1 Corinthians 15 (4)

Pray Psalm 142.1-3.
I cry out to the LORD with my voice;
With my voice to the LORD I make my supplication.
I pour out my complaint before Him;
I declare before Him my trouble.
When my spirit was overwhelmed within me,
Then You knew my path.
In the way in which I walk
They have secretly set a snare for me.

Sing Psalm 142.1-3 (5, 6).
(Dix: For the Beauty of the Earth)
With my voice, O LORD, I cry—hear my plea for mercy, LORD!
My complaint mounts up on high, bringing You my troubled word:
Refrain vv. 5, 6
LORD, You are my Refuge strong! O receive my plaintive song!

When my spirit faints away, You my falt’ring pathway know;
where I take my journey they traps have hidden to my woe.
Refrain

Read 1 Corinthians 15.1-34; meditate on verses 29-34.

Preparation
1. What did Paul do daily?

2. To what did he call the Corinthians to awaken?

Meditation
Baptized for the dead? Sounds like the influence of yet another sort of “bad company” troubling the Corinthian churches. Their Sadducee friends tried to persuade them that the resurrection didn’t matter, and now these unnamed false teachers were teaching them to pray for the dead. But why pray for the dead if the dead don’t rise?

Dumb.

Paul once again pointed to his own example (vv. 30-32). Would any sane person continue to endure what he has endured, to “die daily” as it were, for something that was not true? What “advantage” is there in that (v. 32). Instead of calling people to die to themselves like he was, he should have been telling them to live it up, to have their best life now because soon enough they’d all be dead!

But he didn’t preach such nonsense because it wasn’t the truth. And only the truth of Jesus, resurrected from the dead, can lead us into the righteousness and good works God has prepared for us from before the foundation of the world (v. 34). If the Corinthians would be more circumspect about hanging around with bad company, and more diligent in listening to the truth from Paul, they would be growing more and would be more eager to proclaim the truth of Jesus to those who did not know Him (v. 34).

Were they ashamed of how they were living their faith in Jesus? They should have been (v. 34).

Treasures Old and New: Matthew 13.52; Psalm 119.162
It seems that every story written needs to have a crisis point. Some tragedy or conflict must arise, that then must be resolved, that then needs to come to an end, so that they all live happily ever after, or not, as in the case of Little Red Riding Hood.

But for the Christian life, I suggest, we omit the need for crisis, and just live within the usual daily dying (1 Cor. 15.31). Why add to the difficulty by allowing, or even inviting, unsavory characters into the scenario? As Jesus said, “Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble” (Matt. 6.34).

“The righteous should choose his friends carefully, for the way of the wicked leads them astray” (Prov. 12.26). “Do not be deceived: ‘Evil company corrupts good habits’” (1 Cor. 15.33). “He who walks with wise men will be wise, but the companion of fools will be destroyed” (Prov. 13.20). “Go from the presence of a foolish man, when you do not perceive in him the lips of knowledge” (Prov. 14.7).

We are warned by Jesus, by Solomon, by Paul, and many other writers of Scripture to avoid bad company and evil influences; but how often do we let the unsavory flavor our lives through, not only people, but other sources—internet, TV, movies, books, magazines, influencers, etc. etc.? Maybe we don’t hang with corrupt people, but we surely let the enemy of our souls influence us through his perverse lies and screams for tolerance.

If we are not daily in God’s Word, solidifying what we believe, we are a blank canvas open for other paint to smear and deface us. We become unsure of what is right and what is wrong. So, “Take firm hold of instruction, do not let go; keep her, for she is your life. Do not enter the path of the wicked, and do not walk in the way of evil. Avoid it, do not travel on it; turn away from it and pass on” (Prov. 4.13-15).

Paul was not kidding when he wrote: “Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall” (1 Cor. 10.12). And here he is, once again, warning the church to be careful about what we allow to color our minds and hearts, souls and spirits (1 Cor. 15.33).

For indeed, our enemy is a “roaring lion” with no other purpose than to destroy (1 Pet. 5.8). And he, as Jesus said, “was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it” (Jn. 8.44). Why would we ever willingly write him into the script of our lives?

Bad company. Avoid it.

For reflection
1. What are some ways “bad company” tries to insinuate itself into your life?

2. How can you recognize when bad company is seeking to turn you from the Lord?

3. How can believers help one another avoid the snare of bad company?

Let us not be joined with ungodly men; but warn all around us, especially children and young persons, to shun them as a pestilence. Let us awake to righteousness, and not sin. Matthew Henry (1662-1714), Commentary on 1 Corinthians 15.20-35

Pray Psalm 142.4-7.
Pray that you will know the Lord’s accompanying Presence throughout this day, and that He will arm you with His Word to serve Him with yours.

Sing Psalm 142.4-7.
(Dix: For the Beauty of the Earth)
LORD, look to my right and see: None takes notice of my plight.
Is there refuge left for me? Is my soul out of Your sight?
Refrain vv. 5, 6
LORD, You are my Refuge strong! O receive my plaintive song!

Hear my cry, LORD, I am low! They are strong who seek my soul.
Jesus frees from every foe; He will keep and make me whole!
Refrain

Out of prison lead me, LORD; thanks and praise to You shall be.
Righteous men armed with Your Word will Your grace bestow on me.
Refrain

T. M. and Susie Moore

Growing in prayer
Growing in Christ begins in and is sustained by prayer. But how can we improve our prayer life so that we grow in the grace and knowledge of the Lord. Our free online course, “Perspectives on Prayer”, can lead you to a deeper and more satisfying prayer life with the Lord. Watch this brief introductory video, then enroll for the course and download the materials. Get a friend or two to go through it with you and strengthen one another for the work of prayer.

Support for Scriptorium comes from our faithful and generous God, who moves our readers to share financially in our work. If this article was helpful, please give Him thanks and praise.

And please prayerfully consider supporting The Fellowship of Ailbe with your prayers and gifts. You can contribute online, via PayPal or Anedot, or by sending a gift to The Fellowship of Ailbe, 103 Reynolds Lane, West Grove, PA 19390.

Except as indicated, all Scriptures are taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. For sources of all quotations, see the weekly PDF of this study. All psalms for singing are from The Ailbe Psalter, available by clicking here.