August 20th | 1 Corinthians 15

Have you ever been to a funeral? It is a sobering reality that this world will not last forever. Funerals are a constant reminder that our bodies are breaking down and time is ticking away. This is a sobering reality that we shouldn’t run from but face with honesty and truthfulness. Death is real, but for the believer it is not final. Jesus’ resurrection gives us a sure hope, and our future is secure because He has conquered the grave.

1. Where Would We Be Without the Resurrection? (1 Cor. 15:12–19)

Paul reminds us that without the resurrection of Jesus, the Christian faith completely unravels. In verses 12-19 Paul gives a list sharing how silly the Christian life is without the resurrection. 

Preaching would be meaningless, and our faith would be empty. Without a risen Savior, we would be misrepresenting God, still enslaved to our sins, and left with no future beyond the grave. Funerals would offer no comfort, and life itself would have no lasting hope. In fact, Paul says that if Jesus is not alive, Christians are to be pitied above all people. But then he declares the good news: 

“But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead” (v. 20).

 That single truth changes everything.

2. What Are the Blessings of the Resurrection? (1 Cor. 15:20–28)

The resurrection of Jesus is not only a historical reality, it is also our guarantee. Paul calls Christ the “firstfruits,” meaning His resurrection is the assurance of our own. Just as the first part of the harvest guaranteed the rest, Christ’s victory over the grave assures us that we too will rise. His resurrection also means that death, our greatest enemy, will one day be destroyed forever. The resurrection declares that Christ is reigning now and will one day put all things under His feet, completing His victory for eternity. Because He lives, our future is certain, even though we may still face battles along the way.

3. How Should We Live in Light of the Resurrection? (1 Cor. 15:29–34)

If Jesus is alive, then our lives today have eternal purpose. Paul endured suffering and trials because he knew the resurrection was real. Without it, he says, we might as well give in to sin and selfishness, living only for today. But since Christ is risen, our lives are not meaningless. We are called to turn from sin, to stay spiritually awake, and to surround ourselves with people who strengthen our faith. The resurrection gives us reason to live differently now, knowing that what we do for Christ will last forever.

Conclusion

In December 1941, when Winston Churchill first heard that the Japanese had bombed the American Pacific Fleet as it lay at anchor at Pearl Harbor, he wrote something in his diary that captures beautifully the spirit of what Paul says here. Churchill was confident that America would now enter the war against Germany as well as Japan, which would mean that the result was a foregone conclusion, even if it would take many years to come about (and of course he was right). He said this:

  “So we had won after all!… We had won the war … No doubt it would take a long time … Many disasters, immeasurable cost and tribulation lay ahead, but there was no more doubt about the end … Being saturated and satiated with emotion and sensation, I went to bed and slept the sleep of the saved and thankful.” This Christian life will be lived in waiting for Jesus’ final return. There will be skirmishes and difficulties, but the WAR has been won. It is a foregone conclusion! (Andrew Wilson, 1 Corinthians for You, ed. Carl Laferton, God’s Word for You (The Good Book Company, 2021), 173)

The resurrection isn’t just a doctrine—it’s the heartbeat of our faith. It assures us our sins are forgiven, our future is secure, and our present life has meaning. Because Jesus lives, we live differently today.