O Death, Where Is Your Victory?

1 Corinthians 15:55-57–"'O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?' The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law.  But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ."

Amen! Praise be to God the Father of our Lord Jesus who saves us from sin and death!  Amen!

(I have little more to add to this passage today)

1 Corinthians 1:18–What Is The Power of Cross

1 Corinthians 1:18–"For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God."

Before I came to Christ I had this same perspective about the cross.  It was maybe nothing more than superstitious foolishness.  But after I encountered Christ everything changed.  The reality of this verse was brought to bear upon my life and the power of God was transfused into me through the hearing of the Gospel.  I cannot now deny, though, that the cross truly is the power of God.  It speaks of His greatness, His creativity, His mercy, His justice, and, ultimately, His amazing power.

O the wonderful cross!

1 Corinthians 1:10–An Exhortation to Unity

1 Corinthians 1:10–"I appeal to you, brothers, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be united in the same mind and the same judgment."

This is such a nice and comforting verse until we actually have to work for it.  It is far easier to be unified when everyone is in agreement.  But it is another thing altogether to be in unity of mind and judgment when you do disagree or when there are differences in opinion.  And despite our best efforts and intentions, disagreements do happen and when they do we need to handle them with love, gentleness, and respect.

In no way is this verse asking us not to have conflict (which would be an impossible thing to ask) but this verse is asking us to be joined in mind and united in agreement even amidst the friction. Ultimately, we need to remember throughout this whose name it is that rests upon us and in whose name we are united: our Lord Christ Jesus.  Let us always keep this necessary piece before us, remembering that it is in Christ that we are joined in unity.

1 Corinthians 10:13–Escaping Sin's Temptations

1 Corinthians 10:13–"No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man.  God is faithful, and He will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation He will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it."

At the onset two observations must be made.  First off, we should remember the beginning of this verse that there are no unique or new temptations.  We should, then, not spend too much effort focusing on the nature of our temptations, and we certainly should not allow ourselves to fall prey to the lie that no one else can "know what we're going through."  In truth, this sort of isolation will only end in our demise and the temptation's victory.

The second observation to be made about this verse is a simple, three-word phrase: God is faithful.  So much can be solved if we would only remember the reality of this statement.  If we would only place this at the centre of our lives we may find that it is true and provable not merely as a theological assertion but, much more so, it would proven true in our very own lives.

In addition to these, it would be lacking for me not to also point out one too-oft overlooked truth: temptation is not the same as sin.  Just because we are tempted should not dissuade our certainty about Christ's grace or God's justice.  There is purpose in temptation, namely that through temptation our righteousness, which is found solely in Christ, will be refined and made more sure.  The point is not that we are tempted but how we will handle those temptations when they arise.

But through all this, let us remember this:

God is faithful.

Amen.

1 Cor. 15:17-19–If Christ Has Not Been Raised

1 Corinthians 15:17-19–"And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins.  Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished.  In in Christ we have hope in this life only, we are of all people most to be pitied."

Christianity is based supremely upon Christ's resurrection.  And when we speak of His resurrection, we do not mean His resurrection in a spiritual sense but His bodily, historical resurrection.  It is thus of extreme importance that we would always remember that our faith is based on the reality of Christ's resurrection, and our assuredness arises out of the event's historical veracity.  This is why Paul can speak so candidly about the necessity of Christ's resurrection being a real, historic event.  For if Christ has not raised from the dead then we are hopeless but, even more than that, we are the most to be pitied!

But praise be to God who raised His Son from the grave, saving us from our sin!

1 Corinthians 10:13–A Bit About Temptation

1 Corinthians 10:13–"No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man.  God is faithful, and He will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation He will also provide a way of escape, that you may be able to endure it."

There seems to be not a day that passes without some temptation that attempts to pull us away from the righteous, the good, and the godly.  Fortunately, that is precisely what this verse is about.  In it Paul gives us a certain hope for the trials of temptation, that we would find confidence in the fact that God will preserve us amidst temptation.  This is a good and awesome thing.  We should praise God for this truth and let it build a confidence within us that even though we may be tempted, we need not shrink or cower.  We can face temptation with the certain knowledge that God is securing our safe perseverance whilst we face temptation.  In response to this, I can only say this:

Praise be to God!

1 Corinthians 15:56-57–A Matter of Victory

1 Corinthians 15:56-57–"The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law.  But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord, Jesus Christ."

As a competitive person, victory has a certain and specific connotation.  It means, among many things, decisively besting an opponent.  In reference to our victory in Christ, the opponent is sin and its result death.  But in this, we can be sure that our triumph is conclusive.  Part and parcel to our salvation is, in fact, this reality that sin has be conquered and death no longer has any power.

This is a great and liberating truth.  No longer must we fear death as we are no longer held under the power of sin as it has been eradicated through Christ's death and resurrection.

Praise be to God for this glory!

AMEN!

1 Corinthians 2:14–The Natural Man

1 Corinthians 2:14–"The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to Him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned."

This is one of those verses that strikes at my heart.  In my life, I often get into conversations about faith and God.  It is at these times, when engaging in dialogue about the Divine, that this verse is brought to bear upon life in a very real way.  During these times of conversation, there is no amount of defense or rationality that will or even can convince someone the truth.

If, however, we remember the truth of this verse, we can avoid the consternation we might feel when the unspiritual man is struggling to understand.  In truth, as this verse conveys, the natural man will be unable to understand the things of God, because, quite frankly, he does not have eyes to see or ears to hear.

Our evangelistic tactic, then, is not necessarily to convince the unbeliever about God as much as it is to pray for them that God would transform their hearts so that they would be able to understand the things of God.  Let us then remember that this is the way it is and we need to respond in faith appropriately.

1 Cor. 6:19-20–Glorify God in Your Body

1 Corinthians 6:19-20: "Or do you know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price.  So glorify God in your body."

When we give ourselves to Christ, a major part of the ordeal is that we are given renewed vision to see life as it is and to understand who we are in Him.  This means, among many things, that we began see that our bodies as a place of praise, a site for worship that we take with us wherever we may go.  In other words, our bodies are temples for God and we are commanded here in 1 Corinthians to remember this truth and to live lives that reflect this recognition.  Let us then always keep this truth before us as we strive to live glorifying God with every pore in our bodies!