Resurrection, Part 2

Passage: 1 Corinthians 15:12-34

Paul continues his discourse on the resurrection by placing the resurrection at the center of true faith. It’s as though Paul addresses ahead of time an argument that has been raised ever since: “Did the Resurrection really happen? And does it really matter whether it did?” Throughout the history of the church there have been “Christians” who claim that it’s enough to believe in Jesus’ resurrection as a “spiritual” resurrection (Jesus rose in spirit but not in body) or a “symbolic” resurrection (Jesus lives on in his teaching and the faith of his followers). These arguments are based on the presupposition that bodily resurrection is impossible.

Paul argues that bodily resurrection is at the heart of the Christian faith. He says, “If there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith.” The Christian faith is effective not as a framework for moral behavior or as a means to your best life here and now. The Christian faith is a life-transforming belief in resurrection – the first resurrection of Jesus as a guarantee of the resurrection of all those who believe in him. Paul claims that our only lasting hope is the promise that there is life beyond the grave. Without the resurrection there is only this life – a life fraught with the pain of the body, the despair of the soul, and the fear of death. The promise of the resurrection gives us patience for the pain, hope in place of despair, and courage in the face of death. It sets us free to live fully now, and guarantees a fuller life in eternity than any we could achieve here. Paul concludes this section with an exhortation to live for eternity rather than settle for the impermanent pleasures of the now. The promise of the resurrection gives us what we need to hold out for that better life that is still to come.