Bible Reading Challenge #51
Christ Has Been Raised!
Warning: There’s a lot included in these verses below, so I encourage you to read them slowly—and then read them again—to help you process what Paul is teaching and correcting.
1 Corinthians 15:20–34
20 But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. 21 For as by a man came death, by a man has come also the resurrection of the dead. 22 For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive. 23 But each in his own order: Christ the firstfruits, then at His coming those who belong to Christ. 24 Then comes the end, when He delivers the kingdom to God the Father after destroying every rule and every 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 “God has put all things in subjection under His feet.” But when it says, “all things are put in subjection,” it is plain that He is excepted who put all things in subjection under Him. 28 When all things are subjected to Him, then the Son Himself will also be subjected to Him who put all things in subjection under Him, that God may be all in all.
29 Otherwise, what do people mean by being baptized on behalf of the dead? If the dead are not raised at all, why are people baptized on their behalf? 30 Why are we in danger every hour? 31 I protest, brothers, by my pride in you, which I have in Christ Jesus our Lord, I die every day! 32 What do I gain if, humanly speaking, I fought with beasts at Ephesus? If the dead are not raised, “Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die.” 33 Do not be deceived: “Bad company ruins good morals.” 34 Wake up from your drunken stupor, as is right, and do not go on sinning. For some have no knowledge of God. I say this to your shame.
Takeaways:
While many struggle to believe that a dead person could come back to life, this is what Paul is driving home to the Corinthians: In fact, Christ has been raised!
Not only has Jesus been raised from the dead, but He will also rule over all things. He will put every enemy under His feet.
The discussion of baptism relates back to the resurrection—it would make no sense to be baptized in the name of a dead man. But Jesus is not dead!
If there were no resurrection, we might as well live like the world does: “Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die.”
The resurrection of Jesus changes everything. Satan thought he had won as the Son of God hung on the cross, yet God was doing through Jesus what we could never do for ourselves. God used the death of His Son to bring life to the sons and daughters of faith.
Bible Reading Challenging #50
If Christ Had Not Been Raised
Take a moment and consider what life would be like if you were not a Christian.
How would life be different?
How would you live differently?
How would your view of aging, sickness, and death change?
For many of us, we grew up in a world that assumed some concept of Christianity. When we watch or read the news, we often hear phrases like, “He’s looking down and smiling.” Whether or not the person professed faith in Jesus, there’s an assumption that everyone goes to heaven. In fact, I have never heard someone suggest that a recently deceased person is in hell.
But if we did not believe in a God who came to us and made a way for us to come to Him, then what would be the purpose or goal of life?
This is what Paul addresses in 1 Corinthians 15:12–19:
12 Now if Christ is proclaimed as raised from the dead, how can some of you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? 13 But if there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised. 14 And if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain. 15 We are even found to be misrepresenting God, because we testified about God that He raised Christ, whom He did not raise if it is true that the dead are not raised. 16 For if the dead are not raised, not even Christ has been raised. 17 And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins. 18 Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. 19 If in Christ we have hope in this life only, we are of all people most to be pitied.
Why does the resurrection matter?
If Jesus was not raised, then your faith is futile.
We would have no hope.
Tomorrow, Paul will assure us that Christ has indeed been raised. But before we get there, I want you to sit with the devastating reality of what it would mean if Jesus Christ had not risen from the dead.
Bible Reading Challenge #49
The Heart of the Gospel
Do you ever fear that if you had to explain the Gospel, you might struggle with it?
Do you ever wonder what all needs to be included if you were to summarize what matters most?
I want you to remember 1 Corinthians 15:1–10, because it has all you need!
1 Corinthians 15:1–11
1 Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand, 2 and by which you are being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you—unless you believed in vain.
3 For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, 4 that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures, 5 and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. 6 Then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have fallen asleep. 7 Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles. 8 Last of all, as to one untimely born, he appeared also to me. 9 For I am the least of the apostles, unworthy to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. 10 But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace toward me was not in vain. On the contrary, I worked harder than any of them, though it was not I, but the grace of God that is with me. 11 Whether then it was I or they, so we preach and so you believed.
This is the heart of what we believe as Christians. Two thousand years ago, God sent His Son to live among us and die for us, granting us victory over sin and death.
After teaching on a wide array of topics through the first fourteen chapters, Paul now centers on what matters most: Christ crucified for me.
This morning, I want you to reflect on verse 10, where Paul declares:
“But by the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace toward me was not in vain.”
I am loved because of His grace.
I am saved because of His grace.
I am redeemed because of His grace.
I will be with God forever because of His grace.
I am what I am not because of what I do, but because of what Christ has done.
Say that a few times as you end this time of reflection:
I am what I am not because of what I do, but because of what Christ has done.
Bible Reading Challenge #48
Women in Worship
1 Corinthians 14:34–40
34 The women should keep silent in the churches. For they are not permitted to speak, but should be in submission, as the Law also says.
35 If there is anything they desire to learn, let them ask their husbands at home. For it is shameful for a woman to speak in church.
36 Or was it from you that the word of God came? Or are you the only ones it has reached?
37 If anyone thinks that he is a prophet or spiritual, he should acknowledge that the things I am writing to you are a command of the Lord.
38 If anyone does not recognize this, he is not recognized.
39 So, my brothers, earnestly desire to prophesy, and do not forbid speaking in tongues.
40 But all things should be done decently and in order.
What do we do with this difficult statement: “Women should keep silent in the churches. For they are not permitted to speak, but should be in submission”?
To understand this verse, we need to place it in both its immediate and larger context.
Larger Context: In 1 Corinthians 11:5, Paul mentions women praying and proclaiming God’s goodness in worship. He also commends women like Phoebe, who served the church faithfully, and Priscilla, who helped teach others the way of Christ. Finally, Paul affirms in Galatians 3 that in Christ there is no distinction in worth or belonging between male and female — even while recognizing distinct roles within the life of the church.
Paul’s teaching throughout his letters makes it clear that he values women as co-laborers in the gospel, so there must be a specific concern he’s addressing here.
Immediate Context: In addition to the many problems already addressed (sexual immorality, improper worship, abuse of spiritual gifts), some women in the Corinthian church were creating disruption or controversy. In that culture, many women had less access to education, so it would have been natural for them to ask questions during worship. Paul encourages them to wait and ask those questions at home for the sake of order in the church gathering.
While some see this as a universal command for all churches, others understand it as a situational instruction meant to address disorder in Corinth. Given the context, Paul seems most concerned with maintaining reverence and order in worship — not silencing women from serving or speaking altogether.
As we have discussed before, God has established distinct roles for men and women to serve for the good of the church. Even when God’s Word challenges our preferences or runs against cultural trends, we are called to humbly submit to it.
Bible Reading Challenge #47
Orderly Worship
1 Corinthians 14:26–33
26 What then, brothers? When you come together, each one has a hymn, a lesson, a revelation, a tongue, or an interpretation. Let all things be done for building up.
27 If any speak in a tongue, let there be only two or at most three, and each in turn, and let someone interpret.
28 But if there is no one to interpret, let each of them keep silent in church and speak to himself and to God.
29 Let two or three prophets speak, and let the others weigh what is said.
30 If a revelation is made to another sitting there, let the first be silent.
31 For you can all prophesy one by one, so that all may learn and all be encouraged,
32 and the spirits of prophets are subject to prophets.
33 For God is not a God of confusion but of peace. As in all the churches of the saints…
While it’s easy to focus on the discussion about tongues, I want us to notice verse 26:
“Each one has a hymn, a lesson, a revelation, a tongue, or an interpretation. Let all things be done for building up.”
The expectation is that every believer comes to worship ready to contribute — to bring something that builds up the body.
Sadly, this expectation is often lost in our churches today. We expect the pastor to have a prepared message and the worship leader to have songs that fit the day’s theme, but few expect to come prepared with something to share. Even our schedules rarely allow space for it.
The expectation should be that God is regularly speaking, leading, guiding, convicting, and comforting us. If I asked, “What is God teaching you?” how many of us would have an answer that’s less than a week old? How many could point to a specific way God is teaching, encouraging, or correcting us through His Word?
I was encouraged this past Wednesday night when Cooper May led our prayer time and pointed us to Psalm 121 — a psalm he’s been returning to repeatedly during this season of life.
We all should come ready to share encouragements of who God is and how He is working in our lives — all for the building up of the body.
Note: This is why we begin most of our discussions at church with the prompt: “What is one big thing God is teaching you?” The expectation is that there is at least one.