I can’t leave 1 Corinthians without looking at chapter 15 and what Paul says about the resurrection. He begins with a short reminder of the gospel he had preached to those Corinthians - that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that He was buried and that He arose on the third day, again, as the Scriptures had predicted. (I Corinthians 15:3-4) Of course, what he did not include here is the Old Testament passages I’m sure he taught them that supported his message (Psalm 16:10, 22:1; Isaiah 52:14, 53:1-12; Jonah 1:17 with Matthew 12:40 just to give some examples).
He continues in verses 5-8 to emphasize the fact that Christ “was seen” following His resurrection by Peter, the disciples, over 500 people at one time, His half-brother James, the apostles and, finally, Paul himself. The importance of these eye- witness accounts of Christ after His resurrection cannot be underestimated. Even though He had demonstrated His authority over death during His public ministry, these appearances not only validated that authority, they were an essential part of the gospel message.
One note regarding Paul’s claim that Christ appeared to more than 500 people at one time in verse 6: there is no other mention of this event in scripture. This is yet another passage used by detractors to point out contradictions or inaccuracies; and, it is curious that no other reference exists. Personally, I have no reason to doubt it.
There are several theories of when this might have occurred, the most reasonable of which is the account of the disciples meeting Christ in Galilee (Matthew 28:16) as He had instructed them (28:10). The greater part of His ministry had been in Galilee, many of the notable miracles He performed were in that area and He had more disciples there than anywhere else. When you examine His public ministry, He had an obvious affection and affinity for the people in Galilee, who, for the most part, received Him gladly. He was well known there, and would have been easily recognized. So, though we can’t know for sure, this is a possibility.
Then in verses 9-11 Paul says though he is an apostle, he is the least worthy of them all, because he had persecuted the church. And yet he asserts (and rightly so) that he labored more in his service to Christ and the churches than any of the others and that service was not of his doing, but the grace of God working in his life. And, as already noted (we’ll see it in 2 Corinthians), no one faced the extent of hardship, physical abuse and personal sacrifice that Paul did – and he did it with courage and determination.
Now it becomes clear (beginning with verse 12) that part of the report Paul had received from Corinth was that some there did not believe in the resurrection of the dead, possibly the result of the teaching of false apostles referenced in 2 Corinthians 11:13-15. So Paul begins his argument: if there’s no resurrection, then Christ is not risen (verse 13); then our preaching is meaningless and your faith is groundless (14); those who preach a risen Christ are liars (15); we are all still in our sins (17); all those in Christ who have died are perished (18) and we have no hope and are of all people most miserable (19).
This brings us to verses 20-22, “But now Christ has risen from the dead and is the first fruits of those who have fallen asleep (in death). For since it was through a man that death came into the world, it is also through a Man that the resurrection of the dead has come. For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive.” The “first fruits” in verse 20 is from aparche, to make a beginning, used to describe the first of a series, the beginning of something that will continue. In relation to resurrection, Christ is literally the first of many that will follow. The point Paul makes in verse 22 is that because of Adam’s sin, all will die (Genesis 2:17, 3:19); but because Christ was resurrected, all will be resurrected as well (some to eternal life, some to eternal punishment (John 5:28-29).
The next several verses (23-28) give us a glimpse into future events and how they relate to Christ’s resurrection, but with little or no detail. Those who belong to Christ will be resurrected at His coming (verse 23). Paul will say more about this later in the chapter, so we’ll wait to look at the specific timing of the resurrection of believers. Then in verses 24-28 Paul describes Christ’s earthly kingdom following His second coming (the Millennium), when he takes full authority over all His enemies, including death, and after all has been subdued, deliver the kingdom to the Father.
Then God (the Father, Son and Holy Spirit) will become the indwelling and controlling influence of life on the earth, where all evil and rebellion have been dealt with and the effects of Adam’s sin and the resulting curse are gone. All these things, and more, will be explained in detail in future lessons as we examine the tribulation period, the Millennium and eternal earth. The subtle point here is that as long as there is death, the resurrection is a real and necessary thing. But when death no longer exists, neither will the resurrection.
This next verse (29) shows us another error in the Corinthian church. “And if there is no resurrection, what will those do who are being baptized on behalf of the dead? If the dead are not raised at all, then why are people being baptized for them?” Don’t misunderstand Paul’s intent here. Just because he doesn’t specifically condemn it, he’s not endorsing this false practice. He’s simply (and sarcastically) pointing out how ridiculous and gullible and immature these people were. Why would you be baptized for someone who had died, supposedly to have some affect on their salvation or to complete it in some way, if there is no resurrection? They’re dead, done, perished without hope!
Then Paul uses himself to illustrate the futility of a gospel ministry if there is no resurrection. “And why would we endanger ourselves every hour? It is the pride I have in you being in union with Christ that causes me to die daily. If I fought with those wild beasts in Ephesus for merely selfish reasons, what would I gain, if the dead are not raised? Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die.” (Verse 30-32)
And let’s be clear, the “pride” Paul mentions here is not a personal pride based on his own accomplishments, he was proud of these Corinthian believers who had accepted Christ (and His resurrection) in the midst of an idolatrous culture and in spite of the persecutions they knew would come. The last phrase in verse 32 is a quote of Isaiah 22:13.
Earlier I mentioned this controversy concerning the resurrection was probably the result of some wrong teaching, probably from the false apostles mentioned in 2 Corinthians. We will see from other epistles that false teachers followed Paul, attempting to corrupt the churches he established by mixing the legalism and human works of the perverted Judaism of that day with the gospel message. If some of these false teachers were of the sect of the Sadducees, they would have taught that there is no resurrection (Matthew 22:23, Acts 23:8).
So, in verses 33-34 Paul warns against keeping company with these false teachers. “Do not be deceived, evil associations corrupt good character. Sober up and stop sinning (in relation to the resurrection), for some of you are willfully ignorant (of the truth) of God – and you should be ashamed.”
From verse 35 to 58 Paul is going to talk specifically about the resurrected body, why the resurrection is necessary and timing of the resurrection. We’ll look at these things in the next two lessons.