1 Corinthians 15
What Apostle Paul taught in chapter 15 about the resurrection is full of hope and assurance for the future. We need to ponder these truths, understanding the implications for our Christian lives now, and our needful response as we face the battle against the Devil, the sinful nature and the pulls of the world.
Paul began by reminding the believers of the key teachings of the gospel and the ultimate victory of Christ over all the hostile forcesarrayed against God and His people when the end comes.
The Corinthian believers were exhorted to hold fast to the truth of the gospel; they were to continue believing and living out the gospel. They should not rely only on past profession alone but demonstrate theirperseverance by holding firmly to the message of the gospel; otherwisetheir profession of faith would be in vain. This is also the message for us today who profess to believe in Christ and the gospel. The gospel centres on the cross and the resurrection. Without the cross and the death of the Lord Jesus, there would be no atonement, no satisfactionof Godʼs wrath against sin, no penalty paid for sin, no justificationfor believers, no forgiveness and no reconciliation. But mark this: without His resurrection, there would be no guarantee of these realities, no victory over sin and death, no defeat of the Devil and evil,and no eternal life!
The climax of the story of the Cross is the resurrection! Without the resurrection, we have no assurance of Christʼs victory; with theresurrection, it is now possible for believers to live the life-style of the cross because of, and through, the power of His resurrection.
Paul then went on to elaborate that the resurrection is based on solid evidence. Firstly, he pointed to the post-resurrection appearance of Christ and the many witnesses who saw Him, some of whom were still alive at that point of time. He appeared to the twelve and to 500 brethren at one time; He also appeared to Paul who felt that he was most unworthy of all the apostles to have this privilege.
Paul thus found it shocking that some of the Corinthian believers were saying that there is no resurrection of the dead. One possible reason for this is that some subscribed to the teaching of triumphalism, thinking that they were already experiencing the full blessings of the gospel which were actually to be experienced only at the consummation of the age. Some were falsely claiming that the resurrection had already happened, in the light of this false teaching.
There was also the traditional Greek belief in the dualism betweenthe body and spirit. In this view, only the spirit matters. So physical resurrection would not be desirable.
The apostle went on to stress the implications of unbelief in the resurrection. Firstly, the preaching of the gospel is in vain and the faith of the believers is also in vain. What had been communicated in the gospel would have been purely fiction and the believers would have anchored their faith in what was not true. The apostles would thenhave been guilty of misrepresenting God. The faith of the believers would have been futile and they would have still been in their sins. The believers who had died would have remained dead and all those who have hoped in Christ would have been most pitiful. What is the point then for Christians to endure hardship and face spiritual battles against the powers of darkness?
But the fact is Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who have fallen asleep! Firstfruits was a celebration and a guarantee of the full harvest yet to come. So, Christʼs resurrection sets in motion the inevitable and sure process by which all of Godʼspeople will be raised from the dead when He comes again.
J.C. Ryle puts it clearly in Day by Day with J.C. Ryle:
There is a resurrection after death. Let this be never forgotten.The life that we live here in the flesh is not all: the visible world aroundus is not the only world with which we have to do; all is not over when the last breath is drawn, and men and women are carried to their long home in the grave. “The trumpet shall one day sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible.” All that are in the graves shall hear Christʼsvoice, and come forth; they that have done good, to the resurrection of life, and they that have done evil, to the resurrection of damnation. This is one of the great foundation truths of the Christian religion.
Let us cling to it firmly, and never let it go. Let us strive to be like men who believe in a resurrection and a life to come, and desire to be always ready for another world. So living, we shall look forward to death with calmness: we shall feel that there remains some better portion for us beyond the grave. So living, we shall take patiently all that we have to bear in this world: trials, losses, disappointments and ingratitude will affect us little. We shall not look for our reward here:we shall feel that all will be rectified one day, and that the Judge of all the earth will do right.”
Paul went on to say that in Adam, all die, so in Christ shall all be made alive (i.e. all those who are in Christ). Then comes the end: Jesus Christ will be revealed as King of kings and Lord of lords, taking His place in sovereign authority eternally and destroying and every authority and power, human or spiritual, which has opposed Godʼs rule and authority. God will put everything under Christʼs feet;when this is completed, the Son will present His completed task to theFather and the Son Himself will subject Himself to the Father that Godmay be all in all.
The Apostle Paul was aware that some may wonder how the dead will be raised and with what kind of body will the dead arise. Paul drew from the natural world two illustrations of a principle to give an inkling of what this might mean.
He first pointed to planting seeds in the ground and waiting for the plant to germinate, to flower and to fruit. The seed must die firstbefore it comes to life as a plant. What is sown is a seed; what comes forth subsequently is a plant, so different from the seed that it comes from. Yet the plant comes from the seed and continues from it.
Just because the resurrection of the body is so different from anything we see or experience at present, we should not doubt or be sceptical of this reality to come. Look at the variety and beauty of the present creation we can see. Then, perhaps we can see something of the wonders of that new creation that we are yet to see. What we shall see in the resurrected body is something imperishable; it is raised in glory as contrasted with being sown in dishonour; it is sown in weakness but it will be raised in power; it is sown a natural body but it is raised a spiritual body.
The “natural body” belongs to this world of temporal reality; it was created for life in that environment and it is useless for the life of the world to come. The world to come needs a spiritual body(spirit-powered body) and God will provide that for every believer inChrist.
And this will take place in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. The trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall all be changed. When that happens, death will be swallowed up in victory; death will lose its sting.
In the light of these truths, Paul urged the believers to besteadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of God. Our work and labour in God is not in vain because it has eternal value and reward!