For You Alone, O Lord

Meditations in First Corinthians

June 27, 2022

For You Alone, O Lord 

And why should we ourselves risk our lives hour by hour?

1 Corinthians 15:30

Read: 1 Corinthians 15:29-34

First, verse 29 is confusing. This is the only place in the NT that refers to being baptized for the dead. Biblical scholars are not sure exactly what practice in Corinth Paul was referring to, but they are convinced by mentioning the practice he was not condoning it. Rather, he uses it as fonder for his continuing argument that if Jesus was not in fact raised from the dead, and if there is not a sure hope for the resurrection of the disciples of Jesus, all our churchy activity is in vain. It is useless in terms of providing eternal benefits.

In today’s passage, Paul goes even further with this argument. Not only does the absence of the actual bodily resurrection of Jesus negate any eternal value of church, but it also negates the sustaining power and presence of God in our present circumstances. As I noted on June 23, 2022, all my faith rests in one basket: the resurrection of Jesus.

My Takeaway: Since April, I have been struggling with Atrial Fibrillation. My doctors have prescribed medicines by the hands full, which have side effects, and which for me has included disrupting my normal sleep pattern. Every night as I lie in bed, Cheryl prays Psalm 4:8 over me,

In peace I will lie down and sleep,

    for you alone, O Lord, will keep me safe.

If there is no resurrection, Cheryl is wasting her breath and giving me false hope.

Thanks be to God, she is not!

Sē’lah

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(Selah is a word that appears in the Book of Psalms that I often use as the Complimentary Closing in my correspondence. Its meaning, as I use the word, is to pause and think about these things.)

 

These meditations are written by Alex M. Knight as he seeks the life in Christ as his way of life.  The meditations are published on the BLOG, http://seekingthelifeinchrist.blogspot.com/ and they are also distributed on the Constant Contact email server. You may subscribe to this email service by sending an email to: amkrom812@gmail.com.

 

Copyright © 2022 by Alex M. Knight

 

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.