Katecho April 10 2011 No 4

Pastor Curt Crist www.welcometograce.com www.youtube.com/user/GraceAboundedMore

1 Corinthians 15:1-2: "Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel (that good news, none other than the gospel of the grace of God) which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand; By which also ye are saved (and are continuing in a saved condition), if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain."

"...If ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain." First of all, does he say, "IF you keep in memory what I preached unto you unless you stop remembering?" No! He says, "...unless you have believed in vain."

"Keep in memory what I preached unto you.....unless you stop believing what I preached to you." That's not what he says. "If you keep in memory what I preached unto you unless you have believed in vain." ("Unless you've believed the wrong thing to begin with.") How could they have believed in vain? By believing the wrong message, that's how. And that's Paul's point here.

Let's pick it up with the word "IF." IF here...(ei in the Greek) is the first class condition. In other words, Paul is assuming they are holding fast to the message he preached and not another message. He's assuming they still have that message in their minds that he preached to them. IF in a first class condition would be: always assumes the reality of the event. That would be like me saying, "Well, if you're sitting here this morning with me, open your bibles." What am I assuming with that IF? You are sitting here. I know you're sitting here. And that's ei as it's used in the indicative mood, implying a possibility without the expression of uncertainty, a condition or contingency as to which there is no doubt. That's ei in the first class condition.

So Paul isn't saying...if or...maybe you've stopped believing or stopped remembering. That isn't his point here. Paul is not implying the possibility of a believer losing his salvation, he's warning against the possibility of those that were in that fellowship having believed the wrong message to begin with. If (If what? ) "...If ye keep in memory." That really causes a lot of problems. Can you see how? What if I forgot? Does this mean I have to keep believing? "...If ye keep in memory."

Those next four words: "ye keep in memory" are only one word in the Greek. The translators used "If ye keep in memory", but it's one Greek word. Some of you might recognize it, it's the word katecho (kat-ekh'o).

Here's katecho in 2 Thessalonians 2:7: "For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way."

Most today translate "letteth as restrain. So the idea is that somebody is restraining the coming of the Antichrist and as soon as he stops restraining the Antichrist from coming, then the Antichrist will be on the scene. Who is that restrainer? The identity of the restrainer has changed in the annals of religion-dom down through the course of time....Pope...Holy Spirit....Christians.

You can hang on to something and until you let go, something else can't happen. Who is hanging on to his position in the heavenly realm, not the third heaven. But who is hanging on to his position in the heavenlies and will not let go because he's holding firm to something until Michael and his angels do battle with him and he's forced out. He's cast out of heaven. Satan is holding on. And Satan will be revealed when he's forced to let go and he's cast out to the earth. That's when he'll be revealed for who he is.

That's the word katecho only here the translators said letteth which the other translators, interpreters, and commentators say it means restraining. But over in 1st Corinthians the same word katecho translated "if you keep in memory." The word memory is not there. It's not in any of the manuscripts. "If ye keep in memory." Why did they say, "If ye keep in memory?" Because it's katecho. "If you're holding on." "If you're holding on." If you're holding on to what? The message you heard me preach to you in the beginning unless from the very beginning you were believing something in vain.

Why, because Paul's message from the very beginning included the resurrection of Jesus Christ and these people were doubting it. So if there is no resurrection, then our faith is vain.

Christ had to be identified with man in order to take on the sins of mankind. But we have to be identified with the resurrection life of Christ if we're to live with God. You cannot have God's righteousness attributed to your account unless you're identified with the Savior who is living.

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• Pastor Curt Crist
• Katecho
• Letteth
• Keep in Memory
• holding on to
• restrainer
• 1 Corinthians 15:1 - 2

[NOMOORELIES]

I get it...interesting! You could never come to that without a study of the greek word.