1 Corinthians 15:12-19 says,...
Today's verses are 1 Corinthians 15:12-19, which says,
v.12-14 - 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? But if there is no resurrection of the dead, not even Christ has been raised; and if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is vain, your faith also is vain.
Yesterday Paul laid out the gospel message. Christ died for our sins...He was buried...He was raised on the third day...He appeared...all according to the Scriptures. This is what Paul preached to them that was not a message of his own but one given to him by Scripture and by God. They heard or understood the message, received or agreed with the message and then stood or committed to the message. Paul instructed them to hold fast or continually live in the message of the gospel that had been given to them.
After all of that there were some among the Christians in the church of Corinth who did not believe that we would be raised from the dead just as Jesus Christ was raised from the dead. Paul is pointing out in a backwards fashion that if they did not believe that we would be raised from the dead, then Jesus was not raised from the dead. If Jesus was not raised from the dead then the preaching that Paul and Jesus gave about it was in vain. If the preaching that Paul and Jesus gave about it was in vain then the faith that they had where they heard and received and stood was also in vain. There is a domino effect happening here if they didn't believe in the resurrection of the dead that Jesus proclaimed through Paul's teaching of this.
v.15-17 - 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. 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.
Here is more of the domino effect. If the dead are not raised then Jesus was not raised. If Jesus was not raised then Paul's and Jesus' preaching about it was in vain. If Paul's and Jesus' preaching about it was in vain then they stood on that preaching in vain. If they stood on that preaching in vain then Paul and Jesus were false teachers and testified falsely of a gospel that speaks of Jesus Christ dying for our sins. If Paul and Jesus are false teachers testifying of a message that is false then they are still carrying their sins and doomed. The dominoes of the faith are falling if we do not believe in the resurrection of Christ and the resurrection of His children who hold fast to the gospel.
v.18, 19 - 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.
A couple more dominoes are given here. If we are still in our sins then so our the ones we loved who have already died but were followers of the gospel. We are to be pitied if we live our life like there is another but there really isn't another. The life of the Christian was one of sacrifice and for one another and so those things that would be described as "to eat, drink and be merry" are not participated in. Paul is telling them that if the resurrection of the believers and Christ is not so then they sure have missed out on a lot that this world has to offer.
You know that Paul is not going to end the message here and tomorrow he will launch into another defense of the gospel of Jesus Christ and the resurrection of the dead. It is enough to know today that if we topple one of the tenets of the faith that others will fall like dominoes also and so we are to hold fast to what we have been given through the Scriptures.
"Lord, I am continually amazed at how Your Holy Spirit inspired and feed the authors of Scriptures the very words of You to convey in convincing ways the truth. You use all types of techniques to reach out to those who are reading. You love Your readers so much to die for them but then to also provide Your words to continue to guide them. Thank You today for the book that You have given us. Amen."
Pastor Adam
v.12-14 - 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? But if there is no resurrection of the dead, not even Christ has been raised; and if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is vain, your faith also is vain.
Yesterday Paul laid out the gospel message. Christ died for our sins...He was buried...He was raised on the third day...He appeared...all according to the Scriptures. This is what Paul preached to them that was not a message of his own but one given to him by Scripture and by God. They heard or understood the message, received or agreed with the message and then stood or committed to the message. Paul instructed them to hold fast or continually live in the message of the gospel that had been given to them.
After all of that there were some among the Christians in the church of Corinth who did not believe that we would be raised from the dead just as Jesus Christ was raised from the dead. Paul is pointing out in a backwards fashion that if they did not believe that we would be raised from the dead, then Jesus was not raised from the dead. If Jesus was not raised from the dead then the preaching that Paul and Jesus gave about it was in vain. If the preaching that Paul and Jesus gave about it was in vain then the faith that they had where they heard and received and stood was also in vain. There is a domino effect happening here if they didn't believe in the resurrection of the dead that Jesus proclaimed through Paul's teaching of this.
v.15-17 - 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. 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.
Here is more of the domino effect. If the dead are not raised then Jesus was not raised. If Jesus was not raised then Paul's and Jesus' preaching about it was in vain. If Paul's and Jesus' preaching about it was in vain then they stood on that preaching in vain. If they stood on that preaching in vain then Paul and Jesus were false teachers and testified falsely of a gospel that speaks of Jesus Christ dying for our sins. If Paul and Jesus are false teachers testifying of a message that is false then they are still carrying their sins and doomed. The dominoes of the faith are falling if we do not believe in the resurrection of Christ and the resurrection of His children who hold fast to the gospel.
v.18, 19 - 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.
A couple more dominoes are given here. If we are still in our sins then so our the ones we loved who have already died but were followers of the gospel. We are to be pitied if we live our life like there is another but there really isn't another. The life of the Christian was one of sacrifice and for one another and so those things that would be described as "to eat, drink and be merry" are not participated in. Paul is telling them that if the resurrection of the believers and Christ is not so then they sure have missed out on a lot that this world has to offer.
You know that Paul is not going to end the message here and tomorrow he will launch into another defense of the gospel of Jesus Christ and the resurrection of the dead. It is enough to know today that if we topple one of the tenets of the faith that others will fall like dominoes also and so we are to hold fast to what we have been given through the Scriptures.
"Lord, I am continually amazed at how Your Holy Spirit inspired and feed the authors of Scriptures the very words of You to convey in convincing ways the truth. You use all types of techniques to reach out to those who are reading. You love Your readers so much to die for them but then to also provide Your words to continue to guide them. Thank You today for the book that You have given us. Amen."
Pastor Adam
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