1 Corinthians 15:12-34, Called to Hope

Theological Proposition/Focus: Resurrection is real.

Homiletical Proposition/Application: Make sure that your life here and now reflect the reality of our future resurrection.

Body

Without the resurrection we have no future (12-19).

The Gospel of Christ demands resurrection (12-13).

In order to understand verses 12-13 we must do a little of what is commonly called mirror reading. That is we look at the text, see that there was something Paul disapproved of and try to use his arguments to better understand what that something was. Theologians have pieced together six possible issues that the Corinthians might have wrestled with and while all of these issues are nuanced differences they really come down to one simple issue. It seems like some in Corinth had rejected the future bodily resurrection.

The problem, the Gospel does not allow for this rejection. You see, Christ was fully man. We don't need to get into all the details of the hypostatic union, but a few details are helpful.

The hypostatic union is a theological term used in Christianity to describe the union of Christ's humanity and divinity in one individual existence. This doctrine asserts that Jesus Christ is both fully God and fully man, possessing two distinct natures that coexist within a single person.

Colossians 2:9: "For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form."

In short, Jesus is fully man and fully God which means when he died he really truly died.

This means that without resurrection Jesus would still be dead.

Our faith depends on resurrection (14-15).

Since the Gospel is the message of the death of Jesus atoning for sin and his resurrection we need the resurrection.

Consider this

The resurrection validated Jesus's claims

• The resurrection confirms Jesus as the Son of God. Romans 1:4 states that Jesus was "declared to be the Son of God in power according to the Spirit of holiness by his resurrection from the dead."
• The resurrection fulfills Old Testament prophecies about the Messiah. For example, Psalm 16:10 foretells, "You will not abandon me to the realm of the dead, nor will you let your faithful one see decay."

The resurrection proved Jesus had conquered sin and assured our justification

• The resurrection signifies that Jesus' sacrifice was sufficient and accepted by God, breaking the power of sin. Romans 4:25 says, "He was delivered over to death for our sins and was raised to life for our justification."
• Jesus' resurrection is a divine endorsement of his atoning work on the cross. It assures believers that they are justified before God. Romans 4:25 links the resurrection with our justification.

The ressurection gives us hope for Christian living

• The resurrection empowers believers to live a new life. Romans 6:4 states, "We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life."

Hope is based on resurrection (16-19).

• The resurrection assures believers of their own future resurrection and eternal life. Jesus’ resurrection is the "firstfruits" of those who have fallen asleep (1 Corinthians 15:20).

We need to realize that so much is wrapped up on the resurrection.

Image: The Chinese phrase "I have no future."

When we were in China we enjoyed playing a lot of games with Chinese college students but one phrase stuck out to us "I have no future"

The phrase "I have no future" (没有未来, méiyǒu wèilái) in Chinese culture, when used in the context of making a mistake, can be understood as a form of self-deprecation or expressing disappointment in oneself. This expression may reflect a momentary feeling of hopelessness or frustration, but it's typically not meant to be taken literally. Nevertheless the phrase is significant because it reminds us that there is a future and that future matters. We do have a future, but not just a short future of a few decades. We have an eternal future.

But the resurrection is real and marks the beginning of the culmination of God's plan (20-28).

Every good negative statement has a but and 1 Corinthians 15 is no different. In verse 20 Paul begins with "but Christ." This radical change from negative to positive is possible because Christ is radical and

Resurrection begins with Jesus (20).

The reality is that Jesus did rise from the dead. Jesus did not stay dead! In verses 12-19 Paul explored the logical consequences of a denial of the resurrection but here he moves to consider the reality of the resurrection. From a theological perspective, resurrection begins with Jesus.

Paul presents the theological reality that Jesus is the first-fruits. The word first-fruits bears an important theological principle in the Old Testament. In Exodus 23:16,19. Israelites were expected to bring their first fruits to God. This act of faith was a work whereby an Israelite demonstrated that they trusted God enough to declare that the first-fruits were a guarantee of future blessing. Image the following scenario. Last Fall you had a plentiful harvest and store enough food to make it through winter. Spring came and you planted but as the rains fall and the seeds begin to grow you notice that your food stores are running dry. You have enough to make it but the food is getting old and the meals keep getting leaner. Then one morning you go out and discover fruit on the plants. It has been a long winter but the end has come and there is fresh food available. Yet, out of faith, instead of enjoying the fruit, you opt to take the fruit to the temple and offer it to God as a reminder that there is much more to come.

This is what we have int he resurrection of Christ. Jesus rose from the dead but that is only the beginning! Each of us here today is going to rise and if we have accepted Jesus as Savior that resurrection will be into eternal life, abundant life.

In verses 21-22 Paul provides the theological explanation for all of this.

Death started through Adam but ends through Christ (21-22).

Adam was the father of all mankind and as such his failure has Brough death upon all his decedents. Theologians debate between federal headship and seminalism to explain exactly how Adam's sin, sin nature, and the consequences are passed down to each individual. We are not going to get into all the details today. Maybe when we study Romans. The point of the passage today is not the how but the reality. Because Adam sinned we each here deserve to die. However, there is a parallel. One man's victory brings victory to all.

Image: Kids missing out.

One of the hardest things for most kids is to feel like they are going to miss out on the culmination of an event.

Therefore, life here and now should be lived in light of the resurrection (29-34).

Image: Lessons learned from the reset and save button on Zelda

I love playing Zelda, especially because I can save my work. I can take risks with my character knowing that the consequences are minor. We should never be dumb, but living in life of the resurrection means we can take some risk for our Savior.