1 Corinthians 15:27 - Printer Friendly

ESV: For “God has put all things in subjection under his feet.” But when it says, “all things are put in subjection,” it is plain that he is excepted who put all things in subjection under him.

NIV: For he 'has put everything under his feet.' Now when it says that 'everything' has been put under him, it is clear that this does not include God himself, who put everything under Christ.

NASB: For HE HAS PUT ALL THINGS IN SUBJECTION UNDER HIS FEET. But when He says, 'All things are put in subjection,' it is clear that this excludes the Father who put all things in subjection to Him.

CSB: For God has put everything under his feet. Now when it says "everything" is put under him, it is obvious that he who puts everything under him is the exception.

NLT: For the Scriptures say, 'God has put all things under his authority.' (Of course, when it says 'all things are under his authority,' that does not include God himself, who gave Christ his authority.)

KJV: For he hath put all things under his feet. But when he saith, all things are put under him, it is manifest that he is excepted, which did put all things under him.

NKJV: For “He has put all things under His feet.” But when He says “all things are put under Him,” it is evident that He who put all things under Him is excepted.

Paul follows his common pattern of quoting from the Scriptures to support his teaching. In this case, he seems to quote from Psalm 8:6. Much of Paul's writing explains how Jesus' work was planned and foretold by God (1 Corinthians 15:3–4; Romans 16:26; Galatians 3:8). In this case, his point is that God's plan has always been to put all things under the authority of Jesus' feet. This means everything, one day, will be fully submissive to Christ.

Paul has been walking through a series of logical steps. This would have been much appreciated by the people of Corinth, living in a Greco-Roman culture that prized such reasoning. To set aside an obvious criticism, he adds a note to make it clear that "all things" does not include God the Father Himself. Obviously, that's not part of what Paul means by these statements: "it is plain." Instead, it is the Father's power that will enable Christ to gain the victory, followed by Christ's giving to the Father the glory of the conquered kingdom.

First Corinthians 15:12–34 describes all the implications for Christians if there is no resurrection, at all. Most importantly, that would mean that Christ was not raised from the dead. If Christ was not raised, then Paul's preaching of the gospel was false, and the faith of those who believed it was worthless. All remain in their sins. Christ, though, was raised from the dead, and when He returns for those who are His, all who have died in Christ will be resurrected to new life, as He was after the crucifixion. Finally, Christ will reign on earth before delivering the kingdom to the Father.

Paul provides thorough teaching about the resurrection of Christians from the dead. This is a direct counter to some group of Corinthians who did not believe in such a resurrection. He shows that natural death is not the end of life for Christians; it is the last step before receiving a glorified, resurrected body like that of the risen Christ. That ''spiritual'' body will be as different from our current bodies as a star is from a fish. In that moment, for all who have believed in Christ, living and dead, death will be defeated for good.

In chapters 12, 13, and 14, Scripture focused on the concept of spiritual gifts and how best to use them. This follows several other ideas where Paul corrected errors in the Corinthians' thinking. Chapter 15 contains extensive teaching on one last issue about which some Corinthians were confused or misled. Apparently, they harbored some doubts about the physical resurrection of Christians from the dead. After clearing up these confusions, Paul will address various other items, of a less doctrinal nature, and close out his letter.

First Corinthians is one of the more practical books of the New Testament. Paul writes to a church immersed in a city associated with trade, but also with corruption and immorality. These believers are struggling to properly apply spiritual gifts and to resist the ungodly practices of the surrounding culture. Paul's letter gives instructions for real-life concerns such as marriage and spirituality. He also deals with the importance of unity and gives one of the Bible's more well-known descriptions of love in chapter 13.