Day 327

By
A Depiction of the Resurrected Christ

Scripture

November 22—1 Corinthians 15-16: Doctrinal Disputes in the Church

Observation

The last chapters of Paul's first letter to the Corinthians deal with the church's misunderstanding of the resurrection—the central truth of Christianity. Paul first defends the resurrection as a historical fact confirmed by more than 500 eyewitnesses (15:6). Next, he defends the resurrection theologically, showing how God's plan of redemption is incomplete apart from a risen Savior. The resurrection provides hope for the believer's body as well, which will "be transformed into heavenly bodies that cannot perish but will live forever" (15:53) in the blink of an eye when Christ returns. Paul concludes his epistle with instructions about an offering he will collect for the struggling brethren in Jerusalem.

Application

Ponder this rather unusual question for a moment: "Do you feel more or less sinful than you did a year ago?

You might think the more Paul progressed in his walk with God, the more sinless and satisfied he felt. But in fact, judging from the apostle's own words, just the opposite was true! The older he grew in the Lord, the more sinful he sensed he was:
  • A.D. 59: "I am the least worthy of all the apostles" (1 Corinthians 15:9).
  • A.D. 64: "I am the most useless Christian there is" (Ephesians 3:8).
  • A.D. 65: ". . . sinners and I was the greatest of them all" (1 Timothy 1:1d6).
Least of all apostles, least of all saints, worst of all sinners. The longer Paul walked with the Lord, the more sensitive he became of sin in his life—not because he sinned more, but because he saw more. The closer he drew to God's perfection, the more clearly he viewed his life from God's perspective.

Write these words of Thomas Bernard on a three-by-five card: "Our sense of sin is in proportion to our nearness to God." Throughout the day, ask yourself: "How near am I?"

Prayer

We pray, God, that you will increase our faith in your ability to accomplish anything. We know the possibilities of prayer are measured by faith in your ability to do anything. What is impossible for man is possible with you. We believe in your limitless power through our faith which gives character to our prayers and draws us nearer to you. Lord, help us not to restrict you to fit into our world which will cause us to have little faith in your power. Let us be like Paul knowing how big and powerful you are in our life and making us sensitive to sin to repent and sin no more. Thank you for making us people of strong faith in our Almighty God through your Word and our prayers! Glory to your name our Savior, Jesus Christ! Amen!
 




© Odessa Mathis about my Father's business! 2020

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