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1st Corinthians 14.26-end
November 18th 2018
Milk
Alright, we left off last week with Paul describing that there is the potential when someone steps into a gathering of believers who are all teaching by the spirit (as opposed to all speaking, praying or singing in unknown tongues) that there is a chance that (verse 25)
“the secrets of his heart would be made manifest; and so falling down on his face he will worship God, and report that God is in you of a truth.”
This brings us to verse 26-40 which I hope to work through today before embarking on the infamous and wonderful chapter 15.
We are going to attack these remaining 15 verses in three chunks – verses 26-33, verses 34-35, and then 36-40 to wrap it all us.
Now, before doing this I have to confront you all with a set of questions based on a set of circumstances that cannot be overlooked and really play an important role in all we have been reading.
And I am going to go to the board to present it
All believers have some mandatory options to consider relative to the Apostolic Record.
So, remembering these three stances that all Christians are forced to make (whether they know it or not), let’s cover the first chunk – verses 26-33 where Paul asks:
26 How is it then, brethren? when ye come together, every one of you hath a psalm, hath a doctrine, hath a tongue, hath a revelation, hath an interpretation. Let all things be done unto edifying.
27 If any man speak in an unknown tongue, let it be by two, or at the most by three, and that by course; and let one interpret.
28 But if there be no interpreter, let him keep silence in the church; and let him speak to himself, and to God.
29 Let the prophets speak two or three, and let the other judge.
30 If any thing be revealed to another that sitteth by, let the first hold his peace.
31 For ye may all prophesy one by one, that all may learn, and all may be comforted.
32 And the spirits of the prophets are subject to the prophets.
33 For God is not the author of confusion, but of peace, as in all churches of the saints.
It seems that in verse 26 Paul lays out the scene there in Corinth regarding the exercising of spiritual gifts present then. And so he asks:
26 How is it then, brethren? when ye come together, every one of you hath a psalm, hath a doctrine, hath a tongue, hath a revelation, hath an interpretation. Let all things be done unto edifying.
In other words, brethren what is going on over there? How is it that when the “called out” come together
Every one of you (which sounds like hyperbole to make a point), That every one of you have a (and we get a laundry list of the spiritual gifts that were put on display by them when they gathered), including “everyone of them having”
hath a psalm (is disposed to singing)
hath a doctrine (a doctrine)
hath a tongue (an unknown language)
hath a revelation (a truth revealed)
hath an interpretation (of the tongue)
In other words, it sounds like Paul is describing a religious circus here and so he adds the point:
“Let all things be unto edifying.”
And at this point he lays out the rules on how to approach this situation where everyone is trying to communicate their respective spiritual giftings and he starts with laying down the ground rules for speaking in tongues, saying
27 If any man speak in an unknown tongue, let it be by two, or at the most by three, and that by course; and let one interpret.
Because it seems probable that many were endowed with the gift of tongues that this was Paul’s way of limiting the expression on a given day – no more than two or three – this is the view of most commentators.
He has clearly shown in last weeks teaching that the expression was for UNBELEIVERS but he still allows for the gift to occur in the gathering of the called out – with some limitations.
Let is be done two or three times, or perhaps not at the same time, and let there be an interpreter.
This advice slows the whole thing down doesn’t it?
Then he adds
28 But if there be no interpreter, let him keep silence in the church; and let him speak to himself, and to God.
In other words, no way to make the message clear, keep it to yourself. Boom. Done. (Verse 29)
29 Let the prophets speak two or three, and let the other judge.
Some think that Paul is saying let the prophets be judged by other prophets but he could also be saying, let the prophets speak one by one and then let the others (congregation judge).
Verse 30 If any thing be revealed to another that sitteth by, let the first hold his peace.
In other words, if someone is speaking or revealing a truth and another has a truth come to him, let them remain silent until the truth of the other is revealed.
At verse 31 Paul explains why this order and system was to be in place, saying
For ye may all prophesy one by one, that all may learn, and all may be comforted.
Again, an appeal to order, understanding, and edification.
In all of this we can see that even in the abundant spirit of God within people, individual people – even teachers and prophets and revelators are in control of what they do with the spirit given them.
They can wait patiently for their turn. They can allow things to be done decently and in order, that carnival atmospheres of the spirit are the product of Man and their impetuousness and not the Spirit of God.
Back at Calvary Chapel in Costa Mesa during its heyday, Chuck Smith would sit on the stage and when people in the audience would apparently get “overwhelmed” by the Spirit – and choose to stand and dance in the spirit, or sing in the spirit, or speak in tongues right in the middle of a teaching or worship, Chuck would look at them and point for them to sit down, or quite themselves.
Paul was serious about all being able to benefit by the gift expressed, and in order for that to be the case, he is instructing everyone with a spiritual gift to exercise self-control – a very telling thing to know when we are confronted with brash, outlandish or impetuous expressions people claim to have at the hand of God.
At verse 32 he adds
32 And the spirits of the prophets are subject to the prophets.
There are several ways to understand this passage and most Christians today choose to see Paul as saying that when a prophet speaks his words are judged by other prophets.
In light of what he has just said about self-control in the face of all of these gifts, I tend to think that Paul has simply added the idea that when a prophet has something to say or teach, that spirit that prompts him to share or teach it is SUBJECT to that prophet and can be shared in a reasonable manner, which is why he now adds:
33 For . . . God is not the author of confusion, but of peace, as in all churches of the saints.
This was to be the case wherever the called out gathered, the knowledge that God is not the author of confusion but of peace.
Now, in this vein or stream of thought, Paul now provides what will be our second chunk of scripture for today – verses 34-35.
We need to understand two things about the next two verses –
First, why would Paul give these instructions to the Church/Bride, and second
What stance are you going to choose to take in your view of it?
So let’s read the passages and then answer the question:
WHY WOULD PAUL SAY SUCH A THING? What thing – having established an order of peace among gatherings of believers Paul now says (verse 34-35):
34 Let your women keep silence in the churches: for it is not permitted unto them to speak; but they are commanded to be under obedience, as also saith the law.
35 And if they will learn any thing, let them ask their husbands at home: for it is a shame for women to speak in the church.
Pretty hard language folks and there is really no ambiguity in it. The language is also extremely objectifying of females as on a couple of occasions Paul refers to women as the property of men, saying
“Let yer women”
“for it is not permitted for THEM “
“but THEY are commanded to be under obedience.
“And IF THEY will learn any thing . .
“let THEM ask their husbands at home”
“for it is a shame for WOMEN to speak”
I consult a number of scholars and commentators when preparing and one of my favorites writes:
“No rule in the New Testament is more positive than this; and however plausible may be the reasons which may be urged for disregarding it, and for suffering women to take part in conducting public worship, yet the authority of the apostle Paul is positive, and his meaning cannot be mistaken.”
Others suggest that Paul was speaking directly to woman asking questions in church – that was when they were to be silent and to learn from their husband.
For every church and every pastor there seems to be an explanation of these passages – ranging from the most conservative and zealous to the most liberal and laid back.
Why would an apostle of Jesus Christ say such a thing?
First, this was the general approach of the Jews to women. The man was the head of the house in the Nation of Israel and women were to go to them outside the synagogue and do their questioning.
The Nation became so misogynistic that one Rabbi Eliezer wrote
(Bammidbar Rabba, sec. 9, fol. 204)
“Let the words of the law be burned, rather than that they should be delivered to women.”
Some suggest that women were not to teach, and that this was what Paul was talking about – but that interpretation falls short of his emphatic words.
Under the Law, women were certainly relegated to a subservient role to their husbands and all of that related back to the Fall where Eve was beguiled but Adam willfully sinned.
Her allegiance was to be to her husband as part of the curse and the Nation lived that out.
But as it always is with men, things got taken to an extreme and men twisted things out from the will of God, to the point that men multiplied wives unto themselves too – which was not the case from the beginning.
When Jesus entered the field be introduced emancipation of women, to the Point that Paul himself wrote in Christ there is no difference between male and female, bond and free, Jew and Greek.
But remember, Paul was facing 1500 years of cultural misogyny, and now – with the freedom of Christ abounding, women were jumping into the chaotic fray at Corinth.
Could women prophesy and/or teach?
Remember at the day of Pentecost that Peter cited the prediction of Joel who said that the day had come when “the Spirit of God was to be poured out on the women as well as the men, that they might prophesy, i.e. teach.”
So not only did Jesus introduce gender emancipation, it was prophesied by Joel that all would teach/preach/prophesy in that day – which landed on Pentecost first.
So, was Paul going backward here?
Paul’s job was to keep that darn church together until the coming of the Lord to take it. He was able to solve half his problem with chaos and disorder while appealing to cultural norms by telling the woman to be silent. Its as simple as that.
That is context, that is history, that is the way it was and if you were a woman living in that day or a man the instructions would have probably not caused anyone to even blink.
It was the norm and for Paul, it was needed.
But the larger question that looms takes us back to the board – and it is an extremely important question because I want the truth, I want to know why something is true, and I don’t want rationalizations.
Either the words of the Apostles are still viable today and we are to appeal to them because what they said then are as just as important to us living today . . . OR . . . we can delude ourselves that we get to pick and choose, based off culture and other factors and remove things that don’t apply to our world OR we more rationally suggest stance three, which in light of all the eschatology makes great sense.
My problem with the left stance is it was clearly for that time and served as a means to keep peace and security among the Saints.
Add in that they had to remain unified like no other for His coming and I’ve no problem with what Paul says as being part of the historical narrative, all things considered and it really is nonsensical to people today.
My problem with the middle stance is it allows everyone to pick and choose what they will accept and believe from the narrative and this can be attacked by our critics when we claim to trust the Bible.
The supports for the far right stance are more than ample as:
There is no difference between male and female in Christ;
Women do not need to cover their heads nor shave them if uncovered today
Jesus promised to come and rescue his bride within a generation
His Apostles expected him to rescue the bride they had culled from the people,
And the descriptions of the faith once the church-bride was suggest that all of these apostolic orders have zeros application to believers today since God writes His laws upon the hearts and minds of all who are His . . . and not with ink.
To me the men who approach the faith with the far left are spiritually, and even physically barbaric – though they are true to the word.
The people in the middle are hypocritical and illogical in their claims to love and follow every word of the Bible, and
Those who see all of the Bibles content in context are able to allow all the freedom and liberty to be Christians by the Spirit and not the letter.
And that they did prophesy or teach is evident from what the apostle says, 1Co 11:5, where he lays down rules to regulate this part of their conduct while ministering in the church.
And to our last chunk – verses 36-40 where Paul says
36 What? came the word of God out from you? or came it unto you only?
37 If any man think himself to be a prophet, or spiritual, let him acknowledge that the things that I write unto you are the commandments of the Lord.
38 But if any man be ignorant, let him be ignorant.
39 Wherefore, brethren, covet to prophesy, and forbid not to speak with tongues.
40 Let all things be done decently and in order.
So back to verse 36 where Paul now asks
36 What? came the word of God out from you? or came it unto you only?
This is sort of a sarcastic question, it seems. At least in part but because it was a way that the Hebrews would write what we see as sarcasm they may have just considered it a norm relative to questioning and dialogue.
So after laying all this down – because apparently there was chaos there at their hands and they had apparently allowed women to engage in the chaos, Paul sort of gets them in line by asking them if the Word of God actually came out from them there at Corinth, you know, like they were the ones who were the originators of all things biblical.
Then he adds, probably realizing that it did come out of Corinth in part, “Or came it unto you only?”
The meaning of this seems to be, “Is the church at Corinth the mother church? Was it first established or have you all been the ones to sending forth the word of God into the world?
Why would Paul say this? Because they had apparently adopted practices that were unheard of in the rest of the called out and he wanted to illustrate to them that they lacked the authority to make such decisions – that the faith was established in places other than Corinth.
And here Paul adds a tremendous throw-down, saying
37 If any man think himself to be a prophet, or spiritual, let him acknowledge that the things that I write unto you are the commandments of the Lord.
My friends, this was an apostolic throwdown like no other. And I trust that Paul had every right, every reason, and every authority to do it.
He was called out of the predominant faith at tremendous risk to his reputation and life. He was trained by Christ and had the skill and ability to articulate everything Jesus wanted Him to articulate relative to the Tanakh and then spent his life not only working miracles and standing up to the terrors of the day, but being beaten, stoned, shipwrecked, put in prison, and all manner of other injustices.
John the beloved, another apostles wrote something similar in his first epistle, saying
1Jo 4:6 We are of God: he that knoweth God heareth us; he that is not of God heareth not us. Hereby know we the spirit of truth, and the spirit of error.
Paul is doing a similar thing here. But the really important thing we have to ask ourselves is does PAUL bear the same apostolic power over the church or body today?
Of so, to what degree?
To me, we either recognize all that Paul says, recognizing his authority and call from Jesus himself to set up the church and give written instruction the way most pastors and Christians claim – and by golly we follow every word of the Record in allegiance to this stance OR . . . we see things in another way.
I cannot, for the life of me, see any value in the middle road IF Paul and his apostolic instructions remain in as much power today as they were then.
The stop-gap measure (at least one religion has introduced to the world to this rub) is the idea that there was an apostacy OF apostolic power and authority and therefore a need for living apostles to return to power and since living apostles and their words would trump dead ones due to cultural changes and the like, this would be a reasonable measure to retain apostolic integrity.
If this was plausible relative to all the other facets of scripture (that must be ignored to make it work) I would accept it because it makes much more sense than the middle of the road approach which has proven to be completely hypocritical.
Unfortunately, the biblical passages that speak to priesthood, restoration, end times, and much more are in such contradiction with the stop-gap solution to apostolic rule, we are left – if we are to maintain intellectual integrity and dedication to the Bible – with fulfillment as being the only remaining recourse.
So Paul, throwing down on them, tells them if someone is truly inspired by the Spirit they would recognize that what Paul writes to them were the commandments of the Lord. Then at verse 38 he adds
38 But if any man be ignorant, let him be ignorant.
In other words, if anyone is ignorant of my authority or whether I have a right to command you or not, let him remain ignorant at his own peril.
This seems to be Paul saying, “I am not going to debate this with anybody. I have stated my authority let those who dispute it take it up with God. And then he caps the chapter – actually the whole discussion on spiritual gifts that started back in chapter 12, with the following:
39 Wherefore, brethren, covet to prophesy, and forbid not to speak with tongues.
Here he seems to sum everything up that he has said and reminds them first, that it was desirable that a man should wish to be able to speak, by the Holy Spirit, in a way that would edify the church.
We covered the word covet a while back and recall that it can be used in a positive sense and in a negative sense – or course this is the positive sense.
And after instructing them to obtain the spiritual gift of teaching, he adds
“And forbid not to speak with tongues.”
We have talked about this to death and covered everything about it and in light of it I don’t want you to go to the extreme and prohibit speaking in tongues now.
Let them happen, as I have laid out here in this letter, but he concludes
40 Let all things be done decently and in order.
All that Paul has said in this chapter regarding teaching and speaking by the spirit has been focused on some key factors
Let everything be done as a means to either edify believers or to help convert non-believers.
Let the focus on the believers be teaching by the spirit and let the focus on non-believers be the speaking of tongues.
Let everything be done decently – so if tongues are to be spoken in a gathering of the called out, make sure that they can be interpreted – so that all can be edified thereby.
And finally, he firmly establishes that He has the authority to set things straight in the church, and that if there are those who differ with him they are free to do it, but to their own peril.
And at this point we enter into 1st Corinthians chapter 15.
I want to wrap today up by reading it together in preparation for our verse by verse study of it beginning next week.
Verse 1
1st Corinthians 15:1 Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand;
2 By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain.
3 For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures;
4 And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:
5 And that he was seen of Cephas, then of the twelve:
6 After that, he was seen of above five hundred brethren at once; of whom the greater part remain unto this present, but some are fallen asleep.
7 After that, he was seen of James; then of all the apostles.
8 And last of all he was seen of me also, as of one born out of due time.
9 For I am the least of the apostles, that am not meet 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 which was bestowed upon me was not in vain; but I labored more abundantly than they all: yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me.
11 Therefore whether it were I or they, so we preach, and so ye believed.
12 Now if Christ be preached that he rose from the dead, how say some among you that there is no resurrection of the dead?
13 But if there be no resurrection of the dead, then is Christ not risen:
14 And if Christ be not risen, then is our preaching vain, and your faith is also vain.
15 Yea, and we are found false witnesses of God; because we have testified of God that he raised up Christ: whom he raised not up, if so be that the dead rise not.
16 For if the dead rise not, then is not Christ raised:
17 And if Christ be not raised, your faith is vain; ye are yet in your sins.
18 Then they also which are fallen asleep in Christ are perished.
19 If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable.
20 But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept.
21 For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead.
22 For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.
23 But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ’s at his coming.
24 Then cometh the end, when he shall have delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father; when he shall have put down all rule and all authority and power.
25 For he must reign, till he hath put all enemies under his feet.
26 The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death.
27 For he hath put all things under his feet. But when he saith all things are put under him, it is manifest that he is excepted, which did put all things under him.
28 And when all things shall be subdued unto him, then shall the Son also himself be subject unto him that put all things under him, that God may be all in all.
29 Else what shall they do which are baptized for the dead, if the dead rise not at all? why are they then baptized for the dead?
30 And why stand we in jeopardy every hour?
31 I protest by your rejoicing which I have in Christ Jesus our Lord, I die daily.
32 If after the manner of men I have fought with beasts at Ephesus, what advantageth it me, if the dead rise not? let us eat and drink; for to morrow we die.
33 Be not deceived: evil communications corrupt good manners.
34 Awake to righteousness, and sin not; for some have not the knowledge of God: I speak this to your shame.
35 But some man will say, How are the dead raised up? and with what body do they come?
36 Thou fool, that which thou sowest is not quickened, except it die:
37 And that which thou sowest, thou sowest not that body that shall be, but bare grain, it may chance of wheat, or of some other grain:
38 But God giveth it a body as it hath pleased him, and to every seed his own body.
39 All flesh is not the same flesh: but there is one kind of flesh of men, another flesh of beasts, another of fishes, and another of birds.
40 There are also celestial bodies, and bodies terrestrial: but the glory of the celestial is one, and the glory of the terrestrial is another.
41 There is one glory of the sun, and another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars: for one star differeth from another star in glory.
42 So also is the resurrection of the dead. It is sown in corruption; it is raised in incorruption:
43 It is sown in dishonor; it is raised in glory: it is sown in weakness; it is raised in power:
44 It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body. There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body.
45 And so it is written, The first man Adam was made a living soul; the last Adam was made a quickening spirit.
46 Howbeit that was not first which is spiritual, but that which is natural; and afterward that which is spiritual.
47 The first man is of the earth, earthy: the second man is the Lord from heaven.
48 As is the earthy, such are they also that are earthy: and as is the heavenly, such are they also that are heavenly.
49 And as we have borne the image of the earthy, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly.
50 Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption.
51 Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed,
52 In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.
53 For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.
54 So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory.
55 O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?
56 The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law.
57 But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
58 Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.
And we will continue forward with this second to the last chapter of 1st Corinthians next week.
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