The Strand Study Bible

Written From Ephesus During Paul’s Third Missionary Journey

I CORINTHIANS

1907

(3) that the promised OT MESSIAH would be God in flesh (Job 19:26-27) Take Moses as an example – Moses may not have fully understood all there was to understand about the PROPHET he was prophesizing about, but he understood the ‘facts’ behind the Gospel. Moses understood: (1) that someone or something other than himself would have to be sacrificed in order to secure salvation (Deut 18:15-19/ Acts 3:22 & 7:37) Moses knew that he couldn’t save himself. He even passed that information down to us (Exo 12/I Cor 5:7). (2) that the promised OT MESSIAH’S salvation would be complete (Exo 32:32 and Rom 9:1-3) Because Moses trusted in the Gospel (Heb 4:1-2), he was confident that his salvation was paid in full . (3) that the promised OT MESSIAH would be God in flesh (Deut 18:15-19) Moses knew that he would see that PROPHET one day. Take the disciples as an example – The disciples may not have fully understood all there was to understand about the actual death, burial, and resurrection of CHRIST ( I Pet 1:10a , 12a ), but they understood the ‘facts’ behind the Gospel, and it is the ‘facts’ behind the Gospel that save a person ( Lk 18:34 ). The disciples understood: (1) that someone or something other than themselves would have to be sacrificed in order to secure salvation ( Jn 1:29 ) (2) that Jesus’ salvation was complete ( thou hast the words of eternal life –Jn 6:67-69) (3) that the promised OT MESSIAH was God in flesh ( Jn 12:34a ) 15:2 a This word ( ye are saved ) is in the present tense in the original Greek and reads, “ By which also ye are continually saved …” Eternal security is the thought being emphasized here (Jn 3:16-18,36 & 4:14 & 10:27-29). 15:2 b There are some post-Jewish MESSIANIC movements ( Gal 3:1-3 ) that have tried to use the last half of this Scripture to prove that “works” are essential to keeping one’s salvation. They are not. The original Greek reads this way: “… unless in vain ye believed .” In other words, what Paul is saying is, “If the Gospel you received of me is not true, and Christ failed to rise from the dead (vs. 12-19), then what you believed when you trusted the Gospel of Christ is but a myth and your faith is of no purpose and without effect?” Nevertheless, Jesus did arise (vs 20) and the Gospel is true, therefore, we are continually saved when we trusted Jesus. Paul never taught that a saved person could lose his salvation. That would contradict everything Paul believed ( II Tim 1:12 ), as well as Peter (I Pet 4:19), John ( I Jn 5:13 a ), and our Lord ( Jn 10:28-29 ). 15:4 Christ was buried to prove that His death for sinners was complete. Paul said in Romans 5:6: For when we were yet without strength, in due time CHRIST died for the ungodly . The Sinless One dying for the sinful ones. Proof that sin was paid in full. 15:6 There were more than five hundred eyewitnesses to the event of the resurrection (I Jn 1:1-3). They were all questioned, examined, and cross-examined repeatedly. Many of them were tortured and eventually martyred. They died rather than recant their testimony. To doubt the resurrection is an unconscious confession of ignorance of the evidence, and testifies to a mind that is closed to proof. 15:8 Paul said, “When I saw the Lord on the Damascus road, that is when I was born again.” Paul was born again when he saw the Lord, not when he was baptized three days later ( Acts 22:16 a and Mk 16:16 ).

1 John F. Walvoord and Roy B. Zuck. The Bible Knowledge Commentary , USA, Scripture Press Pub., 1983. Print.