If there is no resurrection of the dead?
[1 Corinthians 15:12-20]
In the new year of 2015, there were funerals for two of the Korean ministry members of our church so far. The late Grandma Bun-nam Choi held a funeral service in January (15-16th) and the late Grandma Bonghee Lim held a funeral service in March (26-27th) last month. It has only been three months since we celebrated the New Year, and we have already held the funerals of two sisters in Christ. These two sisters in Christ are the people who loved our Victory Presbyterian Church very much. So, the two of them came to our church and worshiped God with all their might until the day when their physical health was exhausted and thus they couldn’t come to church anymore. Grandma Choi didn’t go to other churches even when she could go, but insisted on attending only our church. And Grandma Lim served our church very diligently until she was able to. When I confessed ‘I love you’ to Grandma Choi after offering the last service to God in the Intensive Care Unit of the hospital, she looked at me and nodded. Grandma Lim is the sister in Christ whom I kissed on her forehead when she was in the nursing home while she was still alive. I delivered the message of 1 Corinthians 15:19 today while giving a sermon to the bereaved family members and mourners while offering Granma Lim’s viewing service to God: “If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are to be pitied more than all men.” Based on this verse, I said that if there is no resurrection of the dead, we the Christians are to be pitied more than all people.
If there is no resurrection of the dead, we are the most pity people in the world. Why? The Bible says that there are four reasons:
The first reason is that if the dead were not raised, then Christ was not raised.
Look at 1 Corinthians 15:13, 16 – “If there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised. … For if the dead are not raised, then Christ has not been raised either.” Do you believe in the truth (fact) that Jesus died on the cross and rose from the grave on the third day? The Bible 1 Corinthians 15:3–4 clearly states this: “For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures.” Clearly, the Bible says that Jesus Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day. We who believe in this truth have no choice but to believe in the truth that because Jesus rose again, we who believe in the resurrection of Jesus will also rise from the dead. The reason is because the resurrection of Jesus is our resurrection. In other words, because Jesus Christ rose from the dead, we Christians who believe in Jesus will also rise from the dead. Look at Romans 8:11 – “And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit, who lives in you.” The Bible clearly tells us that if the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of God who raised Jesus from the dead, lives in us, just as God raised Christ through the Holy Spirit, He will surely give life to our mortal bodies as well. We believe in this truth.
Today Jesus is asking us this question: “… I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?” (Jn. 11:25-26)
The second reason is that if the dead do not rise again, then Christ has not been raised, and our evangelism and faith are useless.
Look at 1 Corinthians 15:14, 17a – “And if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith. … And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile ….” The gospel of Jesus Christ that we believe and preach is true. The true gospel is that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures (vv. 3-4). However, if the dead don’t rise again, Christ has not been raised from the grave, so the gospel of Jesus Christ we believe in and our preaching is useless. How can we believe and evangelize Jesus, who has not been raised again? Where is this vain faith and vain evangelism? This is false faith and false evangelism. In a word, we will be false witnesses about God (v. 15).
But the Jesus we believe in is Jesus who is the resurrection and the life (Jn. 11:25). Our Jesus Christ died on the cross, was buried, and rose from the dead three days later. We are believers in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. And we are God's witnesses who preach the true gospel of Jesus Christ. Look at Acts 1:8 – “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” We are witnesses of Jesus Christ. We who believe in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ are preachers of the good news of Jesus Christ. The gospel we preach is true, and our faith is also true. This is because God raised Christ Jesus from the dead through the Holy Spirit. The same Holy Spirit who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in us. So we must believe and preach the death and resurrection of Jesus by the power of the Holy Spirit.
The third reason is that if Christ had not been raised, we would still be in our sins, since there was no resurrection of the dead.
Look at 1 Corinthians 15:17b – “… you are still in your sins.” Jesus died for our sins according to the Scriptures (v. 3). In other words, Jesus took on all our sins and died on the cross in order to forgive all our sins. This is what the Bible Romans 4:25 says: “He was delivered over to death for our sins and was raised to life for our justification.” Through the death of Jesus, our sins are forgiven, and through the resurrection of Jesus we are justified. However, if we say that there is no resurrection of Jesus, then we are not justified, and we still be in our sins. Then, as Jesus said, we are bound to die in our sins (Jn. 8:21). Without the resurrection of Jesus, we are still in our sins and are bound to die eternally. If Jesus had not been raised from the dead, there could be no forgiveness of sins, no salvation, no reconciliation, no spiritual life now or forever.
But we are no longer in sin. The reason is because through Jesus' death and resurrection on the cross, we have already been forgiven of our sins and justified. Look at Romans 5:9 – “Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God's wrath through him!”
The fourth and final reason is that if Christ had not been raised, those who have fallen asleep (dead) would have perished as there was no resurrection of the dead.
Look at 1 Corinthians 15:18 – “Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ are lost.” What does it mean? If there is no resurrection of the dead, all the saints, all the Christians in the Old Testament have perished. The reason is because their faith is vain, they are still in sin, and their destiny is eternal punishment. They are bound to be miserable forever. But Jesus Christ rose from the dead. Therefore, those who died in Christ never suffered eternal punishment and never will be eternally miserable. Rather, they receive the eternal life that Jesus promised (Jn. 10:28), so that they will not perish forever, but rather live forever with the Lord in the kingdom of heaven.
But the Bible is clear. Look at 1 Corinthians 15:20 – “But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.” According to the Scriptures, Jesus Christ rose from the dead. God raised Jesus from the dead through the Holy Spirit. The same Holy Spirit dwells in us who believe in Jesus. In the last day, God will also give life to our mortal bodies through the Holy Spirit who dwells in us (Rom. 8:11). We will surely be resurrected. At the last trumpet we will all be changed. We will no longer put on our weak bodies, our corruptible bodies, and our bodies that sin. We will suddenly change and put on a strong body, an incorruptible body, and a glorious body. On the last day, those who fall asleep in the Lord will also be resurrected and put on glorious spiritual bodies. And we will all go up together to the eternal kingdom of heaven and dwell with the Lord forever (1 Thess. 4:17). I hope and pray in the name of Jesus that we all become victorious members who live by faith with this hope of resurrection and eternal king of heaven.
In this world where death is piled up, I have more earnest anticipation in the midst of sorrow as my loved ones fall asleep through faith in the resurrection of Jesus, who is my hope,
James Kim