Without the Resurrection of Jesus Christ then all is Vain!
1 Corinthians 15:12-16
12 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? 13 If there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised. 14 And if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith. 15 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. 16 For if the dead are not raised, then Christ has not been raised either.
How can anyone deny something that has already happened? Jesus was resurrected. This was one of the pillars of Paul’s message and the pillar of Christianity itself. Without the resurrection, then all is in vain. It was amazing to Paul that those who had heard the Resurrection preached would reject such a doctrine. Likewise today, it’s amazing that people would turn away from such a comforting truth that fills our lives with hope. The only people to whom no resurrection would be appealing are those who are fearful of punishment if there is a resurrection and they have to give an account of their actions. This fear is always the motivating factor behind those who oppose the resurrection. If there is no eternity, then they can live like animals because there will be no eternal damnation. Such is not the case.
Paul tied our future physical resurrection together with the resurrection of Jesus in an inseparable way (1 Corinthians 15:16). He was saying that anyone who does not believe in the bodily resurrection of all mankind does not believe in the bodily resurrection of Jesus. There can be no salvation without believing in the resurrection of Jesus (Romans 10:9), so a person who does not believe that everyone will be physically resurrected cannot be a Christian.
This put the Corinthians who had believed this lie in an awkward place. They either had to reject the lie about no resurrection or they had to reject Jesus. They could not have it both ways. This still holds true today.
Paul made denying our bodily resurrection equal to denying the physical resurrection of Jesus (1 Corinthians 15:13). This verse shows the consequences of denying Christ’s resurrection: It makes the Gospel vain (“not successful; futile,” American Heritage Dictionary) and faith vain. The Corinthians who had had life-changing encounters with Jesus would have known that this certainly was not true, and they would have been forced to reject this false idea that there is no resurrection.
Out of the thirteen sermons to unbelievers recorded in the book of Acts, eleven clearly mention the Resurrection. In the two sermons that remain, it was not mentioned, but it was implied. Why is the Resurrection so important?
First of all, the resurrection of Jesus makes Christianity different from religion because we are dealing with a real, alive person, not just principles. As John said in 1 John 1:1-3, “That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, of the Word of life; (For the life was manifested, and we have seen it, and bear witness, and shew unto you that eternal life, which was with the Father, and was manifested unto us;) That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us: and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ.” Christianity is fellowship with a real person who is alive.
Second, forgiveness of sins is not obtained by a doctrine but by Christ Himself (Matthew 9:2, 6; and Acts 5:31). If Jesus did not rise from the dead, He cannot give salvation to us. However, He did rise from the dead, and now He lives forever to make intercession for us (Hebrews 7:25).
Third, it is Christ living in us (Galatians 2:20) that gives us power to live victorious lives (Romans 8:9). If there were no resurrection, there would be no power.
Fourth, there are a number of scriptures that link our own spiritual resurrection (i.e., being born again, John 3:3) with that of Christ’s (Ephesians 2:1-6; Colossians 2:13, 3:1; and Romans 6:1-11). According to Scripture, if Jesus didn’t rise from the dead, we cannot be saved (1 Corinthians 15:17).
Last, the resurrection life of Jesus is the guarantee of our physical regeneration (Romans 8:11). Because Jesus conquered death, the fear (Hebrews 2:15) and the sting of death (1 Corinthians 15:55) have been removed for us. This produces great comfort for those who believe (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18).
So, faith in the present-tense ministry of Jesus is essential to true Christianity and would be impossible if Jesus were not alive. Without Jesus being alive, Christianity would just be another dead religion.
But hallelujah! Jesus is raised from the dead, there is a resurrection of the dead, and we will reign with Christ eternally. So we are the most blessed of all men on the earth.
