"A Gospel without the Resurrection?"

1 Corinthians 15:12–28 ESV

12 Now if Christ is proclaimed as raised from the dead, how can some of you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? 13 But 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 preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain. 15 We are even found to be misrepresenting God, because we testified about God that he raised Christ, whom he did not raise if it is true that 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 futile and you are still in your sins. 18 Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. 19 If in Christ we have hope in this life only, we are of all people most to be pitied. 20 But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. 21 For as by a man came death, by a man has come also the resurrection of the dead. 22 For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive. 23 But each in his own order: Christ the firstfruits, then at his coming those who belong to Christ. 24 Then comes the end, when he delivers the kingdom to God the Father after destroying every rule and every authority and power. 25 For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. 26 The last enemy to be destroyed is death. 27 For “God has put all things in subjection under his feet.” But when it says, “all things are put in subjection,” it is plain that he is excepted who put all things in subjection under him. 28 When all things are subjected to him, then the Son himself will also be subjected to him who put all things in subjection under him, that God may be all in all.

We are continuing our study of 1 Corinthians 15 today as we learn about the ultimate revealing of Christ - the resurrection.

Paul builds upon the points that he laid out in our previous passage of the proof of the resurrection through eyewitness accounts of the bodily resurrection of Jesus. He starts by placing the Corinthians in a hypothetical position of what the gospel would be if there was no resurrection at all. That is, if there was no truth to the accounts given by the over 500 witnesses, the gospel message is in trouble. There is no point to it. The denial of the resurrection has dire consequences not only for the Christian faith but for all of humanity in general.

Introduction

We established last week that God’s entrance into human history through Jesus Christ was the pivot point in all of creation. It was the moment in time and space where God moved in a way that only he could have done by placing himself in the muck and mire of humanity for the sole purpose of redeeming all of creation and reconciling us to himself. He did a work that we could not do out of his great love for us. Now, Paul wants us and the Corinthians to understand the enormity of belief and understanding of the resurrection for our salvation.

We are continuing our study of 1 Corinthians 15 today as we learn about the ultimate revealing of Christ - the resurrection.

Paul builds upon the points that he laid out in our previous passage of the proof of the resurrection through eyewitness accounts of the bodily resurrection of Jesus. He starts by placing the Corinthians in a hypothetical position of what the gospel would be if there was no resurrection at all. That is, if there was no truth to the accounts given by the over 500 witnesses, the gospel message is in trouble. There is no point to it. The denial of the resurrection has dire consequences not only for the Christian faith but for all of humanity in general.

We established last week that God’s entrance into human history through Jesus Christ was the pivot point in all of creation. It was the moment in time and space where God moved in a way that only he could have done by placing himself in the muck and mire of humanity for the sole purpose of redeeming all of creation and reconciling us to himself. He did a work that we could not do out of his great love for us. Now, Paul wants us and the Corinthians to understand the enormity of belief and understanding of the resurrection for our salvation.

1. Without the resurrection, our faith is futile, and we are still in our sin. (vs. 12-19)

As we discussed last week, the resurrection is essential to Christian doctrine. For Paul, it is the pillar of the church’s life and faith. The resurrection gives meaning to the cross. Namely, that if Jesus is risen from the dead then his death is not an accident. There is meaning and purpose to the tragedy. It tells us that there is hope because God is reaching even into the grave, and the future is in his hands.

Within Judaism, the idea of a general resurrection was already within the theological perimeters. In Daniel 12:2, it says, “And many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt.” Most scholars believe that the Corinthians did not reject Christ’s resurrection but their own. The primary reason for this goes back to Greek philosophy and the denial of the body and the material world for the spiritual. It may also come from something that we read in 1 Corinthians 11:30, “That is why many of you are weak and ill, and some have died.” Some members had recently died, and other members were expecting them to rise like Jesus within a few days of their deaths.

Paul tells us in 2 Timothy 1:10 that Jesus has come to abolish death and bring life and immortality to light through the gospel. But if there is no resurrection, then Jesus was not raised. And if Jesus is not raised from the dead then the entire message of the gospel is hopeless and hollow. Denying the resurrection means that it attacks the very foundations of the church’s story, and it also devalues our experiences of the Lord. Paul tells us that this cannot be a valid Christian view. If we deny that bodily resurrection happens, we are no longer Christians but something else. Paul has already used authentic proof of Jesus’ resurrection through hundreds of witnesses. Paul outlines the consequences of not believing in a bodily resurrection. The proclamation of the gospel is in vain and therefore the faith of the Corinthians is in vain. This means that Paul and all the apostles are false witnesses, and the message that they preach does not have the power over sin. Instead, they are still enslaved to sin, and their sin is not forgiven.

Also, something that we will get into more next week is apparent. Christ’s death has not been vindicated by God without the resurrection. Throughout scripture, sin and death are inextricably linked together being generated from Adam’s original sin. We, then, can agree with N.T. Wright that “if God has overcome death in the resurrection of Jesus, then the power of sin is broken; but if he hasn’t, it hasn’t.”

If all we have hope in is this life, we are to be pitied more than all humans. That means that the apostles have suffered persecution in vain. All of their suffering was useless because of a false belief. Nothing that we believe or trust matters without the resurrection. There is no reason for us to come to church every week and worship together something that is based on a lie. There is no meaning to anything that we do here week in and week out. This moves us to our second point:

2. Because of the resurrection, we are made alive. (vs. 20-22)

Now, Paul moves from the hypothetical to the reality. The hypothetical is there is no resurrection. The reality is that there is in fact a resurrection, and Jesus’ resurrection gives us the pattern to what our resurrection will be like. He is the first fruits of those who have fallen asleep.

The result of the resurrection of Jesus is that we are now alive and no longer dead. Death does not have the final victory over us. Jesus’ resurrection reverses the curse that was brought upon us through the sin of Adam. If we are in Adam, we die. But if we are in Christ then we will be made alive on account of his resurrection. In order to understand further what Paul is talking about, it is important that we turn to other places in scripture to give us context on what he means. He gives us two contrasting domains for those who are in Adam and those who are in Christ. Those who are in Adam are those who are still lost in their sin. Those who are in Christ are those who have accepted Christ as Lord and Savior.

The first place we need to turn is

Romans 5:12–20 ESV

12 Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned— 13 for sin indeed was in the world before the law was given, but sin is not counted where there is no law. 14 Yet death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over those whose sinning was not like the transgression of Adam, who was a type of the one who was to come. 15 But the free gift is not like the trespass. For if many died through one man’s trespass, much more have the grace of God and the free gift by the grace of that one man Jesus Christ abounded for many. 16 And the free gift is not like the result of that one man’s sin. For the judgment following one trespass brought condemnation, but the free gift following many trespasses brought justification. 17 For if, because of one man’s trespass, death reigned through that one man, much more will those who receive the abundance of grace and the free gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man Jesus Christ. 18 Therefore, as one trespass led to condemnation for all men, so one act of righteousness leads to justification and life for all men. 19 For as by the one man’s disobedience the many were made sinners, so by the one man’s obedience the many will be made righteous. 20 Now the law came in to increase the trespass, but where sin increased, grace abounded all the more,

Christ’s domain is characterized by new life. Jesus tells Martha before he raises Lazarus in John 11:25-26 that he is the resurrection and the life. Those who believe in him will not die but have eternal life. This is a stark contrast to what the result of Adam’s sin has been upon humanity. Without Christ, there is condemnation and separation from God. There is death. What Jesus says to Martha is important in understanding the perspective of the Christian life. Physical death is a reality in this world. Paul does not deny that. However, even before there is a physical resurrection there is a spiritual resurrection that takes place in the believer whereby we enter into eternal life in that moment. It is not something that we pine for at some later date. It is something that is part of our present reality. Those who are in Christ are already living in eternal life in a spiritual sense. But we will be living in eternal life with a physical body because Christ has already shown us the way.

A second place where we find this vision of being made alive comes from Paul’s use of the term “firstfruits.” This is something that is described for us in Leviticus 23:1-22 with the Feast of Weeks. This occasion marked the firstfruits of harvest offered on the third day after the Passover meal, a feast that Paul interprets as a foreshadowing of Christ’s death and resurrection. What is offered as firstfruits is holy and representative of the quality and character of the entire harvest that must eventually follow. Christ’s risen body anticipates the holy harvest of those in Christ who will be raised bodily at his second coming. This moves us to our third and final point:

3. Because of the resurrection, Christ reigns over all things. (vs. 23-28)

Paul’s use of the word “coming” is found in other places throughout his letters - in particular in 1 Thessalonians. The Greek word is “parousia.” It is the image of a pompous entrance of Christ as a king. When Jesus returns, he does so not as one who is condemned and bearing a cross under the authority of Rome. He comes as one who is victorious over sin and death who subdues all the rulers and powers and authorities in this world that are seen and unseen.

Throughout Paul’s theology, we find this notion of something we call the “already/not yet.” There are aspects of what Paul is saying that have already taken place. But the full manifestation of it will not happen until Christ comes again. This is true of what he writes here. There is truth to the fact that Christ is ruling and reigning over all things right now. He is putting all his enemies under his feet. Paul quotes from two psalms, Psalm 110:1 and Psalm 8:6. Both of these are messianic psalms that point to the time when the Messiah would rule over all creation not just Israel. As we see in the world, the message of the gospel changes hearts and lives so that Christ reigns. We also know that all the powers that are in this world do not move without Christ allowing it. He is the one that dictates all things in the world for his purposes and ends through his sovereignty. The vision set forth in Daniel 7 about the Son of Man is an image of what has taken place with the ascension of Christ after his resurrection.

However, we still live in a fallen world where governments and leaders are given the free will to choose to do good and bad. All of us have the free will to obey Christ’s commands or ignore them wholesale. That is where the “not yet” portion of Paul’s eschatology comes into play. Until Jesus returns, there is still going to be sin in the world that has to be dealt with. But there will be a day when Christ returns in fullness and glory to establish the new heaven and new earth that we fine in Revelation 21. It is then that physical and spiritual death will finally be destroyed, and we will be in the presence of God for eternity. In the end, Christ returns to the Father all that was lost through Adam’s sin. The curse of sin and death, principalities and powers, human and demonic, and all things that were separate from the Creator are now reversed and now subjected to and in perfect alignment with the will, purpose, and sovereignty of God. Cosmic harmony is fully restored as God rules unchallenged over all things, and we stand in the light of his glory as a glorified and risen people for all time.

Conclusion

Paul gives us concrete examples of what the effects of the resurrection are on us as believers. Without the resurrection, salvation is not possible. The enemies that keep us enslaved to sin and death have not been defeated. We still live under the curse of Adam’s sin and are separated from God.

But because of the resurrection, Christ has been raised and defeated the enemies of humanity. He has reversed that which Adam set into motion for all of creation because of his disobedience to God. Because Adam wanted to be like God, he abandoned the free gift of God’s love and grace in his life which in turn has cursed us to live our lives in the same way - trying to be our own gods.

Christ has destroyed the power of sin and death through his death and resurrection. Because of that we can live in eternal life even now. We know that in Christ death is no longer something to fear. We too will be raised with a new physical body when he returns to call his church home and establish the new heaven and new earth.

There is no gospel without the resurrection. There is no good news without the resurrection. We are still dead in our sin and have no hope. The secularist and those who would deny the resurrection try to come up with ways to counter the effects of sin and death through their own devices. They try to save themselves through doing things that are good in order to hide the sinfulness that is innate within them. But no matter how much they try to “do good,” it will never be enough to counter the power of sin in their lives. They are dead in their trespasses. Without belief in Christ and the truth of the resurrection, there can be no salvation. Paul is clear in Romans 10:9-10, “9 because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved.” This truth never changes. It is our calling as Christ’s body - the church - to share this good news with the world and bring the power of the resurrection to all people.