First Corinthians 15
Monday, March 16 1 Corinthians 15:1-11
“Christ was raisedfrom the dead”
While some in Corinth were denying theresurrection, they were almost certainly not denying life after death;virtually everyone in the ancient world believed in that. Rather, they would have been disputing theChristian doctrine of bodilyresurrection and endorsing one of the more Greek forms of belief that limitedthe afterlife to disembodied immortality of the soul. Therefore, Paul reiterates (“let me remindyou of the Good News I preached to you before”) the fact of Christ’s bodilyresurrection.
Christ’s death and resurrection areinseparable, bringing us to the very center of the Christian faith. When Paul was on trial for his life beforethe Jewish leaders, he summed up the charge against him as his “hope in theresurrection of the dead” (Acts 23:6; 24:21; 26:6-8). Given that our modern culture is influencedby the skepticism of all things supernatural, Christians need to be ready todefend both the possibility and the need for bodily resurrection.
It is belief in the Good News, Lord, whichhas saved me. Amen.
Tuesday, March 17 1 Corinthians 15:12-19
“If there is noresurrection of the dead . . .”
The main pointof these verses is that if there is no coming bodily resurrection of allChristians, then Jesus himself was not bodily raised, and that makesChristianity futile. Paul continuouslyrepeats this thought from several different angles in these verses. The upshot is that if there is no bodilyresurrection, all of these are the result: both the preaching of the apostlesand the faith of the Corinthians are useless (v. 14); Paul and his companionsare liars (v. 15); all humanity stands condemned because of their sin (v. 17);and, those who have already died, including believers, are eternally lost (v.18). As a result, Christians are mostdeserving of others’ pity or compassion, since they have given up much for thesake of an empty promise (v. 19).
Paul does notpermit a perspective on Jesus that views him merely as a good, moral teacher oron Christianity that considers it simply an admirable collection of proverbialtruths about how to live. If theresurrection is false, Christianity is worthless for, if Christ was not raised,death, the penalty for sin, is not conquered. We remain dead in our sin.
Becauseof your resurrection, Lord, though I die, I will live forever. Amen.
Wednesday, March 18 1 Corinthians 15:20-28
“Christ has been raised from the dead”
Wonderfully,Christ has been raised bodily and has thus set into motion an unstoppable chainof events that will culminate in the universal demonstration of the absolutesovereignty of God. Verses 20-22describe how Christ’s bodily resurrection guarantees the future bodilyresurrection of all believers, just as the “firstfruits” of a harvest heraldeda much larger crop to follow. Paulpoints out the parallel between Adam’s sin leading to the sinfulness of allhumanity and Christ’s resurrection leading to the resurrection of all hisfollowers. Because Christ, as fullyhuman, represented the entire human race in bearing its sin, he is able toapply the benefits of his death and resurrection to all who will accept them.
After theresurrection of believers at the time of Christ’s return, “the end” or goal ofhuman history will arrive. Christ willhave destroyed all opposition to his reign in the universe – both human andangelic (i.e., demonic) – and death itself will be destroyed so that God’speople will never again have anything to fear.
Just as I followyou in this life, Lord, I will follow you into eternity. Amen.
Thursday, March 19 1 Corinthians 15:29-34
“If the dead will not be raised . . .”
Paul goes back to arguing the absurdity ofdenying the bodily resurrection, and the basis of his first argument, baptismfor the dead, is easily the most puzzling. Early church historical documents allude to such a practice amongcertain sects of believers, in which living believers were baptized on behalfof those in their group who had died without being baptized. Paul neither condemns nor condones such apractice but argues for its irrelevance if Christ is not raised. In other words, those who are baptizingpeople on behalf of the dead contradict their own theology that denies theresurrection.
Next, Paul turns to his ownexperience. Why should he continue totolerate hostility from others and risk his life for the sake of the gospel ifthere is no hope of resurrection? And,if this life is all there is, people ought to “eat, drink and be merry, fortomorrow we die.” But he immediatelyproceeds to reject such logic, since Christ has in fact been raised. In fact, those who deny the resurrection makefor “bad company,” corrupting the faith of believers.
Accepting yourresurrection, Lord, affects every aspect of my life. Amen.
Friday, March 20 1 Corinthians 15:35-44
“How are the deadraised?”
“How are the dead raised?” was probablynot so much a genuine question but a way of mocking the whole notion of bodilyresurrection. In response, Paul uses theanalogy of seed and plant. By beingburied in the ground, the seed seemingly dies, and it certainlydecomposes. Yet on that very spot newlife emerges, totally different in appearance from the seed, and yet somehowthe mature plant retains the identity of the seed. In fact, the world is filled with differentkinds of bodies that God has created. Sowhy should it be thought incredible that he could create still one more kind –a resurrected human body?
There yet await for believers resurrectionbodies that will be far more glorious than our present ones. Unlike our current bodies, these new oneswill be fitted for eternity, never again to die or be limited by sin orimpotence. Whereas human bodies in thisworld are animated by merely physical life, believers will one day have bodiesthat will be fully empowered by the eternal life of God.
I have a natural body, Lord, but you willraise me with a supernatural body. Amen.
Saturday, March 21 1 Corinthians 15:45-58
“We will all betransformed”
Believers who have shared in the finite,fallen likeness of the first Adam can look forward to sharing in the kind ofperfect humanity Jesus (the last Adam) embodied, but only after this life, whenJesus comes back again. Frail, mortalhumanity cannot survive in God’s eternal and perfectly holy presence. Therefore, it must be transformed. The secret that Paul is revealing here isthat believer’s bodily resurrections will occur when Christ returns. Not all Christians will die first, since somewill be alive when he comes back. Butall will undergo whatever transformation is necessary to give them theirglorified bodies. This change will takeplace instantaneously not gradually.
Paul ends the chapter by emphasizing thepractical implications of Christ’s bodily resurrection and, consequently, thatof believers. Therefore, we shouldremain unswervingly committed to the teaching of the Bible and totallydedicated to the work of the gospel which is purity of life and the faithfulexercise of service in Jesus’ name.
Ipraise you, Lord, for in you sin and death have been defeated. Amen.