In Christ all will be made alive

1 Corinthians 15:12-34

Key Verse: 15:22   "For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive."

    One time an American evangelist in 19 century Dwight L Moody said, “Some day you will hear that Moody died. Don’t believe it. At that moment I shall be more alive than I am now...” Last week we've learned the essence of the gospel: Jesus Christ died for our sins, buried, and rose again from the dead. Today apostle Paul focus on the resurrection, esp. the power of Jesus' resurrection. The passage can be divided in three parts. First, why Jesus' resurrection is necessary (12-19). Second, how the power of Risen Jesus works in detail (20-28). Third, how to practically apply it to our lives (29-34).

I. If Jesus has not been raised (12-19)

   Look at v 12. "But if it is preached that Christ has been raised from the dead, how can some of you say that there is no resurrection of the dead?" There were some in the church of Corinth who did not believe in the resurrection of the dead. They attended the church, enjoyed the fellowship, and heard the good message. They looked just fine. But there was something wrong with their faith because they did not believe their own resurrection. Maybe they were influenced either by Greek philosophy which considered their bodily resurrection undesirable, or by the teachings of the Sadducees who thought the world beyond to be just wishful thinking. They became realistic and earthbound. If they did not get a benefit right away, they said, "it's not necessary." They were more concerned about practical problems than the eternal life. So Paul had to speak up and was compelled to help them in the next 7 verses to repair their broken faith with a shepherd heart, esp. help them know the intimate relationship between Jesus' resurrection and their own resurrection.  

     First, if there is no resurrection, the world is under the power of death. Look at verse 13. "If there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised." What does he mean by "not even Christ"? Although all men have died, only Jesus Christ has been raised from the dead. Every cloud has a silver lining! Jesus is our silver lining. Jesus is the seed of eternal life through his resurrection. When they claimed that there is no resurrection, they denied the resurrection of Christ too. So the world remained under the cruel power of death. 

    Second, if there is no resurrection, their faith would be in vain. Look at verse 14. "And if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith." Christian faith hinges upon Jesus' death and resurrection. We believe that Jesus died for our sins and rose from the dead on the third day and gave us a living hope in the kingdom of God. It is a good news of great joy to all people. We believe this and proclaim it to the whole world. Also we invest our lives in the work of the gospel and make daily sacrifices. Because God raised Jesus from the dead according to the Scriptures, simply our faith is never in vain.

   Third, if there is no resurrection, we deny the almighty power of God. Look at verse 15a. "More than that, we are then found to be false witnesses about God, for we have testified about God that he raised Christ from the dead"  In this verse the main word or focus is God himself. We're taught that God created the heavens and the earth simply by the powerful words out of his mouth. The same God raised Jesus from the dead. If Jesus  had not been raised from the dead, our God is not the Almighty God. Automatically we are found to be false witnesses.  Our growing disciples who have been sincere on every Friday night Bible study are considered to be professional liar training clubs. Bible question committee members who have been gathering on every Thursday will be fabricators to make lies. But we all know that Jesus' resurrection is an undeniable historical fact based on all clear witnesses. 

   Fourth, if there is no resurrection, we cannot solve our sin problem. Look at verse 17. "And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins." As we have studied last week, sin is deadly spiritual sickness. Sin makes man spiritually sick and fundamentally unhappy. Sin can not be ignorant. It must be dealt with our first and top priority because Sin finally leads man to the second death--eternal condemnation in the fiery lake of burning sulfur. If Jesus was not raised from the dead, he did not conquer the power of sin and death. All human beings are still under the power of sin and death. But Jesus was raised from the dead according to the Scriptures and solved our sin problem once and for all.

   Fifth, if there is no resurrection, Christians are to be pitied. Look at verse 19. "If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are to be pitied more than all men." Paul explained in 1 Cor. 4:9-13 about what the Christian life in his times looked like: “...God has put us apostle on display at the end of the procession like men condemned to die in the arena. We have been made a spectacle to the whole universe,...To this very hour we go hungry and thirsty, we are in rags, we are brutally treated, and we are homeless….Up to this moment we have become the scum of the earth, the refuse of the earth”. But the question is “Why should someone choose such poor, hungry, thirsty and hard life to live? Even now, some Christians in other parts of the world endure such life simply because they have faith. Our UBF missionary families had to go through the same sufferings that native Japanese people had gone through earthquake and its aftermath. But this is Paul’s assessment. Christian life without resurrection faith is most pitiful. Christian life is based on the truth of God. Christ is real. His promises are true. That’s why Christians happily bear sacrifices and hardships in this limited life. How disappointing would it be if all they believed turn out to be false? Such life is really pitiful. Christians are people who walk the narrow way. We carry the cross of mission and willingly deny ourselves and live sacrificial lives in order to spread the kingdom of God as our first priority. If there is no resurrection, then those who participate in the remaining sufferings of Christ, are the most miserable people. But Jesus was raised according to the Scriptures, they are the most glorious people in His glorious resurrection. 

II. The power of Risen Jesus (20-28)

 

   Look at verse 20a. Paul begins with the words, "But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead." Here notice the word, "indeed," he meant that the resurrection of Jesus Christ is not just a theory or opinion, but a fact. Down through history everyone has had to bow down to the power of death. Mohammed knelt down before the power of death in June 8, 632 A.D., despite his many teachings. Also at the age of 80 Buddha had said that he would die in three months. According to the tradition, three months later he himself chose to eat different food and died of food poisoning. Instead of going to so called Nirvana considered to be the place of complete bliss and delight, he simply disappeared into the fabric of human history. 

   But Christ’ resurrection is different. It's a fact, an event happened in history. It also directly connects to the resurrection of believers. So in verse 20b, Paul has to call Christ as the “firstfruits”. The Feast of Firstfruits was kept on the day after the Sabbath following Passover(Lev. 23:9-14). Jesus rose from the dead on the exact day of the Feast of Firstfruits, the day after the Sabbath following the Passover. In a harvest, the firstfruits are the first fruits of the crop to ripen and be gathered. Because they are numbered “first”, they signal many more sequential fruits to follow. So Christ’s resurrection is a sign of the sure resurrection of all believers belonged to Him. 

   Still some may wonder how they can be sure of their own resurrection based on one person’s resurrection? Paul answers in verse 21. First look at v. 21a. "For since death came through a man..." Here "a man" refers to Adam. As a representative of human beings, he was supposed to obey God's command. But he failed and disobeyed God. Consequently sin came into the world. When men became sin-sick, they began to see God differently and also see others and the world relatively. So if they need God, they say there is a God; if they don't need God, they say there is no God. In this way, sin reigned in mankind and in all their offspring. Sin began with Adam's disobedience, and the consequence of sin was death for everyone as his offspring. 

   But look at verse 21b, “the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man.” Here a man refers to Jesus. Jesus who was the prince of kingdom of God came down from heaven to be like Adam. He sacrificed himself in order to set the new way for us to follow. He obeyed God's command and overcame all the temptations one by one and won the great victory against any sin. So we have now the perfect man and the perfect God. He became our true hero and role model who we can follow. 

    Paul concluded in verse 22, "For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive." God raised Jesus Christ from the dead and made him alive. Also whoever believes in him will not perish but have eternal life (John 3:16). We're created into a living being who can hold the breath for a short time at best 80 years. But the Risen Christ has life-giving power(45), meaning that only Jesus is able to give us eternal life. There are so many attractive things in this world that seemed to give us something. But they are mere phantom. There is the only way and the very one who is Jesus, through whom we can truly be made alive. So throughout the passage Paul did not call them "dead" but as "those who have fallen asleep" (6,18,20,51), because in the Risen Christ there is no hint of death at all. To God's people, death is like a just pleasant time of nap. "...so in Christ all will be made alive." 

  Look at verse 24. "Then the end will come, when he hands over the kingdom to God the Father after he has destroyed all dominion, authority and power." In the time of restoring the kingdom of God, the Risen Christ will first destroy all evil powers one by one. Despite the seemingly good things in this world, we know that underneath, the world is full of evil. Apostle Paul who was a Roman citizen had seen how corrupt the world became quickly. For example under the banner of Pox Romana, heavy taxation and currency manipulation were imposed mercilessly throughout the world under her subject. As a result Romans created the vast capital system for the first time in human history. They exploit the subject nation and poor people by making friends with greedy local leaders like Herod or Sadducees. Where there is such necessary evil, there was always great sorrow, making man miserable. Even today our refined capitalism have produced lots of side effects like vast foreclosures and evil people. But when the time comes, surely the Risen Christ will destroy all evil dominion, authority and power 

   Our Risen Christ will also destroy death. Look at verse 26. "The last enemy to be destroyed is death." Death is the fruit of sin(Rom 6:23a). Because most of us here are young, we live in this world as if death does not exist. However, sudden deaths of the loved ones remind us of this cold reality. The Bible solemnly says that we live once but die twice, meaning there are two kinds of death--first, physical death and then spiritual death so called, "the second death" or eternal condemnation. Death is the last enemy of man. Death has in it a sting. During their lives, those who sin against God get many injuries and wounds both in body and spirit by the sting of death. After the first physical death they can't just die; they have to live forever in the midst of the sting of death in the fiery lake of burning sulfur. But the good news of great joy is: our Risen Jesus will surely destroy this last tenacious enemy of all mankind, death, with his almighty power of resurrection. Jesus says in John 5:24: “I tell you the truth, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be condemned; he has crossed over from death to life.” We are saved from our sin and we're crossed over  from death to life simply by hearing Jesus' living words and personally accepting it. 

   Finally the Risen Christ will restore creation order. Look at verse 24 again. "Then the end will come, when he hands over the kingdom to God the Father after he has destroyed all dominion, authority and power." Also verse 28. "When he has done this, then the Son himself will be made subject to him who put everything under him, so that God may be all in all." According to the book of Genesis, originally there was one kingdom--the kingdom of God. But due to Adam's disobedience, the kingdom of Satan came into the world. Ever since Satan has ruled the darkness of the world. But when God raised Jesus from the dead, he assured the complete destruction of the kingdom of Satan, and at the same time the complete restoration of the kingdom of God. 

     It reminds me of the Lord's Prayer, "Your kingdom come," meaning the sure destruction of the kingdom of Satan as well as the complete recovery of the kingdom of God. In the Risen Christ, we see Satan's spiral from the pinnacle of power through status of prisoner to its complete elimination. And God will once again be regarded as the very Center of the universe. So in essence the power of the Risen Christ is the same power of the Almighty Creator God. It's compared to the powerful master key or unlock code for all the promised blessings that God had planned from the Genesis. The Risen Christ opened the doors wide of the kingdom of God through his power of his resurrection. When he does complete his administrative work, he will make complete unity with God His Father. In this way God will be all in all. God is our blessed and only Ruler, the King of kings and Lord of lords(1Tim 6:15). 

 

    This passage reminds us of 1Thes 5:16-18, which read, “Be joyful always, pray continually and give thanks to God in all circumstances. This is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” Often times I had my spirit affected by the events and the people around me. But this passage helps me to personally apply resurrection hope. Events and people are real but they are not final. What is real and final is the resurrection of Jesus Christ and our glorious present and future in and through our risen Christ who reigns now and forever! 

I die everyday(29-34)

    Look at verse 29. In Paul’s time people were baptized for the dead with the thought that their loved ones would be saved from the hell. Paul does not speak about the efficacy of such practice. Rather, he challenges people who do such things, but in their own words deny the reality of resurrection. Also Paul explained why he and his co-workers had to struggle to live an unusually tough lives. It's because he and his companions personally believed that Christ has been raised. They lived like good soldiers of Christ in fierce spiritual wars with the confidence about the ultimate victory.

     Look at verses 30-32. "And as for us, why do we endanger ourselves every hour? I die every day-I mean that, brothers--just as surely as I glory over you in Christ Jesus our Lord. If I fought wild beasts in Ephesus for merely human reasons, what have I gained? If the dead are not raised, 'Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die.'" Here his point is like this. It's resurrection, resurrection, always resurrection, that supports what he does and says, and the way he lives. Likewise with the guaranteed and firm resurrection faith now we die to sin and live sacrificially for God and others. In such a way we now experience resurrection power vividly. Resurrection is not a future thing only. Rather it is a daily and even powerful hourly transaction. Whenever we give our heart and time to one team Bible study, we also experience the power of resurrection. Jesus himself is the resurrection and the life. He who believes in him will live even though he dies. Whoever lives and believes in him will never die.   

  In conclusion Paul gave them some final warning. Look at verse 33. "Do not be misled: 'Bad company corrupts good character.'" Who are bad company? According to the flow of the context, they are those without personal and biblical resurrection faith in their hearts. Without such faith and hope in their hearts, they could not find the meaning of life. Without the absolute meaning and purpose of life they gradually become wild. Naturally they put all their attention into what else this world has to offer. Unfortunately such people live shortly and die in sin for good. Paul said in verse 34a, "Come back to your senses as you ought, and stop sinning." Those who say, "I am a Christian," but who do not have firm resurrection faith now are sinning in a true sense, because they are living double lives with double standard. 

  It reminds me of one basic elementary school teaching. Imagine your clothes catch fire, what shall you do? Simply, “Stop, Drop, and Roll” Likewise stop sinning, drop to your knees for repentance, and roll straight to our Risen Jesus and His wholesome teaching. But remember this never work in hell though. Only it works here. May God help us to believe in the resurrection of Christ and to live by the power of the resurrection and become more than conquerors in any situation. May the Lord help us to follow apostle Paul's good example who confessed “I die every day for the glory of God.” One word: All will be made alive!