The Cradle, the Cross, and the Crown (114 page)

K. Paul's Final Defense (7:2—16)
Paul affirmed again his innocence in the face of the ludicrous charges against him by his opponents. He urged the Corinthians to embrace him with their very hearts. Paul expressed his joy at the report from Titus concerning the repentance of the Corinthians and the renewal of their affection for Paul. Paul joyfully exclaimed that his complete confidence in the Corinthians had been restored.

IV. The Collection for the Believers in Jerusalem (8:1-9:15)

A. Example of the Churches in Macedonia (8:1—7)
Paul turned his attention from his opponents in the church at Corinth to the collection of a relief offering for believers in Palestine, a topic that he addressed briefly in 1 Corinthians 16. Paul appealed to the example of giving by the impoverished churches in Macedonia to motivate the Corinthians to give more sacrificially

B. Examples of Christ's Sacrifice and the Old Testament (8:8—15)
Gratitude for Jesus’ sacrifice should motivate the Corinthians to give sacrificially and joyfully. Paul did not want the Corinthians to relieve the believers in Jerusalem by imposing hardship on themselves. But he did believe that there should be a general equality among believers as illustrated by the gathering of the manna in the OT.

C. Administration of the Offering (8:16—24)
Some of Paul's opponents apparently argued that Paul intended to misuse the relief offering that the Corinthians were collecting. Paul assured the Corinthians that the funds would be used for their designated purpose. Both Titus and a representative appointed by the churches would oversee the collection and distribution of the gift “so that no one can find fault with us.”

D. Importance of Having the Offering Ready (9:1—5)
Paul had already informed the Macedonians that the Corinthians had begun their collection of the offering. This made it especially important to have the offering ready when the church representatives arrived so that the Corinthians would not appear reluctant to give.

E. Principles Motivating Generous Giving (9:6—15)
The Corinthians should give generously because God would reward them in proportion to their generosity. They should give cheerfully because God loves a cheerful giver. God would provide for their needs so they could give liberally. Their generosity would not only express their gratitude to God but would also prompt the Jerusalem Christians to glorify God and pray more fervently for Gentile believers.

V. Paul's Renewed Defense of His Apostleship (10:1-13:4)

A. The Tone of Paul's Appeal (10:1—11)
Paul concluded his earlier defense of his apostleship by expressing complete confidence that the Corinthians would separate from
his opponents and affirm his authority and his gospel. But as Paul wrapped up chap. 9, he evidently received fresh news of problems in Corinth that prompted him to readdress the issue of his apostleship with a much sterner tone.

Paul's opponents argued that he was weak because he was willing to speak sternly only through his letters written from a distance. They evidently used this inconsistency to argue that Paul walked “in a fleshly way.” Paul countered that he sought to relate to the Corinthians with the gentleness and graciousness of Christ, but he warned that he could adopt a much sterner posture if necessary.

B. Divine Commendation of Paul's Ministry (10:12—18)
Unlike his opponents who sought to commend themselves with competitive comparisons, Paul appealed only to divine commendation of his ministry. God had assigned to Paul a ministry that extended to Corinth and would ultimately extend far beyond it. Paul's appeal to the effectiveness of his ministry to confirm his apostolic authority did not constitute self-commendation. Paul sought only to glorify God and to be commended by him.

C. Danger of the False Apostles (11:1—15)
Paul was concerned that the false apostles were wooing the Corinthians from their devotion to Christ like an immoral man might seek to allure a bride from the one to whom she was promised. Like Satan had deceived Eve, the false apostles deceived the Corinthians by preaching another Jesus, a different spirit, and a different gospel.

The false apostles claimed to be “superapostles” who exceeded Paul in speaking ability, knowledge, and status. Their superiority was demonstrated in that they felt worthy to demand financial support of the Corinthians while Paul did not. Paul argued that he had forfeited his right to financial support to avoid being a burden to the Corinthians and in a display of his love for them. Paul warned the Corinthians that the false apostles were servants of Satan disguised as servants of righteousness.

D. Paul's Sufferings (11:16-33)
Paul's opponents argued that they had a more impressive religious background than Paul did. Paul's opponents argued that their own protection from suffering demonstrated that God's blessing was upon them and, conversely, that the suffering Paul endured showed that he did not enjoy divine favor. Paul countered that his religious background was actually more impressive than that of his opponents. Moreover, his suffering for Christ and for the church authenticated rather than diminished his apostolic ministry.

E. Paul's Visions and Revelations (12:1—10)
Paul's opponents also contended that they had spiritual gifts that Paul lacked. In particular, they had experienced visions and revelations that Paul had not. Paul countered that he had spiritual experiences that he did not typically publicize. On one occasion he had been caught up to paradise and heard a revelation that he dared not even repeat. However, God humbled Paul by giving him a thorn in the flesh that prevented him from exalting himself. This “thorn” (whose identity is debated) left Paul weak and forced him to live in dependence on God's great power.

F. Paul's Miracles (12:11-13)
Paul also reminded the Corinthians that they had personally witnessed his signs, wonders, and miracles during his stay in Corinth. These were “the signs of an apostle” that confirmed the legitimacy of Paul's apostleship.

G. Paul's Final Defense (12:14—3:4)
Paul insisted that neither he nor those associated with him had taken advantage of the Corinthians in any way.Although he appeared to be defending himself, his real concern was to build up the church. This required him to confront sin and the false teaching that sought to justify it. Paul warned the Corinthians that his third visit to them might serve as a third witness against them. He alerted the Corinthians that he would sternly confront their sin without leniency in display of the power of Christ.

VI. Final Exhortations (13:5-12)

Paul urged the Corinthians to examine themselves to determine whether they truly possessed authentic Christian faith. Paul prayed that the Corinthians would grow toward spiritual maturity and commanded them to pursue Christian unity.

VII. Closing (13:13)

Paul's final words in his canonical correspondence with the Corinthians are a concluding blessing, commending these believers to the grace of Christ, the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit (a trinitarian formula). This expresses the apostle's hope and confidence that only the triune God was able to do a spiritual work in this congregation.

THEOLOGY

Theological Themes

The Nature of the Resurrection Body (1 Corinthians)
The most detailed discussion of the resurrection in Paul's letters and in the entire NT is in 1 Corinthians 15.Paul wrote this chapter to combat a perverted eschatology that was influenced in part by the Platonic dualism that was rampant in Greco-Roman culture. Such dualism held that matter was innately evil and only the spiritual was good. At death the spirit of man was liberated from his material prison so he could become pure.

The Corinthian denial of bodily resurrection was probably also influenced by an overrealized eschatology, which teaches that believers experienced at conversion the only resurrection that they should expect, a spiritual resurrection (compare the teaching of Hymeneaus and Philetus; 2 Tim 2:16—19). Perhaps based on confused applications of Jesus’ teaching in Luke 20:34—38, some apparently believed that this spiritual resurrection made them like the angels in virtually every way. Consequently, they attempted to live a sexless existence (1 Cor 7:1—5), endeavored to abolish distinctions between genders (1 Cor 11:2—6), and ventured to speak in angelic languages (1 Cor 13:1).
⁵⁶
Paul realized that much of the confused theology and many of the unbiblical practices of the Corinthians were ultimately
related to their denial of bodily resurrection. He determined to defend the doctrine of bodily resurrection at length.

First, Paul argued that the resurrection of Jesus had been prophesied in the OT and proclaimed by eyewitnesses of Jesus’ ministry. Denying the possibility of bodily resurrection entailed denial of the resurrection of Jesus and a dismissal of the reliability of OT prophecy and apostolic testimony. Such a denial reduced both the apostles and the Scripture to the status of false witnesses.

Second, Paul argued that the Christian faith was worthless without the resurrection of Jesus. Participation in Jesus’ resurrection effectively ends the sinner's old life and begins a new and different life. Consequently, without the resurrection of Jesus, believers are “still in [their] sins.” These first two arguments combine to remind the contemporary church that the resurrection of Jesus is an absolutely indispensable element of the Christian faith and that Jesus’ resurrection must remain a central focus of the church's apologetic ministry.

Third, Paul argued that Jesus’ resurrection was the prelude, the firstfruits, of the resurrection of all believers. He rebutted the overrealized eschatology of the Corinthians by arguing that the resurrection of the people of Christ occurs “afterward, at His coming” (1 Cor 15:23). He also demonstrated that Corinthian practices such as proxy baptism for the dead (however misguided) and his own willingness to risk martyrdom implied the veracity of the doctrine of bodily resurrection.
⁵⁷

After defending the doctrine of bodily resurrection, Paul devoted the second half of his discussion to a treatment of the nature of the resurrection body. His primary point was that the resurrection body will have continuity with the body that is buried in some ways but will also be dramatically different in other ways. Both continuity and change are expressed in Paul's seed illustration. A seed dies when it is buried in the ground. This buried seed then produces a living plant that bears little resemblance to the seed itself because the plant is so much greater and more glorious than the seed. In a similar way the future body produced by resurrection will bear little resemblance to the body that is buried because it so exceeds the present body in greatness and glory.

At the same time, however, verse 38 stresses continuity between the buried and the resurrected body. Paul pointed out that the plant that sprouts is of the same kind as the seed that is planted, that is, a wheat kernel produces a stalk of wheat, not a tomato. Similarly, the body that is raised corresponds to the body that is buried.
⁵⁸
As Paul argued earlier, this continuity between the buried body and the resurrected body is sufficient to give eternal significance to the deeds performed by the earthly body in the here and now (1 Cor 6:13).

SIDEBAR 12.1: THE NATURE OF THE RESURRECTION BODY
(1 CORINTHIANS 15)

Much confusion exists today over what Paul means by “natural body” and “spiritual body.” Some interpreters assume that a spiritual body is a body composed of spirit, that is, an immaterial body.
¹
However, the adjectives “natural”
(psychikos)
and “spiritual”
(pneumatikos)
are used frequently in Paul's writings and particularly in 1 Corinthians. In other contexts it is clear that they do not refer to persons or objects as made of either matter or spirit.
²
In 1 Cor 2:14-15, for example, the terms refer respectively to people influenced by human drives versus people under the control of the Spirit.

It is likely, therefore, that Paul's use in 1 Cor 15:44 is related to this earlier use. Moreover, if Paul had wished to state that the resurrected body was made or composed of spirit, he would likely have used another adjective (
pneumatinos).
In light of this evidence, Paul described the resurrection body as a “spiritual body” because it is a body completely under the control of the Holy Spirit. The resurrection body will no longer experience the war that is presently waging between flesh and Spirit described in texts such as Gal 5:16—18. Instead, the resurrection body will be perfectly suited to the Spirit's domination and control and will joyfully comply with his will. Through the resurrection, the restoration of the image of God in the believer will be complete.

__________________________

¹
See the translation options suggested for this text by Johannes P. Louw and Eugene A. Nida (Greek-English
Lexicon of the New Testament Based on Semantic Domains
[New York: UBS, 1988], 1:694), who interpret the
adjective pneumatikos
here as meaning “not physical” or “not having flesh and bone” (subdomainn 79.3). Thiselton (
1 Corinthians
, 1277) referred to the view as startling and astonishing, “since all the exegetical, theological, and lexicographical evidence is against it.”

²
See Michael Licona, “Paul on the Nature of the Resurrection Body,” in
Buried Hope or Risen Savior: The Search for the Jesus Tomb
, ed. C. L. Quarles (Nashville: B&H, 2008), 177-98.

Paul then moved on to the question as to how an earthly body may be made fit for heavenly existence. He explained that different earthly bodies are composed of different kinds of flesh, and the point seems to be that the resurrection body can be composed of flesh that is particularly suited for heavenly existence. Paul also stated that different heavenly bodies possess different kinds of glory, meaning that the resurrection body can display its own unique heavenly glory as well.