1 Corinthians 15
Lipscomb1 Corinthians 15:1
Now I make known unto you, brethren, the gospel which I preached unto you,—Paul now states the fundamentals of the gospel which he preached as a basis of the argument contained in this chapter. In the gospel the chief fact was the resurrection of Christ from the dead. On it Christ’s claim to be the Son of God turns, and on it the resurrection of man and his eternal hopes rest. It was proper that he should state what he had taught them at first of the great elementary truths on which the church had been established, but from which their minds had been diverted.
which also ye received,—[They had embraced it as true— that Christ rose from the dead, and that the saints would rise.]
wherein also ye stand,—[On this truth the church was founded, and on it their hope rested. This doctrine was vital and fundamental.]
1 Corinthians 15:2
by which also ye are saved,-—By it they were brought into a saved state.
if ye hold fast the word which I preached unto you,—If they held fast or were steadfast to the end.
except ye believed in vain.—To believe in vain is to believe and not act on the faith. Faith is intended to lead to obedience to God; and when it fails to do this, it is vain faith. Every one who claims to believe God, and does not continue faithful to the end, makes faith vain. When a man adds the inventions of men to the appointments of God, he makes faith vain.
1 Corinthians 15:3
For I delivered unto you first of all—First in importance, not in time; the doctrine of the resurrection is primary and cardinal, central and indispensable.
that which also I received:—He received that which he had preached to them by direct revelation. (1 Corinthians 11:23; Galatians 1:11-12; Galatians 2:6). He could therefore speak with infallible confidence, both as to what the gospel is and as to its truth.
that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures;— [Christ’s death was a propitiatory sacrifice for sin; and the occurrence of such a statement in this place proves that Christ’s death constituted an essential part of the gospel.] Man was under sentence of death, an outlaw in the court of heaven; but Jesus Christ purchased him “with his own blood.” (Acts 20:28). “The Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many.” (Matthew 20:28). “Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a people for his own possession, zealous of good works.” (Titus 2:14). “Who his own self bare our sins in his body upon the tree, that we, having died unto sins, might live unto righteousness; by whose stripes ye were healed.” (1 Peter 2:24). “He is the propitiation for our sins; and not for ours only, but also for the whole world.” (1 John 2:2). “For ye were bought with a price: glorify God therefore in your body.” (1 Corinthians 6:20). The idea of Jesus redeeming, purchasing man from under the sentence of condemnation is so interwoven with the whole of the Scriptures that it cannot be rejected without rejecting the truth of the Bible. He is the Redeemer and Savior of man.
1 Corinthians 15:4
and that he was buried;—[The inclusion of this detail in so brief a statement of facts is remarkable. But the burial is carefully recorded in all four Gospels, and was evidently regarded of great importance. The importance here and there is that the burial was the evidence of a bodily resurrection.
The death of Jesus having been certified by the centurion (Mark 15; 44, 45), his body was committed to Joseph of Arimathea, who took it down from the cross, and laid it in a tomb that was hewn in stone (Luke 23:53), and rolled a great stone before the door of the tomb, and departed (Matthew 27:60). Then the chief priests and the Pharisees came before Pilate, saying: “Sir, we remember that that deceiver said while he was yet alive, After three days I rise again. Command therefore that the sepulchre be made sure until the third day, lest haply his disciples come and steal him away, and say unto the people, He is risen from the dead: and the last error will be worse than the first. Pilate said unto them, Ye have a guard: go, make it as sure as ye can. So they went, and made the sepulchre sure, sealing the stone, the guard being with them.” (Matthew 27:63-66).]
and that he hath been raised on the third day—[Since the death and burial of Christ are historic facts, the effect of the resurrection is abiding. It is not said that Christ arose, but that he was raised. His resurrection is the work of God (verse 15), the divine seal upon the work of Christ.] according to the scriptures;—These prophecies and their fulfillment are given to prove that the death and resurrection of Jesus were in accord with them. [The double appeal to Scripture in so brief a statement is deliberate and important; and the divine prediction of what would take place is appropriately placed before the apostolic testimony as to what did take place. The agreement of what did take place with what was foretold in Scripture is pointed out with special frequency in the New Testament. (Luke 22:37; Luke 24:25-27; Luke 24:44-46; Acts 2:25-32; Acts 3:24-26; Acts 5:34-37; Acts 17:3; Acts 18:28; Acts 26:22-23).]
1 Corinthians 15:5
and that he appeared to Cephas;—Having presented the prophecies, he introduces as witnesses those to whom he appeared after his resurrection. [The resurrection of Christ was a fact to be proved, like other facts, by competent witnesses. Paul, therefore, appeals to the witnesses who attested the truth of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and shows that it was not possible that so many witnesses should have been deceived. The appearance to Peter is nowhere directly mentioned in the Gospels, but is implied in the exclamation of the apostles on the return of the disciples from Emmaus, “Saying, The Lord is risen indeed, and hath appeared to Simon.” (Luke 24:34).]
then to the twelve;—[The apostles were called “The Twelve” by a figure of speech common to all languages, where any body of persons who act as colleagues are called by the number of which the body is properly composed though it may not be completed. It is most likely that Paul refers to the appearance mentioned by Luke (Luke 24:36-43), and John (John 20:19; John 20:24), when Thomas was absent.]
1 Corinthians 15:6
then he appeared to above five hundred brethren at once,— [The place of this appearance is not designated, but there are two circumstances mentioned which throw light on the subject. Just before his death he told his disciples: “After I am raised up, I will go before you into Galilee” (Matthew 26:32); and after his resurrection, the angel said to the women who had gone to the sepulchre: “Go quickly, and tell his disciples, He is risen from the dead; and lo, he goeth before you into Galilee; there shall ye see him: lo, I have told you. And they departed quickly from the tomb with fear and great joy, and ran to bring his disciples word. And behold, Jesus met them, saying,… Fear not: go tell my brethren that they depart into Galilee, and there shall they see me,” and “the eleven disciples went into Galilee, unto the mountain where Jesus had appointed them.” (Matthew 28:7-16). Jesus had spent most of his public life in Galilee, and made most of his disciples there. It was proper, therefore, that those disciples, who would hear of his death, should have some public confirmation of the fact that he had risen.]
of whom the greater part remain until now,—[The strength of this witness lies in the fact that the majority of them were still living when Paul wrote this epistle, making it possible still to get full evidence at first hand. What more conclusive argument for the truth of his resurrection could there be than that five hundred had seen him, who had been intimately acquainted with him in his life, and who had become his followers.]
but some are fallen asleep;—This is the usual expression employed in the Scripture to describe the death of the saints.
1 Corinthians 15:7
then he appeared to James;—Of this appearance we have no other mention. [There can be little doubt that this James was “the Lord’s brother” (Galatians 1:19), who became so prominent in the church in Jerusalem (Galatians 2:9), and is placed here among the chief witnesses because of his prominent position. He was not a believer during the Lord’s personal ministry (John 7:5); but he was united with the apostles, and with “the women, and Mary the mother of Jesus” in “the upper chamber,” immediately after the ascension (Acts 1:14).]
then to all the apostles;—This appearance was on the day of the ascension. (Acts 1:4-11; Luke 24:44-51). [From the expressions—”being assembled together with them,” and “they therefore, when they were come together”—it is evident that this gathering was the result of a convocation on the part of Jesus. It was to be his final appearance to the apostles. They must all be present, and Jesus had provided that none of them should be wanting.]
1 Corinthians 15:8
and last of all, as to the child untimely born, he appeared to me also.—This last appearance was after his ascension as Paul was on his way to Damascus. (Acts 9:5; Acts 22:14; Acts 26:16). Because of his late appearance to him, he was as “the child untimely born.” [This denotes the violent and unnatural mode of his call to the apostleship, especially at the moment when he was recalling the appearing of the Lord on the way to Damascus. The other apostles were called when they were already believers; and which the Lord’s hands gathered without effort, whereas Paul was torn, as by a violent operation. from that Phariseeism to which he was yet clinging with all the fibers of his heart and will.]
1 Corinthians 15:9
For I am the least of the apostles, that am not meet to be called an apostle,—Paul keenly felt his guilt in persecuting the church, often spoke of it, always confessing his sinfulness, and on account of it he felt that he was the least of all the apostles, and was not worthy to be called an apostle.
because I persecuted the church of God.—This sense of wrong done the church of God became a spur to increased sacrifice for Christ.
1 Corinthians 15:10
But by the grace of God I am what I am:—While Paul was sinful, God’s grace opened the way for his forgiveness and made him what he was. The Lord saw his earnestness, zeal, self-sacrificing spirit, fidelity to his convictions, and his fitness to preach the gospel, so appeared unto him, brought him to believe, and started him upon his work of self-sacrificing service.
and his grace which was bestowed upon me was not found vain; but I labored more abundantly than they all:—The favor bestowed on him was not fruitless, for he labored more abundantly than all the apostles.
yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me.—God’s goodness and mercy to him constrained him to labor and suffer as he had done more than all the other apostles.
1 Corinthians 15:11
Whether then it be I or they, so we preach, and so ye believed.—He and the other apostles preached the same gospel of the resurrection and the Corinthians became Christians by accepting Christ’s resurrection as the fundamental truth of the gospel which they received.
[The resurrection of Christ was attested by a plurality of occasions, a plurality of witnesses, and a plurality of the senses. Hence the apostles gave their testimony to the world without a shadow of doubt upon their souls as to its truthfulness and encountered every form of persecution in its behalf with unfaltering confidence and the utmost composure. They were not credulous dupes blindly led by “cunningly devised fables.”]
1 Corinthians 15:12
Now if Christ is preached that he hath been raised from the dead,—The resurrection of Christ was the vital truth in their faith. It had been preached and believed by all Christians. On it their acceptance of Christ turned. It was the foundation stone of their faith. To deny this was to deny the faith and become an infidel.
how say some among you that there is no resurrection of the dead?—Since all admit that Christ was raised from the dead, how can it be that there can be no resurrection? It was probably held by some that resurrection was impossible. To which Paul answered by demonstrating a fact, and showing that such an event had occurred, and that consequently all the difficulties were met. Facts are unanswerable demonstrations; and when a fact is established, all obstacles and difficulties in the way must be admitted to be overcome. He had established the fact that one had been raised, and thus met at once all the objections which could be arrayed against the doctrine.
1 Corinthians 15:13
But if there is no resurrection of the dead, neither hath Christ been raised:—The two stand or fall together. The resurrection of Christ is only the beginning of the general resurrection. Jesus said to the Jews: “Marvel not at this: for the hour cometh, in which all that are in the tombs shall hear his voice, and shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of judgment.” (John 5:28-29). When Jesus died on the cross: “The earth did quake; and the rocks were rent; and the tombs were opened; and many bodies of the saints that had fallen asleep were raised; and coming forth out of the tombs after his resurrection they entered into the holy city and appeared unto many.” (Matthew 27:51-53). That was the beginning of the resurrection, to be completed only when “the Lord himself shall descend from heaven, with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first; then we that are alive, that are left, shall together with them be caught up in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.” (1 Thessalonians 4:16-17).
1 Corinthians 15:14
and if Christ hath not been raised, then is our preaching vain,—The central truth and fundamental fact of their preaching was that Christ was raised from the dead; but if he had not been raised, their preaching was false.
your faith also is vain.—Their faith in Christ as the Son of God was based on the belief that God raised him from the dead. When the Jews asked a sign of Jesus he said unto them: “An evil and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign; and there shall no sign be given to it but the sign of Jonah the prophet; for as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the whale; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.” (Matthew 12:39-40). That is, he should be buried and rise again; and Paul says he “was declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead.” (Romans 1:4). His resurrection was the foundation on which their faith rested, and if that was not true their faith was vain. The system could not be true unless Christ had been raised from the dead, as he said he would be; and to believe a falsehood could be of no use to any man.
1 Corinthians 15:15
Yea, and we are found false witnesses of God; because we witnessed of God that he raised up Christ: whom he raised not up, if so be that the dead are not raised.—If there be no resurrection, then Christ was not raised; and if Christ was not raised, the apostles bore false witness when they claimed to have seen him alive after his burial. They told a falsehood when it could bring no present good, but bring much suffering, and finally death; and if false, there could be no hope of anything but infamy and shame. Yet if Christ was not raised the apostles bore false witness of God. To bear witness of God, or his words and deeds, so as to mislead men in their faith in and duty to God is a more heinous offense than to bear false witness of men. It is a grievous sin to bear false witness of men. It is a terrible sin against God and man to bear false witness of what God does and says, for it misleads men where eternal interests are at stake. Peter said to Ananias: “Thou hast not lied unto men, but unto God” (Acts 5:4), showing that it is a greater crime to lie to and of God than of man.
1 Corinthians 15:16
For if the dead are not raised, neither hath Christ been raised:—[This verse is repetition of verse 13, to emphasize the argument that faith in the resurrection rests on historic fact.] He insists that unless the dead do rise, then Christ did not rise. To raise him when no others would arise would be meaningless. If he did rise, then the dead must rise.
1 Corinthians 15:17
and if Christ hath not been raised, your faith is vain;—If Christ had not been raised from the dead, their faith in a risen Lord was false and vain.
ye are yet in your sins.—Without the resurrection of Christ, there is no forgiveness of sins. The resurrection is interwoven with the whole scheme of redemption. It lies at the foundation of faith and forgiveness of sins, and without it a confession of faith in Christ is meaningless.
1 Corinthians 15:18
Then they also that are fallen asleep in Christ have perished.—Many had suffered and died with a living faith in Christ. Many had yielded up their life in testimony of their faith in Christ Jesus. All these had perished, suffered, and died, and are without hope or reward in the world to come; indeed, there is no world to come if Christ be not raised. His resurrection is the guarantee and hope of the future life.
1 Corinthians 15:19
If we have only hoped in Christ in this life, we are of all men most pitiable.—-If all we have done is merely having hoped in Christ in this life, if it is there to end, we are of all men most pitiable. We may gain an idea of what Paul suffered for Christ from his own account: “Are they ministers of Christ? (I speak as one beside himself) I more; in labors more abundantly, in prisons more abundantly, in stripes above measure, in deaths oft. Of the Jews five times received I forty stripes save one. Thrice was I beaten with rods, once was I stoned, thrice I suffered shipwreck, a night and a day have I been in the deep; in journeyings often, in perils of rivers, in perils of robbers, in perils from my countrymen, in perils from the Gentiles, in perils in the city, in perils in the wilderness, in perils in the sea, in perils among false brethren; in labor and travail, in watchings often, in hunger and thirst, in fastings often, in cold and nakedness. Besides those things that are without, there is that which presseth upon me daily, anxiety for all the churches.” (2 Corinthians 11:23-28).
[It is not the fulfillment of the moral law which is here in question; no natural duty imposed on Paul a life of labors, privations, and sufferings of all kinds such as he accepted, and which should be accepted by all Christians in the service of Christ. The free choice of such a life can only be justified by the hope of the most excellent blessings and these blessings consist by no means of certain external pleasures granted by way of reward, but in the satisfaction of the noblest and most elevated wants of human nature, of the aspiration after holiness and life eternal. To see these blessings escape, where all inferior ones have been sacrificed to gain them—to have renounced earth for heaven, and instead of heaven to find perdition, like sinners—would not this still be a sadder condition than that of worldly men who at least allow themselves on earth a comfortable life and the lawful pleasures which were in their reach? To the sufferings accumulated during this life there would come to be added the most cruel disappointment after this life—no eternal life.]
1 Corinthians 15:20
But now hath Christ been raised from the dead,—None really denied the resurrection of Christ, but how meaningless and fruitless his resurrection would be without the resurrection of others. His resurrection is not a solitary occurrence affecting only himself. [It is the resurrection of the head of a new humanity and pledge, therefore, of the resurrection of all the dead.]
the firstfruits of them that are asleep.—First fruits denotes the beginning of anything, regarded as a pledge of the rest; and so Christ’s resurrection is the beginning, and the pledge of all the rest. [There is marked suggestiveness in the term first fruits. It is taken from the ancient ceremony in Israel of waving the sheaf of first fruits of the ripening grain before the Lord. (Leviticus 23:9-11). The sheaf was at once the pledge and the sample of the entire harvest; it was a part of the harvest to be gathered. Christ is the first fruits of all the sleeping saints in his resurrection. As certainly as he is risen, so certainly shall they rise, for he is the pledge and assured part of their resurrection. Our faith in the resurrection rests on the proved fact of Christ’s resurrection.]
1 Corinthians 15:21
For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead.—The resurrection of all as naturally follows the resurrection of Jesus Christ as the death of all follows the sin and death of Adam. By Adam’s sin death came upon him; so all inherited his mortal, dying body. So as Christ by his obedience triumphed over death and was raised from the dead to die no more, so all the world through Christ will be raised from the dead. The world of mankind will be raised, no more to live a fleshly life or to die a fleshly death— “they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of judgment.” (John 5:28).
1 Corinthians 15:22
For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive.—What man lost through the disobedience of Adam he gained through the obedience of Jesus Christ. He lost the fleshly or physical life in Adam. That life is restored to all men through Christ.
1 Corinthians 15:23
But each in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; then they that are Christ’s, at his coming.—They will not all be raised at one time. Christ came forth as the first fruits. When Christ died on the cross, many of the graves were opened, and “many bodies of the saints that had fallen asleep were raised; and coming forth out of the tombs after his resurrection they entered into the holy city and appeared unto many.” (Matthew 27:52). Those who accept Christ, put him on, live in him, “shall rise first; then we that are alive, that are left, shall together with them be caught up in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.” (1 Thessalonians 4:16-17). The wicked shall afterward be raised: “Many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt.” (Daniel 12:2). “And death and Hades were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death, even the lake of fire. And if any was not found written in the book of life, he was cast into the lake of fire.” (Revelation 20:14-15).
1 Corinthians 15:24
Then cometh the end,—The consummation of the gospel dispensation or state of things, which will open the new and eternal period.
when he shall deliver up the kingdom to God, even the Father;—The mission of Jesus Christ on earth was to redeem and rescue the world from the rule of the evil one, to whom it had been surrendered by the first Adam, and deliver it up to God, even the Father.
when he shall have abolished all rule and all authority and power.—Everything that is in the world, that exercises rule, authority, or power, save as it comes directly from God, and is used under his direction, to promote his rule and dominion, is an enemy of God and of his Son Jesus Christ, and must be destroyed by the rule and dominion of the Son before the kingdom and dominion of the world can be delivered up to the Father. Jesus Christ came into the world to rescue it from the evil one, and to destroy everything that exerts power or authority or dominion on the earth, and to establish the kingdom of God on earth. When that work is done every one will render homage and obedience to God. Then, and only then, will peace and harmony and good will dwell among men, and every being in the universe will realize that his happiness will be promoted, by promoting the happiness of every other being, and all guided by one law will work in unison and harmony to the promotion of the glory of God and the good of men. Before the consummation can come every plant not planted of God shall be rooted up. (Matthew 15:13). Every institution or organization of earth that exerts rule or authority or power must be destroyed.
This earth in the material, moral and spiritual world must become again a garden of God’s own planting. Not a brier, or thistle, or thorn can grow in the material, moral, or spiritual world. Only those plants planted by the Father’s hand and nurtured by his love will grow in that redeemed and rescued Eden of God.
1 Corinthians 15:25
For he must reign, till he hath put all his enemies under his feet.—Jesus Christ must rule and reign here on earth till he has put down and destroyed all powers and dominions of earth. Everything exercising rule and authority and dominion under the evil one is an enemy of God, and Jesus Christ must reign until all have been destroyed. He reigns in his church; and his church is his kingdom established by God, which “shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand for ever.” (Daniel 2:44). All the kingdoms, and institutions on earth shall be broken in pieces and destroyed, then shall he deliver up to God his redeemed kingdom, out of which everything built up under the dominion of the devil has been destroyed.
Since Christ’s mission—the mission of his kingdom—is to put down and destroy all these kingdoms, and to destroy everything that exercises rule, authority, or power on earth, how can the servants of Christ and the subjects of his kingdom enter into, strengthen, and build up that which Christ and his kingdom are commissioned to destroy?
1 Corinthians 15:26
The last enemy that shall be abolished is death.—Death came as a result of sin and is an enemy of God and man. While resulting from sin, it serves as a boundary line for sin, beyond which no active rebellion can go. So long as man sins he must die; but when all sin and rebellion shall have been destroyed, then death as the last enemy shall be abolished While Jesus conquered death, he still permits it to reign as a punishment and restrainer of sin. But when sin and rebellion shall have ceased, and all the institutions that have grown up out of the rebellion of man shall have been destroyed, then death itself, the last surviving enemy, will be destroyed, and the kingdom will be delivered up to the Father, with no enemy to oppose his rule and reign.
1 Corinthians 15:27
For, He put all things in subjection under his feet.— These words are found in Psalms 8:6, and relate to man in general at the time of his creation (Genesis 1:28-30); but as the destiny of man thus declared is not realized, because of his fall, in any one save in the person of the Son of man, it is here applied to him as representative of man in his highest state. (See also Ephesians 1:22; Hebrews 2:5-9).
But when he saith, All things are put in subjection, it is evident that he is excepted who did subject all things unto him. —God did not place himself under Jesus. He is excepted when he said he put all things under him.
1 Corinthians 15:28
And when all things have been subjected unto him, then shall the Son also himself be subjected to him that did subject all things unto him, that God may be all in all.—Jesus came to bring all things under subjection to himself. He established a kingdom and put in operation forces that will break down all rebellion against God and will bring all things into subjection unto himself as ruler. This he is doing through his kingdom. When the work of bringing them into subjection has been completed, he will be subject to God who put all things under his feet, that God may be the only ruler in the universe. All things in all places will honor and obey him.
1 Corinthians 15:29
Else what shall they do that are baptized for the dead?—As is apparent to every thoughtful person, this is an earnest argument to prove that Christians will rise from the dead. The purpose, scope, and connection will admit of but one meaning—If the dead rise not, what shall they do who are baptized in the hope of the resurrection? Men are “baptized into Christ,” that they may live in him, die in him, and finally be justified and saved in him.
If the dead are not raised at all, why then are they baptized for them?—In view of their dying they are baptized in order to their well-being after death. If they are not to be raised from the dead, why are they baptized to fit them for the resurrection? [There is no doubt that the allusion is to some act performed in expectation of future benefit to themselves, which would be lost if the dead did not rise. And the view given here suits the argument and agrees with the context. Foreseeing that faith would cost them the loss of all things, perhaps of life itself, not a few persons, in being baptized, did so, virtually saying with the apostle, “We who live are always delivered unto death for Jesus’ sake.” (2 Corinthians 4:11). The meaning then is: What is to become of those who on being baptized do so knowing that it may prove their death warrant, if the dead rise not?]
1 Corinthians 15:30
why do we also stand in jeopardy every hour?—It was in view of this condition after death that made Paul stand in jeopardy of life every hour. [He had no other object in encountering so many dangers than to make known the gospel which looked forward to the glorious future state; but if there is no resurrection, and therefore no life beyond death, his exposure of himself to so great danger in proclaiming it was infinite folly. For he thus risked at the same moment both the present life and the life to come. The best comment on this passage is found in 2 Corinthians 11:23-28.
1 Corinthians 15:31
I protest by that glorying in you, brethren, which I have in Christ Jesus our Lord,—He gloried in them as his children in Christ, and, in spite of their many defects, they were very precious to him. The very joy and gratitude worked by his thought of them recalls the peril he had endured for their salvation.
I die daily.—To die daily incurred the danger of death. [This is a vivid picture of his constant danger. Not that each day he actually dies, but that the process of death is ever going on; as though the executioner was already at work putting him to death.]
1 Corinthians 15:32
If after the manner of men I fought with beasts at Ephesus,—[These words describe the deadly enemies encountered by Paul during his long sojourn in Ephesus. They are a terrible picture of the perils which culminated not only in Ephesus but in every place where he proclaimed the gospel. He was surrounded by men thirsty for his blood, men against whose fury he was as powerless to defend himself as were the captives thrown to the wild beasts in the amphitheatre. (Acts 13:50; Acts 14:19; Acts 16:22; Acts 17:5; Acts 18:23; 2 Timothy 4:17).] what doth it profit me?—If this voluntary exposure to deadly peril be from worldly motives common to men, what is the worldly gain to be derived from it? No such gain can be conceived. Consequently, his self-exposure was because he believed in a life beyond death.
If the dead are not raised, let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die.—[The conclusion given here is a quotation from Isaiah 22:13, where it is given as the sensualistic cry of the people of Jerusalem under the judgment of Jehovah, which moved them to recklessness instead of repentance. These words are not quoted as having any original reference to the subject of the resurrection, but as language appropriately expressing the idea that, if there is no future state, it is vain and foolish to subject ourselves to trials and privations here. We should the rather make the most of this life; enjoy all the comforts we can; and make pleasure our chief good rather than look for happiness in the future state. This is the language of the great mass of mankind today. They look to no future state; they, therefore, give themselves up to unrestained enjoyment in this life.]
1 Corinthians 15:33
Be not deceived:—[Do not be led astray by such specious maxims. They can only arise from that too great familiarity with the heathen against whom he had already put them on guard.]
Evil companionships corrupt good morals.—It is contact, association with evil, that is declared to be corrupting. This is a fact of common experience. [It is only when Christians associate with the wicked with the express desire and purpose to do them good that they can rely on the protection of God to preserve them from contamination.]
1 Corinthians 15:34
Awake to soberness righteously,—These words imply that the denial of the resurrection was already producing immoral results; and the appeal is to arouse them, as from a state of drunkenness, to prompt action to shake off the delusion under which they were lying as to their security. [The denial of such a doctrine as the resurrection was in Christians not only a matter of opinion but of unrighteousness. Righteousness embraces not only our duty to men but to God; and since he has revealed to us certain unspeakably great benefits which he intends to confer upon us, it is our duty to meet his loving offers with grateful acknowledgment. If we do not we are ungrateful and unrighteous.]
and sin not;—[The awakening to righteousness must be followed up by a continuous effort to live a righteous life.]
for some have no knowledge of God: I speak this to move you to shame.—[Their culpable ignorance of Paul was at the root of their disbelief of the resurrection; and Paul assigns this as the strongest reason for awakening out of spiritual lethargy which led them to associate with those who denied that God would raise the dead. And the object of all that he was saying was to excite them to shame for having some in their fellowship who denied the resurrection.]
1 Corinthians 15:35
But some one will say, How are the dead raised?—Some troubled themselves to know how the dead are raised. [The objection was urged that, though the historical testimony and natural fitness are in favor of believing that Christ rose from the dead as an earnest that we shall be raised, is our bodily resurrection possible, can we conceive such a thing? We cannot be expected to believe what is impossible and inconceivable.]
and with what manner of body do they come?—Are they raised up in the same bodies as those in which they lived here, or, if not, what are the properties of the bodies in which they are raised?
1 Corinthians 15:36
Thou foolish one,—The one who involves himself in such needless difficulties he calls a foolish one.
that which thou thyself sowest is not quickened except it die:—He illustrates the resurrection by the analogy of the grain. As long as the grain remains in the bin, it is a dead thing—there is a germ of life in it, but that is to all appearance as if it did not exist. It can only start into life by being buried in the earth, and the whole body of the seed thus buried decays and becomes food for the life germ which cannot be seen till it has attained some size by having received nourishment from the decayed seed, and by this principle of life gathers the matter in a body as suits its wants; so that here is the great mystery of nature, patent on all sides of us, and the beginning of a new life from a dead seed.
[This, of course, is only an analogy, and an analogy is not a proof; for the proof of the resurrection is historical. It is the resurrection of Jesus Christ, who during his life displayed supernatural power and wisdom, and whose resurrection was proclaimed by men who lost every worldly advantage and exposed themselves to death daily, because they asserted its truth. This, in the apostle’s view, was the proof of the resurrection, but when men asked, How are the dead raised up? as if it were an impossible thing, then he used the analogy of the seed and the plant. How the plant is actually developed from the seed is as great a mystery as the resurrection—not, of course, as great a thing—but as great a mystery, as inexplicable, as unsearchable. And the unbeliever who says that it is produced by a law of nature only introduces a still greater mystery—the mystery of laws not imposed by any intelligent being, but acting no one knows how—blindly, unintelligently, though they require the brightest intellects of the human family to describe or measure their action.]
1 Corinthians 15:37
and that which thou sowest, thou sowest not the body that shall be, but a bare grain, it may chance of wheat, or of some other kind;—The naked grain is sown, not the body that shall be.
1 Corinthians 15:38
but God giveth it a body even as it pleased him, and to each seed a body of its own.—Neither the seed itself, nor the sower, provides the new body; but it is God who gives it a body as it pleases him. He does not deal with each case separately, just as he pleases at the moment, but according to fixed laws, just as it pleased him when the world was created and regulated. (Genesis 1:11-12). [The development of any plant from a seed is a deep mystery, and still more mysterious is that uniform action of God, by which each seed develops not into any plant, but into the plant which God has appointed from the first; so that, as far as we can see, not only is there an infinite variety of seeds, but an infinite variety of principles of life. There is a particular character of life in the grain of wheat, and a different one in the grain of barley, and they never interchange. This is introduced because he meant not merely life out of the dead seed, but a particular form of life from each seed. Therefore to every human being God will give a proper resurrection body. There shall be a fitness or appropriateness of the new body of the character of him who is raised.]
1 Corinthians 15:39
All flesh is not the same flesh: but there is one flesh of men, and another flesh of beasts, and another flesh of birds, and another of fishes.—All flesh is no more the same flesh than all grains are the same grain. Man, beasts, birds, and fish are all different kinds of flesh. [The beast has a body which fits it for life on the earth, the bird for life in the air, and the fish for life in the water. If God from animal tissue can produce such a variety of forms of life, he certainly can, with his wisdom and inexhaustible resources, raise a body for the saints, perfectly adapted to the faculties of their minds, and to the new world in which they are to live.]
1 Corinthians 15:40
There are also celestial bodies, and bodies terrestrial:— [The principle is now further extended to the heavenly bodies, and another argument is thus drawn from the close analogy which subsists between the kingdom of nature and kingdom of grace.]
but the glory of the celestial is one, and the glory of the terrestrial is another.—Earthly and heavenly bodies have different glories. [The words “one” and “another” here denote difference, as well as distinction. This statement carries the thought farther in the analogy and completes it, showing that there is a difference, not only in character, but in glory between bodies on earth and bodies in heaven.]
1 Corinthians 15:41
There is one glory of the sun, and another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars; for one star differeth from another star in glory.—There is no reference here to the different degrees of glory among the saints in heaven. It is the amazing variety observable in the heavens above us, suggesting the reasonableness of expecting that the resurrection body will differ greatly from the mortal body, consistent with essential identity.
1 Corinthians 15:42
So also is the resurrection of the dead.—He applies the truths illustrated in verses 36-38, where the seed is sown to die, and is laid in the earth, in order that it may spring up a plant wholly different in form and beauty from the seed sown, to the resurrection.
It is sown in corruption;—It is now a corruptible body, constantly tending to decay, subject to disease and death, and destined to entire dissolution. “Dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return.” (Genesis 3:19).
it is raised in incorruption:—The resurrection body will not be subjected to earthly conditions; it will be imperishable, free from all impurity, and incapable of decay.
1 Corinthians 15:43
it is sown in dishonor;—The body here is dishonored with sin, with weakness, with suffering; it goes down to the grave because of its weak, perishing, and sinful state. [A dead body becomes so repulsive that one would say, with Abraham, of the dearest object of this life, “that I should bury my dead out of my sight.” (Genesis 23:8).]
it is raised in glory:—The Lord said that those who attain to this glory “are equal unto the angels; and are sons of God, being sons of the resurrection.” (Luke 20:36). Paul said: “For our citizenship is in heaven; whence also we wait for a Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ: who shall fashion anew the body of our humiliation, that it may be conformed to the body of his glory.” (Philippians 3:20-21). And Daniel said: “They that are wise shall shine as the brightness of the firmament; and they that turn many to righteousness as the stars for ever and ever.” (Daniel 12:3).
it is sown in weakness; it is raised in power:—Weakness is the characteristic of the lifeless body, which is relaxed and powerless. [The resurrection body is ever fresh and fair and strong. Not only can it never be subject to the same weakness again, but it will be endowed with new facilities superior to the former body.]
1 Corinthians 15:44
it is sown a natural body;—A natural body is a body of which animal life is the animating principle. It consists of flesh and blood; is susceptible of pain and decay; and needs air, food, and rest. It is adapted to the conditions of an earthly existence.
it is raised a spiritual body.—[What a spiritual body is, we know from Paul’s description, and from the manifestation of Christ in his glorified body. It is incorruptible, glorious, and powerful, adapted to the high state of existence in heaven, and therefore not adapted to an earthly condition.]
If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual body.— [If it is right to speak of a body adapted to the principle of animal life, it is right to speak of a body adapted to the spirit. Just as certainly as we have a body adapted to our lower nature, we shall have one adapted to our higher nature.]
1 Corinthians 15:45
So also it is written,—[It is only the first part of the verse (Genesis 2:7) that is quoted. The words “First” and “Adam” are added by Paul as an inspired comment to give prominence to the fact that Adam was the beginning of the human race.]
The first man Adam became a living soul.—[The Scriptures teach that Adam was created with an animal nature, and that therefore he had an animal body. The proof with regard to the nature of Adam does not rest exclusively on the words quoted, but on the whole account of his creation, of which these words form a part. It is evident from the entire history that Adam was formed for an existence on this earth, and therefore with a body adapted to the present state of being; in its essential attributes not differing from those which we have inherited from him. But God personally inbreathing the principle of life into a lifeless, but organized body, the man, who before was only a lifeless body, became a living soul. The soul was the result of the entrance of the life principle into a mortal body.]
The last Adam became a life-giving spirit.—The second Adam gives spiritual and immortal life to those who are his. [Christ is called the last Adam in reference to the first Adam, whose antitype he is as the head of the new humanity, justified and redeemed through him. Hence it is said: “Wherefore if any man is in Christ, he is a new creature: the old things are passed away; behold, they are become new.” (2 Corinthians 5:17). But at the same time in reference also to the fact that after him no other is to follow as the head of the new race.]
1 Corinthians 15:46
Howbeit that is not first which is spiritual, but that which is natural; then that which is spiritual.—Adam, as an inhabitant of earth, came before Jesus; so the earthly body comes to all before the spiritual body. [This does not mean perfection in general, but one kind only of perfection, that which has been revealed in Christ as the second head of humanity.]
1 Corinthians 15:47
The first man is of the earth, earthy:—Our first body, or the man in his first body, is of the earth; like Adam, earthly.
the second man is of heaven.—The second, or resurrection body, will be spiritual like the body of Christ after his resurrection.
1 Corinthians 15:48
As is the earthy, such are they also that are earthy:—All bodies in the mortal state are like Adam subject to corruption and decay.
and as is the heavenly, such are they also that are heavenly.—-All the spiritual bodies of Christians are like the second Adam, Jesus Christ, in his ascended state. (1 Thessalonians 4:16; 2 Thessalonians 1:7; Philippians 3:20-21).
1 Corinthians 15:49
And as we have borne the image of the earthy, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly.—All men born into the world bear the image, the nature of Adam’s body, so all counted worthy of the resurrection of the just shall bear the image of the heavenly, of Jesus Christ in his heavenly state. The apostle says: “Beloved, now are we children of God, and it is not yet made manifest what we shall be. We know that, if he shall be manifested, we shall be like him; for we shall see him even as he is.” (1 John 3:2).
1 Corinthians 15:50
Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God;—Our fleshly, mortal bodies cannot inherit the immortal kingdom; neither doth the fleshly body, subject to decay and corruption, inherit the incorruptible state in heaven.
neither doth corruption inherit incorruption.—The natural body must undergo a change and become incorruptible before it can enter the immortal state.
1 Corinthians 15:51
Behold, I tell you a mystery:—The mystery is how this change is to take place, for it had not hitherto been made known. The disclosure to which reference was made, and the corresponding one in 1 Thessalonians 4:15, was made through Paul.
We all shall not sleep,—[This refers to the death of the body, but only of such as are Christ’s; yet never of Christ himself, though he is said to be “the firstfruits of them that are asleep.” (1 Corinthians 15:20). It is used of saints who departed before Christ came (Matthew 27:52; Acts 13:26); of Lazarus while Christ was yet upon the earth (John 11:11); and of believers since the ascension (1 Thessalonians 4:14-15; Acts 7:60; 2 Peter 3:4).]
but we shall all be changed,—Those who die before the coming of the Lord will not fail of the blessings of Christ’s eternal kingdom, and those who are alive when he comes again will not be left in their corruptible bodies. Both shall be changed, and thus prepared for the heavenly state.
1 Corinthians 15:52
in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump:—This change will be instantaneous and at that solemn final moment when the last trump shall sound and the dead Christians shall be raised incorruptible and those who are alive shall be changed.
for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.—[These words were likely added to give the order in which the three great acts of the last day will follow one another. The first will be the sudden signal of the Lord’s presence. Then the dead in Christ will rise in immortal bodies. Last of all, the living will be changed. He declares: “For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we that are alive, that are left unto the coming of the Lord, shall in no wise precede them that are fallen asleep. For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven, with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first; then we that are alive, that are left, shall together with them be caught up in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.” (1 Thessalonians 4:15-17).]
1 Corinthians 15:53
For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.—The fleshly, mortal, must be immortalized. [This confirms the preceding statement in regard to the raising of the dead, and the change of the living by showing the necessity of putting off the mortality common to them both. If the present bodies are to become incorruptible and immortal they must indeed be changed, so that that decay which is inherent in all nature must be done away, and they will then become as incapable of dying as they are now incapable of living beyond their allotted time.]
1 Corinthians 15:54
But when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, —When this is done death loses its power. [The striking parallelism of the two propositions marks the ascending movement of the thought as well as the growing exultation of feeling. Perhaps this applies to the resurrection of the bodies which have already passed through the dissolution of death.]
and this mortal shall have put on immortality,—The immortal will be no longer subject to death. Death will be swallowed up and destroyed. [This refers most likely to the transformation of bodies constantly threatened with death during their earthly life.]
then shall come to pass the saying that is written,—This is added to denote the certainty of the fulfillment. God cannot lie.
Death is swallowed up in victory.—[The state of perfect inward vigor which excludes all possibility of outward decay. Such a life is victory gained forever over death its enemy. The deathless change is called a swallowing up, an absorption, of the mortal by the principle of life in Christ.]
1 Corinthians 15:55
O death, where is thy victory? O death, where is thy sting?—These are the different forms of expressing the fact that death has been completely conquered.
1 Corinthians 15:56
The sting of death is sin;—Sin inflicts on the sinner a wound that is mortal, “For the wages of sin is death.” (Romans 6:23).
and the power of sin is the law:—Sin exerts its power to bring about death through the law when it is violated. [The best comment on this expression is found in Romans 5:12-15; Romans 7:7-12. Paul was confronted with the horror of a broken law, which reminds him of a being infinitely holy, and of his own self-condemnation.]
1 Corinthians 15:57
but thanks be to God, who giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.—For this blessed consummation of victory over sin and death, he breaks out into thanksgiving to God who has so wonderfully provided the great salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ.
1 Corinthians 15:58
Wherefore, my beloved brethren, be ye steadfast, immovable,—In view of these riches and glories, he admonishes his brethren to be firm, steadfast, unmovable in the faith of the gospel.
always abounding in the work of the Lord,—The work of the Lord is the work in which God has ordained that his children shall walk. Their labor, doing his work in Christ’s name, as his servants, ransomed and redeemed by the precious blood of Christ, is not in vain. God watches over, guards, and preserves that work as the work of his own Son whose redeemed servants we are. “It is God who worketh in you both to will and to work, for his good pleasure.” (Philippians 2:13). God’s servants do the work of God. All work not in the Lord is vain and fruitless and must perish. If not in the Lord, it will go down to ruin.
forasmuch as ye know that your labor is not vain in the Lord.—This applies to the whole sentence and its several clauses. They knew by this time, from the apostle’s argument, that the living and the dead will appear before Christ, and that faithfulness will be rewarded with participation in Christ’s glory; for every man’s work will be tested. (1 Corinthians 3:13; 1 Corinthians 4:5). Paul began the discussion by declaring that, if there is no resurrection of the dead, his preaching and their faith are equally vain. He closes this argument with an appeal to their conviction that, because there will be a resurrection, their humble toil (1 Corinthians 3:8), from day to day in the work of the Lord, will be no more in vain than their faith in Christ, no more in vain than the ministry of the apostles, no more vain than Christ’s death and resurrection.
[Thus, with beautiful calmness and ease, does the apostle come down, in this closing verse, from the height to which he had risen in the verses immediately preceding, to the everyday work and warfare of life. Nor is this wonderful; for the spring of all Christian activity, energy, and progress lies in such soul-stirring themes as are handled in this chapter, whose practical outcome is expressed in this closing verse.]