If we will never live again after we die, then we might as well go and have ourselves a good time: let us eat, drink, and be merry. What’s the difference? For tomorrow we die, and that ends everything!

If we will never live again after we die, then we might as well go and have ourselves a good time: let us eat, drink, and be merry. What’s the difference? For tomorrow we die, and that ends everything! 1Corinthians 15:1-58 (The Living Bible)

The Resurrection (Mat 28:5, 6)^[1]

Now let me remind you, brothers, of what the Gospel really is, for it has not changed—it is the same Good News I preached to you before. You welcomed it then and still do now, for your faith is squarely built upon this wonderful message; ²and it is this Good News that saves you if you still firmly believe it unless of course you never really believed it in the first place.

³I passed on to you right from the first what had been told to me, that Christ died for our sins just as the Scriptures said He would, ⁴and that He was buried, and that three days afterward He arose from the grave just as the prophets foretold.

⁵He was seen by Peter and later by the rest of “the Twelve.” ^{a 6}After that He was seen by more than five hundred Christian brothers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have died by now. ⁷Then James saw Him, and later all the apostles. ⁸Last of all I saw Him too, long after the others, as though I had been born almost too late for this. ⁹For I am the least worthy of all the apostles, and I shouldn’t even be called an apostle at all after the way I treated the church of God.

¹⁰But whatever I am now it is all because God poured out such kindness and grace upon me—and not without results: for I have worked harder than all the other apostles, yet actually I wasn’t doing it, but God working in me, to bless me. ¹¹It makes no difference who worked the hardest, I or they; the important thing is that we preached the Gospel to you and you believed it.

¹²But tell me this! Since you believe what we preach, that Christ rose from the dead, why are some of you saying that dead people will never come back to life again? ¹³For if there is no resurrection of the dead, then Christ must still be dead. ¹⁴And if He is still dead, then all our preaching is useless and your trust in God is empty, worthless, hopeless; ¹⁵and we apostles are all liars because we have said that God raised Christ from the grave, and of course, that isn’t true if the dead do not come back to life again. ¹⁶If they don’t, then Christ is still dead, ¹⁷and you are very foolish to keep on trusting God to save you, and you are still under condemnation for your sins; ¹⁸in that case, all Christians who have died are lost! ¹⁹And if being a Christian is of value to us only now in this life, we are the most miserable of creatures.

²⁰But the fact is that Christ did actually rise from the dead and has become the first of millions^b who will come back to life again someday.

²¹Death came into the world because of what one man (Adam) did, and it is because of what this other man (Christ) has done that now there is the resurrection from the dead. ²²Everyone dies because all of us are related to Adam, being members of his sinful race, and wherever there is sin, death results. But all who are related to Christ will rise again. ²³Each, however, in his own turn: Christ rose first; then when Christ comes back, all his people will become alive again.

²⁴After that the end will come when He will turn the Kingdom over to God the Father, having put down all enemies of every kind. ²⁵For Christ will be King until He has defeated all his enemies, ²⁶including the last enemy—death. This too must be defeated and ended. ²⁷For the rule and authority over all things have been given to Christ by His Father; except, of course, Christ does not rule over the Father Himself, who gave Him this power to rule. ²⁸When Christ has finally won the battle against all his enemies, then He, the Son of God, will put Himself also under His Father’s orders so that God who has given Him the victory over everything else will be utterly supreme.

²⁹If the dead will not come back to life again, then what point is there in people being baptized for those who are gone? Why do it unless you believe that the dead will someday rise again?

³⁰And why should we ourselves be continually risking our lives, facing death hour by hour? ³¹For it is a fact that I face death daily; that is as true as my pride in your growth in the Lord. ³²And what value was there in fighting wild beasts—those men of Ephesus—if it was only for what I gain in this life down here? If we will never live again after we die, then we might as well go and have ourselves a good time: let us eat, drink, and be merry. What’s the difference? For tomorrow we die, and that ends everything!

³³Don’t be fooled by those who say such things. If you listen to them you will start acting like them. ³⁴Get some sense and quit your sinning. For to your shame, I say it; some of you are not even Christians at all and have never really known God.^c

³⁵But someone may ask, “How will the dead be brought back to life again? What kind of bodies will they have?” ³⁶What a foolish question! You will find the answer in your own garden! When you put a seed into the ground it doesn’t grow into a plant unless it “dies” first. ³⁷And when the green shoot comes up out of the seed, it is very different from the seed you first planted. For all you put into the ground is a dry little seed of wheat or whatever it is you are planting, ³⁸then God gives it a beautiful new body—just the kind He wants it to have; a different kind of plant grows from each kind of seed. ³⁹And just as there are different kinds of seeds and plants, so also there are different kinds of flesh. Humans, animals, fish, and birds are all different.

⁴⁰The angels^d in heaven have bodies far different from ours, and the beauty and the glory of their bodies is different from the beauty and the glory of ours. ⁴¹The sun has one kind of glory while the moon and stars have another kind. And the stars differ from each other in their beauty and brightness.

⁴²In the same way, our earthly bodies which die and decay are different from the bodies we shall have when we come back to life again, for they will never die. ⁴³The bodies we have now embarrass us, for they become sick and die; but they will be full of glory when we come back to life again. Yes, they are weak, dying bodies now, but when we live again they will be full of strength. ⁴⁴They are just human bodies at death, but when they come back to life they will be superhuman bodies. For just as there are natural, human bodies, there are also supernatural, spiritual bodies.

⁴⁵The Scriptures tell us that the first man, Adam, was given a natural, human body^e but Christ is more than that, for He is life-giving Spirit.

⁴⁶First, then, we have these human bodies, and later on, God gives us spiritual, heavenly bodies. ⁴⁷Adam was made from the dust of the earth, but Christ came from heaven above. ⁴⁸Every human being has a body just like Adam’s, made of dust, but all who become Christ’s will have the same kind of body as his—a body from heaven. ⁴⁹Just as each of us now has a body like Adam’s, so we shall someday have a body like Christ’s.

⁵⁰I tell you this, my brothers: an earthly body made of flesh and blood cannot get into God’s Kingdom. These perishable bodies of ours are not the right kind to live forever.

⁵¹But I am telling you this strange and wonderful secret: we shall not all die, but we shall all be given new bodies! ⁵²It will all happen in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, when the last trumpet is blown. For there will be a trumpet blast from the sky,^f and all the Christians who have died will suddenly become alive, with new bodies that will never, never die; and then we who are still alive shall suddenly have new bodies too. ⁵³For our earthly bodies, the ones we have now that can die, must be transformed into heavenly bodies that cannot perish but will live forever.

⁵⁴When this happens, then at last this Scripture will come true—“Death is swallowed up in victory.” ^55-56O death, where then your victory? Where then is your sting? For sin—the sting that causes death—will all be gone; and the law, which reveals our sins, will no longer be our judge. ⁵⁷How we thank God for all of this! It is He who makes us victorious through Jesus Christ our Lord!

⁵⁸So, my dear brothers, since future victory is sure, be strong and steady, always abounding in the Lord’s work, for you know that nothing you do for the Lord is ever wasted as it would be if there were no resurrection.^[2]

LIFE APPLICATION COMMENTARY

WHY BELIEVE IN THE RESURRECTION?

The Resurrection is the central theme of the gospel message.	15:2–4
The Resurrection is a fulfillment of the Old Testament Scriptures.	15:3–4
The Resurrection was attested to by many eyewitnesses.	15:5–8
If there is no resurrection of the dead, then Christ could not have been raised.	15:13–16
If Christians will not one day be resurrected, then their faith is useless.	15:14–17
If there is no resurrection of the dead, then the apostles were all liars.	15:15
If there is no resurrection, then the Christian faith is only for this life. Why believe something that is good only for this life but brings only trouble in this life?	15:19, 30–32
The resurrection of Christ is a factual, historical event.	15:20
The resurrection of believers is an actual event to occur when Christ returns.	15:23.
The resurrection includes a resurrection of physical bodies, not just spirits.	15:35–49
Resurrected bodies will live for eternity, never to die again.	15:50, 53–56
Because of the promised resurrection, nothing done for Christ is done in vain.	15:58

15:3–4 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. ^NIV

Paul had received the gospel message from Christ Himself, as had all the other apostles; then he passed on to all his listeners that same message. These words indicate the careful and literal way that Christian teachers passed on tradition from one generation to the next.

The central theme of the gospel is given here. It is the key text for the defense of Christianity. The three points that are of first importance are as follows:

1. Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures. Without the truth of this message, Christ’s death was worthless, and those who believe in Him are still in their sins and without hope. However, Christ as the sinless Son of God took the punishment of sin, “dying for sin” so that those who believe can have their sins removed. The phrase “according to the Scriptures” refers to the Old Testament prophecies regarding this event, such as Psalm 16:8–11 and Isaiah 53:5–6. Christ’s death on the cross was no accident, no afterthought. It had been part of God’s plan from all eternity in order to bring about the salvation of all who believe.

MIXED HARVEST

Paul restated the gospel because there were unbelievers in the Corinthian church. Most churches contain people who do not yet believe. Some are moving in the direction of belief, and others are simply pretending. Impostors, however, are not to be removed (see Matthew 13:28–29), for that is the Lord’s work alone. The Good News about Jesus Christ will save us if we firmly believe it and faithfully follow it. The preaching of the gospel, then, accomplishes two purposes: (1) The message offers salvation to those who have not yet responded; and (2) the message challenges believers to remain faithful.

Pray for the communicators in your church. Perhaps you are one yourself. Remember that every believer is a living sermon. Pray that the gospel will be heard and understood clearly in your fellowship.

2. He was buried. The fact of Christ’s death is revealed in the fact of his burial. Many have tried to discount the actual death of Christ, from the false teachers of Paul’s day to false teachers today. But Jesus Christ did die on the cross and was buried in a tomb. (For more information on the facts of Jesus’ death, see the Life Application Commentary Mark, in Mark 16:9, the chart called “Evidence that Jesus Actually Died and Arose.”)

3. He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures. Christ “was raised” permanently, forever; his Father raised Him from the dead. He came back to life from being a dead person in a grave “on the third day” as noted in the Gospels (Friday afternoon to Sunday morning—three days in Jewish reckoning of time). This also occurred “according to the Scriptures.” Jesus had quoted the prophet Jonah: “For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of a huge fish, so the Son of Man will be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth” (Matthew 12:40 NIV; see also Jonah 1:17) to show the connection to “three days” as prophesied in the Old Testament. Psalm 16:8–11 and Psalm 110 also foretell the resurrection of the Messiah.^[3]

WHY IS THE RESURRECTION SO IMPORTANT?

The resurrection of Jesus from the dead is the central fact of Christian history. On it, the church is built; without it, there would be no Christian church today. Jesus’ resurrection is unique. Other religions have strong ethical systems, concepts about paradise and afterlife, and various holy Scriptures. Only Christianity has a God who became human, literally died for his people, and was raised again in power and glory to rule his church forever.

Why is the Resurrection so important?

Ø  Because Christ was raised from the dead, we know that the kingdom of heaven has broken into earth’s history. Our world is now headed for redemption, not disaster. God’s mighty power is at work destroying sin, creating new lives, and preparing us for Jesus’ second coming.

Ø  Because of the Resurrection, we know that death has been conquered, and we too will be raised from the dead to live forever with Christ.

Ø  The Resurrection gives authority to the church’s witness in the world. Look at the early evangelistic sermons in the book of Acts: The apostles’ most important message was the proclamation that Jesus Christ had been raised from the dead!

Ø  The Resurrection helps us find meaning even in great tragedy. No matter what happens to us as we walk with the Lord, the Resurrection gives us hope for the future.

Ø  The Resurrection assures us that Christ is alive and ruling his kingdom. He is not legend; he is alive and real.

Ø  God’s power that brought Jesus back from the dead is available to us so that we can live for Him in an evil world.

Ø  Christians can look very different from one another, and they can hold widely varying beliefs about politics, lifestyle, and even theology. But one central belief unites and inspires all true Christians—Jesus Christ rose from the dead!^[4]

CONFIRMATION

The bodily resurrection of Christ is the center of the Christian faith. Because Christ rose from the dead, as He promised, we know that what He said is true and that He is God. The Resurrection affirms the truthfulness of Jesus’ life and words. The Resurrection confirms Jesus’ unique authority to say, “I am the resurrection and the life” (John 11:25). Because He rose, we have certainty that our sins are forgiven. Because He rose, He lives and represents us before God. Because He rose and defeated death, we know we will also be raised. Christ’s resurrection guaranteed both His promise to us and His authority to make it. We must take Him at His word and believe.^[5]

HARD TRUTH

Why does Paul say believers should be pitied if there were only earthly value to Christianity? In Paul’s day, Christianity often brought a person persecution, ostracism from family, and, in many cases, poverty. There were few tangible benefits from being a Christian in that society. It was certainly not a step up the social or career ladder. Even more important, however, is the fact that if Christ had not been resurrected from death, Christians could not be forgiven for their sins and would have no hope of eternal life.

In many places in the world today, those who believe in Christ still pay a heavy price. Some are dying for their faith. But for many, Christianity is little more than a convenient faith. If following Christ doesn’t place you at odds with the world around you in some way, examine the depth of your roots.^[6]

15:30–31 And why are we putting ourselves in danger every hour? I die every day! That is as certain, brothers and sisters, as my boasting of you—a boast that I make in Christ Jesus our Lord. ^NRSV

If there is no resurrection, believers are indeed the “most miserable people in the world” (15:19 nlt). Why should the apostles bother to put themselves in danger every hour, dying every day for the sake of the gospel message? To suffer and face danger for the sake of a message that only has “benefits” for this life would be foolish indeed. “I die every day” refers to Paul’s daily exposure to danger. Why would any sane person do this for the sake of a gospel that only ends in death, just like anything else? This constant danger is as certain … as [Paul’s] boasting about the Corinthians. Despite all that Paul had to correct and rebuke in them, He genuinely loved the Corinthian believers and boasted of their faith. He could make that boast in Christ Jesus our Lord, knowing that Christ had saved them and that Paul had been their spiritual father (4:15). See also 2 Corinthians 11:23–27.

15:32 And what value was there in fighting wild beasts—those men of Ephesus—if there will be no resurrection from the dead? If there is no resurrection, “Let’s feast and get drunk, for tomorrow we die!” ^NLT

Some have taken the reference to “fighting wild beasts” to literally mean that Paul had been placed in the arena—a vicious form of entertainment where prisoners would be placed in a stadium and wild beasts sent in to tear them apart. Paul probably meant this metaphorically, however, as noted in the translation above, referring, instead, to those men of Ephesus. The human enemies that Paul had faced in Ephesus had been as vicious as wild beasts (see Acts 19). When Paul was in Ephesus, Demetrius stirred up people against Paul. Paul preached against Artemis, the goddess of fertility, and was disrupting Demetrius’s silver business (he made idols). Demetrius caused a furious riot against Paul.

Paul repeated the question, If there will be no resurrection from the dead, then what value was there in standing up for his faith against those in Ephesus who wanted to kill Him (Acts 19:31)? Why bother standing for anything at all? If there is nothing more to look forward to than simply to one day die and return to dust, then why deny oneself? Instead, it would make far more sense for everyone to feast and get drunk (see also Isaiah 22:13). Life with no meaning leaves one with the need to simply indulge oneself and get all one can for enjoyment here and now.

15:33 Don’t be fooled by those who say such things, for “bad company corrupts good character.” ^NLT

Those who denied the resurrection could not possibly be true believers, for this entire chapter explains why the resurrection is central to the Christian faith. Paul told the Corinthian believers not to be fooled by those who say such things—those who denied the resurrection and told the believers to “feast and get drunk” (15:32). This is quoted from a proverb in a comedy by the Greek playwright Menander, titled Thais; it was used by Paul to make a point to his Greek audience. The bit of worldly wisdom, “bad company corrupts good character,” means that keeping company with those who deny the resurrection will corrupt true believers and hurt the testimony of the church.

15:34 Come to your senses and stop sinning. For to your shame, I say that some of you don’t even know God. ^NLT

Paul’s final words about this issue were simply that the Corinthians should come to [their] senses (literally, “to wake up out of a drunken stupor”). If they would take the time to think about it, they would realize, as Paul had argued earlier, that it would be senseless to live for a faith that offered nothing after death. To deny the resurrection amounted to sinning, for it denied the truth of the claims of Christ and the promises of God. It was to their shame that some among them did not even know God. To not understand and believe the doctrine of the resurrection meant to not understand anything about God, for the doctrine is central to all that God has done for sinful humanity.^[7]

15:58   Therefore, my beloved, be steadfast, immovable, always excelling in the work of the Lord, because you know that in the Lord your labor is not in vain. ^NRSV

Because of these promises—of future resurrection, of living eternally in the kingdom, of preparation for that kingdom with new bodies that will be fashioned by God Himself—believers have motivation and responsibilities for life now lived in their perishable bodies. The time on earth is valuable—we have much work to do for the kingdom. Others must be invited to join; believers must be taught to grow in the Lord. Because of the promise of the future, life is not meant to be spent as a self-indulgent party, where people “eat, drink, and be merry.” Every job done for the Lord is not in vain. It is not a fruitless exercise that ends in death like everything else. Work in the Lord will result in taking part in the great promises and rewards of God’s kingdom. So believers should be steadfast in their faith, not wavering or doubting; they should be immovable, not listening to the whims of false teachers but standing firm; and always excelling in the work of the Lord, serving Him to the utmost, knowing that great reward awaits.

KEEP ON

Because of the resurrection, nothing believers do for the Lord is in vain. Sometimes we hesitate to do good because we don’t see any results. But if we can maintain a heavenly perspective, we will understand that we often will not see the good that comes from our efforts. If we truly believe that Christ has won the ultimate victory, that belief must affect the way we live right now. Don’t let discouragement over an apparent lack of results keep you from working. Do the good that you have the opportunity to do, knowing that your work will have eternal results. ^[8]

---

^[1] Dore, Gustav. 2007. Dore’s Woodcuts. WORDsearch.

^a 15:5  the Twelve, the name given to Jesus’ twelve disciples and still used after Judas was gone from among them.

^b 15:20  the first of millions, literally, “the firstfruits of them that are asleep.”

^c 15:34  some . . . have never really known God, or “there are some who know nothing of God.”

^d 15:40  The angels, literally, “There are celestial bodies.” But perhaps this may refer to the sun, moon, planets, and stars.

^e 15:45  was given a natural, human body, literally, “was made a living soul.” but Christ, literally, “the last Adam.” is more, implied.

^f 15:52  from the sky, implied.

^[2] Taylor, Kenneth Nathaniel. 1997. The Living Bible, Paraphrased. Wheaton, IL: Tyndale House.

^NIV Scripture quotations marked NIV are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version^®. NIV^®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House. All rights reserved.

^[3] Barton, Bruce B., and Grant R. Osborne. 1999. 1 & 2 Corinthians. Life Application Bible Commentary. Wheaton, IL: Tyndale House.

^[4] Barton, Bruce B., and Grant R. Osborne. 1999. 1 & 2 Corinthians. Life Application Bible Commentary. Wheaton, IL: Tyndale House.

^[5] Barton, Bruce B., and Grant R. Osborne. 1999. 1 & 2 Corinthians. Life Application Bible Commentary. Wheaton, IL: Tyndale House.

^[6] Barton, Bruce B., and Grant R. Osborne. 1999. 1 & 2 Corinthians. Life Application Bible Commentary. Wheaton, IL: Tyndale House.

^NRSV Scripture quotations marked NRSV are taken from the New Revised Standard Version of the Bible, copyrighted, 1989 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America, and are used by permission. All rights reserved.

nlt Scripture quotations marked NLT are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved.

^NLT Scripture quotations marked NLT are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved.

^NLT Scripture quotations marked NLT are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved.

^NLT Scripture quotations marked NLT are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved.

^[7] Barton, Bruce B., and Grant R. Osborne. 1999. 1 & 2 Corinthians. Life Application Bible Commentary. Wheaton, IL: Tyndale House.

^NRSV Scripture quotations marked NRSV are taken from the New Revised Standard Version of the Bible, copyrighted, 1989 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America, and are used by permission. All rights reserved.

^[8] Barton, Bruce B., and Grant R. Osborne. 1999. 1 & 2 Corinthians. Life Application Bible Commentary. Wheaton, IL: Tyndale House.

1 Corinthians 15 | NLT Bible | YouVersion