Christ is Our Life

Sunday, February 23, 2025

Start with Application Testimony

[Give people an opportunity to share a testimony from last week’s exhortation]

Last week’s exhortation: Identify an area of your life where are relying on your own wisdom and understanding, then submit it to God.

INTRO

We are going verse-by-verse, in a topical study through I & II Corinthians

Current Topic: Christ Alone - Exploring what it really means to be Christian.

In the first lesson, we talked about submitting to Christ as the Head of the Church

In the second lesson, we talked about receiving a new way of thinking in Christ

In this lesson we will talk about Christ as the very source of our life, both presently and eternally

READ

1 Corinthians 15 CSB

1 Now I want to make clear for you, brothers and sisters, the gospel I preached to you, which you received, on which you have taken your stand 2 and by which you are being saved, if you hold to the message I preached to you—unless you believed in vain. 3 For I passed on to you as most important what I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, 4 that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, 5 and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the Twelve. 6 Then he appeared to over five hundred brothers and sisters at one time; most of them are still alive, but some have fallen asleep. 7 Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles. 8 Last of all, as to one born at the wrong time, he also appeared to me. 9 For I am the least of the apostles, not worthy to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. 10 But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace toward me was not in vain. On the contrary, I worked harder than any of them, yet not I, but the grace of God that was with me. 11 Whether, then, it is I or they, so we proclaim and so you have believed. 12 Now if Christ is proclaimed as raised from the dead, how can some of you say, “There is no resurrection of the dead”? 13 If there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised; 14 and if Christ has not been raised, then our proclamation is in vain, and so is your faith. 15 Moreover, we are found to be false witnesses about God, because we have testified wrongly about God that he raised up Christ—whom he did not raise up, if in fact the dead are not raised. 16 For if the dead are not raised, not even Christ has been raised. 17 And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is worthless; you are still in your sins. 18 Those, then, who have fallen asleep in Christ have also perished. 19 If we have put our hope in Christ for this life only, we should be pitied more than anyone. 20 But as it is, Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. 21 For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead also comes through a man. 22 For just as in Adam all die, so also in Christ all will be made alive. 23 But each in his own order: Christ, the firstfruits; afterward, at his coming, those who belong to Christ. 24 Then comes the end, when he hands over the kingdom to God the Father, when he abolishes all rule and all authority and power. 25 For he must reign until he puts all his enemies under his feet. 26 The last enemy to be abolished is death. 27 For God has put everything under his feet. Now when it says “everything” is put under him, it is obvious that he who puts everything under him is the exception. 28 When everything is subject to Christ, then the Son himself will also be subject to the one who subjected everything to him, so that God may be all in all. 29 Otherwise what will they do who are being baptized for the dead? If the dead are not raised at all, then why are people baptized for them? 30 Why are we in danger every hour? 31 I face death every day, as surely as I may boast about you, brothers and sisters, in Christ Jesus our Lord. 32 If I fought wild beasts in Ephesus as a mere man, what good did that do me? If the dead are not raised, Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die. 33 Do not be deceived: “Bad company corrupts good morals.” 34 Come to your senses and stop sinning; for some people are ignorant about God. I say this to your shame. 35 But someone will ask, “How are the dead raised? What kind of body will they have when they come?” 36 You fool! What you sow does not come to life unless it dies. 37 And as for what you sow—you are not sowing the body that will be, but only a seed, perhaps of wheat or another grain. 38 But God gives it a body as he wants, and to each of the seeds its own body. 39 Not all flesh is the same flesh; there is one flesh for humans, another for animals, another for birds, and another for fish. 40 There are heavenly bodies and earthly bodies, but the splendor of the heavenly bodies is different from that of the earthly ones. 41 There is a splendor of the sun, another of the moon, and another of the stars; in fact, one star differs from another star in splendor. 42 So it is with the resurrection of the dead: Sown in corruption, raised in incorruption; 43 sown in dishonor, raised in glory; sown in weakness, raised in power; 44 sown a natural body, raised a spiritual body. If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual body. 45 So it is written, The first man Adam became a living being; the last Adam became a life-giving spirit. 46 However, the spiritual is not first, but the natural, then the spiritual. 47 The first man was from the earth, a man of dust; the second man is from heaven. 48 Like the man of dust, so are those who are of the dust; like the man of heaven, so are those who are of heaven. 49 And just as we have borne the image of the man of dust, we will also bear the image of the man of heaven. 50 What I am saying, brothers and sisters, is this: Flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor can corruption inherit incorruption. 51 Listen, I am telling you a mystery: We will not all fall asleep, but we will all be changed, 52 in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we will be changed. 53 For this corruptible body must be clothed with incorruptibility, and this mortal body must be clothed with immortality. 54 When this corruptible body is clothed with incorruptibility, and this mortal body is clothed with immortality, then the saying that is written will take place: Death has been swallowed up in victory. 55 Where, death, is your victory? Where, death, is your sting? 56 The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. 57 But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ! 58 Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, be steadfast, immovable, always excelling in the Lord’s work, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.

EXAMINE

#1 | Jesus has defeated death

The resurrection of Christ is central to the good news about Jesus

1 Cor 15:3–4 “For I passed on to you as most important what I also received: that Christ died for our sins... that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day...”

From day one, Christianity has been founded on Jesus’ victory over death.

Death is the result of sin’s curse on humanity (Gen 3:17-24) and Jesus broke that curse (Rev 2:7)

1 Cor 15:17 “...if Christ has not been raised, your faith is worthless; you are still in your sins.”

Jesus’ death paid the price of our guilt, but His resurrection is what broke the power of sin in our lives. (1 Peter 2:24)

#2 | We share in His victory

His resurrection guarantees His victory over all things.

1 Cor 15:20, 25-26 “...Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep… For he must reign until he puts all his enemies under his feet. The last enemy to be abolished is death.”

We are still experiencing the curse of sin and the reality of physical death, but being set free from these things is now only a matter of time. (Rom 8:20-23)

One day we will be free from sin and death. Until then we have Jesus’ resurrection as proof that He can finish what He started.

Christ’s victory over death is shared with His people.

1 Cor 15:22 “For just as in Adam all die, so also in Christ all will be made alive.”

Jesus’ resurrection is just the first, not the only. (Colossians 1:18 “...he is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead...”)

Every Christian will one day be raised from the dead the same way that Jesus was.

#3 | Our very being is anchored in Christ

Jesus is the new “Adam”

1 Cor 15:45 “...The first man Adam became a living being; the last Adam became a life-giving spirit...”

We received this temporary life from Adam, but we receive imperishable life from Jesus.

Whereas Adam’s action cut humanity off from the source of life (Gen 3:17-24) Jesus’ actions restore our connection to life (Rev 2:7). This has profound implications for the way we live our Christian life now, in the day-to-day.

1 Cor 15:56–57 “The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ!”

Jesus’ victory over death has given us victory over sin. His resurrection means we are no longer chained by the curse of sin.

We now have true life, which is sustained by Christ and secured in Christ.

1 Cor 15:19 “If we have put our hope in Christ for this life only, we should be pitied more than anyone.”

Jesus has given us so much more than just blessings in this life, as if that is all there is.

Jesus isn’t just offering forgiveness from sin - He is offering a life free from sin.

1 Cor 15:58 “Therefore… be steadfast, immovable, always excelling in the Lord’s work, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.”

Because we are sustained and secured in Christ, we can work and strive knowing that our efforts won’t be for nothing.

REFLECT

Let’s take a moment to pray

Ask the Holy Spirit to highlight and draw our attention to what He wants us to see and understand today

APPLY

Process the passage together with these questions:

[Allow the conversation to go where people take it - we want people to feel the liberty to explore the topics of the passage that stand out to them. Select the questions from below that you think are right for the conversation, or add your own. Questions should be focused, yet open-ended. Wherever the conversation goes, help your group “land the plane” on the core idea of the lesson when you wrap up.]

What do you think it means to “put our hope in Christ for this life only”? (1 Cor 15:19) Consider Philippians 3:19.

Why were Adam and Eve cut-off from the Tree of Life in Genesis 3:22? (Consider what Jesus says in Revelation 2:7)

While we wait to see the full victory of Jesus over sin and death, how can we experience the power of His resurrection today?

Where we want to “land the plane”

Jesus is life. Not just a newer or better life. He is life itself. So we must learn to set our dreams and desires beyond our present lives, and focus on the bigger picture of what it means to be “in Christ.” While we wait to experience all that God has promised, we can draw from the power of Christ’s resurrection in the living of our daily lives, when we orient ourselves to the bigger picture of what God has called us to and designed us for.

Exhortation for the Week

Identify the ways in which you treat Jesus as a supplement to your life, and switch to approaching Him as the source of your life.

FOOTNOTES

Being baptized for the dead? (1 Cor 15:29) Up to 200 explanations have been given of this verse! Most of these interpretations are inane, prompted by a desire to conform this verse to an orthodox doctrine of baptism. It is clear from the context, however, that Paul distinguished his own practice and teaching from that described here. He merely held up the teaching of being baptized for the dead as a practice of some who denied the Resurrection. How the false teachers came to this view may never be known, but just across the Saronic Gulf, north of Corinth, lay Eleusis, the center of an ancient mystery religion lauded by Homer (Hymn to Demeter 478–79) and widely popular (cf. Cicero, himself an initiate, in De Legibus 2. 14. 36). Part of the rites of initiation into this pagan religion were washings of purification in the sea without which no one could hope to experience bliss in the life hereafter (cf. Pindar Fragment 212; Sophocles Fragment 753). A vicarious participation in the mysteries was not unknown either (cf. Orphica Fragment 245). Given the Corinthian propensity for distortion in matters of church practice (11:2–14:40), it was likely that some in Corinth (possibly influenced by the Eleusinian mystery) were propounding a false view of baptism which Paul took up and used as an argument against those who denied the Resurrection. No interpretation of this text is entirely satisfactory, but this view has as its chief strength the natural reading of the Greek verse, an asset singularly lacking in other explanations. Also it is noteworthy that Paul referred to those (not “we”) who are “baptized for the dead.” David K. Lowery, “1 Corinthians,” in The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures, ed. J. F. Walvoord and R. B. Zuck, vol. 2 (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1985), 544.

The power of sin is the law? Like other theological nuggets in this chapter (vv. 21–22), these verses were later given expanded discussion in Paul’s letter to the Romans (Rom. 7:7–13). Death came as a result of man’s rebellion and disobedience against the command of God (Gen. 3:17–19). The Law, which epitomized the command of God, was thus the mirror against which human rebellion and disobedience was starkly portrayed. Like the first Adam, all who followed him rebelled (cf. 1 Cor. 2:14). But through the obedience of the last Adam, our Lord Jesus Christ (15:45; cf. Rom. 5:19; Phil. 2:8–11), came “victory” and life (1 Cor. 15:22; cf. 2:15–16). David K. Lowery, “1 Corinthians,” in The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures, ed. J. F. Walvoord and R. B. Zuck, vol. 2 (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1985), 546.