What If There Was No Resurrection?
“Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand; By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain. For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; And that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the scriptures.” I Corinthians 15:1-4
Paul had been teaching in his letter to the Corinthians about the gifts of tongues and of prophecy, but now he was turning his attention to a very disturbing trend among some of the Corinthian believers which was the denial of a bodily resurrection (15:12). To approach his discussion of this denial, Paul reminded his readers of how the gospel began, the gospel which they had so readily embraced. Paul never varied in what he preached throughout the life of his ministry. The death of Christ on the cross to pay the penalty for man’s sin and His resurrection three days later which was evidence of His Father’s approval and acceptance of His sacrifice is the very foundation of Christianity. Without a firm belief in the death and resurrection of Christ, men and women have no hope for eternal life. Without this foundation, there is no eternal life for anyone. Without Christ’s resurrection, God’s plan of salvation fails. Thus, Paul was dealing with a very serious issue among these Corinthians who were claiming salvation in Christ.
Being born again, saved by the power of Christ, and made a new creature, forgiven of sin and in a right relationship with God is something that one who is saved by God’s grace will not forget. One of my former pastors used to say, “I’ve never gotten over being saved”, and that was evident in his preaching and his life. That is the attitude that everyone who has repented of sin and firmly placed faith in Christ and His crucifixion and resurrection should have. To know and believe that Christ would suffer and die for my sins is an overwhelming thought that is indelibly placed in my mind and heart. Christ made this selfless sacrifice long before I was ever a “blip” on the radar screen of life. He knew me before I was born, knew the actions that I would take and the thoughts in my mind, yet, died for me anyway. He knew everything that would happen in my life and desired to be with me throughout the bad times as well as the good. He is a constant companion in the person of the Holy Spirit, and He promised to never forsake me. It is this truth to which I cling.
It is also this truth by which the church members in Corinth were to measure their spiritual lives. Were they considering all the things that Paul had preached to them as they went about their daily lives? Did they keep Christ and His sacrifice foremost in their minds? Did they truly believe the gospel as they professed or were they just playing a game or pretending to be saved when they really did not believe the gospel? Paul had to question those who were saying that there was no resurrection. How could someone say that they believed in Christ but not in the fact that He was raised again nor in the fact that believers will rise again? It seems that they were basing their hope in a false gospel.
Paul preached his own testimony of how he met Christ on the road to Damascus. Prior to his conversion, he had been a man zealous for the honor of God, but his zeal led him to persecute believers. He had been on his way to Damascus to arrest Christians, but God had other ideas. After he received Christ as Lord and Savior, he went away for three years to study and learn from Christ before he began his ministry. He was well-versed in Old Testament prophecies concerning Christ and preached how Christ died for the sins of all people. Jesus’ sacrifice paid the penalty that God required to satisfy His justice. After Christ was crucified on the cross and succumbed to death, He was laid in a borrowed tomb, but on the third day He arose from the dead, just as prophesied in the Old Testament writings and by His own words.
There were many eyewitnesses to Jesus after His resurrection. He was seen by Peter (Luke 24:12) and the other ten original disciples. Jesus appeared to them as they had gathered to share a meal and rebuked them for “their unbelief and hardness of heart” (Mark 16:14). Another time, there were 500 of Jesus’ followers who saw Him alive and well (I Corinthians 15:6). Mary of Magdala met Jesus in a garden but thought that He was the gardener until Jesus revealed Himself to her (Mark 16:9). The other women who had been friends of Jesus also saw Him (Matthew 28:9). Paul encountered Jesus who appeared to him about seven years after Jesus ascended back to His Father in heaven. I suppose the greatest witnesses are all those who have Christ in their hearts because they repented and placed their faith in Him.
What if there was no resurrection? / The power to forgive not His / How miserable to believe / That this is all there is.