1 Corinthians 15:13-19 (NKJV) 13 But if there is no resurrection of the dead, then Christ is not risen. 14 And if Christ is not risen, then our preaching is empty and your faith is also empty. 15 Yes, and we are found false witnesses of God, because we have testified of God that He raised up Christ, whom He did not raise up–if in fact the dead do not rise. 16 For if the dead do not rise, then Christ is not risen. 17 And if Christ is not risen, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins! 18 Then also those who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. 19 If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men the most pitiable.
This week we celebrate the Resurrection of Jesus Christ. Every year I say this, and every year it strikes me as more significant. We live in a world with a level of sophistication and education that is unprecedented in history. For the most part we are far removed from the days when mythology was religious practice. We do not believe that the constellations are gods watching over us. We do not believe in mythical monsters or the Greek and Roman gods. Yet in this educated and sophisticated world, we still believe that God raised Jesus from the dead.
I know that there are many nominal Christians, those who are Christians by heritage and tradition, who do not believe in a literal resurrection. However, all over the world there are millions and probably billions who do. We believe that the resurrection is not a story or an allegory. We believe that Jesus Christ was born a real human being but was also the God of the universe. We cannot explain that because it is beyond our ability to do so. We simply believe it.
We also believe that this “son of man and Son of God” took upon himself the penalty for the sin of all mankind. This penalty involved his physical death on the cross. When the penalty was paid in full, the Glory of God entered his body and he was made alive again. He rose from the dead, was seen by a number of people and eventually ascended into heaven.
I deeply believe this to be an historical fact. I believe that God raised Jesus from the dead and I have received him as my Lord. (Rom. 10:9-10) I believe it though I cannot prove it. This fact touches everything in my present life and is my assurance of eternity.
Although all bible-believing Christians accept the fact of the resurrection and although we consider it one of the defining truths of Christianity, we usually do not really think of it but once a year. We pull it out of the corner at Easter, dust it off and give it a quick glance to be sure we remember it really is important. As I prepared for this year’s Easter message, I realized that this is not enough when we are considering the resurrection. It is far more important to our Christian life than that.
One of the most powerful resurrection chapters is 1 Corinthians chapter 15. I encourage you to read it this week. Rather than simply give an account of the resurrection, Paul reveals its significance in the life of every believer. I want to focus on the six verses from today’s scripture. Paul tells us here what Christianity would be like if there was no resurrection. It is not a pretty picture.
If you eliminate the resurrection from Christianity, the first thing that must go is the credibility of every one of the early preachers of the Gospel. All of the original 11 remaining disciples after Judas’ betrayal saw Jesus after the resurrection. There were many others among the original believers that saw him and gave testimony that he had risen. If this is not true, than the founders of Christianity were one of three things.
They were either liars, dishonest schemers or delusional. If that is the case, how can we believe their message? Western civilization is largely based on Judeo-Christian thinking. Everything that flows from Christianity and Christian tradition is a lie.
Paul then tells us that if Christ was not raised our faith is in vain. We base our faith on a lie or a myth at best. There is no afterlife as the bible teaches it. There is no point to the religious forms that we, as Christians follow. It is all foolishness. Paul says it is empty.
In verse 17, he tells us the worst consequence of a lack of a resurrection. Not only is our system of faith futile but we are still in our sins! I believe that man’s condition is a result of the sin of Adam and Eve. All the evil we see in the world is a result of that sin. That one act caused a change in man’s nature. It is that nature that we see manifested in the earth and it is that nature that leads us to ungodly deeds.
The only solution to the problem of sin is the sacrifice of Jesus. However, even if I believe that he laid down his life for me, if he was not raised from the dead, what proof it there that his sacrifice was effective. If Christ was not raised, I am still in my sin. I was not forgiven. The penalty was not successfully paid. The best I can hope for is that there is no afterlife and when I die, that will be the end. The worst case for me is that there is an afterlife and when I die, I will spend eternity separated from God by my sin.
If there was no resurrection, all those who died in are lost. They are either in torment or in oblivion. We will not see them. We will not enjoy eternity with them and with the lord. Whatever comfort we have taken in the fact that they are in a better place is nothing but a cruel joke.
Finally, Paul sums up the condition of the church without a resurrection with these words. “If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men the most pitiable.” It strikes me that modern Christianity spends far more time talking about how Christianity can make earthly life better and not nearly enough about the eternal implications of Christianity. If there is no resurrection, our hope is limited to what Christianity can do for us here. I believe in those things.
I believe God wants to heal us, deliver us and prosper us. I believe that God wants to touch our emotions and heal our hearts and souls. All of that is a very important part of Christianity. All of that is impacted by the truth of the resurrection. However, none of that is the most important part of Christianity. If our hope is only for this life, we are of all men most miserable. We are giving our lives for a lie.
We would be better served to look out for ourselves and get all we can out of life. Why bother to follow the bible. Why bother to walk according to Godly principles. We should do the best we can, try to help some people along the way and try not to hurt anyone. That or we should just serve ourselves and let everyone else do the same!
Thank God, Paul did not stop with verse 19. In verse 20, we read the words that have thrilled the hearts of Christians for more than two thousand years.
1 Corinthians 15:20 (NKJV) 20 But now Christ is risen from the dead, and has become the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.
Paul’s preaching was not false. Our faith is not in vain. We are not still in our sins. Those who have died in Christ are waiting for us in that “great cloud of witnesses” spoken of in Hebrews 12:1. We are not pitiable in any way. We are to be envied. We have an eternal home, a wonderful inheritance and heavenly involvement in our daily living. All of this is made certain by the fact of the resurrection.
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