Each His Own Turn

But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man. For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive. But each in turn: Christ, the firstfruits; then, when he comes, those who belong to him.                                                   I Corinthians 15:20-23

 

Human history is not an entity unto itself. It is a compilation of human lives; each person’s individual life plays into the whole.

 

Adam, the first man, was the first to be given life. In that life, he made choices about how he would live. His choice to sin caused the consequences of his choice, death, to be passed to his descendants throughout the generations since. Each one that inherits Adam’s life also inherits his choice to sin and reaps the consequence of death. So it has been throughout all time.

 

But the endless cycle of life and death has been broken. Jesus, a descendant of Adam, did not give in to the choice of sin and lived the perfect life. Then, in an act of the ultimate personal sacrifice, Jesus accepted sin’s consequence, death, though He deserved it not. Yet death could not hold Him since He had not sinned. The miracle of life overcame death and He arose from the grave whole and regenerated.

 

Now we find ourselves faced with a new choice – whose cycle are we on? Do we stay stuck in the same cycle of life, sin and death as all the generations before us? Or do we choose to get on the cycle of the Savior – life, sin, rebirth, death, resurrection, eternal life.

 

Jesus has gathered the first crop of the renewed tree of life. He reaches its fruit out to us and invites us to partake. Sin, as we all are too fully aware, is an easy choice. New life through our spiritual rebirth should be an easier one yet.

 

If we make the choice to belong to Christ, we will each get our turn to follow Him in our own resurrection. The journey of eternal life that Jesus began living when He rose from the dead on Easter morning He will share with all of us who have been made alive through Him.

Why the Dead Must Rise

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? If there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith. 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. For if the dead are not raised, then Christ has not been raised either. And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins. Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ are lost. If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are of all people most to be pitied.

I Corinthians 15:12-19

 

Death is the enemy’s last stab in the back for humanity. It is the ultimate consequence of the curse that has been in effect on this earth and its inhabitants since the Garden of Eden. Satan loves death because it also kills all the potential for love, knowledge, forgiveness and compassion that person shows to others.

 

The dead must rise again. Life must go on. God’s plans for us cannot be completed in one lifetime. He has many things in mind for us to accomplish for the rest of eternity. His will is “that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life” (John 3:16).

 

The only way the curse of sin and death could be lifted was for God to do it by His own hand. Through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, God incarnate, we can all share in the victory that His resurrection brings. Victory in our preaching. Victory in our faith. Victory in our witness and our testimony. Victory over our sins. Victory for our loved ones who have died. Complete and total victory when Jesus returns and restores all things whole.

 

Do not pity us, world, for what you call our illusions. For our life may be short and our death may be tragic, but it is not the end of our story. We know the day is coming when our Lord will gather His sheep, living and dead, and will establish His righteous kingdom that will last forever.

Great Through Grace

For I am the least of the apostles and do not even deserve to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace to me was not without effect. No, I worked harder than all of them—yet not I, but the grace of God that was with me. Whether, then, it is I or they, this is what we preach, and this is what you believed.

I Corinthians 15:9-11

 

It is widely believed that no one person has more greatly influenced Christian history than the Apostle Paul, save for Christ himself. Yet the course of history is littered with great men and women who have accomplished great things.

 

From Thomas, who is beloved as the apostle who brought Christianity to India, to St. Patrick, who single-handedly converted Ireland to Christianity. From St. Augustine and St. Francis, fathers of monasticism, to Catherine Booth (Mother of The Salvation Army) and Sister Theresa, angels of mercy to the poor. Great heroes of faith all.

 

Yet each one was but a sinner saved by grace just like us. Each one had a turning point where they left the ways of the world and set their feet upon a path of righteousness. Each one, no doubt, struggled with feelings of unworthiness similar to what Paul expresses in this passage.

 

Jesus said the one who has been forgiven much loves much (Luke 7:47). Paul said it was God’s rich grace shown him despite his persecution of the church which stirred him to work all the harder for the Lord after his conversion.

 

Some of us may not be able to identify with Paul in that we do not have a sordid past which haunts us. Yet we can all identify with him in realizing the relief and freedom that comes when we are forgiven of our ever-persistent sins.

 

The Apostle John said that he which claims to sin not is a lier and has made the Lord a lier (I John 1:8-10). All have sinned, but all can be forgiven by God’s grace (Rom. 3:23-26). Then, renewed in spirit with pure hearts, we can tackle any task, small or great, through the grace that works in us.

Eye-Witnesses

And that he appeared to Cephas, and then to the Twelve. After that, he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers and sisters at the same time, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep. Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles, and last of all he appeared to me also, as to one abnormally born.                                             I Corinthians 15:5-8

 

The resurrection of Jesus Christ was an event which was verified by the eye-witness testimony of over 500 people. Just as a multitude of the heavenly host proclaimed His birth (Luke 2:13), a throng of humanity celebrated His victory over death.

 

Whenever I read passages about those who knew Jesus when he lived as a man, I am awed at the privilege these individuals experienced. Even to be in the company of these witnesses as the Corinthian believers were would have been amazing.

 

For those of us living now who have embraced Christ, our time of seeing Jesus face-to-face is yet to come. What a glorious day that will be! To see His smile, feel His enthusiastic hug, and hear His voice of greeting will be more than worth the wait. We know that day is coming because we know He lives. We know He lives because of the eye-witnesses who saw Him after His resurrection.

 

In the Old Testament law, a case in court was decided on the testimony of two or three witnesses (Deut. 19:15). In the case of the resurrection of Jesus Christ, God provided over 250 times the minimum number of eye-witnesses. Nothing was left to chance or the devil’s scheme to wipe this event from memory.

 

Jesus was far from an obscure religious teacher living in a backwater village. He was followed by throngs (Matt. 4:25), fed multitudes (Matt. 14:15-21), and healed whole crowds of the sick and hurting (Matt. 15:30).

 

Our God is not stingy. His hands are open for whosoever will to receive love, joy, and hope from His hand. Our greatest hope is to meet the living Christ and witness Him with our own eyes that we might join the “great cloud of witnesses” who have already seen him (Heb. 12:1).

According to the Scriptures

Now, brothers and sisters, I want to remind you of the gospel I preached to you, which you received and on which you have taken your stand. By this gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you. Otherwise, you have believed in vain. For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures.           I Corinthians 15:1-4

 

In this passage, Paul speaks of the gospel on which we have taken our stand. The first thing he addresses about the gospel is its foundation, i.e. the Biblical revelations concerning the person and life of Jesus Christ. The facts are these: 1) Christ died for our sins, 2) Christ was buried, and 3) Christ rose from the dead. Each of these facts was prophesied in the Old Testament (Is. 53:5-6, Ps. 16:8-11).

 

Every Christian saved throughout history has believed and received these tenants of our faith. This is an awesome reality to reflect upon. Christianity was not founded upon one man’s vision or on one single manuscript. On the contrary, the reality of Jesus Christ has been revealed to mankind throughout human history as evidenced by the multiple authors and books compiled in the Old and New Testaments.

 

In his letter to Timothy, Paul confirms the authority of the Bible.

 

All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness.                    

II Timothy 3:16

 

It is to this sacred Scripture and the gospel it reveals that we must hold firmly and not waver. As the old hymn says,

 

On Christ the solid rock I stand

All other ground is sinking sand

All other ground is sinking sand

 

The Solid Rock by William B. Bradbury

Discerning Good Leadership

If anyone thinks they are a prophet or otherwise gifted by the Spirit, let them acknowledge that what I am writing to you is the Lord’s command.  But if anyone ignores this, they will themselves be ignored. Therefore, my brothers and sisters, be eager to prophesy, and do not forbid speaking in tongues.  But everything should be done in a fitting and orderly way.

I Corinthians 14:37-40

 

One of the gifts given to the church by the Holy Spirit is discernment. This gift is especially helpful to identify the things of God in contrast to the things of the devil. Discernment aids us in different ways, one of which Paul discusses in these verses - determining whether our leaders are guiding us in the right ways of God or are leading us astray and away from the will of God.

 

The Apostle John also warns us of the importance of discernment in connection to spiritual leaders.

 

Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world. This is how you can recognize the Spirit of God: Every spirit that acknowledges that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, but every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you have heard is coming and even now is already in the world. You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world. They are from the world and therefore speak from the viewpoint of the world, and the world listens to them. We are from God, and whoever knows God listens to us; but whoever is not from God does not listen to us. This is how we recognize the Spirit of truth and the spirit of falsehood.

I John 4:1-6

 

John gives us tests to determine if someone is a good leader. The first test is this: do they teach the dual nature of Christ as both human and divine? If a leader's teaching in any way sows doubt about the character of Jesus Christ, then the source of the guidance is questionable.

 

The next test John gives us asks, “Do godly Christians respond to their teaching?” A believer who has a personal relationship with God will feel a resonance in their spirit when they hear true, biblical teaching. Consequently, they will sense a catch in their spirit when they hear false doctrine.

 

John then gives us a third test of a good spiritual leader: how does the world respond to them? If a spiritual leader is widely popular in secular settings, it doesn't necessarily mean they are a false prophet. One must weigh their teaching against Scripture and pray for the Holy Spirit to bring any falsehood to light.

 

John's encouragement is to trust that “He who is in us is greater than he who is in the world.” Jesus himself said, "My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me" (John 10:27). Take time to tune your ear to the voice of the Good Shepherd and trust in leaders that sound like Him.

When Women Speak

In all the congregations of the saints, women should remain silent in the churches. They are not allowed to speak, but must be in submission as the Law says. If they want to inquire about something, they should ask their own husbands at home; for it is disgraceful for a woman to speak in the church. Did the word of God originate with you? Or are you the only people it has reached?                                                                    I Corinthians 14:34-35

 

The role of women in the church has been a long debated topic in the church throughout the generations. In this passage, Paul uses what appears in some of our English versions to be strong language to put women in their place. However, when we look at the original Greek meanings of two key words in these verses we see a bit of a different picture.

 

The Greek word translated as silence in verse 34 is sigaō. Based on the Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible, the meaning of this word can be “to keep close (secret), to hold peace.” It is no secret that women can sometimes be really bad at keeping secrets. Gossip is one of the most dangerous habits a Christian woman can engage in. Yet nearly every church seems to have no shortage of busybodies who seem to relish discussing every aspect of other people’s lives and sometimes destroying the reputations of other Christians. Gossip can bring shame to the Gospel, and anything that brings shame to our Lord and His Church is to be avoided.

 

Yet Paul’s mention of “shame” in verse 35 has a deeper meaning as well. The Greek word used for shame in this verse is aischrŏn, which can mean “indecorum”. In the context of this chapter wherein Paul is dealing with the topic of orderly worship, this section implies that the women in the Corinthian church were not conducting themselves in a peaceful way. Throughout his writings, Paul often spoke of the behavior of women in the church and one common exhortation he had for women was self-control (I Tim. 2:9-15; Titus 2:3-5).

 

The Apostle Peter also speaks to women about the gentle and quiet spirit that is very precious in God’s sight. He says it is the hidden person of the woman’s heart that makes her beauty imperishable (I Peter 3:1-6). The virtuous woman described in Proverbs 31 opens her mouth with wisdom and teaches kindness (Prov. 31:26).

 

When Christina women act in these righteous ways, their voice in the church builds the Kingdom of God rather than bringing shame to it. Women who hold the peace bring order, compassion and love to the family of God.

 

I love the way The Message version of the Bible translates these verses.

 

Wives must not disrupt worship, talking when they should be listening, asking questions that could more appropriately be asked of their husbands at home. God’s Book of the law guides our manners and customers here. Wives have no license to use the time of worship for unwarranted speaking. Do you – both woman and men – imagine that you’re a sacred oracle determining what’s right and wrong? Do you think everything revolves around you?                                 I Corinthians 14:33b-36

 

So ladies, we don’t need to be silent in church as long as we follow Paul’s encouragement from Philippians to let our thoughts and speech be fixed on “whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable” (Phil. 4:8).