1 Corinthians 15

1 Corinthians 15:1

IV. PAUL’S ANSWER TO DENIERS OF THE RESURRECTION (Chap. 15) This is the great resurrection chapter. Some teachers had entered the church at Corinth, denying the possibility of bodily resurrection. They did not deny the fact of life after death, but probably suggested that we would simply be spirit beings and not have literal bodies. The apostle here gives his classic answer to these denials. A. Certainty of the Resurrection (15:1-34) 15:1, 2 Paul reminds them of the good news which he had preached to them, which they had received, and in which they now stood. This was not a new doctrine for the Corinthians, but it was necessary that they should be reminded of it at this critical time. It was this gospel by which the Corinthians had been saved. Then Paul adds the words if you hold fast that word which I preached to youunless you believed in vain. It was by the gospel of the resurrection that they had been savedunless, of course, there was no such thing as resurrection, in which case they could not have been saved at all. The if in this passage does not express any doubt as to their salvation, nor does it teach that they were saved by holding fast.

Rather, Paul is simply stating that if there is no such thing as resurrection, then they weren’t saved at all. In other words, those who denied bodily resurrection were launching a frontal attack on the whole truth of the gospel. To Paul, the resurrection was fundamental. Without it there was no Christianity. Thus this verse is a challenge to the Corinthians to hold fast the gospel which they had received in the face of the attacks which were currently being made against it. 15:3 Paul had delivered to the Corinthians the message which he had also received by divine revelation. The first cardinal doctrine of that message was that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures. This emphasizes the substitutionary character of the death of Christ. He did not die for His own sins, or as a martyr; He died for our sins. He died to pay the penalty that our sins deserved. This was all according to the Scriptures. The Scriptures here refer to the OT Scriptures, since the NT was not yet in written form. Did the OT Scriptures actually predict that Christ would die for the sins of the people? The answer is an emphatic Yes! Isaiah 53, verses 5 and 6, are sufficient proof of this. 15:4 The burial of Christ was prophesied in Isa_53:9, and His resurrection in Psa_16:9-10. It is important to notice how Paul emphasizes the testimony of the Scriptures. This should always be the test in all matters relating to our faith: What do the Scriptures say?15:5 In verses 5-7, we have a list of those who were eyewitnesses of the resurrection. First of all, the Lord appeared to Cephas (Peter). This is very touching indeed. The same faithless disciple who had denied his Lord three times is graciously privileged to have a private appearance of that same Lord in resurrection.

Truly, how great is the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ! Then the Lord also appeared to the twelve disciples. Actually the twelve were not all together at this time, but the expression the twelve was used to denote the body of disciples, even though not complete at any one particular moment. It should be stated that not all the appearances which are recorded in the Gospels are mentioned in this list. The Spirit of God selects those resurrection appearances of Christ which are most pertinent for His use. 15:6 The Lord’s appearance to over five hundred brethren is commonly believed to have taken place in Galilee. At the time Paul wrote, most of these brethren were still living, although some had gone home to be with the Lord. In other words, should anyone wish to contest the truthfulness of what Paul was saying, the witnesses were still alive and could be questioned. 15:7 There is no way of knowing which James is referred to here, although most commentators assume him to be the Lord’s half-brother. Verse 7 also tells us that the Lord appeared to all the apostles. 15:8 Paul next speaks of his own personal acquaintance with the risen Christ. This took place on the road to Damascus, when he saw a great light from heaven and met the glorified Christ face to face. One born out of due time means an abortion or an untimely birth. Vine explains it as meaning that in point of time, Paul speaks of himself as inferior to the rest of the apostles, just as an immature birth comes short of a mature one. He uses it as a term of self-reproach in view of his past life as a persecutor of the church. 15:9 As the apostle thinks of the privilege he had of meeting the Savior face to face, he is filled with a spirit of unworthiness. He thinks of how he persecuted the church of God and how, in spite of that, the Lord called him to be an apostle. Therefore he bows himself in the dust as the least of the apostles, and not worthy to be called an apostle. 15:10 He hastens to acknowledge that whatever he now is, he is by the grace of God. And he did not accept this grace as a matter of fact. Rather it put him under the deepest obligation, and he labored tirelessly to serve the Christ who saved him. Yet in a very real sense it was not Paul himself, but the grace of God which was working with him. 15:11 Now Paul joins himself with the other apostles and states that no matter which of them it was who preached, they were all united in their testimony as to the gospel, and particularly as to the resurrection of Christ. 15:12 In verses 12-19, Paul lists the consequences of the denial of bodily resurrection. First of all, it would mean that Christ Himself has not risen. Paul’s logic here is unanswerable. Some were saying that there is no such thing as bodily resurrection. All right, Paul says, if that is the case, then Christ has not risen. Are you Corinthians willing to admit this?

Of course they were not. In order to prove the possibility of any fact, all you have to do is to demonstrate that it has already taken place once. To prove the fact of bodily resurrection, Paul is willing to base his case upon the simple fact that Christ has already been raised from the dead.15:13 But if there is no resurrection of the dead, then obviously Christ is not risen. Such a conclusion would involve the Corinthians in hopeless gloom and despair. 15:14 If Christ is not risen, then the preaching of the apostles was empty, or having no substance. Why was it empty? First of all, because the Lord Jesus had promised that He would rise from the dead on the third day. If He did not rise at that time, then He was either an imposter or mistaken. In either case, He would not be worthy of trust. Secondly, apart from the resurrection of Christ, there could be no salvation. If the Lord Jesus did not rise from the dead, then there would be no way of knowing that His death had been of any greater value than any other person’s. But in raising Him from the dead, God testified to the fact that He was completely satisfied with the redemptive work of Christ. Obviously, if the apostolic message was false, then faith would be empty too. There would be no value in trusting a message that was false or empty. 15:15 It would not simply be a matter that the apostles were preaching a false message; actually it would mean that they had been testifying against God. They testified of God that He raised up Christ from the dead. If God didn’t do this, then the apostles had been bringing false witness against Him. 15:16 If resurrection is an utter impossibility, then there can be no exception to it. On the other hand, if resurrection had taken place once, for instance in the case of Christ, then it can no longer be thought of as an impossibility. 15:17 If Christ has not been raised, the faith of believers is futile and devoid of power. And there is no forgiveness of sins. Thus to reject the resurrection is to reject the value of the work of Christ. 15:18 As for those who had died believing in Christ, their case would be absolutely hopeless. If Christ did not rise, then their faith was just a worthless thing. The expression fallen asleep refers to the bodies of believers. Sleep is never used of the soul in the NT. The soul of the believer departs to be with Christ at the time of death, while the body is spoken of as sleeping in the grave. We should also say a word concerning the word perished. This word never means annihilation or cessation of being. As Vine has pointed out, it is not loss of being, but rather loss of well-being. It speaks of ruin as far as the purpose for which a person or thing was created. 15:19 If Christ is not risen, then living believers are in as wretched a condition as those who have died. They, too, have been deceived. They are of all men the most pitiable. Paul is here doubtless thinking of the sorrows, sufferings, trials, and persecutions to which Christians are exposed. To undergo such afflictions for a false cause would be pathetic indeed. 15:20 The tension is relieved as Paul triumphantly announces the fact of the resurrection of Christ and of the blessed consequences that follow. But now Christ is risen from the dead, … the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. There is a difference in the Scripture between the resurrection of the dead and the resurrection from the dead. The previous verses have been dealing with the resurrection of the dead. In other words, Paul has been arguing in a general way that the dead do indeed rise. But Christ rose from the dead. This means that when He rose, not all the dead rose. In this sense it was a limited resurrection. Every resurrection is a resurrection of the dead, but only that of Christ and of believers is a resurrection from among dead people. 15:21 It was by man that death first came into the world. That man was Adam. Through his sin, death came upon all men. God sent His Son into the world as a Man in order to undo the work of the first man and to raise believers to a state of blessedness such as they could never have known in Adam. Thus it was by the Man Christ Jesus that there came the resurrection of the dead. 15:22 Adam and Christ are presented as federal heads. This means that they acted for other people. And all who are related to them are affected by their actions. All who are descended from Adam die. So in Christ all shall be made alive. This verse has sometimes been taken to teach universal salvation.

It is argued that the same ones who die in Adam will be made alive in Christ, and that all will eventually be saved. But that is not what the verse says. The key expressions are in Adam and in Christ. All who are in Adam die. All who are in Christ shall be made alive, that is, only believers in the Lord Jesus Christ will be raised from the dead to dwell eternally with Him. The all who shall be made alive is defined in verse 23 as those who are Christ’s at His Coming.

It does not include Christ’s enemies, for they shall be put under His feet (v. 25), which, as someone has said, is a strange name for heaven. 15:23 Next we have the groups or classes involved in the first resurrection. First is the resurrection of Christ Himself. He is spoken of here as the firstfruits. Firstfruits were a handful of ripened grain from the harvest field before the actual harvest started. They were a pledge, a guarantee, a foretaste of what was to follow. The expression does not necessarily mean that Christ was the first one to rise. We have instances of resurrection in the OT, and the cases of Lazarus, the widow’s son, and Jairus’ daughter in the NT. But Christ’s resurrection was different from all of these in that, whereas they rose to die again, Christ rose to die no more. He rose to live in the power of an endless life. He rose with a glorified body. The second class in the first resurrection is described as those who are Christ’s at His coming. This includes those who will be raised at the time of the Rapture, and also those believers who will die during the Tribulation and will be raised at the end of that time of trouble, when Christ comes back to reign. Just as there are stages in the coming of Christ, so there will be stages in the resurrection of His saints. The first resurrection does not include all who have ever died, but only those who have died with faith in Christ. Some teach that only those Christians who have been faithful to Christ, or who have been overcomers will be raised at this time, but the Scriptures are very clear in refuting this. All who are Christ’s will be raised at His coming. 15:24 The expression then comes the end refers, we believe, to the end of the resurrection. At the close of Christ’s Millennial Reign, when He shall have put down all His enemies, there will be the resurrection of the wicked dead. This is the last resurrection ever to take place. All who have ever died in unbelief will stand before the Judgment of the Great White Throne to hear their doom. After the Millennium and the destruction of Satan (Rev_20:7-10), the Lord Jesus will deliver the kingdom to God the Father. By that time He will have abolished all rule and all authority and power. Up to this time the Lord Jesus Christ has been reigning as the Son of Man, serving as God’s Mediator. At the end of the thousand-year reign, God’s purposes on earth will have been perfectly accomplished. All opposition will have been put down and all enemies destroyed. The reign of Christ as Son of Man will then give way to the eternal kingdom in heaven. His reign as Son of God in heaven will continue forever. 15:25 Verse 25 emphasizes what has just been said, namely, that Christ’s reign will continue until every trace of rebellion and enmity has been put down. 15:26 Even during Christ’s Millennial Reign, people will continue to die, especially those who openly rebel against the Lord. But at the Judgment of the Great White Throne, death and Hades will be cast into the Lake of Fire. 15:27 God has decreed that all things shall be put under the feet of the Lord Jesus. Of course, in putting all things under Him, God necessarily excepted Himself. Verse 27 is rather hard to follow because it is not clear to whom each pronoun is referring. We might paraphrase it as follows: For God has put all things under Christ’s feet. But when God says, all things are put under Christ, it is obvious that God is excluded, who put all things under Christ.15:28 Even after all things have been put in subjection to the Son, He Himself will continue to be subject to God forever. God has made Christ ruler, administrator of all His plans and counsels. All authority and power is put in His hands. There is a time coming when He will render His account of the administration committed to Him. After He has brought everything into subjection, He will hand the kingdom back to the Father. Creation will be brought back to God in a perfect condition. Having accomplished the work of redemption and restoration for which He became Man, He will retain the subordinate place that He took in Incarnation. If He should cease to be man after having brought to pass all that God purposed and designated, the very link that brings God and man together would be gone. (Selected) 15:29 Verse 29 is perhaps one of the most difficult and obscure verses in all the Bible. Many explanations have been offered as to its meaning. For instance, it is contended by some that living believers may be baptized for those who have died without having undergone this rite. Such a meaning is quite foreign to the Scriptures. It is based on a single verse and must be rejected, not having the collective support of other Scripture. Others believe that baptism for the dead means that in baptism we reckon ourselves to have died. This is a possible meaning, but it does not fit in too well with the context. The interpretation which seems to suit the context best is this: At the time Paul wrote, there was fierce persecution against those who took a public stand for Christ. This persecution was especially vicious at the time of their baptism. It often happened that those who publicly proclaimed their faith in Christ in the waters of baptism were martyred shortly thereafter. But did this stop others from being saved and from taking their place in baptism? Not at all. It seemed as though there were always new replacements coming along to fill up the ranks of those who had been martyred.

As they stepped into the waters of baptism, in a very real sense they were being baptized for, or in the place of (Greek huper) the dead. Hence the dead here refers to those who died as a result of their bold witness for Christ. Now the apostle’s argument here is that it would be foolish to be thus baptized to fill up the ranks of those who had died if there is no such thing as resurrection from the dead. It would be like sending replacement troops to fill up the ranks of an army that is fighting a lost cause. It would be like fighting on in a hopeless situation. If the dead do not rise at all, why then are they baptized for the dead?15:30 And why do we stand in jeopardy every hour?

The Apostle Paul was constantly exposed to danger. Because of his fearlessness in preaching Christ, he made enemies wherever he went. Secret plots were hatched against him in an effort to take his life. He could have avoided all this by abandoning his profession of Christ. In fact, it would have been wise for him to abandon it if there was no such thing as resurrection from the dead. 15:31 I affirm, by the boasting in you which I have in Christ Jesus our Lord, I die daily might be paraphrased: As surely as I rejoice over you as my children in Christ Jesus, every day of my life I am exposed to death.15:32 The apostle now recalls the fierce persecution which he encountered at Ephesus. We do not believe that he was actually thrown into the arena with wild beasts, but rather that he is speaking here of wicked men as wild beasts. Actually, as a Roman citizen, Paul could not have been forced to fight with wild animals. We do not know to what incident he refers. However, the argument is clear that the apostle would have been foolish to engage in such dangerous warfare as he had if he were not assured of resurrection from the dead. Indeed it would have been much wiser for him to adopt the philosophy: If the dead do not rise, Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die!We sometimes hear Christians say that if this life were all, then they would still rather be Christians.

But Paul disagrees with such an idea. If there were no resurrection, we would be better off to make the most of this life. We would live for food, clothing, and pleasure. This would be the only heaven we could look forward to. But since there is a resurrection, we dare not spend our lives for these things of passing interest. We must live for then and not for now.15:33 The Corinthians should not be deceived on this score.

Evil company corrupts good habits. Paul is referring to the false teachers who had come into the church at Corinth, denying the resurrection. The Christians should realize that it is impossible to associate with evil people or evil teachings without being corrupted by them. Evil doctrine inevitably has an effect on one’s life. False teachings do not lead to holiness. 15:34 The Corinthians should awake to righteousness and not sin. They should not be deluded by these evil teachings. Some do not have the knowledge of God. I speak this to your shame. This verse is commonly interpreted to mean that there are still men and women who have never heard the gospel story, and that Christians should be ashamed of their failure to evangelize the world. However, while this may be true, we believe that the primary meaning of the passage is that there were men in the fellowship at Corinth who did not have the knowledge of God.

They were not true believers, but wolves in sheep’s clothing, false teachers who had crept in unawares. It was to the shame of the Corinthians that these men were allowed to take their place with the Christians and to teach these wicked doctrines. The carelessness which let ungodly people enter the assembly resulted in lowering the congregation’s whole moral tone, thus preparing an opening for the intrusion of all kinds of error.

1 Corinthians 15:35

B. Consideration of Objections to the Resurrection (15:35-57) 15:35 In verses 35-49, the apostle goes into greater detail concerning the actual mode of the resurrection. He anticipates two questions which would inevitably arise in the minds of those who questioned the fact of bodily resurrection. The first is: How are the dead raised up? The second is: And with what body do they come?15:36 The first question is answered in verse 36. A common illustration from nature is used to illustrate the possibility of resurrection. A seed must fall into the ground and die before the plant can come forth.

It is wonderful indeed to think of the mystery of life that is hidden in every tiny seed. We may dissect the seed and study it under the microscope, but the secret of the life principle remains an unfathomable mystery. All we know is that the seed falls into the ground and from that unlikely beginning there springs forth life from the dead. 15:37 The second question is taken up next. Paul explains that when you sow a seed, you do not sow the plant that shall eventually result, but you sow a bare grainperhaps wheat or some other grain. What do we conclude from this? Is the plant the same as the seed? No, the plant is not the same as the seed; however, there is a very vital connection between the two. Without the seed there would have been no plant. Also, the plant derives its features from the seed. So it is in resurrection. The resurrection body has identity of kind and continuity of substance with that which is sown, but it is purified from corruption, dishonor, and weakness, and made incorrupt, glorious, powerful, and spiritual. It is the same body, but it is sown in one form and raised in another. (Selected) 15:38 God produces a body according to the seed that was sown, and each seed has its own type of plant as a result. All the factors which determine the size, color, leaf, and flower of the plant are somehow contained in the seed that is sown. 15:39 To illustrate the fact that the glory of the resurrection body will be different from the glory of our present bodies, the Apostle Paul points out that all flesh is not the same kind. For instance, there is human flesh, flesh of animals, flesh of fish, and flesh of birds. These are distinctly different, and yet they are all flesh. There is similarity without exact duplication. 15:40 And just as there is a difference between the splendor of heavenly bodies (the stars, etc.) and bodies which are associated with this earth, so there is a difference between the body of the believer now and the one which he will have after death. 15:41 Even among the celestial bodies themselves, there is a difference of glory. For instance, the sun is brighter than the moon, and one star differs from another in brightness. Most commentators agree that Paul is still emphasizing that the glory of the resurrection body will be different from the glory of the body which we have on earth at the present time. They do not think that verse 41, for instance, indicates that in heaven there will be differences of glory among believers themselves. However, we tend to agree with Holsten that the way in which Paul emphasizes the diversities of the heavenly bodies implies the supposition of an analogous difference of glory between the risen. It is clear from other passages of Scripture that we shall not all be identical in heaven. Although all will resemble the Lord Jesus morally, that is, in freedom from sin, it does not follow that we shall all look like the Lord Jesus physically. He will be distinctly recognizable as such throughout all eternity.

Likewise, we believe that each individual Christian will be a distinct personality recognizable as such. But there will be differences of reward granted at the Judgment Seat of Christ according to one’s faithfulness in service. While all will be supremely happy in heaven, some will have greater capacity for enjoying heaven. Just as there will be differences of suffering in hell, according to the sins that a man has committed, so there will be differences of enjoyment in heaven, according to what we have done as believers. 15:42 Verses 42-49 show the contrast between what the believer’s body is now and what it will be in its eternal state. The body is sown in corruption, it is raised in incorruption. At the present time, our bodies are subject to disease and death. When they are placed in the grave, they decompose and return to dust. But it will not be so with the resurrection body. It will no longer be subject to sickness or decay. 15:43 The present body is sown in dishonor. There is nothing very majestic or glorious about a dead body. However, this same body will be raised in glory. It will be free from wrinkles, scars, the marks of age, overweight, and the traces of sin. It is sown in weakness, it is raised in power. With the coming of old age, weakness increases until death itself strips a man of all strength whatever. In eternity, the body will not be subject to these sad limitations, but will be possessed of powers that it does not have at the present time. For instance, the Lord Jesus Christ in resurrection was able to enter a room where the doors were locked. 15:44 It is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body. Here we must be very careful to emphasize that spiritual does not mean nonmaterial. Some people have the idea that in resurrection we will be disembodied spirits. That is not at all the meaning of this passage, nor is it true. We know that the resurrection body of the Lord Jesus was composed of flesh and bones because He said, A spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see I have (Luk_24:39). The difference between a natural body and a spiritual body is that the former is suited to life here on earth whereas the latter will be suited to life in heaven. The former is usually soul-controlled whereas the latter is spirit-controlled. A spiritual body is one that will be truly the servant of the spirit. God created man spirit, soul, and body. He always mentions the spirit first, because His intention was that the spirit should be in the place of preeminence or dominance. With the entrance of sin, something very strange happened. God’s order seems to have been upset, and the result is that man always says body, soul, and spirit. He has given the body the place which the spirit should have had. In resurrection it will not be so; the spirit will be in the place of control which God originally intended. 15:45 And so it is written, The first man Adam became a living being. The last Adam became a life-giving spirit. Here again the first man Adam is contrasted with the Lord Jesus Christ. God breathed into Adam’s nostrils the breath of life and he became a living being (Gen_2:7). All who are descended from him bear his characteristics. The last Adam, the Savior, became a life-giving spirit (Joh_5:21, Joh_5:26). The difference is that in the first case, Adam was given physical life, whereas in the second case Christ gives eternal life to others. Erdman explains: As the descendants of Adam, we are made like him, living souls inhabiting mortal bodies, and bearing the image of an earthly parent. But as the followers of Christ, we are yet to be clothed with immortal bodies and to bear the image of our heavenly Lord. 15:46 The apostle now sets forth a fundamental law in God’s universe, namely, the spiritual is not first, but the natural, and afterward the spiritual. This can be understood in several ways. Adam, the natural man, came first on the stage of human history; then Jesus, the spiritual Man. Second, we are born into the world as natural beings; then when we are born again, we become spiritual beings. Finally, we first receive natural bodies, then in resurrection we will receive spiritual bodies. 15:47 The first man was of the earth, made of dust. This means that his origin was of the earth and that his characteristics were earthly. He was made of the dust of the ground in the first place, and in his life he seemed in a very real sense to be earth-bound. The second Man is the Lord from heaven.15:48 Of the two men mentioned in verse 45, Jesus was the second. He existed from all eternity, but as Man, he came after Adam. He came from heaven, and everything He did and said was heavenly and spiritual rather than earthly and soulish. As it is with these two federal heads, so it is with their followers. Those who are born of Adam inherit his characteristics. Also those who are born of Christ are a heavenly people. 15:49 As we have borne the characteristics of Adam as to our natural birth, we shall also bear the image of Christ in our resurrection bodies. 15:50 Now the apostle turns to the subject of the transformation that will take place in the bodies of believers, both living and dead, at the time of the Lord’s Return. He prefaces his remarks with the statement that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God. By this he means that the present body which we have is not suited to the kingdom of God in its eternal aspect, that is, our heavenly home. It is also true that corruption cannot inherit incorruption. In other words, our present bodies which are subject to disease, decay, and decomposition, would not be suited for life in a state where there is no corruption. This raises the problem, then, of how the bodies of living believers can be suited for life in heaven. 15:51 The answer is in the form of a mystery. As previously stated, a mystery is a truth previously unknown, but now revealed by God to the apostles and made known through them to us. We shall not all sleep, that is, not all believers will experience death. Some will be alive when the Lord returns. But whether we have died or are still alive, we shall all be changed. The truth of resurrection itself is not a mystery, since it appears in the OT, but the fact that not all will die and also the change of living saints at the Lord’s Return is something that had never been known before. 15:52 The change will take place instantly, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. The last trumpet here does not mean the end of the world, or even the last trumpet mentioned in Revelation. Rather, it refers to the trumpet of God which will sound when Christ comes into the air for His saints (1Th_4:16). When the trumpet sounds, the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. What a tremendous moment that will be, when the earth and the sea will yield up the dust of all those who have died trusting in Christ down through the centuries! It is almost impossible for the human mind to take in the magnitude of such an event; yet the humble believer can accept it by faith. 15:53 We believe that verse 53 refers to the two classes of believers at the time of Christ’s Return. This corruptible refers to those whose bodies have returned to the dust. They will put on incorruption. This mortal, on the other hand, refers to those who are still alive in body but are subject to death. Such bodies will put on immortality.15:54 When the dead in Christ are raised and the living changed with them, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory (Isa_25:8). How magnificent! C. H. Mackintosh exclaims: What are death, the grave, and decomposition in the presence of such power as this? Talk of being dead four days as a difficulty! Millions that have been mouldering in the dust for thousands of years shall spring up in a moment into life, immortality and eternal glory, at the voice of that blessed One. 15:55 This verse may well be a taunt song which believers sing as they rise to meet the Lord in the air. It is as if they mock Death because for them it has lost its sting. They also mock Hades because for them it has lost the battle to keep them as its own. Death holds no terror for them because they know their sins have been forgiven and they stand before God in all the acceptability of His beloved Son. 15:56 Death would have no sting for anyone if it were not for sin. It is the consciousness of sins unconfessed and unforgiven that makes men afraid to die. If we know our sins are forgiven, we can face death with confidence. If, on the other hand, sin is on the conscience, death is terriblethe beginning of eternal punishment. The strength of sin is the law, that is, the law condemns the sinner. It pronounces the doom of all who have failed to obey God’s holy precepts. It has been well said that if there were no sin, there would be no death. And if there were no law, there would be no condemnation. The throne of death rests on two bases: sin, which calls for condemnation, and the law which pronounces it. Consequently, it is on these two powers that the work of the Deliverer bore. 15:57 Through faith in Him, we have victory over death and the grave. Death is robbed of its sting. It is a known fact that when certain insects sting a person, they leave their stinger imbedded in the person’s flesh, and being thus robbed of their sting, they die. In a very real sense death stung itself to death at the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, and now the King of Terrors is robbed of his terror as far as the believer is concerned.

1 Corinthians 15:58

C. Concluding Appeal in Light of the Resurrection (15:58) In view, then, of the certainty of the resurrection and the fact that faith in Christ is not in vain, the Apostle Paul exhorts his beloved brethren to be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that their labor is not in vain in the Lord. The truth of resurrection changes everything. It provides hope and steadfastness, and enables us to go on in the face of overwhelming and difficult circumstances.