1 Corinthians Commentary Chapter 15 (6-1)

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1 Corinthians 15 (6-1)

1 Corinthians 15 is a historical event of the death and being raised of Jesus Christ from verses 1 to 11, verses 12-19 are about the resurrection of Christ and our relationship, verses 20-28 are about order of the resurrection, and verses 29-34 are a statement of the living hope of the resurrection.

Again, he is saying that  resurrection is not a hope after dying.

However, the church in Corinth has not yet grasped this gospel of resurrection.

That is because they are at the level of infants who belong to the flesh in Christ and only drink milk.

Even now, there are many churches like the church in Corinth that are like flower gardens for children.

Verse 35 “Some man will say, How are the dead raised up? and with what body do they come?’”

Many people have this view of resurrection.

They only ask questions about what will happen in the future.

The principle of resurrection, that is, how those who died in Adam be united with the resurrection of Christ and live and what kind of state will they be in?

They ignore the understanding and application of this words and only look forward to the resurrection after dying.

Like Martha, they believe that they will be raised again on the last day (John 11:24), and they overlook the fact that Christ, the resurrection and life, said that your brother would rise and raised him on the spot.

Verse 36 “Thou fool, that which  you sowest  is not quickened, except it dies:”

This explains the natural principle that the seed must die to live again.

And depending on the seed, it takes on a body.

It refers to the state where the seed changes into a body called fruit.

Verse 37 “And that which you sow, you sow not that body that shall be, but bare grain, it may chance of wheat, or of some other grain:”

Only the grain, the seed, is sown, but it takes on a body.

However, the seed has no body. The seed grows into a body.

The resurrection also comes into us as a seed, and gradually takes on a body and acts outwardly.

After bearing fruit, we are judged according to the fruit.(Matthew 12:32-37)

Verse 38 “But God gives it a body as it has pleased him, and to every seed his own body.”

God gives each seed its own body.

The body is given from the moment the seed dies and is raised.

The grain is sown as a seed, and then the growth becomes the completion of the body.

The reason salvation is likened to farming is because farming begins with the seed and ends with the fruit.

This body is different depending on the seed.

God’s work involves sowing the seed (Matthew 13) and also giving each seed a body.

If our bodies were only bodies that would suddenly change after death or at the last trumpet, Paul would not have gone into such length about the body of the resurrection.

Verse 39 “All flesh is not the same flesh: but there is one kind of flesh of man, another flesh of beasts, another of fishes, and another of birds.”

The flesh mentioned in Genesis 1 is of four grades: human, beast, fish, and birds.

If it is a flesh that changes after death, why would we compare it to the flesh of man, beast, bird, and fish?

Also,  the seed sown on good soil bear fruit 30, 60, or 100 times as much as was sown, is this the result of the resurrection after dying?

We are the inheritance of the kingdom of God who must receive Christ, the resurrection and life, as the seed and bear fruit on this earth.

The body is different depending on whether the seed in us is the seed of Adam or the seed of Christ.

Of course, the glory is different.

Of course, we cannot eval‎uate a person by looking at his or her appearance, but we cannot ignore the power and divinity of God that is revealed through his or her appearance.

Salt and light are silent powers, so they are form that we see with our eyes, not hear with our ears.

God does not look at the outward appearance but at the heart, but people see the outward form.

Verses 40-41 “There are also celestial bodies and bodies terrestrial: but the glory of the celestial is one, and the glory of the terrestrial is another. There is one  glory of the sun, and another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars: for one star differs from another in glory.”

This is the relationship between the body, that is, the glory (fruit) of the body.

All things in Adam are vulgar and unclean, while all things in the Spirit of Christ are holy.

Nature is literally nature, but all things are a word that includes both unregenerate creatures and newly created creatures in Christ.

The body and glory of the earthly being and the body and glory of the heavenly being are obviously different.

It is the same principle that dogs and humans have different body and glories.

These days, humans are becoming fathers, mothers, and even butlers of dogs, and they treat themselves as dogs, but no matter how much the times change, humans have human glory and dogs have dog glory.

In this way, the natural principle is a shadow of the spiritual principle.

If we do not receive the glory from heaven in Christ, how can we become one in Christ and fulfill perfection and then reach love?

The Lord said that he gave us glory (John 17:22), and the purpose of giving that glory is for Christians who have received that glory to become one just as the Father and the Son are one, and to achieve perfection and finally reach love.

This is the prayer of Christ, the high priest.

Even now, the Lord sits at the right hand of God, interceding for us without ceasing or slumbering, to completely save those who come to Him (Hebrews 7:25).

Therefore, the Lord's prayer (John 17), which he prayed on our behalf as the high priest, is still valid and being fulfilled even now.

Written by Ptr. Yohan Kim.

Translated by  Nancy Chung

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