1 Corinthians 15:33-34

33 Do not be misled: “Bad company corrupts good character.” 34 Come back to your senses as you ought, and stop sinning; for there are some who are ignorant of God—I say this to your shame. -1 Corinthians 15:33-34

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In American society we are taught that we have innate freedom to do whatever we want.  And oftentimes we think that the choices we make in life are a result of our independent free will.  The reality is that we are more of a product of our surroundings than we care to admit.  We are much more influenced by who we surround ourselves with and our decisions are often impacted by who we are hanging out with.

That’s what the Apostle Paul is trying to say here.  Christians were hanging out with people who were teaching them falsehoods and it was really messing them up.  Paul knows that you become like the people you hang out with.

Maria was never a huge Star Wars fan.  But after we got married because I loved Star Wars she started watching the movies and shows and now she loves it.  Did she choose Star Wars or was it because of who she was hanging out with—me?  The same thing with Star Trek.  It’s been harder to get her involved but slowly but surely Maria has been watching more and more Star Trek.

The same thing happens with our relationship with God.  If you hang out and surround yourself with people who love Jesus, it will help you to love Jesus.  It’s that simple.

Are you surrounding yourself with people who love God?  Or, are you a lone ranger in your faith?

1 Corinthians 15:29-32

29 Now if there is no resurrection, what will those do who are baptized for the dead? If the dead are not raised at all, why are people baptized for them? 30 And as for us, why do we endanger ourselves every hour? 31 I face death every day—yes, just as surely as I boast about you in Christ Jesus our Lord. 32 If I fought wild beasts in Ephesus with no more than human hopes, what have I gained? If the dead are not raised,

“Let us eat and drink,

for tomorrow we die.”

-1 Corinthians 15:29-32

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In the early days of the church, there were a lot of strange and heretical (untrue) teachings.  The Apostle Paul mentions two here.  The first is that some of the people in Corinth believed that you can baptized dead people.  The second is that Jesus didn’t actually resurrect and that resurrection was impossible.

In this passage, Paul brings up a logical contradiction to those who wrongly believe in both falsities.  Why would you baptize dead people if you don’t eve believe they can be resurrected?

Today, we must also still be on guard with false teachings.  The issues of baptizing dead people and if resurrection real are no longer theological struggles within Christianity, but other issues are.  

For example, some people believe that if you follow God, you will become rich and never get sick.  We called the the Prosperity Gospel, which is totally unbiblical.  Jesus was the perfect human and he was monetarily poor and died like a criminal on a cross.

So we must be on the lookout for false teachings.  To do so, we must first be able to recognize true teachings and that means we need to read our Bibles.  If you’re reading this devos today, that’s a great start!

1 Corinthians 15:27-28

27 For he “has put everything under his feet.” Now when it says that “everything” has been put under him, it is clear that this does not include God himself, who put everything under Christ. 28 When he has done this, then the Son himself will be made subject to him who put everything under him, so that God may be all in all. -1 Corinthians 15:27-28

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Today we need to talk about the great mystery known as the Trinity.  The concept of the Trinity is simple but confusing.  It’s that God is three persons, but still one God.  Jesus is God.  God the Father is God.  The Holy Spirit is God.  Three persons who are distinct from one another, and yet they are all one.  This is the mystery of the Trinity and it’s great beauty.

Within the Trinity, we see mutual love for one another.  The love among the three persons of the Trinity is a model for how all relationships ought to be.  Notice how the passage starts of talking about Jesus and how Jesus submits to God the Father.  In the same sentence, it says that God the Father has given Jesus all authority.  Love is flowing in both directions just like how all human relationships should look like.

May the Trinity remind us of how we need to model our friendships and relationships with each other.  Are we showing and demonstrating mutual love for each other?

1 Corinthians 15:20-26

20 But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. 21 For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man. 22 For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive. 23 But each in turn: Christ, the firstfruits; then, when he comes, those who belong to him. 24 Then the end will come, when he hands over the kingdom to God the Father after he has destroyed all dominion, 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. -1 Corinthians 15:20-26

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Happy New Year, everyone!  2020 was so awful in so many ways.  Many of us have been looking forward to 2021.  We’re hoping for a day when COVID is no longer a persistent threat.  We’re hoping to hang out with our friends without fear.  We’re hoping to be able to travel again.  We’re hoping to actually start our college careers on campus.  There is a lot we’re hoping for.

This is what today’s passage is about—hope.  We see only 2020 as a horrible year, but from the point of Christianity, every year is like 2020 because of the problem of sin.  We’re so use to living with sin that we’ve learned to co-exist with it, but sin is not the way we are meant to live.

Just like how we look forward to the COVID vaccine removing the fear and the effects of this physical disease, as Christians we ought to look forward to God’s ultimate plan of destroying sin completely and removing the fear and effects of sin as a spiritual disease.

Do we hate sin with the same intensity as we hate COVID?  Do we look toward God with hope and anticipation that one day He will make all things new?

1 Corinthians 15:12-19

12 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? 13 If there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised. 14 And if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith. 15 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. 16 For if the dead are not raised, then Christ has not been raised either. 17 And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins. 18 Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ are lost. 19 If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are of all people most to be pitied. -1 Corinthians 15:12-19

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Today’s passage speaks of the importance of Jesus’ resurrection.  There are two important components to God’s salvation plan for humanity.  The first is Jesus coming to earth to die for our sins.  The second part is Jesus being raised from the dead to triumph over death.   His resurrection is proof to us that he can resurrect us one day and transform us to something more than we are presently.

Jesus’ resurrection is a sign to us that we have access to the most powerful being in reality.  If he can conquer death, nothing that we have to deal with in life, not even sin is a problem for him.

As you think about all the problems you’re facing right now, remember that the God who conquered death is on your side.  May that give you comfort and peace.

1 Corinthians 15:9-11

9 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. 10 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. 11 Whether, then, it is I or they, this is what we preach, and this is what you believed. -1 Corinthians 15:9-11

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God can change anyone.  The Apostle Paul called himself the “least” of the apostles because he persecuted Christians before he was transformed by God.  He had a supernatural encounter with Jesus and it changed him from a persecutor of Christians to the greatest Christian missionary of all time.  The Apostle Paul penned more New Testament books than any other Bible author.

Think of someone in your life who just seems so far away from God.  That person could be a “Paul.”  Don’t ever give up on someone based upon what you see now.  If God can change Paul, God can change that person.  God can change you.

1 Corinthians 15:3-8

3 For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, 4 that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, 5 and that he appeared to Cephas, and then to the Twelve. 6 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. 7 Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles, 8 and last of all he appeared to me also, as to one abnormally born. -1 Corinthians 15:3-8

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There are two main points to this passage written by the Apostle Paul.  The first is to summarize the Gospel.  We’re messed up by sin which separated us from God.  Jesus came down to earth to die for our sins and to give us new life.

The second is that the believers in the early church of Corinth can trust that the stories of Jesus are true because the people who experienced them were still alive to talk about them.  It’s almost like the Apostle Paul is challenging the church to go and ask these people who were with Jesus and saw Jesus to confirm the miraculous stories.

But what about us today living in the 21st century?  Everyone who saw Jesus and interacted with him on earth have been dead for 2,000 years.  How can we trust the authenticity of Biblical stories about Jesus?

One way is experientially.  As we grow in our relationship with God and begin to see Him intercede in our lives, it increases our faith to trust Him more, including the faith to believe in aspects of Scripture that seems fantastical and miraculous.

Another way we trust in the authenticity of the Bible is we see it’s positive impact upon Christians for generations.  This is the proof of tradition.  For two thousands years, spiritual giants who changed the world have trusted in the truth of the Bible.  I encourage you to read famous biographies of Christian giants like Amy Carmichael, Jim Elliot, George Muller, Hudson Taylor, and the list goes on.

Lastly we increase our trust in the truth of Scripture when we immerse ourselves in Scripture.  The more we spend time in God’s Word, the more we realize how it is more truthful and more powerful than anything else we can ever read.  

Are you reading your Bible?