Meditating on the resurrection: what 1 Corinthians 15 changes for your life and your death
For Christians, the resurrection of Jesus is not a detail of the faith: it is its foundation. Without it, says Paul, everything collapses. This weekly quest invites you to read 1 Corinthians 15:12-26 and note what the resurrection changes for your life and your death.
What it looks like in your day
Read the passage slowly. Paul is answering believers in Corinth who were disputing the resurrection of the dead. His argument is logical and tight. Read it twice: once to follow it, once to savor it.
Spot the "ifs." Paul describes what would happen if Christ had not risen: the preaching would be vain, the faith vain, believers still in their sins, those who have died lost. Notice the gravity of what he says: everything depends on this fact.
Spot the "but." "But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept." The resurrection is a real event, which opens the way.
Note three things.
- What the resurrection changes for my life. I am not alone, my sin is forgiven, my life has meaning, my pain is not in vain.
- What it changes for my death. It is not the end; it is conquered.
- What it changes for my grief. Those I have lost in Christ, I will see again.
Give thanks. A time of gratitude for Jesus's victory.
Make an application. What decision does this hope invite me to make? Courage, patience, generosity?
If you are in a hurry, read only verses 20 to 26. If you are shy, your meditation stays private. If you are carrying a loss, this text can be a source of comfort: take it gently.
What the Bible says
Here is the heart of Paul's argument:
“Now if Christ be preached that he rose from the dead, how say some among you that there is no resurrection of the dead? But if there be no resurrection of the dead, then is Christ not risen: And if Christ be not risen, then is our preaching vain, and your faith is also vain. Yea, and we are found false witnesses of God; because we have testified of God that he raised up Christ: whom he raised not up, if so be that the dead rise not. For if the dead rise not, then is not Christ raised: And if Christ be not raised, your faith is vain; ye are yet in your sins. Then they also which are fallen asleep in Christ are perished. If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable. But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept. For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive. But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ’s at his coming. Then cometh the end, when he shall have delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father; when he shall have put down all rule and all authority and power. For he must reign, till he hath put all enemies under his feet. The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death.”
Notice the cascading logic: if the dead do not rise, Christ is not risen; if Christ is not risen, our faith is vain. Then the reversal: Christ is risen, he is the firstfruits, and death, the last enemy, will be destroyed. Further on in the chapter, Paul sings of the victory:
“O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.”
"O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?": the challenge hurled at death is a consequence of the resurrection. The angels at the empty tomb had said to the women: "Why seek ye the living among the dead?" (Luke 24:5-6).
Pitfalls to avoid
Reducing the resurrection to a symbol. For Paul, it is a real event, with witnesses. Hold on to that reality.
Separating it from the cross. The two go together: death for our sins, resurrection as victory.
Trying to explain everything. The text contains mysteries (the risen body, the nature of the afterlife). Be content with what Paul affirms.
Using these truths against those who weep. These promises comfort, but they are not thrown in the face of someone grieving.
Forgetting the present. The hope of the resurrection gives courage for today: it doesn't take us out of life.
This week, read 1 Corinthians 15:12-26. Note what the resurrection changes for your life and your death.