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I would remind you, brothers and sisters, of the good news that I proclaimed to you, which you in turn received, in which also you stand, through which also you are being saved, if you hold firmly to the message that I proclaimed to you--unless you have come to believe in vain.
For I handed on to you as of first importance what I in turn had received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the scriptures, and that he was buried, and that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. Then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers and sisters at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have died. Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles. Last of all, as to one untimely born, he appeared also to me. For I am the least of the apostles, unfit to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace toward me has not been in vain. On the contrary, I worked harder than any of them--though it was not I, but the grace of God that is with me. Whether then it was I or they, so we proclaim and so you have come to believe.
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This will be the New Testament reading selection, if the mandatory reading from Acts 10 takes the place of the Old Testament choice from Isaiah 25. If so, it will be read aloud on Easter Sunday, Year B principal service, according to the lectionary schedule of the Episcopal Church. If chosen, it will follow the Acts 10 reading, which states, “We are witnesses to all that [Jesus] did both in Judea and in Jerusalem.” That will be followed by verses read from Psalm 118, which sings, “The right hand of the Lord has triumphed! the right hand of the Lord is exalted! the right hand of the Lord has triumphed!” Following this should be a reading from John’s Gospel, which says, “go to my brothers and say to them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.” [A similar account from Mark's Gospel is an alternate Gospel choice.]
In this letter of Paul to the true Christians in Corinth, it is important to see the comparison to the Acts 10 reading. There, the verses have been chosen so we only hear what Peter said to Cornelius, his household and some of his soldiers, who were all seeking to become Christians. Cornelius was a devout man who prayed and offered alms, so God sent an angel to him, telling him to go with his followers to Joppa and seek a Jew named Simon, called Peter. That soliloquy becomes a reflection of all of the Epistles found in the New Testament, where one writer has been filled with God’s Holy Spirit [from marriage of a soul to God], has become Jesus reborn in the flesh, as another Anointed One of Yahweh [the Christ], who thereby speaks to many seeking to be Christians. It is from this realization that one must examine all of Paul’s letters, so that truth clearly stands out.
Immediately upon inspection, we find this NRSV translation is playing to the hearts and minds of those who tend to be the most active in the churches of Christianity today, which are primarily women. In the translation, which properly separates the segments of words “I would remind you” from “of the good news that I proclaimed to you” with comma marks, the error is finding between those marks the words “brothers and sisters.” That is not written.
In reality, this beginning to verse 1 states this in Greek: “Gnōrizō de hymin , adelphoi , to euangelion ho euēngelisamēn hymin ,” There is only one word written in that space between comma marks; and, that word translates to “brothers.”
This must be seen as a purposeful statement from Yahweh, sent through the pen of Paul and not Paul being caught up in the male-domination of ancient times. Yahweh is all-knowing, enough to know a time would come when false Christians would pander to human sexuality; still, He did not have Paul write the Greek word for "sisters." In some places in his letters, Paul referred to women by name, which says the Christians he wrote to included both human sexes; and, one can assume that early Christianity likewise had a strong number of women present, as it does today. This means if is important for a reader to closely look at what is written, because a translator might be taking liberties that will lead one away from the truth of Scripture.
It is most important to understand the concept of marriage of a soul to Yahweh. Yahweh, as the Father, just as the word “God” is masculine, whereas “goddess” is feminine. Since Christianity does not worship any “goddesses” [or “gods”], the realm of the Spiritual – of Yahweh – is masculine. As such, all human beings who marry Yahweh become His wives, where this is not a statement about souls being feminine in gender [a distinction found only in the flesh]. To see that best, one must realize that everything of the material world is dead, while everything in Yahweh’s Spiritual realm is living. A soul comes from the masculine, as an extension of Yahweh, so it brings the breath of life [a masculine trait] into dead matter [a feminine trait]. The freedom a soul is given at birth then makes it lose it masculinity, becoming neuter gender in a body of flesh. Because the flesh is feminine, as matter, it has been penetrated by Yahweh [the Father] and a neuter soul gives animation to dead matter [the feminine].
When this basic concept is understood, a wife of Yahweh becomes a neuter soul in a feminine body of flesh [nothing relative to sexual organs can be intuited in that scenario], which has submitted its control over that dead matter to Yahweh. In that marriage, when God’s send to the soul His Holy Spirit [a masculine soul addition], that soul is no longer neuter, having been made masculine. In that marriage of Yahweh and soul [a return to the Father, while still in the death of flesh], the soul ceases being feminine, having become Spiritually the Son of the Father, while still in a human body [of man]. Once that transformation has occurred Spiritually, the body of flesh that was feminine [dead matter controlling a neuter soul] becomes righteous and totally serves the will of the Father. Therefore, the wife has become an Anointed One of the Father, as a Son of man, which brings about the name of Yahweh – Jesus – which means “Yahweh Saves.” A soul has been saved by returning to Yahweh, before the death of the flesh it inhabits.
To me, this is a simple concept. We all see Jesus as a male, who called himself the Son of man. It becomes simply that acceptance that is then projected onto every human being [those “this of man” – “tou anthrōpou”], meaning all who become the Christ, chosen by Yahweh to be married to His Holy Spirit, are also made His Son, as Jesus reborn. Thus, all true Christians becomes “brothers” in that common relationship with the Father, regardless of the gender of their dead matter surrounding their transformed souls.
Simply by understanding this most solid cornerstone of truth that IS CHRISTIANITY – where all members, male and female, are Jesus Christ resurrected in dead matter – all are “brothers,” because “sisters” becomes a statement of refusal to become masculine by the Spirit. It reduces the truth of Christianity to the same level of failed devotion to Yahweh that was Judaism and all other religions in the world.
Another error of translation is overlooking the capitalization of the word “Gnōrizō,” which is the first person indicative and the first person subjunctive usage of “gnosis,” meaning “known.” This means the capitalization shows the importance of a statement of fact [the indicative mood] and a statement of the future and/or present hypothetical [the subjunctive mood], where the importance becomes a divine statement being made by Paul. His chapter then begins by stating, “I make known” or “I could make known.” That duality from the same word then speaks directly to the “brothers” in Christ, as those who were Jesus reborn in Corinth [males and females] that Yahweh is speaking in this letter [indicative]. At the same time, the same word is speaking to all [then and now] who need to hear the voice of Yahweh speaking through Paul’s words, so they will receive the knowledge that leads one [all sexes] to become “brothers” [subjunctive]. The translation as “I would remind” is then misleading, in the subjunctive mood only, lacking any way of being seen as a statement of vital importance [from capitalization].
From that word comes the little Greek word “de,” which the NRSV sees as unimportant, thus not translated. The word bears the importance of a statement that says “now” [a present tense declaration], while also reflecting “next, on top of this, or moreover.” (Strong’s Usage) As this is the beginning of Paul’s fifteenth chapter in a letter sent to the Christians of Corinth, these first two words say Yahweh has been speaking through Paul in everything written prior, so “now” here is another lesson that God is stating “to you,” where “you” is then clarified [after a comma mark] as “brothers” [in Christ].
Following the comma that sets off “brothers” is Paul writing, “of the good news that I proclaimed to you.” This means he wrote the word “euangelion,” which is generally known as “the Gospel,” which means “the good news.” This, like reading Paul write “adelphoi” and then believing that means “brothers and sisters,” becomes a severely misleading element of today’s Christianity. The truth relative to the meaning of “good news” has been completely lost.
When Paul wrote, as the voice of Yahweh speaking to true Christians in Corinth, “of the good news that I proclaimed to you,” that “good news” was not Paul going from town to town saying, "Jesus is the Messiah. Our Messiah has come … and gone … but he rose again … then ascended … but it is all a sign of good news to believe!” That is how many Christians think, when they hear someone say “spread the Gospel.”
Realizing there was no New Testament yet published when Paul wrote, and realizing none of the four “Gospels” were known by anyone, like they are known today, the “good news” Paul spread was akin to him saying, “Remember when this prophet you have memorized said this?” Or, “Remember how David wrote this in his Psalm?” Paul was addressing the questions the Jews [and then Gentiles] had about a prophesied Savior; and, Yahweh was answering those questions in ways that no one had ever heard explained before.
Those answers were the “good news” and it was so good that those hearing it became saved Spiritually. When Paul arrived in Corinth and began answering the questions Jews [and Gentiles] had about Scripture, which had never been convincingly explained to them before, his answers [spoken by the Holy Spirit] transformed them. It was to the new Christians in Corinth just as three thousand [or so] heard Peter and the others doing the same explanations of Joel, telling that “good news.” The truth of explanations of Scripture opened hearts and minds, allowing the Holy Spirit in.
Seeing that, Paul then wrote, “which you in turn received.” That means they heard the truth be spoken and accepted it as the truth they had been seeking to find. It also says they then “received” the Holy Spirit, which made them Christians, just like those three thousand pilgrims on Pentecost.
Confirmation of that “receipt” of the Holy Spirit is why Paul then wrote, “in which also you stand, through which also you are being saved.” The Greek word “hestēkate” is translated as “you stand,” but this means they “stood firm” in faith of the truth, which makes this a parallel of Jesus telling his followers they had to raise their stakes. To “stand firm” is to become a solidly planted stake in the earth, upon which the good vine grows good fruit. Being “saved” means having married their souls to Yahweh, becoming His wives.
Paul then wrote something like a disclaimer, which becomes the prior possibility of the subjunctive mood having been written, stating, “if you hold firmly to the message that I proclaimed to you--unless you have come to believe in vain.” That says true Christians “take possession of the message” [the meaning of “katechete”], where “take possession” means the sacrifice of self-ego, so one’s soul can be divinely possessed by the Holy Spirit. Those who truly married Yahweh will be in that transformed state of being; but, those faking it will “have come to believe in vain.” There, the Greek word “eikē” [“vain”] says they exist with “no value,” which is the same state of being one had before [since birth]: a soul ruled by its flesh.
In the translation that follows, where the NRSV shows Paul writing, “For I handed on to you as of first importance what I in turn had received,” the literal English translation says, “I delivered,” where the capitalization of “Paredōka” becomes a statement that the self-ego of Paul was not the “I” [first person singular] speaking. Instead, Paul spoke by being led by the Mind of Christ, as the messenger of God. That delivery was “for” the need “of you,” who questioned the meaning of divine texts never explained. Paul then delivered the answers to the “what,” most importantly [the unseen use of “kai”] that which Paul “received” from Yahweh. There, again, the first person singular says Paul, a seeker like those in Corinth, sacrificed his “I’ to “receive” the Holy Spirit and be in possession of the Mind of Christ.
This has to be grasped, because the normal Christian brain today reads [or hears], “that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the scriptures” and thinks “Christ” means Jesus. It does not. It cannot, because one who has been “Anointed” by Yahweh has been awarded eternal life, which cannot die. Jesus was the “foremost Christ,” who died in the flesh and was resurrected, but Paul could not attest to that as fact.
Paul could attest to himself having “died,” so he could become the “Christ.” Thus, because Paul had become the “Christ” [his name change from Saul to Paul], he “died” of self-will and his sins [Jesus asking Saul, “Why do you persecute me?] were erased. It was the Torah, Psalms and Prophets, whose writing tell everyone who sacrifices self to Yahweh will be saved, through becoming the “Christ.”
The known story of the time of the feast of the Unleavened Bread, when Jesus died, was buried, and after three days raised becomes a distraction to modern Christians, because they only know that was what happened to Jesus. Paul spoke as Jesus reborn, so he could see his old self [Saul] “was buried,” never again to be the flesh that ruled over his soul. In Saul’s case, he specifically was blind “for three days,” before his sight returned and he saw the light of Christ, changing his name to Paul. He had been raised after three days. Paul’s story was the same as Jesus’ retold, which means all the true Christians in Corinth had similar stories of themselves: died, buried, raised. The number “three” becomes the addition of the Holy Spirit to their body and soul, as the Trinity: Father, Son, Holy Spirit.
When the NRSV translation then says, “that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve,” it must be remembered that Saul was not a friend of Simon Peter or any of the disciples of Jesus. Because Judas Iscariot had been a traitor that was not present in the upper room, what Paul wrote is then relative to Pentecost, not Easter. It was after the seven weeks "Counting the Omer" had passed, when Simon, called Peter [aka “Cephas” or “Rock”] had the Holy Spirit come to him, so he “appeared” as Jesus reborn. The same happened to “the twelve,” because by Pentecost Sunday they had elected another follower of Jesus to take the place of Judas Iscariot.
When Paul then wrote [led by the Holy Spirit], “Then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers and sisters at one time,” the number “five hundred” does not jive with the nearly three thousand who heard Peter and were transformed. The meaning of “he appeared to more than five hundred brothers at one time” [no “sisters” written] says that the spread from twelve to three thousand then [from “epeita” being a statement of “afterwards”] led to the transformation of “five hundred more resurrections of Jesus” [males and females included]. It says all were transformed at the same time [from “ephapax” meaning “once, once for all; at once”]. The use of “at one time” also means this transformation was a permanent bonding of a soul with Yahweh, never to be undone.
The numbering of "five hundred brothers at once" becomes clarified, when Paul then added, “most of whom are still alive, though some have died.” This then has less to do with only “five hundred” becoming reproductions of Jesus Christ, but more to do with the other twenty-five hundred on Pentecost. Paul was saying “most of them were still alive in the Christ Mind,” which means they took a little more time to truly transform into Jesus reborn and earn their souls eternal life. Three thousand [there about] were touched by the Holy Spirit, with five hundred of those touched becoming full, permanent resurrections of Jesus as the Christ, instantly. Some, however, reverted back to being Jews, who came under heavy rejection by the Jews [men like Saul persecuting them], so they stopped receiving the Holy Spirit. In doing so, they returned to a death sentence, which is the judgment all mortal creatures are born to find, without receipt of Yahweh in marriage to their souls. Still, most would eventually make the full transformation.
From this God-led knowledge of what happened before Paul’s soul was saved by Yahweh, he then knew that James was later transformed. This is worthy of being understood that the Saints married to Yahweh’s Holy Spirit were able to transform disbelievers, such as was James, the brother of Jesus [the son of Mary and Joseph]. The name “James” is related to “Jacob,” such that the name means “Supplanter” or “He Who Closely Follows.” This name remaining the same [after conversion from Jew to Christian] says James was sent by Yahweh to be the brother of Jesus, who would later be reborn in the name of Jesus, supplanting him in the line of Mary and Joseph. James would become a 'twin' of Jesus, figuratively. Just as Jacob took the birthright of Isaac from his brother Esau, James would assume the role as leader of the Jews [versus Gentiles], as Jesus had been. Those two brothers were wary of one another, just like James rejected Jesus as the Son of man.
With this mention of James, before the mention of Paul [as the last saved], in between is “then to all the apostles.” This use of “apostolois” cannot be seen as “the twelve,” who were saved well before [not “afterwards”]. It then says all who are married to Yahweh, who will become reborn as Jesus Christ, will be “messengers” of the clarifications of truth, as to the meanings of Scripture.
When Paul is then shown to write, “Last of all, as to one untimely born, he appeared also to me,” here that little word “de” is omitted from translation, which means “next, on top of, moreover.” As such, the statement of “last” [from “eschaton,” a word connected to “eschatology”] says another phase comes last. This use, at the beginning of a new verse [not capitalized] becomes a statement of the “endlessness” of salvation. It says salvation will “last until the end of time” and it will be the “next” step that comes “to all” souls saved.
The meaning of “as to one untimely born” simply says when this transformation takes place, no one will know. One cannot set a fixed date beforehand, as to when one’s soul will be saved. No checklist of good things to do can be marked off, like being married to Yahweh brings a set number of merit badged that have to be earned, in order to become deemed an Eagle Scout. Still, the same word “last” means when that birth of salvation does arrive, then there will be no time limit as to when it ends. It is “last” because it is “untimely born.”
For Paul to say, “he appeared also to me” means his birth of salvation was totally unexpected, seemingly coming from nowhere. Saul was traveling to persecute Christian Jews, when he saw a light flash and heard a voice asking him why he did what he did. Saul had not planned the transformation that would come over him.
It is this aspect Paul having been “untimely born” that led him to write, “For I am the least of the apostles, unfit to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God." In reality, that is a poor translation. What is written makes this become crystal clear, as the Greek text states: “Egō gar eimi ho elachistos tōn apostolōn.” Literally that says, “I for exist the least of the apostles,” which must be looked at closer.
The capitalized first word is “Egō,” which is the first person pronoun “I,” but the capitalization makes it become the importance of “Self,” which is a “Soul” that is led by its body of flesh. It is why the English usage of “ego” is synonymous with “self-importance” [thanks to Freud and Jung]. This is then followed by the word ”eimi,” which is a statement saying, “I am” or “I exist.” This means the focus of Paul’s words were not on himself, or his own “ego,” but importantly a statement about all “Ego” that declares “I am.”
That becomes a declaration of how little “Ego” means, compared to salvation by Yahweh. It says the “least” element that makes one a “messenger for Yahweh” is self-importance. That becomes a statement that the sacrifice of self, in marriage to Yahweh, is how one retains the permanence of salvation and does not turn away and re-embrace death, as a desire to become again a mortal prison for a soul.
That realization becomes why Paul said he was “unfit to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God.” The same lack of fitness applies to all who wear the face of Self and refuse to submit that "Ego" before Yahweh, refusing to wear His face as His wife.”
Here, the Greek begins as “hos ouk eimi,” where the word “eimi” is repeated, as “who not exist.” This becomes relative to the “Egō gar eimi,” where the negative state of “ego” [“not exist”] is then “fit to be called an apostle.” Rather than apply "not" to "fit" and change that to state "unfit," Paul wrote "no ego" makes on "fit to be an apostle." Therefore, Paul was certainly not making a claim that he [an apostle, a Saint] was unfit to serve God; only those clinging to self-worth fall into that category.
This is then why we read Paul writing, “But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace toward me has not been in vain.” In all cases of apostlehood, it is the sacrifice of self-ego that bring about the “favor” [from “chariti” meaning, “grace, favor, gratitude, thanks”], because [following a comma mark] Paul said, “eimi ho eimi” – “I am that I am.” In case you have forgotten, YHWH [Yahweh] is derived from the Hebrew meaning the name of God is “I AM That I Am.” Therefore, the “grace of God” comes when oneself has submitted fully to Yahweh’s control.
From that remarkable understanding, one can see why Paul wrote, “his grace toward me has not been in vain.” Here, Paul is shown to be repeating the earlier use of “vain” [“eikē”], when in reality his word choice now is “kenē,” meaning “void.” The same use as “vain” is possible, but the point made is that sacrifice of oneself to Yahweh is not simply made by “empty” words. This relates to those [in the subjunctive mood] who say they want salvation, but then refuse to receive the Holy Spirit to get it, doing nothing that tells Yahweh one will sacrifice self-ego to be His wife and follow His Will completely.
This commitment is then why Paul wrote, “On the contrary, I worked harder than any of them--though it was not I, but the grace of God that is with me.” The opposite of “kenē,” which can mean: “empty (in moral content), vain, ineffective, foolish, worthless, false, unreal, pretentious, hollow” (Strong’s Usage) means Paul fully sacrificed himself to do the work of the Father who adopted him. This is not Paul bragging about doing more works than “all” other apostles, but “all of them” who offered Yahweh “empty” promises of devotion, doing nothing, made Paul's work a willingness to do difficult tasks. The work Paul did was not self-motivated [“it was not I”] because he had sacrificed his “egō” [“not I”]. With that sacrifice brought upon Paul God’s Holy Spirit, as “charis tou Theou hē syn emoi” – “the grace of God was with me” [“me” being a statement of being, in union with Yahweh].
In the final verse of this reading selection, we read Paul stating, “Whether then it was I or they, so we proclaim and so you have come to believe.” Here, the conditional is presented as “if” [“eiti” means “whether, and if”], which becomes relative to “me” [“emoi”] being with Yahweh, such that the “if” is the union that makes an apostle. Paul was an “I” with the Holy Spirit. Likewise, the same “if” refers to many unions with the Holy spirit, so marriages to Yahweh also makes other be just like Paul. Those many act as “they,” all who are in union with Yahweh, all true Christians. It will then become the true trait of a Christian, as those who will “preach” [from “kēryssomen” meaning “we proclaim, preach, herald”]. Everyone married to Yahweh will speak in His name, so other souls can also be saved.” Paul wrote that to the Corinthian Christians in the second person, as “episteusate,” which goes beyond belief, to mean “you have faith.”
As a reading selection possible on Easter Sunday, when Jesus proved the truth of his raising after three days, the point of that miracle of Yahweh says Jesus was raised so he could become Paul. As Paul reborn as Jesus, others were led to true faith, from hearing the truth of the Word explained to them so their hearts opened up to Yahweh and they had faith by becoming another Christ, Anointed Ones of the Father, Sons of man – Apostles and Saints. The Easter season is not about repeating the story of Jesus coming out of his tomb, because the readings of Easter are all about others dying of self and becoming Jesus reborn in new flesh. The Easter season is seven weeks of basic training, so new Pauls and new Peters are sent by Yahweh out into the world, ministering His Word to those who have questions in need of answers.