1 Corinthians 15:1-58

Resurrection

This is a long chapter, so let's break it down.

First, Jesus Christ died for our sins & fulfilled prophecy, exactly as the Old Testament says. After His resurrection, Jesus appeared to many people who at the time of Paul's letter were still alive to give an eyewitness account. Jesus also appeared to Paul, even though he was doing everything in his power to destroy the church. This encounter gave Paul a new purpose & passion, which he is accomplishing by relying fully on God.

Now, since we believe all of these things, why would we not believe in the resurrection of the saints? This was a false teaching then & it's a false teaching now. Some Corinthians were influenced by Greek culture that said that we would not be resurrected in new glorified bodies, instead we would live forever as pure spirits (this is a new age theory). Others believed the Pharisees opinion that there was nothing after death (agnostic/atheist believe).

So, Paul is going to drive home a few points now:

1. If there is no resurrection of corpses, then Jesus was not resurrected. This then undermines the Christian faith, for it is built on Jesus' resurrection. Death came through Adam's disobedience. Eternal life comes through Jesus' resurrection - He overcame death for us.



2. Why would Paul keep risking his neck for something that doesn't exist. This man was beaten, imprisoned, and run out of town after town. If he wasn't fully convinced of the resurrection he would not be willing to risk so much. (It's not written here, but the other apostles faced the same troubles. Many of them were martyred for their believes.)



3. Asking for proof is absurd. You don't know what a tomato will look like by examining the seed, so why do you think one would know what the resurrected body will look like. Understand that God tells us this body will be good and alive, placed in the perfection of heaven. Our first bodies were made out of earth. Our resurrected bodies will be made out of heaven. If we believe all the other things He tells us, why would we doubt this?



4. Our earthly bodies are dying a little each day, so we do we think we would be taking these death things into the place of eternal life?



5. Finally, at the End of Days, those still alive will hear a trumpet blast & they will find themselves in heaven with changed eternal bodies. Those in the grave will be raised & find themselves in new bodies. Everyone will be changed - the perishable will become imperishable, the mortal will become immortal. Why would we doubt this prophecy when every prophecy concerning the first coming of the Messiah was fulfilled?

So, if you believe that the Bible is ultimate truth written by God, why would you deny what it says? To believe in the resurrection, new ageism, or atheism requires faith. Stand firm in your Christian faith! Know that Scripture backs you & it's never wrong!