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Texts -- 1 Corinthians 15:9-58 (NET)

Context
15:9 For I am the least of the apostles , unworthy to be called an apostle , because I persecuted the church of God . 15:10 But by the grace of God I am what I am , and his grace to me has not been in vain . In fact , I worked harder than all of them – yet not I , but the grace of God with me . 15:11 Whether then it was I or they , this is the way we preach and this is the way you believed .
No Resurrection?
15:12 Now if Christ is being preached as raised from the dead , how can some of you say there is no resurrection of the dead ? 15:13 But if there is no resurrection of the dead , then not even Christ has been raised . 15:14 And if Christ has not been raised , then our preaching is futile and your faith is empty . 15:15 Also , we are found to be false witnesses about God , because we have testified against God that he raised Christ from the dead, when in reality he did not raise him, if indeed the dead are not raised . 15:16 For if the dead are not raised , then not even Christ has been raised . 15:17 And if Christ has not been raised , your faith is useless ; you are still in your sins . 15:18 Furthermore , those who have fallen asleep in Christ have also perished . 15:19 For if only in this life we have hope in Christ , we should be pitied more than anyone . 15:20 But now Christ has been raised from the dead , the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep . 15:21 For since death came through a man , the resurrection of the dead also came through a man . 15:22 For just as in Adam all die , so also in Christ all will be made alive . 15:23 But each in his own order : Christ , the firstfruits ; then when Christ comes , those who belong to him . 15:24 Then comes the end , when he hands over the kingdom to God the Father , when he has brought to an end all rule and all authority and power . 15:25 For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet . 15:26 The last enemy to be eliminated is death . 15:27 For he has put everything in subjection under his feet . But when it says “everything ” has been put in subjection , it is clear that this does not include the one who put everything in subjection to him . 15:28 And when all things are subjected to him , then the Son himself will be subjected to the one who subjected everything to him , so that God may be all in all . 15:29 Otherwise , what will those do who are baptized for the dead ? If the dead are not raised at all , then why are they baptized for them ? 15:30 Why too are we in danger every hour ? 15:31 Every day I am in danger of death ! This is as sure as my boasting in you , which I have in Christ Jesus our Lord . 15:32 If from a human point of view I fought with wild beasts at Ephesus , what did it benefit me ? If the dead are not raised , let us eat and drink , for tomorrow we die . 15:33 Do not be deceived : “Bad company corrupts good morals .” 15:34 Sober up as you should, and stop sinning ! For some have no knowledge of God – I say this to your shame !
The Resurrection Body
15:35 But someone will say , “How are the dead raised ? With what kind of body will they come ?” 15:36 Fool ! What you sow will not come to life unless it dies . 15:37 And what you sow is not the body that is to be , but a bare seed – perhaps of wheat or something else . 15:38 But God gives it a body just as he planned , and to each of the seeds a body of its own . 15:39 All flesh is not the same: People have one flesh, animals have another, birds and fish another. 15:40 And there are heavenly bodies and earthly bodies. The glory of the heavenly body is one sort and the earthly another . 15:41 There is one glory of the sun , and another glory of the moon and another glory of the stars , for star differs from star in glory . 15:42 It is the same with the resurrection of the dead . What is sown is perishable , what is raised is imperishable . 15:43 It is sown in dishonor , it is raised in glory ; it is sown in weakness , it is raised in power ; 15:44 it is sown a natural body , it is raised a spiritual body . If there is a natural body , there is also a spiritual body . 15:45 So also it is written , “The first man , Adam , became a living person ”; the last Adam became a life-giving spirit . 15:46 However , the spiritual did not come first , but the natural , and then the spiritual . 15:47 The first man is from the earth , made of dust ; the second man is from heaven . 15:48 Like the one made of dust , so too are those made of dust , and like the one from heaven , so too those who are heavenly . 15:49 And just as we have borne the image of the man of dust , let us also bear the image of the man of heaven . 15:50 Now this is what I am saying , brothers and sisters : Flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God , nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable . 15:51 Listen , I will tell you a mystery : We will not all sleep , but we will all be changed 15:52 in a moment , in the blinking of an eye , at the last trumpet . For the trumpet will sound , and the dead will be raised imperishable , and we will be changed . 15:53 For this perishable body must put on the imperishable , and this mortal body must put on immortality . 15:54 Now when this perishable puts on the imperishable, and this mortal puts on immortality , then the saying that is written will happen , “Death has been swallowed up in victory .” 15:55 “Where , O death , is your victory ? Where , O death , is your sting ?” 15:56 The sting of death is sin , and the power of sin is the law . 15:57 But thanks be to God , who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ ! 15:58 So then , dear brothers and sisters , be firm . Do not be moved ! Always be outstanding in the work of the Lord , knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord .

Pericope

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Bible Dictionary

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Arts

Hymns

(Note: In "active" or "on" condition, the hymns music will be played automatically when mouse hover on a hymns title)
  • Bila Sangkakala Menggegap [KJ.278]
  • Bumi dan Langit, Pujilah [KJ.286] ( Praise to the Holiest in the Height )
  • Cakrawala dan Malaikat [KJ.65]
  • Di Malam Yang Gelap [KJ.195] ( Low in the Grave He Lay )
  • Dia Nobatkanlah [KJ.226] ( Crown Him with Many Crowns )
  • Hari Minggu, Hari Kebangkitan [KJ.191]
  • Kau Sukacita [KJ.443]
  • Kau, Allah, Benteng yang Baka [KJ.330]
  • Kibarkan Panji RajaMu [KJ.206] ( Fling out the Banner )
  • Kini Berakhirlah perang [KJ.201]
  • Kini Sang Putra T'lah Menang [KJ.198]
  • Kristus Bangkit! Soraklah' [KJ.188]
  • Kristus Sudah Bangkit [KJ.196]
  • KuasaMu dan NamaMulah [KJ.341]
  • Maju, Berjuanglah Terus [KJ.251]
  • Mari, Bersukacita [KJ.200]
  • Maut Sudah Menyerah [KJ.202] ( Angels, Roll the Rock Away )
  • Pintu Satu-satunya [KJ.351]
  • Sang Kristus T'lah Bangkit [KJ.216] ( Our Lord Christ Hath Risen )
  • Takkah Patut Ku Bernyanyi [KJ.290]
  • Tinggal Sertaku [KJ.329] ( Abide with Me )
  • Tuhan Melawat UmatNya [KJ.214]
  • Tuntun Aku, Tuhan Allah [KJ.412] ( Guide Me, O Thou Great Jehovah )
  • Ya Allah Yang Mahatinggi [KJ.246]
  • Yang Turun ke Kubur [KJ.209]
  • Yerusalem [KJ.189]
  • Yesus Hidup dan Menang [KJ.210]
  • Yesus, Kau Kehidupanku [KJ.179]
  • Yesus, Sumber Penghiburan [KJ.217]
  • [1Co 15:10] All That I Was
  • [1Co 15:10] Pardoning Grace
  • [1Co 15:20] Asleep In Jesus
  • [1Co 15:20] Awake, Glad Soul
  • [1Co 15:20] Christ The Lord Is Risen Today (2)
  • [1Co 15:20] Hearts To Heaven And Voices Raise
  • [1Co 15:20] Sing With All The Saints In Glory
  • [1Co 15:20] Thou Hallowed Chosen Morn Of Praise
  • [1Co 15:22] Adam, Our Father And Our Head
  • [1Co 15:22] All Mankind Fell In Adam’s Fall
  • [1Co 15:22] And Are We Yet Alive?
  • [1Co 15:22] Hallelujah, Jesus Is Lord
  • [1Co 15:26] Morning Purples All The Sky, The
  • [1Co 15:35] Jesus Christ, My Sure Defense
  • [1Co 15:45] Upon The Sixth Day Of The Week
  • [1Co 15:51] The Great Archangel’s Trump
  • [1Co 15:51] In The Twinkling Of An Eye
  • [1Co 15:51] Soon Will Our Savior From Heaven Appear
  • [1Co 15:51] We Are Going Down The Valley
  • [1Co 15:52] Day Of Judgment! Day Of Wonders!
  • [1Co 15:54] Brighter Are The Sunbeams
  • [1Co 15:54] He Is Risen (newell)
  • [1Co 15:54] Let Us Rejoice, The Fight Is Won
  • [1Co 15:54] Lift Up Your Hearts, Ye People
  • [1Co 15:54] Victorious
  • [1Co 15:55] Christ Jesus Lay In Death’s Strong Bands
  • [1Co 15:55] Conqueror, The
  • [1Co 15:55] Death Hath No Terrors
  • [1Co 15:55] Friend Of Sinners Dies, The
  • [1Co 15:55] Hallelujah Unto Jesus
  • [1Co 15:55] Hosannah To The Prince Of Light
  • [1Co 15:55] In The Bonds Of Death He Lay
  • [1Co 15:55] Jesus, Thine All Victorious Love
  • [1Co 15:55] Like The Golden Sun Ascending
  • [1Co 15:55] Lord Is Risen Indeed!, The
  • [1Co 15:55] No Dying There
  • [1Co 15:55] O Paschal Feast, What Joy Is Thine
  • [1Co 15:55] O Short Was His Slumber
  • [1Co 15:56] Sin Has A Thousand Treacherous Arts
  • [1Co 15:57] Joyful Song, The
  • [1Co 15:57] On To Victory
  • [1Co 15:57] To Victory
  • [1Co 15:57] Victory All The Time
  • [1Co 15:57] Victory Is Nigh
  • [1Co 15:57] We March To Victory
  • [1Co 15:57] Welcome, Thou Victor In The Strife

Questions

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Sermon Illustrations

2 Corinthians 5:17; Sequence of Events; 1 Corinthians 15:51-58; 1 Corinthians 15:10; Raised from the Dead; A Transformed Body; A Sign for Unbelievers; 1 Corinthians 15:37; The Believer’s Hope is…; Who Is Jesus Christ?; Until the Rapture; Immortality and Resurrection; Sheep and Goats; Good News; Return of Christ; Resurrection of Christ Is…; Sanctification; Resurrections; Satan Judged; Christ’s Triumph; James 2:13; Pray - Praise - Preach; Our labor for the Lord is…; From the Lord; Why Evangelize?; Resources; 1 Corinthians 15:56; Greek Words; Categories of Angels; Strength for Ministry (2 Tim. 2:1); Passion for Praise; A Kingdom Implies a King; 1 Corinthians 15:29; What Is Carnality?; The Pull of Sin; Power of Example; What is Carnality?

Resources/Books

Expository Notes on the Bible (Constable)

  • The Feast of Firstfruits included the presentation of firstfruits of the spring barley harvest in the Promised Land. The Israelites also offered a lamb, flour, and wine, all representative of God's provisions of spiritual and...
  • During the seventh month of Israel's religious calendar three festivals took place. This reflects the importance that God attached to the number seven in the Mosaic economy. Not only was the seventh day special (v. 3) but so ...
  • This feast (Heb. Sukkot) was another very joyous occasion for the Israelites. It was the third fall festival. It commemorated the Israelites' journey from Egyptian bondage to blessing in Canaan. Its other names were the Feast...
  • 5:13-15 "Despite Joshua's long military experience he had never led an attack on a fortified city that was prepared for a long siege. In fact, of all the walled cities in Palestine, Jericho was probably the most invincible. T...
  • The first three verses present Samson sowing "wild oats."Verses 4-21 picture him reaping a bitter harvest (cf. Gal. 6:7).Samson allowed a woman to seduce him again. She lived in the Sorek Valley between Samson's home area of ...
  • The writer evidently chose, under divine inspiration, to open his book with genealogies to help his readers appreciate their heritage and to tie themselves to Adam, Abraham, and David in particular. Adam was important as the ...
  • In view of God's greatness and man's relative lowliness it was marvelous to the psalmist that God would entrust His creation to humankind.8:3-4 In view of the insignificance of mankind compared with the rest of creation, espe...
  • 16:9-10 Evidently David had received a special revelation from the Lord that he would not die then but would escape from whatever distress he was enduring (cf. v. 7a). The phrase "my glory rejoices"(NASB) means David rejoiced...
  • 49:13-14 The writer marvelled at the folly of the proud wicked. How silly it is to live only for the present. Death will end it all. The wicked may dominate the upright in this life, but a new day is coming in which God will ...
  • The psalmist asked God to bless His people in view of life's brevity.The superscription attributes the authorship of this psalm to Moses (cf. Deut. 33:1). It is evidently the only one he wrote that God preserved in this book....
  • The psalmist wrote that he heard a conversation between Yahweh and David's Master. Clearly this distinguishes two members of the Godhead. LORD (Yahweh) refers to God the Father and Lord (adonay) refers to God the Son, the Mes...
  • Messiah would meet certain qualifications (vv. 2-3a) and would rule with absolute justice (vv. 3b-5) with the result that people would live in peace (vv. 6-9)11:1 The prophet had just described Assyria cut down like a forest ...
  • As in the first series of oracles, God's people occupy the fourth place in this second series, which points farther into the future, surrounded by the nations of the world. In the first series the Northern Kingdom was in view...
  • Isaiah next described the remnant who will stream to Zion praising God at the beginning of Messiah's reign. Notice the many triadic formations in the structure of this chapter, creating a feeling of the completeness of joy. T...
  • This part of Isaiah's lament consists of a review of Israel's relationship with the Lord (vv. 7-10) and a call for Israel to remember who He is (vv. 11-14).63:7 The poetic prophet announced that he would reflect on the loyal ...
  • God not only will be faithful to His promises in spite of Israel's unfaithfulness (63:1-65:16), but He will demonstrate His ability and desire to provide righteousness for sinful humankind by creating new heavens and a new ea...
  • 4:4-5 Then Ezekiel was to recline in public on his left side for 390 days. This was to represent the number of years that Israel would have to bear punishment for her sins. Evidently when Ezekiel lay on his left side he faced...
  • 13:12 God would not forget Israel's sins. Its iniquities were rolled up (Heb. sarar) in a bundle like a scroll and stored up (Heb. sapan) like a treasure. They stood as hard evidence that condemned the nation.13:13 Israel was...
  • The first part of this oracle focused particularly on the true King who would come and exercise sovereignty over the nations (ch. 9). Now the emphasis changes to the people of the King, the Israelites, who will return to the ...
  • This pericope describes the character of the kingdom's subjects and their rewards in the kingdom.236"Looked at as a whole . . . the Beatitudes become a moral sketch of the type of person who is ready to possess, or rule over,...
  • 9:18-19 This incident evidently happened shortly after Jesus and His disciples returned from Gadara on the east side of the lake (cf. Mark 5:21-22; Luke 8:40-41). The name of this Capernium synagogue ruler was Jairus (Mark 5:...
  • 16:13 The district of Caesarea Philippi lay 25 miles north of Galilee. Its inhabitants were mainly Gentiles. Herod Philip II, the tetrarch of the region, had enlarged a smaller town on the site at the foot of Mt. Hermon.619He...
  • Sometime later that day another group of leaders approached Jesus with another question but with the same purpose, to trap Him in a theological controversy that would destroy His reputation.22:23 The Pharisees believed in res...
  • Jesus proceeded to explain to His disciples that His coming would terminate the Great Tribulation.24:23-24 "Then"means "at that time,"namely at the end of the Great Tribulation (v. 2). Jesus warned the disciples about people ...
  • Jesus concluded the Olivet Discourse with further revelation about the judgment that will take place at the end of the present age when He returns. He had referred to it often in the discourse, but now He made it a special su...
  • The resurrection is central to Christian theology (cf. 1 Cor. 15:12-19). However the Gospel evangelists did not deal with the theological implications of the resurrection but simply recorded the facts. The Apostle Paul wrote ...
  • This is one of the sections of Mark's Gospel that has a chiastic structure (cf. 3:22-30; 6:14-29; 11:15-19).A The appeal of Jairus for his daughter 5:21-24B The healing of the woman with the hemorrhage 5:25-34A' The raising o...
  • Matthew recorded much more of what Jesus taught the disciples following His statement in verse 32 than Mark or Luke did. They just included the essence of His exhortation to be vigilant.13:33 For the fourth time, Jesus urged ...
  • This parable serves in Luke's narrative as a conclusion to the section on salvation's recipients (18:9-19:27). It provides something of a denouement(i.e., a final unravelling of the plot) following the excellent example of Za...
  • This incident was also relevant for Luke's original Greek readers. The question of the resurrection of the body was important in Greek philosophy (cf. 1 Cor. 15). Luke used this incident in his narrative to bring Jesus' confr...
  • The emphasis here is on the physical reality of Jesus' body after His resurrection whereas in the previous pericope the stress was on His supernatural nature. The incident clarifies that the One who rose from the dead was ind...
  • In this pericope John stressed Jesus' deliberate purpose in allowing Lazarus to die and the reality of his death.11:1-2 "Lazarus"probably is a variant of "Eleazar"meaning "God helps."379The Synoptic writers did not mention hi...
  • Jesus proceeded to vindicate His claim that He was the One who would raise the dead and provide life (v. 25).11:38 Jesus again felt the same angry emotion as He approached Lazarus' tomb (cf. v. 33). Tombs cut into the limesto...
  • 16:25 "These things I have spoken unto you"(NASB) indicates another transition in the discourse (cf. 14:25; 16:1, 4, 33; 17:1). Jesus acknowledged that He had not been giving direct answers to His disciples' questions. He had...
  • 17:24 Here Jesus' request clearly included the Eleven with all the elect. He wanted them all to observe (Gr. theorosin) the glory that the Father would restore to the Son following His ascension (v. 5; cf. 1 John 3:2). This a...
  • "If the Gospel of John were an ordinary biography, there would be no chapter 20. I am an incurable reader of biographies, and I notice that almost all of them conclude with the death and burial of the subject. I have yet to r...
  • This is the first of four of Jesus' post-resurrection appearances that John included in his Gospel.Jesus' Post-resurrection Appearances627Easter morningto Mary Magdalene (Mark 16:9-11; John 20:10-18)to other women (Matt. 28:9...
  • "No conversion has been more significant in the history of the Church . . ."389"In this passage we have the most famous conversion story in all history."390"The conversion of the Ethiopian eunuch was in a chariot; the convers...
  • 9:19b-20 How verses 19b-20 fit into the chronology of events in Saul's life is not perfectly clear. They could fit in any number of ways. We should probably understand "immediately"in a general sense. As soon as Saul became a...
  • This incident reveals more about the effects of the gospel on Ephesian society and religion (cf. vv. 13-20)."Luke's purpose in presenting this vignette is clearly apologetic, in line with his argument for the religio licitast...
  • 4:23-24 Paul applied God's dealings with Abraham to his readers in this pericope's final verses. God will credit His righteousness to all who believe Him. As in verse 3, the content of faith is not specific (v. 24). The more ...
  • Paul's final argument in support of justification by faith was a development of his previous emphasis on the solidarity that the saved experience with their Savior (5:1-2, 9-10). In this section (5:12-21) he expanded that ide...
  • Paul began his explanation of the believer's relationship to sin by expounding the implications of our union with Christ (6:1-14). He had already spoken of this in 5:12-21 regarding justification, but now he showed how that u...
  • Paul proceeded to expound on the thought that he introduced at the end of verse 17. This passage gives a very wide perspective of God's great plan of redemption, which is the heart of Paul's theology.2648:18 In the light of e...
  • Paul's thought moved from identifying responsibilities to urging their practice. What lies before us as Christians provides essential motivation for doing so.13:11 "This"refers to the duties urged earlier, not only in this ch...
  • Corinth had a long history stretching back into the Bronze Age (before 1200 B.C.).1In Paul's day it was a Roman colony and the capital of the province of Achaia. The population consisted of Roman citizens who had migrated fro...
  • A phrase in 1:2 suggests the theme of this great epistle. That phrase is "the church of God which is at Corinth."Two entities are in view in this phrase and these are the two entities with which the whole epistle deals. They ...
  • I. Introduction 1:1-9A. Salutation 1:1-3B. Thanksgiving 1:4-9II. Conditions reported to Paul 1:10-6:20A. Divisions in the church 1:10-4:211. The manifestation of the problem 1:10-172. The gospel as a contradiction to human wi...
  • Paul set up a contrast between cleverness of speech and the Cross in verse 17. Next he developed this contrast with a series of arguments. Boasting in men impacts the nature of the gospel. He pointed out that the gospel is no...
  • Paul's reference to the Holy Spirit's power (vv. 4-5) led him to elaborate on the Spirit's ministry in enlightening the minds of believers and unbelievers alike. The Corinthians needed to view ministry differently. The key to...
  • The apostle now combined the threads of his argument, which began at 1:18, and drew a preliminary conclusion. If his readers insisted on taking the natural view of their teachers and continued to form coteries of followers, t...
  • "The first paragraph (vv. 1-5) leads the way by making an application of the servant model and showing how that relates to their treatment of him [Paul]. He changes images from farm to household and insists that he is God'sse...
  • Paul began by arguing against his recipients' distortion of Christian freedom and their misunderstanding of the nature of the body.6:12 Paul was and is famous as the apostle of Christian liberty. He saw early in his Christian...
  • Paul advised married people not to abstain from normal sexual relations.7:1 Again Paul began what he had to say by citing a general truth. Then he proceeded to qualify it (cf. 6:12-13). The use of the Greek word anthropos(man...
  • Most of the Corinthians had been following Paul's instructions regarding women's head coverings so he commended them (v. 2), but he could not approve their practice at the Lord's Supper. They needed to make some major changes...
  • Paul had been dealing with matters related to worship since 8:1. He had forbidden the Corinthians from participating in temple meals but had allowed eating marketplace meat under certain circumstances (8:1-11:1). Then he deal...
  • The Apostle Paul did not introduce the instruction on the resurrection that follows with the formula that identifies it as a response to a specific question from the Corinthians (i.e., peri de). From what he said in this chap...
  • Paul began by reaffirming their commonly held belief: Jesus Christ was raised from the dead. In this section the apostle stressed the objective reality of both Jesus Christ's death and resurrection.15:1 The Corinthians and al...
  • Paul first appealed to the Corinthians' logic.365Here it becomes clear for the first time in the chapter that some of them were saying that there is no resurrection of the dead. If they were correct, they had neither a past n...
  • Paul turned next to show that the resurrection of Christ makes the resurrection of believers both necessary and inevitable. The consequences of this fact are as glorious as the effects of His not being raised are dismal. Thos...
  • Paul turned from Christ's career to the Christian's experience to argue ad hominemfor the resurrection.377The Corinthians' actions, and his, bordered on absurdity if the dead will not rise. This paragraph is something of a di...
  • The apostle proceeded to offer two sets of analogies (seeds, vv. 36-38; and types of bodies, vv. 39-41) that he then applied to the resurrection of the dead (vv. 42-44).15:35 This objection to the resurrection has to do with ...
  • Paul now returned to his analogy between Adam and Christ (cf. vv. 21-22) to reinforce his argument, which he had brought to a head in verse 44.15:45 The natural body is physical, the product of Adam who received life from God...
  • Paul brought his revelation of the resurrection to a climax in this paragraph by clarifying what all this means for the believer in Christ. Here he also dealt with the exceptional case of living believers' transformation at t...
  • As the preceding verse revealed, Paul's plans were tentative to some extent. He wanted the Corinthians to know that he anticipated a return to Corinth and hopefully a stay of several months. Timothy and Apollos might return t...
  • As I have pointed out, each section in this epistle concludes with some practical admonition. These verses constitute a summary exhortation for the whole letter.16:13-14 Paul urged his somewhat unstable readers to be watchful...
  • Adams, Jay. Marriage, Divorce and Remarriage in the Bible. Phillipsburg, N.J.: Presbyterian and Reformed Publishing Co., 1980.Andrews, J. N. "May Women Speak in Meeting?"Review and Herald. January 2, 1879. Reprinted in Advent...
  • In this first sub-section, which is transitional, Paul's intention was to convince the Corinthians that his recent actions arose from sincere motives.1:12 He first claimed generally that his actions did not arise from the mot...
  • Paul presented many paradoxical contrasts involved in the sufferings and supports of the Christian to clarify for his readers the real issues involved in serving Jesus Christ."This passage, which is about suffering and death ...
  • Paul continued to give reasons why we need not lose heart. The themes of life in the midst of death and glory following as a result of present suffering also continue.What about the believer who dies before he or she has foll...
  • The New Testament reveals that Paul was actively collecting money for "the poor among the saints in Jerusalem"(Rom. 15:26) for about five years (52-57 A.D.). He solicited funds from the Christians in Galatia (Acts 18:23; 1 Co...
  • Paul clarified the source of his gospel message in this pericope to convince his readers that the gospel he had preached to them was the true gospel. What the false teachers were presenting was heresy. He began an autobiograp...
  • 4:1-3 Already Paul had compared the Law to a prison warden (3:22) and a baby sitter (3:24). Now he compared it to a trustee appointed to care for a young child and his property, a guardian. The purpose of all three comparison...
  • 1:7 The "Him"in view is the beloved Son (v. 6).Redemption (Gr. apolytrosin) means release from slavery (cf. v. 14; 4:30; Luke 21:28; Rom. 3:24; 8:23; 1 Cor. 1:30; Col. 1:14; Heb. 9:15; 11:35). It involves buying back and sett...
  • 1:17 Paul returned to his concept of God as the Father of the Lord Jesus Christ (v. 3; cf. Matt. 6:9). He combined with this fact the idea that all glory belongs to the Father (vv. 6, 12, 14; cf. Acts 7:2; 1 Cor. 2:8).Paul as...
  • Paul began to pray for his readers again (cf. vv. 1, 14), but he interrupted himself to tell them more about the church. What he said in this section gives background information concerning the church as a mystery.3:1 "For th...
  • "The doxology is plainly the climax of the first half of Ephesians; it may be regarded as the climax of the whole letter, which rises to a spiritual peak at this point and then concentrates on practical outworkings."96The bas...
  • Having described the basis of Christian unity Paul next explained the means by which we can preserve it, namely with the gifts that the Spirit gives.4:7 Whereas each believer has received grace (unmerited favor and divine ena...
  • The apostle proceeded to express his sincere gratitude to God for his friends in Philippi. He did this to assure them of God's continuing working for them and his satisfaction with their partnership in the work of the gospel....
  • This paragraph is the most important one in the epistle and the most difficult to interpret."By anyone's reckoning, 2:6-11 constitutes the single most significant block of material in Philippians."582:5 Paul introduced an ill...
  • 3:8 Paul had regarded his advantages over other people as what put him in a specially good position with God. However, he had come to realize that absolutely nothing apart from Jesus Christ's work on the cross was of any valu...
  • 3:12 Paul had said that he had not already grasped the intimate knowledge of His Savior that he sought to obtain (v. 10). He did not want his readers to understand him as saying that his conversion brought him into the intima...
  • 3:20 The reason we should follow Paul's example and not that of these sensualists is that as Christians we have a citizenship in heaven as well as one on earth. Our heavenly citizenship and destiny are far more important than...
  • "First-born"(Gr. prototokos) may denote either priority in time or supremacy in rank (cf. v. 18; Exod. 4:22; Ps. 89:27; Rom. 8:29; Heb. 1:6; Rev. 1:15). It may also denote both of these qualities. Both seem to be in view here...
  • So far everything Paul had written about Christ other New Testament writers also revealed, but what follows in verse 18 is uniquely Pauline.In 1 Corinthians 12:12-31 and Romans 12:4-8 Paul used the human body to illustrate th...
  • Paul's role in the household of God (the meaning of "stewardship") was that of a servant who fully expounded God's revelation for the benefit of his Gentile readers."He was a servant of the church, but in the deepest sense he...
  • Paul revealed what his readers enjoyed in Christ in this pericope to encourage them to remain faithful to the true revelation they had received and believed."The apostle now makes his most direct attack against the Colossian ...
  • On the basis of their position in Christ, Paul urged his readers to separate from the practices of their former way of life. He did this to enable them to realize in their experience all that Jesus Christ could produce in and...
  • In this epistle there is evidence that Paul had conflicting emotions regarding the new church in Thessalonica. On the one hand he was joyful and satisfied with what God had accomplished. On the other hand he felt concern abou...
  • Paul next turned to another subject on which his readers needed instruction in view of their newness in Christ (cf. 3:10). He outlined the immediate hope of his readers. He did this to explain that those of their number who h...
  • Paul thanked God for changing him to enable Timothy to appreciate the fact that God can transform even the worst of sinners and enable His saints to accomplish supernatural feats. What precipitated Paul's testimony here was t...
  • The writer proceeded to explain the exaltation of Jesus Christ to help his readers appreciate the fact that He fulfilled Old Testament prophecy concerning the Son of David. He did this so they would appreciate Him properly an...
  • In these straightforward verses, which expound verses 1-3, the writer explained further how Melchizedek was superior to Abraham, the ancestor of Levi, the head of the priestly tribe under the Old (Mosaic) Covenant. He said mo...
  • The writer proceeded to explain the superiority of the New Covenant by comparing it with the Old Covenant using the figure of two mountains: Sinai and Zion.12:18-21 These verses describe the giving of the Old Covenant at Mt. ...
  • James now defended God before those who doubted His goodness or reliability or who had given up hope in a time of testing and had concluded that this was their "fate."551:16 James wanted his readers to have no doubt about God...
  • James next introduced an objection to his thesis that faith is dead without works. He put it in the mouth of a hypothetical objector. This literary device of objection and response was a common one that Paul also used (Rom. 9...
  • James concluded this section and his entire epistle by explaining how a brother who had erred could return to fellowship with God and could resume living by faith. These instructions apply directly to what James just explaine...
  • Peter explained what Christian conduct should be negatively (v. 11) and positively (v. 12). Then he expounded more specifically what it should be positively in 2:13-4:11.2:11 "Beloved, I [or we] urge you"frequently marks off ...
  • Peter drew application for his readers and focused their attention on how they should live presently in view of the future.3:11 Peter believed that an understanding of the future should motivate the believer to live a holy li...
  • 4:21 Furthermore, God commanded us to love both Himself and our brothers, not just Himself (2:3; 3:23-24; 5:3). Here is another false claim (cf. 1:6, 8, 10; 2:4, 6, 9, 22; 5:10)."Much verbal expression of devotion for the per...
  • "As is true of NT epistles in general, the address of Revelation contains three elements: the writer, the addressees, and the greeting."181:4 John sent this letter to the seven churches mentioned in chapters 2 and 3, which we...
  • These verses contain the first prophetic oracle of the book. The only other one in which God speaks is in 21:5-8.1:7 "Behold"(Gr. idou) indicates special divine intervention. This verse summarizes the main features of the rev...
  • Jesus Christ gave no rebuke to this church, as was true of the church in Smyrna. He gave the Christians five promises instead.1. Their Jewish antagonists would eventually have to acknowledge that the Christians were the true ...
  • 4:2 As soon as John heard this invitation, he entered another ecstatic state (cf. 1:10). His body remained on the earth, but he saw a throne and someone sitting on it in heaven (cf. Ezek. 11:1, 5). "Throne"occurs 45 times in ...
  • 8:2 John saw someone, perhaps God, give seven trumpets to a group of seven angels standing before the heavenly throne (cf. 1:4; 3:1; 8:6; 15:1). Exactly who these angels were is not clear. Some interpreters have identified th...
  • John's revelation continued to unfold future events as God revealed these to him in his vision. The scene John saw next was in heaven. The seventh trumpet judgment did not begin immediately (cf. 8:1-5), but John received info...
  • 19:17 John saw next an angel standing in the sun, a conspicuous position in which all the birds could see him. He cried loudly for all the birds flying in midheaven to assemble (cf. Ezek. 39:4, 17). Jesus referred to the same...
  • ". . . it is not difficult to see why the early church understood John to be teaching a millennium in Revelation 20. Three arguments support this interpretation: (1) the teaching of two resurrections, (2) the binding of Satan...
  • 20:11 This "And I saw"introduces something else John saw in this vision (cf. 19:11, 17, 19; 20:1, 4, 12; 21:1, 2). The continuation of chronological progression seems clear from the continued use of "And"to introduce new info...

Expositions Of Holy Scripture (Maclaren)

  • He showed Himself alive after His passion by, proofs.'By sight, repeated, to individuals, to companies, to Mary in her solitary sadness, to Peter the penitent, to the two on the road to Emmaus. At all hours: in the evening wh...
  • By the grace of God I am what I am: and His grace which was bestowed upon me was not in vain,'--1 Cor. 15:10.THE Apostle was, all his life, under the hateful necessity of vindicating his character and Apostleship. Thus here, ...
  • Whether it were I or they, so we preach, and so ye believed.'--1 Cor. 15:11.PARTY spirit and faction were the curses of Greek civic life, and they had crept into at least one of the Greek churches--that in the luxurious and p...
  • But now is Christ risen from the dead … the first fruits of them that slept.' 1 Cor. 15:20.THE Apostle has been contemplating the long train of dismal consequences which he sees would arise if we only had a dead Christ. ...
  • But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the first-fruits of them that slept. 21. For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead. 50. Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot ...
  • The letter rises to the lofty height of the next verses, and how the note becomes more musical, and the style richer, more sonorous and majestic, with the changed subject! From the workshop to the descending Lord and the voic...
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