~6 min read
Ps Paul Cheng
1 Corinthians 15:32-34
“…their lives gave evidence that they did not really know Him…”
Dear Bethelites,
Having considered how the resurrection should motivate the believer to believe and be baptised, and to withstand danger, the Apostle Paul moved on to the final two motivations, to endure suffering, and to live godly lives.
I. Motivated To Endure Suffering
1 Corinthians 15:32, 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.
One cannot be sure if Paul had actually fought with literal wild beasts. It could be possible. But personally, I think Paul was not referring to the physical beasts as in the lions of Ephesus, because as a Roman citizen, he would not have been thrown to the savage animals. Paul was not a shepherd like David who had to deal with wild beasts. Most likely, the phrase fought with beasts at Ephesus was a metaphorical language of fighting with the false teachers who acted like wild animals.
The phrase after the manner of men means human motivation. In other words, Paul was saying, “If my motivation to hold fast the Word of God, defend and fight with those false teachers comes from my own human desires, what does it profit (advantageth) me?”
What lessons can we learn from here? Why do we share the gospel, give out evangelistic tracts, defend the Bible, and answer those challenging questions that come from our unbelieving friends and relatives? If there is no resurrection; when we die, and we remain dead forever, what does it profit us? What is the purpose of suffering for Christ when we would never see Him face to face? What is the purpose of winning others for Christ if we would not meet again in the sweet by-and-by in heaven? Such a gospel is not good news, so what is the purpose of preaching it? If we serve the Lord and endure suffering, simply to fulfil our own human motivations, so that others may praise us for our goodness, righteousness and commitment, what does it profit us? It is meaningless!
If that be the case, then what will make perfect sense is to eat, drink and be merry, for tomorrow we die. If this is the only life there is to live, then the most sensible thing to do is to enjoy all we can; travel and holiday, be worldly and sensuous, as much as we can, for once we die, we will remain dead forever. Nothing else really matters (c.f. Ecclesiastes 1:2).
But nothing is further from the truth. The resurrection is real, for Christ was risen from the dead, and we look unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God (Hebrews 12:2). The motivation of the resurrection is what caused us to be willing to suffer for Christ!
II. Motivated To Live Godly Lives
1 Corinthians 15:33, Be not deceived: evil communications corrupt good manners. Looking forward to our future resurrection should motivate us to live godly lives. This has to do with our sanctification.
Evil communications means evil speech. The reason why evil speech corrupts good manners or good habits is because when one is always in the company of a group of people, their speech will somehow influence him or her. It is impossible to associate regularly with them without being contaminated by their behaviours. Our friends will inevitably have an influence on us because they are people whom we often talk and listen to.
It is worthy to note that this verse was written in the context of the resurrection, and therefore, here Paul was emphasizing to the Corinthians that in view of the resurrection, they needed to carefully consider the people they were constantly associated with. They had better be careful about spending much time with people who denied the gospel, biblical truths, and the resurrection of Christ. If they were not careful, they would soon become like their friends.
A word of exhortation to all parents. Do we really believe that evil communications corrupt good manners? If the answer is, “Obviously yes!” Then we ought to know who our children’s friends are. Do we want our children to behave like their friends? Parents should be concerned about who their children’s friends are!
A word of exhortation to all children. When your parents are concerned about who your friends are, please do not be angry. Ask yourself the question, “Why are my parents concerned?” It is because they love me, and they do not want me to be like my ungodly friends. Well, some children may say, “But I am smart and clever enough. I will not be influenced by them. I know how to draw the line between right and wrong.” Are you smarter than God who said, evil communications corrupt good manners? Rather, let us humble ourselves, and obey the Word of God!
A word of exhortation to everyone. Do we know that when we are spending a lot of time with a gossiper, slanderer, or someone who only says things negatively and not constructively, little by little, we will begin to speak like them? The scariest thing is that we may not even realize it, and oftentimes, people are not able to distinguish between evil and good communications. And they tend to gravitate toward that which is evil because it is sweet to their itching ears. Beware, and do not be deceived! Do not think it does not matter, for evil communications corrupt good manners!
That does not mean we totally isolate ourselves from the unbelievers, or we do not care to minister to them. If we truly believe in the resurrection, then we must always look at the person with a spiritual perspective that he or she will not be raised to life but to condemnation. We must always consider how we can communicate the gospel to him or her at every opportunity, how we can articulate the gospel as clearly as possible so that he or she may come to believe in Jesus. That should be the way we view our relationships with one another. We are motivated by the resurrection!
1 Corinthians 15:34, Awake to righteousness, and sin not; for some have not the knowledge of God: I speak this to your shame. In light of the reality of the resurrection, one has to stop sinning.
To awake is to be sober-minded. People who do not believe in the resurrection, they are going through life like somebody who is drunk; living in sin and worldliness. Christians must never do that. Rather than being drunk in sin, we must be awakened to righteousness and be sober-minded to live in the newness of life (c.f. Romans 6:4).
Since this verse comes after evil communications corrupt good manners, it could well be that the Corinthians were habitually and regularly associating with ungodly people so much so that they were then living in sin. They were so influenced that they had become drunk in sin like their ungodly friends.
Their behaviour demonstrated their lack of knowledge of God. They might act and pretend as if they had a wealth of knowledge. Therefore, Paul said, I speak this to your shame. When they did not take the Word of God seriously, and kept living in sin, their lives gave evidence that they did not really know Him.
Dear friend, do we believe in the resurrection? If we do, people can tell by observing us because our belief will be reflected in the way we live our lives. This is how the resurrection should motivate us. For those who just came to know Jesus Christ as their Lord and Saviour, it should motivate them to believe and be baptised. For those believers who had known Christ, they should be motivated to withstand danger, endure suffering and live godly lives. Are we living such a life?
In Christ,
Pastor Paul Cheng
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