1 Cor. 15:1-11 The Gospel Paul received and taught

At this point in his letter, Paul turns to a very serious doctrinal problem in the Cornithian church, which has far-reaching practical consequences. But he doesn't barge into the subject with words like "Now as for your misconceptions about resurrection…" Instead he approaches it carefully and through a doorway that was his hearers own doorway into faith: the gospel.

There are several ways we use the word "gospel" today. One can refer to "the gospel of Matthew" by which we mean a part of the Bible, one of the four accounts in the New Testament of the earthly life of Jesus. Or we can say we heard Billy Graham "preaching the gospel." This means his explanation to non-believers of what Jesus accomplished for us in his life, death and resurrection, and what is expected from us if we wish to be "saved" from our sins. Some people would call this "the way of salvation". It is the short version that is told to inquirers, who want to become Christians.

What Paul calls "the gospel" in these verses comes close to the second use described above, but it lacks the information about what the hearer must do in order to benefit from it. Paul states that part in v. 2, but it is not part of what he describes as received in vv. 3-8. We can compare this description of "the gospel" in vv. 3-8 with what Luke describes as the first evangelistic messages given by Peter in Jerusalem after the resurrection of Jesus (Acts 1-4). What we find is uniformity: what Paul describes here as what the other apostles passed on to him is exactly what Luke tells us that they preached in Jerusalem from the beginning. But of even greater significance to his readers, Paul reminds them that it was what he made known to them, and on which their faith and salvation was based.

Notice that in v. 2 Paul stresses that a superficial and casual "believing" that is not accompanied by a firm conviction of the truthfulness of the message and that is not the product of God's inner working in the heart of the believer will not in fact save. "Believed in vain" (v. 2) recalls Psalm 127:1 "Unless the LORD builds the house, its builders labor in vain. Unless the LORD watches over the city, the watchmen stand guard in vain." Paul was well aware that a true conversion was the product of supernatural, divine action in the mind and heart of the believer.

Notice in v. 3 that Paul describes this gospel as "of first importance." This means that he taught them many other things of great importance, but nothing can compare with this monumental truth: the the Messiah ("Christ") died for our sins according to Old Testament prophecies (see Isaiah 53:4-6), was buried and rose again the third day, also in harmony with what was predicted (see Psalm 16, as interpreted by Peter in Acts 2:24-36).

The verb "received" (Greek parelabon v. 3) refers to receiving a tradition.

It is very likely that the tradition Paul received is contained in verses 3-7, and that verse 8 begins Paul's own addition to the primitive tradition. That tradition contained the following elements: (1) the Messiah (Greek ho christos "the Anointed One") died for our (i.e., all humans) sins, as the Scriptures predicted he would; (2) he was buried and rose again on the third day, also as predicted; (3) and the resurrected Messiah Jesus was seen, heard and felt by many witnesses, some here named so as to allow verification.

This should be familiar to you all, for this is in essence what we confess to each other in Christian fellowship. If you worship in a church where old creeds are used, you are also familiar with the clause "that he was buried". And you may have wondered why this phrase is included. It serves a purpose similar to the "third day": it is to make clear that Jesus did not just swoon, but really died, was interred, and his body remained dead until the third day. It also serves to remind us that, when we speak of "resurrection", we are not speaking of a spirit coming to life, but a body. This, in fact, is what is primarily on Paul's mind here, as he addresses the Corinthians' unwillingness to believe in resurrection: that it implied a future beyond death for the human body.

If the so-called "apprearances" of Jesus to his disciples after the crucifixion were not bodily ones, then one would expect the list to go on and to include more than Paul himself. For a vision of Jesus ascended was had by Stephen as he was dying (Acts 7:56), and countless visionary believers down through Christian history have claimed to have received visions of Jesus (I will not attempt to validate such claims, but I cannot completely exclude their possibility). Yet the list stops with James and "all the apostles" in verse 7. Why? Because after the ascension of the body of Jesus as recorded in Acts 1, a validation of the bodily resurrection of Jesus was no longer possible for a person living on Earth!

But notice how carefully this list was drawn up, and with such caution. No one was mentioned here who could not be interviewed, and his experience validated. This statement was of a type that could be submitted to the authorities or to a court. But it was also what was presented to potential believers, honoring their legitimate desire to know on what basis they should believe that Jesus was the Jewish Messiah promised centuries beforehand and that his resurrection proed that he was also divine and able to grant salvation from sins.

Notice too that this is called the "gospel". It is not a credal statement such as one finds in certain parts of Paul's letters (Philippians 2:6-11). It omits the pre-existence of the Son of God, which is included in the Philippians passage. It focuses on what is necessary for a new believer to confess and on what was predicted in the Old Testament.

In verses 8-11 we sense that Paul feels a certain isolation from the "club of the super-apostles". He respects the Twelve and acknowledges in this very passage his indebtedness to them for their knowledge of the earthly ministry of Jesus and their invaluable eyewitness testimony to the bodily resurrection. But we hear an echo in v. 8 of what he had heard that they called him: "the least of the apostles" and "one untimely born" (perhaps a miscarried fetus?). And he is willing to accept that sobriquette, although interpreting it in his own way (v. 9-10): he admits that he once persecuted the church of God, something none of the Twelve were guilty of. Paul may or may not have known of Peter's denying Jesus three times on the night of his betrayal. But if he did, he does not strike back viciously with this weapon. Instead, he confesses that it was through the undeserved mercy of God that he was turned around by the vision of the exalted Jesus on the Damascus Road. Paul dares to compare this experience to the appearances to the Twelve and to James, although the bodily resurrected Jesus was seen only in a vision. But this "appearance", he would have admitted, was of a different kind, and was not intended to be used as the others would to validate the resurrection. Jesus' appearance to Paul was in the nature of a divine commission to an apostolic mission to the Gentiles. Hence, he adds: "I worked harder than all of them" (v. 10).

And finally, in v. 11 he returns to his readers: You came to believe this gospel either through my direct ministry in Corinth or through one of the Twelve ("whether it was I or they"). This statement is intended to pave the way for his argument in the rest of the chapter. Persons who saw, heard and felt the body of the resurrected Lord Jesus brought this message which either one of them or I preached to you, and through believing it, you are now saved.

These facts have ramifications on what you are to believe about the future resurrection to take place at the end of this age, when Jesus returns. And those ramifications Paul will spell out in the rest of the chapter.

I hope to devote an eight-part blog series in the Fall, on this site, to an examination of the plan of God for the ages, in which both the resurrection of Jesus and the end-time resurrection of believers plays a crucial role. It will entail many other parts of the Bible than 1 Corinthians 15. I hope that many of you will join me for that series.

ⓒ2008 Harry Hoffner

1 Cor. 11:17ff The Lord's Supper

Today's text (NLT):

Order at the Lord's Supper

If there is one rite of Christianity that is intended to illustrate the unity of all Christians, it is the Lord's Supper (or Eucharist). Yet, ironically, because of a difference in belief as to the meaning of the phrase "this is my body" large portions of the Christian movement cannot partake of this meal together. Such is the sad situation in today's world. Paul saw something equally distressing in Corinth. But this divisive behavior had nothing to do with the nature of the bread and wine. It had to do with a failure to appreciate the unity of the family of God, Christ's body, and allowing the existing social differences to interfere with celebrating the unity of all believers.

Paul has commended the Corinthian church in some areas. But he cannot and will not on this point.

17-19

17 But in the following instructions I do not commend you, because when you come together it is not for the better but for the worse. 18 For, in the first place, when you come together as a church, I hear that there are divisions among you. And I believe it in part, 19 for there must be factions among you in order that those who are genuine among you may be recognized.

When believers in Jesus come together for worship, learning and sharing, it is a time of great spiritual growth. Each have their own gifts and contributions to make to the others. And just being together as a family with those you love is a joy.

But that's if attitudes are right and love rules. When attitudes are wrong and love does not rule, the very times of assembling that are designed to help us grow can have the exact opposite effect! That was what Paul was worried about here.

But what does Paul mean by "for there must be factions among you in order that those who are genuine among you may be recognized"? We shall try to answer that question once we have seen from the text below what the problem was.

20-22

20 When you come together, it is not the Lord's supper that you eat. 21 For in eating, each one goes ahead with his own meal. One goes hungry, another gets drunk. 22 What! Do you not have houses to eat and drink in? Or do you despise the church of God and humiliate those who have nothing? What shall I say to you? Shall I commend you in this? No, I will not.

The heart of the problem was that, when the believers in Corinth gathered to celebrate the Lord's Supper (or Eucharist), they had a kind of "church supper", called an agapē ("love [dinner]") leading up to it. And it appears that instead of sharing a common food supply, symbolizing their unity‚ the social elite and the rich ate better food, and left the poor marginalized and disgraced. The extremes are vividly portrayed when Paul says that some go hungry, while others not only eat well but get drunk on the best wines!

The background to this behavior is found in the social clubs of Corinth. There it was routine for the social elite to be served the best food, and for the lower classes to be given inferior food. This was accepted behavior. But it was totally out of place in the setting of the Lord's Supper, where all believers—regardless of their social status in Corinth—were equal in the sight of the Lord.

23-26

23 For I received from the Lord what I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed took bread, 24 and when he had given thanks, he broke it, and said, "This is my body which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me." 25 In the same way also he took the cup, after supper, saying, "This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me." 26 For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes.

Paul begins his objections to this behavior by citing a tradition of the Lord Jesus' own behavior. It is one of the few examples in Paul's letters where he shows knowledge of an event in the earthly life of Jesus. And his way of introducing it—"I received from the Lord"—suggests that he did not learn this from those who had been followers of Jesus, but by a direct revelation from Jesus. It does match, however, what we know also from the gospel accounts.

And although the words attributed to Jesus here make no mention of his blood being shed for the remission of our sins, the final words—"you proclaim the Lord's death"—show that the ceremony of eating of the bread and drinking of the wine is intended to make his death known as the source of life for believers.

27-32

27 Whoever, therefore, eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty concerning the body and blood of the Lord. 28 Let a person examine himself, then, and so eat of the bread and drink of the cup. 29 For anyone who eats and drinks without discerning the body eats and drinks judgment on himself. 30 That is why many of you are weak and ill, and some have died. 31 But if we judged ourselves truly, we would not be judged. 32 But when we are judged by the Lord, we are disciplined so that we may not be condemned along with the world.

How does a person partake of this meal "in an unworthy manner"? Paul's answer is: "By failing to discern the Lord's Jesus' body. What is the body? Not the elements of the bread and wine, but the actual persons present who constitute the true Body of Christ. By failing to see that all believers present are one body and of equal value to Christ, the elite upper crust were dishonoring Christ at the very moment in which they were supposed to be "remembering" him!

33-34

33 So then, my brothers, when you come together to eat, wait for one another‚ 34 if anyone is hungry, let him eat at home‚ so that when you come together it will not be for judgment. About the other things I will give directions when I come.

ⓒ2008 Harry Hoffner