Scripture Reflections – April 2025
4/30/2025 (235) Good morning,
1 Corinthians 15.29-34
29 Otherwise, what do people mean by being baptized on behalf of the dead? If the dead are not raised at all, why are people baptized on their behalf? 30 Why are we in danger every hour? 31 I protest, brothers, by my pride in you, which I have in Christ Jesus our Lord, I die every day! 32 What do I gain if, humanly speaking, I fought with beasts at Ephesus? If the dead are not raised, “Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die.” 33 Do not be deceived: “Bad company ruins good morals.” 34 Wake up from your drunken stupor, as is right, and do not go on sinning. For some have no knowledge of God. I say this to your shame.
Yeah, what do people mean by being baptized on behalf of the dead? I have no idea! Nor do I care to explore that. Paul goes into what must have been some odd teachings back in the day.
Let us note that his main point, which I do care to explore, is in verse 32 – that the resurrection is a truth we know and trust and if it is not, that is, if Christ did not rise from the dead and if we are not raised up when Christ returns, then this faith to which we hold fast is all for nothing and we may as well eat and drink ourselves silly for tomorrow we die…the end. But we know that Paul does not advocate such a life. No, he advises that people wake up from their stupor and repent. Lack of knowledge of God is a shame (Hosea 4.6). The main point I take from this selection of chapter 15 is that Paul further solidifies the case for resurrection. Thank God for that!
Pastor Ed
4/18/2025 (234) Good morning,
1 Corinthians 15.20-28
20 But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. 21 For as by a man came death, by a man has come also the resurrection of the dead. 22 For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive. 23 But each in his own order: Christ the firstfruits, then at his coming those who belong to Christ. 24 Then comes the end, when he delivers the kingdom to God the Father after destroying every rule and every authority and power. 25 For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. 26 The last enemy to be destroyed is death. 27 For “God has put all things in subjection under his feet.” But when it says, “all things are put in subjection,” it is plain that he is excepted who put all things in subjection under him. 28 When all things are subjected to him, then the Son himself will also be subjected to him who put all things in subjection under him, that God may be all in all.
Paul loved teaching out of His understanding of God’s Word in the Old Testament and his new understanding of the revelation of Jesus Christ as the Messiah. Christ, the second Adam, is contrasted to the first Adam. Death came with Adam, life by Christ. Christ has reconciled all things through the resurrection. One of the beautiful aspects of the Bible is the overarching theme of redemption. From creation to Revelation 22.21, the story unfolds through the grace of God, overcoming the sin of humanity, reconciling us to God by the One who died on the cross and was raised from the dead. He reigns now, soon to destroy all that opposes God. Death the final enemy – destroyed! Christ will put all things in subjection, that is, under the dominion of God. Everything will be restored to its proper created order and God will have all authority and all sovereignty in all things – complete and utter reconciliation of all things! Amen.
Pastor Ed
4/16/2025 (233) Good morning,
1 Corinthians 15.12-19
12 Now if Christ is proclaimed as raised from the dead, how can some of you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? 13 But if there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised. 14 And if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain. 15 We are even found to be misrepresenting God, because we testified about God that he raised Christ, whom he did not raise if it is true that the dead are not raised. 16 For if the dead are not raised, not even Christ has been raised. 17 And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins. 18 Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. 19 If in Christ we have hope in this life only, we are of all people most to be pitied.
The central tenet of the Christian faith is the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. Without it, we have nothing. Without it, we have no message of Good News. Without it, we have no salvation from sin. Without it, we are forever lost and there is nothing beyond this life. Paul is actually, through these verses, showing that Christ is truly raised and, in previous verses, Paul has already built the foundation upon many faithful witnesses who saw and experienced the risen Lord. Paul is putting forth the argument that it is nonsense to suggest that there is no resurrection. Christ is risen and there is more than enough evidence to support this claim. But even more than that, the work of God’s Spirit in our hearts and the transformative nature of God’s grace in our lives gives us the assurance that Christ is risen indeed! The resurrection is revealed to us as truth through the Holy Spirit according to 1 Corinthians 2.10,“these things God has revealed to us through the Spirit.” It is a spiritual revelation given by the Spirit and understood at the depth of our soul in a spiritual way (1 Cor 2.12). Christ is risen. It is the truth we celebrate this coming Easter morning and the truth we celebrate every Sunday, that Christ has risen from the tomb. He lives! And all who believe in Him live in the power of the resurrection of Christ our Lord and Savior. Amen.
Pastor Ed
4/10/2025 (232) Good afternoon,
1 Corinthians 15.5-11
5 and that [Jesus] appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. 6 Then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have fallen asleep. 7 Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles. 8 Last of all, as to one untimely born, he appeared also to me. 9 For I am the least of the apostles, unworthy to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. 10 But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace toward me was not in vain. On the contrary, I worked harder than any of them, though it was not I, but the grace of God that is with me. 11 Whether then it was I or they, so we preach and so you believed.
Yes, I am aware I forgot to include verse 5 in the Scripture citation last time. You get a double on it today!
Jesus appeared to more than five hundred people post resurrection. Paul considered himself the least of them all. Jesus’ appearance to Paul was a most dramatic encounter (Acts 9) and was one of the most incredible inversions of a person’s life. Saul the persecutor became Paul the apostle. His zeal was unmatched after his conversion to the faith. And Paul knew the source of that zeal was nothing of himself but fully and completely accredited to the grace of God. “…it was not I, but the grace of God that is with me”. We need to remember that it is not us, but the grace of God that is with us. Let that statement sink in for a day or two…let that statement sink in everyday. That truth is also present in Galatians 2.20, I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.
Give thanks for the amazing grace of God!
Pastor Ed
4/9/2025 (231) Good morning,
1 Corinthians 15.3-4
3 For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, 4 that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures, 5 and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve.
Continuing our reflection on 1 Corinthians 15…
In our last reflection we focused primarily on being reminded of the message of the Gospel. Today we look at the very basic message, a message Paul labels as of first importance. Above all else, know this first of all — Christ died, Christ was buried, Christ was raised. Why did He die? For our sins. He took upon Himself our penalty. He is the atonement for our sin. Why say He was buried? Isn’t “Christ died” good enough? Because He really did die. He did not just pass out. He was really and truly dead. He paid the ultimate price so that we might live. Why was He raised? The resurrection is the victory over sin and death. His risen life gives us life and life eternal.
Paul emphasizes, by double statement, that all of this was in accordance with the Scriptures. That is, Jesus fulfilled what was spoken by the Law, the Prophets, and the Psalms (Luke 24.27, 44-47). Jesus is the culmination of the Old Testament witness. Jesus is the promised Messiah. Jesus is the Holy One of Israel who saves His people from their sin.
Paul then begins to list witnesses to the resurrection. Cephas and the twelve. More are listed in our next reflection! It was important for any testimony to have two or more witnesses. The more witnesses, the greater the power and validity of the testimony. That testimony has grown by the millions since then and lives in the hearts and on the lips of all who continue to share the message of salvation — Christ died, Christ was buried, Christ was raised. May those words bloom in our hearts and compel us to follow that long line of witnesses as we give testimony to the Good News.
Pastor Ed
4/8/2025 (230) Good morning,
I’ve been drawn to 1 Corinthians as we look forward to Easter, so let us spend some time in meditation on 1 Cor 15…
1 Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand, 2 and by which you are being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you—unless you believed in vain (15.1-2).
Paul takes time at the end of this letter to remind the believers of the basic message of faith, the Gospel of Jesus Christ. We sometimes think, “Oh, I’ve heard that before,” and we think we do not need to hear it again. We go on thinking that we do not need to hear it again and again and again, but we do! We need constant reminders of the core of our faith — the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Paul might have had this reminder in mind because of the history of Israel, a people who forgot who brought them out of bondage in Egypt time and time again. When they forgot, they rebelled or simply acted out of their amnesia over God’s deliverance. They forgot gratitude; they forgot faithfulness. They forgot obedience to the law. They forgot the living God and instead pursued false gods. We cannot imagine that we are any better if we do not have this reminder before us. Therefore, we need the reminder of the gospel that has been preached to us.
This is the Word in which we stand. This is the Good News by which we are saved. This is the Gospel to which we hold fast. We cannot hold fast unless we remain rooted and grounded in the Gospel. This is the message that we can hopefully articulate to others. This is life! Remember the Gospel preached to you and stand in it, trusting the God of our salvation with each reminder of the risen Lord, Jesus Christ.
Pastor Ed
4/3/2025 (229) Good morning,
And rising very early in the morning, while it was still dark, [Jesus] departed and went out to a desolate place, and there he prayed. Mark 1.35
I must admit, I have never been much of a morning person. I remember the worst part of one job I had was to wake up at 4:15am to open up a fitness center by 5:00am and get the steam room hot and ready! Those old guys hated it when I was late. How did people in the New Testament wake up “very early in the morning” (random thought)? It is likely that Mark 1.35 represents a typical start to the day for Jesus. Before sunrise Jesus was off alone to pray. It certainly gives us pause to think about our own discipline of prayer or lack thereof. The Son of God practiced a daily time of prayer as the first order of the day. Prayer has been typically better for me late in the evening rather than early in the morning. I do not think it matters as far as when, but more so, if. Are we praying on a regular basis? Are we developing the kind of relationship with Jesus that makes our whole day a time to “pray without ceasing” (1 Thess 5.17)? Praying in its simplest form is talking to the Lord but also listening to the Lord. We listen in and through the words of Scripture. We listen through the “still small voice” or whisper of the Holy Spirit (1 Kings 19.11-13). We speak from our hearts the praise, confession, thanksgivings, and supplications close to us. We speak also through our actions and disciplines. We can also speak through God’s Word in places like the Psalms utilizing them as a language of prayer.
Keith Green had a line in one of his songs, “Make my life a prayer to You…” Yes! Make our lives a prayer to You, O Lord, that we might pray without ceasing, that we might live a prayerful existence, that we might give thanks in all things, that we might glorify Your Name above all names. “…and there Jesus prayed.” May we follow His example and follow Him in and through prayer. Amen.
Pastor Ed
4/1/2025 (228) Good morning,
Salvation belongs to the Lord; your blessing be on your people! (Psalm 3.8)
One of the cornerstones of Reformed Faith is the doctrine of salvation affirming that God regenerates our hearts, empowering us to receive Christ as our Lord and Savior. While we might use the language of “inviting people to come to Christ” we know in our hearts that it is God who draws them to Christ. It is only by God’s grace that they can and will come. We know, in our limited capacity of language, that there is something much deeper in spirit and heart — the work of the Holy Spirit that reveals to us a grace that is so beautiful we no longer desire to resist it! I find it interesting that this doctrine can be found in the simple words of Psalm 3, “salvation belongs to the Lord”. It is the Lord who saves, the Lord who initiates, the Lord who draws, the Lord who elects. Those outside the Reformed Faith do not see it this way, but I cannot help but praise and thank God that there is nothing that I have done, nor is there anything in salvation that depends on “my choice” in my salvation. Therefore, all praise and thanks is to God alone because salvation belongs to the Lord. No thanks to myself for my decision to follow Christ. No credit to anything that I have done, but salvation is all the work of God in Christ by the Spirit. “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast” (Eph 2.8-9). Give thanks today for the salvation wrought in and through Christ, and give Him all the praise, thanks, and glory.
Pastor Ed
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