situatin than the justificatin f the Crinthians wuld indeed be cnditined upn them keeping Paul s gspel in memry. Pastr Bryan Rss
5 Nt nly des this reading cnfuse the cnditin it als assumes that the wrd saved is nly used t refer t justificatin r initial salvatin frm sin. Let s cnsider the cntext. I Crinthians 15:3-4 was the resurrectin f Christ part f the gspel that Paul preached t the Crinthians? Yes. I Crinthians 15:12 despite the cntents f Paul s gspel sme in Crinth were saying that there is n resurrectin f the dead. I Crinthians 15:13-19 set frth the implicatins fr the n resurrectin psitin that had been embraced by sme f the Crinthians. If ne denied the reality f resurrectin the fllwing wuld be the case: Verse 13 Christ wuld nt have raised frm the dead. Verse 14 if Christ had nt risen, than Paul s preaching wuld be vain alng with the faith f the Crinthians. Verse 15 Paul and the Crinthians wuld be false witnesses f Gd fr having testified that Gd raised up Christ frm the dead. Verse 17 if Christ didn t raise frm the dead the Crinthians are still in their sins. Verse 18 if Christ didn t rise frm the dead departed believers have perished. Verse 19 if Christ didn t rise frm the dead humanity is in a truly miserable state. I Crinthians 15:20 Christ is raised frm the dead. Therefre; we are nt f all men mst miserable (v. 19), departed believers are nt perished (v. 18), the Crinthians are nt still in their sins (v. 17), Paul and the Crinthians are nt false witnesses f Gd (v. 15), and Paul s preaching and the Crinthians faith is nt in vain (v. 14). I Crinthians 15:2 in the cntext, what are the Crinthians saved frm by keeping the cntents f Paul s gspel in memry? They are saved frm the hpelessness, misery, and despair that wuld fllw the belief there is n resurrectin f the dead, which sme f them had embraced. Des the cnditin in verse 2 call int questin the nature f the Crinthians justificatin? N, it is part f the lgical argument that Paul is making thrughut the chapter regarding the reality f resurrectin. It is the if f lgical argumentatin. Is I Crinthians 15:3-4 the gspel? Yes, it is the gspel in a nutshell. It is Paul s gspel biled dwn t its mst basic expressin. Pastr Bryan Rss
6 D yu see hw a failure t prperly understand the cnditin makes a mess ut f the text? Pastr Bryan Rss