1 Corinthians 15:12-19 Click here for Bible Verses
Hi GAMErs,
Today’s passage is 1 Corinthians 15:12-19. Let’s go!
1 Corinthians 15:12-19 (NIV)
12 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?
13 If there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised.
14 And if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith.
15 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.
16 For if the dead are not raised, then Christ has not been raised either.
17 And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins.
18 Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ are lost.
19 If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are to be pitied more than all men.
On verses 12-19: Some people in Paul’s church were saying, “How can Christ have risen from the dead? Dead people don’t rise again!” Paul says that as Christians we must be open to the idea that dead people can rise again because a central tenet to the Christian faith is that Jesus Christ himself resurrected (v12-13). In verses 13-19, Paul then begins to spell out why the resurrection of Jesus Christ is so central to the Christian faith:
If Christ did not rise from the dead, then…
…Christian faith is futile (v14, v17)
…preaching the Gospel is useless (v14)
…all of us Christians are spreading lies as false witnesses about God (v15)
…Jesus can’t save you from your sins and you need to find some other way to deal with the sin in your life (v17)
…since Jesus couldn’t do what he promised he would do (which is, rise from the dead), then you need to question everything else Jesus said and promised (v17)
…those Christians who died before us are lost for eternity (v18)
…there is no assurance of heaven through Christ (v19)
…Christianity is just another religion following a dead leader, a positive thinking philosophy to help you while you’re alive on earth (v19), and
…we are to be pitied more than anyone else for believing what we believe (v19).
But on the other hand, if Jesus did in fact rise from the dead, then…
…Jesus’ words have more weight than any person who claimed to know something about life, death and eternity but never rose from the dead
…in turn the Christian faith has a unique credibility that no other religion, faith, or philosophy can claim
…you can trust what Jesus has to say about life, death and eternity
…you can have confidence that Jesus Christ has saved you from your sins and will bring you to heaven, since Jesus has conquered sin and sin’s scariest weapon, which is death
…we can have assurance that those Christians who died before us are safe in heaven today, and that we will see them again
…we can have assurance that when we die, God will raise us up also (see 1 Corinthians 6:14)
…we need not fear any problem or challenge we face in life, because if Christ conquered man’s two biggest problems — sin and death — how will he not also help us conquer every other much smaller problem we face
…preaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ is the most important thing we can do in this lifetime
Thank You Lord Jesus for the all-surpassing hope we have because You rose from the dead. You changed the entire game when You resurrected. Thank You for calling us to Your side. There’s no better, happier or safer place to be — both now and for eternity. Use us Lord to call the nations to Your side as well. In the mighty name of Jesus we pray, AMEN!
