Post by foxjj on Sept 30, 2022 7:28:51 GMT
The Resurrection Of Believers
Paul tackles the question of the resurrection of believers when he wrote to the Church at Corinth: “Now if Christ is proclaimed as raised from the dead, how can some of you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? But if there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised.” (1 Corinthians 15:12-13) It is one thing to believe in the resurrection of Jesus Christ, however, not everyone believes that they will also experience resurrection. Resurrection does not just imply life after death, but a continuation of life in our bodies which will be glorified.
When reading this letter, we must bear in mind that Paul is responding to questions asked of him by the Corinthian Church. From these, and the following verses, we see that they were divided concerning the resurrection of believers. The Greek city of Corinth, had many different religions giving various teachings concerning the after life. Even the two main groups within Judaism held opposing views on the afterlife. The Sadducees did not believe in life after death, while the Pharisees did believe in the resurrection of the dead. Consequently, the Corinthian Church was made up of new believers in Jesus coming from many different religious backgrounds, more particularly Jewish.
Paul had spent the previous verse’s of this chapter proving that Christ rose from the dead, now he will speak to the consequences of that resurrection for the followers of Jesus. He starts this section of his letter by stating a profound fact: “if there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised.” If the Corinthian Christians believed that Jesus rose from the dead, then they had at least accepted the principle of resurrection. Paul will now proceed to help them understand that the reality of the resurrection of Jesus is significant concerning the resurrection of all believers.
In verse’s 14-19 he wrote: “And if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain. We are even found to be misrepresenting God, because we testified about God that he raised Christ, whom he did not raise if it is true that the dead are not raised. For if the dead are not raised, not even Christ has been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins.”
These verses show the crux of Paul’s preaching; because God raised Christ from death, there is hope of eternal life for all who believe and have been redeemed. If Jesus has not been raised then he, Paul, is a false teacher because, the resurrection is at the core of his preaching. When Paul preaches the resurrection of Christ he is proclaiming that Jesus was Devine, as he wrote in Romans 1:4 where he stated that Jesus: “was declared to be the Son of God in power according to the Spirit of holiness by his resurrection from the dead.”
In verse’s 18 & 19 of first Corinthians 15, Paul makes a devastating statement concerning the consequences of the argument for not believing in the resurrection: “Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. If in Christ we have hope in this life only, we are of all people most to be pitied.” If there is no resurrection, than all who have put their faith in Christ have no eternal future. Paul, and the other believers who preach Christ are to be pitied because, all that they have endured for the Gospel is in vain. On the other hand Romans 8:11 gives eternal hope: “If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you.”
In verse 20 of 1 Corinthians 15 Paul confirms the truth of the Resurrection of Jesus: “But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.” This verse refers back to the offering of the first fruits of the harvest onto the Lord in Old Testament times as required in Leviticus 23:9-12. What Paul is teaching here is that, just as the first sheaf of the harvest was offered as a token representing the whole harvest, so The Lord Jesus was the first fruits of the resurrection onto eternal life, of which you and I also have the blessed hope of participating, because, Jesus is now our guarantee of resurrection. All honor and glory to His Name.
Today, let us give praise to our Resurrected Savior.
John Joseph Fox.
Paul tackles the question of the resurrection of believers when he wrote to the Church at Corinth: “Now if Christ is proclaimed as raised from the dead, how can some of you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? But if there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised.” (1 Corinthians 15:12-13) It is one thing to believe in the resurrection of Jesus Christ, however, not everyone believes that they will also experience resurrection. Resurrection does not just imply life after death, but a continuation of life in our bodies which will be glorified.
When reading this letter, we must bear in mind that Paul is responding to questions asked of him by the Corinthian Church. From these, and the following verses, we see that they were divided concerning the resurrection of believers. The Greek city of Corinth, had many different religions giving various teachings concerning the after life. Even the two main groups within Judaism held opposing views on the afterlife. The Sadducees did not believe in life after death, while the Pharisees did believe in the resurrection of the dead. Consequently, the Corinthian Church was made up of new believers in Jesus coming from many different religious backgrounds, more particularly Jewish.
Paul had spent the previous verse’s of this chapter proving that Christ rose from the dead, now he will speak to the consequences of that resurrection for the followers of Jesus. He starts this section of his letter by stating a profound fact: “if there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised.” If the Corinthian Christians believed that Jesus rose from the dead, then they had at least accepted the principle of resurrection. Paul will now proceed to help them understand that the reality of the resurrection of Jesus is significant concerning the resurrection of all believers.
In verse’s 14-19 he wrote: “And if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain. We are even found to be misrepresenting God, because we testified about God that he raised Christ, whom he did not raise if it is true that the dead are not raised. For if the dead are not raised, not even Christ has been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins.”
These verses show the crux of Paul’s preaching; because God raised Christ from death, there is hope of eternal life for all who believe and have been redeemed. If Jesus has not been raised then he, Paul, is a false teacher because, the resurrection is at the core of his preaching. When Paul preaches the resurrection of Christ he is proclaiming that Jesus was Devine, as he wrote in Romans 1:4 where he stated that Jesus: “was declared to be the Son of God in power according to the Spirit of holiness by his resurrection from the dead.”
In verse’s 18 & 19 of first Corinthians 15, Paul makes a devastating statement concerning the consequences of the argument for not believing in the resurrection: “Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. If in Christ we have hope in this life only, we are of all people most to be pitied.” If there is no resurrection, than all who have put their faith in Christ have no eternal future. Paul, and the other believers who preach Christ are to be pitied because, all that they have endured for the Gospel is in vain. On the other hand Romans 8:11 gives eternal hope: “If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you.”
In verse 20 of 1 Corinthians 15 Paul confirms the truth of the Resurrection of Jesus: “But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.” This verse refers back to the offering of the first fruits of the harvest onto the Lord in Old Testament times as required in Leviticus 23:9-12. What Paul is teaching here is that, just as the first sheaf of the harvest was offered as a token representing the whole harvest, so The Lord Jesus was the first fruits of the resurrection onto eternal life, of which you and I also have the blessed hope of participating, because, Jesus is now our guarantee of resurrection. All honor and glory to His Name.
Today, let us give praise to our Resurrected Savior.
John Joseph Fox.
