ReadtheWordwithJessica

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In this delightful passage Paul lays out a simple explanation for understanding how resurrection – that strangest of ideas – could possibly work. In reality, we see resurrection around us every day, when dead seeds become live plants. We should be used to seeing things that are different, just as animals and birds and fish are different; we can see that the sun and the moon and the stars differ in splendor, even that different stars have different intensities. Why should we be surprised, then, that there are less and more glorious versions of bodies? The difference in bodies is two-fold: corruptible – that is, the body that breaks down and decays with which many of us are only too familiar – and incorruptible; or in other words, physical and spiritual. The first is weak, the second is powerful.

Paul focuses his example by looking at Adam – corruptible, mortal, dishonorable, weak, physical – and the resurrected Jesus Christ – incorruptible, glorious, powerful, spiritual. Adam came from the dust of the earth (cf Gen 2:7); Jesus came from heaven (cf John 13:3). We are all like Adam, and those who follow Jesus will be like Jesus too. Our own bodies will change, whether we pass through physical death or not, to be like his, so that as spiritual and incorruptible beings we may inherit the kingdom of God, which can only be possessed by the incorruptible. What is mortal must put on immortality, so that Isaiah’s prophecy may come to pass: that death may be swallowed up in victory, so that every tear is wiped away (25:8). As Hosea also proclaimed, death has no power over God’s people (13:14).

What caused death was sin, and sin’s power to kill came from the Mosaic law. But Jesus’ death on the cross has cancelled this power by taking the punishment for sin (cf Col 2:14). We therefore give thanks to God for giving us victory over sin and death, as undeserving as we may be. And the resulting application is that we continue to steadfast and immovable, not disturbed by the distracting controversies or temptations. Instead, Paul urges, let us abound in the work of the Lord, always knowing that our labour in him is not in vain.

Prayer: Lord God, my heavenly Father, help me not to be distracted by all the arguments against what I believe, nor by the temptations to live for the present life alone. Help me to trust your word, that there is a life to come, where my own body will be seen as glorious and powerful. Thank you for rescuing me from sin and death, and please continue to remind me to serve the Lord Jesus faithfully.

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We discover in these verses why Paul wrote a summary of the gospel in the previous section; some in the church were saying that there is no resurrection of the dead. This could have been because of a simple refusal to believe in what they had never seen – rather like most of Western society today – or it could have been because of a misguided doctrine of realized eschatology. That is, they believed that as Christians are living eternal life already, there is no more to come. Paul asserts in this section what is foundational to our faith: a firm belief in the resurrection.

The first reason for believing in the resurrection is that it is evidence based. The resurrection has already begun, in the person of Jesus Christ. To start, Paul showed conclusively in verses 5-7 that Jesus definitely rose from the dead; there were hundreds of witnesses, Paul among them, who saw it with their own eyes and could testify to what they had seen.

The second reason has to do with the logical conclusion of not believing in the resurrection: if Christ has not been raised, the gospel is worthless and faith is futile. Contrary to the idea that Christians follow Jesus because he was a good teacher and demonstrated the zenith of love, Paul argues that we trust in the efficacy of Jesus’ sacrifice to take away our sin, and that his resurrection demonstrates that we are now reconciled to our holy God and in an ongoing relationship with him. If Jesus was not raised, this faith has no power. United with Christ, we will also be raised from the dead. We hope in him not for this earthly life alone, but for life in the heavenly kingdom which has been promised to us.

The third reason is theologically complex, spanning the entire biblical narrative from Genesis to Revelation. Paul asserts that Adam brought death to creation as a punishment for his sin, but that in Christ, who does away with sin and therefore death, all will be made alive. As Adam was the first to die, so Christ was the first to be resurrected. All die as descendants of Adam; all descendants of Christ (by faith) will be raised from death.

The last part of this section is about the supremacy of Christ. By ruling over death in resurrection, Jesus demonstrated that he reigns over all – every ruler, every power, every authority. Paul seems to be thinking about an end point, a time at which this current world order will be over. When Jesus rules over everything, by the authority of the Creator, he hands it all back to him, his Father God. Having brought all things in submission to himself, he then submits himself to his Father, so that all is brought to unity. This is in contrast to the stories of Roman and Greek gods, who fight against one another for authority and supremacy. The Father makes the Son the ruler of all, and then as ruler the Son submits himself to the Father.

It was for this reason that Paul could ‘face death every day’ in his ministry. He does not do it for his own gain in this world, but because he is submitted to the Lord God as his ruler, and because he believes there is a reward beyond this current life. If the dead are not raised, we all may as well suck all the marrow out of this life and enjoy ourselves – as some of the Corinthians were doing – but given the dead are raised to judgement, Paul urges us to sober up and stop sinning. Rather than being wise and intelligent, as the Corinthians were in their own eyes, Paul declares them ignorant of God.

How shall we apply all this to our own lives? Most importantly, Jesus is in charge, not us. He rules over every authority, every ruler, every power, even death. That means he rules over us. It also means we can trust him, no matter what crazy things are going on in the world. Secondly, but probably primarily within Paul’s intent for this passage, as Jesus rose from the dead, it means (1) our sins are paid for and we are reconciled to God; (2) our faith therefore has meaning for both this life and the life to come; (3) we will be raised from the dead and there is another life to look forward to. Therefore we should live with him as ruler of our lives even now.

Prayer: Jesus, you are the ruler of life and death. Forgive me for my self-seeking rebellion, and help me to live as your subject. Thank you for your promise to raise me from the dead and keep me as a subject in your heavenly kingdom.

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This passage outlines succinctly the gospel which Paul preached to the Corinthians, and to us. It is the foundation on which Paul will build his argument about the truth of resurrection in the rest of the chapter. It also provides us a firm ground on which to stand secure in our salvation when we are feeling ourselves wavering in our faith. This teaching was passed onto Paul and he passed it onto others; eventually it was passed onto us.

Firstly: Christ died for our sins. He was buried. He was raised on the third day. All this was in accordance with the Jewish Scriptures.

Take note: He appeared alive after his death, first to Peter, then to the original twelve disciples, then to five hundred people at the same time (most of whom were still alive when Paul wrote this letter, and could personally testify to what they had seen), then to his own brother James, then to all the apostles who were preaching the gospel, and finally to Paul himself. On the basis of this evidence, there could be no denying that Jesus was genuinely resurrected from the dead.

This is the gospel that was preached and that we believe. From other parts of the New Testament Scripture, we interpret ‘Christ died for our sins’ to mean that he paid the penalty of death that our sins deserve.

Verses 9-10 are a small diversion that could be written in parentheses, an autobiographical note about Paul’s life from his time as persecutor of the church to his salvation and ministry as an apostle. He describes himself as a miscarried baby, or an aborted fetus, to demonstrate his inferiority to the other apostles. And yet, because of such humble origins, he worked harder than all the others. But for Paul, all was grace, from beginning to end.

I keep coming back to these simple and basic truths. When I get caught up in all the confusion about whether women should keep silent in church, what Paul’s words mean for my homosexual friends, whether re-marriage is outlawed within Christian communities, whether Adam and Eve were real people and how their descendants could populate the earth without incest … When it all becomes too difficult, I remember these simple facts: Jesus died for my sins, and he was raised from the dead. Faith, hope, and love remain, and the greatest of these is love.

Prayer: Jesus loves me, this I know, for the Bible tells me so. Little ones to him belong, we are weak but he is strong.

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In this passage we discover more about divisions in the church. They are not only related to who is following whom, but are more fundamental, in the essence of people’s attitudes to one another. In the very meal that is meant to represent sharing and fellowship, there are symptoms of uncaring division. What is the point of coming together as a church if not to demonstrate love for one another and build each other up?

Paul therefore declares that the meal they are sharing is not the Lord’s supper, and their gathering together does more harm than good. In the first century, Christians ate a full meal together to commemorate Jesus’ death, not just the little cup of juice and piece of bread which we use today. But the Corinthians were treating the moment not as a holy sacrament or remembrance, but as an opportunity to feast. However, the poor were not getting food and others were eating and drinking to excess. This was not the intent of the occasion, Paul implies. It is in this context that he writes the words which most of us know by heart from the church liturgy (verses 23-27). Taking the bread and the cup are symbolic proclamations of our union in Jesus’ death and the beginning of the promised new covenant. It should demonstrate the believers’ fellowship together, not be an example of division within the church. Such ugly behavior is the reason Jesus went to the cross in the first place, suffering punishment for the sins of humanity.

The next part of the passage is a curious exposition regarding judgment. Paul uses the usual word for judgment, krino, and also diakrino, usually translated as ‘discern’ and katakrino, usually translated as ‘condemn’. The way I read it is this: The one who eats and drinks the bread and wine at the Lord’s supper brings judgment on herself if she does so without being aware of the Lord’s body, that is the church; if we are properly aware of ourselves then we will not be judged; though when we are judged by the Lord it is for discipline’s sake, so that on the final day of judgment we will not be condemned. The interesting thing here is that there does seem to be a temporal judgment, that the Lord exercises punishment on his people – in this case in the form of illness and even death – as a disciplinary measure before the day of final judgment.

Is it possible that some of our bad experiences on this earth are judgment in order to direct us back towards the Lord? This is a common theme in the Bible (eg Amos 4:6-12). As I look back over 2020, with its fires, floods, locusts, and other plagues, I can’t help wondering whether God is trying to catch the attention of humanity. We must be careful in our application, however, because not every bad thing that happens is as a result of our (or someone else’s) sin. Job is an obvious case in defense of this point. What we need to remember is that, before pointing the finger at others, discernment must start with me, my own character, my own selfishness and sinfulness. Am I waiting for the other, being generous with the other, building up the body? Or am I guilty of breaking the Lord’s body and pouring out his blood?

Prayer: Lord Jesus, give me discernment of my own sins. I thank you that you died for me, that you took the punishment, and opened the way for me to be friends with God. Help me to be someone who builds and honors your body.

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Well, apart from the first verse, this is probably the most troublesome passage we have read together since this blog started. Just what shall we take from Paul’s teaching here?

It is helpful to start with verses 1-2 before getting lost in the quagmire. There is a phonic link in Greek between imitate (mimetai) and remember (memnetai). Paul wants the Corinthians to imitate him, and to remember the traditions he passed onto them. It is perhaps helpful at this point to note that word, ‘tradition’. Because from here on we dive into a culture that is not our own.

Certainly I can agree with verse 3, although even that would raise eyebrows for some people. Some scholars read ‘head’ as source and believe the passage talks about all women and all men, not just husbands and wives; that is, it is not about authority within the family in the same way as Col 3:18. (It is certainly interesting to note here that Paul expects women to prophesy within the church community.) But all this talk of long hair and short hair and shaved heads and head coverings – what is that about? When I visit my husband’s family in South India, all the women pray with their heads covered; if they are not wearing a hat or a garment which can cover their heads, they will grab the nearest tea towel, or even the end of a curtain when someone starts praying. On the other hand, in my Jewish family we have the opposite tradition; men must cover their heads when praying, but women don’t need to. Ah, tradition.

However, Paul seems to indicate this is something more than merely human tradition when he points back to the creation story, specifically Eve being formed from Adam’s rib. On the other hand, Paul argues, males are born out of women. So both are dependent on each other for life. Anyway, everything came from God, and he made the rules, right?

I am relieved from my quandary by the imperative in verse 13, ‘Judge for yourselves’, and the rhetorical question in verse 14, ‘Does not nature teach you …?’. Um, no. Nature does not teach me that men shouldn’t have long hair; if it did, then my son’s hair would not grow like it does. So I will take those little bits of rhetoric and use them for understanding this passage. I am not ‘inclined to be contentious’, and I accept that for Paul this was the way things were, according to his culture and tradition. For me, praying with my head uncovered, even within my husband’s family, is no big deal. I also don’t mind if he comes to my family’s Passover celebration without wearing a skullcap.

Obviously, I am treating this passage somewhat lightly. I don’t mean to be flippant, nor do I want to offend anyone for whom these are really important issues. I definitely don’t have any problem with women who choose to cover their heads while praying, or men who refuse to either cut or grow their hair. The problem comes, I believe, when we try to decide between what is true for only a particular culture, and what is true for all times and in all cultures. If I can say here that women don’t need to cover their heads while praying because this is just for a particular culture, then why should my brothers and sisters not be able to say that homosexuality was wrong only in Paul’s culture? Or the reverse: if homosexuality is wrong, why don’t I cover my head when I pray? In both instances, we may reach back to Genesis to back our arguments. Of course, this is a highly complex issue and I don’t have space to solve it here. But I encourage you to keep thinking about it! Feel free to share your opinion in the comments. Here is another article to read that has more depth; its focus is on the culture of the day and the mutuality of ministry.

Prayer: Lord God, help me to be a humble reader of your word. Let me be an imitator of Jesus, who always spoke the truth in love. Give me wisdom to navigate this world and remain faithful to you.