I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures (1 Corinthians 15:3-4). Notice that Paul couches the amazing Christian claim that “Christ died for our sins” in both Scriptural and historical language: “in accordance with the scriptures.”
1 Corinthians
Nothing But Jesus
Paul writes to the church at Corinth and says, “I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified.” Really? Nothing but Jesus? In this letter, Paul is going to address sin issues, life issues, church issues, and interpersonal issues. Yet, Paul insists at the outset that he will only be talking about Jesus! How can this be? All these issues have their center and solution in the gospel. And we must learn, then, to center our thinking and living and faith-fighting in the gospel like Paul consciously did. Paul, in this passage, shares with us at
“Act Like Men.” What Does It Mean?
Be watchful, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong (1 Corinthians 16:13). The whole phrase “act like men” comes from one Greek word, basically taking the noun for “men” and turning it into a verb, i.e. “Be men,” or “Man up!” It is a peppy, catchy phrase, but what does it mean? What is Paul specifically wanting us to do, as a result of this command? What does it mean in biblical terms, to “man up”?
You Are the Body of Christ
The body does not consist of one member but of many (1 Corinthians 12:14). As Paul wrote to the church at Corinth, it seems that some of their members, far from consciously affirming the diversity in their midst, were working against it. One group in the church was suggesting everyone should be just like them—have the same ministry, the same social status, the same convictions about idol-food, the same favorite preacher. Others, who felt inferior, were allowing themselves to drift into inactivity by embracing the lie that they were not useful to the church. Into this unhealthy atmosphere, Paul speaks,