1 Corinthians 15 & 16

The Resurrection of Christ

If you listen to the gospel that I [Paul] preach and you believe you will be saved "unless you believed in vain".

This is an interesting bit of scripture right off the first 2 verses. It sounds to me like this is saying that if you believe what I am saying there are 2 possibilities: 1. you will be saved, 2. you have believed in vain and you will not be saved. Although this is how it sounds to me, it doesn't seem like something that Paul probably meant. 

I looked up in vain and one way it is used is what I was thinking of "Not yielding the desired outcome; fruitless: a vain attempt.". But there is another way to use it which seems like a more reasonable guess as what Paul meant "In an irreverent or disrespectful manner". So basically, he is saying that if you are believing in a somewhat fake manner, you will not be saved. I think this is what the verse is supposed to mean.

Paul retells the resurrection story and mentions all of the people that Jesus visited after he was resurrected. Included in this story is the mention that Jesus appeared to more than 500 people at one time.

I don't remember the 500 people incident, I did a quick search and it seems that the only place the 500 number comes up is here.

The Resurrection of the Dead

You say that no one has been raised from the dead, if no one has been raised, not even Christ has been raised and our preaching has been in vain and your faith has been in vain.

hmm, I take back what I said up top. Perhaps my first read of that was correct.

But Christ has been raised from the dead, and so will you in good time. Otherwise what would being baptized on behalf of the dead mean? etc.

Basically, he wants it to be true or all of his preaching is false, pretty circular.

Mystery an Victory

At the end of time, God will play the last trumpet and we will all be raised from the dead, God will conquer death.

I'm not really sure what this is supposed to mean. Although I do find it interesting that there is no heaven mentioned here. It talked of us waking up, as if we are dead in the ground and God brought us all back to life. Doesn't mesh well with the way we currently conceptualize things.

The Collection for the Saints (ch 16)

During the first day of each week, you should put some money aside that I will collect for the saints when I visit there.

I deserve your money but I'm not going to take it to save more souls...also, give me your money

Plans for Travel

Paul gives his travel itinerary

Yawn

Final Instructions

Be prepared for visitors. Be watchful, strong, and do things in love.

Sounds good.

Greetings

The churches of asia send you greetings, greet one another with a holy kiss.

Sounds good.

If anyone has no love for the lord, let him be accursed.

So basically, greet anyone with love and be welcoming and what not, unless they disagree with us, fuck those guys.

For the Overview

Bad:

16:2 Undoes my good item from chapter 9