I'm sorry for being absent from the blog on Monday. We had a little emergency with our dog yesterday morning and had to take her to the walk-in clinic since it was the only thing open on Labor Day. The clinic was so busy that the whole process took us from early morning til about 1pm. It looks like she had another flare up of her chronic pancreatitis, but the scariest thing was that she had a panic attack on the way to the vet's and fainted. So I'm sorry for being absent; it was a stressful and upsetting day for everyone at my house.
We pick back up this morning in Chapter 15. When we left off Sunday, Paul was discussing the fact of the resurrection of Christ. Today he discusses something that is just as much a fact: our own resurrection.
"But if it is preached that Christ has been raised from the dead, how can some of you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? 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." (1 Corinthians 15:12-14) Many of the Gentile philosophers did not believe in eternal life at all. Some believed that the soul lived on, but they did not believe in a bodily resurrection. The people of Corinth had not been brought up to accept a doctrine of bodily resurrection. But how could anyone know for certain that the soul lives eternally if there is no bodily resurrection? In Sunday's passage Paul provided proof that Christ rose from the dead, so since Christ came to earth as a man, the idea that humans do not raise from the dead would apply to Him also. So Paul says, "If human beings aren't going to experience a bodily resurrection, then Christ didn't either. And if Christ didn't rise from the dead, why are you basing your faith on Him?"
"More than that, we are then found to be false witnesses about God, for we have testified about God that He raised Christ from the dead. But He did not raise Him if in fact the dead are not raised. For if the dead are not raised, then Christ has not been raised either." (1 Corinthians 15:15-16) Paul always presents such logical arguments. He has testified to the people of Corinth that he saw the risen Christ. He has named other apostles who saw the risen Christ. He has invited the people of Corinth to ask any of the five hundred men and women who saw the risen Christ to testify to their experience. So if Christ did not rise from the dead, then everyone who says they saw Him is a false witness. They are not merely liars, but liars against the living God, since they claim that God raised Christ from the dead.
"And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins." (1 Corinthians 15:17) How did Jesus of Nazareth prove that His sacrifice was enough to save us from our sins? By rising from the dead, showing the world that God accepted His sacrifice on our behalf. How did Jesus prove He is the Son of God? By rising from the dead, showing the world that He has power over death. How did Jesus prove that there is life after death? By returning to the body that perished on the cross. If the soul doesn't live eternally, He could not have returned to the body because He would have ceased to exist. So if Christ did not rise from the dead, how could we be sure He can save us? How would we know He is who He claimed to be?
"Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ are lost." (1 Corinthians 15:18) If there is no resurrection, then those Christians who have already perished will never be seen again.
"If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are of all people most to be pitied." (1 Corinthians 15:19) Why be a Christian if this life is all there is? If this life is all there is, then Christ has no power to do anything for us than give us a moral code to follow while we live on the earth. We might still find His teachings valuable, but the most His teachings could do is make this world a more pleasant place to live as we do unto others as we'd have them do unto us. But there would be no eternal reward for following Him. There would be no real inducement to live a godly life. We would be worse off than atheists if we devoted ourselves daily to following the teachings of Christ with no hope of anything after this life. We might as well give up and do whatever we please.
But Christ did rise from the dead. This is the ultimate proof that the soul lives on after death. Our souls will be reunited with our bodies someday, and those bodies will be like the resurrection body of Christ's. As Paul will say as we move on through Chapter 15, the body that dies is perishable, but the body that raises will be immortal. Christ rose from the dead never to die again. He promises the same to those who trust in Him.
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