Lessons #527 and 528
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+ 1. It is best to use this note after you have listened to the lessons because there are +
+ comments given in the actual delivery not in the note. +
+ 2. The Bible abbreviations are as follows: CEV =Contemporary English version, +
+ CEB = Common English Bible, ESV= English Standard Version, +
+ GW = God’s Word Translation, ISV = International Standard Version, +
+ NAB=New American Bible, NASB= New American Standard Bible, +
+ NEB= New English Bible, NET = New English Translation, +
+ NLT = New Living Translations NJB = New Jerusalem Bible, +
+ NJV = New Jewish Bible, TEV = Today’s English Version. +
+AMP = Amplified Bible, UBS = United Bible Society +
+ 3. Notes have not been edited for grammatical errors. +
+ 4. Text is based on 1984 edition of the NIV +
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Gospel Paul preached (1 Cor 15:1-11 NIV 84)
… 3 For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, 4 that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, 5 and that he appeared to Peter, and then to the Twelve. 6 After that he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers at the same time, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep. 7 Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles, 8 and last of all he appeared to me also, as to one abnormally born. 9 For I am the least of the apostles and do not even deserve 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 to me was not without effect. No, I worked harder than all of them—yet not I, but the grace of God that was with me. 11 Whether, then, it was I or they, this is what we preach, and this is what you believed.
Recall the message of 1 Corinthians 15:1-11 that we have been studying is this: Be sure you are clear about the gospel message. Our last study focused on the support Apostle Paul provided to prove the reality of the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Indeed, there are six appearances of the Lord Jesus after His resurrection that the apostle provided in a sequential manner. The first was the appearance to Peter. The second was to the Twelve. The third was to a group of believers that numbered more than five hundred believers to whom the Lord Jesus appeared at the same time. The fourth was to His half-brother James. So, we continue our study this morning with the fifth appearance of the Lord Jesus.
The fifth appearance of the resurrected Lord Jesus that Apostle Paul mentioned was to all the apostles as stated in 1 Corinthians 15:7 then to all the apostles. This appearance must be different from that of the Twelve the apostle mentioned in verse 5. If this was not the case, then we have an unnecessary repetition. The key to understanding that what the apostle meant in this appearance is the word “apostles.”
The word “apostle” is translated from a Greek word (apostolos) that generally pertains to messengers. Thus, it is used of messengers without extraordinary status hence means “delegate, envoy, messenger” as it is used for a messenger in a general or ordinary sense in the Lord Jesus’ teaching recorded in John 13:16:
I tell you the truth, no servant is greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him.
The word may be used of messengers with extraordinary status, especially of God’s messenger or envoy so may mean “apostle.” Thus, in the NT, the word “apostle” is indeed used both in restricted and general senses. In a restricted sense, the word is used to refer to the twelve disciples of the Lord Jesus whom He chose from among His disciples and designated them with that title, as we read in Luke 6:13:
When morning came, he called his disciples to him and chose twelve of them, whom he also designated apostles:
The apostles are often described as “the Twelve apostles.” Originally, the Twelve included Judas Iscariot but after his death and after the resurrection and ascension of Jesus Christ into heaven, Matthias was then included among the Twelve. That he was included among the Twelve is first indicated during Peter’s sermon where he was included among the eleven with Peter being excluded as he was the speaker as we read in Acts 2:14:
Then Peter stood up with the Eleven, raised his voice and addressed the crowd: “Fellow Jews and all of you who live in Jerusalem, let me explain this to you; listen carefully to what I say.
That Matthias was included in the Twelve is implied during the leadership role of the apostles regarded as the Twelve as it pertains to appointment of their helpers in Acts 6:2:
So the Twelve gathered all the disciples together and said, "It would not be right for us to neglect the ministry of the word of God in order to wait on tables.
In any event, the point is that the word “apostles” in the NT is used in an exclusive sense to refer to the Twelve. In a general sense, the word apostle is used to describe a group of highly honored believers with a special function as God’s envoys. It is in this sense that Paul and Barnabas were described as apostles, as recorded in Acts 14:14:
But when the apostles Barnabas and Paul heard of this, they tore their clothes and rushed out into the crowd, shouting:
Paul and Barnabas were called apostles here certainly because the Holy Spirit sent them to their mission, as recorded in Acts 13:4:
The two of them [Barnabas and Saul i.e., Paul], sent on their way by the Holy Spirit, went down to Seleucia and sailed from there to Cyprus.
Apostle Paul mentioned two individuals that were considered apostles in Romans 16:7:
Greet Andronicus and Junias, my relatives who have been in prison with me. They are outstanding among the apostles, and they were in Christ before I was.
The sentence They are outstanding among the apostles is taken by some to mean that the two men were well known by the apostles, but it is better to understand it to mean that they were apostles that were well known. In our passage of 1 Corinthians 15:7, the word “apostle” is used in the sense of an envoy of Jesus Christ commissioned directly by Him or by other apostles; normally someone who has been taught directly by Jesus and who is invested with the authority to speak on His behalf.
How then should we understand the phrase of 1 Corinthians 15:7 then to all the apostles? Some take it as a reference to the twelve apostles indicating that it is the appearance of Jesus to the twelve when all of them were present since at one appearance Thomas was absent. Some of those who give this interpretation indicate that this appearance was prior to the ascension when all the apostles were present. The problem with this interpretation is that it is a repeat of what Apostle Paul wrote in verse 5 in the phrase then to the Twelve where he summarized the appearance of the Lord to the eleven of the original twelve apostles to the Jews including Thomas. This interpretation notwithstanding, based on the meaning of the Greek word translated “apostles,” the phrase of 1 Corinthians 15:7 then to all the apostles refers to all disciples of Jesus Christ that were eventually considered as apostles of Jesus Christ by the church because they had specific task in the church. We mean that the apostles Apostle Paul had in mind included the original eleven disciples that Jesus Christ designated apostles, Matthias, and other men recognized by the church as apostles such as Andronicus and Junias. This interpretation is supported by the adjective all that the apostle used to qualify the word “apostles.”
The word “all” in the phrase of 1 Corinthians 15:7 then to all the apostles is translated from a Greek word (pas) that in the phrase we are considering has the sense of “entire,” that is, “constituting the full quantity or extent” or “complete.” There would have been no need to use the word “all” if the apostle was merely repeating himself and so was referring to the Twelve. The fact that he used the word “all” suggests that he was thinking of apostles in a general sense. Anyway, we do not have any record in the gospel that would enable us to attempt to determine when this appearance to all the apostles occurred. Nonetheless, we should be confident that what the apostle wrote is true since he was directed by the Holy Spirit in what he wrote. This reported fifth appearance of the resurrected Lord Jesus would be similar to His appearance to more than five hundred believes that we do not have a record of it in the gospel. This brings us to the final appearance of the resurrected Lord Jesus the apostle mentioned.
The sixth and last appearance of the resurrected Christ that Apostle Paul mentioned was to himself as we read in 1 Corinthians 15:8 and last of all he appeared to me also. Apostle Paul’s reference to the appearance of the Lord Jesus to him is quite significant and important in support of the resurrection of Jesus Christ. This is because of the previous conviction of the apostle regarding the Christian faith. As he will reference later in this section of 1 Corinthians 15 that we are studying, he was one that vehemently opposed the Christian faith. For such a person to turn around and be its most fervent defendant must be because something extraordinary had taken place with him. This extraordinary occurrence is the appearance of Jesus Christ to him. Therefore, his reference to it should be believed by an objective reader since there is no other reasonable explanation for the apostle being a devout follower of Christ and one willing and did die for the faith, he once sought to destroy except that he was convinced of the resurrection of Jesus Christ.
In any case, the phrase last of all of 1 Corinthians 15:8 has been taken by some to mean that the appearance of the Lord Jesus to Apostle Paul is the absolute, final resurrection appearance of the Lord Jesus to any person. In effect, those with this view take the position that Jesus Christ could not possibly have appeared to any person after that of His appearance to Paul. Is this interpretation correct? To answer this question there are two main factors that we need to consider: the meanings of the Greek words used and the Lord’s appearance to Paul itself. We begin with considering the words used in the phrase last of all.
The word “last” is translated from a Greek word (eschatos) that may mean “farthest, last” as it pertains to being at the farthest boundary of an area, as the word is used in Jesus’ declaration of the mission of His disciples when they received the empowerment of the Holy Spirit in Acts 1:8:
But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”
Our Greek word is translated “end” in the NIV of Acts 1:8. The word may mean “least, last” as it pertains to being the final item in a series, as the word is used to describe Christ as the last Adam in 1 Corinthians 15:45:
So it is written: “The first man Adam became a living being”; the last Adam, a life-giving spirit.
The word may mean “last, least, most insignificant,” as it pertains to furthest extremity in rank, value, or situation, as the word is used in Jesus’ teaching regarding humility in Luke 14:9:
If so, the host who invited both of you will come and say to you, ‘Give this man your seat.’ Then, humiliated, you will have to take the least important place.
In our passage of 1 Corinthians 15:8, the word has the sense of “lastly,” that is, occurring at the end of a series.
The series in question is that of the post-resurrection appearances of the Lord Jesus the apostle wrote in 1 Corinthians 15:8 and last of all he appeared to me also. The word “all” is translated from a Greek word (pas) the apostle used in verse 7 that we briefly considered. Anyway, the Greek word means “all, every, each, whole” but in the Greek form used in our passage it means “all, each.” Quite often when we encounter the word “all” or “everything” we think in terms of absolute totality. This is incorrect. It is the context that should enable us to determine if the word means “all” in an absolute sense or not. Let me demonstrate this point from several passages in the Scripture. The Lord Jesus declared all things were committed to Him by the Father in Matthew 11:27:
“All things have been committed to me by my Father. No one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.
The phrase all things is translated from a neuter plural of our Greek word that may mean “all” and so could refer to authority and power or to knowledge and teaching and so not “all” in the absolute sense. Our Greek word is used in reporting Jesus’ Parable of Unmerciful Servant where a servant pleaded for mercy with the promise to pay every last penny, he owed recorded in Matthew 18:26:
“The servant fell on his knees before him. ‘Be patient with me,’ he begged, ‘and I will pay back everything.’
The word everything may also be translated “all things” or simply “all” that here refers to total debt owed by the speaker and not “all” in absolute sense of the word. Mark used our Greek word to report the scenario the Sadducees came up with to try to prove to the Lord Jesus that there is no resurrection, using a situation where a woman could have married seven brothers serially after each died as we read in Mark 12:22:
In fact, none of the seven left any children. Last of all, the woman died too.
The word “all” here refers to the seven brothers so that “all” is not used in an absolute sense. The UBS handbook suggests that the sentence Last of all, the woman died too may be translated as “after all the rest had died, the woman died.” Luke at the beginning of his gospel account used our word in Luke 1:3:
Therefore, since I myself have carefully investigated everything from the beginning, it seemed good also to me to write an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus.
The word everything may be translated all things or “all” that in the context refers to every available information or facts regarding the person and ministry of Jesus Christ and not “all” in absolute sense. Apostle John used our Greek word in John 1:3:
Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made.
The phrase all things here refers to totality of creation so that “all” is used in absolute sense. Apostle Paul used the Greek word in Galatians 4:1:
What I am saying is that as long as the heir is a child, he is no different from a slave, although he owns the whole estate.
The sentence he owns the whole estate is literally he is master of all things. In the context of Galatians 4, the phrase all things or “all” refers to everything that a man owns, hence the translators of the NIV gave a good interpretative translation using the phrase whole estate. The apostle used our Greek word in his epistle to Titus in Titus 1:15:
To the pure, all things are pure, but to those who are corrupted and do not believe, nothing is pure. In fact, both their minds and consciences are corrupted.
The phrase all things here is a reference to food and not all in absolute sense. This interpretation is supported by what the apostle stated in Romans 14:20:
Do not destroy the work of God for the sake of food. All food is clean, but it is wrong for a man to eat anything that causes someone else to stumble.
The sentence All food is clean is more literally all things, indeed, are pure. The Greek phrase so rendered is similar to that used in Titus 1:15, the only difference is the word “indeed” not translated in the NIV that is inserted between the two Greek words translated “all things” and “pure.” Thus, for all practical purposes, the Greek phrase in both passages is the same. It is true that the word “food” does not appear in the Greek of Romans 14:20 but the context supports the insertion of the word “food” as found in the NIV since the last phrase of the first sentence of verse 20 is for the sake of food. Furthermore, the preceding context of verse 20 indicates the apostle had in mind the question of clean or unclean food, as he stated in Romans 14:14:
As one who is in the Lord Jesus, I am fully convinced that no food is unclean in itself. But if anyone regards something as unclean, then for him it is unclean.
The context of Romans 14:20 is concerned with the ceremonial aspect of the Mosaic law which is similar to the context of Titus 1:15. Consequently, since the same Greek phrase is used in both Titus 1:15 and Romans 14:20, we are correct in our interpretation that the phrase all things in Titus 1:15 refers to food.
The examples we have cited should convince you that the word all should not always be taken in absolute sense without reference to the context. Hence, the word “all” in 1 Corinthians 15:8 and last of all he appeared to me also should be interpreted based on the context. In effect, “all” refers to the various post-resurrection appearances of Jesus Christ Apostle Paul provided.
The second factor to consider in deciding whether the phrase of 1 Corinthians 15:8 last of all meant that after the Lord Jesus appeared to Paul, He no longer appeared to any other person is the unique nature of His appearance to Paul. To understand the nature of the Lord Jesus’ post-resurrection appearance to Apostle Paul we need to briefly examine the actual event as recorded in Acts 9:3–9:
3 As he neared Damascus on his journey, suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him. 4 He fell to the ground and heard a voice say to him, “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?” 5 “Who are you, Lord?” Saul asked. “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting,” he replied. 6 “Now get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.” 7 The men traveling with Saul stood there speechless; they heard the sound but did not see anyone. 8 Saul got up from the ground, but when he opened his eyes he could see nothing. So they led him by the hand into Damascus. 9 For three days he was blind, and did not eat or drink anything.
It is our assertion that the appearance of the Lord Jesus to Apostle Paul is unique in nature. The are several facts that prove the uniqueness of the Lord’s appearance to the apostle. First, the appearance of Jesus Christ to Paul, unlike the other post resurrection appearances of Jesus Christ that we have already considered, occurred after Jesus’ final ascension to heaven. We use the phrase “final ascension to heaven” because of the interaction between Mary Magdalene and the Lord Jesus after His resurrection recorded in John 20:17:
Jesus said, “Do not hold on to me, for I have not yet returned to the Father. Go instead to my brothers and tell them, ‘I am returning to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’”
The command Do not hold on to me may alternatively be translated stop clinging to me. The word “hold” or “cling” is translated from a Greek word (haptō) that no doubt means “to touch” but the sense of the word in John 20:17 is that of clinging to someone. It is not merely that Mary touched the Lord but there is the sense she held on to the Lord Jesus in such a way as to not let go of Him. We say this because the Lord did not give such command to the women who held Him as they worshipped Him as recorded in Matthew 28:9:
Suddenly Jesus met them. “Greetings,” he said. They came to him, clasped his feet and worshiped him.
The word “clasped” is translated from a Greek word (krateō) that also has the meaning of “to hold.” The women that the Lord Jesus greeted also took hold of Him or seized Him so they could worship Him. There must have been a slight difference in the intention of the women and that of Mary that warranted the Lord Jesus to command Mary Magdalene not to cling on to Him. She probably wanted a permanent relationship with the risen Savior in such a way that she did not want Him out of her sight. But the Lord explained the reason Mary should not cling to Him that involves the concept of ascension to the Father as stated in the clause of John 20:17 for I have not yet returned to the Father. Needless to say, there are many interpretations that scholars have offered regarding this clause. But probably the Lord Jesus meant to convey to Mary that she did not have to hold on to Him as if she would not see Him again shortly. She would still see Him perhaps several more times because His permanent ascension to the Father had not occurred yet. You see, the word “returned” is translated from a perfect tense of a Greek word (anabainō) that in John 20:17 has the sense of “to ascend.” The perfect tense implies that the Lord Jesus had not ascended to heaven in the sense He is permanently in heaven. True, because of His resurrection He has been exalted so that He was traveling between heaven and earth but not in such a way that His appearance on the earth would be something unique. He would be making several appearances from heaven up to a point of His final ascension to heaven witnessed by the disciples and then such frequent appearances would cease. This interpretation is supported by fact that the Holy Spirit direct John to use a present tense of the same Greek word to describe what Jesus said as we read in John 20:17 I am returning to my Father.
The word “returning”, as we have intimated, is in the present tense in the Greek. A present tense usually conveys an action that is in progress but not completed. In effect, it describes an action in process without specifying its completion. The implication is not that Jesus was on the process of ascending to heaven as if He stopped midway or so before going to heaven. No! The sense the Holy Spirit wants to convey to us is that the Lord Jesus in His resurrection body frequented earth from heaven but that He had not as yet settled permanently in heaven so that His appearance to the earth would be something unique. His final appearance on earth in a more physical manner was when His disciples watched Him return to heaven as stated in Acts 1:9:
After he said this, he was taken up before their very eyes, and a cloud hid him from their sight.
After this ascension of the Lord Jesus to heaven, He was not to appear on earth in the same form that the disciples had seen Him until His second coming. That is what is implied in the promise of the angels to them as stated in Acts 1:11:
“Men of Galilee,” they said, “why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven.”
Anyway, the first unique thing about the appearance of the Lord Jesus to Apostle Paul is that it occurred after Jesus’ final ascension to heaven.
Second, the appearance of Jesus Christ to Paul, unlike the other post resurrection appearances of Jesus Christ that we have already considered, involved the flashing of light to get his attention as we may gather from Acts 9:3:
As he neared Damascus on his journey, suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him.
There is no indication in the gospels that the Lord Jesus’ post resurrection appearances to His disciples involved light to get the attention of those to whom He appeared. His appearance to the two men that were on their way to Emmaus was such that He did not immediately get their attention so that they would recognize Him. It was after His exposition of the Scripture about the death and resurrection of the Messiah and the blessing of food that He opened their eyes to recognize Him as recorded for us in Luke 24:30–31:
30 When he was at the table with them, he took bread, gave thanks, broke it and began to give it to them. 31 Then their eyes were opened and they recognized him, and he disappeared from their sight.
Third, the appearance of Jesus Christ to Paul is more traumatic than His appearances to His disciples before He ascended to heaven. There is no doubt that at least on one occasion, the disciples were terrified at His appearance as He greeted them as recorded in Luke 24:36–39:
36 While they were still talking about this, Jesus himself stood among them and said to them, “Peace be with you.” 37 They were startled and frightened, thinking they saw a ghost. 38 He said to them, “Why are you troubled, and why do doubts rise in your minds? 39 Look at my hands and my feet. It is I myself! Touch me and see; a ghost does not have flesh and bones, as you see I have.”
The disciples were frightened because they saw Him as He greeted them. They thought they saw a spirit that appeared like Him. But their fear was not the same as the traumatic experience of Apostle Paul when the Lord Jesus appeared to him. His traumatic encounter with the Lord Jesus is first revealed in the apostle’s falling down on his knees as we read in Acts 9:4:
He fell to the ground and heard a voice say to him, “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?”
The light that shined on Paul from the Lord Jesus was such that he had no choice but to fall to the ground because of the traumatic experience of being overwhelmed with the flashing light from heaven. Of course, it is not only that he fell to the ground that revealed the trauma the apostle experienced but his blindness and inability to eat for three days as we read in Acts 9:8–9:
8 Saul got up from the ground, but when he opened his eyes he could see nothing. So they led him by the hand into Damascus. 9 For three days he was blind, and did not eat or drink anything.
We could say that the trauma the apostle experienced led to his loss of appetite that he could neither eat nor drink. There is no other recorded post-resurrection appearance of Jesus that left anyone so traumatized as not to eat or to suffer physical problem as that of Apostle Paul.
Fourth, the appearance of Jesus Christ to Paul was such that unlike the other post-resurrection appearances of Jesus Christ to two or more individuals, only him saw and heard the voice of the Lord Jesus Christ as stated in Acts 9:7:
The men traveling with Saul stood there speechless; they heard the sound but did not see anyone.
When the Lord Jesus appeared to two or more individuals before His ascension, every one saw and heard from Him. This was not the case with those who accompanied the apostle when Jesus appeared to him. It is true that in the narrative of the Lord Jesus’ appearance to Paul, there was no direct statement that he saw Him but what Ananias said that the apostle reported later indicates that he saw Jesus as we read in Acts 9:17:
Then Ananias went to the house and entered it. Placing his hands on Saul, he said, “Brother Saul, the Lord—Jesus, who appeared to you on the road as you were coming here—has sent me so that you may see again and be filled with the Holy Spirit.”
Later, when the apostle narrated his meeting with Ananias, he made clear that Ananias conveyed that the apostle saw Jesus as we read in Acts 22:14:
“Then he said: ‘The God of our fathers has chosen you to know his will and to see the Righteous One and to hear words from his mouth.
The phrase the Righteous One is a reference to the Lord Jesus. The manner of the appearance of the Lord Jesus to Paul at this first encounter was not clearly stated. In effect, we do not have a record that indicates the apostle saw Jesus in the fullness of His glory or that he saw Him in a way similar to the other appearances of Jesus to the apostle in visions. We know that the Lord Jesus appeared to Paul several other times but in visions as we read, for example, in Acts 18:9:
One night the Lord spoke to Paul in a vision: “Do not be afraid; keep on speaking, do not be silent.
The point is that we do not have any description by the apostle to reveal the manner that Jesus appeared to him in his first encounter with Him. We can only assert that he saw the resurrected Lord Jesus. This is in keeping with the next unique thing about Jesus’ appearance to Paul.
Fifth, the appearance of Jesus Christ to Paul was such that unlike the other post-resurrection appearances of Jesus Christ, the focus of the narrative is what Jesus said more than how He appeared to the apostle. In effect, the focus was on Jesus’ commissioning of Paul to preach the gospel message as implied in what is recorded in Acts 9:5–6:
5 “Who are you, Lord?” Saul asked. “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting,” he replied. 6 “Now get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.”
Of course, it is because of Paul’s activities of persecuting Christians that the Lord identified Himself and informed him that He had assigned a task for him to carry out.
The uniqueness of the appearance of the Lord Jesus to Paul and our explanation of the Greek words used in the phrase of 1 Corinthians 15:8 last of all enable us to answer the question of whether the apostle meant that Jesus’ appearance to him is the ultimate appearance of the post-resurrected Jesus Christ to any human. Because of the uniqueness of the appearance of Jesus Christ to Paul after He ascended to heaven, we can only assert that there is nothing that precludes the Lord Jesus appearing to others after this appearance to Paul. However, any appearance of Jesus Christ to anyone would certainly be unique as that of Apostle Paul.
Apostle Paul was certainly aware of the uniqueness of the appearance of Jesus to him as indicated in the last phrase of 1 Corinthians 15:8 as to one abnormally born or literally as though to the untimely birth. This is because the expression “abnormally born” of the NIV is translated from a Greek word (ektrōma) that appears only here in Greek NT. The Greek word is used three times in the Septuagint to translate two different Hebrew words. It is translated “stillborn” in Aaron’s plea to Moses after his and Miriam’s rebellion against him and after Yahweh inflicted leprosy on Miriam as recorded in Numbers 12:12:
Do not let her be like a stillborn infant coming from its mother’s womb with its flesh half eaten away.”
The word “stillborn” is translated from a Hebrew verb (mûṯ) that means “to die.” The same Greek word the apostle used in the verse we are considering is used in the Septuagint to translate a Hebrew word (nēp̄ěl) that refers to premature birth and so means “miscarriage.” Of course, the NIV translated the Hebrew word that is rendered by our Greek word in the Septuagint with the meaning of “stillborn” in the other two passages (Job 3:16 and Ecclesiastes 6:3) our Greek word is used in the Septuagint. The main idea of the Greek word is that of the abnormal time of birth and the unfinished form of the one thus born. Abnormal time of birth could be viewed in one of two ways. It could be understood as “premature” or “birth beyond term.” While “birth beyond term” seems applicable, a child born beyond birth is usually more matured and would not convey what the apostle wanted to convey about his unworthiness as an apostle. Thus, in our passage of 1 Corinthians 15:8, the word has the sense of “premature birth,” that is, a birth that occurs before the full gestation of the child, whether induced as abortion, or natural premature birth or miscarriage.
Anyway, the apostle compared the appearance of the Lord Jesus to him to that of premature birth in the phrase of 1 Corinthians 15:8 as to one abnormally born. What is the point of the apostle in the comparison of the phrase as to one abnormally born? There are several interpretations that commentators have provided but we reject any interpretation that has to do with timeliness of the appearance of Jesus Christ to the apostle. An interpretation that is concerned with timeliness is that it refers to Paul’s being born too soon. This interpretation contends that while the others became apostles by maturing normally, Paul was transformed instantly from persecutor to apostle. Another interpretation related to timeliness is that the phrase as to one abnormally born refers to Paul’s being born too late. Some of those with this interpretation contend that although the word ordinarily referred to a miscarriage or premature birth, it could mean an ill-timed birth, whether too early or too late. Paul came too late to have been one of the Twelve. One of those with this view contend that Paul was destined to be an apostle, but this was frustrated by his opposition to Christians until the time of his conversion on the road to Damascus. This explanation of frustrating God’s plan is contrary the Scripture that indicates God’s plan cannot be thwarted by anyone according to Job 42:2:
“I know that you can do all things; no plan of yours can be thwarted.
As we have stated, we reject any interpretation that has to do with the time of the appearance of Jesus Christ to Apostle Paul. In effect, we cannot say that the apostle was concerned that Jesus appeared to him either too late or too early in the course of his persecution of the church. This we say because the apostle was aware the Lord Jesus appeared to him at the exact time in God’s plan for his life. This truth is implied in what the apostle wrote in Galatians 1:15–16:
15 But when God, who set me apart from birth and called me by his grace, was pleased 16 to reveal his Son in me so that I might preach him among the Gentiles, I did not consult any man.
Here in Galatians 1:15, Apostle Paul conveyed that God chose the perfect timing to save him and commission him at the time He did. God being sovereignly in control of all things included in His plan the most appropriate time to call Paul which is after he had persecuted Christians. For if Paul was called to be an apostle during the earthly ministry of our Lord, he would not have persecuted the church. If he did not persecute the church, he would not have had a good answer to his detractors as to why he was preaching the gospel of grace to the Gentiles. Thus, the apostle could not have thought that the appearance of Jesus Christ to him in the time He did was too early or too late in his persecution of the church. That aside, the point is we reject any interpretation of what the apostle meant in the phrase of 1 Corinthians 15:8 as to one abnormally born as related to time.
Anyway, there are many interpretations commentators have given, some unlikely and some plausible. An example of an unlikely interpretation is that the apostle was applying to himself a term his opponents coined to indicate that his new birth is premature that he could be described negatively as being “incomplete, deficient, misguided Christian, and therefore quite unable to be an apostle.” This interpretation is unlikely because it assumes that his adversaries have a wrong understanding of what regeneration or new birth is. A plausible interpretation is that based on the fact that the Greek word the apostle used to describe himself also signifies “unfitness for life.” Based on this understanding, the interpretation of what the apostle meant is that he took a term of abuse hurled at him by his opponents to call in question his apostolic office and used it to signify that he is truly unworthy of this because, when the other disciples and apostles saw the Lord, he was persecuting Him in His earthly community. This is plausible because it at least does not do violence to the context of what the apostle wrote.
In any case, it is our interpretation that when the apostle wrote the phrase of 1 Corinthians 15:8 as to one abnormally born that he intended to convey that the appearance of Jesus to him is quite unique in comparison to His other appearances, the apostle had already listed. He stands in a very unique position in that he was like a dead, discarded fetus that worths nothing but at the same time because of the grace of God, he was in a highly coveted position of such an appearance of Jesus Christ after He had finally ascended into heaven. Several factors support this interpretation. First, the apostle used a definite article before the Greek word translated “abnormally born” in the NIV. Although some contend that the definite article implies the Corinthians viewed Paul as a kind of freak in contrast to the other apostles. Nonetheless, we contend that the definite article used in the Greek should be understood in the sense of “one of a kind” or “unique” article or more technically “nomadic.” In effect, when the apostle used the article, he wanted to draw attention to the uniqueness of the appearance of Jesus Christ to him as an individual that worths nothing as a fetus worths nothing. As we have already noted, it cannot be disputed that the appearance of the Lord Jesus to Apostle Paul is unique when compared to His other post-resurrection appearances. This being the case, it makes sense that the apostle used the definite article to convey that when he used the word that is translated “abnormally born” that one should understand the Greek word not merely describing premature birth but a premature birth that is unique or in a class by itself. Second, the fact that our Greek word that we indicated has the sense of “premature birth” has the distinctive feature of “the unfinished form of the one thus born” conveys that the apostle was thinking of the fact that the process involved in the appearance of the Lord Jesus to Him could be viewed as incomplete when compared to the other appearances. The Lord Jesus appeared to those who were His disciples prior to His death on the cross. These individuals followed Him and witnessed His miracles and His teachings. Thus, such individuals were fully prepared by Jesus Christ to understand and appreciate His resurrection. This cannot be said about Apostle Paul. He was never a follower of Jesus Christ during His earthly ministry. There is nothing in his previous life experience that qualifies him as being one that the Lord Jesus should appear to after His resurrection. Therefore, Jesus’ appearance to the apostle was incomplete in the sense that the process involved with His appearance to the other individuals was not true of His appearance to Paul. Third, this interpretation makes better sense in light of the explanation the apostle gave in the next verse of this chapter. It is with the next verst that we begin our next study but let me end by reminding you of the message we are considering which is Be sure you are clear about the gospel message.
06/09/23