Question
Questions:
1 Corinthians 15:12-34
Key Verse: 15:22
“For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive.”
1. Read verses 12-13. What is the good news that Paul proclaimed? If
no one can possibly be raised from the dead, what must we conclude
about Christ and his resurrection?
2. Read verses 14-15. If there is no resurrection, not even Christ's,
what must we conclude about the power of death in our world? (13)
What about our faith and our lives spent preaching the gospel?
3. Read verses 16-17. What does Christ's resurrection have to do with our
sin problem? What does it mean, practically, to be "still in our sins"?
4. Read verses 18,19. What is our wonderful hope and inheritance as
Christians? If this is a false hope, why are we to be pitied? (30-32)
5. Read verse 20. What does it mean that Christ has indeed been raised
from the dead? Read John 20:10-18, Luke 24:21,32,33. What did it
mean to these early resurrection witnesses? How were they changed?
6. Read verses 21-23. Why are men under the power of sin and death? (Ro
5:12,17a,19) How does Christ the firstfruits give men new life? (20,23)
What is God's promise? (22, Ro 5:17b)
7. Read verses 24-28. What will the Risen Christ do before restoring
the kingdom to God? Who are his enemies? Who is the last enemy? (26,
Heb 2:14b,15) How will creation order be restored? Why did Jesus
teach us to pray, "Your kingdom come"?
8. Read verses 29-34 How does resurrection faith enable us to be
good soldiers for Jesus? Who is bad company? Why is the hedonistic
life-style the only alternative to resurrection faith?
Manuscript
Message
Manuscript:
1 Corinthians 15:12-34
Key Verse: 15:22
“For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive.”
In verses 1-11 we learned the contents of the gospel: first,
Jesus Christ died for our sins; second, Jesus Christ rose again from
the dead. We learned that this gospel is good news of great joy to
all people. In verses 12-34 Paul teaches about the power of the Risen
Christ. In these verses we learn: first, why the resurrection of Christ
is necessary (12-19); second, what the Risen Christ's power is like
(20-28); and third, a warning, "Do not be misled" (29-34).
I. The necessity of the resurrection (12-19)
In this part Paul writes very logically, step by step, to explain why
the resurrection of Christ is necessary. At that time, in most Christians'
hearts there was a question: "Why is the resurrection of Jesus Christ
necessary?" They were Christians, but they were still earthbound,
and they were realists. If they did not get an immediate profit in
whatever they did, they would say, "This is not necessary." They did
not know that the ultimate necessity was in their faith. Once they had
been very zealous Christians, and spiritual. But now they were lukewarm
Christians, inclined to be unspiritual.
Look at verse 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?" This verse indicates that among the Christians in Corinth
there were those who believed in Jesus, but whose faith was not rooted
in the resurrection. They attended church and enjoyed Christian
fellowship. But whenever they heard the words, "the resurrection of
Christ," they drew the line in their minds and thought, "No way. That is
not necessary. Never!" They thought the resurrection was not practical,
and that resurrection faith did not add any practical benefits to
their welfare. So some of the Corinthians were saying, "There is no
resurrection," even though it had been preached to them that Christ
rose from the dead. Their faith in Jesus was more concerned with their
present situation than with man's salvation from sin and eternal life
through the death and resurrection of Christ. Admittedly, their lives
in the cold reality of the present world were hard enough. Living in
this hard world, they did not think about what they were doing or what
they were believing. They were habitual. But it was a mistake for them
to deny one pillar, the resurrection of Christ, of the two pillars
of the Christian faith: the death of Christ and the resurrection of
Christ. Their faith which ignored the resurrection could not be called
true Christian faith. How can someone call himself a Christian if he
denies the very essence of Christianity? That's like saying, "Sure,
I'm a communist because I live in Russia," even though he knows nothing
about the Communist Manifesto. He can be a Russian, but he cannot be a
communist. Likewise, Paul was amazed at such an absurdity, that many
claimed to be Christians even though they did not put their faith in
the resurrection of Christ. In the next 7 verses Paul explains why the
resurrection is necessary.
First, if there is no resurrection, the world is under the power of
death. Look at verse 13. "If there is no resurrection of the dead, then
not even Christ has been raised." If there is no such thing as being
raised from the dead, then "not even Christ" has been raised. What does
Paul mean by "not even Christ"? Amidst all the names and faces of people
who have died, only Jesus Christ has been raised from the dead. In a vast
field of death, Jesus Christ is the only seed of eternal life, through
his resurrection. When they claimed that there is no resurrection, they
denied the resurrection of Christ--the only firstfruits of eternal life
for mankind.
Paul wrote this part of his letter in the subjunctive mood to help
them think about what the contents of the world would be if Jesus Christ
had not been raised. If Jesus Christ has not been raised, then there is
"never" "any" resurrection. If Jesus Christ has not been raised, then the
world in its contents is nothing but death, a sea of death. The world
is full of graveyards and graves and dying people and ghosts and evil
people and evil spirits. In this world, all the activities of all people
end in death. Mark Twain wrote beautiful stories about life. So everyone
thought he was full of life. But he died reluctantly with the last words,
"It might have been!" Someone said that these last words, "It might have
been," are the most sorrowful words a man can utter. Even Mark Twain
was a slave of the thought of death. Taking a nice swim in a calm and
warm sea is very refreshing. But swimming day and night in the cold and
dark sea of death is unbearable punishment. Those who have no faith in
the resurrection of Christ are the living dead, who do not know how to
cope with the thought of death. Life to them has become a hollow mockery
and a sham; life has lost its purpose and meaning. These people are bored
and fed up; they have no zest for living. If Jesus Christ has not been
raised, then the world is full of dead things and elements of death.
Second, if there is no resurrection, faith would be in vain. Look
at verse 14. "And if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is
useless and so is your faith." Christian faith rests on the death and
resurrection of Christ. We Christians believe that Jesus Christ is
the one and only Son of God; but he died for our sins and rose from
the dead on the third day and gave us a living hope in the kingdom of
God. It is good news of great joy to all people. We Christians believe
this and proclaim it to the whole world. The greatest news mortal ears
have ever heard is the news that Jesus Christ rose from the dead as he
promised. The resurrection of Christ is the chief proof of the Christian
faith. In the resurrection of Christ we have the answer to the great
question of the ages, "If a man dies, shall he live again?" (Job 14:14)
The Bible teaches that because Jesus Christ lives, we also shall live
(Jn 14:19). If we don't believe in the resurrection of Christ, we are
just a bunch of hypocrites and plastic smile-makers. Because we believe
in the resurrection of Christ we can live victorious lives. Because we
believe in the resurrection of Christ we become victors over the power
of evil and death. Because we believe in the resurrection of Christ we
invest our lives in the work of the gospel and make daily sacrifices.
Because God raised Jesus Christ from the dead on the third day according
to the Scriptures, our faith is not in vain.
Third, if there is no resurrection, we deny the almighty power of
God. Look at verse 15a. "More than that, we are then found to be false
witnesses about God..." The Bible says that after Jesus Christ had
been in the tomb three days God raised him from the dead. This means
that God is the Almighty Creator God. Our God is the Almighty God who
created the heavens and the earth by the word of his mouth. Our God is
the Almighty God who made Aaron's dry rod bud. Our God is the Almighty
God who raised Jesus Christ from the dead. This power of Almighty God
is the only clout we have. If Jesus Christ had not been raised from the
dead, our God is not the Almighty God. Moreover, we are found to be false
witnesses. Throughout history there have been many kinds of witnesses,
but most of them turned out to be false witnesses. Recent history attests
that during the 70 years from 1917-1987 there have been scores of false
witnesses of communism. But through the witnesses of the resurrection
of Christ, the course of history has been changed many times over,
because the witness of the resurrection of Christ is God's truth. The
Bible says in Acts 2:23,24, "This man was handed over to you by God's
set purpose and foreknowledge; and you, with the help of wicked men,
put him to death by nailing him to the cross. But God raised him from
the dead, freeing him from the agony of death, because it was impossible
for death to keep its hold on him."
Fourth, if there is no resurrection, we cannot solve our sin problem. Look
at verse 17. "And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile;
you are still in your sins." As we have studied, sin is spiritual
sickness. Sin makes man spiritually sick and unhappy. Sin finally leads
man to the second death--eternal condemnation in the fiery lake of burning
sulfur. If Jesus Christ was not raised from the dead, he did not conquer
the power of sin and death. If Jesus Christ did not conquer the power
of sin and death, all human beings are still under the power of sin
and death. But Jesus Christ was raised from the dead according to the
Scriptures. Through his resurrection God solved our sin problem (Jn 1:29).
Fifth, if there is no resurrection, Christians are to be pitied. Look
at verse 19. "If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are to
be pitied more than all men." Christians are people who walk the narrow
way. We carry the cross of mission and are called to live sacrificial
lives. We are called to expand the territory of the kingdom of God. In
doing so, we are despised and rejected by worldly people, simply because
we want to be like Jesus, not like "one of them" in the world. We keep
the faith and fight the good fight because we believe that the Risen
Christ is our inheritance.
Look at verse 18. "Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ
are lost." "Those who have fallen asleep" refers to the faithful servants
of God down through history who died in God, like Moses and Elijah. They
denied luxuries and comfort and suffered endlessly during their lifetimes
for the sake of the Lord God Almighty. If they had only died, just like
everyone else, then their lives were foolish and pitiful. If Jesus
Christ was not raised from the dead, then nihilism, the mentality of
seeking fleeting pleasures, the pessimis tic view of man, "Let's eat
and drink, for tomorrow we die"--this might be the best lifestyle for
mankind (32b). If there is no resurrection, then those who participate
in the remaining sufferings of Christ are the most pitiful people.
But Jesus Christ was raised from the dead according to the Scriptures,
and Christians are not pitiful people; they are the most glorious people
in the glorious resurrection of Christ.
II. The power of the Risen Christ (20-28)
In this second part Paul explains how great the power of the resurrec
tion is. He begins with the words, "But Christ has indeed been raised from
the dead." When Paul said, "indeed," he meant that the resurrection of
Jesus Christ is not just a theory or supposition, but a fact. He did not
just postulate that Jesus Christ could have been raised by God's power; he
states the fact that Jesus Christ was actually raised by God's power. The
resurrection of Christ is not a concoction of abstract theories; it is
the demonstration of the power of Almighty God. In verses 20-28 Paul
gives us three facts about this power of the resurrection of Christ.
First, the Risen Christ has the power to change one's inner man. Those
who met the Risen Christ were all changed into new men and women. Mary
Magdalene had a sorrowful past. Her life problem was a sorrowful
mind. While she was under the wings of Jesus' grace, she was happy. But
after Jesus' crucifixion, she became even more sorrowful. Mary Magdalene
and several other women were weeping at the graveyard. The Risen Christ,
whose appearance was like lightning and whose clothes were as white
as snow, appeared to them. When they met the Risen Christ, the sorrow
in their hearts was gone, and new hope and new joy smeared into their
hearts. They were overjoyed in the hope that they could be with beautiful
Jesus for ever and evermore (Lk 24:1-12; Jn 20:10-18).
That same day two of them were going to a village called Emmaus,
about 7 miles from Jerusalem. These two men must have been two of his
disciples. They had hoped Jesus was the one who would redeem Israel. But
when Jesus was crucified, they lost their hope and despaired. In deep
despair and fear they were going down to Emmaus, where they could escape
from the eyes of the temple police and spend the remainder of their
lives in seclusion. When they arrived at the village and sat at the
table, their eyes were opened to see the Risen Christ who appeared to
them. After meeting the Risen Christ, there was no more fear or despair
in their hearts. Instead their hearts were burning with the spirit of
boldness and victory. They got up and returned at once to Jerusalem to
participate in the remaining sufferings of Christ (Lk 24:13-33a).
Second, the Risen Christ has the power to give a man new life. Look
at verse 20. "But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the
firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep." Down through history
everyone has had to bow down to the power of death. Even though Mohammed
was wise enough to make many people follow his teachings, he himself
knelt down before the power of death. He died June 8, 632 A.D. Buddha
also knelt down before the power of death, instead of going to Nirvana
through his right thinking and right living.
Why do all men have to live under this power of sin and death? Look
at verse 21a. "For since death came through a man..." In this verse,
"a man" refers to Adam. Adam was the ancestor of the human race. He
yielded to the temptation of the devil and disobeyed God's absolute word
of command. Because of his disobedience, sin came into the world. When men
became sinsick, they began to see God relatively. They also began to see
other human beings and the world with relativism, not with the absolute
truth of God. In their relativistic thinking, if they need God, they say
there is a God; if they don't need God, they say there is no God. In this
way, sin reigned in mankind and in all their offspring. Sin began with
Adam's disobedience, and the consequence of sin was death for everyone
(Ro 5:12). Many great humanist thinkers have struggled with this problem
of man's tendency to sin and with the problem of death. They tried hard
to get rid of sin and death with many kinds of positive thinking. But
all their struggles failed. Most of them finally admitted that there is
no way to solve the problem of sin and death.
So Paul said in verse 22, "For as in Adam all die, so in Christ
all will be made alive." God raised Jesus Christ from the dead and
made him the firstfruits of eternal life. Whoever believes in him
will not perish but have eternal life (Jn 3:16). The Risen Christ has
life-giving power. So when Paul spoke of the dead, he did not call them
"dead"; he spoke of them as "those who have fallen asleep" (18,20,51),
because in the Risen Christ there is no death. To God's people, death
is like a cat-nap. Look at verse 22b. "...so in Christ all will be made
alive." Whoever believes in Jesus Christ, who was raised from the dead,
will live forever (Ro 5:17b).
Third, the Risen Christ has the power to restore the kingdom of God
(24,25,27,28). Look at verse 24. "Then the end will come, when he hands
over the kingdom to God the Father after he has destroyed all dominion,
authority and power." In the course of restoring the kingdom of God, the
Risen Christ will first destroy all evil and unrighteousness. No matter
how good many things of the world may seem, we know that underneath,
the world is full of evil. Where there is evil and unrighteousness,
there is always fear and sorrow (Isa 7:2; 8:22). Fear and sorrow make
man miserable. Political systems are necessary. But ultimately, they
all make some people rulers and most people slaves. So they are called
a "necessary evil." Even democracy, perhaps the most ideal form of
government, has hatched capitalism and imperialism over the poor and
over those from inferior nations. The utopian dreams of democracy have
produced effects as evil as those of communism, which uses any available
means to achieve its ends. This world is full of evil people. There are
also "necessary evil people." But when the time comes, the Risen Christ
will destroy all evil dominion, authority and power (24b).
Next, the Risen Christ will destroy death. Look at verse 26. "The
last enemy to be destroyed is death." Death is the fruit of sin. There are
two kinds of death--first, physical death and then spiritual death--called
"the second death" or eternal condemnation. Death is the last enemy of
man. Death has in it a sting. During their lives, those who sin against
God get many injuries and wounds both in body and spirit by the sting of
death. And after death they can't just die; they have to live forever in
the midst of the sting of death in the fiery lake of burning sulfur. Look
at verse 26 again. "The last enemy to be destroyed is death." The power
of death is imbedded in man and in the world beyond remedy. But the
Risen Christ, the one and only Son of God, will destroy this last enemy
of mankind, death, with his resurrection power.
Finally the Risen Christ will restore creation order. Read verse 24.
"Then the end will come, when he hands over the kingdom to God the
Father after he has destroyed all dominion, authority and power." Read
verse 28. "When he has done this, then the Son himself will be made
subject to him who put everything under him, so that God may be all in
all." Originally, there was one kingdom--the kingdom of God. But because
of Adam's disobedience, another kingdom came into the world--the kingdom
of Satan. Satan was originally an angel of God. But in his vanity he
abandoned God's mission and became Satan, and he has ruled the darkness
of the world ever since Adam's fall. This Satan has been roaming around,
capturing all unbelieving, wicked people and locking them in the dungeon
of his kingdom. But when God raised Jesus Christ from the dead, he assured
the complete destruction of the kingdom of Satan, and at the same time
the complete restoration of the kingdom of God. Here we learn that
the Lord's Prayer, "Your kingdom come," means the destruction of the
kingdom of Satan, and at the same time the complete restoration of the
kingdom of God. In the Risen Christ, God will once again be regarded
as the Center of the universe. Here we also learn that the power of
the Risen Christ is the power of the Almighty Creator God. For example,
man's ability is greatly limited. So, in restoring the roads of Chicago,
road workers make countless bumpy patches on the roads. They don't get
rid of the old asphalt completely and construct a new road. We can't
say that patching is restoration. But the Risen Christ has the power to
restore the kingdom of God. The restoration of the kingdom of God does
not mean mending it, for the kingdom of God was never damaged. Rather,
it means that man again obtains the privilege of entering the kingdom
of God--whoever believes in the Risen Christ. Man lost the kingdom of
God because of his sins. But the Risen Christ opened the doors of the
kingdom of God through his resurrection. We don't have to worry about
living in the dungeon of Satan anymore; we can expect the happiness,
love and peace of the kingdom of God for ever and ever (Isa 11:1-9;
Rev 21:1-4).
III. Do not be misled (29-34)
Look at verse 29. Through baptism for the dead, the Corinthians hoped
that the dead could live again. But Paul said that without resurrection
faith, this ritualistic baptism had no meaning. Paul knew that some
of the Corinthi ans were sincere, even amidst the ritualistic church
activities and the ridicule and disapproval of the general public. But
they had come to their human limitation in keeping up their lives of
faith. Paul knew that they had become shaky in their lives of faith
because they had not taken deep root in resurrec tion faith. So Paul
explained why he and his co-workers struggled to live a victorious
life. It was because he and his co-workers believed that Christ is risen.
So they lived like good soldiers of Christ. Look at verses 30-32. "And
as for us, why do we endanger ourselves every hour? I die every day--I
mean that, brothers--just as surely as I glory over you in Christ Jesus
our Lord. If I fought wild beasts in Ephesus for merely human reasons,
what have I gained? If the dead are not raised, 'Let us eat and drink,
for tomorrow we die.'"
Paul gave them some final advice. Look at verse 33. "Do not be
misled: 'Bad company corrupts good character.'" Who are bad company? They
are those who live without resurrection faith. When they don't have
resurrection faith, their hard and diligent effort can be their source
of strength. But sooner or later they feel that they don't know why
they have to work so hard to eat three meals a day. In other words,
they do not find the meaning of life. When they don't have the meaning
of life they gradually become wild, and sooner or later sink into deep
fatalism. The meaning of their life existence can make them strong and
wise. But when one has no meaning of his life existence, he loses his
strength and wisdom and he becomes a vegetable man or animal man. As
a result, such people live in the world like dead fish. They put all
their attention into what the world has to offer. The things of the
world are glittering and desirable, but they are all temporal. What
is more, such people live in sin only. Paul said in verse 34a, "Come
back to your senses as you ought, and stop sinning." Paul said, "Stop
sinning..." It meant that those who say, "I am a Christian," but who do
not have resurrection faith are sinning, because they are living double
lives. May God help us to believe in the resurrection of Christ and to
live by the power of the resurrection.