Board index ‹ Resurrection of Christ

[Newbie]

I don't get it. Paul says in 1 Cor. 15.14, that if Christ has not been raised, your faith is in vain." So help me understand that. What difference does it make if Jesus rose from the dead or not?

[jimwalton]

1 Corinthians 15.15, the next verse after your quote, says that if Jesus wasn't raised from the dead, then nobody is. V. 17 says that if Jesus wasn't raised, we are still in our sins. And then v. 18 says that if that's the case, then everyone is lost. That's why it's such a big deal. Hope that helps.

[Newbie]

But none of that follows. Jesus's supposed resurrection has nothing to do with the resurrection at the end of days (that's what that verse is referencing, right?), and there was already a perfectly effective means of obtaining forgiveness for sins long before Jesus was ever born. Resurrection has no effect on those things.

[jimwalton]

Paul is talking about several things in 1 Corinthians 15. Yes, he is talking about the resurrection at the end of days in 1 Cor. 15.12-13 & 15, for instance. His point is that Jesus' resurrection definitely has an effect on that, because if Jesus wasn't raised from the dead, then there is no such thing, and there won't be any resurrection for people at the end of time.

But then he also says in v. 17 that if Christ hasn't been raised from the dead, "you are still in your sins." While it was Christ's death that atoned for sins, his resurrection conquered them. For instance, the book of Hebrews (primarily chapters 9 & 10) says that it's impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sin. So even though atonement was made, the sins were not ultimately taken away (Heb. 10.11). Now, if I'm remembering right, the original poster was Jewish. As such, if he is a practicing Jew, he knows the full import of the sacrificial system, and how important it was (and is) to deal with sin. It's what most of Leviticus is about. So though the death of Christ atoned for sins in a way that the Levitical sacrifices couldn't, it was his resurrection that was necessary to ultimately and finally conquer sin and death. Without the resurrection, there is no life. The death of Christ has no atoning value without the resurrection. So it's not just about resurrection at the end of days. It's about our whole relationship with God, forgiveness from sin, and new life. So that's the second thing.

The third thing comes up in 1 Cor. 15.18, where Paul says that without the resurrection, those who have fallen asleep in Christ are lost. Someone may think, "Well, it's all made up anyway, so if there is no God and Jesus didn't exist, and he really didn't maybe die, but certainly didn't rise again, so it just doesn't matter. When you die, you're gone." That's an opinion, but it's not Paul's, and it's not his teaching. Paul believes in eternity, and he says that if we're wrong about the resurrection, and there is no such thing, then Christians are now suffering eternal judgment—even now for the ones who have already died. So according to Paul, the stakes are higher than just "rest in peace."

There are many pieces of Christian theology that rest on the resurrection of Christ, and not just on his crucifixion. I'll name a few: that there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, that Christians have been reconciled to God, that they are no longer under the control of the sin nature, that they are dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus, and that their sins are not counted against them. See, resurrection has effect on ALL those things.

I hope that helps. Feel free to write back if there are things I haven't been clear about, if you have some more questions, or if there are things you disagree with that you want to discuss.