QT 4/21/2025 1 Cor 15:1-11, Open our eyes

1 Corinthians 15:1–11 (ESV) —

1 Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand, 2 and by which you are being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you—unless you believed in vain.

3 For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, 4 that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures, 5 and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. 6 Then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have fallen asleep. 7 Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles. 8 Last of all, as to one untimely born, he appeared also to me. 9 For I am the least of the apostles, unworthy to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. 10 But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace toward me was not in vain. On the contrary, I worked harder than any of them, though it was not I, but the grace of God that is with me. 11 Whether then it was I or they, so we preach and so you believed.

 

NOTE: There is a lot of theology in this chapter, and a lot to comment about. The most difficult might be the phrase "… unless you believed in vain." Liddell translates the word, εἰκῇ, "without plan or purpose, at random …." In other words, without any true consideration of the claim. They called themselves Christians, but had seen no result in their lives. There are many in the church who are like that. They call themselves believers but there is no noticeable difference in their lives. They are somewhat like Pharisees, whitewashed tombs, clean on the outside, but dead on the inside.

 

This idea fits also with the present tense use of the phrase, "by which you are being saved." The word is the present tense of the Greek verb, sozo, meaning to save, the same phrase (word and tense) he used in 1 Cor 1:18. There are four verbs used in verse 1, the first two are in the aorist tense (past), one is in the perfect tense (a completed action), and the last "being saved" in the present tense. I believe there are three aspects to salvation. One, justification is what happens when we believe and is in the past and completed. Sanctification is the process of becoming like Christ. And glorification is when we will be like Christ. The word salvation is a common verb and does not always have to refer to eternal salvation in the bible. We used the word the same way in everyday speech when we say "we saved someone from blank" because of some action on our part. Let me be clear, we are eternally saved. But we are in the process of being saved from our old nature by the work of the Holy Spirit in our life. We will be saved from "sin" completely when we are raptured and given our new body.

 

 

PONDER:

1. Am I seeing any continual change in my life caused by my salvation?
2. If I am not seeing change, why?

 

PRAYER: Father, thank you for my salvation and my hope. I do see you bringing change in my life. I see you opening up my mind to your truth. I see love continuing to grow within me. I pray for body, there are so many going through the motions without any true change, religious people, fooled by emotion or a decision made without any thought or purpose. Open their eyes.