Lesson for September 18, 2022
The Book of I Corinthians
Chapter 15:1-25
Verses 1-11
“Now I make known to you, brothers and sisters, the gospel which I preached to you, which you also received, in which you also stand, 2 by which you also are saved, if you hold firmly to the word which I preached to you, unless you believed in vain. 3 For I handed down to you as of first importance what I also received, that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, 4 and that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, 5 and that He appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. 6 After that He appeared to more than five hundred brothers and sisters at one time, most of whom remain until now, but some have fallen asleep; 7 then He appeared to James, then to all the apostles;8 and last of all, as to one untimely born, He appeared to me also. 9 For I am the least of the apostles, and not fit to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. 10 But by the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace toward me did not prove vain; but I labored even more than all of them, yet not I, but the grace of God with me. 11 Whether then it was I or they, so we preach and so you believed.”
The Resurrection is an essential part of the Gospel. While the Resurrection is an essential part of the Gospel, it and many other doctrines are not generally understood at the point of salvation. In which you stand means these believers were secure in Christ. By which also you were saved means that salvation is a guarantee of eternal life. If you hold fast the word which I preached to you unless you believed in vain means to stay with the truth of the Gospel, otherwise your faith in Christ would become of no effect (vain) for your spiritual lives.
According to the Scriptures means the death and resurrection of Christ was clearly taught in the Old Testament. (Isaiah 52:13; 53:10) The fact of the Resurrection is confirmed by an appearance of Jesus Christ in His resurrection body, according to Matthew 28:5-10. Jesus also appeared to James, Peter, and Christ’s disciples, according to Mark 16:14; Luke 24:36-43; John 20:19-23. There was also the appearance to the two unknown disciples on the road to Emmaus, according to Mark 16:12-13 and Luke 24:13-35.
The next appearance was to seven disciples by the Sea of Galilee in John 21:1-23. The final appearance before Christ returned to Heaven was to over five hundred believers at one time who were assembled in one place. Many of the 500 believers were still alive when Paul wrote to the Corinthians. I Corinthians was written in 57 AD and the Resurrection occurred around 32 AD. And last of all, as to one untimely born, He appeared to me also. The reason that Jesus appeared to Paul was that Paul would replace Judas Iscariot. I Corinthians 9:1 says an apostle had to have seen the resurrected Christ to be qualified to be an apostle. Acts 9:3-6; 22:6-11, 13-18 records Paul meeting the resurrected Christ on the road to Damascus. Paul met Christ in Arabia according to Acts 20:24; 26:17, and he recorded the implications of this in Galatians 1:12-18. Then He appeared to Paul in Jerusalem in Acts 22:17-21 and in prison in Acts 23:11.
Verses 12-19
12 “Now if Christ is preached, that He has been raised from the dead, how do some among you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? 13 But if there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised; 14 and if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain, your faith also is in vain. 15 Moreover, we are even found to be false witnesses of God, because we testified against God that He raised Christ, whom He did not raise, if in fact the dead are not raised. 16 For if the dead are not raised, then not even Christ has been raised; 17 and if Christ has not been raised, your faith is worthless; you are still in your sins. 18 Then also those who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. 19 If we have hoped in Christ only in this life, we are of all people most to be pitied.”
Paul drew a few assumptions to demonstrate the validity of the Resurrection. He first said let’s assume that there is no resurrection of the dead, then you must also assume that Christ did not rise from the dead and this would imply that all the disciples and apostles, over 500 people, and Paul didn’t really see Christ after His death. Second, he said let’s assume that Christ has not risen, Paul’s and the other apostles’ preaching was in vain (useless), and their faith was also vain (useless).
The third assumption was that Paul, and his fellow apostles were all liars because they preached that Christ did rise from the dead and they saw Him in His resurrection body.
The fourth assumption was that believers’ faith in Christ is worthless. And, furthermore, they were still spiritually dead. This doesn’t mean that a person has to believe in the Resurrection to be saved, it just simply means it is part of salvation.
The fifth assumption was that all of those who have ever believed in Christ have all perished. They died, were buried, and that was the end. There was no hope of a future resurrection without the resurrection of Christ.
The sixth assumption was that if only in this life we have hope in Christ, then the consequence of no resurrection is no future. And if you see death as the end of everything then you are to be pitied.
Verses 20-25
20 “But the fact is, Christ has been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who are asleep. 21 For since by a man death came, by a man also came the resurrection of the dead. 22 For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ all will be made alive. 23 But each in his own order: Christ the first fruits, after that those who are Christ’s at His coming, 24 then comes the end, when He hands over the kingdom to our God and Father, when He has abolished all rule and all authority and power. 25 For He must reign until He has put all His enemies under His feet.”
Paul now removed the assumptions that there is no Resurrection. The fact was that Christ was risen and is the “first fruits” of believers who have died, which is a guarantee of a believer’s physical, bodily resurrection. Christ the first fruits means Christ is the first human being to receive a glorified body and as a result, believers receive a glorified body at the Rapture.
At the moment we believed in Christ, we were entered into union with Christ and became alive spiritually. His life became our life. However, we do not yet have a resurrection body like Christ’s. So, “will be made alive” refers to the resurrection body of believers (Philippians 3:21), which will be like His glorified body.
For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ all will be made alive. When Adam and Eve violated God’s commandment in Genesis 2:17, they immediately died spiritually. Thereafter, every member of the human race is born spiritually dead (all die) because Adam’s original sin is credited to them. Believing that Christ paid the penalty for sin on the Cross gives a person eternal life (made alive).
When He has abolished all rule and all authority and power. For He must reign until He has put all His enemies under His feet refers to “Operation Footstool,” which gets its name from Psalm 110:1. When Christ ascended and was seated at the right hand of the Father, the Father said to Him, “Sit at My right hand until I make Your enemies a footstool for Your feet.” The enemies of Christ are going to be made His “footstool” [an idiom for conquest] when Satan and his demons are finally cast into the Lake of Fire forever.