PAUL’S MOST ABSURD ARGUMENT
I Corinthians 15:12-19
We live in a day where there is no shortage of absurdity emanating from pulpits across the land. With the reach of modern media and the abundance of false teachers, rarely do I hear anything that surprises me. When I see a clip or read a quote from certain well known “religious figures”, I expect to hear something unbiblical and outright heretical. However, there have been times when I have heard men that I trust and respect say something that made me pause and scratch my head. On several occasions, such statements have caused me to dig deeper into a certain doctrines and I have learned that what sounded absurd on the surface was actually true.
Perhaps the most absurd doctrinal discourse that I have ever heard did not come from Joel Osteen, T.D Jakes, Joyce Meyer, Benny Hinn, or any other false teacher on TBN. The most absurd biblical argument that I have ever heard actually came from someone that I trust more than any other mortal man who has ever lived; his name is The Apostle Paul and the specific discourse is recorded in our selected text.
After spending ample time defending the reality of Christ’s Resurrection, Paul shifts his focus to defending the reality of the future bodily resurrection of the Saints. In an effort to address the doubts that had arisen in the hearts of certain Christians at Corinth, Paul presents a hypothetical scenario that proves how hopeless life would be for the Christian if the doctrine of the resurrection was a lie.
- I would like to examine these verses and consider:
PAUL’S MOST ABSURD ARGUMENT
In this passage, Paul presents an argument using a method called “Reductio Ad Absurdum”. This is a Latin phrase that describes a method of proving the falsity of a premise by showing that its logical consequence is absurd or contradictory. The Apostle wanted the Corinthians to understand that the denial of the resurrection leads to a glaring and absurd contradiction.
- In verses 12-17 Paul addresses the fact that:
I. IF THERE IS NO RESURRECTION OF THE DEAD,
THEN WE HAVE NO PURPOSE
v12 Now if Christ is preached that He has been raised from the dead, how do some among you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? 13 But if there is no resurrection of the dead, then Christ is not risen.
We know that Christ is indeed preached “that He has been raised from the dead”. In the opening verses of this chapter Paul reminds the Saints at Corinth of this reality. This letter was not their first time hearing this subject preached, for it is the very Gospel that Paul had delivered to them and that they had received. These people are members of the eternal family of God, people that Paul affectionately refers to as “Brethren”.
The Corinthians had heard the message that the sinless Son of God came to earth, lived a perfect life, suffered, died for our sins, and rose again on the third day according to the scriptures. They believed these truths and responded by repenting and putting their faith in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior.
The great problem in Corinth was not that the Saints doubted the truth that Christ had risen from the grave, instead they were consumed with doubts concerning their own future resurrection as well as the resurrection of those who had already “fallen asleep”.
Though the Corinthians had received a new life through faith in Jesus, they stilled lived in the midst of a fallen creation and consequently they were influenced by the culture around them. This is true for us as well. We are in Christ, we have been born again, and we members of the eternal family of God; as a result we are not of this world, however for a time we are still in this world. Though we are merely strangers and exiles passing through this walk of life, there are times when the culture around us has a negative impact on our daily lives and even our faith.
The Corinthians were immersed in Greek culture and most Greeks rejected the idea that the human body would be resurrected after death. Their belief was that the afterlife was only spiritual in nature and that there was no future purpose for the body. In other words, the body was something of a prison that held the soul captive until death and then upon death ones soul was released. Such a belief directly contradicts Biblical doctrine, for the scriptures declare that the body and soul will be united after resurrection.
If there is no hope of a future resurrection then we have no purpose whatsoever. In the following verses we learn that if Christ did not rise: our preaching is pointless, our faith is futile, and our message is meaningless.
- Notice:
A. IF CHRIST DID NOT RISE OUR PREACHING IN POINTLESS
v14 And if Christ is not risen, then our preaching is empty
If Christ did not rise from the dead then the Apostles preaching was empty (or in vain). The word used here is “kenos”, which speaks of something that is “devoid of intellectual, moral, or spiritual value”. The Resurrection of Jesus Christ is foundational to the Christian faith. Therefore, if it is not true then every message that Paul, the other Apostles, and any other minister of the Gospel throughout Church history is devoid of any spiritual value.
The prophets, the Old Testament scriptures, and even Jesus Himself promised that He would rise from the dead on the third day. If this did not happen, then nothing else that we read in God’s Word is trustworthy. In fact, if Christ did not rise He was a liar, an imposter, and He could not have been the Promised Messiah.
If Christ did not rise from the dead every preacher over the past 2,000 years has wasted his time, effort, and energy. Furthermore, every sermon you have heard has been a lie and the messages that you have received are of no spiritual or eternal value. Which leads us to another devastating reality that is mentioned in this passage. Notice that:
B. IF CHRIST DID NOT RISE OUR FAITH IS FUTILE
v15 (if Christ is not risen) …your faith is also empty.
v16 For if the dead do not rise, then Christ is not risen. 17 And if Christ is not risen, your faith is futile;
If Jesus is not alive then the Corinthians (and all Christians for that matter) possess a faith that is futile. The word “futile” translates a word that means “of no use, idle, empty, fruitless, useless, powerless, lacking truth”. As Christians our faith is in Christ, however if He did not rise from the dead then we have put our faith in a pile of dust somewhere in Israel.
Throughout His earthly ministry Jesus proclaimed that He would suffer, die, and rise again. If He did not really rise from the dead then His whole message of salvation falls apart. If Jesus did not rise, there is no way that He could be the Promised Messiah, therefore all of His public and personal teachings that are recorded in the Gospels would be meaningless and putting faith in them would be futile.
Most of us would testify that the only way we have made it through certain circumstances and situations in this life is because of our faith in the promises of Jesus. We live by faith and endure troubles, struggles, heartaches, and turmoil with the hope that these problems are only temporary and a better day is coming. We are able to press on because of the many amazing promises that we have received from our Savior, but if His Resurrection is a fallacy, then we possess no hope whatsoever. As Paul declares “our faith is futile”.
We readily share our faith with others because we want them to possess the hope that we enjoy even in the midst of great difficulty. However, if Jesus did not really rise from the grave, not only is our faith futile, but we are liars who are spreading false hope. This leads us to the fact that:
C. IF CHRIST DID NOT RISE OUR MESSAGE IS MEANINGLESS
v15 Yes, and we are found false witnesses of God, because we have testified of God that He raised up Christ, whom He did not raise up—if in fact the dead do not rise.
If Jesus did not rise from the dead then Paul, Peter, the rest of the Apostles, and all the other eyewitnesses of the Resurrection were outright liars. Even worse than that, they were “false witnesses of God”. If those eyewitnesses did not actually see Jesus after His death then they had been falsely claiming to be sent from God and they had lied about the fact that He raised Christ. If they had lied about the Resurrection then there was no reason for anyone to believe what they had to say about anything else related to God and His Kingdom.
Though we have not seen Jesus with our physical eyes, as Christians we have had a very real and personal encounter with the Savior. As a result of our conversion we testify to the amazing transformation that He has performed in our lives. When we are involved in personal evangelism we are witnesses of the Risen Christ. If Jesus is not alive then we too are “false witnesses of God, because we have testified of God that He raised up Christ, whom He did not raise up—if in fact the dead do not rise”.
On a somewhat regular basis, whether it be through sermons, Bible studies, or Sunday School, we learn of the importance of being involved in personal evangelism. We often appeal to the Great Commission as motivation and instruction concerning our purpose while we are here on earth. However, if Christ is not risen we have no real purpose. Our preaching is pointless, our faith is futile, and our message is meaningless. Thankfully we are assured that Christ is risen and because of this our preaching is profitable, our faith is beneficial, and our message has great meaning and eternal value.
- As Paul continues to present this hypothetical scenario he goes on to point out the startling reality that:
II. IF THERE IS NO RESURRECTION OF THE DEAD,
THEN WE HAVE NO PARDON
v16 For if the dead do not rise, then Christ is not risen. 17 And if Christ is not risen, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins!
Jairus’ daughter, the widow of Nain’s son, and Lazarus all rose from the dead, but eventually they all died again. When Jesus rose on the third day, He rose to live forevermore. In doing so, He “has become the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep”. (v20). Again I remind you that the Greeks believed that physical resurrection of the dead was an absolute impossibility. However, Jesus’ Resurrection serves as vivid proof that the physical resurrection of the Saints is more than a possibility, it is a promise that was secured by our Lord and Savior.
In raising Christ from the dead, God signified that He was satisfied with Jesus’ sacrifice on our behalf. Because Christ’s redemptive work was accepted by God, those who are “in Him” are accepted as well. This was God’s plan from the beginning. Paul said in Romans 4:25 that Jesus “was delivered up because of our offenses and was raised because of our justification”. Corresponding to this, Paul says in verses 21 & 22 of this chapter that, “since by man came death, by Man also came the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ all shall be made alive.”
If the Resurrection of Christ is a lie then all men remain lost in their sins and bound for eternal condemnation. This would not only be the destiny of the wicked and unbelievers, it would be the end result for those who profess faith in Christ as well.
Romans 6:23 tells us that “The wages of sin is death”, yet we find great hope in the promise that “the gift of God is eternal life”. How is that gift received? Paul says that it is “through Jesus Christ our Lord”! We are able to possess victory over death because in His Resurrection Jesus was victorious over death and the grave.
Our faith, our hope, and our victory are all in Christ. We are able to enjoy forgiveness of our sins and all that comes with a personal relationship with God because we have trusted in the finished work of Jesus Christ. All of this hinges on the fact that He rose from the grave. If He did not rise then our faith in Him is in vain and we are without any hope of salvation. This illustrates the purposeful absurdity of Paul’s argument.
Thankfully Paul’s discourse is merely a hypothetical scenario and we have no reason to fear such a devastating reality. For we are assured the God did in fact raise Jesus from the dead. And as Jesus promised His Disciples in John 14:19, because He lives, we too shall live!!
If there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ is risen; if this is true then we have no hope of pardon concerning our sins. If this is true then there is no way whatsoever that we can enjoy peace in this life. This leads us to the fact that:
III. IF THERE IS NO RESURRECTION OF THE DEAD,
THEN WE HAVE NO PEACE
v18 Then also those who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished.
If there is no resurrection, then every Old Testament Saint and every New Testament Believer has perished eternally and their hope of Heaven and eternal life was in vain. Upon death, instead of receiving a grand entrance into the presence of the Lord, they actually died unforgiven, without God, and destined for eternal damnation.
One of the most devastating things that we will ever experience this side of Heaven is the death of someone that we love. However, death is much easier to bear when we know that are saved and once they leave this body they will be in the presence of the Lord. Furthermore, we are greatly comforted by the promise of a reunion with them someday. But, if there is no resurrection then this promise is a fallacy and our present peace concerning those who have “fallen asleep” is baseless.
As Christians we enjoy great peace concerning the reality that our sins have been forgiven, we have been delivered from the due penalty of our transgressions and we possess eternal life. We also are able to live with the assurance that our loved one who have “fallen asleep in Christ” have not perished, instead they have entered into the presence of the Lord. Moreover, we rest in the promise that one day Christ will return, when He does those who have fallen asleep will be with Him, and those who are alive and remain will join Him and remain in His presence eternally. All of this is possible because of Christ’s resurrection.
There is much hope that we possess as Christians, and thankfully this hope is not something that is for this life only. Paul says in verse 19 that “If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men the most pitiable. Paul, the Apostles, the Corinthians, and many other followers of Christ throughout Church history endured ostracism, opposition, persecution, and even death because of their faith in Christ and devotion to Him. They did so because they had “hope in Christ”. If Christ was not risen and if there was no hope of their own future resurrection then all of these things were in vain. They had believed a lie, received no forgiveness of sins, remained lost in their sins, and had no hope of eternal life. The same would be true for us, therefore we should be pitied for our false hope.
R.C Sproul said, “if our hope in future resurrection is groundless, to forfeit present pleasure and endure persecution for Christ’s sake is the height of folly”.
I am thankful that this scenario that Paul has presented in this passage is hypothetical and purposely absurd. But the Apostle has done a masterful job showing how everything we believe would unravel if there is no resurrection of the dead. Truly, we would be without hope and “of all men most to be pitied”.
Following the darkness and hopelessness of the scenario presented in verses 12-19, Paul shines a bright light of hope in verse 20; he says: “But now Christ is risen from the dead, and has become the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep”. Because of this reality, there is no reason to fear the devastating circumstances presented in the previous verses.
Christ is risen; therefore we possess assurance concerning our own future resurrection. Christ is risen; therefore our preaching has a purpose. Christ is risen; therefore our faith is beneficial. Christ is risen; therefore our message is meaningful and has eternal value. Christ is risen; therefore we are not false witnesses of God, rather we are faithful witnesses of the Risen Lord. Christ is risen, and because of this we can rest assured that our loved ones who died have not perished, rather they are in the presence of the Lord. Christ is risen and because of this we can walk with Him in this life and trust in the promise that we will live with Him eternally. Christ is risen and our hope is not in this life only, but also in the life to come!
I hope and pray that (like the Corinthians) you have heard and received the gospel of Jesus Christ. If not, I encourage you to repent and believe in Him today. If you will, then you can live a life with purpose, one in which you have been pardoned, and one that brings true peace even in a world filled with trouble.
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