1 Corinthians 15

Written on 05/10/2024

Verses 1-2

  • Being saved requires knowing the true gospel, believing it, and staying believing in it.

    • And it is useless to believe in Jesus if the gospel we're believing is not the true one.

 

Verses 3-8

  • And the true gospel is that Jesus died, was buried, rose again, and proved His physical resurrection by showing Himself to His disciples (Acts 1:3). 

    • And all these things are affirmed in the Old Testament prophecies (See Isaiah 53, Psalm 16, Psalm 22).

 

Verses 9-11

  • Paul seemed to be a lost cause. Therefore, in choosing Paul, God made it obvious that He saves us by His grace and not by our works. 

    • If Paul was saved, we can too! (See 1 Timothy 1:12-16).

  • Yet Paul did not receive grace in vain. He worked hard to obey God, and God gave him the grace to do so.

    • Remember that grace is given to empower you to work hard to obey God, not to give you an excuse to sin. If grace makes you sin more you are receiving grace in vain.

 

Verses 12-19

  • To doubt or question a future, physical resurrection of the dead is to doubt Jesus' resurrection, upon which our entire faith stands. And if Christ didn't rise again, the gospel is a useless lie.

    • Remember that you must believe in Jesus' resurrection and the future resurrection of the dead, in order to be a Christian.

  • Read about, research, and build your confidence in the resurrection, and this will solidify your faith. But if it can be proven that Jesus did not rise, faith is worthless.

 

Verses 20-28

  • Jesus rose, in part, to assure us that we also would rise from death and receive a new body (John 5:28-29, Acts 24:15, 26:22-23). This is a physical resurrection.

    • This physical resurrection is also called “the redemption of our bodies” (Romans 8:22-23).The resurrection and the redemption of the body are the same.

  • The Resurrection for Believers Already Dead:

    • After death, every believer enters the kingdom of heaven, to be with the Lord, and receives their new body (Job 19:25-27, 1 John 3:2, 2 Corinthians 5:1-5).

      • A new body awaits you in heaven!

 

Verses 29-32

  • Jesus' resurrection gives us reason to accept persecution. Why live the hard life for Jesus if He is dead? But since He lives, do not fear death or persecution!

 

Verses 33-34

  • If a day of resurrection is coming, your actions matter, as there will be judgment for your works (2 Corinthians 5:10). But if this present life and world is all there is, you can sin all you want!

    • Since the resurrection of Jesus happened, live like it! Awaking/rising, today, to a life of righteousness—obedience to God—shows that you believe (Romans 6:8-14).

  • And to protect your faith, do not hang out with people who teach against the resurrection, and do not live recklessly. Your actions matter!

 

Verses 35-49

  • When the resurrection of our bodies happens, we will get a perfected version of the body we have now. It will be like the body that Jesus now has (Philippians 3:20-21, 1 John 3:2).

    • The body we have now is like a seed sown into the ground as we die. That body disappears, and God will give you a glorified, immortal, and perfected body that you will put on when you are with Christ.

 

Verses 50-55

  • Christ will return from heaven, bringing with Him all the believers who died and were in heaven with Him (Hebrews 12:23, 1 Thessalonians 3:13). We will see them in their new bodies. And then the bodies of those of us who are yet alive will be transformed into the new body we will have. (See 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18).

    • At this point every believer still living on earth will receive their new body (1 Corinthians 15:51-55, 1 Thessalonians 4:13-17).

  • This Day will mean the final and total defeat of death forever! Amen!

 

Verses 56-57

  • Verse 56a. The cause of death is sin, and our sin makes death hurt (as sin is punished in death) (Romans 6:23).

  • Verse 56b. Knowing God's law exposed our sin and even intensified our desire to sin (Romans 7:5-13). The law also required us to be punished with God's wrath when we die (Romans 4:15).

  • But now that we are saved from death because of Jesus, we know that we are also saved from sin and the law. 

    • Remember that, since you are saved from death, you also have victory over sin (which is the cause of death). You do not have to be under the control of sin anymore!

 

Verse 58

  • Stay focused on Jesus and work hard to obey God. Never give up because Jesus' resurrection gives meaning and significance to everything we do!