The life of Christ on earth is undoubtedly the most important series of events to ever take place in world history. Among the many events that took place during His first coming, the resurrection of Christ is of utmost importance.
Why is the resurrection so important? The Word of God gives us a clear answer to this question…
THE SCRIPTURE:
1 Cor 15:12-23 (KJV)
12) Now if Christ be preached that he rose from the dead, how say some among you that there is no resurrection of the dead?
13) But if there be no resurrection of the dead, then is Christ not risen:
14) And if Christ be not risen, then [is] our preaching vain, and your faith [is] also vain.
15) Yea, and we are found false witnesses of God; because we have testified of God that he raised up Christ: whom he raised not up, if so be that the dead rise not.
16) For if the dead rise not, then is not Christ raised:
17) And if Christ be not raised, your faith [is] vain; ye are yet in your sins.
18) Then they also which are fallen asleep in Christ are perished.
19) If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable.
20) But now is Christ risen from the dead, [and] become the firstfruits of them that slept.
21) For since by man [came] death, by man [came] also the resurrection of the dead.
22) For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.
23) But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ's at his coming.
THE STUDY:
In 1Cor 15:12-20, we read of the importance of the resurrection. The Apostle Paul, through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit gave us several reasons why the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ took place and what it should mean to those of us who have trusted in Christ as our Savior…
1 Corinthians 15:12-20
12) Now if Christ be preached that he rose from the dead, how say some among you that there is no resurrection of the dead?
13) But if there be no resurrection of the dead, then is Christ not risen:
There were some professing believers in the Church at Corinth who believed the resurrection of the dead was impossible. Paul here, is arguing that is there was no such thing as resurrection then Christ’s resurrection must be a fallacy as well.
Paul then begins to explain to them the horrible results of a denial of Christ’s resurrection.
14) And if Christ be not risen, then [is] our preaching vain, and your faith [is] also vain.
Result #1 – The preaching of the gospel of Christ is empty and worthless.
Result #2 – Placing our trust in Christ as our Savior is empty and worthless as well
15) Yea, and we are found false witnesses of God; because we have testified of God that he raised up Christ: whom he raised not up, if so be that the dead rise not.
Result #3 – It makes those who proclaimed the gospel of Christ liars
16) For if the dead rise not, then is not Christ raised:
17) And if Christ be not raised, your faith [is] vain; ye are yet in your sins.
Result #4 – Everyone is still in their sin. In other words, they owe the penalty of their sin, they are still dominated by their sin, and have no promise of future deliverance from the presence of sin.
18) Then they also which are fallen asleep in Christ are perished.
Result #5 – Believers who had passed away, were not enjoying eternity with the Lord, but instead were brought to ruin, just as those who were non believers.
19) If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable.
Result #6 – If Christ is not risen (and therefore all the above 5 results are true) then believers are the most miserable of all mankind. We had hope that Christ would deliver us from sin’s punishment eternally. However, when eternity comes we will be enter into eternal damnation and ruin.
20) But now is Christ risen from the dead, [and] become the firstfruits of them that slept.
Paul then assures the Corinth Church, and all of us, that the resurrection of Christ did take place. His resurrection is the first fruits. (The first fruits of a harvest were the first portion of the crop that was harvested and given back to God; then the remaining harvest of the field was taken).
In other words, the resurrection of Christ was the first resurrection of the dead resulting in a glorified body. Christ’s resurrection will be followed by the resurrection of the saved at His coming. In this sense, Christ was the first fruits of all believers who have passed away.
21) For since by man [came] death, by man [came] also the resurrection of the dead.
Paul now explains the 2 great impacts of the resurrection for Christ, His work, and His followers.
Impact #1 – The resurrection proves that Christ has gotten the victory over sin and death.
Sin entered the world at the hands of Adam… as sin was passed to all mankind through Adam, so too, the passage of death. Sin’s result, both spiritual and physical death, is now a part of all mankind.
Christ, based upon the payment that He made on the cross, has defeated both sin and death. What proof do we have that this is so? It is His resurrection. When Christ walked out of the tomb it was absolute proof He had obtained victory over death. The only possible way death could be rendered powerless was by rendering sin powerless as well.
22) For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.
23) But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ's at his coming.
Impact #2 – Because Christ arose from the dead, believers can rest assured they, too, have spiritual life and an assurance of a physical resurrection and glorified body (at His second coming).
PRACTICAL APPLICATION:
For those who are saved …
For those of us who are saved… His resurrection is our assurance of our salvation and eternal future with Him… let us praise and honor our Lord for the display of His defeat over sin and death.
For those who have yet to be saved...
This account as written in God’s Word is the only trustworthy and reliable account of the resurrection of Jesus Christ. This resurrection is absolute proof that Jesus was who He claimed to be, The Savior of the World who has brought salvation to His people….
Matt 1:21 (KJV) - And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins.
Such a miraculous event is bound to work up doubts in any of our minds. As we have seen, even His followers, in the early hours of that Sunday morning had many doubts about what had actually taken place. But thanks be to our Lord for He had allowed MANY witnesses to see Him following His resurrection. Many witnesses saw Him to prove beyond doubt that He had arisen and His work of redemption on the cross has been brought to completion…
1Cor 15:4-8 (KJV)
4) And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:
5) And that he was seen of Cephas, then of the twelve:
6) After that, he was seen of above five hundred brethren at once; of whom the greater part remain unto this present, but some are fallen asleep.
7) After that, he was seen of James; then of all the apostles.
8) And last of all he was seen of me also, as of one born out of due time.
Christ’s resurrection is the assurance He gives us that He is victor over sin and death. Do you recognize you have sinned against Almighty God? Do you see that you owe Him a debt of sin that you can never pay? Are you willing to forsake your sin and turn to Christ as your Lord and Savior? If so, you can share in His victory over sin and death.
Turn from your sin to the Lord Jesus Christ. Come before Him realizing that He alone can save you from your sins. Believe that He died upon the cross bearing your sin. And then rest in the knowledge that He arose from the dead, to prove all of this is true.
If you have any further questions about the salvation that our Lord so graciously gives, please feel free to read my blog page… “How to have a relationship with God”. Otherwise, you can contact a Biblke based church, they will be glad to answer any of your questions about salvation that you may have. Or, you are welcome to contact me via a blog comment or email, it will be my privilege to answer any questions you may have about salvation and the work of Christ.
May the Lord bless you with His salvation.
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May the Lord bless your study of His Word. Like God’s Word… may your soul’s salvation and your life’s faithfulness be “Settled in Heaven.”
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