corrupt

The First Letter to the Corinthians 15:54–58 (NABRE) highlights the victory won by Christ over death and our share in it. Paul uses the image of the corrupt being clothed with incorruptibility and the mortal being clothed with immortality. While the notion of immortality is essential to the Christian message, the idea presented here of incorruptibility also is important.

In English, the word corruption most often is used to describe a moral failing. Corrupt administrators or politicians are common examples. The Greek word, however, has a different root meaning that is more applicable in the context of this passage. φθαρτός (phthartos) refers to spoil or decay. Used in Paul’s First Letter to the Corinthians, we see that in Christ we not only are unaffected by death but are unaffected by the ravages of time and the elements.

Seeing as how this doesn’t seem to be literally true—Christians still experience not only death but also aging and decline—consider the ways in which Christ renders us immune to decline or decay.

you also may like our study of the book of Genesis
The first seven lessons of In the Beginning: The Book of Genesis, a 28-lesson Catholic Bible study with an imprimatur, provide an in-depth look at the very earliest biblical history—including the two accounts of Creation, events surrounding the Fall of Adam and Eve, the relationship between Cain and Abel, and the baptismal foreshadowing present in the account of Noah and the Flood. Remaining lessons look at lives of the patriarchs Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph. Click here to view a sample of the first lesson.

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