1 Corinthians 14-16

 Welcome!

With my new calling in my unity, my normal time for writing my blog posts has been interrupted. Stake Conference was today so I'm making the most of it to catch up!  These will be short, but one day I plan to add more detail.

Top 3 things to think about in 1 Corinthians 14-16

1. A theme of chapter 14 is that you should seek to prophesy rather to speak in tongues. I don't think we should get too caught up in our conception of tongues and of prophesy here. Paul is saying something closer to "Even if you find spiritual edification for yourself that no one else could understand, it will be better for you to find edification that you can share with others that they understand. Christ set a humbling example of how we can seek to do this.

2.  15:40-41

40 aThere are also celestial bodies, and bodies terrestrial: but the glory of the bcelestial is one, and the glory of the cterrestrial is another.

41 There is one glory of the asun, and another glory of the moon, and another glory of the bstars: for one star cdiffereth from another star in dglory.

This is a commonly known verse that hints at different kingdoms of glory. Members of the church of jesus christ of latter day saints use this to show biblical precedent for those things revealed in the vision in D&C Section 76, while skeptics usually describe this away as him not actually referring to kingdoms.

The reason I included this was to remind us that whatever paul was specifically referring to is beside the point. Both scriptures in question talk about the ressurrection. Both say there are different degrees that each body is resurrected to. Both say it isn't just heaven/hell, it is a grade. The truth is that Joseph Smith taught what Paul is saying here more clearly than any other preacher, teacher, pastor, or scholar. Trying to distract with semantics or intricacies of meaning are merely a distraction from the fact of what Paul is preaching.

3. 16:10-11

10 Now if aTimotheus come, see that he may be with you without fear: for he worketh the work of the Lord, as I also do.

11 Let no man therefore adespise him: but conduct him forth in peace, that he may come unto me: for I look for him with the brethren.

This may be in the same train of thought as Paul's letter to Timothy, telling him to let no man despise his youth. I see a two sided view of youth today, one that they are terrible, the other that if we only lift our expections, they will be great, but we do not commensurate with instruction, leaving them to flounder in unattainable expection. I believe that young men and women are indeed so much more capable than we think, but we need to change our mindset and approach to see the real manifestations of this.


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