In I Corinthians 15, we have a lot going on. The first part, however, is Paul addressing the issue of the resurrection of Jesus Christ. This one element is a fundamental doctrine in the Christian faith, because everything else that we believe really hinges on the fact that there was a resurrection of Jesus Christ.
There is a worldview which excludes the very concept of a resurrection. They find it ludicrous. They believe in the idea of science as a closed system, and matter is all that is of significance. So, if you can't see it, touch it, hear it, smell it, or taste it, then it's just not real. They believe that the only way we know things is through our senses and through observation of that which is in nature, which means that by definition there is no supernatural.
I Corinthians 15:1-2- Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand; By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain.
Paul is pointing out that you are saved by the gospel, and if you don't believe the gospel then your faith in Christ is futile. And, what is the gospel that Paul was preaching?
I Corinthians 15:3-4- For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:
People of Paul's day were also questioning whether this was an actual event or a myth that had grown to grandiose proportions. Paul is giving arguments to prove that this is an actual event.
They want to separate the Jesus of history from the Jesus of Biblical narrative. They want to hold Jesus in high esteem as a moral, historical figure, but not as the Son of God. They will honor and revere Him as prophet, a wonderful man, a wise teacher, but not as the resurrected redeemer of mankind.
Christians today deal with the same arguments that Paul was dealing with right there in Corinth. The resurrection of Jesus Christ was prophesied in the Old Testament along with the prophecy of His birth, many times in the same passage of Scripture.
Paul is saying that if you believe the gospel as he has preached it, the death and burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ, then you are saved, but if you are believing anything else then you are lost. If you are believing something more or something less than the gospel, boiled down to those 3 points, then your faith is in vain- it's pointless.
Let's say, for example, that when I am sitting in a chair, and when I stand up to deliver my message someone behind me removed the chair without me realizing it while I was standing. I finish my lecture and take a step back to sit in that chair. Now, here's the question, "do I believe with every fiber of my being that that chair is there?" Yes, I do. Will my belief catch me? No, because the object of my belief is gone.
Your faith is only meaningful if the object of your faith is meaningful. If the object of your faith no longer exists, Jesus crucified and risen from the dead, then your faith is futile.
When you deny the essential doctrines of the Christian faith, you are not a Christian. It's belief in the gospel that saves your soul. Paul gives you the gospel here which includes the death, burial, and resurrection, and tells you in Romans 10 that you must believe and confess it to be saved.
Romans 10:9- That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.
Your confession is empty vanity if you don't believe it. What is it that you are putting your faith in if Christ didn't raise from the dead?
I Corinthians 15:5-8- And that he was seen of Cephas, then of the twelve: After that, he was seen of above five hundred brethren at once; of whom the greater part remain unto this present, but some are fallen asleep. After that, he was seen of James; then of all the apostles. And last of all he was seen of me also, as of one born out of due time.
Next, Paul is saying that you don't just have to take his word for it. There were others that saw Christ in His resurrected body. Not just the apostles, but over 500 others, many of whom were still alive at the time of Paul's writing. Paul is telling them to go talk to these people and verify what he is saying.
Just a note, some people might argue that Christ couldn't have appeared to the twelve disciples like Paul is testifying because Judas was dead. Their point is true, but they need to look further in the Scriptures for the answer. Yes, Judas hanged himself before Christ was raised from the dead. But, if you read Acts 1 you will see Judas was replaced by Matthias.
Acts 1:15-26- And in those days Peter stood up in the midst of the disciples, and said, (the number of names together were about an hundred and twenty,) Men and brethren, this scripture must needs have been fulfilled, which the Holy Ghost by the mouth of David spake before concerning Judas, which was guide to them that took Jesus. For he was numbered with us, and had obtained part of this ministry. Now this man purchased a field with the reward of iniquity; and falling headlong, he burst asunder in the midst, and all his bowels gushed out. And it was known unto all the dwellers at Jerusalem; insomuch as that field is called in their proper tongue, Aceldama, that is to say, The field of blood. For it is written in the book of Psalms, Let his habitation be desolate, and let no man dwell therein: and his bishoprick let another take. Wherefore of these men which have companied with us all the time that the Lord Jesus went in and out among us, Beginning from the baptism of John, unto that same day that he was taken up from us, must one be ordained to be a witness with us of his resurrection. And they appointed two, Joseph called Barsabas, who was surnamed Justus, and Matthias. And they prayed, and said, Thou, Lord, which knowest the hearts of all men, shew whether of these two thou hast chosen, That he may take part of this ministry and apostleship, from which Judas by transgression fell, that he might go to his own place. And they gave forth their lots; and the lot fell upon Matthias; and he was numbered with the eleven apostles.
Matthias had to have been with Jesus and the disciples from the beginning- the baptism of John, and also had to have witnessed the resurrected Jesus to be able to take the place of Judas. When Paul met with the disciples in Jerusalem, it was with Matthias in attendance. So, Paul is referencing the 12 apostles with Matthias as one of the 12.
So Paul is giving the Corinthians the gospel, which includes the resurrection, and then he's telling them to go check it out because there are eyewitnesses who can testify to the fact.
I Corinthians 15:12-19-Now if Christ be preached that he rose from the dead, how say some among you that there is no resurrection of the dead? But if there be no resurrection of the dead, then is Christ not risen: And if Christ be not risen, then is our preaching vain, and your faith is also vain. Yea, and we are found false witnesses of God; because we have testified of God that he raised up Christ: whom he raised not up, if so be that the dead rise not. For if the dead rise not, then is not Christ raised: And if Christ be not raised, your faith is vain; ye are yet in your sins. Then they also which are fallen asleep in Christ are perished. If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable.
Paul goes on to preach a little sermon outline here. He is saying if you don't believe the resurrection then the following points apply to you:
1) There's no point in being called a Christian because it's just another religion that will lead to nothing substantial. It's a bunch of rules and regulations that might make your life a little better, but with all the persecution the church was facing at that time it would have been quite doubtful.
2) Preaching is pointless. The foundation of our preaching the gospel is the resurrection of Christ. Your soul doesn't have to spend eternity in hell for sin because Christ paid it all- death proved He was human and the resurrection proved He was God.
3) Your faith is vain because the object of your faith is non-existent. If you don't believe in a resurrected Christ, then you have nothing to believe in as far as Christianity goes.
4) We are misrepresenting God. We are telling people that God sent His only begotten Son to pay our sin debt and that He raised Christ from the dead as proof of His divinity when that never happened.
5) We are charlatans. There really is logically no other option, because that is what he is preaching, and if you insist it didn't happen then you are by default calling him a liar.
6) You are still in your sins. Your sin couldn't have been paid because Jesus was just a good man who died a inconsequential death. You are still under the wrath of God and awaiting the judgment of God.
7) Your dead loved ones are gone with no hope of ever seeing them again.
I Corinthians 15:20- But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept.
But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, and because He lives so will you if you accept His gift of salvation. He's the firstfruits, meaning there will come more after Him.
I Corinthians 15:49- And as we have borne the image of the earthy, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly.
Paul concludes this chapter with the greatest description of the rapture that is in the Bible. He tells us we can look forward to eternity in a new, glorified body in heaven because Jesus Christ was raised, and we will also be raised.
Romans 1:16- For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.
We believe the gospel, which includes the resurrection, because it is the power of God unto salvation. And, it is available to whosoever will accept it.
