So it makes no difference whether I preach or they preach, for we all preach the same message you have already believed. 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.
1 Corinthians 15:11-19
Do you remember Paul’s statement of the first importance?
- Christ died for our sins just as the Scripture says.
- He was buried. He was raised on the third day just as the Scripture says.
- Note how prime the resurrection is to these things of first importance.
Paul himself would never have seen Jesus face to face if it had not been for the resurrection. Without the resurrection there would be no Paul, just Saul of Tarsis. Without the resurrection there would only be a bunch of timid disciples who were scattered and scared.
Paul says we preach Christ rose from the dead; you say there is no such thing as resurrection from the dead. . .
Paul then launches into a series of logical syllogisms. If that . . . then this. If not that . . . then not this.
- If there is no resurrection of the dead, then Christ has not been raised.
- If Christ has not been raised, then all our preaching is useless.
- If Christ has not been raised, then your faith is useless
- If there is no resurrection of the dead, then Christ has not been raised.
- If Christ has not been raised, then your faith is useless.
- If Christ has not been raised, then you are still guilty of your sins.
- In that case, in other words, if Christ has not been raised then all who have died believing in Christ are lost!
- It is all founded on Christ being raised from the dead. If that is not fact then we all ought to pack up and go home. If Christ’s resurrection is not true, a fact of history, then I might as well stop these Bible Gems right now.
Paul makes an interesting statement: If our hope in Christ is only for this life, we are more to be pitied than anyone in the world. Why are we to be pitied more than anyone in the world? Think about it a while.
Comparing yourself to others is worthless. God won’t grade your life on the curve, but on the Cross.
Rick Warren
Don’t measure a man’s success by how high he climbs but how high he bounces when he hits bottom.
Anon