1 Corinthians  15  12-20

These verses are the continuation of last week’s passage.

Aul argues that there is a connection between the resurrection of Christ  in the recent past, and the future resurrection of the future. Some people in Corinth denied that belief, but Paul maintained if you denied it meant a denial of Christ’s resurrection.

The proof of Christ’s death was effective as a substitution sacrifice for sins, lies in the resurrection of the dead. Paul taught that that those who died, went to be with  the Lord immediately their death, and prior to their resurrection. He also believed of the believers eternal existence.  If there was no resurrection, there could be no eternal life.

The resurrection of  Christ, is grounded in the truth of eye witnesses testimony. God raised Christ as, the first fruits of all others who would also  be raised from the dead.

The first fruits, refers to a sample of an agricultural crop that indicates the  nature and quality of the crop. Therefore Christ’s resurrected  body gives a foretaste of what believers will be like .

Paul was thinking of a picture of the Feast of the Passover, which everyone knows the significance of the festival.  But in addition to the deliverance of the Israeli children, there was also a harvest due to be gathered in. The law laid down that people should take the first  fruits of  the harvest to a Priest, who would wave before Jehovah, to be accepted for you to have a wave after the Sabbath.

The people could not take from a garden or orchard, it had to be from a field.  It was ten taken into a Temple where it was threshed lightly over a fire in a pan, so that every grain was touched by the fire.  It  was then exposed before wind so the chaff was blown away. This was the first fruits, the sign of the harvest had come and the resurrection of Jesus was a sign of the harvest to come, and a resurrection for all believers.

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The opponents of Paul said dead men do not rise again.  If that view was taken, it means Jesus Christ did not rise, and that would mean Christianity was of no meaning. The reason Paul regarded the resurrection of Jesus was essential, and the great truths of Jesus are what makes all the difference to a person’s view of life here and after.

The resurrection proves that truth is stronger than falsehood.  John’s Gospel said Jesus stated  to His enemies, “ now you try to kill me, a man hath told you the truth”.

Jesus came with the idea of God and His goodness; this means His enemies wanted  Him to die so that they could keep their view of Him.

The resurrection proves that good is better than evil.  Referring back to John’s Gospel, Jesus is quoted as saying to Hus enemies, “you are of your father the devil”.Those who are crucified were the forces of evil, and if there had not been a resurrection, those forces would have been triumphant.

The resurrection proves that love is better than hatred.  Those who procured His death, were full of hatred and wanted a bitter end. 

The resurrection proves life is better than death.  If Jesus died never to rise again, it would have suggested that death could take the loveliest and the best that ever have lived, and break it.

Paul insisted that if the resurrection of Jesus was not a fact, then the whole Christian message was false, then those who died believing it, had died under a delusion: that those without it, would have life without a guarantee.

Take away the resurrection and  you destroy the foundation and fabric of life were the words of Paul.

         May God’s Holy Name be Praised and He be Glorified