No Resurrection; No Gospel
Do you believe Jesus died and rose again? After three lifeless days in the tomb, do you believe his flesh warmed, his heart beat, and his lungs were again filled with air? There were professing believers in the Corinthian church who didn’t believe Christ rose bodily from the grave. Why would they? I mean, the science is solid. The evidence is clear. Dead people stay dead. That’s what we see with our eyes. That’s what we know from our experience. That settles it. But not for the apostle Paul.
In 1 Corinthians 15:12-20, Paul is adamant! Addressing these church-goers who rejected the bodily resurrection of Jesus, the apostle makes clear—to reject the resurrection is to reject God’s gospel. In verse 14, he insists, “…if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain.” In other words, the gospel Paul preached is a gospel anchored to the bodily resurrection of Jesus. His gospel is meaningless if Jesus’ body still lies in the tomb. For Paul—and for us—the essence of saving faith is trust in a living Savior and the promise of unending joy in relationship with him. Apart from that, faith means nothing.
There’s more. Paul goes on to tell us that if God hasn’t raised Jesus from the dead, the Bible isn’t true. In verse 15, he reminds the Corinthians that if there is no resurrection, “We are even found to be misrepresenting God, because we testified about God that he raised Christ whom he did not raise if it is true that the dead are not raised.” Here Paul confesses that he is a liar if God has not raised Jesus from the dead. That’s important because Paul is an apostle and the apostles were men through whom God gave us the New Testament. If God didn’t raise Jesus from the dead all the apostles lied and can’t be trusted—and neither can the Old Testament prophets. In short, if Jesus is still in the tomb, the Bible isn’t true. And, if the Bible isn’t true, God has not definitively spoken. And if God hasn’t spoken, he’s left us hopelessly to ourselves.
It gets worse. Paul goes on to say that if God hasn’t raised Jesus from the dead, the guilt of our sin remains. In verses 17-18 Paul writes, “And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins. Then those who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished.” When God raised Christ from the dead, he demonstrated that the death Jesus died was sufficient to pay our sin penalty in full. But if Jesus is still in the tomb, the wrath of God has not been satisfied. If Jesus has not been raised, we’re still headed for hell—and those who have gone before us are already there.
No wonder Paul concludes, “If in this life only we have hoped in Christ, we are of all people to be pitied” (verse 19). In other words, if Jesus is still in the tomb, enjoy your miserable life today—because this is as good as it gets. At least this is as good as it gets if God didn’t raise Jesus from the dead.
But God did raise Jesus from the dead (verse 20)! 1 Corinthians 15:4-8 assures us, “…that he was raised on the third day in accordance to the Scriptures, that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. Then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have fallen asleep. Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles, Last of all, as to one untimely born, he appeared also to me.
Never doubt it. Jesus lives! And because he lives, our preaching is not vain. Our faith is not meaningless. The apostles didn’t lie. The Bible is true. Our sin penalty has been paid in full. Because Jesus lives, all who believe in him are headed for heaven. And those who have gone before are already there.
That’s why we celebrate Easter!