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Bible Teaching, Bible Study, Teaching, Verses, Sermons, online, mp3, classesA Bible Teaching Ministry of Galyn Wiemers


Daily Devotions, Evening and Morning Devotional

 

Sunrise on Temple Mount in Jerusalem; Back to Previous Devotion

November 7 - Morning

"“If it is preached that Christ has been raised from
the dead, how can some of you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? If there is no resurrection
of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised.
And if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless (kenos) and so is your faith...And if Christ
has not been raised, your faith is futile (mataios)…If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are of all people most to be pitied… Do not be misled:
‘Bad company corrupts good character.’
Come back to your senses as you ought, and stop sinning; for there are some who are ignorant of God—I say this to your shame."

- First Corinthians 15:12-17, 19, 33-34

Sunset on the Sea of Galilee; Click to go to next devotion  

Bad Doctrine is Bad Company for the Soul of a Believer

   

As the Gospel moved west from Jerusalem into Europe it encountered Greek philosophy entrenched deep into the cultural worldview of the Gentiles.  In Greek philosophy the immortality of the soul was accepted, but any idea of a resurrected body was rejected. This philosophical position that rejected the physical resurrection was based on observation (the body decays) and the understanding that the body held the soul captive until, at the death of the body, the soul was set free. This Grecian philosophical view held by the Corinthians was not forgotten just because they accepted the gospel message. Instead, the Greeks in Corinth filtered the Christian message through this Greek philosophy, which resulted in the rejection of Christ’s physical resurrection and the absolute rejection of a physical, bodily resurrection of believers. (This blending of Christian doctrine with Greek philosophy was the beginning of Gnosticism.)

Throughout his argument proving the resurrection of Christ in First Corinthians 15 Paul used the phrase “has been raised,” which is the perfect tense of the Greek verb egegertai.  Paul uses it seven times in First Corinthians 15 (and, again in Galatians 2:20) to place emphasis on the reality of the historical fact of Christ’s resurrection. When this Greek verb, egegertai, is combined with the opening words ei de (translated “If”) the condition of the sentence is that of an assumed fact, not a merely a hopeful possibility.

But, if the alternative is true and Christ has not been physically raised from the dead, Paul says the Christian faith is:

  1. kenos – “vain,” “meaningless,” "useless"; which means there is no substance, without content, no truth, and it is lacking reality.
  2. mataios – “fruitless,” “empty,” "useless," futile"; which means it is powerless to produce the changes Paul’s gospel promises which includes forgiveness, transformation, eternal life, physical resurrection, etc. This word focuses on the aimlessness of a faith that is not ground in a dependable object and cannot lead to any purposeful end.

In fact, if the Corinthians only advantage was that they had an emotional experience, social relationships, or material gain because of their Christian “faith” then Paul says they “are of all people most to be pitied.”

“If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are of all people most to be pitied.”

In fact, some of the problems portrayed earlier in this first letter to the Corinthians stem from the false understanding that there was no future resurrection. Thus, Paul quotes Isaiah in 1 Corinthians 15:32:

“If the dead are not raised,
‘Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die.’

To sum up his point Paul used a quote from a Greek comedy. This quote is from Menander, a Greek writer from 300 BC, who wrote more than a hundred comedy dramas and won Athens annual drama competition eight years in a row. This bit of practical wisdom from the Corinthian’s Greek world is a quote from Menander’s comedy, Thais:

“Bad company corrupts good character.

The “bad company” Paul is referring to is the bad doctrine found in the errant doctrinal statement that says “there is no resurrection.” Paul says bad doctrine corrupts good character, or bad doctrine will manifest itself in a corrupt life style. The acceptance of this and other bad doctrines was the reason the Corinthians where living such immoral and ungodly lives. Bad doctrine is bad company for the soul of a believer.
  Christian Quote from Church History

"A man ought to live so that everybody knows he is a Christian...and most of all,
his family ought to know."
- Dwight L. Moody

 

 

 

 

Something to Ponder??
Mark Twain visited Jerusalem in 1867 and wrote:
"Renowned Jerusalem itself, the stateliest name in history, has lost its ancient grandeur, and is become a pauper village. The wonderful temple which was the pride and glory of Israel is gone."
(photos and details here)
(Quote from Mark Twain's travel journal, "The Innocents Abroad" - 1869)
 
Hebrew and Greek Word Study   Facts and Information

 

'Ivvelet (Hb) - Folly (Eng) - the Hebrew word 'ivvelet means "folly," "foolishness."
It is an arrogance that mocks God and his created order with unacceptable talk and behavior
which always leads to sin, death and judgment.

  In 2 Timothy 4:21 Paul tells Timothy that Pudens, along with Linus and others, send him greetings from Rome. Today the church of Santa Pudenziana located in Rome on Via Urbana may have been built over Puden's first century house. Below this church are a wall and a mosaic pavement from the days of Augustus or earlier. Bricks with the name "Pudens" and the dated with years equivalent to 127-129 AD have been found here. The church built over this house dates back to atleast 300 AD. Puden may have been a senator and his daughters name Pudenziana. (Photo)
     
Confession to Action   Facts and Information
Do I understand the importantance of truth and correct doctrine?
I will pursue correct biblical understanding and healthy doctrine in order to secure a righteous lifestyle.
  "He who trusts in himself is a fool, but he who walks in wisdom is kept safe."
Proverbs 28:26
     
Read the Bible in a Year; Bible Reading Program
Read one chapter each day to read through the narrative portion (or, the story line) of the whole Bible Genesis-Acts in one year. Read the General Text of the Bible Read the Complete Text of the Bible in a Year
Matthew 18:1-19:1 2 Corinthians 8 Matthew 25
 
Prayer for Today
Personal Prayer Church Prayer Item National Prayer Concerns World Prayer Concerns
Safety on roads Spirit of prayer and intercession Taxation St. Martin,
St. Pierre - Missionary groups have withdrawn
 
Photo of Jerusalem; Pictures of Israel Bible Map and Diagram
Robinson's Arch, Jerusalem

 

Nehemiah's Wall in Jerusalem 445 BC

The location of a first century gate in the Western Wall that was used by people of the New Testament times to enter onto the Temple Mount. (More photos and details here.)
(click on image for larger size)

The Broad Wall - Part of the 22 foot wide wall built by Hezekiah to enclose the western portion of Jerusalem in 721 BC when the people of northern Israel fled to Jerusalem during the invasion of the northern country of Israel by the Assyrians as mentioned in Isaiah 22:8-11 and Nehemiah 12:38. (See diagrams, pics and details here.) (click on image for larger size)  
   
Details and Explanation of Sets & Reps Devotional System Here Make a donation to support Generation Word Bible Teaching Ministry
   
 
 
 
Reps & Sets is a daily Bible devotional for Christians from Generation Word Bible Teaching used each morning and evening.
 

 
 
 
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Generation Word - Bible Teaching Ministry   Generation Word - Bible Teaching Ministry