DEATH IS NOT THE END
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Opening Prayer
Father, thank you for the work of your Spirit in me, for the truth he continues to show me that deepens my faith in you.
Read 1 CORINTHIANS 15:12–34
For additional translations of the passage, use this link to Bible Gateway.
The Resurrection of the Dead
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? 13 If there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised. 14 And if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith. 15 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. But he did not raise him if in fact the dead are not raised. 16 For if the dead are not raised, then Christ has not been raised either. 17 And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins. 18 Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ are lost. 19 If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are of all people most to be pitied.
20 But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. 21 For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man. 22 For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive. 23 But each in turn: Christ, the firstfruits; then, when he comes, those who belong to him. 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. 25 For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. 26 The last enemy to be destroyed is death. 27 For he “has put everything under his feet.”[a] Now when it says that “everything” has been put under him, it is clear that this does not include God himself, who put everything under Christ. 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.
29 Now if there is no resurrection, what will those do who are baptized for the dead? If the dead are not raised at all, why are people baptized for them? 30 And as for us, why do we endanger ourselves every hour? 31 I face death every day—yes, just as surely as I boast about you in Christ Jesus our Lord. 32 If I fought wild beasts in Ephesus with no more than human hopes, what have I gained? If the dead are not raised,
“Let us eat and drink,
for tomorrow we die.”[b]
33 Do not be misled: “Bad company corrupts good character.”[c] 34 Come back to your senses as you ought, and stop sinning; for there are some who are ignorant of God—I say this to your shame.
Footnotes
- 1 Corinthians 15:27 Psalm 8:6
- 1 Corinthians 15:32 Isaiah 22:13
- 1 Corinthians 15:33 From the Greek poet Menander
New International Version (NIV)Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Reflect
Jesus lives! The victory won / Death no longer can appall me.’* Give thanks that the living Lord is with you now.An atheist headteacher welcomed Scripture Union into his school because of its moral benefits. Like him, others want Jesus with- out the supernatural. Some in Corinth were attracted to Jesus but not to the idea of resurrection. Dead people, at best, continued as spirits, lesser versions of themselves—but bodily resurrected? Core to Christian belief is the resurrection of Jesus and the promise that holds for those who belong to him. Taken to its logical conclusion, there is no Christian faith without it. Faith becomes a husk, empty and futile (vv. 17, 18). It’s pitiful. Those who have died stay dead. No one escapes being mired in sin. As for the apostles, no resurrec- tion makes them snake oil salesmen (vv. 29–32). Their efforts are a waste of time and energy. It all hangs on the resurrection.
Jesus has been raised, countering all that Adam spoiled. Adam’s legacy is death. Jesus bequeaths life. He is raised, and all those in Christ rise with him into new life and, on the final day, share Jesus’ indestructible life (v. 22). Every threat is removed and every enemy is neutered. One of us, a real human being, accomplishes this for us. Then the human Jesus presents his victory to his Father, and God is truly honored (v. 28).
Apply
Reflect on all that comes to you through the resurrection. Allow your day to be shaped by that, even if people are ‘beastly’ to you (v. 32).
Closing prayer
Dear Jesus, thank you that when you rose victorious from the grave, you made new life possible for me, and each day, as you still live for me, you give me everything I need to reflect your grace and mercy.
*‘Jesus Lives! Thy Terrors Now’, Christian Gellert (1715–1769).
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