The Consequences of the Scary Lie, Part 2 – 1 Corinthians 15:16-19

For if the dead are not raised, not even Christ has been raised; and if Christ has not been raised, your faith is worthless; you are still in your sins. Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. If we have hoped in Christ in this life only, we are of all men most to be pitied. 1Cor 15:16-19

On the third day after Jesus died, while the disciples locked themselves in out of fear of Jewish leaders, the risen Lord came and stood among them and said to them, “Peace be with you.” (Jn 20:19) By His bodily resurrection, Jesus proved He was the Lord of all, the Savior and Head of the church. This was the victorious gospel testified by the Scriptures, the church, and several eyewitnesses along with Apostle Paul. Yet despite the evidence, certain members of the Corinthian church denied the bodily resurrection. To them, Paul presents these hypothetical consequences if Christ were in fact not raised.

Without the resurrection, our faith would be worthless. Without the resurrection, there would be no salvation. Faith that excludes the resurrection is idolatry. It is a dead faith, having nothing to do with the God. Our faith is true because of the resurrection. The disciples were completely transformed after they saw the resurrected Lord. Before it they were afraid, but after seeing Jesus raised from the dead, they were filled with boldness and power by the Holy Spirit to go and make disciples of all the nations.

Without the resurrection, our sins would remain. If Christ were not raised, we would live and die in the wrath of God. There would be no salvation without the resurrection, because Jesus would’ve been like any other false messiah who rose and fell away. (Acts 5:38-39; Rom 4:25) But Jesus was raised because He is God. Jesus is the Christ who came to fulfill the eternal plan of God for the redemption of man, by dying in our place for our sins, and being raised for our forgiveness. (Rom 6:3-4) His resurrection makes it possible for us to walk in the newness of life, because we are alive to God in Christ.

Without the resurrection, we would perish. Without the resurrection, believing in Christ would profit nothing. You would still die in your sins. We follow the path of Christ by faith. Only the gospel can save- the gospel of Jesus’ death and resurrection. (Rom 6:23)

Without the resurrection, Christians would be the most pitied. The resurrection is not to be believed for the sake of this life only- it is for eternity thereafter. If your aim is to gain the world, you will truly be pitied when Jesus returns. On the other hand, those who follow Christ will be pitied by the ignorant world- you will face scorn and derision for believing in the resurrection. But we look to Christ, who never sought man’s favor, but received all His glory from God. (Phil 2:8-9)The risen Lord has made us God’s own possession, called out of darkness into His marvelous light to proclaim the gospel to the lost. (1Pet 2:9-11) We now see the hopelessness and deceit of the world, as well as the true treasure of the kingdom of God given to those believe.

Jesus is the risen Lord who comes to us with peace. His resurrection gives us power for godliness to be set apart from the world. Do you truly believe in the resurrection? Faith found and centered on the risen Lord is the only faith that saves.