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God gives us the victory [over sin and death] through our Lord Jesus Christ, [so] alwaysgive yourselves fully to the work of the Lord (1 Cor. 15:57-58). How often has the weight of past mistakes robbed you of present joy? Maybe we don't want to call those mistakes sin, but once we realize there is a God who calls mistakes for what they really are, those sins feel even hea...
Keep ReadingTherefore, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord,for you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain (1 Corinthians 15:58). It can be rather hard to know exactly what to do with Easter. Christmas is so much easier: stars, manger, magi, shepherds, people we can relate to (Mary, Joseph) Santa, fir trees, presents, sleigh bells tingling, ches...
Keep ReadingSome skeptic is sure to ask, "Show me how resurrection works. Give me a diagram; draw me a picture. What does this 'resurrection body' look like?" If you look at this question closely, you realize how absurd it is. There are no diagrams for this kind of thing. We do have a parallel experience in gardening. You plant a "dead" seed; soon there is a flourishing plant.1 Corint...
Keep ReadingWhen you sow, you do not plant the body that will be, but just a seed, perhaps of wheat or of something else. But God gives it a body as he has determined, and to each kind of seed he gives its own body. There are also heavenly bodies and earthly bodies; but the splendor of the heavenly bodies is one kind, and the splendor of the earthly bodies is another. The sun has one ...
Keep ReadingSo will it be with the resurrection of the dead. The body that is sown is perishable, it is raised imperishable; it is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory; it is sown in weakness, it is raised in power; it is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body (1 Corinthians 15: 42-44). I love using metaphors. Metaphors are amazing springboards for helping us simplify ...
Keep ReadingBut someone will ask, "How are the dead raised? With what kind of body will they come?" How foolish! What you sow does not come to life unless it dies. (I Corinthians 15:35-36) Questions about the resurrection abounded in Paul's time just as much as it does today. People asked questions like, "How are the dead raised?" or "With what kind of body will they come?" I wonder ...
Keep ReadingSo it is written: "The first man Adam became a living being;"the last Adam, a life-giving spirit. (1 Corinthians 15:45). Welcome to this new week in our Hungry for a Savior series. This series is "parking" in just one chapter of the Bible, 1 Corinthians 15, settling into a different section week by week. This week we're focusing on verses 35 - 45. One of the goals of thi...
Keep ReadingIf all we get out of Christ is a little inspiration for a few short years, we're a pretty sorry lot.But the truth is that Christ has been raised up, the first in a long legacy of thosewho are going to leave the cemeteries (1 Corinthians 15:19,20 MSG). I don't fancy myself an innovator. I definitely lean toward "if it ain't broke, don't fix it," but I'm grateful for everyo...
Keep ReadingBut Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man. For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive. But each in turn: Christ, the firstfruits; then, when he comes, those who belong to him (1 Corinthians 15:20-23 NIV). Have y...
Keep ReadingFor since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man.For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive (1 Corinthians 15:21-22). In these weeks leading up to Easter, also known as Resurrection Sunday, we have been taking a "deep dive" into Paul's passionate plea to the Corinthian church to understand Jesus's death, burial, an...
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