1 Corinthians 15:1-11
https://www.biblestudytools.com/1-corinthians/passage/?q=1+corinthians+15:1-11
The Resurrection of Christ
1 Now, brothers and sisters, I want to remind you of the gospel I preached to you, which you received and on which you have taken your stand. 2 By this gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you. Otherwise, you have believed in vain. 3 For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance : that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, 4 that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, 5 and that he appeared to Cephas, and then to the Twelve. 6 After that, he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers and sisters at the same time, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep. 7 Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles, 8 and last of all he appeared to me also, as to one abnormally born. 9 For I am the least of the apostles and do not even deserve to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. 10 But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace to me was not without effect. No, I worked harder than all of them—yet not I, but the grace of God that was with me. 11 Whether, then, it is I or they, this is what we preach, and this is what you believed.
Study Notes: These will be added as I am able.
15:2 Most churches contain people who do not yet believe. Some are moving in the direction of belief, and others are simply pretending. Imposters, however, are not to be removed (see Matthew 13:28, 29), for that is the Lord's work alone. The Good News about Jesus Christ will save us if we firmly believe it and faithfully follow it.
15:5-8 There will always be people who say that Jesus didn't rise from the dead. Paul assures us that many people saw Jesus after his resurrection: Peter; the disciples (the Twelve); more than 500 Christian believers (most of whom were still alive when Paul wrote this, although some had died); James (Jesus's brother); all the apostles; and finally Paul himself. The resurrection is an historical fact. Don't be discouraged by doubters who deny the resurrection. Be filled with hope because of the knowledge that one day you, and they, will see the living proof when Christ returns. (For more evidence on the resurrection, see the chart in Mark 16.)
15:7 This James is Jesus' brother, who at first did not believe that Jesus was the Messiah (John 7:5). After seeing the resurrected Christ, he became a believer and ultimately a leader of the church in Jerusalem (Acts 15:13). James wrote the New Testament book of James.
15:8, 9 Paul's most important credential to be an apostle was that he was an eyewitness of the risen Christ (see Acts 9:3-6). "Abnormally born" means that he was a special case. The other apostles saw Christ in the flesh. Paul was in the next generation of believers --yet Christ appeared to him.
15:9, 10 As a zealous Pharisee, Paul had been an enemy of the Christian church --even to the point of capturing and persecuting believers (see Acts 9:1-3)). Thus he felt unworthy to be called an apostle of Christ. Though undoubtedly the most influential of the apostles, Paul was deeply humble. He knew that he had worked hard and accomplished much, but only because God had poured kindness and grace upon him. True humility is not convincing yourself that you are worthless, but recognizing God's work in you. It is having God's perspective on who you are and acknowledging his grace in developing your abilities.
15:10 Paul wrote of working harder than the other apostles. This was not an arrogant boast because he knew his power came from God and that it really didn't matter who worked hardest. Because his prominent position as a Pharisee, Paul's conversion made him the object of even greater persecution than the other apostles; thus, he had to work harder to preach the same message.
"Of first importance". If we truly believe then there is an order and it begins with God and the Good News of Christ. We are scatter-brained if we ignore this. Our conduct and results are partial and imperfect, slow and incomplete. But praise God! Christ is our salvation from and in this fallen world, because He has overcome the world and He is in us. Believe and watch.
Our Lord and Savior, thank You for the gift of Your presence with us today. Thank You for reminding us to focus on You. When we do, order and peace become the rule of the day. Let us persevere through the distractions, in firm belief in You. Thank You, Lord, for your help in this struggle. In Your name, Jesus, Amen.
A Song: https://youtu.be/WNVjvzonxYM
Have a blessed day.
Paul always exhibited humility and worked hard at not being a hypocrite, lest he lose his witness. He followed Christ's teachings as we should and served as a great example. I think that is why I appreciate his letters and writings so much.
Amen and thank you.