1 Corinthians: Part 5 - Ch. 13-16

Closing Strong

In his closing statement for his first letter to the church in Corinth, Paul addresses 3 major themes for the church to take to heart. Paul discusses love, spiritual gifts, and the importance of the resurrection of Jesus Christ. These 3 ideas are vital to the life of any church because love should be a defining characteristic of any Christ-follower, spiritual gifts are what God gave the Church to edify them and use them for His glory, and the resurrection of Christ is where our very hope in the gospel lies. Paul has indeed given his fair share of criticism to the Corinthians, however, he knows it is just as important to remind them of the hope that they all have in Christ. Just as Ligonier Ministries beautifully says, “Having established the bodily resurrection of Christ as the common belief of both Paul and the people in the Corinthian church who denied the future resurrection of believers the Apostle explores the necessary consequences of Christ’s resurrection. As we will see, Christ’s being raised bodily from the dead goes hand in hand with the bodily resurrection of His people. We cannot have one without the other.” This is a vital aspect of Paul’s letter, and we cannot miss it. With this in mind, let’s see what Paul has to say to us in the final 3 chapters of his first letter to Corinth. 

Love Above Gifts

To begin, Paul starts off in chapter 13 by addressing love. This is a short chapter that is made up of only 13 verses, but don’t let this length fool you. Paul packs a punch in this chapter by talking about how believers are to be defined by love. Just look at how Paul opens this chapter. 1 Corinthians 13:1-3 says, “If I speak with the tongues of mankind and of angels, but do not have love, I have become a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and know all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith so as to remove mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. And if I give away all my possessions to charity, and if I surrender my body so that I may glory, but do not have love, it does me no good.” What a powerful statement this is. Think for a second about all that Paul is saying here. Paul could have stopped with just verse one, and this still would be a very powerful verse. However, Paul goes even further. But why? Paul clearly does this because this is what the church in Corinth was struggling with at the time, but also to remind the Church today of how we should always act. This isn’t just a reminder for the Corinthians; it’s a reminder for us, and what a timely reminder for this current day and age. I love how Paul not only stresses the importance of this spiritual fruit but also reminds us that our lives ultimately won’t give glory to Christ if they are not defined by love. No matter what spiritual gift or miracle we could perform, it all means nothing if we do not love. This is a great reminder that Paul places here right before discussing spiritual gifts. Yes, the gifts God gives us are important, but if we don’t love, our gifts won’t be effective. 

This ties us in perfectly to chapter 14. Paul breaks down some of the spiritual gifts for us in the opening of this chapter, specifically prophecy and tongues. While tongues is a gift that Paul claims to build up the believer, he urges them to pray for the gift of prophecy because this is what will lead the lost to conviction and turn to Christ. Paul’s ultimate point here, though, is found in the middle of this chapter when discussing the gifts. Paul notes in 1 Corinthians 14:26 “What is the outcome then, brothers and sisters? When you assemble, each one has a psalm, has a teaching, has a revelation, has a tongue, has an interpretation. All things are to be done for edification.” What Paul is saying here is quite simple. Yes, pray and seek for prophecy in order to reach the lost, but regardless of what gift you may currently have, use it for the improvement of the church. The Church in America could really use this passage if you ask me. It’s ok if we pray for certain gifts, but at the end of the day, it is our job to use whatever gift God has currently given us to build His church. We must not let jealousy for other gifts or other people overshadow what God has given us and expects us to use for His glory. 

Hope In The Resurrection 

Furthermore, the reason we love and use our gifts at all is because of the hope we have in the gospel. Or, to put it more practically, the gift we have of salvation because of the resurrection. Paul points this out masterfully in the final chapter of this letter by discussing how the resurrection of Christ brings hope to all, even those who are already dead. Paul is sure to tell us how vital the resurrection of Christ is in 1 Corinthians 15:16-19 “For if the dead are not raised, then not even Christ has been raised; and if Christ has not been raised, your faith is worthless; you are still in your sins. Then also those who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. If we have hoped in Christ only in this life, we are of all people most to be pitied.” I absolutely love this take from Paul because he is basically saying that the resurrection of Christ isn’t just part of our hope in the gospel; it is our hope in the gospel. Without it, we are still in our sins and unsaved. This is why our repentance and faith in Christ isn’t just an aspect of our lives; it’s everything because without it, we are not saved. This also explains why Paul concludes the letter with such strong yet true language. Paul closes this first letter by saying 1 Corinthians 16:22-24 “If anyone does not love the Lord, he is to be accursed… The grace of the Lord Jesus be with you. My love be with you all in Christ Jesus. Amen.” We aren’t just lost without Christ, we are cursed without Him because our ultimate end is ruin. As you go through the conclusion of this book, I hope and pray that our Lord has revealed to you the importance of His Church and why our love for Christ must be at the center of it all. May we follow what Paul has taught us by using our gifts for His glory, being defined by love, and most importantly, finding hope and bringing hope to others in the resurrection of Christ. 

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Sources

[1] Blue Letter Bible. (n.d.). Blue Letter Bible. https://www.blueletterbible.org/

[2] The necessity of Christ’s resurrection. (2021, July 6). Ligonier Ministries. https://learn.ligonier.org/devotionals/the-necessity-of-christs-resurrection