Remember in our last lesson we were dealing again with the consummation of all things First Christ will be King of Kings, and Lord of Lords, and everything is put under His feet. Then we go on into the eternal where everything is consummated in God Himself. Then Paul said in verse 29 "What's the use in all these things if there is no resurrection of the dead." Always remember that there is no other religion on earth nor ever has been, that has a resurrection of the dead in it's so-called theology. None of the mythologies teach resurrection, none of the cults teach it, some have reincarnation, but resurrection is strictly a Biblical concept because not only is it a Christian concept, it was also part of the Old Testament economy. Everything centers on the resurrection of the dead. Otherwise what's the use if that's not true; then you might as well eat, drink and be merry. So looking at verse 31 where Paul says:


I Corinthians 15:31

"I protest (or affirm) by your rejoicing which I have in Christ Jesus our Lord, I die daily."


In other words, that although this is a carnal congregation. Here this apostle is writing these deep doctrines concerning resurrection, but the people to whom he's writing are carnal believers. And so again he reminds them that he affirms by their rejoicing, even as carnal Christians, that they realize that there was some things to rejoice in, and by that the apostle Paul says, "I have in Christ Jesus our Lord, I die daily." Now I think there's a two-fold approach to "I die daily." Number one, remember that Paul teaches so strongly the idea of the old and new nature. One of the questions I've answered in our next newsletter is "Do I believe in two natures for the believers?" Absolutely! We are still with the old nature, that old Adam that just constantly pursues us, and we also have that new nature as a result of our salvation experience, and our union with Christ, and that's only a Pauline doctrine. We are constantly in a warfare, "The old sin nature against the new Divine nature." But what Paul is speaking here in dying daily is that he has to constantly keep old Adam in subjection, he has to put him to death. In fact, let's go back for a moment to the Book of Romans because that's where Paul makes that so plain. All of Paul's writings dovetail together so beautifully. So turn to Chapter 6 and let's begin with verse 13, and throughout this whole 6th Chapter of Romans Paul is dealing with, "reckoning that Old Adam as our mortal enemy, and putting him constantly to death." Now that may sound like double talk, but we have to realize that God in His omniscience, and Sovereignty, the moment we believe for salvation, God reckoned our old Adam as crucified with Christ, he's dead. But in experience he's still with us, and he plagues us, and will until we leave this body of mortality. Here Paul says it so clearly:


Romans 6:13a

"Neither yield (or give in) ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin:"


Or unto the old Adam. It's up to us as you are given that free will. God is not going to take you by the nape of the neck and say "You will obey Me. You will walk in My ways." God doesn't do that, but rather it's that constant urging by the indwelling Spirit. Also remember that three-letter-word "sin" is the old Adam, the old sin nature. But the flip side is.


Romans 6:13b

"...but yield yourselves unto God, (in other words be what God wants us to be.) as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God."


Now this is exactly what Paul is talking about here in this verse 31 of I Corinthians. Paul says, "I die daily." And as you move into verse 32 I think he is also alluding to the fact that he was under constant physical pressure and suffering. We have no idea how much the Apostle Paul suffered for the sake of the Gospel. Now you want to remember that The Lord promised in Acts Chapter 9 this very thing.