Return to the Gospel Pt. 20

1 Corinthians 15:29–34 NASB 2020

For otherwise, what will those do who are baptized for the dead? If the dead are not raised at all, why then are they baptized for them? 30 Why are we also in danger every hour? (V31) I affirm, brothers and sisters, by the boasting in you which I have in Christ Jesus our Lord, that I die daily. (V32) If from human motives I fought with wild beasts at Ephesus, what good is it to me? If the dead are not raised, let’s eat and drink, for tomorrow we die. (V33-34) Do not be deceived: “Bad company corrupts good morals.” 34 Sober up morally and stop sinning, for some have no knowledge of God. I say this to your shame.

Good afternoon, church. Today we come back to our journey through chapter 15 of Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians in our series, Return to the Gospel. Now, before unpacking our text, I want you to first go with me to the Gospel of Matthew.

In Matthew 22, we find an encounter between Jesus and the Sadducees. The Sadducees were a religious group of Jesus’ day who did not believe in the resurrection — they did not believe there would be a future bodily resurrection of the dead.

So they come to Jesus with a question. But this was not an honest or sincere question. It was meant to trap Jesus, to mock Him, and to make the doctrine of the resurrection look foolish.

Here’s what they did. They bring up a situation from the Old Testament law. In the OT, if a man died without children, his brother was to marry the widow to raise up offspring for his brother. So the Sadducees present an exaggerated scenario: a woman marries a man, and the man dies. Then she marries his brother, and he dies. So she marries the next brother, and he dies. And they continue until seven brothers have all been married to the same woman.

Then they ask Jesus, “In the resurrection, whose wife will she be?” In other words, “Jesus, can’t you see how ridiculous this resurrection idea is?”

But Jesus answers them with these words: “You are mistaken — because (1) you do not know the Scriptures, and (2) you do not know the power of God.”

Then Jesus explains that in the resurrection, people will not marry, but will be like angels in heaven. And then Jesus goes deeper:

Matthew 22:31–32 NASB 2020

But regarding the resurrection of the dead, have you not read what was spoken to you by God: ‘I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob’? He is not the God of the dead, but of the living.”

Please do not miss what Jesus is doing here. Jesus does not waste time on their absurd scenario. He addresses their true concern by pointing them back to the words of God in Exodus. Where God does not say, “I was the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.” He says, “I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.”

And when God said those words to Moses, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob had already been physically dead for centuries. And yet God still says, not “I was” but “I am their God.” Why?

Beloved, because they were not gone forever. They were not lost. They were not extinct. They were alive before God. And one day, they would be raised. So Jesus’ point is that God is not the God of the dead, but of the living.

This matters because the resurrection is not a side issue in Scripture. It is not some optional doctrine placed at the edge of the Christian faith. Jesus Himself taught the resurrection, defended the resurrection, and would later rise from the dead as the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.

And that brings us to our text this morning.

As we have seen thus far in 1 Corinthians 15, Paul is also dealing with people who were confused about the resurrection. Some in Corinth were saying there was no resurrection of the dead. They may have believed Jesus was raised, but they were denying that believers themselves would one day be raised.

Paul has been showing them the serious consequences of that belief. If there is no resurrection, then not even Christ has been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is empty, our faith is empty, forgiveness is impossible, those who have died in Christ have perished, and we are of all people most to be pitied.

But then Paul declared the glorious truth: “But as it is, Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.”

In other words, Christ has risen. And because Christ has risen, those who belong to Christ will rise too.

So the question before us today is not simply, “Do we believe in the resurrection?” The question is: Are we living in light of the resurrection? Is this a truth that shapes how we live? Why? Because

1. The resurrection is not only a doctrine we confess, it is a reality that should shape how we live.

It should shape our faith. It should shape how we suffer.

It should shape our holiness. It should shape our priorities.

It should shape what we are willing to endure.

It should shape what we are willing to give up.

It should shape how we fight sin.

And it should shape how we view life and death.

So today, as we unpack 1 Corinthians 15:29–34, we are going to consider three ways the resurrection shapes the Christian life.

I. The Resurrection Gives Meaning to Our Faith

1 Corinthians 15:29 NASB 2020

For otherwise, what will those do who are baptized for the dead? If the dead are not raised at all, why then are they baptized for them?

I want to begin with an illustration. I used to be a huge fan of Marvel movies. One of my favorites was Thor: Ragnarok. It had action, humor, drama, good characters, and a storyline that seemed important. The whole movie is built around the preservation of Asgard — their home, their people, their future.

But when you get to the beginning of Infinity War, the ship with the remaining Asgardians has been destroyed. Almost everything they fought for is gone. Most of the people are dead. The heroes are defeated. And in some ways, when you look back at Thor Ragnarok from the larger storyline, you almost feel like asking, “So what was the point?”

The movie may have been entertaining. It may have been funny. But if everything they fought for was simply erased, then the story feels strangely empty and meaningless.

That is similar to what Paul is addressing here in verse 29. He brings up a practice that has created a lot of discussion throughout church history: “What will those do who are baptized for the dead?”

Immediately we ask, “What does Paul mean? What is he talking about?” And there have been different interpretations. Some believe people in Corinth were being baptized on behalf of believers who had died. (adlib) Others believe that Paul is referring to people being baptized on behalf of others to see if they could be saved through them. There are several other views, and faithful Christians have wrestled with the meaning of this verse for centuries.

But here is what I do not want us to miss. Paul is not stopping to explain or commend this practice. He does not build a doctrine around it. This is not his burden in this passage. He is making a point.

Paul is saying, “Even your own actions make no sense if the dead are not raised.” Why would people engage in a practice connected to the dead if the dead are simply gone forever? Why act as though the dead still matter if there is no resurrection? Why participate in something connected to hope beyond this life if death is the end?

Paul is exposing the inconsistency of their thinking. Their practice was saying one thing, but their theology was saying another. Their actions were leaning toward resurrection hope, while their doctrine was denying it.

And church, that is not just a Corinthian problem. That is a danger for us too. Because

2. If there is no resurrection, the practices of our faith lose their meaning.

If there is no resurrection, what is the point of believer’s baptism? (Identify with Christ through His death and resurrection.) What is the point of our worship? Worship would be just a sentimental practice to force ourselves to feel something. What is the point of our ministry? It would just become an activity to make ourselves feel better. We might as well call ourselves a social club — a group of people trying to feel better for a moment.

If there is no resurrection, Christianity may still have music, tradition, moral lessons, community. It may still have inspirational moments. But like a movie where everything fought for disappears in the next scene, it would become empty of ultimate meaning.

But church, if Christ has been raised (and He has), and if those who belong to Christ will also be raised with Him (and we will), then everything we do in faith matters.

Our baptism matters because it points to our union with Christ in His death and resurrection.

Our worship matters because every song declares that death has not had the final word.

Our gatherings matters because Sunday worship is not merely a weekly routine; we are rehearsing for eternal worship.

Our prayers matter because they are not wishes thrown into the air; they are cries lifted to the living God who raised Jesus from the dead.

Our service matters because nothing done for the risen Christ is wasted.

Our giving matters because we are investing in a kingdom that is eternal.

Our preaching matters because we are not proclaiming dead ideas, but a living Savior.

So the resurrection gives meaning to our faith. It gives meaning to what we believe and what we do — to our worship, our baptism, our prayers, our service, our gathering, our ministry, and our obedience.

3. Beloved Christianity is not built on a dead teacher whose memory we are trying to keep alive. Christianity is built on a risen Savior who is alive forevermore.

Our faith is not empty. Our worship is not empty. Our labor is not empty. Our hope is not empty.

But Paul does not stop with religious practice. He moves from what they are doing to what we are enduring. From the question of faith to the question of suffering. Because if there is no resurrection, not only does Christian practice lose its meaning — Christian sacrifice loses its reason.

II. The Resurrection Gives Courage in Our Suffering

1 Corinthians 15:30–32 NASB 2020

Why are we also in danger every hour? I affirm, brothers and sisters, by the boasting in you which I have in Christ Jesus our Lord, that I die daily. (V32) If from human motives I fought with wild beasts at Ephesus, what good is it to me?

This is where Paul brings the argument into his own life. He says, “Look at my ministry. Look at what following Christ has cost me.” Which brings up the question — what has it cost Paul?

2 Corinthians 11:24–28 NASB 2020

Five times I received from the Jews thirty-nine lashes. (195) Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was stoned, three times I was shipwrecked, a night and a day I have spent adrift at sea. (V26) I have been on frequent journeys, in dangers from rivers, dangers from robbers, dangers from my countrymen, dangers from the Gentiles, dangers in the city, dangers in the wilderness, dangers at sea, dangers among false brothers; (V27-28) I have been in labor and hardship, through many sleepless nights, in hunger and thirst, often without food, in cold and exposure. Apart from such external things, there is the daily pressure on me of concern for all the churches.

So he asks: why would I live this way if death is the end?

Paul says, “Why are we also in danger every hour?” That is a powerful question. Paul’s life was not comfortable ministry. His apostleship was marked by suffering, opposition, rejection, beatings, danger, and the constant possibility of death.

Now you understand why he says, “I die every day.” He doesn’t mean he physically dies every day. He means he lived daily under the shadow of death. Every day he laid his life down. Every day his life was at risk. Every day he embraced suffering because he knew death was not the end of the story.

Then he adds, “If I fought wild beasts in Ephesus as a mere man, what good did that do me?” Whether Paul is speaking literally about some violent encounter with an animal or metaphorically about brutal opposition, the point is clear: why suffer like this if there is no resurrection?

Beloved, the point Paul is making is this: if there is no resurrection, then sacrifice is foolish. Mission is foolish. Risk is foolish. Endurance is foolish. Forgiving when it costs you is foolish. Serving when nobody notices is foolish. Giving your life for the gospel is foolish.

But, If Christ has been raised from the dead — and He has — then no suffering for Christ is wasted.

4. The resurrection does not mean Christians will not suffer, it means suffering does not get the last word.

2 Corinthians 4:16–17 NASB 2020

Therefore we do not lose heart, but though our outer person is decaying, yet our inner person is being renewed day by day. For our momentary, light affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison,

Beloved,

5. The resurrection means our suffering is not meaningless.

There is an eternal purpose behind Christian suffering — producing for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison. Listen to what Paul adds in verse 18:

2 Corinthians 4:18 NASB 2020

while we look (in the midst of this light momentary affliction - we look) not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen; for the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal.

6. This means that the resurrection should produce in us an eternal perspective!

Colossians 3:1–4 NASB 2020

Therefore, if you have been raised with Christ, keep seeking the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on the things that are above, not on the things that are on earth. (Why?) (V3-4) For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is our life, is revealed, then you also will be revealed with Him in glory.

Paul is teaching us that:

7. Placing our hope in a future resurrection changes the way we measure our lives.

The world says, “Avoid pain at all costs. Protect yourself. Preserve yourself. Live for comfort. Do whatever keeps you safe.”

But the resurrection says, “You can lay your life down because your life is now hidden with Christ. You can sacrifice because nothing given to Christ is lost. You can endure because death has already been defeated.”

1 Corinthians 15:58 NASB 2020

Therefore, my beloved brothers and sisters, be firm, immovable, always excelling in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.

Paul is already building toward that conclusion.

8. Because Christ has been raised, our labor is not empty, our suffering is not meaningless and our sacrifice is not wasted.

Romans 8:18 NASB 2020

For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to us.

But Paul does not only say the resurrection changes how we suffer. He also says it changes how we live. Because when people stop believing in the hope of the resurrection, they do not become neutral. Their lives begin to drift. Their morals begin to loosen. Their urgency begins to fade. So Paul moves from sacrifice to holiness.

III. The Resurrection Gives Purpose to Our Holiness

1 Corinthians 15:32–34 NASB 2020

If the dead are not raised, let’s eat and drink, for tomorrow we die. Do not be deceived: “Bad company corrupts good morals.” (V34) Sober up morally and stop sinning, for some have no knowledge of God. I say this to your shame.

Paul has now reached the logical conclusion of denying the resurrection. He’s saying: if the dead are not raised, if all we have is this life, if we will never have to give an account to our Creator, if once we die that’s it — then what’s left? Nothing.

So Paul says, “Let us eat, let us drink, for tomorrow we die.”

Hey guys, if this is it, if death is the end, if this life is all there is — then you know what? Let’s just pack up. Cancel the service. Go by our house, pick up our bathing suits, and from now on every Sunday we go to Panama City. (If tomorrow we die and that’s the end.)

What’s the point of gathering here every Sunday and every Tuesday and every Thursday?

If this life is all there is, then pleasure becomes the highest good. Comfort would be our mission. Self would become our center. Holiness would be optional. Sacrifice would be foolish. The only thing left would be to squeeze as much as we can out of this life before it disappears.

But beloved, we know this life is not the end.

Hebrews 9:27 NASB 2020

And just as it is destined for people to die once, and after this comes judgment,

This is why Paul says in verse 33, “Do not be deceived: bad company corrupts good morals.” Paul is not just giving a generic warning about having bad friends. That is true, but in context, Paul is warning the church about the danger of resurrection-denying influence. He is saying, “Do not think this teaching is harmless. Do not think bad theology leaves your life untouched.”

Beloved, bad theology corrupts good living.

9. What we believe about eternity will shape how we live in the present.

(Gladiator) We see this all the time. Recently, there was a well-known pastor in Hispanic circles who was being interviewed. I am not going to mention his name because that is not the point. My goal is not to accuse him or make him the center of the sermon. But the moment itself was revealing.

He was asked about moral issues that Scripture speaks to clearly. And rather than answering with Biblical conviction, he stepped around the questions. He was asked about his pastoral identity, and instead of owning that calling, he described himself like a communicator.

Again, I am not here to condemn the man. But moments like that should make us tremble and ask: How does someone get there? How does a man who has stood with a Bible in his hand get to a place where clarity becomes costly, where convictions gets softened? How does someone begin to treat the approval of the world as more valuable than faithfulness to Christ?

The answer is not complicated. It happens when comfort becomes more important than conviction. It happens when influence becomes more important than faithfulness. It happens when power, platform, approval, and success begin to disciple our hearts.

And beloved, before we point fingers too quickly, Paul would say, “Do not be deceived.” Because if it can happen to that pastor, it can — and does — happen to us too.

We may not have a national platform. We may not be interviewed on television. We may not be asked about political campaigns or cultural issues. But every day, this world is interviewing our hearts. And every day we make proclamations on social media.

And here’s the question, “Where have you compromised? Will we choose approval over truth? Will we choose pleasure over holiness? Will we choose comfort over obedience? Will we choose ourselves over Christ?”

10. If we lose sight of the resurrection, we may still confess the right doctrine with our lips while denying it with our lives.

We can say, “Christ is risen,” and still live like this world is all there is.

We can sing about heaven and live for earth.

We can believe in eternity and still spend our lives chasing temporary things.

We can believe Jesus walked out of the grave and still live as if comfort, pleasure, success, approval, and money are the highest goals of life.

That is why Paul says, “Sober up morally and stop sinning.”

In other words: wake up. Come back to your senses. Stop living under the influence of a lie. Stop letting the values of this resurrection-denying world disciple you.

Stop allowing people who have no true knowledge of God shape how you view your body, your money, your time, your relationships, your sexuality, your service, your purpose, and your obedience.

Christ has risen and we will rise too. And this truth changes everything:

If Christ has been raised, holiness is not optional.

If Christ has been raised, obedience is not meaningless.

If Christ has been raised, sacrifice is not foolish.

If Christ has been raised, then our body matters, our choices matter, our purity matters, our speech matters, our forgiveness matters, our service matters, our money matters, our desires matter, our relationships matter.

11. Because we are not living for a world that is passing away, we are living for a kingdom that is eternal.

That is why Paul says:

Romans 12:1 NASB 2020

Therefore I urge you, brothers and sisters, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship.

True worship is a call to surrender our whole lives to God. Not just our Sundays. Not just our songs. Not just our words. Not just our theology. We give Him our body. Our desires. Our plans. Our work. Our sexuality. Our money. Our ambitions. Our platform. Our comfort. Our future.

And then Paul adds:

Romans 12:2 NASB 2020

And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.

Why? Because the world is constantly trying to press us into its mold.

The world says, “Live for now.” / The resurrection says, “Live for eternity.”

The world says, “Protect yourself.” / The resurrection says, “Deny yourself and follow Christ.”

The world says, “Comfort is the goal.” / The resurrection says, “Be Holy for He is holy.”

The world says, “Do whatever makes you happy.” / The resurrection says, “Do whatever glorifies God.”

So the question we need to ask ourselves is this: What is shaping the way we live?

Is it the resurrection of Christ, or the spirit of this age?

Is it eternity, or comfort?

Is it the Word of God, or the approval of people?

Beloved, Christ has been raised. And because Christ has been raised,

Our holiness has purpose.

Our obedience has purpose.

Our sacrifice has purpose.

And our fight against sin has purpose.

So do not be deceived.

Wake up.

Sober up.

Stop sinning.

And live like Christ is risen.

1 Peter 1:14–16 NASB 2020

As obedient children, do not be conformed to the former lusts which were yours in your ignorance, but like the Holy One who called you, be holy yourselves also in all your behavior; because it is written: “You shall be holy, for I am holy.”