Thinking back now over 40+ years of church ministry, I have so many warm memories and connections of others with whom I’ve been blessed to serve God together. Just today, as I write this, a former fellow staff member from many years ago called to chat briefly and ask a couple questions. Another wrote to me a few days ago to alert me to the announcement of a much older mutual staff associate in Dallas who had recently passed away.

In church ministry, it is inevitable to have both up and down times of serving with others. There are seasons of serving that are difficult, not only due to wrestling with occasional opposition, but the tasks are great. Seeing God supply and guide in a joint venture brings people together in ways that are valued over the course of an entire lifetime.

The Apostle Paul had similar relationships, and we often get fleeting glimpses of them in the final sentences of some of his letters. And in this final section of 1 Corinthians, we see that Paul has taken the pen at some point to finish the letter personally, having used an amanuensis (secretary) to write his dictated remarks.

Paul’s special young disciple was Timothy, who was on his way to be with the Corinthians. Knowing of his own somewhat difficult experience with this rough crowd and their “issues,” and knowing of Timothy’s more timid personality, he tells the readers to not treat the young man contemptuously.

Apparently the Corinthians had hoped for Apollos to return to them. And though Paul had encouraged this, it appears Apollos was not in any hurry to get there. He probably knew well of their “issues” also.

Paul also reflects warmly on an entire household of people there who had given so much for the growth of the church in Corinth. As well, he personally mentions some of the good men who had travelled to him with news from Greece and who would be returning home.

Greetings are sent from Aquila and Priscilla who had known the Corinthians earlier, yet now being in Asia with Paul and leading a church in their home.

Paul also sends greetings from other churches in Asia (modern day Turkey) where the gospel was spreading. It was the Apostle’s desire for all these scattered Christians to have a sense of the scope of gospel successes throughout the world, that all would be encouraged and strengthened by this knowledge. And that too remains a timeless truth. I love to hear of the growth of our missions-connected churches in Europe, Asia, and Africa.

Looking at the big picture of it all, ministry is complicated. It is difficult. It involves a lot of sinners working together. Thus, Paul again directs them toward an overarching attitude of love … verse 14 – “Do everything in love.”  Hey, that would make for a good theme verse for any church!

It really is a blessing to have each other to do life together, as we serve the One who in love has saved us from eternal destruction. We can never have too much of this perspective and this motivation for the most important things in life.

1 Corinthians 16:10 -When Timothy comes, see to it that he has nothing to fear while he is with you, for he is carrying on the work of the Lord, just as I am. 11 No one, then, should treat him with contempt. Send him on his way in peace so that he may return to me. I am expecting him along with the brothers.

12 Now about our brother Apollos: I strongly urged him to go to you with the brothers. He was quite unwilling to go now, but he will go when he has the opportunity.

13 Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be courageous; be strong. 14 Do everything in love.

15 You know that the household of Stephanas were the first converts in Achaia, and they have devoted themselves to the service of the Lord’s people. I urge you, brothers and sisters, 16 to submit to such people and to everyone who joins in the work and labors at it. 17 I was glad when Stephanas, Fortunatus and Achaicus arrived, because they have supplied what was lacking from you. 18 For they refreshed my spirit and yours also. Such men deserve recognition.

19 The churches in the province of Asia send you greetings. Aquila and Priscilla greet you warmly in the Lord, and so does the church that meets at their house. 20 All the brothers and sisters here send you greetings. Greet one another with a holy kiss.

21 I, Paul, write this greeting in my own hand.

22 If anyone does not love the Lord, let that person be cursed! Come, Lord!

23 The grace of the Lord Jesus be with you.

24 My love to all of you in Christ Jesus. Amen.

Christian people have wondered and speculated for years as to what we will look like and be like in eternity. What does the heavenly body appear as?  What apparent age are we in heaven?  Are we our stellar selves at age 22 with full health, dark hair, and doggone good looks?  Or are we our 70-year-old selves with clogged arteries, artificial joints, and white hair under the halo (if any hair at all?).  Or what about that dear little nephew who died as a child … does he get an adult type of heavenly body, or is he a child for eternity?

Paul would pretty much say that these are stupid questions and ponderings. We can’t know it, and even if we did see it, we probably couldn’t describe something so totally “other.”

What we can do is trust a faithful God. And among things we can know is that it will be awesome. It will not be a body that is subject to the physical ravages we daily face in this perishable world. Among terms used in today’s passage, the heavenly body will be glorious, imperishable, immortal, victorious, bearing the image of Christ.

God has been giving bodies to things for a long time. He’s good at this. Consider the heavenly bodies of varied sorts, as well as the animals, fish and birds. And we again see here also the illustration of a seed that dies in the ground, only to become something so much more magnificent.

Think about different seeds. You look at them – so many varied shapes and sizes – and then see what they become. Consider the diverse seeds for beans, watermelon, corn, wheat, and maple trees. If you knew nothing at all about seeds, you’d never pick out the maple seed as the one to grow into a giant tree. That is amazing. But even the fruit plants that come from larger seeds are quite incredible relative to the size and plain nature of the seed from which they grew.

So likewise, the heavenly body can be counted upon to be an amazing creation of a faithful God. And this truth should lead us toward a great sense of hope, anticipation and comfort. A final day of victory will come (God’s trumpet sound) and those alive will join with those gone before to this final inheritance that includes an eternal and imperishable heavenly body.

This is the ultimate and final victory that should motivate us to have confidence that our earthly labors for the kingdom of God are not futile (vs. 58). Therefore my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain. The Greek word for “stand firm” has the idea of not being moved off your feet by whatever comes at you. The next verb – “let nothing move you” – is the only time this word in used in the New Testament, and it has the idea of not letting yourself be picked up and put in another place. What a great encouragement!  I know I need large doses of this on a regular basis. It is all worth it to remain faithful to the end.

1 Corinthians 15:35 – But someone will ask, “How are the dead raised? With what kind of body will they come?” 36 How foolish! What you sow does not come to life unless it dies. 37 When you sow, you do not plant the body that will be, but just a seed, perhaps of wheat or of something else. 38 But God gives it a body as he has determined, and to each kind of seed he gives its own body. 39 Not all flesh is the same: People have one kind of flesh, animals have another, birds another and fish another. 40 There are also heavenly bodies and there are earthly bodies; but the splendor of the heavenly bodies is one kind, and the splendor of the earthly bodies is another. 41 The sun has one kind of splendor, the moon another and the stars another; and star differs from star in splendor.

15:42 – So will it be with the resurrection of the dead. The body that is sown is perishable, it is raised imperishable; 43 it is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory; it is sown in weakness, it is raised in power; 44 it is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body.

If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual body. 45 So it is written: “The first man Adam became a living being”; the last Adam, a life-giving spirit. 46 The spiritual did not come first, but the natural, and after that the spiritual. 47 The first man was of the dust of the earth; the second man is of heaven. 48 As was the earthly man, so are those who are of the earth; and as is the heavenly man, so also are those who are of heaven. 49 And just as we have borne the image of the earthly man, so shall we bear the image of the heavenly man.

15:50 – I declare to you, brothers and sisters, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable. 51 Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed— 52 in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. 53 For the perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality. 54 When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true: “Death has been swallowed up in victory.”[from Isaiah 25:8]

15:55 – “Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?”  15:56 – The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. 57 But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

15:58 – Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.

I have in recent times come into casual association and communication with some who are agnostic at best, if not outright atheistic. The latter term seems a bit strong for them, as they prefer the former – a word that comes the root “gnosis” … Greek for knowledge. And that is what they cling to so strongly. Knowledge, especially that of science – stuff that is verifiable in calculable ways.

Therefore, faith hits these folks as rather silly and antiquated. While respecting the virtuous principles of the Christian faith – stuff like love and service – they simply cannot imagine that it has more reality than being mere “story.”  But it’s a nice story, just don’t tell them that it is the only story or the true, overarching reality. And certainly not something that they should feel accountable to!

They therefore think the entire account of the resurrection of Jesus is … well … more story to add to the alleged tale (perhaps historically true) of the life of a great teacher in Israel. But if it could somehow be proven true to them that he did rise from the dead, and if this could be scientifically validated, that could be a game changer for them … though they know that’s not going to happen. Scriptural accounts are, well, just more story.

Add to this the notion that mankind is nothing more than the biological end product of an evolutionary process devoid of any divine initiative. Since there is no historical Adam who fell into sin and brought a curse of judgment upon the pinnacle of God’s creation, there is no spiritual problem needing a spiritual solution. If one is not lost, one does not need to be found.

But in these verses today in 1 Corinthians 15, Paul makes it clear that mankind is lost, dating back to the action of one man. A principle of death is upon all, and everyone proves this truth, sooner or later. But just as one person brought the problem upon mankind, one person brings the solution.

If anyone denies the resurrection of Jesus, everything is lost. There is no victory of life over death. We are all doomed. All we can hope for is to live a better life by exalting virtuous things, because there is nothing else.

Beyond that, those who give themselves in special ways and extra commitment to the proclamation of such eternal life truths is really something of a jerk. You know, someone like me, for example … or from the text – Paul, and his associates. I recently said to one of these naturalist-based, science-ensconced agnostics, “You must really think I am a total fool to waste my life centered around the faith of the Christian Scriptures.”  His response was that, no, he did not think that way; and that my promotion of ideals of love and service was commendable. He just did not like the objective truth assertions about right/wrong, life/death, etc.

In other words, he was saying that telling stories that are nice about a virtuous person and story that are nice is a nice thing to do.  Did you get that?  Yep, pity the fool that lives this way.

Our faith does involve faith, that’s why it’s called “faith.”  But it is a reasonable faith and hope. The evidence in strong that a historical figure named Jesus indeed did rise from the dead. And put together with the inspired writings of multiple people over many centuries, it all ties together as the true, big story that makes sense of everything else – past, present and future.

He is risen! He is risen indeed!

1 Corinthians 15:12 – But if it is preached that Christ has been raised from the dead, how can some of you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? 13 If there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised. 14 And if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith. 15 More than that, we are then found to be false witnesses about God, for we have testified about God that he raised Christ from the dead. But he did not raise him if in fact the dead are not raised. 16 For if the dead are not raised, then Christ has not been raised either. 17 And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins. 18 Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ are lost. 19 If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are of all people most to be pitied.

15:20 – But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. 21 For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man. 22 For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive. 23 But each in turn: Christ, the firstfruits; then, when he comes, those who belong to him. 24 Then the end will come, when he hands over the kingdom to God the Father after he has destroyed all dominion, authority and power. 25 For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. 26 The last enemy to be destroyed is death. 27 For he “has put everything under his feet.” [from Ps. 8:6] Now when it says that “everything” has been put under him, it is clear that this does not include God himself, who put everything under Christ. 28 When he has done this, then the Son himself will be made subject to him who put everything under him, so that God may be all in all.

15:29 – Now if there is no resurrection, what will those do who are baptized for the dead? If the dead are not raised at all, why are people baptized for them? 30 And as for us, why do we endanger ourselves every hour? 31 I face death every day—yes, just as surely as I boast about you in Christ Jesus our Lord. 32 If I fought wild beasts in Ephesus with no more than human hopes, what have I gained? If the dead are not raised, “Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die.” [from Isaiah 22:13]

15:33 – Do not be misled: “Bad company corrupts good character.” [from the Greek poet Menander] 34 Come back to your senses as you ought, and stop sinning; for there are some who are ignorant of God—I say this to your shame.

Quickly, just a bit extra on verse 29 – the idea of baptism for the dead. Paul is not saying that this is a pattern to be followed or something to do. Rather, it was something that happened in the rituals of other religions in the Corinth area. Paul is saying that even those folks believe in resurrection, though they’re messed up in what they think.

And Paul concludes to disassociate from those who deny this central truth of Jesus as the resurrection and the life. That’s bad company, to quote a well-known Greek writer.

There have been more than a few situations in my life involving organizations that I have been a part of as either a member or leader where I’ve found myself swimming in a sea of details while realizing that the big picture had been either forgotten or disregarded. In sports, conflicts arise about who gets the most playing time, while simultaneously it seemed to be forgotten that the goal was to win, not just compete. Likewise in politics, it drove me crazy that the party spent so much time on internal posturing and authority structures, that strategizing to advance the philosophical agenda by electoral success could not find sufficient focus to make this possible. And yes, things like this can happen in churches – where squabbles about lesser matters can become a vortex into which energies and passions would flow, rather than the advancement of the gospel.

By the time we now get to the 15^th chapter and near to the end of Paul’s first letter, I believe he is feeling like I’ve written just above. Whereas matters like preferred teachers, spiritual gifts, marriage, holy living, and roles within the church body are not without significance, there was something of greater magnitude to emphasize. Paul calls this focal point – the gospel message – “as of first importance.”  He’s saying to them, “Let me remind you to not lose emphasis upon that which is of the greatest significance, that being the message of Jesus and what he has done.”

This 11-verse introduction leads into the best discussion in the Scriptures about the importance and centrality of not just the substitutionary death of Christ, but equally so of the resurrection. We are lost without either. The gospel is incomplete without both. The death is the payment; the resurrection is the receipt that provides proof and validation.

And beyond this theme introduction of these 11 verses we read today, we see in verse 12 the reference to Corinth that there were some there who were apparently preaching that Christ had not literally and physically raised from the dead. This fatal error had to be addressed. Again, these two elements are the big idea, the core of the middle of the center of it all.

The eyewitness list of those who could affirm that Jesus was seen alive after the burial (the proof he had died) is very impressive indeed. If it was just Peter and “the Twelve” (that’s a title for the disciples, actually 11 since Judas was now gone), one could speculate that they made up the story. But there were many more, even 500 who saw him at the same time (presumably in Galilee). There were many others, many of whom were yet alive years later.

As well, though Paul does not take the time to give quotations, he references that all of this is not merely the stuff of experience … something totally unexpected and beyond explanation. No, this complete work of Christ was anticipated by various Scriptural passages (Isaiah 53, Psalm 16, etc.). This was God’s plan.

Again, we also see here of Paul’s profound gratitude and amazement at the magnanimous grace for which he had been a recipient. He wasn’t looking for Christ, but Christ found him and brought him into faith and truth and service. After making the list of all those who knew the gospel before he himself encountered Christ on the road to Damascus, it was humbling to think that he had not only been included but had also been charged with the great work of apostleship. He was, indeed, the last person who would be expected to have this great blessing and honor.

In any event, he concludes, it is all of God – be it he or others who hold to the gospel; and that content is the main idea that should never be forgotten. Even the opportunity to work hard, such as Paul had, was a gift from God. It is all from God.

1 Corinthians 15:1 – Now, brothers and sisters, I want to remind you of the gospel I preached to you, which you received and on which you have taken your stand. 2 By this gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you. Otherwise, you have believed in vain.

15:3 – For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, 4 that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, 5 and that he appeared to Cephas, and then to the Twelve. 6 After that, he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers and sisters at the same time, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep. 7 Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles, 8 and last of all he appeared to me also, as to one abnormally born.

15:9 – For I am the least of the apostles and do not even deserve 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 to me was not without effect. No, I worked harder than all of them—yet not I, but the grace of God that was with me. 11 Whether, then, it is I or they, this is what we preach, and this is what you believed.