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Bodily Resurrection

11/21/2022

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11/21/22
Scholarly Reflections

Strawbridge, Jennifer. "How the Body of Lazarus Helps to Solve a Pauline Problem." New Testament Studies (2017) 63, pp. 588-603.

1 Corinthians 15 offers a detailed description of the resurrection of the dead. Strawbridge observes that Paul's reference to the body in the resurrection as a "spiritual body" (15:44) has been taken in opposition to the hope of a bodily resurrection (Strawbridge 2017, 589). At issue to Strawbridge is the type of body which will be present in the resurrection. This is not entirely clear based on Paul's language.

Strawbridge notes there is a wide variety of interpretations attached to the concept of flesh and blood, and especially as detailed in 1 Corinthians 15:50-58 within early Christian commentary (Strawbridge 2017, 590). In particular, Strawbridge notes the rise of Gnostic texts, which would distance the Christian life from physicality in the resurrection (Strawbridge 2017, 591). In the Gospel of Philip, the physical resurrection is the body and blood of Christ which hcas been received in communion. John 6, then, refers to a spiritual resurrection of the Christian, who will be clothed in the flesh of Christ.

Counter to this view, Irenaeus sees the description of 1 Corinthians 15 as a very literal bodily resurrection, but a denial of "flesh and blood" as that which rejects God's Spirit (Strawbridge 2017, 592). Tertullian likewise takes Paul's use of "flesh and blood" to be something more than its face value. He sees it as that which is done in a fleshly, i.e. non-spiritual manner (Strawbridge 2017, 593).

Strawbridge observes that numerous early Christian authors refeerred to Jesus' raising of Lazarus as a means to interpret Paul's teaching about the resurrection (Strawbridge 2017, 594-5). Though Lazarus, once resurrected, did die again, the verbs used to describe his resurrection create a strong parallel between his resurrection and that of Jesus. The substantive issue was thus the bringing back to life of a dead and decaying human body. The time period was sufficient to know that this was no kind of a resuscitation. It differed in this from the accounts of Jairus' daughter or the widow's son (Strawbridge 2017, 596).

Strawbridge goes on to describe, in turn, the arguments of Irenaeus, Tertullian, and Augustine as they affirm a bodily resurrection based on Lazarus, despite the language of a spiritual resurrection based on 1 Corinthians 15 (Strawbridge 2017, 596ff). Irenaeus argues that the flesh and blood of Christ is proof of his humanity, and that his healing of people's bodies demonstrates their value (Strawbridge 2017, 597). The raising of Lazarus bodily from the dead indicates the value Jesus puts on the body, which will later be raised in an incorruptible form. This is thus an important element in our understanding of the resurrection (Strawbridge 2017, 598). Tertullian understands the flesh to be inseparable from the soul. Therefore, a spiritual resurrection without a body is incomplete (Strawbridge 2017, 599). The resurrection thus is of body and soul together. Paul teaches the unity of body and soul. To use 1 Corinthians 15 as a means of separating body and soul is therefore illegitimate (Strawbridge 2017, 600)., Augustine likewise believes that the body must be raised. However, he takes Lazarus and his smell of decay to indicate the spiritual state of sin, out of which we will be raised (Strawbridge 2017, 601). The flesh will be purified and made spiritual.

Strawbridge concludes that early Christianity, though having a commitment to a spiritual resurrection, also affirmed a bodily resurrection, and tended to look to John 11 and Lazarus to articulate the raising of the body and spirit (Strawbridge 2017, 603). 

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1 Corinthians 10 and the Didache

5/27/2022

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5/27/22
Scholarly Reflections

Mazza, Enrico. "Chapter Three: The Eucharist of 1 Corinthians 10:16-17 as Related to Didache 9-10." The Origins of the Eucharistic Prayer (tr. Ronald E. Lane). Collegeville, MN: The Liturgical Press, 1995, 66-97.

Mazza observes that three significant studies (Koster 1957, Audet 1958, Glover 1958) have concluded that the Didache shows no familiarity with the canonical texts of the New Testament (Mazza 1995, 66). At the most, we can assume knowledge of some Christian traditions and/or writings which informed the New Testament authors.

To explore this concept, Mazza analyzes 1 Corinthians, which Mazza understands as being focused on "whether or not eating flesh sacrificed to idols is lawful or unlawful" (Mazza 1995, 67). While in the early part of the Epistle, Paul allows for eating and drinking anything, even things sacrificed to idols, he later points out that in light of the Eucharist and its effect toward eternal life, it is folly to participate in eating and drinking with idolatrous intent (Mazza 1995, 68). The center of Paul's argument, as Mazza sees it, is that the Eucharist is the participation in Christ, creating communion. The eucharistic passages are thus central to the letter, particularly 1 Cor. 10:14-22.

Mazza notes that 1 Cor. 10 descri bes the eucharist in cup-bread order, while chapter 11 orders it bread-cup. 1 Cor. 10 is the parallel to Didache 9 (Mazza 1995, 69). Mazza considers it important to identify the actual order in Corinth so as to determine if there is a true structural analogy to Didache 9. After considering various scholarly studies, Mazza concludes that 1 Cor. 10 and 11 may be speaking of current eucharistic practice and the Last Supper, respectively. However, these are theologically and doctrinally identical, though the order of events is different, hence the order becomes irrelevant (Mazza 1995, 72)

The argument of 1 Cor. 10:16-22 then becomes an argument for unity with Christ, Mazza concludes, after a review of the important research on Paul's use of the words for body in the passage. The critical word in the argument becomes koinonia (Mazza 1995, 77).

Mazza returns to his earlier question about the reason for the inversion of the sequence of elements. It is apparently not tied to the overall argument of Paul (Mazza 1995, 78). Mazza concludes that the cup-bread sequence must have been "a liturgical fact that Paul derived from the actual structure of the Eucharistic celebration of the Church at Corinth" (Mazza 1995, 79). Mazza sees this as capable of confirmation with a pre-existing liturgical text. This is found in the Didache, which alone presents the sequence of cup-bread.

Mazza finds and evaluates five similarities between Didache 9 and 1 Cor. 10:16ff: "(1) the rite of the cup; (2) the rite of the bread; (3) the theme of unity; (4) the cup-bread-unity sequence . . .' ant (5) the literary form of the embolism" (Mazza 1995, 80). He discusses each in turn.

The rite of the cup is referred to in 1 Corinthians as the "cup of blessing." Mazza finds from rabbinic practice that this implies a cup of wine with a specific prescribed benediction (Mazza 1995, 82). The blessing rite of the cup and of the bread were treated as independent rites, evidenced by Paul, Luke, and rabbinic practice. This is also the practice in Didache 9.2, in which the cup has its own blessing which can stand alone (Mazza 1995, 83).

Mazza describes the rite of the bread in less detail, as it is strongly homologous to the rite of the cup. However, the term used in the Didache and in Paul issignificant. Paul refers to the breaking of the bread (κλάω), while the Didache does not use the verb but refers to the bread as "fragments" (κλάσματα) (Mazza 1995, 84). Mazza observes that in Jewish tradition bread had to be broken for sharing, so the word for fragment became common. A "breaking of bread" then was early taken to be the particular celebration of the Lord's Supper (Mazza 1995, 85).

The prayer of Didache 9 seeks unity based on the bread, just as 1 Cor. 10:17 expresses unity based on the bread (Mazza 1995, 85). The outcome in both texts is the same, a unity of the body of Christ.

Mazza notes that both Didache 9 and 1 Cor. 10 have the prayer over the cup, over the bread, and for unity, in that order. He sees this construction of three prayers with rubrics introducing only the parts for the cup and the bread to be distinctive and to show a relationship of the texts (Mazza 1995, 86-87). 

Mazza's reference to an "emobolsim" on unity may require some explanation. Mazza uses the term for an insertion of an idea. Here, the idea of unity is not an autonomous statement, but in both 1 Cor. 10 and Didache 9 it is inserted into the ritual of bread. It does not have an introductory statement setting it apart (Mazza 1995, 87).

Mazza turns to the dating of the text of the Didache. If it is earlier than the date known for 1 Corinthians we may at least have a terminus ad quem (Mazza 1995, 90). The texts both contain descriptions of the eucharist. However, it is only in 1 Cor. 10, not in the Didache, that we have theological explanations of the body and blood of Christ (Mazza 1995, 91). This suggests that 1 Cor. 10 is a later development of the ideas in Didache 9. Mazza notes that liturgy normally evolves more slowly than theology (Mazza 1995, 92). This can epxlain, for instance, the liturgy based on the cup-bread pattern, while practice followed the berad-cup pattern. As Christianity spread, κλάσμα tended to turn into ἄρτος. However, the Didache retained κλάσμα (Mazza 1995, 93). The Didache also shows an early understanding of unity as that in the exchaton, while Paul has the (typically later) view of unity in the earthly community of Christ.

Mazza finally adduces 1 Cor. 10:1-4, which typologically takes Christ as the spiritual rock which accompanied Israel in the desert, tying him to both baptism and eucharist (Mazza 1995, 94ff). Mazza concludes that this interpretation may be tied to Didache 10.3. This suggests to Mazza that Paul knew and used both Didache 9 and 10 in his argument, thus dating at least that portion of the Didache prior to Paul's first letter to the Corinthians, which is probably around 57. The eucharistic practice seems already secure at that point, suggesting that it was intiated some time earlier, probably when Paul evangelized the Corinthians during the period 50-52 (Mazza 1995, 97). This is consistent with Mazza's earlier argument based on the "vine of David" passage that the Didache was composed prior to the council at Jerusalem.

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1 Corinthians 1:18-25 - Lectionary for Holy Cross Day

9/8/2021

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9/8/21
Many churches throughout the world use a Bible reading schedule called a "lectionary." It's just a fancy word meaning "selected readings." Posts like this reflect on the readings for an upcoming Sunday or other Church holiday, as found in the historic one-year lectionary.

Foolishness! Or something stated more forcefully and crudely by "the wise," "the scribes," or "the debater of this age" (1 Cor. 1:20, ESV). Christian teaching is openly mocked by many in our current American culture. Why is this? Should we become indignant and respond in kind, with hatred, mockery, and condescension?

1 Corinthians 1:18 says "the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing" (ESV). So I suppose we should expect the average person to respond in this way. God's wisdom doesn't work in accord with the wisdom of an unbelieving world.

Those who are going to mock will mock. There is very little that a fair analysis of the reason behind Christian responses to a fallen world will accomplish. The mocker will always find a way to despise the Gospel.

For htis reason, what Paul pictures in 1 Corinthians 1 is more a proclamation than a persuasive argument. As a Christian, I will affirm the truth of the Gospel. I will hold to the message that Jesus, both God and man, lived a life without sin, laid it down in death, and willfully took it up again. The goal was for his perfect holiness to be applied to sinful humans by grace through faith in him. The New Testament uniformly describes this as both true and effective.

Is this a matter for debate or argument? No, according to verses 22-23, it is a prclamation of truth. Those who will believe become convinced and show themselves as partakers of eternal life. Those who reject are doing so to their grave danger.

The good news is that God is able to use His Gospel to save those who will hear and believe. Our prayer, then, is that God wil raise up many to believe his words of life.

If this brief meditation was helpful to you, I hope you will check out the other materials on our website at www.WittenbergCoMo.com and consider supporting us.

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1 Corinthians 5:12-25 - Lectionary for Easter Sunrise

4/17/2021

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4/17/21
Many churches throughout the world use a Bible reading schedule called a "lectionary." It's just a fancy word meaning "selected readings." Posts like this reflect on the readings for an upcoming Sunday or other Church holiday, as found in the historic one-year lectionary.

There is a resurrection. This is the great message of Easter. Resurrection is real, and it is coming. Just as nothing could prevent Christ from rising from the dead, nothing will prevent him from raising the dead. All of them.

In 1 Corinthians 15:22-25 it is hard to miss the universal nature of the resurrection. The same way death came to all in Adam, resurrection comes to all in Christ. All will be raised, but not all will have the same outcome.

Christ is the first, in verse 23, then, when he comes again, his people are raised. Those who are saved, by grace through faith, are raised to be with him. Then, in verse 24, comes the end. Jesus hands the kngdom to the Father, after putting all his enemies under his feet (v. 25).

Some enter into disputes about the timing of the end, creating some period for judgment and even repentance. But that is not the point of this passage. Christ rescues those who call on his name. He condemns those who don't. He brings the end of the world. There is a certain resurrection and, for those who trust Jesus, a certain hope. We want to live in that hope. The resurrection is to be good news.

If this brief meditation was helpful to you, I hope you will check out the other materials on our website at www.WittenbergCoMo.com and consider supporting us.

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1 Corinthians 11:23-32 - Lectionary for Thursday in Holy Week

4/5/2021

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4/5/21
Many churches throughout the world use a Bible reading schedule called a "lectionary." It's just a fancy word meaning "selected readings." Posts like this reflect on the readings for an upcoming Sunday or other Church holiday, as found in the historic one-year lectionary.

Communion is a divisive issue. Yet that very statement itself seems self-contradictory. How can "communion" - a celebration that recognizes unity - be divisive?

In 1 Corinthians 11:23-32 the apostle Paul describes Jesus' words as he instituted this repeating feast of the Church. As often as you eat and drink it, remembering the Lord's death until he comes, you also recognize the unity you have in Christ.

Martin Luther describes our preparedness for communion in terms of recognizing that it is "for you." When the Christian recognizes that here we receive Christ's body and blood, and that they are for us, the realization is also, "This is for me, for my good, to strengthen me in the faith, to realize that Jesus' broken body is for me." 

Through many generations, Christians have tried to explain the nature of the body and blood and their presence in communion. This is an important discussion, one we need to keep having. Many would argue that the problems concerning our definition of the true presence of Christ in communion all have to do with our attempts to describe something in ways that go beyond Scripture. This is why, for instance, Lutherans, Roman Catholics, Orthodox, and more radical branches of Protestantism will normally not receive communion together. It's because in our attempts to describe the nature of the body and blood we have reached different conclusions about whether Jesus is present and in what way. 

The Scripture will have none of this. The Bible simply tells us it is Jesus' body and blood for us. How can this be? We really can't explain it.

At its heart, though, Christianity isn't about explanation. It is about reception of God's forgiving work in Christ by faith. It is about recognizing that when the pastor puts the host in your mouth, when you drink from the cup, you are receiving Jesus' body and blood and that it is for you. A failure to recognize it as "for you" is what Paul describes as eating and drinking in an "unworthy" manner.

Am I saying here that the right understanding of the presence of Jesus in his body and blood is not important? No, it is important. But the very most important issue is whether it is for you.

Jesus has given his body to be broken for you. He gave his blood to be shed for you. It is for you to receive, as often as you eat and drink it. I would like everyone to reach the conclusion that it is a literal taking part in the body and blood of Christ (1 Corinthians 10). But even more importantly, let's be sure we know that it is Jesus for you.

If this brief meditation was helpful to you, I hope you will check out the other materials on our website at www.WittenbergCoMo.com and consider supporting us.

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1 Corinthians 1:26-31 - Lectionary for Baptism of Our Lord

1/17/2021

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1/17/21
Many churches throughout the world use a Bible reading schedule called a "lectionary." It's just a fancy word meaning "selected readings." Posts like this reflect on the readings for an upcoming Sunday or other Church holiday, as found in the historic one-year lectionary.

Not many were wise. Not many were powerful or noble. The apostle Paul here essentially states the obvious. There are relatively few outstandingly wise, powerful or noble people in the world. It's a minority, and we shouldn't be surprised at that. The observation is a little like saying that only five percent of people fall into the top five percent of income earners. 

Paul is calling the Corinthians to be conscious of who they are and what their standing might be. Some are wise. Some are not. Some are powerful. Others are not. Some are noble. Sadly, others are not. We don't idolize those who are poor, weak, and ignoble. We don't idolize anyone. But we need to be aware of who we are in Christ - heirs of all the riches of heaven. Compared to that, all your earthly riches won't accomplish anything. What if we have very little except a loving family? No matter how happy that loving family makes us, it is nothing compared to God's love in Christ. What of our family pedigree, or our lack of it? The greatest family in the world can't compare with the family of God. And the least of us, through faith in Christ, is adopted into God's family.

One of the criticisms made of the early Christians was based on the fact that some of their bishops and elders were also slaves. It was considered culturally inappropriate for a free person to take orders from a slave. However, when the slave is the bishop and the emperor is not, the emperor takes orders from the slave, in spiritual matters at least.

God has raised up in His Church an amazingly varied mix of people. Rich and poor, intelligent and unintelligent, good at this, good at that, all with different types of gifts and abilities. In 1 Corinthians 1 Paul calls the congregation to remember their place, their role, the way they can best serve in Christ's kingdom. All together, as those adopted by Jesus, we love and serve our neighbors, using the gifts He has given us.

If this brief meditation was helpful to you, I hope you will check out the other materials on our website at www.WittenbergCoMo.com and consider supporting us.

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1 Corinthians 1:1-9 - Lectionary for Trinity 18

10/7/2020

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10/7/20
Many churches throughout the world use a Bible reading schedule called a "lectionary." It's just a fancy word meaning "selected readings." Posts like this reflect on the readings for an upcoming Sunday or other Church holiday, as found in the historic one-year lectionary.

How many times do we have to endure well-meaning spiritually awakened people telling us that knowledge doesn’t count for anything, but that what we really need are spiritual gifts? Granted, “knowledge puffs up” and we are told to “desire spiritual gifts.” Yet in 1 Corinthians 1:5-7, we see that the Christians in Corinth have been built up in speech and knowledge, having the testimony of Christ confirmed, which leaves them with all the spiritual gifts they need.

Knowledge is integral to our walk as Christians. Underestimating the value of careful study and growth in knowledge leads us to walk in ignorance, throwing caution to the wind, and being constantly surprised and disappointed by the fact that we live in a sin-cursed world where there’s plenty of hardship to go around.

If Jesus saved me, why am I still _________? (ugly, stupid, sick, addicted, poor, you name it.)

Learning carefully from Scripture is indispensable. It provides us with spiritual insight that we need. And as we grow in knowledge, as we learn more and more about the Christian life, about the way God views us and the world, and the riches of God’s mercy in Christ, the more we are able to rejoice in God’s provision for us. We grow in our ability to cope with hardship. We grow in our understanding how to pray for ourselves and for others. We grow in our desire to love our neighbor as Christ has loved us. We learn the meaning of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faith, gentleness, and self-control, and we see that they grow naturally from our connection with the Lord.

Do we want to have the Spiritual gifts we need? Let’s study Scripture and learn the depth, height, and breadth of God’s love for us.

If this brief meditation was helpful to you, I hope you will check out the other materials on our website at www.WittenbergCoMo.com and consider supporting us.

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1 Corinthians 15:1-10 - Lectionary for Trinity 11

8/19/2020

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8/19/20
Many churches throughout the world use a Bible reading schedule called a "lectionary." It's just a fancy word meaning "selected readings." Posts like this reflect on the readings for an upcoming Sunday or other Church holiday, as found in the historic one-year lectionary.

The resurrection of Christ is the matter of primary importance to Christians. In verse three it is the thing of first importance. Let’s look at a few of the reasons it is so important.

Paul says twice that these actions of Christ were “in accordance with the Scriptures.” The Bible speaks, from beginning to end, of the work of God in Christ to reconcile the world to himself. The Gospels record many, many ways in which Scripture was fulfilled in and around Jesus. This includes Roman centurions and their subordinates who would not have known the Scriptures but who did things which were clearly recognizable as fulfilling prophecies.

Christ died for our sins. This, not any kind of ethical teaching, was the purpose of Jesus’ work. He interfered with death itself, giving his life on behalf of sinners. The soul who sins must die, but the bible describes Jesus, as perfectly man and perfectly God, to be the one who was able to make his death a substitute for others.

Christ rose from the dead. His resurrection shows that he was not bound by sin and death. This gives credence to the Bible’s teaching that Christians will partake of the resurrection. He plans to bring us to be with him.

The very real substitutionary death and resurrection of Jesus is central to Christian teaching. It sets it apart from every other world religion And it is delivered to you and to me for our encouragement.

If this brief meditation was helpful to you, I hope you will check out the other materials on our website at www.WittenbergCoMo.com and consider supporting us.

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1 Corinthians 10:6-13 - Lectionary for Trinity 9

8/5/2020

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8/5/20
Many churches throughout the world use a Bible reading schedule called a "lectionary." It's just a fancy word meaning "selected readings." Posts like this reflect on the readings for an upcoming Sunday or other Church holiday, as found in the historic one-year lectionary.

Our reading from 1 Corinthians 10:6-13 centers on a handful of times when the people of Israel violated God’s commands and found themselves under the fierce displeasure of their Lord. We are well warned by these situations. Yet we should ask ourselves if there is an underlying principle. Then we can understand not only not to enter into those particular sins, but we can also see how God would enable us in a righteous life.

The common theme which ties all these troubles together is fairly simple. In each instance, the people of Israel chose to think of themselves as superior in some way to God. They trusted in their wisdom, their strength, their ability to discern good and evil, their desires, and their understanding of what is right and wrong. In each instance, the human way which God’s people chose to follow led them directly into sin, condemnation, and shame. 

What are our desires? All that are not within the will of God are desires that Jesus has already given his life for. All that would bring us the glare of God’s displeasure are already atoned for, as Jesus cried out to His Father, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” The death we deserve was served up to Jesus. The life he deserved has been served up to us.

At the end of our passage we are reminded that we should expect temptation. But with that temptation to sin, God has given us a means of escape, through trust in Jesus. Our help is in the name of the Lord. We look to him, not to ourselves. In him is life.

If this brief meditation was helpful to you, I hope you will check out the other materials on our website at www.WittenbergCoMo.com and consider supporting us.

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1 Corinthians 5:6-8 - Lectionary for Easter Day

4/8/2020

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4/8/20 Read the passage here.
Many churches throughout the world use a Bible reading schedule called a "lectionary." It's just a fancy word meaning "selected readings." Posts like this reflect on the readings for an upcoming Sunday or other Church holiday, as found in the historic one-year lectionary.

In the Bible, leavening is often used as an illustration. On a few occasions it can be seen as an illustration of good, but more often, as in 1 Corinthians 5:6-8, it is an illustration of evil. Why can it symbolize two opposites? Very simply, it is something that spreads through all its environment. A little yeast will spread through a whole batch of dough, or a container of a liquid which is to be fermented. It will have its effect on the entirety of the product.

Here, the leaven is boasting. The apostle tells the Corinthians they need to stop their boasting. Rather, they are to be plain, like the unleavened bread prepared for the time of Passover. What is to influence the lives of the Corinthians? Not their old habit of boasting, but the Christ who was sacrificed for them is to be their influence. Paul ties this directly to the feast of Passover, as that was both the time of unleavened bread and the time when Christ was seen as the perfect lamb of God, who died in place of all people, particularly those who would believe on him.

What is our “bread” like once we have removed the “malice and evil”? It is full of “sincerity and truth.” These are attributes of Christ. What will happen given time?

Before the Passover, the Israelites purged all the leaven from their homes. Culturally, they were in the habit of making a sourdough type bread. Some bread dough, usually in a very wet form, is kept in a place where cultures can grow in it. After a while, it starts to rise. You have a new starter to leaven bread in the future. During Passover, the people didn’t have leavened bread. Their bread didn’t rise. But God invisibly made their new starts rise. After a few weeks, they would be able to have leavened bread again.

When we purge our lives of the malice and evil that we would hold, and let Christ dwell in us, what is going to permeate us? Sincerity and truth. His forgiveness and life will spread through us. Rather than being puffed up with our fallen and sinful attitudes, we will be puffed up with a readiness to breathe Jesus’ peace into those around us. We will release his care, just the way a loaf of proven bread, when folded, releases the carbon dioxide made by the yeast as it rises.

Christ is sacrificed for us. For our neighbor too. May we be receptive of his filling us.

If this brief meditation was helpful to you, I hope you will check out the other materials on our website at www.WittenbergCoMo.com and consider supporting us.

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1 Corinthians 13:1-13 - Lectionary for Quinquagesima Sunday

2/19/2020

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2/19/20
Many churches throughout the world use a Bible reading schedule called a "lectionary." It's just a fancy word meaning "selected readings." Posts like this reflect on the readings for an upcoming Sunday or other Church holiday, as found in the historic one-year lectionary.

1 Corinthians 13, “the love chapter,” is an ever-popular reading, especially at weddings and other happy and friendly events. We are encouraged to love one another, told how great that love is, and, not infrequently, told that we are doing it really well.

Last time I preached at a wedding, this was the passage I was given. I will probably never be invited to such an opportunity again. Why? I told the couple the truth. Right at the moment they were doing pretty well at loving each other. Everyone was watching them. They had to stay where they were. They knew the script and what to say and do. What would happen a few hours later when they were more tired, nobody was watching, and they were off script? Selfishness? Impatience? Unkind words and actions? We start to see ourselves more realistically once the audience is gone.

What was the point? We don’t have the love we need in ourselves. We need someone else’s love. When I fail, I need the Christ who loved me and gave himself for me. I can only see him dimly, but I can see him. Let’s pursue God’s love in Christ, not our measly substitute. His love will never fail.

If this brief meditation was helpful to you, I hope you will check out the other materials on our website at www.WittenbergCoMo.com and consider supporting us.

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1 Corinthians 9:24-10:5 - Lectionary for Septuagesima Sunday

2/5/2020

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2/5/20
Many churches throughout the world use a Bible reading schedule called a "lectionary." It's just a fancy word meaning "selected readings." Posts like this reflect on the readings for an upcoming Sunday or other Church holiday, as found in the historic one-year lectionary.

Our Epistle reading this week, from 1 Corinthians 9:24-10:5, has a fairly abrupt theme change in the middle. 9:24-27 is largely about the discipline we use when running the race for Christ. 10:1-5 speaks of how God preserved his people, Israel, through the wilderness. At first glance, the ideas seem unrelated. However, just as one winner and maybe a few other leaders emerge in a race, so in the people of Israel, only a few who began the journey from Egypt actually arrived in Canaan.

Those who run the race of life trusting in Jesus though they may not end up at the front of the contenders, will all make it to the end of the race. Jesus will bring His people through. They will not be disqualified because they have been trusting Jesus.

This race of life, we almost cannot help but notice, includes being baptized into Moses, passing through the water, and eating and drinking from Christ who follows his people. This is a sacramental message for us. God in Christ baptizes us and uses us to show the eternal life we also pursue. In Christ, then, we run the life, chasing victory, led by our Savior.

If this brief meditation was helpful to you, I hope you will check out the other materials on our website at www.WittenbergCoMo.com and consider supporting us.

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1 Corinthians 4:1-5 - Lectionary for Advent 3

12/11/2019

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12/11/19
Many churches throughout the world use a Bible reading schedule called a "lectionary." It's just a fancy word meaning "selected readings." Posts like this reflect on the readings for an upcoming Sunday or other Church holiday, as found in the historic one-year lectionary.

I’ve had discussions, if you can call them that, more frequently of late than usual, with people who level charges against what they think Christianity is. Perhaps that is indicative of our culture in general, perhaps not. Yet regardless, our Epistle reading from 1 Corinthians 4:1-5 speaks to the attitude underneath these discussions.

The apostle tells us that we are “servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God” (v. 1, ESV). The Christian is not a servant of the culture, nor of history, nor of his own or anyone else’s opinion. He is a servant of Christ. As well as we can determine the will of the Savior, based on Scripture, which is our definitive revelation, we serve Jesus’ priorities. We follow His commands. Does Jesus say to love and serve our neighbors? Yes, He does. So what do we do? We love and serve our neighbors, both those who seem worthy to us and those who seem unworthy. Does Jesus say exactly how we serve our neighbors? No, He doesn’t. Does Jesus specifically define who our neighbors are? He illustrates it as being the person we are in contact with and who is in need. That leaves the doors wide open for us to wrestle with situations where those we are in contact with have differing and competing needs. As servants of Christ, we do what we are able to, as well as we understand the situation, and we trust that He will make it clear to us when we need to change course.

What does a steward of the mysteries of God do? He cares for those things that we don’t understand. To throw a little theological terminology around, we frankly can’t understand how substitutionary atonement works. We also can’t understand how water along with the promises of God would forgive sins. We really can’t explain Jesus being truly, physically, substantially, and essentially present in consecrated bread and wine. These are mysteries. We can describe them, but we really can’t explain them. A steward doesn’t have to explain something. He simply takes care of it and makes sure it is present and available for use when the master wants to use it. 

Back to those alleged discussions. They are alleged discussions because the assailant in the encounter doesn’t actually wish to discuss anything. He or she wants to make accusations which are rarely based on actual facts. The discussions are rather like giving testimony about why I didn’t stop beating my wife (I couldn’t stop because I never started). The encounters are uniformly about “Christianity” but pertain to issues which are not central to Christian faith or practice. They presuppose that Christianity is a social invention intended to bring the force of oppression on certain groups of people in order to exploit them. They have nothing to do with Christ crucified for sinners and raised from the dead to deliver justification to all who believe on him.

In response to a spiritual mugging, what do we do? We hold firmly to the faith delivered to us in Scripture, bringing honor to Christ, the author and finisher of our salvation, the one who will come as the righteous judge of all. Those who actually want to receive the riches of God in Christ are free to do so. We trust that those whose hearts are opened by the Holy Spirit will become partakers of his riches alongside us.

If this brief meditation was helpful to you, I hope you will check out the other materials on our website at www.WittenbergCoMo.com and consider supporting us.

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1 Corinthians 15:19-26 - Lectionary for Easter Day, Series C

4/17/2019

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4/17/19
Many churches throughout the world use a Bible reading schedule called a "lectionary." It's just a fancy word meaning "selected readings." Posts like this reflect on the readings for an upcoming Sunday or other Church holiday, as found in the three-year lectionary.

In 1 Corinthians 15:25-26, we read about the enduring power of Christ’s reign. We find that “he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. The last enemy to be destroyed is death” (ESV). We humans have plenty of enemies, and some of them are formidable. In our current culture in the United States, there is a lot of talk about criminal violence, especially shootings at or around school properties. And this is a serious issue. Last year about fifty people died in these incidents. That’s too many. In fact, anything that can reasonably be prevented or treated and that is life threatening is a serious issue. Without mininizing people who are shot going to school, we’ll observe that many more die in traffic accidents caused by someone being impaired or distracted. Even more die from influenza infections. One of the largest killers of humans in the United States is abortion, in which one person can legally give instructions to end the life of another person, all the way up to the point of birth. And yet there’s another cause of death which we really can’t do anything about. It’s called time. Given enough time, no matter our lifestyle or our genetics, every last person’s body will cease to function, every last human being now alive on the planet will die. Some sooner, some later.

The Bible calls death an enemy, and it is indeed an enemy. Normal, healthy people do not want to die. A desire for suicide is never considered a natural or healthy desire. It’s giving in to the enemy, death. We should rather expect that given normal circumstances, people want to and are probably able to live a relatively long and healthy life. But death remains the enemy.

What does God do about it? The context of 1 Corinthians 15 makes it very clear. He becomes human in the place of you and of me. He gives his life to an untimely death, and thanks to his divine ability, he proclaims that he has died in your place and in my place. Not that we won’t die, given time. But in his resurrection Jesus has defeated death itself. It no longer can reign over us, because, like Jesus, we also will rise from the dead. The enemy has been defeated.

Some day the Lord will show that defeat clearly by bringing this world in which people are born, live, and die to an end. He will bring in the new heavens and new earth where we will simply live. In the meantime, the Christian can face even the enemy of death unafraid. Jesus has passed through death into life, as will we.

If this brief meditation was helpful to you, I hope you will check out the other materials on our website at www.WittenbergCoMo.com and consider supporting us.

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1 Corinthians 10:1-13 - Lectionary for Lent 3C

3/20/2019

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3/20/19
Many churches throughout the world use a Bible reading schedule called a "lectionary." It's just a fancy word meaning "selected readings." Posts like this reflect on the readings for an upcoming Sunday or other Church holiday, as found in the three-year lectionary.

In 1 Corinthians 10:1-13, the apostle warns the Corinthians. They, as God’s people, are, according to Paul, partakers of the identity of Israel. They all passed through the Red Sea with Moses, though the event was around 1400 years earlier. God gives his people a group identity, and it is one in which his people are under his protective hand. They are those rescued by the Lord.

What happened to the people of Israel? They took matters into their own hands (v. 7). The result of taking their own initiative was an immoral departure from the faith, eventually leading to destruction. They followed their temptation and their desires, departing from the collective people of God.

The Corinthians were never with Moses. How does this apply? Just like the people of Israel, they could remain under the protection of God through faith in Christ. When they choose to pursue their own desires, to solve the problem of eternal life according to their own plan, they will certainly fail. As with the Corinthians, so with us. Christians are called to trust that Jesus has done all that is necessary for our life and salvation. As Moses brought the people of Israel through the sea, Jesus has promised to bring those who trust in Him through death to emerge safely on the other side. We are warned not to trust in our own way, for without it we will not emerge unharmed. As we trust in Christ, we are safe. As we trust ourselves, we are doomed.

This should not be difficult for us to analyze and decide upon. As Christ has called us his people, let us walk as his people.

If this brief meditation was helpful to you, I hope you will check out the other materials on our website at www.WittenbergCoMo.com and consider supporting us.

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1 Corinthians 15:1-20 - Lectionary for Epiphany 6C

2/13/2019

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2/13/19
Many churches throughout the world use a Bible reading schedule called a "lectionary." It's just a fancy word meaning "selected readings." Posts like this reflect on the readings for an upcoming Sunday or other Church holiday, as found in the three-year lectionary.

I was recently visiting some people in a retirement home. A man I had never met before came up to me and asked if he could talk with me for a while. Of course, I could spare a few minutes. He had some questions, serious questions, though by the end of the conversation I was not entirely sure where they were going. However, perhaps that didn’t matter as much as the fact that I took the time to work with him as he pursued answers to his questions.

What was the topic? Is there really going to be a bodily resurrection? Wasn’t the resurrection really just a spiritual thing? We looked briefly at the post-resurrection appearances of Christ in the Gospels. The testimony of the evangelists is that Jesus was raised from the dead, with his body, and did things that were in some way bodily. At the same time, his body seemed not to need to follow all the typical routines of bodily life. He seemed unhindered by things like space, walls, locks, and doors.

In 1 Corinthians 15, the great resurrection chapter of the New Testament, the apostle Paul observes that this risen lord Jesus was seen by many people, even many gathered together, which is not the way an hallucination or overwrought mind works. In verse six, he points out that many of the people who had seen Jesus after the resurrection were still alive. Paul’s claim could be trusted because if Jesus had not risen from the dead, everyone would rise up to prove him wrong.

While we don’t understand all the ins and outs of a bodily resurrection, here’s what we can tell from this passage. First, God cares about physicality. He has nothing against the bodily life of a human. It isn’t a bad thing. It’s just that we tend to use our physicality for bad purposes. But the human physicality itself is not something to be rejected or to escape. The frailty is, and in the resurrection, Jesus seems to take care of that. Second, Jesus shows by his resurrection that he is able to do what would appear impossible to all of us. This should give us confidence that he can keep his other promises, which also seem impossible. Can he take away my sin? Well, he was able to rise from the dead like he said, so I’m going to figure he can do something about sin also. Third, we can have confidence in eternity. We are told here that we have confidence in this life but also in the life  to come. Jesus has conquered death. He’s able to take us into eternity, and it will be good. That’s the way he’s made it to work.

I don’t know where the man I was speaking with was going with his logical query, and he didn’t seem quite ready to tell me. I was genuinely on a deadline, as I had an appointment to visit with someone else who lived there. But I do know that, by the end of the conversation, he had been told that Jesus lovingly died for him and rose from the dead in order to be the firstfruits of the resurrection. Jesus’ intention is to raise this man to life and joy as well. I’ve got the same message for my readers. Jesus can do it.

If this brief meditation was helpful to you, I hope you will check out the other materials on our website at www.WittenbergCoMo.com and consider supporting us.

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1 Corinthians 14:12b-20 - Lectionary for Epiphany 5C

2/6/2019

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2/6/19
Many churches throughout the world use a Bible reading schedule called a "lectionary." It's just a fancy word meaning "selected readings." Posts like this reflect on the readings for an upcoming Sunday or other Church holiday, as found in the three-year lectionary.

Our Epistle lesson for this week is frequently used like the pipe wrench in a game of Clue. You use it to smack down the person you disagree with, then you try to hide the evidence. What’s the topic here? Gifts of the Holy Spirit and reasoned understanding. The exciting element of this passage is that it is used as if we have an “either-or” distinction. Either you expect God to work supernaturally or you do things with your understanding.

Let’s see what the passage says. First, inverses 12-13, spiritual gifts are affirmed . They are good, and can be used tobuild up the church. In verse 18 the apostle is glad that he even has more evidence of spiritual gifts than his readers do. Make no mistake. Spiritual gifts are good.

The apostle doesn’t stop there, though. While spiritual gifts are good, they do not always build up the church just by themselves. A gift of wisdom or understanding might. But the less intelligible gifts, like speaking in tongues will not. After all, without interpretation, the speaking may remain a mystery to some. Paul asks in verse 16 how someone will know how to agree with thanksgiving if he can’t undersatnd it. So the apostle urges the Corinthians to seek that everyone should understand. This builds up the whole body of Christ.

If God gives spiritual gifts, that’s fine and good. He is blessing His people. If there’s a way to help others understand what God is doing, all the better. So we make every attempt to explain what we read, see, and hear, in terms that all can understand but which are nuanced enough to deal with the intricate give and take of the Christian life. Thanks be to God for His life-giving Spirit!

If this brief meditation was helpful to you, I hope you will check out the other materials on our website at www.WittenbergCoMo.com and consider supporting us.

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1 Corinthians 12:31b-13:13 - Lectionary for Epiphany 4C

1/30/2019

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1/30/19
Many churches throughout the world use a Bible reading schedule called a "lectionary." It's just a fancy word meaning "selected readings." Posts like this reflect on the readings for an upcoming Sunday or other Church holiday, as found in the three-year lectionary.

1 Corinthians 13. What a beautiful passage to read at a wedding or at another event when a family member is being celebrated. I do hope that we all can speak in love, act in love, and keep our focus on the characteristics of love. Yes, we need to be told to be patient, kind, not envious, not boastful, not arrogant, not rude, to allow others to have their way, to be not irritable, not resentful, rejoicing with the truth, bearing all, believing all, hoping all, and enduring all, with everlasting love.

In some of our Bible studies recently we have been studying the distinction between law and gospel. Here we are confronted by the law. We are told what to do. And rightly so, for we should all strive for love. But we also need to remember that a prime characteristic of the law is that it always accuses us. That’s not the only thing it does, but it always does do that. How does this teaching of love accuse us? Quite plainly because we don’t do it perfectly. We may be told by our pop culture that love is our religion, that all we need is love, that true love is the thing worth living for. Of those three statements, only the last one is true. And true love is not something I can give you or that you can give me. It will always break down at some point. The Bible has language to describe that. It’s that we all have a sinful nature. And what do we do? We act according to our nature. Though we try not to, and sometimes we try very hard, we will eventually end up sinning against one another. In a common statement of confession, Christians confess that we have sinned against God in thought, word and deed, in what we have done and in what we have not done. We have not loved God with our whole heart and we have not loved our neighbor as ourselves.

The fact is, we can live very kind, friendly, helpful, and moral lives while still failing in this respect. It only takes a little bit of failure. As we think about it in these terms, 1 Corinthians 13 doesn’t draw us a very good picture of ourselves, but it does draw a great picture of God and His love. He is the one who will never fail. He will never sin against us in any way. His love is perfect in all regards. And it is to that love which we flee for protection. When we fear, when we doubt, when we are troubled by others, when we are troubled by ourselves, we look to God and His perfect love.

As long as 1 Corinthians 13 is about us, it is law and it will condemn. As soon as it is about God, it is gospel and will bring forgiveness, life, and salvation.

If this brief meditation was helpful to you, I hope you will check out the other materials on our website at www.WittenbergCoMo.com and consider supporting us.

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1 Corinthians 12:12-31a - Lectionary for Epiphany 3C

1/23/2019

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1/23/19
Many churches throughout the world use a Bible reading schedule called a "lectionary." It's just a fancy word meaning "selected readings." Posts like this reflect on the readings for an upcoming Sunday or other Church holiday, as found in the three-year lectionary.

Our Epistle reading for this week speaks of the many different roles people play within the body of Christ. All the different parts of the body are important. As the Holy Spirit has given gifts, they are all for use in the body. None is without its function.

It strikes me as odd that people are so ready to assign motives and assess values within the body of Christ. I recall an encounter which illustrated this well. When on my way to visit someone in a hospital I as greeted on the elevator by a lady wearing a clerical collar. She engaged me in conversation and it turned out that she was one of the hospital chaplains and had recently visited the person I was going to see. She rather offhandedly told me that she was glad to find out I wasn’t from one of those denominations “that hates women.” Yes, quite the contrary, we think women are an integral part of God’s creation and a very valuable part of the body of Christ.

It turned out very quickly that the chaplain was assuming we didn’t “hate women” and therefore ordained women to pastoral ministry. I didn’t tell her specifically that my church body doesn’t ordain women. Frankly, I didn’t want to have to explain to her that we didn’t find any examples in Scripture of women carrying on the apostolic ministry and the work specifically identified for elders in the Bible, nor did we feel comfortable appointing women to roles which the Scripture only assigns to men. That has no bearing on loving or hating women. One could even make the argument that it is hateful to someone to place him or her into a role which he is not fit for.

That’s the essence of our passage from 1 Corinthians 12. Different people have different roles. They aren’t better or worse, they are different. The eye is not a stomach. It can’t ever digest food. The stomach isn’t an eye. It can never take in a visual image to be processed by the brain. We need them both, as with all our other organs. All are to be valued. All are cherished. All are appointed and used as gifts of God.

Beloved, let us love one another.

If this brief meditation was helpful to you, I hope you will check out the other materials on our website at www.WittenbergCoMo.com and consider supporting us.

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1 Corinthians 12:1-11 - Lectionary for Epiphany 2C

1/16/2019

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1/16/19
Many churches throughout the world use a Bible reading schedule called a "lectionary." It's just a fancy word meaning "selected readings." Posts like this reflect on the readings for an upcoming Sunday or other Church holiday, as found in the three-year lectionary.

In our Epistle reading for this week, from the beginning of 1 Corinthians 12, we are told that the apostle wants Christians, at least those in Corinth, to be informed about spiritual gifts. Our current society’s need to be better informed about the things of God is very obvious. All we need to do is look briefly at public opinion, social media, and even the mainstream print and audio/video media. It doesn’t take long to see that there’s very little unity surrounding even basic Christian doctrines. People will identify themselves as Christians but not think Jesus is God. They will say they are Christians but think there are three separate gods, or that they need to earn their way into heaven by being good enough, by their good outweighing the bad, or some other foolish and unbiblical idea.

Central to a biblical understanding of God is that God is communicative. He is the one who initiated contact with the man in the garden after the fall into sin (Genesis 3). He is the one who has spoken in these last days to his people through Jesus (Hebrews 1). He is the living Word of God (John 1). And, in contrast to the false gods of the folk religions (1 Corinthians 12:2), God is the one who speaks about himself clearly. He is the one who, in God the Son, Jesus, is the true Lord. That’s something we are to recognize through the work of the Holy Spirit, not through our own wisdom or skill.

Does God give just one gift? Not at all. In 1 Corinthians 12:4 we are told that there are different gifts, but they come from the same God. The repetition of the idea in verses five and six may well be included to remind the Christian of a trinitarian view of the world. There’s the same “Spirit” (3rd person of the Trinity), the same “Lord” (2nd person of the Trinity), the same “God” (1st person of the Trinity). The triune God gives gifts according to His good will, and those gifts may be different. However, they are always for good, and good to the many, not just to the inidual recipient. If we think a spiritual gift is there to enrich us to the exclusion of our neighbor, it doesn’t seem so much like  spiritual gift. In verse seven we are told that the work of the Spirit is “for the common good” (ESV).

What are the gifts the apostle mentions at this point? Though some have identified thirty or more activities in the New Testament which are specifically called “gifts,” here there are nine gifts listed. It isn’t an exhaustive list, but we can know that if God works out these attributes in the Christian, they are very likely to be seen as a gift from the Holy Spirit. Again, not everyone has all these gifts. They are also not necessarily permanent, like an attribute. But sometimes someone will speak in a special way by divine wisdom or knowledge. Sometimes someone will have supernatural faith, sometimes someone will end up healing another person or doing other miracles. Sometimes people will speak forth God’s truth with power that is unusual. Some people find themselves distinguishing whether spirits are good or evil. Sometimes people will say things in unknown languages or interpret unknown languages. There are various gifts, but they all have one thing in common. If they are gifts from God they will be unusual in their power or accuracy, and they will not be merely a way the Christian often operates. They are specifically given for the good of others by the Holy Spirit.

In the end, we find that the work of God is to build up the people of God, encouraging them, protecting them, guiding them. He is the God who communicates, not like the mute idols. And his gifts bring glory to God, not to man. These are truly gifts of God. May the Lord use us in His gifts whenever he wishes.

If this brief meditation was helpful to you, I hope you will check out the other materials on our website at www.WittenbergCoMo.com and consider supporting us.

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1 & 2 Corinthians

6/14/2018

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Thursdays are for the New Testament
6/14/18
Carson, D.A., and Douglas Moo An Introduction to the New Testament - Second Edition. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2005. "New Testament Letters" Carson & Moo pp. 331-353
"1 and 2 Corinthians" Carson & Moo pp. 415-455

Both 1 and 2 Corinthians address questions which have been raised and need answers. Unlike Romans, for instance, they seem to arise from very specific questions which have been asked and may be quoted.

After the salutation and thanksgiving in 1 Corinthians, Paul compares the wisdom of the world to the wisdom of God, observing that God's wisdom seems foolish to the world but that the wisdom of the world is inferior in every way to God's wisdom, displayed in Christ crucified for sinners. In chapter 5-6 Paul discusses conflict about sexual and legal matters within the church. He then goes on to discuss topics apparently raised by the Corinthians: marriage in chapter 7, food sacrificed to idols in chapter 8, and the issue of the authority of Paul as an apostle in chapter 10. Chapters 11-14 are devoted to order in corporate worship, chapter 15 to the resurrection, then chapter 16 with miscellaneous details about a collection for relief in Jerusalem and greetings.

After the salutation and thanksgiving in 2 Corinthians Paul discusses his travel plans, emphasizing his continued commitment to come to Corinth. There have been conflicts which have led Paul to avoid visiting the Corinthians in person for a while. Paul continues in chapters 3-6 talking about the nature of ministry and its relationship to the old covenant and the new. In chapters 7-9 Paul talks about the collection for relief of suffering Christians, emphasizing that contributions are to be rooted in the love of Christ, not in the demands of the law. In the final chapters Paul discusses the apparent weakness of the apostles in terms of the worldly wisdom which the Corinthians have adopted.

Pauline authorship is almost universally ascribed to 1 and 2 Corinthians, but some scholars have suggested that 2 Corinthians was originally several different letters. Paul had visited Corinth during his second missionary journey in Acts 18. After he had left Corinth, almost certainly while he was in Ephesus, Paul heard about the troubles at Corinth and responded with 1 Corinthians. It seems he then waited for some time, though not terribly long, before writing his second letter.

Carson and Moo spend a good deal of time discussing the various theories of arrangement of the elements of 2 Corinthians. There are several fairly persuasive theories but all are lacking any manuscript evidence.

The Corinthian letters were considered canonical from an early date, being cited as early as the last decade of the first century.

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1 Corinthians 15:1-11 - Lectionary for Easter Sunday, Series B

3/28/2018

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3/28/18
Many churches throughout the world use a Bible reading schedule called a "lectionary." It's just a fancy word meaning "selected readings." Posts like this reflect on the readings for an upcoming Sunday or other Church holiday, as found in the three-year lectionary.

In 1 Corinthians 15, often called “the resurrection chapter” of the Bible, the apostle Paul lays out the heart and soul of “the gospel.” Gospel is a word that we don’t use all that much, especially outside of Christian circles. And within Christianity it is often misunderstood. I must admit that I’ve been guilty of using language such as “the Gospel requires that we should…” Still shaking my head about that. But it was a matter of not being adequately articulate. Really. Trust me.

Let’s look at an extreme example. A member of a non-Christian religious organization came to my door some years ago. Normally it didn’t happen, but this person must not have read the map that her group likely had marked as, “This is a tough house, skip them.” I had a few minutes and it was a pleasant day for standing on the porch, so I asked the middle-aged lady what she wanted to tell me about. She was clearly on a mission. As she waved some literature in my general direction, she told me that her church (her word, not mine) wanted to let people in our neighborhood know about how they could live forever. I can go along with that. Forever life is something Christians value! So I asked her how her organization said we could live forever. She said it was by hearing what the Bible and their group’s teachings said so we would be able to obey them well enough that we could live forever. Very well, the Bible does describe itself as God’s Word and says that it offers us eternal life. One problem remains. It’s a problem you have probably latched onto by now. We can’t obey well enough. And the group’s teachings, where they depart from a biblical faith, are not going to do us any good.

I asked the lady if she was familiar with the term “gospel.” She said she was. I asked her if she would describe it to me. She said the first four books of the New Testament are described as “gospels.” She knew the names of the evangelists and even put them in order for me. She opened her Bible and showed me that they were in there. I thanked her. I asked her if she could tell me another meaning for the word “gospel.” She thought for a moment, not very long, and told me that it’s a word the Bible uses for the good news. I asked her what the good news is. She said that if we obey well enough we get to live forever.

In the Lutheran tradition, that’s what we call law, not gospel. In a nutshell, law is what God tells me I need to do, gospel is what God has done for me. I explained to her that I found the demands she made to be very bad news. There was no realistic promise. It was like telling someone to swim across the ocean to claim a reward. I then proceeded to tell her that the Bible describes the truly good news in 1 Corinthians chapter 15. The good news is that Jesus, God the Son, has kept the demands of God’s law for her and for me. Being God, he was able to obey not only for himself, but also for us. The burden of our sins, our failings to keep God’s law perfectly, brought him to his death. He was really dead, really buried, and really rose from the dead on the third day. This is also a matter of gospel. He did it for us. And in his resurrection we see that he is just the firstfruits of the resurrection. If we want to live forever, we believe that we are some of the sinners he died for. We then receive his promise that as he rose from the dead we will be raised in the last day to eternal life. I asked her if she believed this. She said it wasn’t exactly what her group taught. I asked her if she would like to hear more about it. She said maybe she would. I asked her to write down the address where I lived. She put a mark by it on her list and thanked me.

I never saw that lady again. I have no idea how much farther she went spreading her false teaching. But there was no gospel there. Maybe she later believed and found herself set free from the crushing demands of the law. Maybe not.

When we mix demands into gospel it ceases to be gospel. It’s something else. It’s law. The resurrection is all about gospel. It’s all about what God has done for us in Christ. The only valid demand is this: If you hear the gospel joyfully, agree with it and believe it. The rest will work out by itself.

If this brief meditation was helpful to you, I hope you will check out the other materials on our website at www.WittenbergCoMo.com and consider supporting us.

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1 Corinthians 1:18-31 - Lectionary for Lent 3B

2/28/2018

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2/28/18
Many churches throughout the world use a Bible reading schedule called a "lectionary." It's just a fancy word meaning "selected readings." Posts like this reflect on the readings for an upcoming Sunday or other Church holiday, as found in the three-year lectionary.

Our Epistle reading for this week, from 1 Corinthians 1:18-31, speaks about foolishness. Somehow it isn’t surprising that Christians are characterized as foolish. Especially over the last few hundred years, since the Enlightenment began breaking out, Christians have been accused of being a credulous lot. After all, we openly confess that there are realities which aren’t included in the physical and natural world. We confess the existence of a supernatural creator who was able to make things, and make them in a very intelligent and intricate way, not using any natural forces or, for that matter, any pre-existing matter. Christians will confess a number of other supernatural events, including, especially, the resurrection, which serves as the capstone of the Christian’s hope in eternity.

What do we do with this? The apostle Paul says that all these things which our world considers foolishness are actually the wisdom of God. The real, supernatural God, insists on acting in a way that we don’t entirely understand. He creates things, declares them good, condemns failure that is very specifically defined by him, assesses penalties including death, and finally steps aside from his immortality to receive death, declaring that his death will allow you and me to have life.

These ideas may be foolishness to the world. Specifically, they are to be considered miraculous. And miracles, by definition, aren’t normal things. They are unusual. We confess that as well.

Is this Christian life foolishness? Then so be it. But it if is foolishness to understand the world in the same terms that countless others have done so, I am willing to settle for a little foolishness. If it is foolishness to understand the world in the same way that the most brilliant philosophers and scientists of the last couple of thousand years have done it, I am willing to settle for a little foolishness.

Let God be God.

If this brief meditation was helpful to you, I hope you will check out the other materials on our website at www.WittenbergCoMo.com and consider supporting us.

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1 Corinthians 8:1-13 - Lectionary for Epiphany 4B

1/24/2018

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1/24/18
Many churches throughout the world use a Bible reading schedule called a "lectionary." It's just a fancy word meaning "selected readings." Posts like this reflect on the readings for an upcoming Sunday or other Church holiday, as found in the three-year lectionary.

This week’s Epistle reading is a controversial one, to say the least. In Acts 15 a council in Jerusalem issued an authoritative statement that Christians should not eat meat sacrificed to idols. Here, in 1 Corinthians 8, written after the council in Acts, the apostle Paul seems to say that it is all right to eat meat sacrificed to idols. How will we understand and deal with this challenge?

There is a key to understanding these passages. In Acts 15 we are told that Moses is preached everywhere. That’s the justification given for avoiding some behaviors. In effect, the council says that some behaviors are so culturally offensive to a certain group of Christians that they should be avoided. They will make the Jewish Christians stumble in their faith.

Here, in 1 Corinthians 8, Paul says something which is completely consistent with Acts 15. He is clear that the idols are not really people. They are manmade gods, not the living and true God. Therefore, they are no more deities than a table, a chair, or any other thing created by people. If someone has dedicated an animal to something manmade, the dedication bears no particular power. Therefore, Christians are not to be bound by their conscience to avoid foods which have been used in pagan ceremonies.

By the way, there was an abundance of cheap meat on the market in Corinth. Animal sacrifice was so common that the leftover meat was plentiful. It needed to be sold, given away, or it would spoil and be inedible. However, to avoid meat sacrificed to idols would require one to be a vegetarian or to spend a great deal of money on specially sourced meat.

If it’s all right to eat meat sacrificed to idols, why does Paul turn around in verses 10-13 and  speak against doing so? It’s because our freedom to eat something may cause confusion and a crisis in the conscience of someone who does not feel the same freedom. The person who rigorously wants to avoid any contact with the idolatrous culture around him may have a troubled conscience. He may eat the meat himself and then feel guilty because of participating in a pagan sacrifice.

The apostle counsels the Corinthians to avoid causing such a crisis of faith in others. He would rather be a vegetarian than make a brother or sister stumble and fall away from Christ. The value of our neighbor is greater than our own freedom.

If this brief meditation was helpful to you, I hope you will check out the other materials on our website at www.WittenbergCoMo.com and consider supporting us.

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1 Corinthians 7:29-31 - Lectionary for Epiphany 3B

1/17/2018

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1/17/18

Many churches throughout the world use a Bible reading schedule called a "lectionary." It's just a fancy word meaning "selected readings." Posts like this reflect on the readings for an upcoming Sunday or other Church holiday, as found in the three-year lectionary.

I’m one of the people who has received accusations. “You people” (meaning Christians?? It isn’t clear) aren’t involved in caring for (fill in the blank) the same way “we enlightened people” are. Therefore you’re evil and want everything to go to ruin. This accusation is often accompanied by a diatribe about Christians being “so heavenly minded they are no earthly good.”

Sorry, but this isn’t the picture the apostle Paul gives us in 1 Corinthians 7:29-31. The Christian, acutely aware of the reality of eternity, knows he doesn’t have much time on this planet. He also knows that his best efforts will have a limited effect. The world is passing away. That doesn’t mean that we pillage and plunder it. It means that we focus on what we can do, what is of highest priority, and that we consciously avoid thinking that our earthly existence is permanent.

Notice that the marriages, work relationships, sorrow, and joy in our earthly life are important, but that the apostle tells us to be ready to set them all aside. We are confronted, day by day, with eternity, a world we don’t currently experience as we will in the future.

The text, then, calls us to give attention to our priorities. We look not to our husband or wife, our employment situation, our personal enjoyment, or even our personal suffering. Those are not ultimate circumstances. They will pass away. What remains forever? God’s Word. So while we care for our families, while we care for our planet, while we do our best work at school, at the office, and in the community, we are looking forward to that which is eternal. We are so heavenly minded that we might just be some earthly good.

If this brief meditation was helpful to you, I hope you will check out the other materials on our website at www.WittenbergCoMo.com and consider supporting us.

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