1:18-25
Background: (BKC) Fundamentally the Corinthians needed a renewal of their minds (Rom. 12:2). They were trying to live their Christian lives on the basis of unsanctified common sense which has self-preservation as its ultimate goal. This kind of life is self-seeking, self-serving, and ultimately self-destructive (Luke 9:24–25).
1. Different kinds of peoples:
Those who are perishing vs those who are saved.
The wise, the intelligent, the expert in the Mosaic Law, the debater of this age, (Jews), Greeks, the Gentiles vs those who believe by the foolishness of preaching, those who are called
2. Repeated words:
i. wise: God will destroy v.19, God has made the wisdom of the world foolish v.20, the world by its wisdom did not know God v.21, the Greek asks for wisdom v.22,
ii. foolish: the cross to the perishing v.18, the preaching that made one believe v.21, a crucified Christ to the Gentiles v.23.
iii. v.25 For the foolishness of God is wiser than human wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than human strength
Summary and reflection:
(1) the wisdom of the world is generally accepted by many, but not by God. If we insist in the worldly value, there is no way to know God. People not just appreciate wisdom, but seeks wisdom, but that is not the thing the called person seeks. We seeks the opposite.
(2) It is ok for other to see the Cross as foolish, for they will be the one perishing. The power of God is demonstrated in the Cross for it saves. It is ok for the other to think our preaching is foolish, but it made one believes.
(3) Twice, the text tells us clearly how God see the worldly wisdom. It is foolish and it has no value. (God made the wisdom of the world foolish v.20, the foolishness of God is wiser than human wisdom v.25a).
1:26-30
1. Repeated pattern: God chose...to shame...God chose...the shame...God hose...to set aside...
2. focus: so that no one can boast...let the one who boasts boast in the Lord.
BKC (God) chose the ordinary rather than the outstanding in order that no one may boast before Him (v. 29) but only in the Lord
BECNT The Corinthians can boast only in what God has accomplished among them. All other boasting based on comparing themselves favorably to others uses sham, mortal criteria.
Summary and reflection: God did not chose the wise, but the foolish because He put us into a relationship with Christ Jesus, who became our wisdom (and our righteousness, sanctification, and redemption). God did not want us to boast, except through in what God has given us, Christ Jesus. Why? God did not want us to boast about thing that has no value. He has wisdom, and He can give us wisdom and more. We boast in our wisdom because we think we are unique in possessing wisdom. We feel inferior when we possess something not everyone has. But, in fact, we all wisdom when we have Christ. There is no place for boasting, especially among Christians. Do I boast among b/s?
13:1-7
1. The importance of love in the church over gifts
It is a way that is beyond comparison 12:31, and the way to solve the problem of Corinthian church
(BKC) Though Paul greatly valued spiritual gifts, he valued even more a quality of life which the Spirit produced...This was more important than the gifts, and when displayed it would help correct the Corinthian aberrations (deviation from what is normal)which surrounded their possession and use of God’s gifts (cf. 1 Cor. 14:1).
2. The "I" section v.1-3
The pattern,
"If I speak...and I do not have love, I am a noisy gong or clanging cymbal."
"If I have...and I know all..and all.., and if I have all the faith so that I can remove mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing."
"If I give away all...and if I giver over my body so that I might boast, but do not have love, I receive no benefit."
Summary and reflection: (1) love is more important than gifts, bc when you have the gifts, but no love, no good can be done to the church. Therefore, our manner to ministry or our lives are more important in our serving. (2) On top of the greater gifts (prophecy), even when one possesses a great faith and a self-sacrificing heart, without love, one cannot help the church. Having those gifts, faith, and a self-sacrificing heart are good, but they cannot be good in an absolute sense. People claim to be self-sacrifice, but not bringing good to the church should not be excused. (3) The self-sacrificing heart has a potential danger: boasting, which is the opposite of love. Do I ever boast in my self-sacrifice?
3. The "love is... is not..." section v.4-7
BKC Paul shifted from the first person to the third person and replaced himself with a personification of love
a. Paul described love as doing some actions, but will refrain from other actions as a boundary to that actions e.g. Love is not glad about injustice, but rejoices in the truth v.6. In other words, love enables us to do some actions, and love chooses to do some, but not another. v.4-6
Love is patient, love is kind,
BKC Patience (makrothymia) is the capacity to be wronged and not retaliate. The Corinthian church had many members who had been wronged (e.g., in lawsuits [1 Cor. 6:8] and the poor at communal meals [11:21–22]). The response of love to these wrongs would be a display of kindness and goodness.
it is not envious. Love does not brag, it is not puffed up
BKC Envy and boasting seemed to abound as two poles of the same problem (e.g., divisions [1:10; 3:3, 21]; gifts [12:14–25]). The Corinthians had no monopoly on pride though they seemed to. The verb physioō occurs only seven times in the New Testament, six of which are found in this letter (cf. 4:6, 18–19; 5:2; 8:1).
It is not rude, it is not self-serving, it is not easily angered or resentful.
BKC Rudeness found expression in the problem of women in worship (11:2–16), the disorders at the Lord’s Supper (11:17–22), and the general organization of worship (14:26–33).
Self-satisfaction was a pervasive disorder particularly manifested in the eating of food sacrificed to idols (8:9; 10:23–24).
People who are not easily angered usually do not start lawsuits (as in 6:1–11). Love does not record wrongs, though there was ample opportunity for doing so in Corinth (e.g., 6:8; 7:5; 8:11).
6 It is not glad about injustice, (e.g., incest [5:1–2, 8]) but rejoices in the truth.(5:8)
b. On the other hands, love enables believers to do something at all times/to all objects v.7 ("all)."
7 It bears all things 8:13, believes all things 15:11, hopes all things 9:10, 23, endures all things 9:19–22.
(BECNT)
bears all things
believes all things
hopes all things
endures all things
The two verbs in the center, “believes” and “hopes,” are joined with love in 13:13 to form the abiding triad. Love never loses faith and never loses hope. Hope can refer to the Christian hope in the eternal blessings of the future resurrection (15:19) and is sometimes equivalent to trust in God’s care and protection (2 Cor. 1:10). Paul also uses it as an expression of confidence in others (2 Cor. 1:7)
The verbs at the beginning and the end of this ring construction are nearly synonymous. “Bears all things” (πάντα στέγει, panta stegei) means that love puts up with anything (Oster 1995: 319)...“Endures all things” (πάντα ὑπομένει, panta hypomenei) refers to love’s ability to hold out during trouble and affliction (cf. 2 Cor. 6:4; 12:12; 2 Tim. 2:10).
13:8-13
1. Words with similar meaning in v.8: ends, be set aside, cease, I set aside...,
ends= BDAG of someth. that, until recently, has been standing (upright) fall (down), fall to pieces...Fig. become invalid, come to an end, fail
Be set aside (fut, passive) v.8b, c,10; set aside (perfect active) v.11=BDAG to cause someth. to come to an end or to be no longer in existence, abolish, wipe out, set aside...cease, pass away
cease (fut, middle)=BDAG Of speaking in tongues, which will come to an end
Paul started with the comparison between love and other gifts. Whether it is the gifts they admired (tongues) or the bigger gift (prophecy), or other gift (knowledge) they will either passively come to an end or it will just end (by itself?).
Reflection: In the previously section v.1-7, Paul has already outlined the superiority of love over gifts, but here, Paul used the nature of the gifts or how God set up the gifts to support his point. Do I see the transient nature of things as a way God is telling me of the less importance? How shall I put more focus on love than gifts or other ore transient things?
2. In v.9-12, Paul elaborated the "coming to an end" (no more comparison with love until v.13).
repeated words: what is ‘in part’ = imperfect vs. 10. (BDAG)
9 For we know in part, and we prophesy in part, 10 but when what is perfect comes, the partial will be set aside.
The gifts are not only temporary, but also imperfect.
2a. The imperfect is illustrated by 2 analogies in v.11, 12
v.11 The imperfect gifts will be despised and people will voluntarily give them up
It is imperfect in a sense that we will actively chose to set it aside when the time comes v.11. Just as the the adult will look down the childish taking, thinking and reasoning, at that times we will consider the gifts in the same manner. The better has come.
v.12 seeing in a mirror
BDAG In the context of mirror imagery ἀ. signifies indirect image, and ἐν αἰνίγματι functions as an idiom meaning indirectly. βλέπομεν διʼ ἐσόπτρου ἐν αἰνίγματι then gives the sense we see by reflection as in a mirror with emphasis on anticipation of direct personal encounter (cp. Num 12:8 of direct as opp. to oblique communication; Plut., Mor. 382a αἴ. τοῦ θείου refers to inanimate or incorporeal things such as numerals as ‘mirrors’ or ‘models’ for understanding divine matters. Cp. Mor. 12d of Pythagorean maxims, which communicate αἰνίγμασιν=speak in circumlocutions, i.e. ‘ambiguously’ or with ‘double sense
NET Indeed, in 2 Cor 3:13–18 Paul had recourse with the Corinthians to contrast Moses’ ministry under the old covenant with the hope afforded through apostolic ministry and the new covenant. Further, it is in this context, specifically in 2 Cor 3:18, that the apostle invokes the use of the mirror analogy again in order to unfold the nature of the Christian’s progressive transformation by the Spirit.
3. When the time comes...
see face to face
know fully, just as I have been fully known: BDAG with the prep. making its influence felt, know exactly, completely, through and through τὶ someth.
been fully known (pass) also in 2 Cor 6:9, where in that context (vv. 8–10), Paul spoke of conflicting responses to his ministry (vv. 8–9a). Paul said he was unknown perhaps in the sense of people not acknowledging him or his ministry. But he was known by God (2 Tim. 2:19). (BKC). Being fully known=being acknowledged by God.
2,3 Summary and reflection: Tongues/prophecy/knowledge gave us some knowledge about God, but only indirectly. People at Paul's time should have an urge to know more or more directly know God. In 2 Cor, Paul described his ministry of Spirit, which will transform Christian progressively. Does it mean that the wait is over? The Spirit's ministry is the direct knowledge of God. Plus, the phrase, being fully known, does not require the future eschatological fulfillment, it was used by Paul in 2 Cor 6:9 to describe his own ministry.
I assumed now we have the "perfect comes," the opportunity to "see face to face," and "know fully." With all these knowing, should we minister in the church and help the growth of the church better than the believers during the time period of the writing of 1 Corinthian? What shall we do with the knowledge, the direct ministry of the Spirit in transforming us in our sanctification?
4. Coming back to the comparison btw love and gifts: Love remains and love is the greatest among permanent things.
BDAG Paul singles out from the triad the one quality that interests him most in this connection, just as Ael. Aristid. 45, 16 K. by means of αὐτός at the end of the θεοί singles out Sarapis, the only one that affects him)
BKC Faith is an expression of love..., as is hope (cf. Gal. 5:5–6)
15:12-19
Ob and In:
1. Repeated phrases v.13-14, 16-17
But if there is no resurrection of the dead,
then not even Christ has been raised. (And if Christ has not been raised),
then our preaching is futile and
your faith is empty (your faith is useless);
you are still in your sins
futile/empty/useless=BDAG pert. to being devoid of intellectual, moral, or spiritual value, empty...of things: without content, without any basis, without truth, without power
v.15 false witness, which means Paul testified against God had done something which in reality He did not.
Summary and reflection: First the message was empty, with no spiritual value or power, then those who believe based on this message is without based and will not be saved from sin. Also, the preacher are lairs who are against God. Those are the logical results of the false teaching and those are serious charges.
a. Our faith is based on the preaching of the 1st generation preacher (the apostles) and of their eye witnesses. b. Our faith itself does not save us, but the faith that based on the truth will. The truthfulness of the apostles is the key, namely, are they obeying God and telling the truth. The truth matters. We do not hypnotized ourselves in my spiritual lives. Our believes are based on truth. c. Therefore the NT or the eye-witness of the apostles are the pillars of our faith. How much attention do I pay to them?
2. The Corinthians who preached the false teaching might not have thought about the implications. Therefore, Paul warned them of the seriousness of it.
a. you are still in your sins
BKC The Resurrection was God’s validation that the redemption paid by Christ on the cross was accepted (Rom. 4:25). Without the Resurrection there could be no certainty of atonement and the Corinthians would remain in a state of alienation and sin.
b. those who have fallen asleep in Christ have also perished
c. only in this life we have hope in Christ, we should be pitied more than anyone.
BKC if there were no Resurrection, the pagans would be right. The “foolishness of the Cross” (1:18) would be just that, and men such as Paul and the apostles who had suffered for the gospel (4:9–13) could only be pitied. Those who lived for the pleasure of the moment would be right and the sacrifices of Christians would only be cruel, self-inflicted jokes (cf. 15:32).
Summary and Reflection: Not only the apostles are the pillars of our faith. Resurrection is the key of our faith. Thank God that Jesus was resurrected and the redemption was validated. Our sins are for sure being forgiven and we will not be perished. Believers who died are not perished, but with Jesus. The sufferings of the apostles and our sufferings are not invalid. We do not live for this live or the pleasure of the moment. Resurrection gives us the right perspective to life.
15:20-26
1. Our resurrection was for sure because we followed the pattern of Christ v.20-22. The question is, do I belong to Christ or "of Christ?" It is not whether I am mature or not, smart or not, healthy or not. Once I belong to Christ, I will be resurrected. Thank God for His grace!
2. Resurrections are in order. We need to wait. But as #1 said, we wait with confident.
3. "the end" or the completion is the period of time starts with the reigning of Christ, which is the repeated topic in the last 5 verses. His reign was superior because God has put all His enemies under His feet v.25, they will be in subjection under Him v.27. The word, "all" appears in v.25, 27, 28 x4. Then this section comes to a surprising turn as the end: then the Son himself will be subjected to the one who subjected everything to him, so that God may be all in all.
Summary and reflection: To us, resurrection, or the end of death is our concern. To God, that is not it. (1) The reigning and authority under a "Man"; (2) God has the glory over all things bring the completion to the world. How shall my life reflect on these truth? How shall I give the authority of my life, my mouth, my mind under the subjection of Christ? If Jesus has the authority over me, what does it look like? Do I give glory to God? Do I recognize that He holds the position of the highest rulership? The end is not a "if" to me. God will rule and be glorified.
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