I Corinthians 15:1-19 - What's the Big Deal?

It is becoming more and more popular these days to deny the bodily resurrection of Jesus. There are many who would rather believe that Jesus was raised “in spirit” or something like that, but they don’t believe He actually was physically raised from the dead. It is to this idea of the resurrection of Jesus, this idea of immortality that Paul turns in I Corinthians 15:1-19.

In the first part of this passage, in verses 1-4, Paul explains that the resurrection of Christ is one of the fundamental elements of the gospel message. If we are going to live gospel-centered lives, we need to know what the gospel message is and what is included in it and we need to let that message effect and change our lives.

In verses one and two, Paul reminds the church of Corinth of the gospel message he preached. He says, “Look, in case you are so quick to forget, this is the gospel message I preached and this is the message you all said you would make the foundation of your lives. With my gospel, you either take the whole thing and it changes your lives at the very core, or you might as well not bother with any of it.” Paul doesn’t leave the option of picking and choosing parts of the gospel we like or the parts we think are important or the parts we think are easier to explain or prove like a “spiritual” or “figurative” resurrection. He says with the gospel, it’s all or none.

So what, exactly, is included in Paul’s gospel message? Paul gives us a concise recap of the gospel just as it is presented all throughout God’s word here in verses three and four. The gospel message in its most basic format says that Christ died for our sins and was buried and was raised on the third day. These are the essential parts of the gospel. And Paul wants to make it very clear that Christ’s resurrection is one of the most basic, fundamental parts of this message. What are the two requirements for salvation according to Paul? Romans 10:9 says, “that if you confess with your mouth Jesus is Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” It’s that simple. Every time the gospel message comes from Paul’s lips or Paul’s pen, Christ’s bodily resurrection is one of the most basic and fundamental parts of it.

It is told that during the Battle of Waterloo, there was limited communication to the British. In fact, the only way they could tell what was going on was by receiving light signals across the English Channel. On the most crucial night of the battle, the atmosphere was particularly foggy. As the message was transmitted, the English received the message that said, “Wellington defeated.” Gloom and despair settled across the land for what seemed like an eternity until the fog began to lift and they found that the message that was being transmitted actually said, “Wellington defeated the enemy!” You see, just by seeing the rest of the transmission, the message was changed entirely. Wouldn’t you agree?

Paul argues that this is how it is with the gospel. The gospel without the resurrection of Jesus is an entirely different message all together. Can you have the gospel message without the real, physical resurrection of Christ? According to Paul’s gospel, no you cannot. The resurrection is one of the fundamental elements of the gospel message.

Paul moves on to the heart of the matter. In verses 12-19, Paul tells us that the doctrine of the resurrection of Christ either makes or breaks what Christians believe about the gospel.

If one believes that Christ has not been raised from the dead, that creates a whole bunch of problems. First, preaching the gospel message would be pretty pointless. You see Paul understood that a gospel message without the resurrection was a powerless message. The gospel message without the resurrection was just a story about a sin sacrifice. But, the LORD has made it pretty clear all throughout Scripture that it wasn’t sacrifices that He was looking for. It was hearts that were broken and lives that were changed by faith in Him that He really wanted. So, while Jesus was the perfect sacrifice, without the resurrection, the gospel is just another sacrifice story. A gospel message without the resurrection is stripped of its power to change lives.

Paul mentions that anyone, including all the biblical authors and preachers, Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, Peter, James, Jude, and, oh by the way, Paul himself, was a liar. All these people have lied because they all claimed that God raised Jesus from the dead, if, in fact, there is no resurrection from the dead. The implications here, of course, are that if these people are willing to bend the truth on this vital matter, what other parts of their message are faulty? What is the point of repeating what these people have to say if what they have to say is not true? If there is no resurrection, then anyone who has claimed that Jesus was resurrected is lying.

Here is the major kicker: if there is no resurrection of the dead, if Jesus Christ had not been raised from the dead, then your faith and my faith would be worthless because we would still be in our sins. You see, death is the penalty for sin. If death is not conquered, the penalty is left unsatisfied and unpaid. If this is the case, anyone who ever sins (this certainly includes me) has an unpaid penalty for which they alone are responsible. Kind of reminds you why you accepted the gospel message to begin with, doesn’t it? Kind of makes our theology of the resurrection seem a little more important, doesn’t it?

Paul mentions those who have died in faith. If there is no resurrection, if Christ is not resurrected, well, that’s it for them. Once the final breath is drawn, that is the end of the road.

And of course, Paul brings it on home to you and me. You see, we have devoted our entire lives, we have changed the very way we live and the very way we see things according to the gospel message. We, along with every single person who has lived a gospel-centered life, have based our lives on a lie if there is no resurrection. Brothers and sisters, that is important. It seems to me that we had better make sure that this thing is for real. The way we live our lives, the things that we say and the things that we do, it is all based on the principle that Jesus Christ is resurrected from the dead because, as Paul has already established, this principle is inseparable from the gospel message. If this principle is in question, then our entire lives and everything we stand for is in question. Brothers and sisters, what we believe about the resurrection is important.

So what difference does the resurrection of Christ make in our every-day lives? Surely something so important should impact my life on an every-day level, wouldn’t you think?

First, we have no cause to fear death. The reason is, because of the resurrection of Jesus Christ, we know that death is not a permanent condition. Now, death cannot hold us down. We know that it isn’t the end of the story.

Second, we mourn the loss of loved ones with hope. We don’t grieve like those who have no hope. We have hope that those who have passed on before us will be raised again with new and perfected bodies.

Third, our prayer life should be energized by the thought of the resurrection. “How do you know that Christ is risen?” asked the scoffer of the Christian. “Because I had an hour with Him this morning,” the Christian replied. When you spend time each day with the LORD, do you spend time with an idea or a thought or a spirit? Or do you spend time with a living person?! The difference is found in the real, physical resurrection of our LORD.

Fourth, and this is one of the most important ways the resurrection affects our every-day lives, we should be sharing the good news with everyone we know. Think about the last really good movie you have seen or the last really good book you have read. How many people did you tell? Why did you do that? You did it because you found it to be a positive experience and you want others to share the same experience. What could be a more positive experience than to be raised and glorified with a new and perfect body to spend eternity in fellowship and communion with our LORD?

Fifth, we should live in anticipation. Our little girl just turned 8 weeks. Prior to her arrival, we spent time getting her room ready, getting our house ready, getting clothes, diapers, and other essentials. We spent time thinking about what life was going to be like with a new little one. We lived in anticipation. Because of the resurrection of Christ, we can anticipate our own resurrection. And that anticipation should be finding its way into our thoughts and actions as we live from day to day.

And sixth, immortality gives life meaning. The immortality that is only available because Christ was resurrected and death has been conquered is what gives life meaning and purpose. Because death is not the end of the story, the choices we make matter. The decisions we make every day have weight and make a difference. Whether I choose to do the right thing or the wrong thing does matter. Living a life obedient to the LORD does matter. Life does matter because Jesus Christ gave us the gift of eternal life.