Good morning church! A warm welcome to all who have joined us at the hall and who have joined us online this morning. Hope you are doing well.
As a church we’ve been going through this series titled The Church: God’s Dwelling Place from the letter of 1st Corinthians. What we’ve learnt so far is that when the Bible uses the word “church”, it’s not referring to a building, an organization or a Sunday event that we attend. The church is the redeemed people of God among whom God dwells.
And because the church is referring to the redeemed people of God who are not perfect yet, we’re bound to see issues, struggles and conflict between them. This is what we see taking place in the Corinthian church and yet God hasn’t given up on them and still calls them as His dwelling place. In fact this letter is used as a means of grace to correct them and draw them to repentance.
That should give hope and encouragement to us today even as we look inwards and see issues, struggles and conflict. This letter should remind us that God has not given up on us but still graciously calls us His dwelling place! And in His grace He won’t leave us where we’re at but is using this letter as a means of grace to correct us and draw us to repentance.
Today we arrive at this passage of 1 Corinthians 15 where we see issues in their theology – issues in their understanding of God especially around their understanding of the resurrection.
At the sound of this, I know it seems like a topic which is relevant to only seminary circles but that’s not the case.
What we will see today and in the next couple of weeks is that this understanding of the resurrection has deep implications as to how we live our lives in the here and now.
Your understanding about the resurrection will affect the way you work. Your understanding about the resurrection will affect your faithfulness in your current stage in life (either as a single person or married). Your understanding about the resurrection will affect the way you make your future plans (where to live, work).
Your understanding about the resurrection will affect the way you commit to a local church. Your understanding about the resurrection will affect the way you look at your suffering in this life. Your understanding about the resurrection will affect the way you view death – death of a loved one or the eventuality of us passing away one day.
As you can see the resurrection affects and impacts every aspect of our life because it’s closely tied to what we truly believe about our future state in eternity. What this passage boils down to is that Christ’s resurrection (and what it does to us) is our only sure foundation.
[12] Now if Christ is proclaimed as raised from the dead, how can some of you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? [13] But if there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised.
The background to this passage is that there were some in the Corinthian church who were denying that there was life after death. This seemed to have been affected by the Greco Roman culture where they believed in life in the here and now.
They were basically saying “jiyo, mauj manao, ash karo sirf ye zindagi ke liye”. One of the executive directors at work once said this “hum log kiske liye jeete hai? Khaane ke liye hi jeete hai.” And we can replace that khaana with anything in the world – shaadi, shopping, traveling etc.
And so recognizing this false understanding that some in the Corinthian church had, Paul wanted to address it.
But the way he addresses it is different from how we would expect. Instead of looking ahead to the future resurrection and providing proofs for what will bring it about (that’s how I would tackle it), Paul looks back to Christ’s resurrection event and tries to build a case from there.
In fact he tries to answer it from the negative. His point is that if as believers in Christ, we’re not going to experience a physical bodily resurrection, then even Christ’s physical bodily resurrection didn’t take place. Christ’s resurrection should be considered a fraud. It should be considered as bogus. Christ’s resurrection should be considered as an urban legend.
In other words, Paul is saying that Christ’s resurrection wasn’t just an isolated event that took place 2000 years ago with no bearing on anyone else. On the contrary he’s arguing that Christ’s resurrection has deep implications for us in the present and also for our futures.
[14] And if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain.
He’s carrying forward that argument from the negative. If Christ didn’t rise, then our preaching and your faith is in vain. That word “vain” means empty, meaningless, useless.
Christ’s resurrection was central to Paul’s preaching. It wasn’t a side note. It wasn’t a minor disclaimer. It was the main thing!
Paul’s saying that if Jesus didn’t really rise from the dead, then all of his preaching amounted to nothing. It didn’t really matter. He was just wasting everyone’s time.
Not only was he wasting everyone’s time, but if Christ didn’t rise from the dead, then our faith simply has nothing to stand on. If Christ didn’t rise from the dead, then what are we believers for? The sum quality of our faith would be empty and useless. It’s like going to a gold jewelry store to exchange your old gold ornaments only to find out that it wasn’t real gold – it was gold plated but not real.
That’s how important & significant the resurrection should be to us. It’s not a simple side note to the Gospel. It’s not just a dramatic historical event. Our preaching and faith hinges on the certainty & confidence of Christ’s resurrection. If Christ didn’t rise, then we are all wasting our time this morning.
[15] 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.
If Christ didn’t rise from the dead, not only is our preaching and faith in vain, but also that Paul would be guilty of misrepresenting God – which means a false witness. He would be guilty of being a false witness by saying that God raised His Son Jesus Christ from the dead if that didn’t happen.
Paul saw his calling as a preacher of the Gospel as one who was just an honest witness of what really took place – that’s precisely what the word “testify” means. He was just giving a ground report on the reality of the resurrection.
He wasn’t supposed to add his own “tadka” to make it more palatable to the ears of the Corinthians because the goal was not to draw crowds but reveal the grace of God to people.
That should encourage us to know that that’s the scope of our responsibility whenever we have the opportunity to share the Gospel with someone. Many times we think we have to make it more engaging especially when we are connecting with unbelievers. But I think this passage should inform us that we don’t have to add or subtract anything from the Gospel.
Our responsibility is simply to testify – give an honest ground report of who God is, what our sin problem is, what has Jesus done for us to save us and what are we called to do in response to His saving work. That’s it! That should lift up the burden from us who think that we don’t have the storytelling or oratory skills to be a good evangelist. God is not calling us to that, He’s asking us to bear witness, testify, give an honest ground report.
[16] For if the dead are not raised, not even Christ has been raised. [17] And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins.
Paul repeats the same theme in V16 again – if we have no hope for a resurrection, then even Christ wasn’t raised & our faith is futile. Futile is the same as vain – it’s empty, useless and profitless.
If Christ didn’t truly rise from the dead, then all the spiritual blessings and benefits that we have claimed in Christ are nullified and rendered empty, useless and profitless. It’s like thinking that you’ve won the jackpot lottery only to find that the company who is supposed to give you the jackpot doesn’t exist.
And then Paul goes on to say that “…and you are still in your sins”. This part of the verse stumped me for many years because I was under the impression that forgiveness of sins only had to do with Jesus’ crucifixion on the cross.
For a long time I thought that the significance of the resurrection was only about bringing Jesus back to life and proving that He is indeed God’s Son. Now that’s true of course but there is a forgiveness significance as well.
Romans 4:24-25 ESV[24] but for ours also. It will be counted to us who believe in him who raised from the dead Jesus our Lord, [25] who was delivered up for our trespasses and raised for our justification.
This tells us that Jesus’ death on the cross was more about dealing with the punishment and judgment for our sins. On that first Good Friday when Jesus was dying on the cross, He was bearing God’s wrath and judgment which was meant for us.
Jesus’ Resurrection was for our justification – our acquittal. So that we would be pronounced innocent free of any charge.
Imagine being in a tense courtroom where you’re standing before the Ultimate Judge who knows all the details of what you’ve done. There’s no rationalizing and manipulating that can be done because here is the Ultimate Judge who reads the hidden motives our your heart.
You’re standing there, nervous, crippled with fear and perspiring because you know what you’ve done and what you’re supposed to face as a punishment. When the final judgment is pronounced, you get to know that you are not guilty!
You’re speechless and are finding it hard to make sense of the judgment because this was a miracle! How in the world could we be called innocent after what we’ve thought, said and done? You enquire how this came to be and find out that somebody else exchanged his free life for yours and that’s why you are now free!
It’s so humbling to realize what Christ did for us – not only did He pay our enormous debt with His own life but He also granted us His perfect righteousness as a free gift so that we don’t have to ever wonder if God looks at us as condemned criminals. No, he looks at us as His adopted free children because he views us through the person and work of Christ! How amazing is this?
[18] Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. [19] If in Christ we have hope in this life only, we are of all people most to be pitied.
V18 tells us that if Christ didn’t rise from the dead, then all those who have died in Christ have perished – they are eternally lost and separated from God forever – they are hopelessly abandoned to hell.
V19 take it one step further. If our Christian life & hope is only limited to life on earth, then we are the most miserable of all people. Not only are we wasting our time but we are most pitied of all people! That’s the phrase being used for us.
If there’s no hope of life after death, then what’s the point of faithfully enduring suffering in this life? What’s the point in being faithful to God when we go through long term illness? Why are we holding onto God even when we struggle financially? Why are we continuing to trust God when we are being rejected & taunted because of our faith? Why should we continue to love God when we continue to experience betrayal and hurt in our relationships? Why do we have to daily fight with temptation if it’s all pointless in the end? Why should we make all our life decisions based on how it impacts God’s glory and kingdom purposes if it’s only meant for this life? Why spend all of our time and resources trying to share the Gospel and reach people who don’t know Jesus if it’s all for this life?
But that’s not the case. There is an indication in V18 itself. Paul uses the term “fallen asleep” intentionally to remind us that so real is the reality of our resurrection that our earthly death is only to be viewed as “sleep”. Fall asleep and then you will wake up!
[20] But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. [21] For as by a man came death, by a man has come also the resurrection of the dead.
He starts v20 with “But” which contrasts it with what was said earlier that Christ indeed rose from the dead because He is the firstfruits of those who will come back from the dead.
Firstfruits were the first of the season’s crop that Jews would give to God. Jesus’ resurrection was the first crop among the dead to be resurrected. His resurrection was a prototype of what lies in the future for believers. The harvest that started with Jesus will apply to all believers who trust in Jesus!
V21 completes that idea. Just as Adam was a prototype of those who would sin and die as a result of sin, Jesus was a prototype of those who would be redeemed and brought back to life! Jesus’ death was going to reverse the damage and destruction that took place when Adam and Eve sinned in the Garden. All that was undone was going to be fixed and repaired.
Just want to end with a couple of examples.
Look at what happened to the disciples after they realized that Jesus really rose from the dead. It transformed them from terrified disciples locked up in a room to bold apostles willing to go all over the world and preach about the risen Lord and die for the sake of their risen Lord. Would they have been ready to preach & die for the Lord if this wasn’t true?
Gladys Staines is a person familiar to many of us. Her whole family moved to India to serve the people in a rural part of Orissa. She lost her husband and 2 sons due to an attack by a radical group where they were burnt alive. On the day of the funeral, she said that she forgave those who did this to her and held no bitterness toward them. It didn’t make any sense to the outside world on why she forgave the people who murdered her husband and children. But she sang this song on the day of the funeral which gave a glimpse on why she was able to do what she did:
Because He lives, I can face tomorrow,Because He lives, all fear is gone;Because I know He holds the future,And life is worth the living,Just because He lives!
Her conviction about the risen Christ gave her strength to forgive and continue to serve the people of Orissa. The same Lord for Gladys Staines and the same Lord for the disciples is alive and is our Lord as well. I’ll end by asking us this question: what is the foundation of your faith? What is your faith banking on?
Author / Preacher
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