For a description of the (Y2) reading plan, see the “About” page.
1 Cor. 15
Restate the gospel as Paul explains it in v. 3-8. Why is the resurrection central to the gospel (12-34)? What is Paul’s conclusion (58)? I see and hear of a lot of people who want to believe bits and pieces of God’s gospel truth. But God’s gospel is an all or nothing deal. Paul made this fact clear to the Corinthians in this chapter. Evidently, some were declaring belief in the Gospel of Christ, but did not believe in the resurrection of the dead. Paul, in his usual wordy way, let them know that you cannot be saved by what you don’t believe. If you don’t believe in God’s gospel in whole, you are essentially resting your hope in ‘The Gospel of [You]’. How far do you think that will get you?
Interpretation can make this point a little sticky, more so the farther you get from the core gospel message, which Paul lays out in verses 3-8. Namely, that Christ died for our sins and was raised on the third day, all according to Scriptures and verified by a multitude of witnesses. Belief in this statement is essential. However, there is a lot in that “according to Scriptures” phrase that can muddy the waters. Things like the Deity of Christ and the futility of our own efforts. Or a big one I see a lot is our need for and the impact of repentance. If you claim to believe God’s gospel but go on living by your own standards, you need to check whose gospel you are really standing on.
Judges 9-10
The cycle kept repeating itself: idolatry, bondage, cry out to God, repentance, back to idolatry. What can be done to break such a cycle in your own life? In a church or nation? The Israelites continued to turn away from God and go their own way. We saw with Gideon and the Midianites that God’s people, though they cried out to Him for help, never really turned from going their own way. In that instance, God pointed this fact out to them, then proceeded to rescue them in a manner that was undeniably from His hand.
By the time we get to Judges 10, they are once again crying out to God for help. This time God had turned them over to the Philistines and the Ammonites. But this time, after reminding them of all the times He had been faithful to come to their rescue, God told His people ‘no’. “But you have forsaken me and served other gods, so I will no longer save you. Go and cry out to the gods you have chosen. Let them save you when you are in trouble!” (Jud. 10:13-14).
This all ties in with what I just mentioned in 1 Corinthians 15. You cannot be saved by what you don’t believe. Either God is your God or He isn’t. The truth, according to scriptures, is that God requires no less than your whole heart. The Israelites demonstrate what this means in Judges 10:15-16. First, they acknowledged their need for repentance. “We have sinned. Do with us whatever you think best”. Then they repented – turned from their own ways back to God. “Then they got rid of the foreign gods among them and served the LORD”.
Ps. 47
After reading the psalm aloud, take a moment to sing a song of praise to God! “For the LORD Most High is awesome, the great King over all the earth.” (Ps. 47:2). Now that is a truth to cling to! Because if we really believe it; let it sink in to the depths of our understanding, we will never turn away from Him.