THE DOCTRINE OF THE RESURRECTION
1 Cor. 15:12-22
Morning Meditation 2/4/17
Verse 12-21 says, “Now if Christ be preached that he rose from the dead, how say some among you that there is no resurrection of the dead? But if there be no resurrection of the dead, then is Christ not risen: And if Christ be not risen, then is our preaching vain, and your faith is also vain. Yea, and we are found false witnesses of God; because we have testified of God that he raised up Christ: whom he raised not up, if so be that the dead rise not. For if the dead rise not, then is not Christ raised: And if Christ be not raised, your faith is vain; ye are yet in your sins. Then they also which are fallen asleep in Christ are perished. If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable. But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept. For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.”
Jesus definitely taught the resurrection. He Himself was raised from the dead and this message became the message of the early church. The doctrine of the resurrection as we have it today in the New Testament is a development over the doctrine as taught in the Old Testament and is a detailed explanation by Paul. Jesus declares the truth of the resurrection in the Gospels, the Apostles preach the resurrection in Acts, and the doctrine is developed and defended in the Epistles. Let us look a this passage which is a defense and explanation of the resurrection. There certain things Paul points out that help us understand what he taught about the resurrection. First, Paul says,
THE RESURRECTION IS ESSENTIAL TO THE GOSPEL
There were some in Corinth who denied the resurrection.. We know this by what he says in verse 12: “Now if Christ be preached that he rose from the dead, how say some among you that there is no resurrection of the dead?” The “if”is a first class condition and means, “if and it is true.” The early church preached that Christ rose again. They didn’t just talk about his doctrine but they taught that this One whom they preached was alive and was working out a plan that set them free from the condemnation of sin and assures them of a home in heaven forever.
The resurrection is essential. It is the whole point of the gospel. This is brought out in the first four verses of this chapter. Paul says, “Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand; By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain. For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures.” These verses define the gospel. Paul says in Romans 1:16 that the gospel is the power of God unto salvation to all who believe. What is he calling the gospel when he says the gospel is the power of God unto salvation for the believer? Some include baptism in the definition of the gospel. Some include the Lord’s Supper in the definition of the gospel. Paul says in this passage of Scripture in no uncertain terms that the sum and substance of the gospel is the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus.
Is it important that we stay with this definition? Paul wrote to the churches of Galatia that those who had come there and were preaching that salvation required the keeping of the law including the rite of circumcision, were perverting the gospel and making it ineffective to save. Listen to the strong language he uses: “I marvel that ye are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel: Which is not another; but there be some that trouble you, and would pervert the gospel of Christ. But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed. As we said before, so say I now again, If any man preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be accursed.” Paul teaches here that you cannot add anything to the definition of the gospel without making it void. He says, “If any man preach any other gospel . . . let him be accursed.” Strong words. He is not just speaking of a saved man who is sincerely wrong. He is talking about a lost man, a Satan called and sent preacher (2 Cor. 11:15), preaching with the intention of keeping people from being saved by a mixture of works an grace. That these teachers are unsaved is brought out in the words, “let him be accursed” in verses eight and nine. The words “let him be” is a present imperative verb. The present tense refers to continual action in the present tense of one’s life. The imperative mood is a command that expresses urgency. It is absolutely urgent that a believer not accept the false teaching that something can be added to the definition of the gospel. The word “accursed” translates “anathema” and means, “a thing devoted to God without hope of being redeemed, and if an animal, to be slain; THEREFORE A PERSON OR THING DOOMED TO DESTRUCTION.” (Caps mine for emphasis). If these men of whom Paul writes were saved, he would never make this statement. Save people of different denomination persuasions may disagree on a lot of things and still go to heaven together. But there is one thing we cannot disagree on, i.e., the definition of the gospel. If one adds anything to the gospel, he is unsaved or has lost his mind since he has been saved.
The doctrine of resurrection is essential to salvation. Paul says by inspiration of God, “But if there be no resurrection of the dead, then is Christ not risen: And if Christ be not risen, then is our preaching vain, and your faith is also vain.” This is so plain it hardly needs an explanation. If Christ was not raised from the dead, I have wasted forty four years of my life. I have preached an empty meaningless (what vain means) gospel. What Paul is saying is that the resurrection is the hinge on which what we teach as Christians swings. Without the hinge one is totally disconnected. Next Paul declares that,
THE RESURRECTION IS THE HOPE OF THE BELIEVER
He says this in verse 19: “If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable.” The “if” is the first class condition and therefore assumed to be true. The words “we have hope” is an unusual construction. The word “hope” translates “elpizo” and means, “the joyful anticipation of a reality.” It is a perfect active participle. The perfect tense refers to completed action in time past, that completed action having present results, i.e., we do have a hope that we received in the past and the result is that we have as a fact that hope right now. The words “we have” translate “esmen” (main verb) and is the first person plural of the to be verb “eimi,” and is a present indicative. This means that in the statement “We have hope in Christ,” we have a verb and verb form (participle, i.e., action words) in operation. The verb form places our hope in the past (the action of the perfect participle, HOPE, precedes the action of the main verb, WE HAVE) which has present results (we have as our hope something that was established with us in the past) and the verb (we have) represents a continuing active doctrinal believe on which we operate. Our hope is in Christ.. The resurrection is our hope. Paul plainly teaches here that our hope is not in this life. Christians give up the things in this life that the unsaved world has fun in doing. They feel sorry for us. We give up money that could buy better houses, cars, and finance enjoyable things, to get the gospel out to an unsaved world. We do this because we believe that Jesus teaches that we should place our hope in the next world. Paul says, “If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable.” Paul is saying if the resurrection is not true, if our hope is misplaced, we have blown it big time. We have wasted our efforts. I have heard preachers says, “Even if there is nothing to Christianity, it is still the best life.” That is NOT WHAT PAUL IS SAYING HERE. Then he says,
THE RESURRECTION HAS ALREADY BEEN DEMONSTRATED BY CHRIST
Verse 20 says, “But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept.” The words “is risen” translate “egeiro” and means, “to arouse from the sleep of death, to recall the dead to life.” It is a perfect passive indicative verb. Again, the perfect tense is completed action in the past with present results. With this verb Paul is saying that Christ was raised from the dead and remains right now in His resurrection body. The passive voice means that God the Father raised His Son from the dead. This is what Paul is saying in verse fifteen: “Yea, and we are found false witnesses of God; because we have testified of God that he raised up Christ: whom he raised not up, if so be that the dead rise not.” God raising the Son demonstrates His authentication of the cross as a means of salvation of a lost world.
The words, “and become the firstfruits” set His resurrection as a demonstration of things to come. The word “become” translates “ginomai” and means, “to become, i.e. to come into existence, begin to be, receive being.” It is an aorist middle indicative verb. This means that there came into being in a once-for-all-act in the resurrection a demonstration of the coming resurrection. The word “firstfruits” is plural and is not just referring to His resurrection. He not only came out of the grave Himself, He went to the place where Old Testament saints awaited the coming of the One whom they died trusting would come and take away their sins. Jesus entered the place called paradise and said, “tetelestai,” meaning “it is finished! This means from the point He said it, it was finished in the past and remained finished at the time He said it. Monroe Parker said that “tetelestai” was the word that announced victory for the Greek Cyclops who went out to battle. When they won a major victory on the battle field, they would send a runner back to the cities out of which the fighting men came to announce that they had won. When the runner came into the cities he shouted one word, “tetelestai!” When Jesus entered the city of the dead Old Testament saints He shouted, “Tetelestai!” Excuse me. Someone hold my mules!
He is the firstfruits. Others followed Him out of the grave! (See Matt. 27:53). Paradise was moved (2 Cor. 12:4). It is now in the presence of the Lord. The Old Testament saints were saved by faith in the coming Messiah. But paradise was a holding place where they awaited until the price had been paid. Then Jesus moved paradise so that it is now in the presence of God. Amen and amen. Then one other thing briefly stated,
THE RESURRECTION MAKES CHRIST THE VICTOR OVER WHAT ADAM LOST
This is stated in verses 21-22: “For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.”
We are sinners by nature because of an act of another, i.e., Adam. We recover from the fall we experienced in him by the act of ANOTHER, i.e., Jesus Christ. Then in the rest of the Chapter Paul is explaining how this will be worked out in God’s time.
The resurrection is essential to the gospel, it is the hope of the believer, it has already been demonstrated by Jesus, and the resurrection of the believer happens as a result of the victory over death that Jesus obtained for us through His death and resurrection. Christ is Victor!
May the Lord bless these words to our hearts.
In Christ
Bro. White
