[Steve Myers] Well, good to be together again for our next session of our studies in 1 Corinthians. We left off last time in 1 Corinthians 15, which is known as what chapter?

[Together] The resurrection chapter.

[Steve Myers] All right, very good, the resurrection chapter. And what about Chapter 14? Anybody remember the theme of Chapter 14? You might have to look back and say, oh, yeah. All right, it's tongues or languages. And Chapter 13?

[Together] Love chapter.

[Steve Myers] Love. Chapter 12?

[Together] Spiritual gifts.

[Steve Myers] Spiritual gifts. And 11?

[Together] Traditions of the Church.

[Steve Myers] Okay, you guys are sharp today. Good job. Well, we left off last time talking about the resurrection. Paul focuses in on the hope of the resurrection, explaining the resurrection to the Corinthians. Some had misunderstandings, not surprising because so many of the issues in Corinth were because of some of their misunderstandings. And so Paul is explaining the resurrection. And as he gets down to verse 29, which is where we left off last time, he says something interesting that can sometimes be taken the wrong way, misunderstood.

1 Corinthians 15:29-30 Where he says, "Otherwise, what will they do who are baptized for the dead if the dead do not rise at all? Why then are they baptized for the dead? And why do we stand in jeopardy every hour?"

So begs the question, should we be baptized for someone that has died? You know there are some religions out there that claim to be Christian that do just that, that they get baptized for their dead relatives because somehow that is supposed to help them. Is that what we teach in the Church of God? No, of course not. Of course not. That idea of being baptized for someone else, sometimes they call it a proxy baptism, being baptized on behalf of someone else, kind of like the living person substitutes for, well, here the dead guy, or whatever it might be, it becomes an interesting problem. Is it even possible to do that?

I mean, if you focus on what the Bible teaches about baptism, first, a couple of things have to happen. You have to repent. That has to happen. Well, can a dead person repent? Well, obviously not. How do we know that? Well, what the Bible says. Ecclesiastes tells us very clearly, what did the dead know? Yeah, nothing, nothing, absolutely.

Ecclesiastes 9:5 is very specific, "The dead know nothing."

How can you be baptized if you're dead? You can't repent, you can't believe. That's the other aspect that has to happen before you're baptized. You have to repent, you have to believe, you have to have faith. You have to have faith. Dead people can't do that. So there are certainly requirements for baptism. And so since that's impossible, baptism has to be for the living. That's the only way it is. And when you begin to think about that, why tie that in here? A couple reasons. The resurrection is from the dead. It's from the dead. Paul's been talking about the resurrection. Baptism has some symbolism that's connected to the resurrection.

Well, what happens when you're baptized? You are immersed under the water. Sometimes they call it a watery grave because you're going to bury that old man. You're going to put to death that old way of thinking, that old individual and you're going to put them under the water just like a grave, just like a grave. So that old person is dead, gone, buried, sins forgiven. What happens next? Well, the minister holds you down until the bubbles stop, right? No, no that's not true. We know that's not true. No before you run out of oxygen, you get up out of the water. And in fact, kind of like the word resurrection itself has a connotation of standing forth, getting up. Well, you get up out of that water, so before the bubble stop, you get up out of the water, and now you're to be a new creation in Christ. Well, look at the connection to the resurrection of the dead. I mean literally you are buried under the dirt, right? You're in the grave. Well, what happens when Christ returns? You will be resurrected. You will stand forth out of that grave. And so there is this connection between the resurrection itself and baptism.

And so figuratively you go into a watery grave and you rise out of that water to live a new life. And that's what's going to happen at the resurrection, literally will happen. If you're dead when Christ returns and you are in Christ, you are a Christian, you will be resurrected, you'll stand forth and you will be then changed to spirit if you're in the firstfruits. And so we see those connections there to what Paul is talking about. Well, no wonder bring this up. Of course you want to mention this because as you think of, okay, why would he use it in this way and, okay, is he suggesting we should be baptized for the dead? No, of course not. But when you look back in history, it's kind of interesting to recognize there were certain groups that actually had this practice. sometimes identifying it, zeroing in exactly on who was doing it can be a little bit of a challenge. And it's interesting that there are dozens of different interpretations of verse 29.

But I think if we dissect it, we can get down to I think what Paul is really trying to get at. When you consider Corinth and where it was located, it is interesting to note that there was a group nearby that actually baptized for the dead. Now this is a pagan group. This isn't a Christian group at all. Just north of the city of Corinth was an area called Eleusis. And this city of Eleusis was the center of a pagan religion that baptized in the sea. Well, Corinth was right next to the ocean as well. So they practiced this baptism for the dead and they believed in an afterlife. They believed that there was something that happened after death. And so they taught that their dead loved ones might still be trying to get to heaven or their version of heaven. And so with that perspective, they felt that you as someone who was still alive could help your dead relative get to heaven or at least nirvana or their version of that idea of the afterlife. And you could help them by the practice of baptism, being baptized in their stead.

And so you can look up the Homeric hymn to Demeter, pagan goddess. And it's written in those writings that actually record the fact that these individuals from Eleusis baptized for the dead. And it even writes about how there would be happiness in the afterlife and that would be in store for them next. And this baptism for the dead would be a part of these, what they call the Eleusinian Mysteries. So this is one of those mystery religions and all that sort of thing. And so all of that was taking place just north of Corinth at the time of Paul. And so at Eleusis, they were actually practicing baptism for the dead. So it certainly seems possible that in verse 29, Paul is intimating this particular practice. Because if you notice the wording, if you look back at verse 29.

1 Corinthians 15:29 Where it says, "What will they do who are baptized for the dead?"

It doesn't say what will we do. So that's kind of an interesting way that he's phrased this. What will they do if they, if they baptized for the dead? So is Paul using this as an example, not that Christians baptized for the dead, but the fact is he's verifying we believe in the resurrection. We believe in...even these pagans believe in some afterlife and they're baptizing because they think there's something going on afterwards. He said, well, they're kind of crazy when it comes to that, but they're right, there is an afterlife and it's the resurrection of the dead. And so it seems it's possible that he's pointing to that idea that even the pagans believe in some kind of afterlife and we know the resurrection is the truth. The resurrection is what God and His plan and His purpose, what it's all about. And so he says, well, otherwise, why would they do that? So that seems to be at least one viable interpretation of what we're told here in verse 29.

Now, we also have, I suppose what we might call the traditional explanation that we have from the church's perspective on Acts 15:29. Now, if we remember, all of 1 Corinthians 15 is about the resurrection. It's about the resurrection from the dead. Now, when you look in verse 29 it says, "What will they do who are baptized for the dead?" For the dead. Well, this word for is an interesting Greek word. It's the word huper. Huper is the word used here. And this particular word does not mean instead of or on behalf of, doesn't seem to carry that connotation at all.

In fact, if you hold your place here for just a moment, you could turn with me over to 2 Corinthians. Of course, here's Paul writing this second letter that we have in the Bible to those at Corinth. And in Chapter 8, verse...well, if you look at the beginning of that particular chapter, we can get a little bit of background here. He's writing about the churches in Macedonia who have sent help, who have sent relief. And it's interesting that in verse 3 talking about the blessings of the help that He got from the Macedonians, He says this, verse 3.

2 Corinthians 8:3 "I bear witness that according to their ability, yes, and beyond their ability, they were freely willing."

Well, guess what Greek word beyond is. What's that Greek word? Huper. Huper. And they get the translation correct here in our New King James. He's saying, yes, they had their own abilities, but even beyond their own abilities, they were able to give and to help and to serve.

So it seems that when we go back to 1 Corinthians 15:29, that same word that Paul uses here makes better sense. Don't think of it as they're being baptized in place of the dead or on behalf of the dead or instead of the dead. It doesn't seem to carry that connotation. When you look at it in that sense, think of it as beyond, as beyond. Now, with that connotation, beyond, look back at verse 29 again. "What will they do who are baptized beyond the dead?" Beyond death. Okay, what's beyond death? Well, what's he been talking about this whole chapter? The resurrection. Yeah. Why be baptized? Well, because what's beyond death? What is beyond death? Life. The resurrection is beyond death. So think of it in those terms, in a sense what he's saying, why seek baptism for yourself? Why would you be baptized if there's no hope of the resurrection beyond death? What's the point? It's useless. It's meaningless.

So Paul is using this to really substantiate and verify the doctrine of the resurrection. Baptism and resurrection, the basic doctrines. Look at Hebrews 6, it tells us, yeah, talking about fundamental beliefs, baptism is certainly one of those resurrection. Absolutely, one of our basic doctrines. Told that in Hebrews 6 as well. And so when you put that into this context, we recognize the fact that Paul's talking about this idea of the resurrection itself. There's a couple of other translations I think that really help get right to the heart of the meaning. If you were to read this in God's Word translation, take a look back at verse 29. This is the way God's Word translates it. It says, "People are baptized because the dead will come back to life." What will they do if the dead can't come back to life? Why do people get baptized as if they can come back to life? So that seems to put it in, I think, a much clearer perspective, you know, that it's through baptism we have the hope beyond death. Beyond death there is hope that God will bring us back to life.

And so we understand that that is certainly fitting with the idea that yes, you cannot repent for anybody else. You can't take anybody else's place. Yeah, nowhere in the Bible does it suggest that the Church or anyone should be baptized for someone, someone else, whether they're living or dead, can't be baptized for someone else. It just doesn't work that way. And so hopefully that helps clear up exactly what Paul's getting at by either one of those interpretations. And I think they're certainly valid in that regard. And so we look at this and we recognize he is absolutely supporting the whole concept of the resurrection itself and validating the Church's teaching on that very thing. So when we look back, we recognize that very fact.

1 Corinthians 15:30 "Why do we stand in jeopardy every hour?"

He says in verse 30. We're willing to stake our life on the fact that this is the truth of God. And boy, Paul was an amazing example of talking about standing in jeopardy. Was he persecuted? Was he beaten? Was he stoned? You know, beaten with...? Yeah, all of those things. Willing to stand for the truth no matter what. What a great example for us. And so verse 31.

1 Corinthians 15:31 He says, "I affirm by the boasting in you, which I have in Christ Jesus our Lord, I die daily."

Why say that? Well, it goes back to that idea of baptism. What happens at baptism? We kill the old man. We put that old way of life to death. Was that the end of the matter? We're done, we're over, we don't have to worry about that anymore? Of course not. It's an ongoing aspect of what it means to be a Christian, that we die daily. We put that old way of thinking, that old way of acting to death. And so it wasn't a one-time thing that baptism took care of at all. No, we're still human beings that fall short of the glory of God, fall short of the standard of Jesus Christ. But through the sacrifice of Christ, we can be forgiven. And so daily we look at our life and we seek repentance and forgiveness. And so Paul says, "I die daily."

1 Corinthians 15:32 Then, "If in the manner of man, I've fought with beasts at Ephesus, what advantage is it to me if the dead do not rise? Let's eat, drink, for tomorrow we die."

Yeah, what's the point of any of these things, any of these things if there is no resurrection? And so he's still dealing with the proof that it would be ridiculous not to believe in the resurrection. Interesting that he says, "I fought with beasts at Ephesus." We don't really have any record that Paul was thrown to the lions or in the arena or something like that. Is that what he means there? In fact, technically it should be impossible for Paul to be thrown to the lions because he was a Roman citizen and they weren't supposed to throw Roman citizens to the lions. It wasn't supposed to happen that way. And so I can't help but think, well, maybe he's using that as more of a metaphor that, yeah, he got a lot of trouble at Ephesus and a lot of people came and persecuted Paul. And so maybe that's what he's getting at here. There was a lot of persecution. It was just like an animal attack in that way. So it seems to be probably referring to that.

And so making that very point of standing in jeopardy every hour, well, there's another example of that very thing. And to what point? Well, I'm willing to put my life on the line because I believe God. We stand for the truth and there is hope beyond the grave. No matter what people do to me, God's the one that's in charge. God's in charge and I recognize that very fact in the way that I live, in the way that I think. And if they take my life, I'm in God's hands. I'm in God's hands and we have the hope of the resurrection. We have that hope and that reality and we can count on that. If it weren't true, then he says, well, he just, I don't know, party, right? But he says that very fact, don't get caught up in wrong thinking. Don't get caught up in that. And it seems like some of the Corinthians had actually gotten off track that way. And so he makes that point of verse 33.

1 Corinthians 15:33 Where he says, "Do not be deceived."

I think one thing to remember when you read that line, "Do not be deceived," that means you could be fooled by this. You could be taken in. Watch out, be careful because this may not be as easily understood. You might be fooled. So don't be taken in, he says.

Evil company corrupts good habits. Could you be deceived by that? I don't know, have you ever felt that way? Well, I can kind of hang out with these people because I'm not going to let it affect me. It won't have any impact on me because I'm strong and I can take it. Yeah, we can fool ourselves. But He's making this point really seriously. Yeah, if that becomes our pattern, I mean what has He said before? Don't keep company. Don't keep company with those that don't have the same actions as what connects with what we truly believe. If your actions don't bear the fact that you are a believer, he says, yeah, you don't hang out with those people. You don't spend time with them. You don't make them your best friends. And so he makes that point, evil company corrupts good habits. And so then he says in verse 34.

1 Corinthians 15:34 "Awake to righteousness."

Awake to righteousness, which is kind of an interesting thought. Well, what's happening if you're dead, you're out, the dead know nothing, we know what Ecclesiastes says that. So it's like you're taking a nap, you're asleep. Oftentimes, New Testament, you might see that particular phrase, you know, those who sleep, those who are asleep in the dust of the ground. Yeah, there's that connection between death and sleeping and now it's time to awake. Well, there's another connection to the resurrection itself as well.

1 Corinthians 15:34 So he says, "Awake to righteousness and do not sin, for some do not have the knowledge of God, and I speak this to your shame."

Some don't understand, and so he's helping them to understand exactly what God's plan and purpose are all about. In fact, I'm reminded as I look back here on this...verse 33 caught my eye again where it says, "Evil company corrupts good habits." In my New King James, it's got that in quotations. Not sure if the translation you're looking at is in quotations as well. It seems that that particular phrase, "Evil company corrupts good habits," is actually found in Greek literature that Paul's quoting what seems to be Menander's comedy is one of the...I guess you could say a play that he's quoting here. And that goes back to the, what is it, like the 400s B.C. or so, somewhere in that era. I think some of the scholars speculate that this was actually a quote from Euripides, one of the Greek philosophers, Euripides. And so interesting that Paul quotes this and it would have been something that people would just identify with and they'd recognize that. And so he uses this idea of this poet's story to make the point of what can be a challenge for God's people. And so I kind of find that interesting as well. All right, so let's take a look then as we go on here.

1 Corinthians 15:35 "Someone will say, how are the dead raised up and with what body do they come?"

Probably one of the questions the Corinthians raised, you know, those that didn't understand, they're really asking, what kind of body do you have in the resurrection? What does it look like? What would that be? Well, he says, verse 36.

1 Corinthians 15:36 "Foolish one, what you sow is not made alive unless it dies."

Now, he's not being critical of them by saying foolish one. He's just saying, hey, think about it for a minute. This is really pretty self-evident. In order for something to grow, in a way, it has to die. And think about sowing. What is sowing? This isn't the sowing with a needle and thread that he's talking about here. He's talking about sowing seeds, spreading seeds, right? "What you sow is not made alive unless it dies. He says, in what you sow, you do not sow that body that shall be, but mere grain, perhaps wheat or some other grain." Okay, so do you see the connection here?

He makes this connection to wheat or, you know, let's say...you know, anybody ever planted corn? Or you've planted, you probably plant...everybody I think in the whole world has planted beans in a little styrofoam cup. Everybody do that sometime? Maybe, I don't know, if you went to first grade in public schools, I don't think you could get away without putting a little bean seed in a styrofoam cup and then watching it when it finally begins to sprout and grow, right? Well, that thing that grows, is it exactly like the seed that you planted? No, no, this little seed turns into a plant, right? It starts to grow into a plant. So he's saying this seed that you planted in a way dies. Interesting, where does it go? Under the dirt. You plant the seed under the dirt. What's like...Okay, yeah, it's like death. You die, you're buried. Baptism, you kill the old man, you bury them in that watery grave. What happens? Well, that body is going to change and it's going to grow. It's growing to grow.

1 Corinthians 15:37 So he says in verse 37, "You don't sow the body that shall be."

Yeah, that bean seed starts to grow into the plant. And so it's different. It's something different. And so he's comparing that to the resurrection itself.

1 Corinthians 15:38 He says, "God gives it a body," verse 38, "as He pleases to each seed its own body."

And so he's going to emphasize that very thing. Now, it's a bean plant. that sprung up from that bean seed that sort of died. So there's some similarities here. But he looks at how it's reflected in various ways. Take a look at where he goes with this thinking, verse 39.

1 Corinthians 15:39-40 He says, "All flesh is not the same flesh, but there's one kind of flesh of men, and other kind of animals, and other fish, and other birds." Yeah, all kinds of differences there between the species, you might say. "There's also celestial bodies, or there are also celestial bodies, and terrestrial bodies, but the glory of the celestial is one, and the glory of the terrestrial is another." Okay, there's all kinds of things. Yeah, you got the moon and the stars and you got the things here on the earth and they're all pretty cool in their different ways. All right, what's the point? Well, okay, let's see.

1 Corinthians 15:41-42 "There's one glory of the sun, another glory of the moon, another glory of the stars, for one star differs from another star in glory." Okay, what's the point, Paul? Well, here it is. "So also is the resurrection of the dead. The body is sown in corruption."

Kind of like that bean seed, you sow that, you plant that body and that body, that physical body was corrupt. In other words, it was wearing out, wearing down. Physically, certainly, that would be part of it, but the other part of corruption is sin itself, right? So, "It's sown in corruption, but it's raised in incorruption." So this human being that had to deal with human nature and sin ultimately dies and is buried. What happens? Well, in the resurrection, it is raised incorruptible, raised in incorruption. That means not capable of wearing down, not capable of wearing out. And so, we can see that connection then to sin as well, that in the resurrection, it won't be sin, we will be spirit.

1 Corinthians 15:33 builds on that point. He says, "It's sown in dishonor, it's raised in glory."

Here our physical bodies are wearing out but in the resurrection we will be given glorious bodies.

1 Corinthians 15:44 "Sown in weakness, raised in power. It is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body."

So in the resurrection we will be given a glorified spirit body. It says there is a natural body, there is a spiritual body. And so we see this whole different realm of the Spirit. And so it is written, verse 45.

1 Corinthians 15:45 "The first man Adam became a living being. The last Adam became a life-giving spirit."

So first Adam literally talking about Adam himself, he became a nephesh, a living being, a physical human being. But the last Adam, who is the last Adam? This is a reference to Jesus Christ, right. And so He became a life-giving Spirit. And so Jesus Christ ultimately because of who He is as our Savior, as one who was the first of the firstfruits, the one who was resurrected, the Spirit, He is a life-giving Spirit. And so to really map out what the resurrection is all about, Paul really gets into some pretty specific details here. He even says then next.

1 Corinthians 15:46 "The spiritual is not first, but the natural, and afterward the spiritual."

So that kind of goes back to our little idea of what is sown physically like the wheat or the little bean seed that we were talking about. Yeah, you got to plant the seed first and then the plant is going to grow. And it's the same way spiritually speaking, that first you're physical, then spirit comes. That's the order of things. And so he makes that point.

1 Corinthians 15:47 He says, "The first man was of the earth, made of dust."

Yep, that's describing Adam and all of us human beings who followed in his footsteps. He says them "The second man..." And maybe in your translation, Man is capitalized. So we're referring back to that second Adam or the last Adam, this Man, this individual, referring to Christ, the second Man is the Lord from heaven, talking about Christ. So what's the difference? Think about that. That's the contrast Paul is making here.

1 Corinthians 15:48 "As was the man of dust, so also are those who are made of dust."

And that's right now, that's us. Any physical human being. Yeah, we're like Adam, the man of dust. Interesting way to put it, isn't it? The man of dust there. Some translations say the earthly man. Yeah, that's right, that's us. But he goes on and says…

1 Corinthians 15:49 "And as is the heavenly man, so also are those who are heavenly." To qualify that, he says, "As we have borne the image of the man of dust, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly man."

So in the resurrection, he's pointing that out. Yeah, well, right now we are made in the image of God. Genesis 1:26-27 definitely reminds us of that. But what he's getting at here, yes, right now we're physical human beings. We're like Adam. We're made out of dust. Our composition is like him. Now, in the resurrection, we are going to look like Christ. We will have...in composition, we'll be like God. We will have a spirit body, a spirit body. We will be like Him. We'll bear His image. In fact, if you hold your place here for a moment, we could turn over to 1 John. And in 1 John, he describes what it will be like. Notice verse 2 of 1 John 3, 1 John 3:2, and see how this connects with what Paul's writing about the resurrection and the kind of body that we will be given.

1 John 3:2 John writes, "Beloved," verse 2, "now we are children of God, and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be." Kind of that same thought where Paul said, well, we kind of look in this mirror kind of dimly. Okay, exactly what does that mean? Kind of implying that same sort of thing. Because then he says, "But we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him for we shall see Him as He is."

And so John makes that point very strongly. Yeah, we are children of God and ultimately we will be like Him. We'll see Him as He is. And so Christ has been resurrected to Spirit. He's been resurrected and has a glorious body, an amazing change, and we'll be like Him. Yes, we're physical beings right now, but in the resurrection we'll bear His image. We will be spirit beings in the God family. We'll be sons and daughters of God. And so He makes that point really strongly. So if we head back then to 1 Corinthians 15, so that is the ultimate image we'll bear. And to make that point strongly, notice what he says in verse 50.

1 Corinthians 15:50 He says, "Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does corruption inherit incorruption." And so when we recognize this, yes, we'll be like God in our makeup, in our composition, but we'll also be like God in our character. And so right now, as we're called, we're developing the character of Jesus Christ. At that time, we'll bear that image both in our composition and in our character as well. And he makes that point, hey, the kingdom of God, some will argue that, well, it's here now that the Catholic Church feels it's the kingdom of God. Well, that's just ridiculous because it tells us flesh and blood can't inherit the kingdom of God. It's not a physical thing. It's a spiritual thing. And so he says this idea of things that wear out and are sinful, corruption, no, that has to change. That has to change.

1 Corinthians 15:51 He says, "Behold, I tell you a mystery."

I tell you a mystery. Remember this word? This is that Greek word mysterion. What is a mysterion? Well, it's a secret. Yeah, that's true. Is it something that absolutely cannot be known? Sometimes we think of it that way. A mystery is something just we can't figure out, just can't know it in any way. But that's not the way this Greek term is used. It's a mystery that you can know but one that has to be revealed. It has to be shown to you. So here Paul is saying, I tell you a mystery. Yes, it's a hidden truth that most don't understand, but God has revealed it to us. God has revealed it. So most don't get it. But by the grace of God, we can understand. And what is that understanding when it connects to the resurrection?

1 Corinthians 15:51-52 He says, "We shall not all sleep but we shall all be changed." We'll all be changed. He says, "In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet, for the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed."

So that just connects beautifully to 1 Thessalonians 4 where it describes the resurrection. Paul described it to Thessalonians there where he talked about the fact that those who had died in the faith would be resurrected and we who are still alive would also be changed. So Paul mirrors that same teaching here. He tells us when is that? When is it going to happen? At the last trumpet, when Christ returns, that's when it's going to happen. How quick is it going to happen? You blink and you're going to miss it. "In the twinkling of an eye," he says, "that trumpet is going to sound, the dead will rise first. We who are alive will then be changed as well and we'll meet Christ in the air." 1 Thessalonians 4 describes that very fact. And so we will be changed. If you're going to be in the kingdom, you have to be in the image of Christ, have to be. So that change has to come. And so the resurrection is pointing out that very fact. We will all be changed if we're going to be there when Christ returns. And in verse 53, He reminds us of that very fact.

1 Corinthians 15:53 He says, "This corruptible must put on incorruption. This mortal must put on immortality."

So whether we tie in 1 Thessalonians 4 and I believe it's verse 16, you can connect this also to Revelation 11:15 where there is that last trumpet. Christ Himself talked about it, Matthew 24:38 as well, that those passages that all tie together to that time of the return of Christ, the seventh trumpet, that last trumpet, and the resurrection itself. And so ultimately, we have to be changed from corruptible to the incorruptible, mortal to immortality. In fact, this is an interesting section of Scripture we often will read at a funeral that it gives us the hope of the resurrection, that although we are physical human beings that live and die, there's a change ahead. There's a change ahead to those who are faithful, those who die in the faith. And so he says, this is what's in store. This is the hope of the dead. This is that time that he says that we are baptized for what is beyond death. This is what our hope is.

1 Corinthians 15:54 He says, "When this corruptible..." This is verse 54, "When this corruptible has put on incorruption, and this mortal has put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that's written, death is swallowed up in victory."

Death is swallowed up in victory. This is a quote from Isaiah 25 is where this is quoted from. And he says, "There is victory and that's the ultimate victory." Not until that time do we actually have victory over sin and death and that's in the resurrection. Death will be swallowed up in victory. Kind of also an intimation to that time in Revelation where it talks about, "There will be no more death, no more crying, no more tears." There will be ultimate victory.

1 Corinthians 15:55 He says, "Oh death, where is your sting? Oh Hades, where is your victory?"

A quote from Hosea, Chapter 13. Yeah, where is the...? Well, death doesn't win. Death doesn't win. The grave isn't going to have the victory. Yeah, it's in God. There is victory. We have the success in God. And so he makes that point so very clearly. We have ultimately the victory over sin and death. And all of it because of Jesus Christ. All of it because of our Savior, because of His sacrifice.

1 Corinthians 15:56 He says, "The sting of death is sin."

What's the penalty for sin? It is death, right? The penalty for sin is death. No doubt about that. And so God's law definitely reveals how sinful we really are. The sting of death is sin because sin demands the penalty of death. We deserve death. But we recognize that it's God's law that shows us what sin is. Just might make note of Romans 7:7. You know, the law itself is not sin. No, the law is holy. It's just. It's good. Paul says, "I wouldn't have known sin except through the law." So God's law reveals what sin is. And so when he talks about this, he's not talking about the law being sinful, but the law shows us what sin is. And we recognize sin deserves the death penalty. And so he says, "The strength of sin is the law." The strength of sin is the law. The law shows us what sin is. It reveals sin, which is also kind of interesting because if you think of some people who say, "Well, the law is done away. We don't have to worry about God's law."

Well, then I guess you say sin is done away too, because how do you define sin? If you say the law is done away, there's no way to define sin. So to say God's law is over and done is a fallacy. It doesn't make sense. It doesn't make sense at all because Paul says, "I wouldn't have known sin except through the law." The law defines sin. So you can't say the law is done away because then it would lead you to the fact you don't even need a Savior. Why do you need a Savior if you can't even define what sin is? It makes no sense. God's law shows us what sin is and it reveals how truly sinful we really are and our desperate need for a Savior. And so Paul makes that point. Yes, thanks be to God who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. So that's where the true victory is.

1 Corinthians 15:58 And he concludes that thought by saying, "Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing your labor is not in vain in the Lord."

And so he ends with, I think, this beautiful statement of, yes, let's be absolutely steadfast. Let's be secure. Let's not get moved out of place with all the challenges and difficulties that we face. He says, know the truth, stand by that truth, and be absolutely confident that God is with us, He has a plan, and it is going to come to pass. There's no doubt about it. And so he concludes Chapter 15 with that thought. We'll pick it up there next time and look forward to getting into the very last chapter of 1 Corinthians 16.