Feng Xiang: Death has been swallowed up by victory (1 Corinthians 15:51-57)

Original link: http://www.ideobook.com/3196/death-swallowed-victory/

When it comes to preaching, Paul often says, “Whoever believes will be saved, the Jew first and the Greek after”, Romans 1:16, 2:9-10. This sequence is dazzling to people today, and the “politics” is very “incorrect”, but it was set by Jesus. The Son of Man assigned tasks to the Twelve Apostles, and gave them the power to exorcise evil spirits and cure all diseases, saying: Do not take the road of foreigners, and do not enter the city of the Samaritans. Instead, go first to the lost sheep of the house of Israel; as you go, preach that the kingdom of heaven is near, Matthew 10:5-7. The apostle Chiguan “corrected” the Lord’s “ism” and opened up “the way of foreigners.” Wherever he went, the “believers” were often “Greeks”, that is, foreigners, but the people did not necessarily welcome the gospel or the heresy in the eyes of Jewish orthodoxy. Therefore, the preacher is faced with a difficult and sensitive problem: should foreigners enter the Taoism, should they obey the Holy Law, including food taboos, Sabbath observance, and male circumcision? In strict obedience to Jesus, the Mosaic Law must not be less than “one point and one stroke”, “to be fully realized”, Matthew 5:18. In this way, the threshold for foreign conversion is greatly raised, which can hinder the development of the congregation. Paul’s solution is a flexible strategy of “winning more and more”, allowing exceptions and discriminating treatment – the French philosopher Badiou called it “the mass line”: “outside the law” may not learn “under the law”. the weak” and “weak”, omitting the commandments such as circumcision, 1 Corinthians 9:19-22. Status and qualifications do not need to be changed by entering the Tao. “A person who has been circumcised when he is called must not stretch his foreskin; if he is called, he must not have his foreskin removed.” “Called to Slaves? Never Mind… Anyone who is a slave and is called to the Lord is a free man of the Lord, and so a free man is called to be a servant of Christ”, 7:18-22 . Such reconciliation and compromise seem to be too pragmatic and not principled. But if we understand the Jesus movement’s longing for the end, and Paul’s glorious creed of universal salvation, it is not difficult to understand his strong belief: “tribulation begets patience, patience begets character, character begets hope” – why the church fathers He is hailed as “an example of perseverance”, Romans 5:3-4 (1 Cremon 5:7). Yes, “the kingdom of heaven is near”, the general trend of this world has passed, and the Son of Man has something to say. Therefore, the family relationship between the slaves and slaves in the field is not long-lasting, and believers should concentrate on serving the Lord, note on Matthew 10:37 (Introduction to Sword and Sword). Compromise is to persevere and meet the end. So what about “the wrath of the law engenders”? How many pious people are offended by these words! “Where there is no law, there is no transgression”, Romans 4:15. But instead of replacing the Holy Law of the Father with the Gospel of the Son, relegating the latter to local knowledge (the “Old Testament”), Paul constructed the conversion of all nations, “gone by God through the death of the Son”, A new context for salvation in eternal life: Before the law, sin was in the world; but because there is no law, it is not counted as sin, Romans 5:10, 13. Therefore, everyone in the Lord is equal, regardless of class, which means going beyond the punishment of the law and holy wrath and returning to the original equality of man in sin. In a word, the so-called “justification by faith” is to seek righteousness through death by sin, simul iustus et peccator, only after death can there be resurrection and eternal life. So he said: Just as death is through one person [the afterlife], so is the resurrection of the dead through one person. Just as all in Adam die, so in Christ the whole is born again, 1 Corinthians 15:21-22. This death, which seems to be based on the substitution/joint and several responsibility of the human law, actually restores the corporate responsibility of the holy law: human beings are guilty of Adam’s sin, the so-called “original sin” in later generations, note on John 15:22 (“The Hate of the World”) . Therefore, “the innocent blood [of the Son of man] must be handed over”, Matthew 27:4, one man sacrificed to save all nations, and Sodom met the Day of Atonement, yom kippur. So sin is in the flesh, “baptized into Christ,” is out of the law and into the death of Jesus; it is just like being crucified with the Son of Man, buried together, raised again, and born again, Romans 6:3-4, Galatians 6: 14. “Offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God”, Romans 12:1. The suffering of the righteous and the sacrifice of the innocent are thus a prerequisite for universal sanctification. And the reason why people “deeply want to get rid of the body and make the Lord their home” is because when the end comes, they will receive retribution according to “the deeds of the body,” 2 Corinthians 5:8-10. Whether you are saved or not, the final judgment depends on the flesh and not on the spirit. 51 Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep forever, but all will change; 52 A moment, in the blink of an eye, is the last trumpet! Yes, at the sound of the trumpet, the dead will rise again to be immortal, and we will be changed. 53 For the mortal is destined to be clothed with immortality and the mortal must be clothed with immortality. 54 When this mortal is clothed with immortality and this mortal is clothed with immortality, then shall the scriptures be fulfilled: Death is devoured by victory. 55 Death, where is your victory? Where is death, your stinger? 56 The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is in the law. 57 Thank God for the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Note 15:51 Mystery, mysterion, revelation of faith, referring specifically to the “spiritual” knowledge and unconditional acceptance of the apostles’ “words”, the Gospel, called “the mystery of the kingdom of God”, Mark 4:11, Matthew 13 :11, Luke 8:10. Not all will sleep forever: the kingdom of heaven is at hand, and Paul, like Jesus’ disciples, believes that he will see Christ’s return in this life, parousia, Mark 9:1, 1 Thess. 4:17, James 5:9. 15:52 The final trumpet: The end is coming, marked by the trumpet of the heavenly court, Rev. 8:6 below. 15:53 ​​Put on immortality/immortality: After the resurrection, the righteous are immortal as angels, Matthew 22:30. Of course, the wicked also “put off” death – the torment of “eternal fire” torment, Luke 16:23-26; or “the second death”, Revelation 20:14, in another form “Put on Immortality”. 15:54 To die/to be swallowed by victory: Seeing the end is called victory. Phrase 25:8. 15:55 from Hos 13:14. Stingers, kentrons, stings of scorpions, wasps and other poisonous insects. 15:56 The power of sin is in the law: Paul’s saying, “When the commandment comes, sin is revived”; sin took advantage of the law to “take advantage of the law, deceive me, and kill me”, Romans 7:9-11 . 15:57 God/Giving Victory: All is done to the Father, 1 Corinthians 15:28. By/Lord Jesus Christ: Seeing the Son of Man as the victorious mediator of the congregation, the only way of salvation, John 16:26 note (The Hate of the World). This article is collected in Feng Xiang’s “Song Poems”, with a bibliography.

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