1 CORINTHIANS 15 STUDY GUIDE
WITNESSES TO THE RESURRECTION
1 CORINTHIANS 15:1-11
15:3-4: THIS CONCISE STATEMENT of the gospel is probably part of an early creed or catechism: (see Psalm 16:9-12; Galatians 1:4; 1 John 2:2; 1 John 4:10):
15:3: PAUL DELIVERED an apostolic tradition of Christ's Resurrection which is unchanging and sufficient for salvation-(v. 2): How had Paul RECEIVED his gospel??? By direct experience with the risen Lord-(v. 8), confirmed by his interactions with the original-(Galatians 2:2-10) and the whole Church: It is impossible to decipher what he learned where; in Paul's mind, his gospel forms a seamless whole...To receive- designates the passing on of tradition: (see 1 Corinthians 11:2, 23- Galatians 1:9; Philippians 4:9; 1 Thessalonians 2:13; and 4:1):
15:5-8: PAUL LISTS those who would testify to the truth of the Resurrection, from the first witnesses to Paul himself...
THE CENTRALITY OF THE RESURRECTION
1 CORINTHIANS 15:12-19
15:12-19: WHAT IS CHRISTIANITY WITHOUT THE RESURRECTION- both Christ's and ours??? His death does us no good without it: What use is forgiveness if we remain dead??? His disciples were transformed by His Resurrection, and this they preached above all...On Easter morning Orthodox Christians sing, "Christ is risen from the dead, trampling down death by death, and upon those in the tombs bestowing life..."
THE RESURRECTION AND THE KINGDOM
1 CORINTHIANS 15:20-34
15:20: AS THE FIRSTFRUITS IN THE OT were consecrated to God as the representative and promise of later fruits-(Exodus 23:16), so the Resurrection of Jesus from the dead is the first offering of the resurrection of all who are His-(v. 23):
15:22: ALL THE PEOPLE share the same human nature, but Christians have two fathers: FIRST IS ADAM, who became the father of mortality and earthly life, and now CHRIST, The Father of Immortality and the spiritual life we all seek...
15:24-28: THE END is the consummation of the Kingdom when Christ's Lordship over all will be fulfilled and He will offer Creation up to God the Father-(see Romans 8:19-23, 32-39): Although THE SON-(v. 28) shares the same divine nature and dignity as the Father, He IS SUBJECT TO the Father because only the Father is the source of divinity: God being ALL IN ALL refers to the common Lordship of the Trinity over all things, not to pantheism...
15:29: THE MEANING OF BAPTIZED FOR THE DEAD is much disputed: Many understand this as vicarious baptism of baptized Christians for deceased catechumens:
15:32: FIGHTING WITH BEASTS OF EPHESUS may refer to persecutions there-(1 Corinthians 16:8; Acts 19:21-31):
THE MANNER OF THE RESURRECTION
1 CORINTHIANS 15:35-58
15:35-54: HOW WILL THE DEAD RISE??? What is the resurrection BODY LIKE??? Paul's most basic contrast is that between THE NATURAL-(soulish; Greek- psychikon) AND THE SPIRITUAL-(Greek-pneumatikon, v. 44), that is, between the present body and the defiled body: Other contrasts are CORRUPTION VS. INCORRUPTION-(v. 42), DISHONOR VS. GLORY-(v. 43), WEAKNESS VS. POWER-(v. 43), LIVING soul-(literal translation) vs. LIFE-GIVING SPIRIT-(v. 45), OF THE EARTH vs. FROM HEAVEN-(v. 47), OF DUST vs. HEAVENLY-(v. 48), THE MORTAL vs. THE IMMORTAL-(v. 54): This present body is only a SEED-(v. 38) of the body to come: The spiritual body is not a pale shadow of the material world we now know; the opposite is true: The resurrection body is the fulfillment of what God intends for our present body: It is the material fulfilled, not dematerialized:
15:45-49: WHOSE BODY IS THIS??? As our present body is Adam's, so the resurrection body is that of the last Adam, Christ!!!
15:50: FLESH AND BLOOD refers to human nature in its present weak and imperfect condition...
15:56: OUR BASIC mortal condition is manifested in sin: We are born mortal; we then become sinful...Thus does DEATH sting us before we die...Being a Christian is more than having one's sins forgiven or being good; it is being alive: THE LAW is not sinful, but it exposes sin: And, since it does not provide the power to obey it, it increases sinfulness in unchanged human-(Romans 3:20; Romans 4:15; Romans 5:13, 20-Romans 7:7; and Galatians 3:19-22):
15:58: THE DOCTRINE of the resurrection has a practical consequence: it is to move us to do the works that God would have us do, THE WORK OF THE LORD...
1 CORINTHIANS 16 STUDY GUIDE & BREAKDOWN
1 CORINTHIANS 16:1-24
16:1-4: See- (2 Corinthians 8-9)-
16:17-18: THESE MEN apparently were the carriers of the letter Paul answers in Chapters 7-15-(1 Corinthians 7:1): Paul's displeasure with Corinth does not affect his joy for certain Corinthians...
16:19: AQUILLA AND PRISCILLA were Jews who had been among those expelled from Rome by Claudius in AD 49-50: They had resided in Corinth for a while-(Acts 18:2) and then moved to Ephesus-(Acts 18:26):
16:21: PAUL often dictated his letters to a secretary: The proof that he composed this letter is his closing signature:
PSALM 24 (25) STUDY GUIDE & BREAKDOWN
PSALM 24 (25)
https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=psalm+25&version=NKJV
PSALM 24 (25): is a priestly intercession by the Lord Jesus Christ on behalf of His Church, which is the Israel of God-(v. 22; see also Galatians 6:16): He identifies Himself as ONLY-BEGOTTEN AND POOR-(v. 16), for He was the Virgin Mary's only Child, and He was born into poverty: And although He was hated unjustly-(v. 19), nevertheless, He established the New Testament-(His Covenant, vv. 10, 14): So in His New Testament, he intercedes for the Church in prayer, and by LIFTING UP His soul to the Father-(v. 1), He also lifts up the Church to Him in priestly intercession-(see also Hebrews 7:25): And because of His intercession, the Church is taught the ways of the Father-(vv. 2-21):
MERCY
The compassionate, steadfast love of God for sinners...Christians reflect the mercy of God by caring for others...The most frequent PRAYER in Orthodox WORSHIP is "Lord have mercy..."-(see Matthew 5:7; Ephesians 2:4-7; and Titus 3:4-7)
-TODAY I WORK ON MERCY- LORD JESUS CHRIST SON OF GOD HAVE MERCY ON ME, FOR I'M A SINNER (3)...
TITUS 2:13- Looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ...