In Christ Shall All Be Made Alive

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The negative consequences if there is no resurrection. The positive consequences if Christ has been raised.

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one of the core teachings of the NT concerns sin and judgment
God to Adam, “in the day that you eat you shall surely die” (Gen 2:17)
all have sinned and the wages of that sin is death ( & 6:23)
One of the core teachings of the NT concerns the problem sin and God’s justice. (; ; ; )
one of the core teachings of the NT concerns the problem sin and judgment
many people believe that there is a heaven and a hell
one of the core teachings of the NT concerns the problem sin and judgment
Christ rose from the dead and all who believe in him will also be raised
God to Adam, “in the day that you eat you shall surely die” ()
God is a holy God and cannot set his word aside, he must punish sin
all have sinned (Rom 3:23)
if we say we haven’t sinned we deceive ourselves and believe a lie ()
the wages of that sin is death ()
a righteous and holy judge cannot ignore sin
The glorious answer to our pitiful condition is provided for in the Gospel, summarized in .
1 Corinthians 15:3–4 ESV
3 For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, 4 that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures,
Christ died for our sins
though we are sinners condemned to die there is a remedy and it is only found in Jesus Christ
he was buried = it was a real death
a real death to satisfy God’s righteous judgment
he was raised on the 3rd day
Romans 4:24–25 ESV
24 but for ours also. It will be counted to us who believe in him who raised from the dead Jesus our Lord, 25 who was delivered up for our trespasses and raised for our justification.
whoever is in Christ will also be raised
Jesus’ death was for our sins
Jesus’ resurrection was for our justification
our being declared righteous was made possible in Jesus being raised from the dead
Jesus’ resurrection was God’s declaration to the world that he was acceptable to Him as our sinless sin bearer. (1 Jn 5:11-12)
1 John 5:11–12 ESV
11 And this is the testimony, that God gave us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. 12 Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life.
eternal life is in Jesus Christ, he is the resurrection
if he is not raised he does not have eternal life and we have no hope
v.2 - “you are being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you!”
salvation is ongoing and it is dependent on holding fast, not turning away from the gospel
you are not being saved if you turn away from any part of this gospel (vv.3-4)
people have less of a problem with Jesus’ death than they do with his resurrection
if there is a resurrection then there must be a God
If the resurrection is real, God is real, and if God is real we are answerable to him!

The True Gospel

what is the Gospel?
The core message of the Gospel is outlined in .
1 Corinthians 15:3–4 ESV
3 For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, 4 that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures,
Acts 15:3–4 ESV
3 So, being sent on their way by the church, they passed through both Phoenicia and Samaria, describing in detail the conversion of the Gentiles, and brought great joy to all the brothers. 4 When they came to Jerusalem, they were welcomed by the church and the apostles and the elders, and they declared all that God had done with them.
how do we know the gospel is true
how can we be sure that it’s not something a bunch of nobodies dreamed up in the first century which has deceived the world ever since?
Paul appeals to 3 testimonies which affirm the reality of the resurrection.
first, the testimony of a changed life (v.1 - in which you stand)
examples of Peter, the Apostles & Paul
second, the testimony of scripture (v.3 - in accordance with the scriptures)
odds of fulfilled prophecy
odds of prophecies by unrelated individuals living at different times and places being fulfilled by one person hundreds of years later
1 person fulfilling 8 prophecies: 1 in 100,000,000,000,000,000
1 person fulfilling 48 prophecies: 1 chance in 10 to the 157th power
Odds of winning Lotto 649 = 1:13,983,816
Odds of winning Lotto 649 = 1:13,983,816
1 person fulfilling 300+ prophecies: Only Jesus!
third, the multiple witnesses (vv.5-10)
the greater the number of witnesses the harder it is to coordinate their stories
the changed lives of believers, the fulfillment of multiple prophecies made over hundreds of years by different prophets living different places and multiple witnesses to the resurrected Christ provide irrefutable proof of the power of the gospel
Christ died for sins, was buried, was raised on the 3rd day
changed lives, fulfilled prophecies, eye witnesses
this Gospel is one of the best attested facts of history!

The False Gospel

begins by reminding them of the gospel he had preached to them and which they had embraced (15:1-10)
[READ 15:12-34]
salvation is ongoing
you are not being saved if you turn away from any part of the gospel (vv.3-4)
the problem is that if the resurrection is real, God is real, and if God is real we are answerable to him!
note the many ways unbelievers try to discount the resurrection:
proofs of the resurrection in this passage:
Jesus’ appearance to a wide range of people, in various places, and in great numbers
there was no disagreement among those to whom Christ appeared
Paul’s own testimony and the great suffering he endured for Christ
in the Corinthian church some were saying that there was no resurrection of the dead
in effect they were denying the gospel of vv.3-4
it is a package deal, all or nothing!
note that “the dead” is stated 5x in 8 verses
the dead what?
a dead body or dead person
Paul is speaking of physical, bodily, resurrection
although Paul doesn’t tell us which people were saying this,
we know that the Sadducees did not believe in the resurrection (; )
we also know that Greek philosophy rejected a bodily resurrection because it believed the material body was inferior, even evil (cf. Acts 17:32)
considered the body a tomb or corpse to which their souls were shackled
to these Greeks their bodies were the last things they wanted to take into the next life!
Paul’s argument in a nutshell: if there is no resurrection, Christ is not raised and if Christ is not raised, there is no Gospel!
if there is no resurrection, Christ is not raised
if Christ is not raised, there is no gospel!
if Christ is not raised Christianity is meaningless (your faith is in vain)
if Christ is not raised his suffering and death accomplished nothing
in verses 13-19 Paul lays out 7 consequences of denying the resurrection

4 Theological Consequences

1. “Not even Christ has been raised” (v.13)
the only way they could hold to Christ’s resurrection and deny bodily resurrection was to postulate that Jesus only appeared to be human
he did not really die but only appeared to die
does not square with the Gospels or Jesus’ own testimony
The Gospel hinges on Jesus being a real man, who came to die for real people with a real sin problem.
2. “Our preaching is in vain” (14a)
Romans 1:4 ESV
4 and was declared to be the Son of God in power according to the Spirit of holiness by his resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord,
If Jesus was not raised he was not the Son of God and if not could not have paid for my sin let alone anyone who would believe in him. ()
the penalty for sin: death and hell
Revelation 20:6 ESV
6 Blessed and holy is the one who shares in the first resurrection! Over such the second death has no power, but they will be priests of God and of Christ, and they will reign with him for a thousand years.
death and hell would have remained victorious over humankind
unless Jesus conquered both sin and death making a way to follow in his victory, there is no gospel
3. “Your faith is in vain” (14b)
1 Peter 1:3 ESV
3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,
a dead saviour cannot give life
It is through the resurrection of Jesus that God causes us to be born again, (1 Pet 1:3)
faith in a dead leader would be useless
a dead saviour cannot give life
faith’s hall of fame in would become the hall of fools
they would have been faithful for nothing!
who suffers and dies for a lie? for something that really did not happen?
other biblical examples: Stephen’s stoning, Paul’s beheading, Peter crucified upside down
history:
4 million Christians buried in the 600 miles of catacombs under the city of Rome - many of them martyred for their faith
during the Dark Ages 50 million believers were killed for holding to the gospel
1 million Christians died in the communist takeover of China
faith in a dead leader would be useless
hundreds of thousands of Christians tortured and murdered under Russian communism
century after century, christians have lived in the confident expectation of life after death based on the resurrection of Christ
they were able to say with the Apostle Paul,
Romans 8:18 ESV
18 For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us.
4. “We are even found to be misrepresenting God” (v.15)
Philippians 3:20–4:1 ESV
20 But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, 21 who will transform our lowly body to be like his glorious body, by the power that enables him even to subject all things to himself. 1 Therefore, my brothers, whom I love and long for, my joy and crown, stand firm thus in the Lord, my beloved.
and so they stood as they were shot, beaten, tortured, boiled, hacked to death, whipped, beheaded
as they died they confidently expected that the moment their bodies ceased to live they became present with their Lord
“If anyone keeps my word, he will never taste death.”
“To be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord”
4. “We are even found to be misrepresenting God” (v.15)
they had preached that God himself raised Jesus from the dead (1 Pet 1:3)
if there is no resurrection then they lied about God
all who testify to the resurrection would be liars
If there is no resurrection then all who claimed to have seen Jesus after his death were liars.
Paul and the Apostles would have been the chief liars!
there’s no way they could have been naive or mistaken because they would have had to conspire together to make their testimonies agree
if they so blatantly lied about God and the resurrection how could any of their other teachings be reliable?
Jesus himself would be disqualified as the Son of God since he lied about himself saying that he would be raised in 3 days (Mt 12:40)

3 Personal Consequences

1. "You are still in your sins” (v.17)
Paul repeats what he said earlier: our faith is useless if Christ is not raised
our faith is futile and we are still under sin
a clear statement that Christ’s death cannot be separated from his resurrection
Apart his resurrection, Christ’s death accomplishes nothing.
2. "Those also who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished” (v.18)
every believer from Adam and Eve onward would have died under the curse of sin
- in the day you eat you shall surely die
- for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God
- for the wages of sin is death but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus
3. "We are of all people most to be pitied” (v.19)
all that we believe, all that we trust in, all that we hope for, all that we give up, all that we suffer would be for nothing
1 Corinthians 15:32 ESV
32 What do I gain if, humanly speaking, I fought with beasts at Ephesus? If the dead are not raised, “Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die.”
1 Corinthians 15:32–33 ESV
32 What do I gain if, humanly speaking, I fought with beasts at Ephesus? If the dead are not raised, “Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die.” 33 Do not be deceived: “Bad company ruins good morals.”
if there is no resurrection we have no hope beyond the grave therefore all we have left is to get as much pleasure out of this life as we can
other biblical examples: Stephen, Paul’s beheading, Peter crucified upside down
history:
4 million Christians buried in the 600 miles of catacombs under the city of Rome - many of them martyred for their faith
during the Dark Ages 50 million believers were killed
1 million Christians died in the communist takeover of China
hundreds of thousands of Christians tortured and murdered under Russian communism
century after century, christians have lived in the confident expectation of life after death based on the resurrection of Christ
they were able to say with the Apostle Paul,
Romans 8:18 ESV
18 For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us.
Philippians 3:20–4:1 ESV
20 But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, 21 who will transform our lowly body to be like his glorious body, by the power that enables him even to subject all things to himself. 1 Therefore, my brothers, whom I love and long for, my joy and crown, stand firm thus in the Lord, my beloved.
Rom 8:
Php 3:20
and so they stood as they were shot, beaten, tortured, boiled, hacked to death, whipped, beheaded
as they died they confidently expected that the moment their bodies ceased to live they became present with their Lord
“If anyone keeps my word, he will never taste death.”
“To be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord”
faith’s hall of fame in would become the hall of fools
they would have been faithful for nothing!
who suffers and dies for a lie? for something that really did not happen?
other biblical examples: Stephen’s stoning, Paul’s beheading, Peter crucified upside down
history:
4 million Christians buried in the 600 miles of catacombs under the city of Rome - many of them martyred for their faith
during the Dark Ages 50 million believers were killed for holding to the gospel
1 million Christians died in the communist takeover of China
hundreds of thousands of Christians tortured and murdered under Russian communism
century after century, christians have lived in the confident expectation of life after death based on the resurrection of Christ
they were able to say with the Apostle Paul,
Romans 8:18 ESV
18 For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us.
Philippians 3:20–4:1 ESV
20 But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, 21 who will transform our lowly body to be like his glorious body, by the power that enables him even to subject all things to himself. 1 Therefore, my brothers, whom I love and long for, my joy and crown, stand firm thus in the Lord, my beloved.
and so they stood as they were shot, beaten, tortured, boiled, hacked to death, whipped, beheaded
as they died they confidently expected that the moment their bodies ceased to live they became present with their Lord
“If anyone keeps my word, he will never taste death.”
“To be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord”
if there is no resurrection then it doesn’t matter how you live your life
if when you die that’s it, all you have is this life and you might as well live it in such a way that you get the maximum amount of satisfaction and pleasure
this is how a large part of our culture lives and thinks
The only way that our lives have meaning in this life is if there is life after death.

The True Gospel

“but in fact Christ has been raised”
Christ has been raised as the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep (v.20)
Jesus is the “firstfruits” of those who have died believing in him. (1 Cor 15:20)
- 2 of the 6 feasts commanded by God centred around harvest
Feast of Firstfruits: a bundle of grain waved before the Lord (vv.10,11)
Feast of Weeks: 7 weeks later (Pentecost) 2 loaves of bread to be waved (vv.17, 20)
Jesus the firstfruits and the HS who followed resulting in 3000 coming to saving faith
some believe the 2 loaves represent both Jews and Gentiles
- Paul compares Adam with Jesus
by a man comes both death and resurrection
Christ the firstfruits then at his coming those who belong to him
gives the final stage of history after all who belong to Christ are raised (v.23)
Jesus is reigning now through the church (v.25)
Jesus to Pilate: “my kingdom is not of this world” (Jn 18:36)
Jesus’ promise: “I will build my church and the gates of hell will not stand against it” (Mt 16:18)
Jesus is conquering all his enemies in the accomplishing his purpose: the saving of all whom God has chosen. (1 Cor 15:25)
the last enemy to be destroyed is death (v.26)
having conquered this last enemy Jesus will hand the kingdom over to God
if Christ has been raised, resurrection is obviously possible
if there is no resurrection then Christ has not been raised

Practical Admonition and Warning

- Paul returns to his argument for the validity of the resurrection
v.29- appeals to the pagan practice at that time of being baptized in the sea for the dead so that they would have a comfortable afterlife
v.30 - appeals to the willingness of all true believers to endure danger and hardship, even death, for the gospel
v.31 - appeals to the oneness of heart he had with the believers at Corinth
“I die every day” - he willingly faced death on a constant basis for their spiritual wellbeing
v.32 - appeals to the great opposition he endured when ministering in Ephesus
v. 33 - the practical application if there is no resurrection
be careful whom you listen to!
“do not be deceived” - it is easy to convince ourselves that those who compromise on the truth are not so bad
Who we listen to always has an effect on our behaviour!
v.34 - Paul reproves the Corinthians who had listened to the false teaching
drunken stupor - intoxicated with the ideas of the world vs. being filled with the truth
do not go on sinning - thinking affects behaviour (Rom 12:2)
no knowledge of God - Paul is addressing believers!
compare to the 3 stages of growth in
2 kinds of knowledge of God among believers: infantile and adult
they had an infantile faith because they had not grown in their knowledge of God’s Word
1 Corinthians 3:1–2 ESV
1 But I, brothers, could not address you as spiritual people, but as people of the flesh, as infants in Christ. 2 I fed you with milk, not solid food, for you were not ready for it. And even now you are not yet ready,
if when you die that’s it, all you have is this life and you might as well live it in such a way that you get the maximum amount of satisfaction and pleasure
this is how a large part of our culture lives and thinks
Revelation 20:6 ESV
6 Blessed and holy is the one who shares in the first resurrection! Over such the second death has no power, but they will be priests of God and of Christ, and they will reign with him for a thousand years.
the only way that our lives have meaning is if there is life after death
the question if this is so how our conception of the afterlife affects our life here and now
these 7 consequences were given to believers who were tempted to turn away from the teaching of the scriptures
they were being influenced by either the thinking of the pagan world or a sect of Judaism
in either case the consequences are disastrous
the resurrection is the linch pin, the cornerstone of the gospel
without it everything falls down
if the death had been the end of Jesus Christ, it is safe to say that the church would never have come into existence
the death of Christ demoralized the disciples, scattered them and sent them into grieving fearful hiding
the death of Christ demoralized them, dashed their hopes, led the disciples to go back to their old occupations
the death of Christ was the curse of God on sin
it was the resurrection of Christ which transformed the disciples and through them transformed the world
Romans 1:4 ESV
4 and was declared to be the Son of God in power according to the Spirit of holiness by his resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord,
Jesus’ resurrection proved he was the Son of God
Apart from the resurrection Jesus could not have conquered sin or death or hell, and those three great evils would forever be man’s conquerors.
the resurrection was Jesus’ conquering these things!
Jesus died for the sins of all the elect - the punishment due for those sins was laid upon Christ
the resurrection was Jesus’ conquering these things!
when Jesus rose it was God’s vindication, proving that he died not for his own sins but for those of the elect
when Jesus rose it was God’s vindication, proving that he died not for his own sins but for those of the elect
the souls that sins shall eternally die
there is but one verdict for the sinner: eternal destruction in hell
if Jesus did not rise from the dead, he would have been no different than any other sinner
the curse of sin would have conquered Christ
if Jesus remained dead it would have proven he was just a sinful man, under the same condemnation as all men
Romans 6:23 ESV
23 For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Romans 4:24–25 ESV
24 but for ours also. It will be counted to us who believe in him who raised from the dead Jesus our Lord, 25 who was delivered up for our trespasses and raised for our justification.
Rom
Jesus died for our sins
Jesus was raised for our justification
our being declared righteous is tied to Jesus’ resurrection
Jesus’ resurrection was God’s declaration that he was our sinless sin bearer
John 14:19 ESV
19 Yet a little while and the world will see me no more, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live.
Our eternal life is directly connected to Jesus being raised from the dead.
the transformational power at work in the believer’s life is not in Jesus’ death but his resurrection
Acts 5:30–31 ESV
30 The God of our fathers raised Jesus, whom you killed by hanging him on a tree. 31 God exalted him at his right hand as Leader and Savior, to give repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sins.
in raising Jesus God gave him the right to grant repentance and forgiveness of sins
if Christ did not rise he cannot help us in regard to the life to come
if Christ did not rise he cannot help us now
Jesus cannot be Saviour, Redeemer or Lord if he is not raised
with out a Saviour, Redeemer and Lord we have nothing are to be pitied as poor fools
in his suffering and death Jesus bore the curse of God
in his death Jesus paid the penalty of sin which was physical and spiritual death/separation from God
in his resurrection Jesus secured new life for all who believe in him
transformational power at work in the believer’s life is not in Jesus’ death but his resurrection
his death had to do with God
it was payment for all of the sins of the elect
it was a satisfaction of God’s offended justice and holiness
it was a fulfillment of God’s decree, “in the day you eat you shall surely die”
Jesus’ resurrection has to do with us
it was proof God was satisfied
his resurrection was the first of many in that those who believe in him are raised to newness of life in this life and raised to an incorruptible life after death
the power of the resurrection is witnessed in
the survival of the church over 2000 years of skepticism, persecution, heresy, unfaithfulness and disobedience
the willingness of people to suffer and die for the gospel
Paul argues that if there is no resurrection our faith is useless and ineffective, preaching is a waste of time, the witness of the apostles was a lie, sin remains unforgiven and believers die without hope
basically Paul is saying that the Jesus’ death means nothing apart from his resurrection
John 5:29 ESV
29 and come out, those who have done good to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil to the resurrection of judgment.
Acts 26:22–23 ESV
22 To this day I have had the help that comes from God, and so I stand here testifying both to small and great, saying nothing but what the prophets and Moses said would come to pass: 23 that the Christ must suffer and that, by being the first to rise from the dead, he would proclaim light both to our people and to the Gentiles.”
by his resurrection he was able to proclaim light
John 11:25 ESV
25 Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live,
Jesus is the absolute source and cause of the resurrection
Jesus is the absolute source and cause of all life (; ,; )
there is no resurrection apart from Christ and their is no life apart from Christ
the life is a statement about his divine nature
because he is life death has no power over him
Jesus gives this life to all who believe on him
1 John 5:11–12 ESV
11 And this is the testimony, that God gave us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. 12 Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life.
eternal life is in the Son and Jesus is the resurrection
if he is not raised he does not have eternal life and we have no hope
if he is not raised he does not have eternal life and we have no hope
John 17:3 ESV
3 And this is eternal life, that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.
Applications
you cannot deny the resurrection and call yourself a Christian
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