Lessons #561and 562
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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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Analogy from the final body of a sown seed (1 Cor 15:35-38)
35 But someone may ask, “How are the dead raised? With what kind of body will they come?” 36 How foolish! What you sow does not come to life unless it dies. 37 When you sow, you do not plant the body that will be, but just a seed, perhaps of wheat or of something else. 38 But God gives it a body as he has determined, and to each kind of seed he gives its own body.
In the preceding section of 1 Corinthians 15:29-34, Apostle Paul completed his discourse on the implications of the denial of the doctrine of resurrection. Having completed that, the apostle discoursed the nature of resurrection body in verses 35 to 50. This discourse of the nature of resurrection consists of four paragraphs that deal with subjects that are necessary to comprehend the nature of resurrection body that is the major concern of the apostle in 1 Corinthians 15:35-50. The first paragraph that deals with the nature of resurrection is concerned with analogy drawn from the final body of a sown seed given in verses 35-38. The second paragraph that begins in verse 39 and ends in verse 41 deals with different bodies in creation. The third paragraph is concerned with the comparison of physical and resurrection bodies in verses 42 to 44. The fourth paragraph is concerned with the comparison of first and last Adam presented in verses 45 to 50. We begin our study of the nature of resurrection body with the first paragraph. A message we believe the Holy Spirit intended to convey to us in the first paragraph is that God alone determines the nature of resurrection body.
In any case, there are four assertions contained in the section of 1 Corinthians 15:35-38 that help in expounding it. A first assertion is that the issue of analogy from the final body of a sown seed as it relates to resurrection is warranted by a possible question raised regarding the nature of resurrection. This assertion is based on the questions of 1 Corinthians 15:35 But someone may ask, “How are the dead raised? With what kind of body will they come?”.
The are two issues we need to consider before we examine the verse. The first issue concerns the relationship of verse 35 to what preceded it and the second is whether the apostle meant to ask one or two questions in the verse. The first issue of the relationship between verse 35 and what precedes it arises because of the very first word but in the NIV of 1 Corinthians 15:35.
The word “but” of verse 35 is translated from a Greek word (alla) that primarily is used to indicate a difference with or a contrast to what precedes. In effect, it is used to express contrast between an immediate clause and the one preceding it so it may be translated “but, rather, on the contrary.” The word may be translated “indeed, certainly” when it is used as a marker of contrastive emphasis. When the word is used in connection with a command, it may mean “now, then.” as the word is translated in the instruction given to the believing wife regarding her husband in Ephesians 5:24:
Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit to their husbands in everything.
Some English versions began verse 24 of Ephesians 5 with the conjunction “but.” Interestingly, the translators of the ISV began with the word “indeed” which is a permissible translation of the Greek word when a contrast is to be made in an emphatic manner, or a strong alternative is being suggested. That aside, the meaning “but” may indicate a transition to something different or contrasted. The word may mean “yes” as it is used by Apostle Paul to describe his attitude on hearing that the gospel of Jesus Christ is being preached regardless of the motives of those who do so as we may gather from Philippians 1:18:
But what does it matter? The important thing is that in every way, whether from false motives or true, Christ is preached. And because of this I rejoice. Yes, and I will continue to rejoice.
In our passage of 1 Corinthians 15:35, the apostle used it to indicate a transition to something different or contrasted with what immediately preceded it and so may be translated “well” or “but.”
It is true the preceding section of 1 Corinthians 15:29-34 is concerned with further implications of denial of resurrection and so the apostle conveyed that some activities associated with Christian faith are unnecessary and no need to be concerned about deception and sinful life if there is no resurrection. However, in the last two verses, that is, verses 33 and 34, based on the reality of resurrection, the apostle issued two commands to believers concerning deception and sinful conduct. Hence, we can say that the apostle digressed in his argument in support of doctrine of resurrection to commands that should be obeyed by those who have believed in Christ and therefore in the doctrine of resurrection. This being the case, it is necessary for the apostle to make a transition from the two commands of verses 33 and 34 to another aspect of his argument in dealing with the doctrine of resurrection. Thus, it is fitting to begin verse 35 with the word “but” or “well” so long as one understands that the apostle is making a transition to something different from what he considered in verses 33 and 34. The transition is to another aspect of the argument of the apostle in support of the doctrine of resurrection. It is probably this interpretation is behind the English versions such as the TEV and the NJB that did not translate the Greek word that began the verse 35 in the Greek. There is, of course, a sense that the apostle makes a transition from the commands of verses 33 and 34 to deal with an objection that someone could raise that contradicts the doctrine of resurrection he has been espousing and so there is an implied contrast implying that the Greek particle that begin verse 35 may be translated “but.” Thus, the relationship between verse 35 and what precedes is that verse 35 signifies a transition to another argument of the apostle in support of doctrine of resurrection.
To the second issue of whether the apostle intended to pose one or two questions, it is our understanding that the apostle intended to ask one question that is then explained by the second question. A first reason for this interpretation is that it is difficult to understand the first question without the second question as we will note later. A second reason is that the apostle used a Greek particle that we will get to shortly that was not translated in the NIV and majority of our English versions since the second question in the NIV is With what kind of body will they come? But a literal translation of the Greek reads And with what kind of body do they come? This is because the word “and” in the literal translation is one way to interpret the Greek particle (de) associated with the second question that may be used to connect one clause to another, either to express contrast or simple continuation but in certain occurrences the particle may be left untranslated. Although it is often translated “but” in the English when there is a perceived contrast between two clauses, but it has other meanings such as “now,” “then,” “and,” “so” when it is used to link segments of a narrative. It can also be used to insert an explanation with the meaning “that is,” as that is the sense Apostle Paul used the Greek particle to explain what Jesus being obedient to death means in Philippians 2:8:
And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death—
even death on a cross!
The NIV and many of our English versions used a dash and the word “even” in their translation of this verse probably to indicate an explanation or emphasis on the death of Jesus Christ on the cross. However, the Greek particle has the sense of “that is,” as reflected in the LEB that instead of the verbal phrase of the NIV became obedient to death— even death on a cross! reads becoming obedient to the point of death, that is, death on a cross. It is in this sense of providing explanation that the Greek particle (de) is used in our passage of 1 Corinthians 15:35. This interpretation will become clearer as we consider the questions the apostle stated.
The apostle supposes that a person may ask the questions he gave in verse 35 because of the first clause of 1 Corinthians 15:35 But someone may ask or literally, But someone will say. The word “someone” here refers to an unspecified individual in the local church of Corinth that is probably part of those that deny resurrection according to 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?
It is difficult to understand how a person could deny resurrection and be a believer, unless the person believes that Christ resurrected but that He is the only One that would resurrect. Even then, one would have to wonder the hope that such an individual has in relationship to Christ in the future. That aside, it is probably one of those who might have crept into the local church in Corinth pretending to be believers or a curious believer that the apostle had in mind in the clause of 1 Corinthians 15:35 But someone may ask or literally, But someone will say.
The word “ask” is translated from a Greek word (eipon) that may “to say,” that is, to express thought, opinion or idea as it is used as a formula for introducing an objection as it is used by James to introduce the objection someone may raise because he emphasized the need to demonstrate one’s faith through deeds in James 2:18:
But someone will say, “You have faith; I have deeds.” Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by what I do.
The word may mean “to ask” as it is used in Mary’s question to the angel that announced to her about the virgin birth as recorded in Luke 1:34:
“How will this be,” Mary asked the angel, “since I am a virgin?”
The word may mean “to answer, reply” as it is used also to describe Mary’s response to what the angel told her as we read in Luke 1:38:
“I am the Lord’s servant,” Mary answered. “May it be to me as you have said.” Then the angel left her.
The word may mean “to object” as it is used in the response of the Jews when Pilate instructed them to take Jesus and judge Him according to their law as we read in John 18:31:
Pilate said, “Take him yourselves and judge him by your own law.” “But we have no right to execute anyone,” the Jews objected.
In our passage of 1 Corinthians 15:35, it means “to say” in the sense of being used as part of a formula to introduce an objection someone might have.
The objection the unidentified individual in the local church in Corinth may have, is given in the first question of 1 Corinthians 15:35 How are the dead raised?
There is the question of what the apostle means in the word “how,” You see, the word “how” is translated from a Greek word (pōs) that may be used as a marker in exclamations with the meaning “how” as it is used to report the exclamation of the Jews regarding Jesus’ response towards Lazarus’ death as recorded in John 11:36:
Then the Jews said, “See how he loved him!”
The Greek particle is used predominantly as a marker of question so that it could be translated “in what way?” or “how?” whether in direct or indirect questions. In direct question, it may be used to determine how something has come to be as in the questioning of the Jews of the man born blind in what way or manner he was healed by Jesus as narrated in John 9:26:
Then they asked him, “What did he do to you? How did he open your eyes?”
The Greek particle may be used in questions indicating surprise as it is used to describe the question of those Jewish pilgrims regarding how it is possible for the disciples to speak the various languages of their nations because the disciples spoke in tongues as stated in Acts 2:8:
Then how is it that each of us hears them in his own native language?
The Greek particle may be used in questions denoting disapproval or rejection that it may even be translated “with what right?” or “how dare you?” as the word is used to describe Apostle Paul’s question in disapproval of Apostle Peter’s conduct of withdrawing fellowship with fellow Gentile believers because of fear of some in Jerusalem as we read in Galatians 2:14:
When I saw that they were not acting in line with the truth of the gospel, I said to Peter in front of them all, “You are a Jew, yet you live like a Gentile and not like a Jew. How is it, then, that you force Gentiles to follow Jewish customs?
The particle may be used as a marker of exclamation in which case it may be translated “how…!” as it is used in the Lord Jesus’ exclamation concerning the state of the rich regarding the reign of God as we read in Luke 18:24:
Jesus looked at him and said, “How hard it is for the rich to enter the kingdom of God!
In our passage of 1 Corinthians 15:35, the Greek particle is used as a marker of interrogative with reference to manner of way something would happen so means “in what way?” or “how?”
The meaning of the Greek word we considered implies that the first question How are the dead raised? could also be translated In what way are the dead raised? The word “dead” is translated from a Greek word (nekros) that literally pertains to being in a state of loss of life and so means “lifeless, dead.” It is in the literal sense that the word is used to describe a person whose life has left his or her body so that we say that the person is dead. However, the adjective is used figuratively to describe a person who is morally or spiritually deficient so that the person is said to be dead. It is in the sense of being morally deficient that the word is used to describe the wayward or prodigal son in Luke 15:24:
For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ So they began to celebrate.
In a figurative sense, the word may mean “unfaithfulness” or “inactive” in spiritual matters, as it is used to describe the local church in Sardis in Revelation 3:1:
“To the angel of the church in Sardis write: These are the words of him who holds the seven spirits of God and the seven stars. I know your deeds; you have a reputation of being alive, but you are dead.
Of course, there is the implication that the local church was dead in the sense of being hypocritical in that its members gave an impression of spiritual vitality that was not true. The word can also mean one that is without spiritual life as evident in the person being annoyingly insensitive to spiritual things. It is this kind of person that Jesus described in Luke 9:60:
Jesus said to him, “Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and proclaim the kingdom of God.”
In this passage of Luke 9, the word “dead” appears twice. In the first usage, it refers to those who are spiritually dead and in the second it refers to those who died physically. In our passage of 1 Corinthians 15:35, the word means “dead” in the sense of people not physically alive. So, those who are no longer physically alive are those intended in the first question How are the dead raised? or in what way are the dead raised? we are considering.
The word “raised” is translated from a Greek word (egeirō) with a range of meanings. The word may mean “to wake from sleep” as it is used to describe what the disciples of the Lord Jesus did when He was asleep and there was violent storm during a boat ride of the disciples with the Lord as we read in Matthew 8:25:
The disciples went and woke him, saying, “Lord, save us! We’re going to drown!”
The word may mean “to raise up from sickness,” that is, to restore to health as in the promise of healing through prayer of faith given in James 5:15:
And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise him up. If he has sinned, he will be forgiven.
The word may mean “to cause to return to life” after death hence means “to raise up.” The raising up to life is of two kinds. A person who died but is caused to return to life, that is, resuscitation, might still die later as was the case with Lazarus that Jesus Christ raised from the dead as referenced in the record of John 12:17:
Now the crowd that was with him when he called Lazarus from the tomb and raised him from the dead continued to spread the word.
The other kind of being caused to return to life involves a state where death could no longer occur or be experienced by the one raised up from the dead. It is this kind of returning to life after death that is best described with the word “to resurrect” that is applicable at present only to Jesus Christ. In our passage of 1 Corinthians 15:35, the word means “to resurrect,” that is, to enter a state of life as a result of being raised without the possibility of any further physical death.
The question of 1 Corinthians 15:35 How are the dead raised? presents a challenge as to how to interpret what the apostle meant. The apostle in this question could be concerned that a person would question the manner or means of resurrection. In effect, a person would be asking the question of how resurrection could ever take place, or the process involved in resurrection. The apostle was not concerned with the process or method of resurrection as it is difficult for one to explain what God would do to bring it about, but he was more concerned with the nature of resurrection. Thus, to leave no doubt what he meant, he framed his second question in such a way that explains the first. It is for this reason that we indicated that the Greek particle that was not translated in the NIV and many of our English versions used in connection with the second question is used to provide an explanation of the first question.
The explanation of what the apostle meant in the first question is given in the second question of 1 Corinthians 15:35 With what kind of body will they come? Based on our interpretation of the Greek particle (de) used in this second question, we could translate the question as that is, with what kind of body will they come?
The expression “with what kind?” is translated from a Greek word (poios) that is a marker of interrogation with reference to class or kind, so means “of what kind?” as it is used by Apostle Paul in referencing the law in Romans 3:27:
Where, then, is boasting? It is excluded. On what principle? On that of observing the law? No, but on that of faith.
The question On what principle? is literally By what kind of law? The word may mean “what?” as it is used in the question by James directed to a person who thinks tomorrow is guaranteed as we read in James 4:14:
Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes.
The word may mean “how?” as it is used in Peter’s question of how it benefits a believer if the person suffers for wrongdoing and endures it as stated 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 15:35, the Greek word is used with the meaning of “what kind of?” or “what sort of?” Hence, the apostle’s second question is concerned with providing an explanation about the nature of resurrection and not the manner or process involved in it. By the way, the two Greek particles (pōs and poios) used to introduce the two questions appear together one other time in the Greek NT where both are given the meaning “what?” in Revelation 3:3:
Remember, therefore, what you have received and heard; obey it, and repent. But if you do not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what time I will come to you.
Anyway, the second question of 1 Corinthians 15:35 With what kind of body will they come? is concerned with the nature of resurrection as conveyed in the word “body.” The word “body” is translated from a Greek word (sōma) that is used both literally and figuratively. Literally, it is used for the body of a human being or an animal as in the instruction of the Lord Jesus not to be afraid of those who can only kill the body but of God who can destroy both body and soul as stated in Matthew 10:28:
Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell.
The body may refer to a dead body or corpse as it is used to describe Jesus’ declaration recorded in Luke 17:37:
“Where, Lord?” they asked. He replied, “Where there is a dead body, there the vultures will gather.”
The body may refer to a living body such as one that is involved in sexual immorality as stated in Romans 1:24:
Therefore God gave them over in the sinful desires of their hearts to sexual impurity for the degrading of their bodies with one another.
Figuratively, the apostle uses the word “body” to refer to the Christian community. Hence, Apostle Paul tells the believers in Rome that they form one body in Christ in Romans 12:5:
so in Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others.
To the Corinthians, the apostle indicated they are the body of Christ in 1 Corinthians 12:27:
Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it.
The phrase body of Christ here in 1 Corinthians 12:27 refers to the church of Christ, as Apostle Paul used it in Ephesians 1:22–23:
22 And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church, 23 which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way.
The word may mean “nature” as in Colossians 2:11:
In him you were also circumcised, in the putting off of the sinful nature, not with a circumcision done by the hands of men but with the circumcision done by Christ,
The word may mean “the thing itself, the reality” in imagery of a body that casts a shadow as the word is used in Colossians 2:17:
These are a shadow of the things that were to come; the reality, however, is found in Christ.
The clause the reality, however, is found in Christ is literally and the body is of the Christ. The word may mean “physical” as it is used to describe the needs of a destitute believer that may go unmet in James 2:16:
If one of you says to him, “Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it?
The phrase his physical needs is literally the things needful for the body. The word may refer to an “entire person” as it is used to describe the corrupting activity of the tongue in James 3:6:
The tongue also is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole person, sets the whole course of his life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell.
The sentence It corrupts the whole person is literally defiling the whole body. It is clear the corrupting influence of the tongue is on the entire person that includes body and soul and not merely the physical body. In our passage of 1 Corinthians 15:35, our Greek word is used in the sense of the entire structure of a resurrected being, that is, “body.” The point is that the word “body” indicates that the apostle is concerned with someone who would raise a question regarding the nature of resurrection, that is, the final state of a person resurrected. In any event, the first assertion of the apostle in the section of 1 Corinthians 15:35-38 that we are considering is that the issue of analogy from the final body of a sown seed as it relates to resurrection is warranted by a possible question raised regarding the nature of resurrection. This brings us to the second assertion.
A second assertion regarding the analogy from the final body of a sown seed as it relates to resurrection is that a sown seed dies before it is made alive. It is this assertion that is given in 1 Corinthians 15:36 How foolish! What you sow does not come to life unless it dies.
The expression how foolish is more literally You fool or Fool! The literal translation on the surface presents a problem because the apostle addressed as “a fool” the one that would put up the objection he stated in verse 35 regarding the nature of resurrection. We say that this address of the apostle presents a problem because a surface reading of the literal Greek as found in some English versions appears to be in conflict with what our Lord Jesus stated during His Sermon on the Mount as recorded for us in Matthew 5:22:
But I tell you that anyone who is angry with his brother will be subject to judgment. Again, anyone who says to his brother, ‘Raca,’ is answerable to the Sanhedrin. But anyone who says, ‘You fool!’ will be in danger of the fire of hell.
Bear in mind that the apostle wrote under inspiration of the Holy Spirit so that it is impossible for the apostle to contradict what our Lord taught. This being the case, we need to provide adequate explanation of what the apostle stated in view of the teaching of the Lord Jesus. First, the apostle could not have been in violation of what our Lord taught since there was no specific person that the apostle addressed. In fact, he was dealing with a hypothetical situation. Second, the apparent conflict is resolved by properly interpreting what our Lord taught in the context of the Sermon on the Mount. The pronouncement of our Lord Jesus was made in the context of Him expounding on murder that involved angry outbursts and insults. One of the insults that our Lord prohibits that would in a sense be equivalent to murder is to insult someone by saying ‘You fool!’ The word “fool” is translated from a Greek word (mōros) (from which our English word “moron” is derived) that means “foolish, stupid.” It is used in the context of the Sermon on the Mount not merely to say that a person lacks good judgment but as a derogatory word to insult a person in a way to demoralize or damage a person inwardly. We often hear the expression “words do kill,” well that is what our Lord is concerned with here. Believers who by use of words demoralize others are asking for discipline from God. Furthermore, our Lord Jesus used the word to address those who are superficial regarding the object of taking an oath as recorded in Matthew 23:17:
You blind fools! Which is greater: the gold, or the temple that makes the gold sacred?
So, it is not merely that one uses the word that is issue in the Sermon on the Mount but how and in what context it is used. Thus, Apostle Paul did not use the word “fool” in 1 Corinthians 15:36 in the sense that he was condescending or looking down on others but a strong way to get the attention of a hypothetical person that may object to the doctrine of resurrection. For after all, he used this Greek word to describe himself and other gospel workers in 1 Corinthians 4:10:
We are fools for Christ, but you are so wise in Christ! We are weak, but you are strong! You are honored, we are dishonored!
Anyway, Apostle Paul stated in 1 Corinthians 15:36 how foolish or more literally You fool or Fool! The expression “how foolish” of the NIV is translated from a Greek adjective (aphrōn) that pertains to lack of good judgment or not employing one’s understanding, particularly in practical matters and so means “foolish, senseless, unwise.” In the NIV, the word is sometimes translated “fool”, as it is used in the Lord’s explanation of what happens to a person who is rich in material things but lacking in the spiritual as reported in Luke 12:20:
“But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?’
The phrase you fool is more literally foolish one. The context of this passage enables us to understand that a fool or one who is foolish is one that does not include God in his or her plans, as we can derive from the next verse, that is, Luke 12:21:
“This is how it will be with anyone who stores up things for himself but is not rich toward God.”
The meaning “foolish” is used to indicate lack of understanding. It is in this sense that the word is used in our Lord’s address to the Pharisees in Luke 11:40:
You foolish people! Did not the one who made the outside make the inside also?
Apostle Paul apostle used the Greek adjective to describe himself although the translators of the NIV used the word “fool” in 2 Corinthians 11:16:
I repeat: Let no one take me for a fool. But if you do, then receive me just as you would a fool, so that I may do a little boasting.
Our Greek adjective could mean “ignorant, uninstructed”, especially, with respect to truth of true religion. This meaning is possible in Romans 2:20:
an instructor of the foolish, a teacher of infants, because you have in the law the embodiment of knowledge and truth—
The Greek adjective in some contexts is used to refer to those who oppose God and so are enemies of what is right. It is this sense that the word is used in 1 Peter 2:15:
For it is God’s will that by doing good you should silence the ignorant talk of foolish men.
The phrase foolish men in 1 Peter 2:15 refers to the pagans mentioned in verse 12 of 1 Peter 2 that accuse believers of doing wrong because they are doing what the word of God demands of them. Of course, it is not only in the NT that our Greek adjective is used to describe those who oppose God or are rebellious towards Him. Our Greek adjective is used in Septuagint to describe those who rebel against God or those who deny His existence. It is in the sense of those who rebel against God that the word is used in the Septuagint of Jeremiah 4:22:
“My people are fools; they do not know me. They are senseless children; they have no understanding. They are skilled in doing evil; they know not how to do good.”
The sentence people are fools is more literally my people are foolish. Likewise, the phrase senseless children may be translated foolish children. In this passage of 1 Corinthians 15:36, the word is used with the meaning “fool,” that is, “a foolish person who lacks good judgment.” So, Apostle Paul addressed the hypothetical person who objects to the doctrine of resurrection as lacking good judgment. Of course, as we already stated, the apostle used the word to get the attention of a person who may raise an objection to the doctrine of resurrection, specifically concerning the nature of the body that would be involved in resurrection.
It is after the apostle addressed the one that objects to the doctrine of resurrection because of questioning the nature of resurrection that he made his second assertion regarding the analogy from the final body of a sown seed as it relates to resurrection which is that a sown seed dies before it is made alive. It is this assertion that is given in the clause of 1 Corinthians 15:36 What you sow does not come to life unless it dies.
The word “sow” is translated from a Greek word (speirō) that means “to sow seed.” It is used literally of sowing seed in the parable of Jesus Christ in Luke 8:5:
“A farmer went out to sow his seed. As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path; it was trampled on, and the birds of the air ate it up.
The word is used metaphorically in proverbial sayings, so it is used in matter of blessing associated with generosity in 2 Corinthians 9:6:
Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously.
Similarly, it is used in the spiritual law of sowing and reaping stated in Galatians 6:7:
Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows.
It is metaphorically used for the word of God as we read in Mark 4:14:
The farmer sows the word.
In our passage of 1 Corinthians 15:36, it is used literally in the sense of “to sow seed.”
The expression “come to life” in the clause What you sow does not come to life unless it dies is translated from a Greek word (zōopoieō) that means “to cause to live.” So, it has the meaning “to give life” as it is used by Apostle Paul in describing what the Holy Spirit will do for believers in the future according to Romans 8:11:
And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit, who lives in you.
The word may mean “to impart life” as Apostle Paul used it to describe what the law could not do as we read in Galatians 3:21:
Is the law, therefore, opposed to the promises of God? Absolutely not! For if a law had been given that could impart life, then righteousness would certainly have come by the law.
It is in the sense of “to make alive” that the word is used to describe the role of the Holy Spirit in Christ’s resurrection in 1 Peter 3:18:
For Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. He was put to death in the body but made alive by the Spirit,
In our passage of 1 Corinthians 15:36, it is used with the sense of “to be made alive, that is, “to be caused to have life or to be caused to have life a second time.” The apostle used a passive voice in the Greek with the implication that it is God who makes alive a seed that has been sown that dies.
The word “dies” in the clause What you sow does not come to life unless it dies is translated from a Greek word (apothnēskō) that means “to die,” that is, to cease to have vital functions whether at an earthly or transcendent level. It is in the sense of to die in earthly level that the word is used in Apostle Paul’s response to believers in Caesarea who were concerned that he would die in Jerusalem as narrated in Acts 21:13:
Then Paul answered, “Why are you weeping and breaking my heart? I am ready not only to be bound, but also to die in Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus.”
It is in the sense of dying in transcendent level that involves not having eternal life that the word is used to report the warning of the Lord Jesus to a Jewish audience as narrated in John 8:24:
I told you that you would die in your sins; if you do not believe that I am the one I claim to be, you will indeed die in your sins.”
In our passage of 1 Corinthians 15:36, the word is used primarily with the sense of “to die” in earthly level so that it probably means “to decay.” Thus, a sown seed decays before a new plant grows out of it. In any event, the apostle’s second assertion regarding the analogy from the final body of a sown seed as it relates to resurrection is that a sown seed dies before it is made alive. There is more but we are out of time. However, let me end by reminding you of the message of the section we are studying which is that God alone determines the nature of resurrection body.
10/06/23