©2002 Pastor Tom Miles

This chapter is perhaps more important than any other chapter of 1st Corinthians.  This particular chapter includes a very well versed argument pertaining to Christianity.  Paul introduces a discussion of the resurrection so as to use it to validate the truth of Christianity.  The Corinthian's like many today are torn between divisions, questions and fears pertaining to religion and its validity.  This chapter can be divided into four sections with each section having a question:

1.      1 Corinthians 15:1-34: Is there a resurrection of the dead?
2.      1 Corinthians 15: 35-51: What will our resurrected body look like?
3.      1 Corinthians 15:52-54: What will happen to those still alive at Jesus’ return?
4.      1 Corinthians 15:55-58:  What is the realistic influence of the doctrine found in this chapter?

With this introduction let us begin looking at Chapter 15:  In verse one Paul is enlightening the Corinthian's to the Gospel that he had preached to them.  Paul informs them that this same Gospel is what they should be preaching!  This Gospel is the same that Paul had given to them before with one exception--this time he is adding a special reference to the resurrection of Christ.  He is also referring to the position we as Believers have in Christ.  Paul states that this Gospel and the resurrection of Christ is the foundation of the church and all of our hopes lie within this message.

Paul states in verse two that it is Christ that saves them and also that it is the Gospel of Christ that needs to be preached.  Many churches have both believers and unbelievers within their ranks and many of the unbelievers are often close to receiving Christ as savior.  Many though are two faced so to speak and walk a thin line between serving Christ and serving the world.  Paul feels that it is important that the truth of the Gospel be preached and that all know it is necessary to receive the Gospel of Christ and also to witness and preach that Gospel otherwise as Believers we are simply living a lie!

Christ died for our sins and this is the message Paul delivers in verse three and it is the same message he continues to deliver and it is according to the Scriptures.  Paul states he received it which means it came to him by inspiration from Christ.  Christ is our atonement for sins and the message of Christ came first to us in the Old Testament Scriptures.

Verse four has Paul proving his witness/message from the scriptures: Matthew 16:21; John 2:20; Acts 2:24; Psalms 16:10-11; Isaiah 53:10-12; and Hosea 6:2.

Paul next assures us that many people saw Jesus after His resurrection.  First He appeared to Cephas traveling on the road to Emmaus.  Next He appeared to the twelve.  The actual number is eleven but most say twelve to refer to the group as a whole, which was first, twelve and then after the betrayal by Judas was eleven and then filled back up to twelve.

Jesus then appears to over five hundred followers at one time (vs. 7).  Most likely it was in Galilee although the place of this visitation is not known it seems probable because Christ did the majority of His ministry in Galilee.  The only references we have to the possibility of it being Galilee can be found in Matthew 28:10 to 16.  Paul goes on to say that the majority of the ones that saw Christ after His resurrection are still alive at the present time of his writing and they can be questioned as to the proof of what they saw.  How much more proof could you want than to have over 500 eyewitnesses even though some that saw Him have since died the greater part of them still remain.  Having said they are fallen asleep causes one to think their deaths were peaceful and why shouldn't they have been with the knowledge they had of waking again to be with Christ in heaven!

Next in verse seven Paul states James saw that Jesus.  It does not say which James, the son of Alpheus or the son of Zebedee but one thing we know for sure is he was known by Jesus and others because he was mentioned by name.  Next it is said that Jesus appeared to the all of the apostles.  Some believe that this number includes the 72 spoken of in Luke 10:1 And, after these things, the Lord appointed seventy two others, and sent them forth, two and two before his face, into every city and place whither, he himself, was about to come.

Paul says in verse eight that even he saw Christ when he appeared to him on the road to Damascus.  This vision of Paul's of Jesus is not an actual visitation in the body as the others but it gives note to the validity of Paul's words to the Corinthians as being called of Christ to preach the Gospel.

Verses 9 to 11 tell us that Paul was an avid Pharisee.  He was an enemy of the Christians.  We can read in Acts 9:1-3 how he even captured Christians and persecuted them.  It was because of these things Paul felt unworthy to be an Apostle.  It was also because of these things that Paul became the very humble servant of Christ.  Paul received from God kindness and grace as he worked diligently to further the kingdom of God.  Paul had true humility!  Paul knew he was unworthy but also knew that because of God in him he was now made worthy of the calling.  Paul recognized this calling and labored even more then the other apostles.  He did this not to brag but to teach and show that true power and worth come from God and no matter who did what the only thing that truly counts is what was or is done for Christ!  Paul's example is one that shows us that no matter who you are now or who you were before--God in all of His love and mercy can and will use you in a miraculous way if you will just let Him!  And it also shows that we will be persecuted at times for our stand for Christ.  But as we look at the life of Paul we can see that God also gives strength and we will have the strength needed to overcome any persecution.  Father, help me to overcome when trials and fiery darts come against me! Let me hold strong to my faith and love for You--going forth always as a witness and example of Christ!

Paul tells us in verses 12 to 14 that Corinth was deep into the Greek culture and they believed only the soul was resurrected not the body!  Paul is teaching though that according to Christian belief the body and the soul are resurrected--a new body not the old one we died in!  Paul says if there is no resurrection then there will be no church as the bride of Christ and if no bride then no plan for God's fullness in Christ!  And without a living Christ the Gospel and our faith are null and void!  Our servitude to Christ would be empty and fruitless having no reality!

In the next four verses Paul explains that the center of the Christian faith is the resurrection of Christ.  It is because of the resurrection of Christ that we believe in His Gospel.  It is because of His resurrection that we have the certainty that our sins are forgiven and we have the hope of eternal life.  Because Christ rose and defeated death and hell we also know we will be raised with Him on that last day!  It is the truth of the resurrection that gives strength to our hope and faith of eternal life in heaven!

Paul says in verse 19 that if there were no resurrection then we would have no hope of eternal life.  If Christ, in other words, did not die, go to the grave and then rise from the dead why would Paul have preached it with all the persecutions and trials that Christians faced in Paul's day--the Christian life was not an easy one, nor is it an easy one today!

Christ was the first one raised from the dead says Paul in verse 20.  Others had been raised from the dead but they also died again--Christ though rose and continued to live.  Unlike Lazarus and the others that still died a natural death after having been raised from the dead Christ still lives today.    Through Adam and Eve sin came into this world but now through Jesus sin is overcome says Paul in verse 21.  Paul gives an explanation of this in Romans 5:12 to 21.  In verse 22 Paul says because of sin through Adam we are all born to eventually die a physical death unless Christ returns while we still live.  But until that time those that die a physical death in Christ have the promise of resurrection.

Verses 23 and 24 talks about the resurrection order--first Christ then the resurrection of the dead in Christ (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18) and then the resurrection of those that still live and are in Christ with the final resurrection being after the conquer of all evil!

Now in verses 25 to 28 we see that God began putting to death all types of evil when man first fell.  And until all evil is conquered Christ will reign.  God will put all things under Christ and He will reign supreme in His battle to defeat all evil on earth.  Christ's battle has already defeated sin and death on the cross and during the final days Christ will reign victorious over Satan and all remaining evils.  All that is not of God will be defeated.  It will be seen in the last days that the world is out of control but God truly will have control and on that final day Jesus will present to the Father a victorious church free from all evil!  God will be all in all!  Father, keep me close to You and in Your bosom always--loving me and guiding me by Your Holy Spirit so as to help battle the evil in the world!

Now, verse 29 is a very difficult passage of scripture.  Paul is still addressing the issue of resurrection and this passage refers to a Greek custom of baptism in proxy!  People would be baptized in place of those that had died without baptism, but knowing Christ!  Paul I believe did not condone this or believe it was of Christ or he would have gone deeper into this thought.  The main point of this passage I believe is that if Christ did not die and rise  life and our hope of eternal life is futile!  Many have attempted to discern this passage and nowhere else in the Word can we find scripture to back up this practice. I believe there are probably as many interpretations to this verse as there are commentators!  I do not want to go into the semantics of this verse because I am of the class that God made His Word for our understanding so let me simply make a few comments I feel the Spirit is leading towards:  The resurrection of Christ was the evidence of His reality and our baptism into Christ through salvation is our reality of eternal life with Him.  In Romans 6:3-7 we read this: 3 Or are ye ignorant that all we who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? 4 We were buried therefore with him through baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we also might walk in newness of life. 5 For if we have become united with him in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection; 6 knowing this, that our old man was crucified with him, that the body of sin might be done away, that so we should no longer be in bondage to sin; 7 for he that hath died is justified from sin.   From this passage I believe it is clear that everyone that died believing in Christ died believing in the resurrection.  Knowing that all that died in Christ would rise again because they were baptized of the same faith!

Paul goes on in verse 30 to say that if there was nothing after death--then why not just live for the moment--have no thought for anything other than self-satisfaction!  Paul next says that because of his love for them and his love for Christ he gives his all and risks his life daily for the cause of Christ!  And going on in verse 32 if there is no hope of eternal life what then do we have?  We might as well live for the pleasure of the evil of this world.  Paul is basically saying that if a believer we should stay away from sin and all types of evil company because they only lead to evil and death defeating the cause.  Verse 34 tells us to cast away the self-righteous worldly plans and motives we have and remove sin from our life.  Paul is speaking to all at this point and especially to those that do not yet know God!

Paul changes direction in the next four verses slightly and begins to address the question of what our resurrection bodies will look like.  Paul compares a seed being planted in the ground to resurrection.  When you plant a seed it first dies then it resurrects bringing forth a new life!  And the growth that will be the new life is not as the seed sown but instead is something new and glorious--of the seed but new and vibrant!  God causes the seed to die and then resurrect.  In verses 39 to 41 Paul proves that God is able to give new bodies to all resurrected believers.  He can do this just as easily as He first created all life and all of creation.  Since God originally created us He can recreate us with a new body full of life and things God desires!  Next Paul says that our present bodies will not last forever and will rot in the ground when buried!  Our Spiritual bodies though will not be governed by the laws of nature meaning they will never die, will never get sick, tired, or weak--they will be new and glorious bodies.

Verse 45 has Paul saying that Christ is the last Adam meaning that He rose from the grave full of life and became our hope of eternal life!  Here in 46 Paul explains also that we must first receive physical natural life and then after that comes Spiritual life!  Paul says in 47 that the first man came from the earth (physical) and the second man will come from heaven (God) giving us eternal life! In verse 48 Paul says that just as we are in this earthly body we will also be when we take on our heavenly body!  Here on earth we have earthly physical bodies that fall to desires, sickness, and such. But with our new heavenly bodies they will never be sick or fall to evil desires!  Paul says in 49 that our resurrection body will be like that of Christ's!

For us to actually enter heaven our bodies must first be entirely changed.  We must undergo a change casting off this flesh and blood that we now are housed in and receive the new Spiritual body free from any flaw.  Verses 51 and 53 proclaim a mystery  something we have never known before!  What is this mystery other than the fact that we will not all sleep/die but we will all be changed!  Believers living at the end of the world will not die!  These believers will experience a change similar to that of the dead in Christ!  This change will be an immortal body, incorruptible and spiritual!  53 says that we must take on the new life, the new imperishable body just as the dead will take on the imperishable body.  The perishable is the dead in Christ--the mortal is the living in Christ!

Verses 54 to 57 say that death is swallowed up in victory!  This means that death is totally done away with!  It has been abolished--written out of the plan of life--totally defeated by Christ Jesus!  And when the dead are raised and the living caught up with them it will be to reign with Christ thus fulfilling what was said in Isaiah 25:8: He hath swallowed up death for ever; and the Lord Jehovah will wipe away tears from off all faces; and the reproach of his people will he take away from off all the earth: for Jehovah hath spoken it.    “Thy sting” that which terrified men (Hosea 13:14:I will ransom them from the power of Sheol; I will redeem them from death: O death, where are thy plagues? O Sheol, where is thy destruction? Repentance shall be hid from mine eyes) is now gone!  “Thy victory” speaking of death's victory over men, “the sting of death” which makes death so terrible is sin but thanks be to God--victory is ours through one Jesus Christ!  This chapter closes giving us a challenge to be firm in our belief in the resurrection and to hold on to the solid hope of eternal life for the service we have given for God!   Because of Christ our labors will not be in vain.

Father, give me the endurance to hold on till the end!  Give me the victory over evil through Christ!  Let me walk in boldness holding on to truth of Christ's resurrection being not afraid to proclaim that truth to the world in Jesus name, Amen!

Where Jesus is Lord!
Living Vine Ministries
Pastor Thomas Miles

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