1 Corinthians 15 - 16

This Life Only

1 Cor 15:19
"If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable." (KJV)
"And if our hope in Christ is only for this life, we are more to be pitied than anyone in the world." (NLT)

Paul destroys the anti-resurrectionist theories in today's reading.  Without the promise of the resurrection we have a hopeless religion and faith.  Paul deftly proves the resurrection pointing to Jesus as the first-fruits and as the conqueror of death. If there is no resurrection of the dead, then Christ died in vain (v. 13) and all the efforts of preaching and conversion down through history have been for naught (v. 14-15). But, Paul clearly states that Christ was seen risen from the dead by many witness (almost 500 at the time of his writing) and by Paul himself in the form of a pillar of fire on the road to Damascus.

Paul uses a beautiful example of seed being sown and coming back as a type of the resurrection.  He also explains that we have an earthly body, like that of Adam, born to corruption and death. Born to return to the dust of the earth like Adam who was formed from the earth.  We also have a spiritual body, a celestial body, waiting for us when we die (v. 40).  This is because we are part of Christ's spiritual body and Jesus was formed from a heavenly source and not the earth (v. 22, 45, 37).  Thus, since Jesus was from heaven, he returned to heaven and could not be held by the earth and resurrected on the third day before corruption set in to his natural body.

The even greater thing is the "mystery" that Paul speaks of in verses 51-52.  There is a group of believers that will never taste death but will be translated at the time of the resurrection to meet with the saints who are resurrected.  This is the time in which we live now - right on the precipice of the resurrection and catching away to be forever with Jesus Christ.

May God bless you and bless the reading of His Word.