Darin-isms (1 Cor. 15 pt.2)
Picking up where the last section of comments leave off…
1 Corinthians 15:35-58
Paul moves his primary focus from Christ’s resurrection to our resurrection – and Paul speaks to misunderstandings concerning the body in which the believers will be resurrected.
v. 35 A very interesting thought to consider. If a husband dies in the prime of his life and his widow lives a very long life, will one have a young and fit body in heaven while the other old and wrinkled? If a very young child dies, will they inhabit heaven in the body of a child? These were the sort of thoughts on people’s minds concerning the resurrection of the body.
v. 36-38 Paul uses an agricultural picture to begin his answer: seeds planted do not grow up to look just like what is planted. Rather, there is a fruitful and purposed end to the planting of the seed. See John 12:24 for an interesting parallel from the lips of Jesus.
v. 38 ‘But God’ – the hard contrast with the natural process of planting and harvest, Paul asserts God is in control of all of this.
v. 39-41 Paul continues his answer by pointing out another very well known truth: flesh of different animals differ as to the environment in which they live, move and have their being. Thus, a bird’s body needs to be different from that of a fish, and so on. Continuing the point, Paul then moves the illustration out globally, that there are bodies fit for life on earth, and bodies fit for life beyond earth.
Paul continues, the glory of these bodies differs. This is all by God’s design.
This reminds me of the supposed comments of an atheist Russian Cosmonaut who, orbiting the earth, donned a space suit and completed several hours of ‘space walk’ outside his spacecraft. When he returned to earth the quotation attributed to him was, “I’ve walked in the heavens and seen no God.” The story goes that a Christian reporter in the room quipped in reply, “Had he slipped out of that space suit he would have met God!”
v. 42 You can see that Paul is about to make his point based upon the previous verses of ‘set-up’: ‘So also…’
v. 42-44 These verses answer the examples given in verses 39-41. The body that is sown is perishable. It will be raised imperishable. It is dishonorable. It will be raised in glory. It is weak but it will be raised in power. It was sown as a natural body but it will be raised a spiritual body. There is a body fit for life in this world; and there is a body fit for life in the next.
v. 45-50 Paul calls the reader back to the very beginning, reminding that with Adam the human race began – God breathed life into a body made of dust. Now, in Christ, God breathes the life of His Spirit into us. Once again, reassuring, this is God’s plan and He’s controlling it.
v. 51-54 Paul answers the question, ‘What happens to someone who doesn’t die before the Lord comes back?’ It is indeed the case that not all will die before Christ returns. So Paul assures that they too, those who are alive when He comes, will need to be changed – for their perishable bodies can no more inherit heaven than anyone else’s.
Paul speaks of Christ’s return, ‘the last trumpet’, and the resurrection of the dead and the translation of those who are alive into eternity. He continues, the corruptible must be changed to incorruptible and the mortal clothed in immortality – thus death is ‘swallowed up in victory’.
v. 54-55 Paul quotes the prophets Isaiah and Hosea (25:8 & 13:14 respectively), once again demonstrating this to be God’s plan all along.
v. 56 It is by sin that death gets a hold on man. It is by the law that sin is revealed.
v. 57 Another very big ‘but’: God gives victory through Jesus Christ (refer back to 15:1-3, that message that is proclaimed and received, that good news, that Christ died for our sins; was buried; and rose again).
v. 58 ‘Therefore’ – a conclusion: based on all of this, now live in accordance. You know that your life here and your enduring in the faith, is not in vain.
1 Corinthians 15:35-58
Paul moves his primary focus from Christ’s resurrection to our resurrection – and Paul speaks to misunderstandings concerning the body in which the believers will be resurrected.
v. 35 A very interesting thought to consider. If a husband dies in the prime of his life and his widow lives a very long life, will one have a young and fit body in heaven while the other old and wrinkled? If a very young child dies, will they inhabit heaven in the body of a child? These were the sort of thoughts on people’s minds concerning the resurrection of the body.
v. 36-38 Paul uses an agricultural picture to begin his answer: seeds planted do not grow up to look just like what is planted. Rather, there is a fruitful and purposed end to the planting of the seed. See John 12:24 for an interesting parallel from the lips of Jesus.
v. 38 ‘But God’ – the hard contrast with the natural process of planting and harvest, Paul asserts God is in control of all of this.
v. 39-41 Paul continues his answer by pointing out another very well known truth: flesh of different animals differ as to the environment in which they live, move and have their being. Thus, a bird’s body needs to be different from that of a fish, and so on. Continuing the point, Paul then moves the illustration out globally, that there are bodies fit for life on earth, and bodies fit for life beyond earth.
Paul continues, the glory of these bodies differs. This is all by God’s design.
This reminds me of the supposed comments of an atheist Russian Cosmonaut who, orbiting the earth, donned a space suit and completed several hours of ‘space walk’ outside his spacecraft. When he returned to earth the quotation attributed to him was, “I’ve walked in the heavens and seen no God.” The story goes that a Christian reporter in the room quipped in reply, “Had he slipped out of that space suit he would have met God!”
v. 42 You can see that Paul is about to make his point based upon the previous verses of ‘set-up’: ‘So also…’
v. 42-44 These verses answer the examples given in verses 39-41. The body that is sown is perishable. It will be raised imperishable. It is dishonorable. It will be raised in glory. It is weak but it will be raised in power. It was sown as a natural body but it will be raised a spiritual body. There is a body fit for life in this world; and there is a body fit for life in the next.
v. 45-50 Paul calls the reader back to the very beginning, reminding that with Adam the human race began – God breathed life into a body made of dust. Now, in Christ, God breathes the life of His Spirit into us. Once again, reassuring, this is God’s plan and He’s controlling it.
v. 51-54 Paul answers the question, ‘What happens to someone who doesn’t die before the Lord comes back?’ It is indeed the case that not all will die before Christ returns. So Paul assures that they too, those who are alive when He comes, will need to be changed – for their perishable bodies can no more inherit heaven than anyone else’s.
Paul speaks of Christ’s return, ‘the last trumpet’, and the resurrection of the dead and the translation of those who are alive into eternity. He continues, the corruptible must be changed to incorruptible and the mortal clothed in immortality – thus death is ‘swallowed up in victory’.
v. 54-55 Paul quotes the prophets Isaiah and Hosea (25:8 & 13:14 respectively), once again demonstrating this to be God’s plan all along.
v. 56 It is by sin that death gets a hold on man. It is by the law that sin is revealed.
v. 57 Another very big ‘but’: God gives victory through Jesus Christ (refer back to 15:1-3, that message that is proclaimed and received, that good news, that Christ died for our sins; was buried; and rose again).
v. 58 ‘Therefore’ – a conclusion: based on all of this, now live in accordance. You know that your life here and your enduring in the faith, is not in vain.
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