Grace Institute: 1 Corinthians: Chapter 15: The Resurrection

The Resurrection 1 Corinthians Spring 2009

Chapter 15 is one of the most important theological chapters in the entire bible. Paul must address a fundamental doctrinal error in the church. There were those who did not believe in a physical resurrection, believing that they had achieved their glorified state in their current bodies.

The Greek philosophy of the day taught that the physical was impure, while the mind and spirit (the logos ) were pure and good. This lead to a worship of logic, wisdom and knowledge and a distaste for the physical body.

The Corinthians had melded this philosophy with the Christian teaching on the resurrection. They were teaching that the resurrection was not physical, for that would offend their Greek sensibilities. Instead the resurrection was a spiritual event, and that, indeed, they could, through the attainment of knowledge, achieve this “resurrected” glory, even before death.

Paul reacts strongly against this idea and asks the Corinthians to remember what he first taught them when he founded their church. He wants them to go back and remember the teachings they learned about the resurrection. His point is that his teaching has not changed. Therefore, Paul goes back and reiterates the lessons he taught them regarding the resurrection.

The Ramifications of the Resurrection (15:1-34)

The Resurrection is the Foundation of Salvation (15:1-3)

Salvation is only possible with a physical resurrection. It is, as Paul puts it, "of first importance." If we do not remember and hold onto the gospel of the resurrection, we have believed in vain. There are two reasons why our belief is in vain without the resurrection:

First, the claims Jesus made about himself have no validity without the resurrection. Why should you believe a man who claims to be God, but then cannot even avoid arrest and execution by a human governor? However, a man who rose from the dead, this is a man with credibility. What a man like that says something it is something to which you should listen.

Secondly, Jesus' resurrection demonstrates that he has the power to rescue each of us from death. When Jesus was hanging on the cross, the thief being executed next to him taunted him by yelling, "If you are the Christ, save yourself!" There is some truth to his taunt. If Jesus really was the Christ, he has to be able to demonstrate that he can save himself before he can demonstrate that he can save others. When he rose from the dead, He demonstrated he has the power to overcome death. Therefore, he has the power to rescue us from death as well.

Therefore, the resurrection is the foundation of our salvation.

The Resurrection is Historical Fact (15:4-11)

Paul is basing his whole argument here on the tenant that Jesus rising from the dead is a historical fact. It is not merely sufficient for the resurrection to have been a nice little story. If the power of the resurrection is to have any affect in our lives, it has to be true.

Paul carefully lays out for the Corinthians, and for us, the historical evidence. Paul lists the names of people who were eyewitnesses to the event. He lists people that were well known and trusted to them, people like Peter, James and the apostles. Over 500 people saw him at once. Finally, Paul himself saw the resurrected Jesus. He tells them in verse 8:

Last of all, as to one untimely born, he appeared also to me. (1 Corinthians 15:8 ESV)

Paul is reminding the Corinthians that there are over 500 people who remember this significant event. This is not just a metaphorical story or a myth. The resurrection is a historical fact.

The Logic of the Resurrection (15:12-29)

If there is not resurrection

Paul wants those who deny the physical resurrection to consider the logical ramifications of such a belief. If Christ is not raised then:

• Christ is not raised from the dead (15:16).
• They are still in their sins (15:17).
• The dead are lost (15:18).
• We are to be pitied as fools (15:19).

Without the resurrection, then we are hoping for a better life that will never come. Paul says, without the resurrection, we are pitiful fools, following a dream. If there is no resurrection, there is no point in even pretending that Christianity has any validity.

If Christ has been raised

However, just as Paul wanted the Corinthians to consider the logic of no resurrection, he also wants them, and us, to consider the logical ramifications of a risen Christ. If Jesus has been raised then:

• All shall be made alive (15:22).
• Christ shall reign as King (15:24).
• Christ will defeat His enemies (15:25).
• Christ will abolish death (15:26).

Ramifications of the Resurrection (15:30-34)

If Christ has been raised, and he will abolish death, what does that mean for us? What impact should that have for us? It means we have the hope to live through hardships.

The apostle Paul was a man who understood hardship. This man was run out of town on numerous occasions, he was imprisoned, he was once in a shipwreck, and he was even once stoned and left for dead. Paul asks the question:

Why am I in danger every hour? (1 Corinthians 15:30 ESV)

The answer is simple. Paul is willing to endanger himself for the gospel, willing to be imprisoned, beat up, persecuted, because he knows that for all the hardship, there is a greater hope awaiting him. Paul knows he need not fear death, because he will be raised from the dead. Paul knows that the resurrection gives us hope to live through hardships.

If there is no resurrection, it is hard to get motivated about life. It is hard to get excited about persevering through hardship. Paul says it well in verse 32:

If the dead are not raised, "Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die." (1 Corinthians 15:32 ESV)

However, if the resurrection is true, we should live sensibly (15:34). Paul is giving the Corinthians a wakeup call. He is saying, “Knock it off. Think about what you are doing, how you are living. You are acting like you don't know anything about God.” Instead, live sensibly. Live consistently with the reality of the resurrection.

The Details of the Resurrection (15:35-58)

We Will Have Spiritual Bodies (15:35-38)

Similarities of our Old and New Bodies (15:35-38)

You see, the Corinthians saw the resurrection as one of two extremes. On the one hand, some believed that the body we receive at the resurrection is a new body completely unrelated to our current body. On the other hand, some believed that the body we receive at the resurrection is merely the same old body, refurbished. Paul says both notions are foolish and the truth lies somewhere in the middle. He illustrates this through the analogy of planting seeds.

First, the new body is indeed related to our current body. Paul says our new bodies will come from the seed of old bodies. There will be a relationship between our old and new bodies much in the same way there is a relationship between a seed and a plant.

Secondly, however, our new bodies are not just a reconstituted or refurbished body. It is a whole new body. When you plant a seed into the ground, the old seed dies as it gives life to a new plant. And just as a seed which you plant must die before it can grow into a new plant, so our old bodies must die so they can be turned into brand new bodies. The old body is gone. Your resurrected body will be a whole new body, different from the old.

Differences between our Old and New Bodies (15:42-49)

Paul outlines those differences in verses 42 to 49:

So is it with the resurrection of the dead. (1 Corinthians 15:42-49 ESV)

Need for spiritual bodies (15:50)

Ultimately, these bodies of ours are so corrupt, so weak, so perishable, that before we can inherit God's kingdom, we must be changed. God's kingdom is not corrupt, weak, or perishable, so before we can inherit it we must be changed into bodies that are not corrupt, but strong, and imperishable.

However, we should not mistake that these will be physical bodies. The resurrection is a physical event. Ultimately, our hope is not found in transcending the physical for the spiritual realm, but that in our new perfect physical bodies, God will dwell with us in a new physical heaven and earth (Revelation 21:1ff).

The Timing of our Resurrection

The resurrection will happen in future (15:51-53)

The first detail Paul gives us is the resurrection will happen in the future . Some interesting things to point out about this future resurrection:

• Some will be changed without dying. When the end comes, there will be some alive who are changed. The dead will be raised with new bodies and those still alive at that point will also be changed.
• It will happen fast. Look at the words Paul uses. "In a flash, in the twinkling of an eye." We won't be sitting around wondering what's happening. It won't be one of the slow motion morphs you see in science fiction movies. It will be an instantaneous change.

The resurrection is based on what happened in the past (15:54-57)

Jesus' resurrection demonstrates that he has the power to rescue you from death. Because he rose from the dead, we know he can raise us from the dead. He can erase the sting of death.

Stand Firm (15:58)

Paul is calling on the Corinthians to stick to the teaching he first gave them. If the resurrection is true, it should have a profound impact on your life. Don't let anything get in the way. Let nothing move you. The resurrection gives us the power to stick through the hard times, to put up with the difficulties, to tolerate the pain, because we know, in the end, we have victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. We can know that our labor is not in vain.