1 Corinthians 15 & 16

For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that He was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scripture. 1 Corinthians 15:3-4

The verses above stress that which is of first importance.  The Bible is pointing with a clear finger to what should have the utmost priority in all of our lives. We all should know that Jesus Christ came to this earth in order to die for our sins. That is the most important fact that each and every human beings need to know. It is of first importance. This can not be stressed enough. That our sins placed us in a position that Jesus Christ had to die for us, in our place, in order for us to be at peace with God, for the wrath of God that had been decreed for us, was taken by Jesus Christ. That is of first importance. Nothing else that is going on in your life has more importance than to be one of the one's Jesus Christ died for. That is an issue you must take care of. To not resolve this issue is to play Russian roulette with your soul. The Bible tells us it is of first importance for a reason. Heed its warning!

This chapter about the resurrection is a wonderful chapter. It provides vital information about God's plan of redemption. Jesus Christ died for our sins, He was buried and He rose again on the third day. Death had taken Him, the punishment that our sins demand we take, He took, and wonder of wonder, He was raised from the dead! God accepted His sacrifice! Our sins have been paid for, Christ took the wrath that was decreed for our souls. The innocent Lamb of God, was raised and we were raised with Him according to God's will as expressed in His Word.

The chapter tells us that the resurrected Christ was seen by many people, and at the time Paul was writing this letter (A.D. 53-57) (1) Many people were still alive who had seen the risen Christ. Paul speaks to those who did not believe that Christ had been raised from the dead saying, that if Christ is not raised, we all are still in our sins. The preaching of the gospel  is vain and our faith in in vain, and we are misrepresenting God. Paul makes this great point - that is our Christianity, our faith, our trust in Jesus Christ is only good for this life and has no effect on what is on the other side of death, than we of all people are to be pitied, we have been cruelly deceived. But, Paul states Christ has been raised from the dead, and He is a first fruit of those who have died trusting in Christ. Just as He was raised in Glory, so will all those who have died in Him, be raised to the Glory of God. We all have to die because of our identify with Adam and his sin, and our own sin. Just as well, those who are identified with Christ will be raised from the dead. Christ first and than all who trust in Him. Paul states that at Christ coming at the end, Christ will deliver the kingdom to God the Father after every rule and every authority and power has been destroyed. The last enemy death will also be destroyed. Everything will actually be placed under the Father's subjection, even Christ, which means that Christ's messianic work, where He subjects Himself to the will of the Father, and that God will have universal and absolute control of everything.  Paul talks about the new body we will have, how it is necessary for us to be changed in order to be able to live with God for eternity. He says that the first man, Adam was earthly and so we also were earthly, but the second man, Christ is heavenly, and so will we be. The most amazing thing I see in this is that Christ took on Himself a human nature and a human body when He came to earth to do the will of the Father in terms of our redemption, the amazement to me is that He did not rid Himself of his humanity,but was raised in with His humanity still attached!! Christ is so identified with those He came to save that He will always have a glorified human body, just as we will have a glorified human body at the resurrection!! Paul ends this letter as he always does displaying the pastoral love and concern of those he ministered to and with, we always see Christ's love in Paul's letters and we always see how that love has transformed Paul.

Blessings!  

Next study: Genesis