a means by which every believer can share the blessings and the sorrows of the Body. The 14th chapter sharpens this focus for us. The edification of others is always more desirable than one personal experience (vrs. 3,4). Undoubtedly Paul suggests to these people that they ought to limit their heavy emphasis upon tongues or foreign languages, since they cannot pos sibly bring the fullest of blessing to their fellowship (vs. 22). Proph esying or speaking for the whole body is that which benefits the larger portion of the members. He emphasized the importance of in telligible instruction for the bene fit of all. No matter what gift or ability I have, if I do not handle it properly, I am off-base. I am not to envy other gifts, nor think of my gift as being better than some one else's. I am not to act unwisely or out of character for a believer. I am not to seek my own profit above that of others. Unless the gifts can be used for the benefit of others, exercised in love, they are of no value. Emotional out bursts are to be left behind so that we can reflect and act on the basis of solid, Biblical principles. Always let the truth of God's Word be a measure of man's words and man's experience — never the other way around. Secondly, I think that we have seen that, for Paul at least, tongues at Corinth was neither the source nor the seal of Christian maturity. Love must characterize all conduct. It is, in truth, more desirable than even the gifts which are presented (I Corinthians 12:31- 13:13). If you really want to please God, ask Him to give you the ca pacity to love others for His Name's sake.
In mythology, the ancient Creek gods failed to inspire although they were purported to be able to do the impossible. They fought, were greedy and lustful, and generally were a deplorable lot. How great is our Saviour! What a contrast He provides. He lived a spotless life, was crucified and rose bodily from the grave. This is the presentation Paul gives with his dynamic mes sage recorded in I Corinthians 15. How practical that this theme was mentioned to those in Corinth where the subject of the resurrec tion in general was questioned by some (vs. 12). He was concerned that this doubt could adversely af fect the church and those confused thereby (vs. 33 and 34). We must not be tempted to lose confidence through the questioning power of others. The resurrection is a firmly es tablished fact. The Scriptures clearly reveal it (vs. 4). There are numer ous Old Testament references, as well as the words of Christ Him self, which bear witness to this fact. The Apostle had heard others of his day testify of this fact (Luke 24:45-46). Then there was the proof given by the eye witnesses (vrs. 5, 6). Here we find both individuals, as well as a group of 500, who saw Him alive on various occasions fol lowing the resurrection. If people of that day really had questions they could locate some of those who had been privileged to see the risen Lord. One thing was abundantly clear, the resurrection certainly was not a case of some one's hallucination. You could not have 500 seeing the same thing unless it was real. In verses 7 and 8 Paul points out that he was privileged to see the
Page 42
Made with FlippingBook Online document