Twin City church of Christ Blog
“May 16, 2024 - Why Resurrection Matters”
Categories: 2024 Reading DevotionalsWhy Resurrection Matters
Reading: 1 Corinthians 15:12-19
Having established that the gospel message includes the resurrection of Jesus, Paul comes to his point: “Now if Christ is proclaimed as raised from the dead, how can some of you say that there is no resurrection of the dead?”(1 Cor 15:12). Some of the Corinthians believe that “there is no resurrection of the dead”—probably referring to a general resurrection of the dead at the end of time. Jews believed this while Greeks often struggled with it (Acts 17:32). Yet Paul stresses that arguing against resurrection does more than just describe current humanity; it also guts the gospel of its power because it means that Jesus has not been raised. “But if there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised”(1 Cor 15:13). Now we’ve got problems.
Paul spells it out: apostolic preaching is worthless, Corinthian faith is worthless, the apostles are liars, all believers are still in their sins, and those who have died in hope of resurrection are simply gone (1 Cor 15:14-18). In Paul’s logic, we are putting our faith in a dead man and the apostles are encouraging others to believe in this dead man. Every time Paul affirms that Jesus rose from the dead (as he has just done, v. 4-8), he is bearing false witness about God. We are not forgiven of our sins because Jesus does not live to make intercession for us. “If in Christ we have hope in this life only, we are of all people most to be pitied”(1 Cor 15:19). Christianity without resurrection is a powerless delusion.
Can God raise dead people and give them new life? It is a question that has both personal and cosmic implications. Yet Paul argues that God has already proven that he can and will do this. The proof is in Jesus. Because Jesus has been raised, apostolic preaching and witness are powerful and life-giving. Because Jesus is raised, we are saved from our sins. Because Jesus has been raised, those who have died in Christ will live again. The resurrection is the key to everything.
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One Thing to Think About: Why might we be tempted to argue that “there is no resurrection of the dead”?
One Thing to Pray For: A deeper, richer hope in the resurrection—for others and myself
