Was Christ Raised? (1 Corinthians 15)
March 22, 2020
Last week, we started to open up God’s word to understand better what the gospel is. We saw that the gospel is not bad news, that we must fix all of these things and do all of these things for God to love us, but it is good news, that God loved us enough to send his son to die on the cross to pay for our sin. It would be bad news to learn that we have to be perfect like God to be saved. Instead, it is good news to learn that God has saved us so that we might become perfect like he is perfect. We are striving for perfection, not to earn God’s grace, but because he has already offered it and we have received it, we are standing in it, and we are holding fast to it.
But that is only half of the good news. There is more to the gospel than Jesus dying for our sins. There is more reassurance and hope. That in itself is a fantastic thought, but what the gospel says next is honestly mind-blowing. We are holding on to the fact that Jesus died for our sins, but we also hold on to Jesus being raised from the dead. That gives us hope for life after this. We are going to do an overview of 1 Corinthians 15 tonight kind of like my overviews of entire books, but this is just one chapter.
Seven Truths About Resurrection
What does Paul want us to know about the resurrection, and what does this mean to us today? We are going to do an overview of 1 Corinthians 15 to see what Paul says about the resurrection and understand how it helps us today.
1 Corinthians 15:1--8 (ESV) --- 1 Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand, 2 and by which you are being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you---unless you believed in vain. 3 For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, 4 that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures, 5 and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. 6 Then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have fallen asleep. 7 Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles. 8 Last of all, as to one untimely born, he appeared also to me.
1. Evidence of Resurrection (1-11)
Notice the repeated phrase throughout this. He appeared. There should be no doubt in anyone’s mind that Jesus was raised from the dead. The Bible provides an overwhelming amount of proof that Jesus was completely dead on the cross and that he was completely alive three days later. The response of the disciples, the Romans, and the religious leaders seem to indicate that Jesus did rise from the dead. The closest scrutiny reveals this to be true.
The first truth Paul wants us to see is that there is substantial evidence for Jesus’ resurrection. Notice what he says in this text. Jesus appeared to more than 500 people at one time. This is no hallucination or deception. Jesus was alive in the flesh after being crucified on the roadside leading to Jerusalem during one of the busiest times of the year. This text in 1 Corinthians seems to be one of the earliest sayings recorded in the New Testament. It has a chant to it that seems to have been repeated by early Christians because they were holding on to this truth and letting it motivate them.
2. Centrality of Resurrection (12-19)
This is the teaching of the apostles throughout the NT. They spoke about the resurrection of Jesus in every gospel message and over 104 times. It is mentioned in nearly every sermon in the book of Acts and alluded to or referenced in every letter. Why? Because it was so provable, and it makes such a strong point to believers and unbelievers. But also because if this is true, everything they are saying is worth listening to. In verses 12-19, Paul points out that, “If Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain.” You “are still in your sins,” and those who have died are just lost forever.
If Jesus was not raised from the dead, there is no point in believing any of the teachings he made because he is proven to be a false teacher. It is incredible to think that no religious teacher has been publicly killed by an outside authority and then appeared again, claiming to be resurrected from the dead. Jesus is the only one. He said he would do it, and he did it. Why? He did this to give us hope of resurrection.
In verse 19, Paul says, “If in Christ we have hope in this life only, we are of all people most to be pitied.” The sad and crazy thing about this is that Christianity has enjoyed a time of relative peace. It might have been said that “If in Christ we have hope in this life only, we are okay with that.” But these Christians would have seen becoming a Christian as the most detrimental thing they have ever done. It would completely go against the grain of their culture. All of the sacrifices they are making are useless and pitiable. The resurrection hope is the only reason why people would be willing to sacrifice that much.
3. Occasion of the Resurrection (20-28)
In the third section, we read about the resurrection of Christ being the first fruits of a future resurrection. Paul wants the Corinthians to know that Christ is coming back, and when he comes back, we will be raised along with him. Jesus is in control. He is reigning, and he will reign until all things are brought into subjection under his feet. God will be all in all. Everyone will bow down to him and worship him at the time of resurrection.
This section is telling us about what will take place during the final resurrection. We see a final hope that is supposed to strengthen our resolve to worship and praise God until our dying breath. We are supposed to see that everything will be subjected to God and not fear anything that might harm us. It reminds me of Paul in Romans 8:33-39, where Paul said that nothing and no one could take away the love that God has for his children, not even death. If we love God with all of our hearts, we will find that he can care for us and provide us with the eternal blessing he promises. He has complete control over life after death.
4. Our Motivation Comes From Resurrection (29-34)
It is hard to speak with certainty about the baptism for those who have died, but this section is primarily about suffering, and it is extremely powerful!
1 Corinthians 15:30--34 (ESV) --- 30 Why are we in danger every hour? 31 I protest, brothers, by my pride in you, which I have in Christ Jesus our Lord, I die every day! 32 What do I gain if, humanly speaking, I fought with beasts at Ephesus? If the dead are not raised, “Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die.” 33 Do not be deceived: “Bad company ruins good morals.” 34 Wake up from your drunken stupor, as is right, and do not go on sinning. For some have no knowledge of God. I say this to your shame.
If Christ has not been raised, why would anyone submit to the level of suffering Paul went through. He is fully convinced that the dead are raised and that Jesus is alive. That makes all of his suffering worth it. If Christ has not been raised, then let’s enjoy life and stop suffering unnecessarily! But if we believe that Christ has been raised, we must change our morals and straighten up to worship and serve our God without fear of suffering.
5. The Resurrected Body (35-49)
Someone will ask, “How are the dead raised? With what kind of body do they come.” Paul points out the skeptic who scoffingly doubts the resurrection. They are looking at life after death as being the same as life before death. They are stuck on earth and unable to see what is heavenly. If Jesus was raised from the dead, he is from God, and he returned to God. That means that his body is not like our bodies. This entire section describes for us what the future body is like using an image of a seed being planted.
The heavenly body is the opposite of the earthly bodies in four key ways. It is imperishable, glorious, powerful, spiritual (bearing the image of the man of heaven). All of these are amazing thoughts that deserve more time and consideration. But I just want us to understand that the resurrected body is different than anything we have seen or experienced. It resembles our Lord when he was resurrected from the dead (1 John 3:2-3). We can speculate all we want, but seeing what Jesus was like is as close as we will get to understand what we will be like. I’m most excited about the fact that they could touch him. I’m ready to hug people again. I can’t imagine heaven without hugs!
6. Instant Victory of Resurrection (50-57)
We have to be transformed like this to overcome our greatest enemy, death. Becoming imperishable is the most crucial factor. It is all we care about. Why? Because we are terrified of death. Death lingers over our heads and weighs on us like nothing else. But Jesus has conquered death by being resurrected and ascending into heaven. He will never die again, and neither will we after we are resurrected. This is a fantastic thought that is supposed to build our faith and help us overcome our greatest fear. If you believe in the resurrection, there is no need to fear death. It is glorious and amazing. It is the greatest thing that a child of God will ever experience.
7. Living With Hope in the Resurrection (58)
The last section in this is a conclusion to it all.
1 Corinthians 15:58 (ESV) --- 58 Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.
Therefore means “in light of all that I have just stated about the resurrection.” In light of that, we want to become steadfast, immovable, and always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that our labor is not in vain. Think about this for a minute. If Jesus was raised from the dead, should anything threat of persecution prevent us from worshipping God or serving him? Should fear of death keep us from doing the work that God has given us to do? These words must ring true in our ears at all times. Jesus lives, and so can I. That must be my foundation and my stronghold. I know that as long as I put God first, I can live with him forever in eternity. I must be faithfully worshipping and serving him every day of my life.
What Does Death Mean To Us?
The world has a messed up view of death right now. They have gotten further and further away from the biblical perspective. Their comfort for death is to say that death is natural, but that doesn’t alleviate our fears. They say to ignore death or get used to death, but that doesn’t help us at all when someone we love is suddenly gone.
God tells us that death is not natural. We were created to live forever with him. Solomon says that God has made everything temporary so that we know that this earth is temporary, and it is natural for other things to die. Still, he also has “placed eternity in man’s heart, yet so that he cannot find out what God has done from beginning to end” (Ecc 3:11). Men have a fear of death because we have a feeling of eternity inside of us.
Paul tells us that man ought to fear death because it is our enemy, and its sting is like a poison that has considerable pain. Our sin has given death the power and the poison, but Jesus has taken away the power of death. Jesus has removed all of the fear that we have of suffering after we die. Those who love God and submit to his rule on earth know that death is not a sad occasion, but the greatest experience we will ever face. This should change our view of life.
Conclusion
In light of all that we have been going through, it is so important to keep this in mind. If things were to spiral out of control in our society, we have this anchor to hold onto. Death, pain, and suffering will all be over if we hold true to the gospel and let God’s word guide our hearts to love him and to love our neighbor selflessly.