1 Corinthians chapter 15

I am not well

vs 49

It's written in such an obscure way because of the illustration Paul is using, but it's an incredible truth that, just as we are sinful dregs of humanity now, as depressing and inescapable as that is, we are going to be so newly created that we will become the sons of God and co-heirs with Christ in eternal glory and imperishable bodies.

vs 50

There is, then, a necessity for our resurrection, because our perishable bodies cannot inherit the fruits of God's eternal kingdom.

vs 51

Yes, this is a great mystery. So great that even now we still don't really understand it! Scholarship regarding eschatology and particularly rapture-type stuff is very exciting but also very changeable. It is very hard from what the Bible tells us to know exactly what to expect.

What we can tell, from this verse, is that we will all be changed, and that there will be some to whom it happens without first dying.

vs 52

We must assume Paul is talking as if it is going to happen right then, but for the sake of understanding what will happen when it does happen. At the last trumpet, (something to do with the end of days) not only will there be a resurrection of the dead, but those alive and in Christ will be transformed.

vs 53

If we haven't died at the time, then we can't be resurrected, so God has a plan, which is to clothe us in our immortality, as quick as a flash according to Paul. Of course, everyone who is being resurrected will be clothed in the same way too.

vs 54

The final resurrection is necessary for the victory over death. Remember, death is an enemy of God. So its defeat is great news in the Kingdom.

vs 55

Thanks to God and his work in Christ, death is only a temporary state for us, a sleeping. It has no final power over us. There are some arguments about what kind of death Paul is talking about here, and some say that death is a part of God's creation, but that the second death of separation from him is not. I'll let someone who understands that belief describe it better.

vs 56

It seems an odd place for the Law to come in, but here it is. That which kills us, the sting of death, is sin. Sin is deadly. It needs a warning label. And sin is so powerful because of the Law. God's law inevitably means transgressions against that law, and so we get punished, or stung.

vs 57

But because of Christ, that's not the end of it. We have a victory over the enemy of death. We may very well succumb to it during this life, but we are still on the winning team.

vs 58

It's the one labour that isn't in vain, eventually. Our victory in God and in Christ should mean that we can stand firm against temptation, against evil that is done against us, and against doubt. Sometimes I wonder if we understand our victory enough.