Christ Our Hope In Life And Death
God’s grace to you in Christ Jesus our Lord!
In our text today Paul continues to make his case to the Christians in Corinth, some of whom are teaching and believing that there is no resurrection from the dead for Christians. He has shown that everything he has taught from the Gospel becomes pointless if Christ was not raised and if those who belong to Him will not also be raised.
Here is today’s text, Why are we in danger every hour? I face death every day, as surely as I may boast about you, brothers and sisters, in Christ Jesus our Lord. If I fought wild beasts in Ephesus as a mere man, what good did that do me? If the dead are not raised, Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die. Do not be deceived: “Bad company corrupts good morals.” Come to your senses and stop sinning; for some people are ignorant about God. I say this to your shame. 1 Corinthians 15:30-34
Paul asks the question “Why?” Why would anyone endure what he has experienced for the sake of the Gospel if it is not true? Paul is affirming his life has been hard and dangerous because he preached the Gospel against so much opposition. Now he continues by asking: what could he possibly stand to gain in human terms? Preaching the Gospel does not bring him wealth or pleasure or status. Instead, it led him to fighting with beasts in Ephesus.
It's unclear exactly what this phrase means. It evokes imagery of Christians being torn apart by the lions in Roman spectacles. Scholars suggest, though, that it's unlikely Paul fought actual beasts in Ephesus. In a world without high-powered rifles, “fighting beasts” was significantly more dangerous than it is today. Paul seems to be using this as a metaphor for facing overwhelming and dangerous circumstances, perhaps including being attacked by angry mobs.
Christians did face wild beasts during times of heightened persecution. One such time was during the reign of emperor Nero. Nero is very likely the emperor who sentenced Paul to death because he preached the Gospel, but this came later in Paul’s life than the words of our text.
Here is what is recorded concerning Nero’s persecution of Christians. From Foxes Book of Martyrs, This dreadful conflagration continued nine days; when Nero, finding that his conduct was greatly blamed, and a severe odium cast upon him, determined to lay the whole upon the Christians, at once to excuse himself, and have an opportunity of glutting his sight with new cruelties. This was the occasion of the first persecution; and the barbarities exercised on the Christians were such as even excited the commiseration of the Romans themselves. Nero even refined upon cruelty, and contrived all manner of punishments for the Christians that the most infernal imagination could design. In particular, he had some sewed up in skins of wild beasts, and then worried by dogs until they expired; and others dressed in shirts made stiff with wax, fixed to axletrees, and set on fire in his gardens, in order to illuminate them. This persecution was general throughout the whole Roman Empire; but it rather increased than diminished the spirit of Christianity. In the course of it, St. Paul and St. Peter were martyred.
Paul’s point is that without the hope of resurrection for himself and those he preaches to, Paul assures his readers he would not continue to do what he is doing. Instead, he would live like those philosophers of his day known as the Epicureans, who attempted to live life to the fullest since they were convinced nothing came after. He quotes from Isaiah 22:13 to capture that spirit, “Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die.”
It is extremely sad that there are so many today who live with this philosophy of life. “Grab life by the horns” or “Go for the gusto,” because there is nothing beyond the life we are experiencing now. Well, I am sorry, but if this life is as good as it gets then we have one sorrowful, pitiful existence. What do we actually have? We are born and struggle through childhood illnesses, accidents, and tragedies. We grow up, fall in love, marry, and have a family. Great! Then we experience the hardships of this world without our parents to lean upon. If we are lucky and escape the trials so many face such as terminal diseases, life ending accidents, the premature death of family and friends, we get to look forward to returning to the state of childhood where we must be care for by others for everything from being fed to changing our diaper! Then when things could not get any worse, we die! The End!
What a pitiful existence if this is all we have to look forward to! Paul’s point to his readers then and now is that our existence is not limited to what we experience in this fallen world. God as redeemed us through the blood of Christ, and we have been granted the blessing of eternal life. When the trials of this life are ended, there is more to come. It is because of this that Paul does not live for simple pleasure. The life he does lead should convince everyone who knows him of how deeply confident he is in both the resurrection of Christ from the dead and the eventual resurrection of all Christians.
This is the hope which sustains Paul in all he does. He does not fear physical death or the struggles of this life because he lives with the assurance of the life God has granted in Jesus. May this be what sustains us and gives us hope for today and confidence for tomorrow.
Blessings in Christ,
Pastor Russ
In our text today Paul continues to make his case to the Christians in Corinth, some of whom are teaching and believing that there is no resurrection from the dead for Christians. He has shown that everything he has taught from the Gospel becomes pointless if Christ was not raised and if those who belong to Him will not also be raised.
Here is today’s text, Why are we in danger every hour? I face death every day, as surely as I may boast about you, brothers and sisters, in Christ Jesus our Lord. If I fought wild beasts in Ephesus as a mere man, what good did that do me? If the dead are not raised, Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die. Do not be deceived: “Bad company corrupts good morals.” Come to your senses and stop sinning; for some people are ignorant about God. I say this to your shame. 1 Corinthians 15:30-34
Paul asks the question “Why?” Why would anyone endure what he has experienced for the sake of the Gospel if it is not true? Paul is affirming his life has been hard and dangerous because he preached the Gospel against so much opposition. Now he continues by asking: what could he possibly stand to gain in human terms? Preaching the Gospel does not bring him wealth or pleasure or status. Instead, it led him to fighting with beasts in Ephesus.
It's unclear exactly what this phrase means. It evokes imagery of Christians being torn apart by the lions in Roman spectacles. Scholars suggest, though, that it's unlikely Paul fought actual beasts in Ephesus. In a world without high-powered rifles, “fighting beasts” was significantly more dangerous than it is today. Paul seems to be using this as a metaphor for facing overwhelming and dangerous circumstances, perhaps including being attacked by angry mobs.
Christians did face wild beasts during times of heightened persecution. One such time was during the reign of emperor Nero. Nero is very likely the emperor who sentenced Paul to death because he preached the Gospel, but this came later in Paul’s life than the words of our text.
Here is what is recorded concerning Nero’s persecution of Christians. From Foxes Book of Martyrs, This dreadful conflagration continued nine days; when Nero, finding that his conduct was greatly blamed, and a severe odium cast upon him, determined to lay the whole upon the Christians, at once to excuse himself, and have an opportunity of glutting his sight with new cruelties. This was the occasion of the first persecution; and the barbarities exercised on the Christians were such as even excited the commiseration of the Romans themselves. Nero even refined upon cruelty, and contrived all manner of punishments for the Christians that the most infernal imagination could design. In particular, he had some sewed up in skins of wild beasts, and then worried by dogs until they expired; and others dressed in shirts made stiff with wax, fixed to axletrees, and set on fire in his gardens, in order to illuminate them. This persecution was general throughout the whole Roman Empire; but it rather increased than diminished the spirit of Christianity. In the course of it, St. Paul and St. Peter were martyred.
Paul’s point is that without the hope of resurrection for himself and those he preaches to, Paul assures his readers he would not continue to do what he is doing. Instead, he would live like those philosophers of his day known as the Epicureans, who attempted to live life to the fullest since they were convinced nothing came after. He quotes from Isaiah 22:13 to capture that spirit, “Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die.”
It is extremely sad that there are so many today who live with this philosophy of life. “Grab life by the horns” or “Go for the gusto,” because there is nothing beyond the life we are experiencing now. Well, I am sorry, but if this life is as good as it gets then we have one sorrowful, pitiful existence. What do we actually have? We are born and struggle through childhood illnesses, accidents, and tragedies. We grow up, fall in love, marry, and have a family. Great! Then we experience the hardships of this world without our parents to lean upon. If we are lucky and escape the trials so many face such as terminal diseases, life ending accidents, the premature death of family and friends, we get to look forward to returning to the state of childhood where we must be care for by others for everything from being fed to changing our diaper! Then when things could not get any worse, we die! The End!
What a pitiful existence if this is all we have to look forward to! Paul’s point to his readers then and now is that our existence is not limited to what we experience in this fallen world. God as redeemed us through the blood of Christ, and we have been granted the blessing of eternal life. When the trials of this life are ended, there is more to come. It is because of this that Paul does not live for simple pleasure. The life he does lead should convince everyone who knows him of how deeply confident he is in both the resurrection of Christ from the dead and the eventual resurrection of all Christians.
This is the hope which sustains Paul in all he does. He does not fear physical death or the struggles of this life because he lives with the assurance of the life God has granted in Jesus. May this be what sustains us and gives us hope for today and confidence for tomorrow.
Blessings in Christ,
Pastor Russ
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