1 Corinthians 15:12-14 (WEL) 12 Now, if Christ is preached that he rose from the dead, how can some among you say that there is no resurrection from the dead? 13 Now if there is no resurrection from the dead, then Christ is not risen. 14 If Christ is not risen, then our preaching is futile and your faith [is] also futile.
V12 Now, if Christ is preached that he rose from the dead, how can some among you say that there is no resurrection from the dead?
The Apostles preached and taught the physical, bodily resurrection of Jesus. They testify that they saw Him physically. Since it is so, how can some, who were not present, teach that there is no resurrection from the dead?
(Ryrie Study Bible Notes) “Nothing in the Greek background of the Gentile converts at Corinth led them to believe in the resurrection of the dead. In general, they believed in the immortality of the soul, but not the resurrection of the body. To them, the body was the source of man’s weakness and sin; death, therefore, was the welcomed means by which the soul was liberated from the body. Resurrection, in their thinking, would only enslave the soul again.”
V13 Now if there is no resurrection from the dead, then Christ is not risen.
The importance of a physical, bodily resurrection of our Lord Jesus is that if He did not rise from the dead, there are horrifying consequences.
V14 If Christ is not risen, then our preaching [is] futile and your faith [is] also futile.
If there was or is no resurrection from the dead, then what the Apostles and others teach is a lie. If there is no resurrection, then there is no salvation for we die without hope.
We learn:
- The importance of Jesus’s resurrection.
- The consequences if there was no resurrection.
Questions:
- Do you believe that Jesus rose from the dead?
- How has believing in His resurrection affected you?