The Church Built Up (26) - Death Conquered
The Church Built Up • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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We are going to take a fairly large chunk of scripture this morning. Normally I would have divided this up into several weeks, but the information in these verses really builds on itself and reaches a fairly natural conclusion by verse 34.
Just as a reminder, Paul is writing this letter to get the church on track, to lay a foundation on which the church can be built. This portion of the letter is dealing with some bad doctrine and beliefs that were present in the church at Corinth. For us today, it stands as a reminder that we should be careful to keep the central items of the gospel in firm focus, lest we allow some other teaching to come in.
Last week, we covered the first 11 verses of this chapter and Paul told us that the resurrection happened. He gave us some facts about the resurrection and then that this resurrection results in a grace that we cannot earn or work for on our own.
Today’s passage deals with a false belief of no resurrection of the dead. This belief was common in Corinth at the time. Paul addresses this head on in the following verses. Let’s read the first chunk...
12 But if it is preached that Christ has been raised from the dead, how can some of you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? 13 If there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised. 14 And if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith. 15 More than that, we are then found to be false witnesses about God, for we have testified about God that he raised Christ from the dead. But he did not raise him if in fact the dead are not raised. 16 For if the dead are not raised, then Christ has not been raised either. 17 And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins. 18 Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ are lost. 19 If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are of all people most to be pitied.
Paul attacks the belief that there is no resurrection. Remember, he just finished by verse 11 telling us how the resurrection happened and the facts around it. He now addresses all the problems with anyone saying that there is no resurrection. Here are his points…if there is no resurrection, then:
Christ was not resurrected (13)
We have been preaching a false testimony and it’s useless (14-15)
There is no forgiveness of sins (17)
Our only hope is in this life => compared with eternity, this is just a small hope. (19)
Let’s keep reading as Paul lays our the resurrection and the results...
20 But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. 21 For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man. 22 For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive. 23 But each in turn: Christ, the firstfruits; then, when he comes, those who belong to him. 24 Then the end will come, when he hands over the kingdom to God the Father after he has destroyed all dominion, authority and power. 25 For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. 26 The last enemy to be destroyed is death. 27 For he “has put everything under his feet.” Now when it says that “everything” has been put under him, it is clear that this does not include God himself, who put everything under Christ. 28 When he has done this, then the Son himself will be made subject to him who put everything under him, so that God may be all in all.
In this short paragraph, Paul summarizes the beginning to the end. Adam as the first man, along with Eve, commit the first sin and as a consequence, death results for all mankind.
Jesus comes and through his death on the cross and resurrection, he provides a way to eternal life.
Paul then gets into the end times events where Jesus returns, conquers and destroys all the enemies and establishes his eternal kingdom.
I don’t want to get to far down the end times discussion as that topic alone could be a very long sermon series, much less a single sermon.
Remember, Paul is laying the groundwork for the church and their faith. His focus here is not the end times, it is what we believe now about the resurrection.
Jesus was resurrected, he then ascended and is now awaiting the time of his return…really, we are awaiting his return and when that happens, death will be conquered as the last enemy once and for all.
This next verse has cause some great confusion over the years. Some have taken this verse and run in directions it was not intended for. I want to just take this next verse and give a clear explanation before we move on.
29 Now if there is no resurrection, what will those do who are baptized for the dead? If the dead are not raised at all, why are people baptized for them?
The word that causes the problem is the word for. The Greek preposition that is translated for has several different meanings. I think using the word for in this instance has given the wrong meaning. We read it to say that baptism happens for the benefit of the dead. We do it for them. But that does not make sense when we study the what the rest of scripture says about baptism.
Let me show you another scripture that uses the same Greek word and translates it for...
Romans 15:9 (NIV)
9 and, moreover, that the Gentiles might glorify God for his mercy.
Glorifying God is not done for mercy in the sense that mercy is result. Instead, mercy is cause. Said another way, Because of God’s mercy, the Gentiles might glorify God.
Now going back to our verse in 1 Corinthians...
29 Now if there is no resurrection, what will those do who are baptized for the dead? If the dead are not raised at all, why are people baptized for them?
Part of the reason for the conversion of many was the fearlessness that people saw in the early believers. Many were martyred and as they faced death, they had confidence that they would be resurrected because Jesus was resurrected.
Death is not something to be feared because of the resurrection.
Here is a paraphrase of this verse that gives us a better context for what Paul is saying…
Now, if there is no resurrection, what will be accomplished by those who get baptized because of what they have heard about how our dead will be raised? If the dead are not raised at all, why are people undergoing baptism on account of them?
This paraphrase will become more evident in its meaning as we continue our passage…let’s start again with verse 29...
29 Now if there is no resurrection, what will those do who are baptized for the dead? If the dead are not raised at all, why are people baptized for them? 30 And as for us, why do we endanger ourselves every hour? 31 I face death every day—yes, just as surely as I boast about you in Christ Jesus our Lord. 32 If I fought wild beasts in Ephesus with no more than human hopes, what have I gained? If the dead are not raised,
“Let us eat and drink,
for tomorrow we die.”
Paul says here that the work of the gospel results in having his life threatened from time to time. He is able to do so because of the promised resurrection. If not for that, he says we might as well just do what we want and just eat and drink with no worries because at some point we just all die.
Jesus used this same phrase in Luke 12...
16 And he told them this parable: “The ground of a certain rich man yielded an abundant harvest. 17 He thought to himself, ‘What shall I do? I have no place to store my crops.’
18 “Then he said, ‘This is what I’ll do. I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones, and there I will store my surplus grain. 19 And I’ll say to myself, “You have plenty of grain laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry.” ’
20 “But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?’
21 “This is how it will be with whoever stores up things for themselves but is not rich toward God.”
Paul’s confidence comes in the resurrection and that his work is storing up riches, not in an earthly storehouse, but in an eternal storehouse, the promise of the resurrection.
33 Do not be misled: “Bad company corrupts good character.” 34 Come back to your senses as you ought, and stop sinning; for there are some who are ignorant of God—I say this to your shame.
Those within the Corinthian church were allowing outside influences to shape some of their theological beliefs. Many times in conflict with what Paul had already taught them.
He calls them ignorant of God or lacking in knowledge of God. This is the major warning and conclusion of this section - not just for the Corinthian church, but for us as well.
He says to come back to your senses and stop sinning.
I know that there are things that Christian believe and involve themselves in that they think might be no big deal. I say with confidence that there are some here that have beliefs and convictions that are not Christian.
I believe that I can say that with confidence because I’ve been there.
Some of that comes by ignorance or lack of knowledge. We just don’t know because we’ve either not been taught, or when we were taught, we really didn’t understand.
Sometimes we don’t put the work in to try to understand. We just go about life and go with the flow. That “going with the flow” usually involves, as Paul put it, bad company.
Speaking for myself, I can see where spending a lot of time with a negative person eventually causes me to be a more negative person. I need the balance of life giving relationships helping to draw me back into the word and the truth of the gospel.
Some of the non-Christian beliefs and convictions we have come straight from disobedience. I know because I’ve been there. We know what we should do, or not do, and yet we chose to be disobedient. That choice we make is a reflection of something that we believe.
Paul says: “Come back to your senses as you ought, and stop sinning.”
It might be ignorance, it might be a lack of effort, it might be flat out disobedience. Either way, come back to your senses.
Pray