16 April 2025
Scripture
1 Corinthians 15:1-28 (NLT)
The Resurrection of Christ
Let me now remind you, dear brothers and sisters, of the Good News I preached to you before. You welcomed it then, and you still stand firm in it. It is this Good News that saves you if you continue to believe the message I told you—unless, of course, you believed something that was never true in the first place.
I passed on to you what was most important and what had also been passed on to me. Christ died for our sins, just as the Scriptures said. He was buried, and he was raised from the dead on the third day, just as the Scriptures said. He was seen by Peter and then by the Twelve. After that, he was seen by more than 500 of his followers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have died. Then he was seen by James and later by all the apostles. Last of all, as though I had been born at the wrong time, I also saw him. For I am the least of all the apostles. In fact, I’m not even worthy to be called an apostle after the way I persecuted God’s church.
But whatever I am now, it is all because God poured out his special favor on me—and not without results. For I have worked harder than any of the other apostles; yet it was not I but God who was working through me by his grace. So it makes no difference whether I preach or they preach, for we all preach the same message you have already believed.
The Resurrection of the Dead
But tell me this—since we preach that Christ rose from the dead, why are some of you saying there will be no resurrection of the dead? For if there is no resurrection of the dead, then Christ has not been raised either. And if Christ has not been raised, then all our preaching is useless, and your faith is useless. And we apostles would all be lying about God—for we have said that God raised Christ from the grave. But that can’t be true if there is no resurrection of the dead. And if there is no resurrection of the dead, then Christ has not been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, then your faith is useless and you are still guilty of your sins. In that case, all who have died believing in Christ are lost! And if our hope in Christ is only for this life, we are more to be pitied than anyone in the world.
But in fact, Christ has been raised from the dead. He is the first of a great harvest of all who have died.
So you see, just as death came into the world through a man, now the resurrection from the dead has begun through another man. Just as everyone dies because we all belong to Adam, everyone who belongs to Christ will be given new life. But there is an order to this resurrection: Christ was raised as the first of the harvest; then all who belong to Christ will be raised when he comes back.
After that the end will come, when he will turn the Kingdom over to God the Father, having destroyed every ruler and authority and power. For Christ must reign until he humbles all his enemies beneath his feet. And the last enemy to be destroyed is death. For the Scriptures say, “God has put all things under his authority.” (Of course, when it says “all things are under his authority,” that does not include God himself, who gave Christ his authority.) Then, when all things are under his authority, the Son will put himself under God’s authority, so that God, who gave his Son authority over all things, will be utterly supreme over everything everywhere.
Let me now remind you, dear brothers and sisters, of the Good News I preached to you before. You welcomed it then, and you still stand firm in it. It is this Good News that saves you if you continue to believe the message I told you—unless, of course, you believed something that was never true in the first place.
I passed on to you what was most important and what had also been passed on to me. Christ died for our sins, just as the Scriptures said. He was buried, and he was raised from the dead on the third day, just as the Scriptures said. He was seen by Peter and then by the Twelve. After that, he was seen by more than 500 of his followers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have died. Then he was seen by James and later by all the apostles. Last of all, as though I had been born at the wrong time, I also saw him. For I am the least of all the apostles. In fact, I’m not even worthy to be called an apostle after the way I persecuted God’s church.
But whatever I am now, it is all because God poured out his special favor on me—and not without results. For I have worked harder than any of the other apostles; yet it was not I but God who was working through me by his grace. So it makes no difference whether I preach or they preach, for we all preach the same message you have already believed.
The Resurrection of the Dead
But tell me this—since we preach that Christ rose from the dead, why are some of you saying there will be no resurrection of the dead? For if there is no resurrection of the dead, then Christ has not been raised either. And if Christ has not been raised, then all our preaching is useless, and your faith is useless. And we apostles would all be lying about God—for we have said that God raised Christ from the grave. But that can’t be true if there is no resurrection of the dead. And if there is no resurrection of the dead, then Christ has not been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, then your faith is useless and you are still guilty of your sins. In that case, all who have died believing in Christ are lost! And if our hope in Christ is only for this life, we are more to be pitied than anyone in the world.
But in fact, Christ has been raised from the dead. He is the first of a great harvest of all who have died.
So you see, just as death came into the world through a man, now the resurrection from the dead has begun through another man. Just as everyone dies because we all belong to Adam, everyone who belongs to Christ will be given new life. But there is an order to this resurrection: Christ was raised as the first of the harvest; then all who belong to Christ will be raised when he comes back.
After that the end will come, when he will turn the Kingdom over to God the Father, having destroyed every ruler and authority and power. For Christ must reign until he humbles all his enemies beneath his feet. And the last enemy to be destroyed is death. For the Scriptures say, “God has put all things under his authority.” (Of course, when it says “all things are under his authority,” that does not include God himself, who gave Christ his authority.) Then, when all things are under his authority, the Son will put himself under God’s authority, so that God, who gave his Son authority over all things, will be utterly supreme over everything everywhere.
John 11:25 (NLT)
Jesus told her, “I am the resurrection and the life.[a] Anyone who believes in me will live, even after dying
John 2:19-21 (NLT)
“All right,” Jesus replied. “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.”
“What!” they exclaimed. “It has taken forty-six years to build this Temple, and you can rebuild it in three days?” But when Jesus said “this temple,” he meant his own body.
“What!” they exclaimed. “It has taken forty-six years to build this Temple, and you can rebuild it in three days?” But when Jesus said “this temple,” he meant his own body.
The Victory of Resurrection and Ascension
There is a principle in Bible study known as “The Full-Mention Principle.” It is a place in Scripture where we find a subject being expounded on and treated in its entirety. For example, James 3 exemplifies the importance of controlling our speech, likewise, 1 Corinthians 13 is the powerful epilogue on the all-important subject of love.
When we look at the final section of our 5-part series on Easter, 1 Corinthians 15 is the monumental passage, where the Apostle Paul addresses, in detail, the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Whilst it would be impossible to just select one doctrine in (perhaps) the ‘hierarchy’ of importance, I would, if forced to choose, assert that the resurrection of Christ is fundamental, indeed paramount to our Christian faith. If Jesus did not rise from the dead, we are ‘dead in the water!’ We do not have the certain claim of resurrection life and are relegated to the ‘cacophonous sidewalk of competing religions.’
If Christ has not risen, He has certainly died in vain (Rom. 4:24; 5:10), He lied (Matt. 16:21; 12:40) and He ultimately has no power to save and cannot therefore save today!
Now we know this to be wholly untrue! We have resurrection because He is the resurrection and the life (John 11:25). Christians view the Resurrection as the ultimate validation of Jesus's identity and teachings. What are these benefits you might ask? Let’s discover them!
- Theologically, the resurrection completes the atonement for our sins and validates the claims of Jesus. John 2:19-21 records the claim of Jesus;"Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up," referring to his body. Jesus repeatedly predicted his death and resurrection. The resurrection vindicates these claims and authenticates all his teachings and promises. The resurrection demonstrates God's acceptance of the atoning sacrifice. Unlike other religious leaders who died and remained dead, Christ's resurrection proves his sacrifice was sufficient and accepted by God.
- The resurrection also represents Christ’s ultimate victory over sin and death. Every spiritual force has been disarmed and defeated because of this. Colossians 2:15 states that Christ "disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them."
- We also get to participate in resurrection life. 1 Corinthians 15:20-23 tells us that we are participants in this new life in Christ! The old has passed away, death is defeated, and resurrection life is our legal inheritance! Romans 6:4 confirms this. We walk in the newness of life because of Him, you do not have to walk in your old ways, you can walk victoriously in His resurrection!
- Not only is our walk different, our position has also dramatically changed. The resurrection and ascension of Christ provides us a new identity and address! What do I mean by this? We are, as Paul encourages us in Philippians 3:20, citizens of heaven. We belong to a heavenly Kingdom and can access, here on earth, the benefits of that Kingdom!
- Christ's ascension also opens direct access to God's presence and throne room. Hebrews 4:16 is clear as it invites the Christian believer to “draw near”. Afterall, the curtain has been torn from top to bottom giving us access to the “Holy of Holies”!
- Not only do we get to partake in His presence, we also have gifts that are given for effective ministry. Via the baptism of the Holy Spirit, we are, as Ephesians 4:8-12 tells us, equipped for every good work to build up the body of Christ
- Finally, we have an eternal, positive eschatological hope because He lives! We are going home to be with Him. There will be no shedding of tears and we will fellowship with Christ in blissful eternity in the new heavens and new earth. We will be given new, incorruptible bodies and rule and reign with Him as first commanded to Adam and Eve.
There you go! I hope this inspires and causes you to reflect on the power of the empty tomb, the power of the risen Christ and the power of the Christ that will soon return. Be confident in your hope for He has Risen! Happy Easter!
More post from Planetshakers Easter Devotional
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