1Corinthians:15:35-58
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rwp @
1Corinthians:15:35 @{
But some one will say } (\
alla erei tis \).
Paul knows what the sceptics were saying .
He is a master at putting the standpoint of the imaginary adversary . {
How } (\
p
s \).
This is still the great objection to the resurrection of our bodies .
Granted that Jesus rose from the dead ,
for the sake of argument ,
these sceptics refuse to believe in the possibility of our resurrection .
It is the attitude of Matthew Arnold who said , "
Miracles do not happen ."
Scientifically we know the "
how "
of few things .
Paul has an astounding answer to this objection .
Death itself is the way of resurrection as in the death of the seed for the new plant (
verses 36f .|). {
With what manner of body } (\
poi
i s
mati \).
This is the second question which makes plainer the difficulty of the first .
The first body perishes .
Will that body be raised ?
Paul treats this problem more at length (
verses 38-54 |)
and by analogy of nature (
Cf .
Butler '
s famous _Analogy_
).
It is a spiritual ,
not a natural ,
body that is raised . \
S
ma \
here is an organism . {
Flesh } (\
sarx \)
is the \
s
ma \
for the natural man ,
but there is spiritual (\
pneumatikon \) \
s
ma \
for the resurrection .
rwp @
1Corinthians:15:36 @{
Thou foolish one } (\
aphr
n \).
Old word (\
a \
privative , \
phr
n \),
lack of sense .
It is a severe term and justified by the implication "
that the objector plumes himself on his acuteness " (
Robertson and Plummer ).
Proleptic position of \
su \ (
thou )
sharpens the point .
Sceptics (
agnostics )
pose as unusually intellectual (
the intelligentsia ),
but the pose does not make one intelligent . {
Except it die } (\
ean m
apothan
i \).
Condition of third class ,
possibility assumed .
This is the answer to the "
how "
question .
In plant life death precedes life ,
death of the seed and then the new plant .
rwp @
1Corinthians:15:37 @{
Not the body which shall be } (\
ou to s
ma to gen
somenon \).
Articular future participle of \
ginomai \,
literally , "
not the body that will become ."
The new {
body } (\
s
ma \)
is not yet in existence ,
but only the seed (\
kokkos \,
grain ,
old word ,
as in strkjv @
Matthew:13:31 |). {
It may chance } (\
ei tuchoi \).
Fourth class condition as in strkjv @
14:10 |
which see .
Paul is rich in metaphors here ,
though usually not so (
Howson ,
_Metaphors
of St .
Paul_
).
Paul was a city man .
We sow seeds ,
not plants (
bodies ).
The butterfly comes out of the dying worm .
rwp @
1Corinthians:15:38 @{
A body of its own } (\
idion s
ma \).
Even under the microscope the life cells or germ plasm may seem almost identical ,
but the plant is quite distinct .
On \
sperma \,
seed ,
old word from \
speir \,
to sow ,
see on ¯
Matthew:13:24f |.
rwp @
1Corinthians:15:39 @{
The same flesh } (\
h
aut
sarx \).
Paul takes up animal life to show the great variety there is as in the plant kingdom .
Even if evolution should prove to be true ,
Paul '
s argument remains valid .
Variety exists along with kinship .
Progress is shown in the different kingdoms ,
progress that even argues for a spiritual body after the body of flesh is lost . {
Of beasts } (\
kt
n
n \).
Old word ,
from \
ktaomai \,
to possess ,
and so property .
See strkjv @
Luke:10:34 |. {
Of birds } (\
pt
n
n \).
Old word from \
petomai \,
to fly ,
winged ,
flying .
Only here in N .
T .
rwp @
1Corinthians:15:40 @{
Celestial } (\
epourania \).
Old word ,
from \
epi \,
upon , \
ouranos \,
heaven ,
existing in heaven .
Paul now rises higher in the range of his argument ,
above the merely {
terrestrial } (\
epigeia \,
upon earth , \
epi ,
ge \)
bodies .
He has shown differences in the bodies here on earth in plants and in the animal kingdom and now he indicates like differences to be seen in the heavens above us . {
Is one } (\
hetera men \) {--
is another } (\
hetera de \).
Antithesis that admits glory for bodies on earth and bodies in the heavens .
Experience does not argue against a glory for the spiritual body (
Phillipians:3:21 |).
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1Corinthians:15:41 @{
For one star differeth from another star in glory } (\
ast
r gar asteros diapherei en dox
i \).
A beautiful illustration of Paul '
s point . \
Asteros \
is the ablative case after \
diapherei \ (
old verb \
diapher \,
Latin _differo_
,
our _differ_
,
bear apart ).
On \
ast
r \
see strkjv @
Matthew:2:7 |
and \
astron \
strkjv @
Luke:21:25 |.
Stars differ in magnitude and brilliancy .
The telescope has added more force to Paul '
s argument . {
In glory } (\
en dox
i \).
Old word from \
doke \,
to think ,
to seem .
Songs:opinion ,
estimate ,
then the shekinah glory of God in the LXX ,
glory in general .
It is one of the great words of the N .
T .
Jesus is termed the glory in strkjv @
James:2:1 |.
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1Corinthians:15:42 @{
Songs:is the resurrection of the dead } (\
hout
s kai h
anastasis t
n nekr
n \).
Paul now applies his illustrations to his argument to prove the kind of body we shall have after the resurrection .
He does it by a series of marvellous contrasts that gather all his points .
The earthly and the risen beings differ in duration ,
value ,
power (
Wendt ). {
It is sown } (\
speiretai \).
In death ,
like the seed (
37 |). {
In incorruption } (\
en aphtharsi
i \).
Late word from \
a \
privative and \
phtheir \,
to corrupt .
In LXX ,
Plutarch ,
Philo ,
late papyrus of a Gnostic gospel ,
and quotation from Epicurus .
Vulgate _incorruptio_
.
The resurrection body has undergone a complete change as compared with the body of flesh like the plant from the seed .
It is related to it ,
but it is a different body of glory .
rwp @
1Corinthians:15:43 @{
In weakness } (\
en asthenei
i \).
Lack of strength as shown in the victory of death . {
In power } (\
en dunamei \).
Death can never conquer this new body , "
conformed to the body of His glory " (
Phillipians:3:21 |).
rwp @
1Corinthians:15:44 @{
A natural body } (\
s
ma psuchikon \).
See on ¯
2:14 |
for this word ,
a difficult one to translate since \
psuch \
has so many meanings .
Natural is probably as good a rendering as can be made ,
but it is not adequate ,
for the body here is not all \
psuch \
either as soul or life .
The same difficulty exists as to a spiritual body (\
s
ma pneumatikon \).
The resurrection body is not wholly \
pneuma \.
Caution is needed here in filling out details concerning the \
psuch \
and the \
pneuma \.
But certainly he means to say that the "
spiritual body "
has some kind of germinal connection with the "
natural body ,"
though the development is glorious beyond our comprehension though not beyond the power of Christ to perform (
Phillipians:3:21 |).
The force of the argument remains unimpaired though we cannot follow fully into the thought beyond us . {
If there is } (\
ei estin \). "
If there exists " (\
estin \
means this with accent on first syllable ),
a condition of first class assumed as true . {
There is also } (\
estin kai \).
There exists also .
rwp @
1Corinthians:15:45 @{
Became a living soul } (\
egeneto eis psuch
n z
san \).
Hebraistic use of \
eis \
in predicate from LXX .
God breathed a soul (\
psuch \)
into "
the first man ." {
The last Adam became a life-giving spirit } (\
ho eschatos Adam eis pneuma z
opoioun \).
Supply \
egeneto \ (
became ).
Christ is the crown of humanity and has power to give us the new body .
In strkjv @
Romans:5:12-19 |
Paul calls Christ the Second Adam .
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1Corinthians:15:46 @{
Howbeit that is not first which is spiritual ,
but that which is natural } (\
all '
ou pr
ton to pneumatikon ,
alla to psuchikon \).
Literally , "
But not first the spiritual ,
but the natural ."
This is the law of growth always .
rwp @
1Corinthians:15:47 @{
Earthly } (\
cho
kos \).
Late rare word ,
from \
chous \,
dust . {
The second man from heaven } (\
ho deuteros anthr
pos ex ouranou \).
Christ had a human (\
psuchikon \)
body ,
of course ,
but Paul makes the contrast between the first man in his natural body and the Second Man in his risen body .
Paul saw Jesus after his resurrection and he appeared to him "
from heaven ."
He will come again from heaven .
rwp @
1Corinthians:15:48 @{
As is the earthly } (\
hoios ho choikos \).
Masculine gender because of \
anthr
pos \
and correlative pronouns (\
hoios ,
toioutoi \)
of character or quality .
All men of dust (\
cho
koi \)
correspond to "
the man of dust " (\
ho cho
kos \),
the first Adam . {
As is the heavenly } (\
hoios ho epouranios \).
Christ in his ascended state (
1Thessalonians:4:16 ;
strkjv @
2Thessalonians:1:7 ;
strkjv @
Ephesians:2:6 ,
20 ;
strkjv @
Phillipians:3:20f .|).
rwp @
1Corinthians:15:49 @{
We shall also bear } (\
phoresomen kai \).
Old MSS . (
so Westcott and Hort )
read \
phores
men kai \.
Volitive aorist active subjunctive ,
Let us also bear .
Ellicott strongly opposes the subjunctive .
It may be merely the failure of scribes to distinguish between long o and short o .
Paul hardly means to say that our attaining the resurrection body depends on our own efforts !
A late frequentative form of \
pher \.
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1Corinthians:15:50 @{
Cannot inherit } (\
kl
ronom
sai ou dunantai \).
Hence there must be a change by death from the natural body to the spiritual body .
In the case of Christ this change was wrought in less than three days and even then the body of Jesus was in a transition state before the Ascension .
He ate and could be handled and yet he passed through closed doors .
Paul does not base his argument on the special circumstances connected with the risen body of Jesus .
rwp @
1Corinthians:15:51 @{
A mystery } (\
must
rion \).
He does not claim that he has explained everything .
He has drawn a broad parallel which opens the door of hope and confidence . {
We shall not all sleep } (\
pantes ou koim
th
sometha \).
Future passive indicative of \
koimaomai \,
to sleep .
Not all of us shall die ,
Paul means .
Some people will be alive when he comes .
Paul does not affirm that he or any then living will be alive when Jesus comes again .
He simply groups all under the phrase "
we all ." {
But we shall all be changed } (\
pantes de allag
sometha \).
Second future passive indicative of \
allass \.
Both living and dead shall be changed and so receive the resurrection body .
See this same idea at more length in strkjv @
1Thessalonians:4:13-18 |.
rwp @
1Corinthians:15:52 @{
In a moment } (\
en atom
i \).
Old word ,
from \
a \
privative and \
temn \,
to cut ,
indivisible :
Scientific word for _atom_
which was considered indivisible ,
but that was before the day of electrons and protons .
Only here in N .
T . {
In the twinkling of an eye } (\
en rip
i ophthalmou \).
Old word \
rip \
from \
ript \,
to throw .
Only here in N .
T .
Used by the Greeks for the flapping of a wing ,
the buzz of a gnat ,
the quivering of a harp ,
the twinkling of a star . {
At the last trump } (\
en t
i eschat
i salpiggi \).
Symbolical ,
of course .
See on ¯
1Thessalonians:4:16 ;
strkjv @
Matthew:24:31 |.
rwp @
1Corinthians:15:53 @{
Must put on } (\
dei endusasthai \).
Aorist (
ingressive )
middle infinitive ,
put on as a garment . {
Immortality } (\
athanasian \).
Old word from \
athanatos \,
undying ,
and that from \
a \
privative and \
thn
sk \,
to die .
In N .
T .
only here and strkjv @
1Timothy:6:16 |
where God is described as having immortality .
rwp @
1Corinthians:15:54 @{
Shall have put on } (\
endus
tai \).
First aorist middle subjunctive with \
hotan \
whenever ,
merely indefinite future ,
no _futurum
exactum_
,
merely meaning , "
whenever shall put on ,"
not "
shall have put on ." {
Is swallowed up } (\
katepoth \).
First aorist passive indicative of \
katapin \,
old verb to drink down ,
swallow down .
Perfective use of \
kata -\
where we say "
up ," "
swallow up ."
Timeless use of the aorist tense .
Paul changes the active voice \
katepien \
in strkjv @
Isaiah:25:8 |
to the passive .
Death is no longer victory .
Theodotion reads the Hebrew verb (
_bulla_
,
for _billa_
,)
as passive like Paul .
It is the "
final overthrow of the king of Terrors " (
Findlay )
as shown in strkjv @
Hebrews:2:15 |.
rwp @
1Corinthians:15:55 @{
Victory } (\
nikos \).
Late form of \
nik \. {
O death } (\
thanate \).
Second instance .
Here Paul changes Hades of the LXX for Hebrew Sheol (
Hosea:13:14 |)
to death .
Paul never uses Hades . {
Thy sting } (\
sou to kentron \).
Old word from \
kentre \,
to prick ,
as in strkjv @
Acts:26:14 |.
In strkjv @
Revelation:9:10 |
of the sting of locusts ,
scorpions .
The serpent death has lost his poison fangs .
rwp @
1Corinthians:15:56 @{
The power of sin } (\
h
dunamis t
s hamartias \).
See strkjv @
Romans:4:15 ;
strkjv @
5:20 ;
strkjv @
6:14 ;
7 ;
strkjv @
Galatians:2:16 ;
strkjv @
3:1-5:4 |
for Paul '
s ideas here briefly expressed .
In man '
s unrenewed state he cannot obey God '
s holy law .
rwp @
1Corinthians:15:57 @{
But thanks be to God } (\
t
i de the
i charis \).
Exultant triumph through Christ over sin and death as in strkjv @
Romans:7:25 |.
rwp @
1Corinthians:15:58 @{
Be ye steadfast ,
unmovable } (\
hedraioi ginesthe ,
ametakin
toi \). "
Keep on becoming steadfast ,
unshaken ."
Let the sceptics howl and rage .
Paul has given rational grounds for faith and hope in Christ the Risen Lord and Saviour .
Note practical turn to this great doctrinal argument . {
Work } (\
ergon \), {
labour } (\
kopos \,
toil ).
The best answer to doubt is work .