thians 15 has what we might term a "commercial." Reading along we rejoice in the fact that Jesus rose from the dead. Then, all of the sud den, verse 34 introduces some thing very jarring. We are told, "Awake to righteousness, and sin not; for some have not the knowl edge of God: I speak this to your shame." The next verse carries on again with the resurrection theme. What was the reason for this? The Holy Spirit wants us to know that Christ rose for a real purpose (Ro mans 6:3-5). You see, the church at Corinth was to know that the res urrection of Christ was not merely a doctrine or a phase of theology but rather the basis for a spiritual walk to victory. I Corinthians 15:34 tells us to "awake" which is very interesting in the original. It con tains a real nugget of grace. This means, do not become intoxicated with wine. Let not anything deaden or dull your senses. As a Christian there is a danger that we drink from the world's cisterns rather than at the springs of eternal life. Our bus iness is not to be like the world but to be righteous. Literally this sug gests that we are to be on the level, straight, and not crooked in any of our affairs. Are you really on the level with God? Can He trust you in the world? The fact is, if you are level vertically you will have no trouble being level horizontally. Sin has behind it the picture of the sport of archery. A man takes an arrow putting it to the bow, let ting it fly so that it will hit the tar get. To miss the mark is what sin really means. The standard is God's not ours. The church at Corinth had to be reminded that they were set apart to be saints not to be sinners. The knowledge of God carries with Page 23
courses which are designed to equip students to do secular, pro fessional, and spiritual work. Some of these students may become min isters, missionaries, evangelists, musicians, directors of Christian education and all of the varied ser vices the Christian church offers. Do you think that to be an evan gelist, minister or Christian educa tion director, this is really Chris tian work? Before I answer that, let me ask you how bothered you get with radio and television com mercials. They can easily break the continuity of thought and activity. To make matters worse they often try to sell things in which I have not the slightest interest. I Corin
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