Paul has been encouraging the church in Corinth to live an others-centered life. This way of living exhibits the sacrificial love of Jesus in all areas of life from the local church to the family to the workplace. We live selflessly only through the power of the Holy Spirit, fueled by the self-giving love of Jesus.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n
As Paul brings his letter to a close, he\u2019ll point to the biggest reason for choosing selflessness. It\u2019s the most important part of the gospel\u2014without it, we\u2019d have no good news.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n
First Corinthians 15 is all about Jesus\u2019s resurrection. Since Jesus rose from the dead, we have life and hope, and salvation. If He were still dead, the gospel wouldn\u2019t exist. The message would be that a man with interesting abilities died at the hands of the Romans. The end.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But He\u2019s not dead. He\u2019s alive. And that\u2019s a big deal not just for today, but also for all eternity.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The resurrection is the reason we choose the selfless life today and it\u2019s the foundation of our hope in what will come when Jesus returns.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Have you ever wondered why we call the gospel \u201cgood news\u201d? We often answer that question by talking about how Jesus has saved us from hell or that he died on the cross for our sins. It\u2019s all true. But those aspects on their own aren\u2019t what makes the gospel good news.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The gospel is good news because Jesus is alive. If He were still in that grave, we\u2019d have nothing to be excited about. Nothing. We\u2019d still be as dead in our sin as His body would be in the tomb.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Jesus\u2019s resurrection is the linchpin of our faith. Without that resurrection, we have no hope, no purpose, no life. Everything hinges on the fact that Jesus defeated death. If He\u2019s alive\u2014and He is\u2014we know that death on this earth is not the end of the story. We will be raised too.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In a few sentences, summarize your understanding of Jesus\u2019s resurrection.<\/strong> Have you thought of it as a big deal?<\/strong> Or is it something you don\u2019t think a lot about?\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n We often forget\u2014or neglect\u2014the resurrection in our everyday lives. But it\u2019s the very reason we\u2019re able to be followers of Jesus. It changes everything. This week, we\u2019re going to unpack the resurrection and see why it\u2019s a big deal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Open up your Bible and read all of 1 Corinthians 15. <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n 1<\/strong> Let me now remind you, dear brothers and sisters, of the Good News I preached to you before. You welcomed it then, and you still stand firm in it. 2<\/strong> It is this Good News that saves you if you continue to believe the message I told you\u2014unless, of course, you believed something that was never true in the first place.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 3<\/strong> I passed on to you what was most important and what had also been passed on to me. Christ died for our sins, just as the Scriptures said. 4<\/strong> He was buried, and he was raised from the dead on the third day, just as the Scriptures said. 5<\/strong> He was seen by Peter and then by the Twelve. 6<\/strong> After that, he was seen by more than 500 of his followers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have died. 7<\/strong> Then he was seen by James and later by all the apostles. 8<\/strong> Last of all, as though I had been born at the wrong time, I also saw him. 9<\/strong> For I am the least of all the apostles. In fact, I\u2019m not even worthy to be called an apostle after the way I persecuted God\u2019s church.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 10<\/strong> But whatever I am now, it is all because God poured out his special favor on me\u2014and not without results. For I have worked harder than any of the other apostles; yet it was not I but God who was working through me by his grace. 11<\/strong> So it makes no difference whether I preach or they preach, for we all preach the same message you have already believed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 12<\/strong> But tell me this\u2014since we preach that Christ rose from the dead, why are some of you saying there will be no resurrection of the dead? 13<\/strong> For if there is no resurrection of the dead, then Christ has not been raised either. 14<\/strong> And if Christ has not been raised, then all our preaching is useless, and your faith is useless. 15<\/strong> And we apostles would all be lying about God\u2014for we have said that God raised Christ from the grave. But that can\u2019t be true if there is no resurrection of the dead. 16<\/strong> And if there is no resurrection of the dead, then Christ has not been raised. 17<\/strong> And if Christ has not been raised, then your faith is useless and you are still guilty of your sins. 18<\/strong> In that case, all who have died believing in Christ are lost! 19<\/strong> And if our hope in Christ is only for this life, we are more to be pitied than anyone in the world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 20<\/strong> But in fact, Christ has been raised from the dead. He is the first of a great harvest of all who have died.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 21<\/strong> So you see, just as death came into the world through a man, now the resurrection from the dead has begun through another man. 22<\/strong> Just as everyone dies because we all belong to Adam, everyone who belongs to Christ will be given new life. 23<\/strong> But there is an order to this resurrection: Christ was raised as the first of the harvest; then all who belong to Christ will be raised when he comes back.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 24<\/strong> After that the end will come, when he will turn the Kingdom over to God the Father, having destroyed every ruler and authority and power. 25<\/strong> For Christ must reign until he humbles all his enemies beneath his feet. 26<\/strong> And the last enemy to be destroyed is death. 27<\/strong> For the Scriptures say, \u201cGod has put all things under his authority.\u201d (Of course, when it says \u201call things are under his authority,\u201d that does not include God himself, who gave Christ his authority.) 28<\/strong> Then, when all things are under his authority, the Son will put himself under God\u2019s authority, so that God, who gave his Son authority over all things, will be utterly supreme over everything everywhere.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 29<\/strong> If the dead will not be raised, what point is there in people being baptized for those who are dead? Why do it unless the dead will someday rise again?<\/p>\n\n\n\n 30<\/strong> And why should we ourselves risk our lives hour by hour? 31<\/strong> For I swear, dear brothers and sisters, that I face death daily. This is as certain as my pride in what Christ Jesus our Lord has done in you. 32<\/strong> And what value was there in fighting wild beasts\u2014those people of Ephesus\u2014if there will be no resurrection from the dead? And if there is no resurrection, \u201cLet\u2019s feast and drink, for tomorrow we die!\u201d 33<\/strong> Don\u2019t be fooled by those who say such things, for \u201cbad company corrupts good character.\u201d 34<\/strong> Think carefully about what is right, and stop sinning. For to your shame I say that some of you don\u2019t know God at all.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 35<\/strong> But someone may ask, \u201cHow will the dead be raised? What kind of bodies will they have?\u201d 36<\/strong> What a foolish question! When you put a seed into the ground, it doesn\u2019t grow into a plant unless it dies first. 37<\/strong> And what you put in the ground is not the plant that will grow, but only a bare seed of wheat or whatever you are planting. 38<\/strong> Then God gives it the new body he wants it to have. A different plant grows from each kind of seed. 39<\/strong> Similarly there are different kinds of flesh\u2014one kind for humans, another for animals, another for birds, and another for fish.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 40<\/strong> There are also bodies in the heavens and bodies on the earth. The glory of the heavenly bodies is different from the glory of the earthly bodies. 41<\/strong> The sun has one kind of glory, while the moon and stars each have another kind. And even the stars differ from each other in their glory.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 42<\/strong> It is the same way with the resurrection of the dead. Our earthly bodies are planted in the ground when we die, but they will be raised to live forever. 43<\/strong> Our bodies are buried in brokenness, but they will be raised in glory. They are buried in weakness, but they will be raised in strength. 44<\/strong> They are buried as natural human bodies, but they will be raised as spiritual bodies. For just as there are natural bodies, there are also spiritual bodies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 45<\/strong> The Scriptures tell us, \u201cThe first man, Adam, became a living person.\u201d But the last Adam\u2014that is, Christ\u2014is a life-giving Spirit. 46<\/strong> What comes first is the natural body, then the spiritual body comes later. 47<\/strong> Adam, the first man, was made from the dust of the earth, while Christ, the second man, came from heaven. 48<\/strong> Earthly people are like the earthly man, and heavenly people are like the heavenly man. 49<\/strong> Just as we are now like the earthly man, we will someday be like the heavenly man.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 50<\/strong> What I am saying, dear brothers and sisters, is that our physical bodies cannot inherit the Kingdom of God. These dying bodies cannot inherit what will last forever.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 51<\/strong> But let me reveal to you a wonderful secret. We will not all die, but we will all be transformed! 52<\/strong> It will happen in a moment, in the blink of an eye, when the last trumpet is blown. For when the trumpet sounds, those who have died will be raised to live forever. And we who are living will also be transformed. 53<\/strong> For our dying bodies must be transformed into bodies that will never die; our mortal bodies must be transformed into immortal bodies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 54<\/strong> Then, when our dying bodies have been transformed into bodies that will never die, this Scripture will be fulfilled:<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cDeath is swallowed up in victory.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 55<\/strong> O death, where is your victory?<\/p>\n\n\n\n O death, where is your sting?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n 56<\/strong> For sin is the sting that results in death, and the law gives sin its power. 57<\/strong> But thank God! He gives us victory over sin and death through our Lord Jesus Christ.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 58<\/strong> So, my dear brothers and sisters, be strong and immovable. Always work enthusiastically for the Lord, for you know that nothing you do for the Lord is ever useless.<\/p>\n1 Corinthians 15 (NLT)<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n When you\u2019re done, write out a short prayer thanking God for Jesus\u2019s resurrection and our future resurrection. Ask him to use this week\u2019s study to deepen your understanding of the resurrection.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Text your response to the above prompting questions to your group and\/or share it as a comment below<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Paul has been encouraging the church in Corinth to live an others-centered life. This way of living exhibits the sacrificial love of Jesus in all areas of life from the local church to the family to the workplace. We live selflessly only through the power of the Holy Spirit, fueled by the self-giving love of […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","_et_pb_use_builder":"off","_et_pb_old_content":"\n Welcome!<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Welcome to the book of 1 Corinthians. As we study this letter, we\u2019ll step into ancient Corinth while reading the words Paul wrote to the fledgling church. We\u2019re going to see that, like all churches, the Corinthian church wasn\u2019t perfect. They had a problem. A big problem. And it grew to such an epic proportion that it poisoned the church in various ways. Paul wrote to provide the antidote. <\/p>\n\n\n\n In this study, we\u2019re going to explore Paul\u2019s solution to both the problems in Corinth and in us. Through his words, we\u2019ll learn more about Jesus\u2019s plan for a people who live radically different lives than the world around them. But we\u2019ll also take a hard look in the mirror and ask the Spirit to point out our own self-centered attitudes. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Reading the Bible isn\u2019t just something we do to impress people or to check off on a to-do list. It\u2019s about getting to know God. It\u2019s about shaping every minute of our lives to reflect Jesus. It\u2019s about thinking differently in the power of the Spirit. <\/p>\n\n\n\n So as we approach each week, we\u2019ll focus on one main idea. That main idea will point us to change how we think, feel, and act. <\/p>\n\n\n\n This week, we\u2019ll see that resolving relational disunity begins in our hearts because division is a symptom of self-focus. From this main idea, we have three goals: <\/p>\n\n\n\n First Corinthians will take us on a journey. We\u2019ll look at the struggles of one of the first local churches in all of history. We\u2019ll see that the Corinthians weren\u2019t much different from us. And we\u2019ll realize that Paul\u2019s words to them still ring true today.<\/p>\n\n\n\n But before we jump into 1 Corinthians, spend a few minutes writing out a short prayer to God. Ask him to use this study to change you. <\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n Open up your Bible to 1 Corinthians. Go ahead and read the entire first chapter. As you read, ask yourself this question: What was the problem in the Corinthian church?<\/strong>\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n 1 Corinthians 1:1\u201331 (ESV): <\/p> 1\u00a0Paul, called by the will of God to be an apostle of Christ Jesus, and our brother Sosthenes, \u201cI will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and the discernment of the discerning I will thwart.\u201d<\/p> 20\u00a0Where is the one who is wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? 21\u00a0For since, in the wisdom of God, the world did not know God through wisdom, it pleased God through the folly of what we preach to save those who believe. 22\u00a0For Jews demand signs and Greeks seek wisdom, 23\u00a0but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles, 24\u00a0but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. 25\u00a0For the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men.<\/p> 26\u00a0For consider your calling, brothers: not many of you were wise according to worldly standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth. 27\u00a0But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; 28\u00a0God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, 29\u00a0so that no human being might boast in the presence of God. 30\u00a0And because of him you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption, 31\u00a0so that, as it is written, \u201cLet the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n The Corinthian church suffered from division. We\u2019ll see it all throughout the book. The struggling church fought over leadership, spiritual gifts, food, marriage, and theology. Since the theme of disunity runs throughout the letter, it\u2019s tempting to think that was the church\u2019s problem.<\/p>\n\n\n\n But it wasn\u2019t. Disunity was only a symptom of a far more insidious\u2014and common\u2014 disease. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Did you catch the real issue that was going on in Corinth? It was selfishness. They were so consumed with themselves that they tried to solve their problems their own way, held on to their culture, and, as a result, blasted chasms between them and other Christians.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n No one likes to admit to selfishness\u2014 especially people who claim to follow Jesus. But it often sneaks into our lives in ways we don\u2019t readily see. And then it spills over in ways we never expect. For the Corinthians, their selfishness led to severe divisions in the church. What is it for us? We\u2019ll spend the rest of the study unpacking that very question.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Now that we know the main problem Paul\u2019s tackling in 1 Corinthians, take a moment to be honest with God. Write down any fears or concerns you have about confronting the problem of selfishness. Ask God to use this study to turn your gaze to him.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-224048","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-1corinthians"],"yoast_head":"\n\n
2\u00a0To the church of God that is in Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints together with all those who in every place call upon the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, both their Lord and ours:
3\u00a0Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
4\u00a0I give thanks to my God always for you because of the grace of God that was given you in Christ Jesus, 5\u00a0that in every way you were enriched in him in all speech and all knowledge\u2014 6\u00a0even as the testimony about Christ was confirmed among you\u2014 7\u00a0so that you are not lacking in any gift, as you wait for the revealing of our Lord Jesus Christ, 8\u00a0who will sustain you to the end, guiltless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9\u00a0God is faithful, by whom you were called into the fellowship of his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.
10\u00a0I appeal to you, brothers, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be united in the same mind and the same judgment. 11\u00a0For it has been reported to me by Chloe\u2019s people that there is quarreling among you, my brothers. 12\u00a0What I mean is that each one of you says, \u201cI follow Paul,\u201d or \u201cI follow Apollos,\u201d or \u201cI follow Cephas,\u201d or \u201cI follow Christ.\u201d 13\u00a0Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Or were you baptized in the name of Paul? 14\u00a0I thank God that I baptized none of you except Crispus and Gaius, 15\u00a0so that no one may say that you were baptized in my name. 16\u00a0(I did baptize also the household of Stephanas. Beyond that, I do not know whether I baptized anyone else.) 17\u00a0For Christ did not send me to baptize but to preach the gospel, and not with words of eloquent wisdom, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power.
18\u00a0For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. 19\u00a0For it is written, <\/p>