What does "sober up as you ought" mean in 1 Corinthians 15:34? Immediate Context 1 Corinthians 15:34 : “Sober up as you ought, and stop sinning; for some of you are ignorant of God. I say this to your shame.” The clause follows Paul’s defense of bodily resurrection (vv. 12-33). “Sober up” therefore addresses ethical drift caused by doctrinal error: if the dead are not raised, “let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die” (v. 32). Correct belief must re-order behavior. Expanded Translation “Come out of your stupor in a fitting, righteous way.” Moral and Doctrinal Force 1. Intellectual sobriety—abandon false teaching denying resurrection. 2. Moral sobriety—cease sins that flow from that disbelief. 3. Communal sobriety—restore witness to a pagan city that watched Christian conduct. Old Testament Echo Joel 1:5 : “Wake up, you drunkards, and weep!” Paul re-appropriates the prophetic call: theological unfaithfulness = spiritual inebriation. Parallel New Testament Calls • Romans 13:11-14—“wake up from your slumber.” • 1 Thessalonians 5:6-8—“let us be sober… having put on faith and love as a breastplate.” Both connect sobriety with eschatological readiness. Text-Critical Certainty All extant Greek witnesses (ℵ A B C D F G P Ψ 33 1739 and the Majority) agree on ἐκνήψατε δικαίως; no viable variant affects meaning, underscoring textual stability. Pastoral Application 1. Evaluate doctrinal intake—avoid teaching that downplays resurrection or ultimate accountability. 2. Practice confession and repentance—“stop sinning.” 3. Cultivate resurrection hope—fortifies perseverance and moral courage (cf. 1 Peter 1:3). Historical Reception Early Fathers: • Chrysostom, Hom. 40 on 1 Cor—“Paul shakes their drunken minds.” • Tertullian, De Res. Carn. 24—links 1 Corinthians 15:34 to safeguarding orthodox faith against Gnosticism. Reformers: • Calvin, Inst. 3.25.3—“Without resurrection faith reels like a drunken man; hence the need to sober up.” Contrast with Modern Translations • ESV: “Wake up from your drunken stupor, as is right.” • NIV: “Come back to your senses as you ought.” BSB preserves the sobriety metaphor while emphasizing moral rectitude. Conclusion “To sober up as you ought” in 1 Corinthians 15:34 commands an immediate, decisive awakening from doctrinal error and moral laxity, grounded in the historical fact of Christ’s resurrection and aimed at righteous living that glorifies God and witnesses to the world. |
    |