Summary 1 Corinthians 15:50-58

Resurrection Summary: The last little bit of this long chapter concludes what Paul wants the Corinthians to know. No one enters the kingdom of God with a corruptible, physical body because God changes those who will inherit the kingdom. And at the last, when the final trumpet blows, those who are still physically alive, will be changed to a spiritual body in the blink of an eye. Along with believers who died first, they join Christ in heaven. Paul's statement here is factual. "Death is swallowed in victory." Finally, then, Paul tells the Corinthians and us the ultimate truth. All that we do here is based on that now established victory. None of our labor is in vain. We follow Christ doing his will while "being steadfast, unmovable and always abounding in the work for him."

Summary at 1 Corinthians 15:34

Half way through Resurrection thoughts: Verse 34 marks the end of one section on Resurrection. Part I, verses 1-11 verified Christ's resurrection through witnesses. Part II, verses 12-34, talked about why the resurrection was necessary (implications for forgiveness, our place in heaven, and our present lifestyle on earth).
Witherington (p. 306) finds transistions and conclusions in verses like 34. He says these are the places that Paul emphasizes moral consequences. The "shame-on-you" aspect certainly applies.

Extra source: Conflict and community in Corinth: a socio-rhetorical commentary on 1 and 2 Corinthians by Ben Witherington (Grand Rapids MI: Wm B. Eerdmans, c1995 online at http://books.google.com/books?id=HXWNsxX2irkC&pg=PA60&lpg=PA60&dq=Witherington+1st+Corinthians&source=bl&ots=nm3jFPByR2&sig=qyPMM3WWXZvkeWc9PO_GmV-LewI&hl=en&ei=cLUJS7zqLMHTlAfV2-yEBA&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=4&ved=0CBQQ6AEwAw#v=onepage&q=&f=false

1 Corinthians 15:27

For he hath put all things under his feet. But when he saith all things are put under him, it is manifest that he is excepted, which did put all things under him (KJV)

Then: This continued explanation of what's happening in the end times brings to mind both Psalm 110:1 and Psalm 8:6. The Corinthians had probably heard Paul discuss those verses before. The Holy Spirit reveals the meanings to all listeners. Paul is careful to point out that God, part of the triology is not a thing put under Christ. One part of the Godhead cannot be lower than another part.

Now: Commentators are sensitive to all Old Testament allusions because the Holy Spirit reveals the meanings. Some like Henry see a time when Christ works as a redeemer and is not in joint authority with God, the Father. Baker, (p. 223) disagrees. I can't think that it matters, but probably side with Baker. Each part of the triune God has specified work. They do it. The work does not affect standing or authority. God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit are still one.

(Cf. - compare my work as a mother, wife, or daughter. By design, I am still one performing different tasks)

Extra Source: Commentary on the Whole Bible Acts to Revelation Vol VI by Matthew Henry online at http://www.ccel.org/ccel/henry/mhc6.iCor.xvi.html
Cornerstone Biblical Commentary 1 Corinthians (William Baker), 2 Corinthians (Ralph Martin & Carl Toney), ed. by Philip Comfort. Carol Stream: Tyndale House Publishers, c2006.

1 Corinthians 15:26

The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death (KJV)

Then: What more can be said? This is life victorious for all mankind because of the love of the Father who sent his son to first sustain and then deliver those who believe in him.

Now: Paul states the last step in putting the world back in order (Wright, p. 213). The verse is a confirmation of resurrection. From death to life. That's a promise that all believers can expect to be fulfilled. We cannot, but he can. We love him because he loved us enough to come, to teach, to die and rise again. In a balance of what do we value more, the action or the one who loves us, there is no doubt. Above all else we value the Lord and his love. Without his presence in heaven, there'd be no point in wanting to have life eternal.

1 Corinthians 15:25

For he must reign, till he hath put all enemies under his feet (KJV)

Then: Paul's explanation takes a step backward to the Corinthian present. Jesus will reign on earth in the hearts of men for a time. All enemies must be put under his feet. Elsewhere (II Peter 3:9), Peter reminds believers that Christ delays because he wants no one to perish. The Corinthians also had many friends they wished would repent and come to eternity. "Enemies under his feet" reminds Paul and probably some of the Corinthians of Jehovah's intent to make a footstool of all enemies (Psalm 110:1). Baker and other commentators look to the explicated meaning in Matthew 22:44 to understand more of Paul's intent.

Now: Jesus' parable of the five young women who had enough oil for their lamps and five who did not also reveals there will be a time of waiting. Matthew Henry calls this a mediatorial age in which the saints absolutely know resurrection is ahead. Paul's explanation of why we wait is helpful.

Extra Source: Cornerstone Biblical Commentary 1 Corinthians (William Baker), 2 Corinthians (Ralph Martin & Carl Toney), ed. by Philip Comfort. Carol Stream: Tyndale House Publishers, c2006.
Commentary on the Whole Bible Acts to Revelation Vol VI by Matthew Henry online at http://www.ccel.org/ccel/henry/mhc6.iCor.xvi.html

1 Corinthians 15:23

But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ's at his coming (KJV)

Then: What a relief! Corinthians recognize the military language of "in his own order." The captain leads the charge; his troops follow. The enemy's line is broken and victory lies ahead for those who follow him (Baker, p. 222). The imagery of firstfruits again reminds the Corinthians about the designated order of God's plan. At the second coming - the second wave of attack on death - those who are under Christ's command will enter eternal life.

Now: We struggle with the problems of living between the first and second comings. Dr. David Jeremiah in a sermon broadcast Nov. 19, 2009, explained the process. After the fall people lived under the power of Satan. After accepting Christ, they have within them the means to resist Satan, but his power is still rampant. After the second coming, believers in Christ will live in and with the presence of God. Satan's power will be completely eradicated. Sin will be no more. What a relief!

Extra Source: Cornerstone Biblical Commentary 1 Corinthians (William Baker), 2 Corinthians (Ralph Martin & Carl Toney), ed. by Philip Comfort. Carol Stream: Tyndale House Publishers, c2006.
How Can I Be Truly Forgiven? Part 1 by David Jeremiah online at http://www.oneplace.com/ministries/Turning_Point/archives.asp?bcd=2009-11-19

1 Corinthians 15:22

For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive (KJV)

Then: People use metaphors to explain ideas. God uses events as metaphors for spiritual truth. So when Paul used these words to vocalize God's plan for salvation, the Corinthians could intuitively grasp its meaning and importance. The concept of salvation was not new to the Corinthians because they'd already been through the struggle of fighting sin and accepting Christ. They had to have been eager to receive this clear explanation. God works through history using events as a way to teach his purpose. For mankind, focused on our place in the center, everything needs to make sense from this point of view. At first all was perfection, then came the fall, but in the end, perfection will reign again. For a long time mankind lived with the hope of a Messiah. With the coming of Christ into the world that hope is explained and reinforced. The resurrection validated God's plan.

Now: "In Adam's fall, we sinned all" was a rhyme in the New England Primer which was used to teach the alphabet and religious principles concurrently. Illiteracy (not being able to read) was the devil's way of keeping people from knowing what the Bible said. Each generation has its own problems with biblical understandings. Believing that there is good in everybody, some cannot grasp the concept that all men are fundamentally flawed. They kick against a different goad than Paul's, but it still classifies as kicking. It took Paul a long time to understand. So too the rest of us. Eventually those who know that Christ is, the Holy Spirit is to be trusted, and God's judgement is sure, do accept that as we all died with the first sin and were pushed out of the Garden, with Christ's punishment, death and resurrection, we can all reenter eternal life.

1 Corinthians 15:21

For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead (KJV)

Then: The Corinthians were ready for the explanation. By man, the actions of Adam and Eve, came the first physicial death. By man, the actions of Christ in living a life without any kind of sin, came resurrection to spiritual life, and the death of death. The Corinthians still lived when the concept was new, they could talk to people who had seen the risen Lord. They could know themselves through the Holy Spirit. Christ led the way so all could be forgiven and resurrected.

Now: We keep on reading the original testimony. We keep on passing the information down generation to generation. We keep on being given the gifts of the Spirit. So like the Corinthians, we are forgiven and look forward to resurrection. We shall have a part in the favor of the first fruit (Henry).

Extra Source: Commentary on the Whole Bible Acts to Revelation Vol VI by Matthew Henry online at http://www.ccel.org/ccel/henry/mhc6.iCor.xvi.html

1 Corinthians 15:20

But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept (KJV)

Then: Finished listing the consequences of no resurrection, Paul wants the Corinthians remember Christ, the first fruit of those who were raised. Crops grow every season and the early fruit, the one that seems to take forever to ripen, is the most enjoyed when picked and eaten. Since the creation story, people waited for the Lord to send the promised one, and when he did, he was crucified and resurrected. That resurrection was the first of many more to come. The Corinthians can take heart that all they just heard prepared them to address others. Now they could evaluate their own perceptions, solidify their own thoughts and use their conclusions when they in turn help others to leave lives characterized by disbelief in Christ. The Corinthians are now reassured that God's plan lives on.

Now: We sense that this passage, verses 20-28, is a product of Paul's time spent reorienting everything he knew about theology before his visit from Christ. He had to understand it himself. That's why it is easier for us to understand - he used what he knew and gave it to all generations.

1 Corinthians 15:18

Then they also which are fallen asleep in Christ are perished (KJV)

Then: Since the days of resurrection and ascension, the Corinthians had many friends who had already died. Those alive and those who had passed cultivated hope in Christ. Wright reminds readers that without the resurrection, those who have died only have a belief in the route of Hades available to them. i.e., the place where the dead cross the river Styx and stay in an abode of shadowy figures. (The Jewish word was Sheol.) Even here, there was no way out, for Jesus says in Revelation 1:18 that he has the keys of death and Hades (Miller and Miller, p. 240).

Now: We believe Jesus descended into the realm of the dead from I Peter (Jesus went to preach to the spirits in prison). Hades is all that would be left if Christ is not raised from the dead - for those who have already died and for those who are yet to die.

Extra Source: Harper's Bible Dictionary by Madeleine S. Miller and J. Lane Miller (New York: Harper and Row, Pub., c1961.

1 Corinthians 15:16

For if the dead rise not, then is not Christ raised (KJV)

Then: In the previous verses, Paul worked with the main concerns of the apostles (teachers) if there were no resurrection. With this verse he turns to the main concerns of all believers if there be no resurrection (Baker, p. 219). Those consequences are the worst. If the dead don't rise, that is if the dead can't rise, then it did not happen with Christ. Corinthians need to understand what that means to their personal faith and their destiny as human beings.

Now: Commentators are all over the map in discussing this passage - rhetorical organization, physical and spiritual ideas of resurrection, Paul's personal relationship to the content, God's purpose in resurrection, etc (Thiselton, p. 1169-1181). The more one reads, the more important it is to return to Paul's succinct presentation. The logic in this verse is simple. If true, its implications lead to nothingness. Those who know the Christ immediately know its theoretical implausibility. Even the idea of Christ's not being resurrected trashes all that is known about God's original plan in the Garden to allow people a way of escape. ("He shall bruise thy head," Geneis 3:15).

Extra Source: Cornerstone Biblical Commentary 1 Corinthians (William Baker), 2 Corinthians (Ralph Martin & Carl Toney), ed. by Philip Comfort. Carol Stream: Tyndale House Publishers, c2006.
The First Epistle to the Corinthians: a commentary on the Greek text by Anthony C. Thiselton (Authentic Media, c2000) online at http://books.google.com/books?id=IHG_DNLpmroC&dq=1st+Corinthian+commentaries&printsec=frontcover&source=in&hl=en&ei=W9fQSpC1GILplAfHiumoCg&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=11&ved=0CB8Q6AEwCg#v=onepage&q=&f=false