Good morning. We read the love chapter yesterday. Then Paul says to pursue love, yet desire earnestly spiritual gifts, but especially that you may prophesy. The love of chapter 13 doesn't just happen on its own. We have to pursue it. It takes a lot of effort to achieve the kind of love demonstrated in chapter 13. We are going to skip most of chapter 14, especially the part where women are to keep silent in the churches. The gospel which I preached to you, which also you received, and in which also you stand, by which also you are saved, if you hold fast the word which I preached to you, unless you believed in vain. That does not sound like greasy grace to me. Christ died for our sins, was buried, and was raised the third day. He appeared to a number of different people some who remained and some who had fallen asleep. Like Paul, by the grace of God we are what we are. Some had been preaching that Christ had not been raised from the dead. He could be referring to those who were into the beginnings of Gnosticism. They believed that Christ became the Son of God when the Holy Spirit came upon Him, and that the Holy Spirit left Him on the cross. Only the man Jesus died on the cross, and therefore was not raised from the dead. Only the spiritual part of us mattered; not the physical – which was evil in itself. And if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is vain, your faith also is vain. But we know that Christ was raised from the dead. If we have hoped in Christ in this life only, we are of all men most to be pitied. Christ is the first fruits of those who are asleep. If He was raised from the dead, then we can be sure that we will be raised from the dead. Father thank You that You raised Christ from the dead, and that You will raise us from the dead one day. Continue to bless the reader and meet all of his/her needs. Bless his/her children and grandchildren too.

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