1st Corinthians 15

Jesus and the Resurrection

  1. The Gospel

    1. Men are saved by it if they truly believe

    2. Paul has delivered it to them the way he received it

    3. The major incident: Christ died for our sins then rose again 3 days later

      1. He was seen alive again by Cephas, the 12 apostles, and then by over 500 people. Most of which are still alive.

        1. Paul describes those who have passed as ‘sleeping’

      2. He was seen by James then the apostles again and now Paul

        1. Paul says he is the least of the apostles because of how he persecuted so many Christians beforehand

        2. But by God’s grace he has become who he is and he has worked hard to not let it be in vain

  2. Significance of the Resurrection

    1. Christ rose from the dead but some corinthians still say there is no resurrection of the dead. Paul questions this.

    2. If Christ is not risen, the their preaching and faith are empty

    3. They would be false witnesses unto God if Jesus never rose

    4. So if Christ never rose, faith is futile and sins are still one’s death

      1. Those who have died trusting in Christ would be dead forever

    5. Jesus’ resurrection was the first fruit of our own resurrection

    6. Since death became by man, then resurrection also became by a man

      1. All in Adam and Eve die, but those in Christ live

    7. Jesus received resurrection first then every one else who believes in him follows

    8. Then at the end, he will deliver the kingdom to the Father and put an end to all earthly authority and rule

      1. He will reign until all enemies are trampled and death, the final enemy, is destroyed

      2. But the Son and the Father are not superior to each other but equal parts of a whole

        1. Still each part of the trinity wishes to glorify the others with them all being equal

    9. Evens pagans believe in the resurrection because they baptize for the dead (not a good thing but it shows they believe)

    10. If there were no resurrection, what’s the point in spreading the Gospel at risk of your life?

      1. As Paul was a former christian hunter and has been imprisoned many a time.

      2. In this time, anyone believing in Christ “dies daily” meaning they live openly in a time where they could be persecuted.

    11. If there’s no resurrection, then life does not matter since everyone has sinned. So why not just eat and drink since there’s a possibility you’ll die tomorrow?

  3. Paul warns Corinthians with this lack of resurrection belief to not be decieved

    1. It is the company they keep with unbelieving jews and pagans that corrupts them

    2. Yet he quotes a pagan play to show that you can be around them but to keep the enlightened way of thinking withiut succombing to worldly morals.

  4. Someone will ask how the dead are raised and with what body?

    1. Paul says our living bodies are growing into our resurrection ones

    2. Burying a believer is like sowing a seed

    3. We only sow plant seeds

    4. But God sows the seed of a body and gives them a new body

    5. There are many kinds of flesh, like bird, fish, etc

    6. But there are also celestial and terrestrial bodies

    7. We have terrestrial/earthly bodies

    8. The glory of them is different

    9. But there will be different glories for each celestial such as the sun, moon, and stars are different celestial bodies

    10. There will be various degrees of glory for those in heaven

    11. Our terrestrial bodies are different from our celestial bodies in many ways

      1. Corrupt vs incorruptible

      2. Dishonored vs gloried

      3. Weak vs powerful

      4. Natural vs Spiritual

    12. Adam lived a natural body initially but ended in a life-giving spirit

    13. The body is made from natural dust the second from God himself

    14. The heavenly body will resemble that of Jesus (not beard and male but healed and splendid)

  5. Resurrection: Natural things cannot inherit the kingdom

    1. Nor does the corrupt inherit incorruptibles

    2. Not all Christians will die but all will be changed (in the final generation during/right before Christ’s return)

    3. At the last trumpet, the dead will rise and all will be changed

    4. The corruptible must be incorruptible

    5. The mortal must become immortal

    6. And in that moment, death will be defeated with Jesus as the victor

  6. Therefore: Be immovable, vigilant, and ready. As nobody knows the day or the hour.

    1. And know that anything done in the Lord is not in vain.