1 Corinthians 15:12-19 (NIV)
But if it is preached that Christ has been raised from the dead, how can some of you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? If there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith. More than that, we are then found to be false witnesses about God, for we have testified about God that he raised Christ from the dead. But he did not raise him if in fact the dead are not raised. For if the dead are not raised, then Christ has not been raised either. And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins. Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ are lost. If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are of all people most to be pitied.
Some in the Corinthian Church had been teaching that there is no resurrection from the dead, that this life is all that there is. And this was shaking the faith of some in the Church.
Paul’s point is that the Christians believed firmly in Jesus’ resurrection from the dead on the third day. As Paul pointed out earlier in verses 4-8, the resurrection of Jesus was and is a centerpoint of the whole gospel, and was a historical fact attested to by hundreds of reliable eyewitnesses who saw him alive and well after he had been killed and buried.
But, from a purely logical standpoint, if there is no resurrection from the dead, no afterlife, no heaven and hell, that would mean that even Jesus Himself had not been raised from the dead. And He couldn’t have then ascended into a non-existent heaven, and thus He would not be coming back. If there is no resurrection from the dead, then Jesus is proven to be a false prophet who can’t save anyone from their sins.
Some of those who preached against the resurrection of the dead tried to convince their hearers that it was okay, because God would bless them and make this life a heaven on earth while it lasted, so heaven and eternal life were really unnecessary. But Paul sees the bigger picture. If there is no resurrection from the dead, then everyone who preached Jesus’ resurrection ends up being a false witness, and nothing they have said should be believed. And not only that, but everyone who had trusted in Jesus for salvation ended up having a false faith – their sins were still unforgiven, and so God had no reason to bless them, even in their present life.
In a nutshell, the entire gospel stands on the reality of Jesus’ physical resurrection, and by extension on the future resurrection of the dead, the reality of eternal life, heaven, and hell. A person can’t pick the parts of the gospel truth that they want to believe and just discard the rest. If we try to remove any part of it, the whole thing falls to the ground and is worthless.
Father, we live in a society today where many people do want to pick and choose which parts of Your word and of the gospel that they believe are true, and to have the freedom to disregard the rest. Some don’t believe in a literal heaven and hell, or a real eternal life. Some don’t believe in a real parting of the Red Sea and Exodus from Egyptian bondage. Some don’t believe that You created everything in six days as You so clearly say in multiple places in the Scriptures. And some don’t believe that a real physical resurrection of Jesus is necessary for their own personal belief in the gospel. But, Lord, You gave us Your word, faithfully recorded by Spirit-led men over the ages (2 Timothy 3:16-17, 2 Peter 1:20-21), and it all hangs together. If we make ourselves critics of Your inspired word and pick and choose which parts we want to believe, whatever the basis for those choices, we tear down the whole structure and invalidate the gospel. Help us, Lord, to trust You in all You have revealed to us. You never lie or distort the facts, and You are powerful enough to preserve Your word, even over long ages, as archaeological evidence has clearly and repeatedly demonstrated. Help us to be devout people of the Book, who take You at Your word in all things. Amen.