May 7, 2015
Today’s reading from Encounter with God

Not a Failed Messiah!

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Opening Prayer

God of all my journeys, clear a path for me. I look to You for a sense of direction.

Read 1 CORINTHIANS 15:12-34

[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.” 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.” [33] Do not be misled: “Bad company corrupts good character.” [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.

Scripture taken from the THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION, NIV Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Reflect

“Our old history ends with the Cross; our new history begins with the resurrection” (Watchman Nee, 1903-72).

Thousands suffered the horrors of crucifixion throughout the Roman Empire. What made Jesus’ crucifixion different is that he was raised from the dead. And that is the point for Paul. The consequences for the Christian faith, if there were no resurrection, are extreme. In that case Jesus was just another failed Messiah and everything about Christian belief becomes absurd. Denying the resurrection is not the removal of one negotiable element of Christian faith but a cutting out of its foundation.

Paul points out to his readers that denying the resurrection means denying not only their own future resurrection but also the past resurrection of Christ (13). This leaves them in a mess, as the problem of sin has not been dealt with (17). Paul’s preaching and their faith are futile. At this point we have one of “the great ‘buts’ of the Bible” (David Prior), as Paul affirms that Christ has indeed been raised from the dead (20). Just as one man got us into the mess we find ourselves in, so through one man we find the solution to that mess (21,22). Christ’s resurrection is a guarantee that there will be a final harvest of those who belong to him; it has begun a chain of events that will lead inevitably to the end (20-28), when God’s sovereignty will be revealed.

Paul further highlights the absurdity of the anti-resurrection position in verse 29. Although we have no idea what was happening here, the actions of Paul’s opponents were irrelevant if there was no resurrection. The issue affects more than final resurrection. Beliefs have consequences, and wrong thinking about the resurrection leads to wrong behavior (32-34). There is a relationship between what one believes about the future and how one behaves in the here and now. Christ has indeed been raised; there is a future hope, and our present behavior needs to demonstrate that.

Apply

What difference has Christ’s resurrection made for you, in terms of hope and courage? In terms of purpose for life?

Closing prayer

Mighty God, I rejoice in all that Christ’s resurrection means to me. I am also jolted by Paul’s reminder that bad company corrupts good character. I need wisdom in my relationships.

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