Lessons #559and 560
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
+ 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 +
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Further implications of denial of resurrection (1 Cor 15:29-34)
29Now if there is no resurrection, what will those do who are baptized for the dead? If the dead are not raised at all, why are people baptized for them? 30And as for us, why do we endanger ourselves every hour? 31I die every day—I mean that, brothers—just as surely as I glory over you in Christ Jesus our Lord. 32If I fought wild beasts in Ephesus for merely human reasons, what have I gained? If the dead are not raised, “Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die.” 33Do not be misled: “Bad company corrupts good character.” 34Come 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.
The message of this section of 1 Corinthians 15:29-34 that we have been considering is that Your belief in resurrection should cause you to face difficulties associated with the Christian faith and to be mindful of doctrinal deception that would lead to sinful conduct. We have so far considered fully the first implication of denying the doctrine of resurrection in the section of 1 Corinthians 15:29-34 we are studying, which is that some activities or practices related to Christian faith become unnecessary if there is no resurrection. The second implication is that there is no need to be concerned about deception if there is no resurrection as stated in verse 33. We started to consider the command of 1 Corinthians 15:33 Do not be misled. Our consideration of this command led us to the study of the doctrine of deception that we did not complete but we promised to complete it in today’s study. We stated that there are nine facts that we should be aware of that help to understand the doctrine of deception. We considered eight of these in our previous studies. Let me briefly review what we considered. The first fact is that the being that thrives most in the use of deception is Satan. The second fact is that since the fall of humankind into sin, deception has become a characteristic of the fallen human nature. The third fact is that deception primarily involves speech. The fourth fact is that deception is contrary to the nature of God since He is incapable of lie. The fifth fact about deception is that it is abhorrent to God, so He prohibited it. The sixth fact about deception is that it draws God’s judgment in the form of punishment. The seventh fact about deception is that God warns believers against it. The eighth fact about deception is that we believers can deceive ourselves. So, we proceed to the ninth and final fact by returning to Ephesians 5:6.
A ninth fact about deception is that it can be avoided as it relates to words that are lacking in truth from God. It is because it can be avoided that we have the command of Ephesians 5:6 Let no one deceive you with empty words that we considered in our last study. Our concern, of course, is to consider how a believer should go about obeying this instruction. But before we do, let us be clear that just because a person says that you are in self-deception does not mean that that is true. An unbeliever could think you are in self-deception because of your trust and or devotion to the Lord but that does not mean that such an individual is correct. We have a good example of this point in Scripture. When Sennacherib threatened Hezekiah, he charged him of being in self-deception because he trusted in the God of Israel, as stated in 2 Chronicles 32:15:
Now do not let Hezekiah deceive you and mislead you like this. Do not believe him, for no god of any nation or kingdom has been able to deliver his people from my hand or the hand of my fathers. How much less will your god deliver you from my hand!”
Hezekiah was not in self-deception nor was he in a position of misleading the people. No! He had confidence in the God he worshipped and so he looked to Him for his deliverance. It is this that Sennacherib interpreted as self-deception. History proved Hezekiah was right and Sennacherib was wrong. Thus, we are saying that if you have confidence in the Lord you worship, that is not self-deception regardless of how it may appear to the unbelieving world. If anything, the one that is in self-deception is the individual that trusts anything other than the God of truth revealed in Jesus Christ. This kind of person is in self-deception and fits the description of Job 15:31:
Let him not deceive himself by trusting what is worthless, for he will get nothing in return.
By the way, we should be careful not to deceive ourselves into thinking that we are immune to the spiritual law of sowing and reaping according to the instruction of Galatians 6:7:
Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows.
With this comment, let us return to the issue of how to avoid being deceived with words that are without truth.
The primary way a believer would avoid being deceived is to know the Scripture. This requirement is derived from Jesus’ charge to the Sadducees who denied future resurrection. Our Lord indicated to them that the reason they are misled or are deceived is because they did not know the Scripture that indicates resurrection is true. The charge of the Lord Jesus to the Sadducees is given in Matthew 22:29:
Jesus replied, “You are in error because you do not know the Scriptures or the power of God.
The charge of the Lord is concerned with being deceived or being led astray since the sentence you are in error may alternatively be translated you are mistaken. This is because we have a Greek word (planaō) that can mean to be mistaken in one’s judgment hence “to deceive oneself”, “to be misled, be deceived”, as Apostle Paul used the word to describe the condition of evil men in the last days in 2 Timothy 3:13:
while evil men and impostors will go from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived.
This meaning aside, our concern is that the way to avoid being deceived is to know the Scripture as our Lord states. Knowing the Scripture is not merely being able to quote passages that one thinks support one’s preconceived position, but it involves knowing what the passage quoted means in its context. In effect, it is one thing to quote a passage, but it is another thing to understand what it means in its context so that the passage could be correctly applied to different situations. Our Lord charged the Sadducees of not understanding the meaning of Scripture so as to be able to apply it correctly. The Sadducees failed in two respects. They probably did not remember or accept the OT Scripture that clearly teaches resurrection according to Daniel 12:2:
Multitudes who sleep in the dust of the earth will awake: some to everlasting life, others to shame and everlasting contempt.
But more importantly, they failed to interpret correctly what the Scripture in a given passage meant as the Lord pointed to them in Matthew 22:31–32:
But about the resurrection of the dead—have you not read what God said to you, 32 ‘I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob’? He is not the God of the dead but of the living.”
Our Lord implied that if the Sadducees had correctly interpreted the Scripture He quoted, that is, Exodus 3:6, that the Sadducees accepted as authoritative, they would have understood that God indicated resurrection is a truth that should not be doubted. Jesus’ argument is that if the Sadducees correctly interpreted the Scripture He quoted, they should have concluded that resurrection is truth. This is because God identified Himself as the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. But since He is the God of the living and not of the dead, this signifies that Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob must still be living at the time that God spoke to Moses. But these Patriarchs were dead in that they were no longer on this planet. Therefore, if they are still living, the implication must be that there is life after death, implying that resurrection must be true. Jesus’ argument touches at the difference between quoting a passage and understanding its meaning and consequently its application. Thus, it should be clear that knowing Scripture is not merely being able to quote it but understanding what it means through proper interpretation.
We stated that the primary way a believer would avoid being deceived is to know Scripture. This means that the first step in avoiding being deceived is to learn constantly the word of God taught by one with the gift of teaching. Since deception could come in different ways then it is important for the believer to continue to learn truth from God’s word so that such an individual would be equipped with truth to deal with different kinds or sources of deception. Teaching is so important in dealing with empty words, that is, declarations that are devoid of truth mentioned in Ephesians 5:6 that it is one of the reasons the Holy Spirit through Apostle Paul instructed Timothy to carry out the function of teaching with the intention of helping those in error to come to repentance, as stated in 2 Timothy 2:25–26:
25 Those who oppose him he must gently instruct, in the hope that God will grant them repentance leading them to a knowledge of the truth, 26 and that they will come to their senses and escape from the trap of the devil, who has taken them captive to do his will.
Anyway, it is our contention that the first step to take to avoid being deceived is to learn truth from those with the gift of teaching.
The next step to avoid being deceived is to meditate on what has been learned so that it becomes a part of the believer’s soul. A believer who holds on to the apostolic doctrine as explained by a teacher of the word of God would not be deceived. Scripture clearly indicates believers are required to hold to the truth they have been taught. This is evident in that Apostle Paul reminded Timothy to hold to the apostolic doctrine he received from him as recorded in 2 Timothy 1:13–14:
13 What you heard from me, keep as the pattern of sound teaching, with faith and love in Christ Jesus. 14 Guard the good deposit that was entrusted to you—guard it with the help of the Holy Spirit who lives in us.
It is holding on to the word of God that will enable the believer to do another thing that is necessary to avoid deception such as shunning false teachers, as the Holy Spirit indicates through Apostle Paul in Romans 16:17:
I urge you, brothers, to watch out for those who cause divisions and put obstacles in your way that are contrary to the teaching you have learned. Keep away from them.
This passage implies that the way a believer can determine the kind of person to avoid is by knowing the apostolic teaching. This means that if a believer is going to avoid anyone that is false, that believer should have the truth, to know when an error is being passed on as truth or as empty words. In effect, we are saying that if you should avoid being deceived you must immerse yourself truly to the study of the word of God. You should spend time meditating on various topics of the Scripture you have been taught so that you are equipped to defend them. It is as you do so that you will know whom to avoid in keeping also with the instruction of the Holy Spirit through Apostle John in 2 John 9–10:
9 Anyone who runs ahead and does not continue in the teaching of Christ does not have God; whoever continues in the teaching has both the Father and the Son. 10 If anyone comes to you and does not bring this teaching, do not take him into your house or welcome him.
Of course, it goes without saying that only those who are spiritually stable would not be deceived. This is implied in what Prophet Hosea said to Israel in Hosea 7:11:
“Ephraim is like a dove, easily deceived and senseless—now calling to Egypt, now turning to Assyria.
Israel, referred to here as Ephraim, is deceived because of spiritual instability that is the result of lack of knowledge of the truth that would have caused them to depend on their God instead of humans. The point is that the primary way to avoid being deceived is learning the truth and applying it. Therefore, I challenge you to spend enough time in the word so that you can differentiate truth from error. Remain under the filling of the Spirit so that you will be enabled to recall the truth you have studied. Furthermore, you should ask the Lord to provide you with the wisdom you need to correctly apply the truth in whatever situation you face that has the potential of deceiving you. With this admonishment we return to what Apostle Paul wrote in the passage of our study, that is, 1 Corinthians 15:33.
Apostle Paul followed the command not to be deceived with what is tantamount to a reason not to be deceived as he penned in the last sentence of 1 Corinthians 15:33“Bad company corrupts good character.” This quotation of the apostle is a well-known proverb at the time of the apostle that was attributed to a famous Greek poet, Menander (342-290 B.C.). Thus, the apostle was acquainted with the proverb that was presumably well-known among educated Corinthians.
Be that as it may, the adjective “bad” is translated from a Greek word (kakos) that refers to that which is socially or morally reprehensible hence means “evil, bad” but it also refers to that which is harmful or injurious. When the word is used as a noun, it refers to what is contrary to custom or law so means “evil,” or “wrong.” Hence Apostle Paul used it in the sense of “wrong” in his prayers on behalf of the Corinthians as recorded in 2 Corinthians 13:7:
Now we pray to God that you will not do anything wrong. Not that people will see that we have stood the test but that you will do what is right even though we may seem to have failed.
It is with the meaning “evil” that the word is used by Apostle Paul in the prohibition of the kind of desire believers should not have as we read in Colossians 3:5:
Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry.
The word may pertain to being harmful hence may mean “harm” as Apostle Paul used it to describe what Alexander, the metal worker, did to him as we read in 2 Timothy 4:14:
Alexander the metalworker did me a great deal of harm. The Lord will repay him for what he has done.
In our passage of 1 Corinthians 15:33, the word is used with the sense of “evil, bad” as it pertains to being socially or morally reprehensible. Thus, the apostle is concerned with association that is unacceptable or morally wrong as in the phrase Bad company.
The word “company” is translated from a Greek word (homilia) that appears only here in the Greek NT; it means “company” or “association.” Morally unacceptable or evil association leads to unacceptable conduct as in the sentence of 1 Corinthians 15:33 Bad company corrupts good character.
The word “corrupts” is translated from a Greek verb (phtheirō) that may mean to cause harm to, in a physical manner or in outward circumstances, hence “to destroy, ruin, corrupt, spoil.” It is probably in the sense of “to harm or ruin” someone financially that Apostle Paul used the word to indicate he and his team have not done anything that might have exploited the Corinthians financially although it is translated “corrupt” in 2 Corinthians 7:2:
Make room for us in your hearts. We have wronged no one, we have corrupted no one, we have exploited no one.
It is in the same sense of “to corrupt” morally that the word is used by Apostle Paul in Ephesians 4:22:
You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires;
It is the meaning “to destroy” that applies in 2 Peter 2:12:
But these men blaspheme in matters they do not understand. They are like brute beasts, creatures of instinct, born only to be caught and destroyed, and like beasts they too will perish.
In our passage of 1 Corinthians 15:33, it has the sense of “to pervert,” that is, to corrupt morally, as by intemperance or sensuality. The thing that is perverted is given in the phrase good character.
The word “good” is translated from a Greek adjective (chrēstos) with several meanings. The word can mean “easy” as it pertains to that which causes no difficulty. It is this meaning of our Greek word that is used in Jesus’ explanation of His offer of rest to the troubled in Matthew 11:30:
For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”
Yoke here is a symbol for submission so that Jesus is saying that to submit to Him is easy. Of course, some interpret yoke as a reference to Jesus’ interpretation of the law which implies that His interpretation of it is easier than that of the teachers of the law. Another meaning of our Greek word is “fine” in the sense of that which meets a relatively high standard of value as it is used in Jesus’ saying in Luke 5:39:
And no one after drinking old wine wants the new, for he says, ‘The old is better.’”
The sentence the old is better is literally the old is just fine! Another meaning of our Greek word concerns being morally good and benevolent.
Still another meaning associated with being morally good and benevolent is “kind, loving”, as it is used to describe God’s character in Luke 6:35:
But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked.
In our passage of 1 Corinthians 15:33, it is used with the sense of “reputable” that, of course, pertains to being morally good.
The thing that is reputable is given with word character of 1 Corinthians 15:33. The word “character” is translated from a Greek word (ēthos) that also appears only here in the Greek NT; it means “pattern of behavior or practice that is habitual or characteristic of a group or an individual,” hence means “habits, morals.”
In any case, when the apostle wrote in 1 Corinthians 15:33 Bad company corrupts good character, he was first and foremost concerned with what would happen to the Corinthians who associated with those who deny the concept of the resurrection of the dead. He was concerned that association with those kinds of persons would affect the doctrinal stand of the Corinthians that would then lead to living a lifestyle that is contrary to the word of God. It is probably that the apostle had in mind the kind of impact he warned that those who teach that resurrection of the dead is something of the past had on some believers as he wrote in 2 Timothy 2:16–18:
16 Avoid godless chatter, because those who indulge in it will become more and more ungodly. 17 Their teaching will spread like gangrene. Among them are Hymenaeus and Philetus, 18 who have wandered away from the truth. They say that the resurrection has already taken place, and they destroy the faith of some.
He would, of course, be concerned with Corinthians associating with their pagan neighbors in such a way that their conduct could be affected by theirs. It is also probably the case that the Holy Spirit brought in the mind of the apostle as he wrote the sentence, we are considering, examples of individuals in OT Scripture that acted contrary to God’s word because of wrong associations in marriage. A first example of such association is Solomon who dabbled into idolatry when he became old because of his association with his wives that were involved in idolatry as stated in 1 Kings 11:4–6:
4 As Solomon grew old, his wives turned his heart after other gods, and his heart was not fully devoted to the LORD his God, as the heart of David his father had been. 5 He followed Ashtoreth the goddess of the Sidonians, and Molech the detestable god of the Ammonites. 6 So Solomon did evil in the eyes of the LORD; he did not follow the LORD completely, as David his father had done.
Solomon’s problem was not merely that he married too many women but that he married the wrong women from nations Israel was forbidden to marry from, implying that he was involved in wrong association that eventually corrupted his worship of Yahweh by him being involved in idolatry. A second example is Ahab. That he was born into a family that had become idolatrous was not the only reason for him being an evil king that acted wickedly in Israel but his marriage to Jezebel that was certainly a wrong kind of marriage for an Israelite as recorded in 1 Kings 16:30–33:
30 Ahab son of Omri did more evil in the eyes of the LORD than any of those before him. 31 He not only considered it trivial to commit the sins of Jeroboam son of Nebat, but he also married Jezebel daughter of Ethbaal king of the Sidonians, and began to serve Baal and worship him. 32 He set up an altar for Baal in the temple of Baal that he built in Samaria. 33 Ahab also made an Asherah pole and did more to provoke the LORD, the God of Israel, to anger than did all the kings of Israel before him.
Today, a believer who marries one that claims to be a Christian but is involved with groups that claim to be Christians but are involved in idolatrous practices such as worshipping of saints will be no different from one involved with Baal. That it was Ahab’s association with his wife that led him to act more wickedly is implied in what is stated in 1 Kings 21:25–26:
25 (There was never a man like Ahab, who sold himself to do evil in the eyes of the LORD, urged on by Jezebel his wife. 26 He behaved in the vilest manner by going after idols, like the Amorites the LORD drove out before Israel.)
A third example of wrong association clearly ruining a person is Jehoram, king of Judah, the son of Jehoshaphat, who was a good king in the sense that he worshipped Yahweh. Thus, Jehoram by his association with his father should have been faithful to Yahweh but that was not the case. His involvement in idolatry was attributed to his marriage into the family of Ahab as we may gather from 2 Kings 8:18:
He walked in the ways of the kings of Israel, as the house of Ahab had done, for he married a daughter of Ahab. He did evil in the eyes of the LORD.
Of course, it is probably the case that Jehoram’s marriage to Ahab’s daughter would have been a result of the alliance between his father and Ahab. Nonetheless, it is his marriage association with the family of Ahab that was certainly the reason for him being unfaithful to Yahweh.
All the same, it is because of the truism in the statement of 1 Corinthians 15:33 Bad company corrupts good character that God had forbidden Israel from marrying from pagan nations as we read in Deuteronomy 7:1–4:
1 When the LORD your God brings you into the land you are entering to possess and drives out before you many nations—the Hittites, Girgashites, Amorites, Canaanites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites, seven nations larger and stronger than you— 2 and when the LORD your God has delivered them over to you and you have defeated them, then you must destroy them totally. Make no treaty with them, and show them no mercy. 3 Do not intermarry with them. Do not give your daughters to their sons or take their daughters for your sons, 4 for they will turn your sons away from following me to serve other gods, and the LORD’s anger will burn against you and will quickly destroy you.
It is probably because of the truism of the statement Bad company corrupts good character that was the reason God did not want Jehoshaphat that was faithful to Yahweh to enter into business venture with Ahaziah king of northern kingdom of Israel that was, no doubt, involved in idolatry as we may gather from 2 Chronicles 20:37:
Eliezer son of Dodavahu of Mareshah prophesied against Jehoshaphat, saying, “Because you have made an alliance with Ahaziah, the LORD will destroy what you have made.” The ships were wrecked and were not able to set sail to trade.
It is also because of this truism that believers should not have serious friendship with unbelievers, especially of the time that could lead to marriage as we read in 2 Corinthians 6:14:
Do not be yoked together with unbelievers. For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness?
The point is that we should be careful with the kind of association we maintain with people. This means that as a believer you should limit your interactions with unbelievers so that they would not influence your lifestyle. A believer is better off spending more time with fellow believers that are spiritually minded than even with a believer that is not. You should avoid those whose views about life and living do not align with Scripture. The point is that you should watch those you associate with because of the potential of being wrongly influenced by unbelievers. With this comment we end our consideration of the second implication of denying the doctrine of resurrection which is that there is no need to be concerned about deception if there is no resurrection. So, we proceed with the third and final implication given in the passage of 1 Corinthians 15:29-34 we are studying.
The third and final further implication of denying the doctrine of resurrection is that there would be no need to avoid sinful conduct if there is no future resurrection. This implication is derived from two commands of the Holy Spirit through Apostle Paul to the Corinthians. The first command is given in the first expression of 1 Corinthians 15:34 Come back to your senses as you ought.
The expression “come back to your senses” is translated from a Greek verb (eknēphō) that in the Septuagint has the sense of “to sleep off a drunken fit, to sober up.” This is the sense that the word is used to describe Noah waking up from his drunken state as narrated in the Septuagint of Genesis 9:24:
When Noah awoke from his wine and found out what his youngest son had done to him.
The clause When Noah awoke from his wine may be translated as, in the NET, When Noah awoke from his drunken stupor or When Noah was sober again as in the TEV. It is in the same sense of sobering up that the word is used to describe Nabal that sobered up from drunken state in a previous day as we read in 1 Samuel 25:37:
Then in the morning, when Nabal was sober, his wife told him all these things, and his heart failed him and he became like a stone.
However, the word appears only once in the NT in our passage of 1 Corinthians 15:34 with the meaning of “to come to one’s senses” or perhaps “to get self-control,” that is, “to curb the controlling influence of inordinate emotions or desires (and therefore become reasonable).”
The command Come back to your senses is one of urgency. The Holy Spirit was aware that something had gone wrong with some of the believers in Corinth because they had bought the lie that there is no resurrection. So, the Holy Spirit directed the apostle to use an aorist tense in the Greek to issue the command or plea for those in Corinth that have been deceived to believe there is no resurrection to wake up from their deception. The use of the aorist tense in the Greek indicates that there is a sense of urgency to the command and probably that those who are addressed should make the command a top priority in their spiritual life since they have been deceived by false doctrine that denies there is such a thing as future resurrection.
It is certainly expected that believers in Corinth should be reasonable by returning to the first state of belief in resurrection and the lifestyle that is associated with such belief. To convey this, the apostle adds the clause of 1 Corinthians 15:34 as you ought.
The clause as you ought is translated from a Greek adverb (dikaiōs) that means “justly, in an upright manner,” that is, as it pertains to being just or right in a juridical sense as the word is used by one criminal that was crucified with Jesus Christ to rebuke, rightly, the other criminal with him on the cross regarding his attitude towards Jesus according to narrative in Luke 23:41:
We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong.”
The word may mean “correctly, uprightly, justly” as it pertains to quality of character, thought, or behavior as it is used in Apostle Paul’s communication to Titus regarding what should be the effect of God’s grace on us as stated in Titus 2:12:
It teaches us to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age.
The phrase upright and godly is literally uprightly and godly. The word may mean “righteously” as the word is used by Apostle Paul to describe the manner of how he and his apostolic team conducted themselves while in Thessalonica according to 1 Thessalonians 2:10:
You are witnesses, and so is God, of how holy, righteous and blameless we were among you who believed.
The phrase righteous and blameless is more literally righteously and blamelessly. In our passage of 1 Corinthians 15:34, it has the sense of “rightly,” that is, “in a morally appropriate manner; as is right.” However, when used with the Greek word that means “to come to one’s senses,” the standard Greek English lexicon (BDAG) suggests the translation be sober, as you ought.
The intent of the first command of 1 Corinthians 15:34 Come back to your senses is indeed explained further emphatically by the second command of 1 Corinthians 15:34 and stop sinning. We say this for two reasons. Firstly, without this second command it is not easy to understand the first command since the word used in the first command may be used for a person who is in drunken stupor. The apostle was not concerned with drunkenness at this point so it may be difficult to understand the first command without the second. Secondly, the conjunction and is translated from a Greek conjunction (kai) that is often translated “and” in our English versions. However, the Greek conjunction has several other usages. For example, it may be used to introduce a result that comes from what precedes and so may be translated “and then, and so.” That aside, the word may be used to emphasize a fact as surprising or unexpected or noteworthy with the meaning “and yet” or “and in spite of that” or “nevertheless.” Of course, it could be used simply for emphasis with the meaning “even.” It may be used to mark an explanation so that what follows explains what goes before it, leading to the translation “that is, namely, and so.” In our passage of 1 Corinthians 15:34, the apostle used it probably in explanatory sense with implied emphasis. That aside, the apostle’s second command is and stop sinning. Literally, the Greek reads and (do) not sin.
The word “sinning” of the NIV or “sin” of the literal translation is translated from a Greek word (hamartanō) that may mean “to sin” as the word is used in the instruction of the Holy Spirit through Apostle Paul regarding anger in Ephesians 4:26:
“In your anger do not sin”: Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry,
The word may mean “to do wrong” as it is used in 1 Peter 2:20:
But how is it to your credit if you receive a beating for doing wrong and endure it? But if you suffer for doing good and you endure it, this is commendable before God.
In our passage of 1 Corinthians 15:34, the word means “to sin,” that is, to “violate a divine law.” The command associated with our Greek word is preceded by a Greek negative particle (mē) that is a subjective negative instead of another Greek negative (ou) that is an objective negative. When the negative particle in our verse of study is used with a present tense, as in our passage, to issue a command in the Greek, the meaning is that of cessation of an action in progress so that to convey this sense, the word “stop” is to be used in the English hence the translation of the NIV stop sinning. There is no doubt that believers in the local church in Corinth, as in every local church, were involved in sin, but it seems that the apostle might have been concerned with sinning that results from denying of resurrection. For example, if a person does not believe in resurrection and hence future judgment from God, the individual may be involved in sexual immorality as many of the pagans at that time did because they did not think of anything beyond this life, or the person may be involved in drunkenness that is part of the activity of someone not controlled by the Holy Spirit.
It is not only that the apostle provided a second command that helps to explain the first, but he also provided further explanation of the reason some in Corinth continued to sin. It is this explanation that he gave in the next clause of 1 Corinthians 15:34 for there are some who are ignorant of God.
The word “for” is translated from a Greek conjunction (gar) that has several usages. For example, it can be used as a marker of inference with the meaning “so, then, by all means” or it can be used as a marker of cause or reason for something in which case it may be translated “for, because.” It can be used as a marker of clarification or explanation so that it may be translated “for” or “you see.” It is in the sense of providing explanation or reason some continue to sin in Corinth that the word is used in our passage of 1 Corinthians 15:34.
Anyway, the apostle writes in 1 Corinthians 15:34 for there are some who are ignorant of God. Who does the apostle mean when he used the word “some?” To answer this question, we should recognize that the word “some” is translated from a Greek word (tis) that may mean “a certain one, someone” as a reference to someone or something indefinite as Apostle Paul used it to state one of the reasons Timothy stayed in Ephesus was to stop some unnamed false teachers in Ephesus from erroneous teaching as stated in 1 Timothy 1:3:
As I urged you when I went into Macedonia, stay there in Ephesus so that you may command certain men not to teach false doctrines any longer.
The word may mean “some” as Apostle Paul used it to describe some of those who were eyewitnesses to the resurrection of Jesus Christ but were no longer living when he referenced the resurrection of Jesus Christ as part of his gospel message as we read in 1 Corinthians 15:6:
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.
The word may refer to “a person of importance” as the word is used to report the caution of Gamaliel to the Sanhedrin regarding their treatment of the apostles as he mentioned someone who although claimed to be important, but his movement went nowhere after his death as stated in Acts 5:36:
Some time ago Theudas appeared, claiming to be somebody, and about four hundred men rallied to him. He was killed, all his followers were dispersed, and it all came to nothing.
In our passage of 1 Corinthians 15:34, the apostle used it to refer to certain unspecified individuals in the local church of Corinth probably those who denied resurrection as he used the word “some” in such a way in his question of 1 Corinthians 15:12:
But 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?
We interpret the word “some” as a reference to some believers in Corinth because of what the apostle wrote in 1 Corinthians 15:34 there are some who are ignorant of God. Literally, the Greek reads some have an ignorance of God. The word “ignorance” is translated from a Greek word (agnōsia) that in our passage has the sense of “sinful ignorance, that is, the lack of knowledge or education; especially that leads to reprehensible behavior” that appears twice in the Greek NT; its other occurrence is in the speech of uninformed individuals in 1 Peter 2:15:
For it is God’s will that by doing good you should silence the ignorant talk of foolish men.
It is our interpretation that those who are ignorant of God are believers who are not grounded in the knowledge of the Scripture to understand more adequately the character of God. Take for example, a person who understands the power of God would not deny the doctrine of resurrection since God is powerful to raise the dead. Take another example, a person who understands that God is righteous would be conscious of sinning against Him.
Be that as it may, it is only if the apostle had in mind that “some” in Corinth refers to believers would his last sentence of the verse make sense. The apostle wrote in the last sentence of 1 Corinthians 15:34 I say this to your shame. The word “shame” is translated from a Greek word (entropē) that means “shame, humiliation” that appears only twice in the Greek NT; its other occurrence is in 1 Corinthians 6:5:
I say this to shame you. Is it possible that there is nobody among you wise enough to judge a dispute between believers?
The apostle could only have spoken of shame to the Corinthians because they are believers in Christ. It would be a shame for someone who claims to be a Christian to deny some fundamental truths of the Christian faith or to keep on sinning without regard to God. Hence, the apostle must have been thinking of some believers in Corinth when he gave the explanation that some of them were ignorant of God. This should not surprise us because the apostle had already mentioned some believers who because of lack of knowledge perceived idols as if they were real as he conveyed in 1 Corinthians 8:7:
But not everyone knows this. Some people are still so accustomed to idols that when they eat such food they think of it as having been sacrificed to an idol, and since their conscience is weak, it is defiled.
Anyway, we have examined the third further implication of denying the doctrine of resurrection which is there would be no need to avoid sinful conduct if there is no resurrection. So, let me end by reminding you of the message of this section that we have expounded which is that Your belief in resurrection should cause you to face difficulties associated with the Christian faith and to be mindful of doctrinal deception that would lead to sinful conduct.
09/29/23