If The Resurrection Is Not True

Even though Jesus had told the disciples that He would be raised again on the third day, somehow they hadn’t grasped it. They had no expectation of a resurrection. They thought that this whole adventure that had promised so much had come to an ugly, terrible end on a cross. That was it; all over.

Until some women returned from the tomb and said, “He’s not there! He has risen! We saw angels.” Some of them had talked to Jesus. Peter and John ran to the tomb; empty grave clothes, no body. Two of them, walking in the countryside were joined by a mysterious stranger. Only much later did they realise that they had journeyed and eaten with Jesus. All of the disciples, minus Thomas, were together and Jesus came into the room and ate with them. A week later Thomas also met Jesus and was convinced.

It was still a struggle for them to take this all in and understand it, but the empty tomb and the encounters changed everything – absolutely everything. That one event changed the rest of their lives. If Jesus had not been raised, I guess they would have just gone back fishing – probably very cynical men. Such high hopes; such crushing disappointment. Why should they believe anyone else now claiming to be the Messiah? Why should they believe God now? God was proven a liar.

But the resurrection changed that. Instead of going back fishing, they travelled vast distances to diverse parts of the known world, spreading the good news of this Jesus, the Messiah, the Saviour. Because of the resurrection, most of them died as martyrs – willing to die for the sake of a message that they could not keep to themselves and willing to die because Jesus’ resurrection utterly convinced them that eternal life was a reality. They might die but they expected to rise again to eternal life, just as Jesus had.

Paul was not one of the disciples. Quite the opposite; he persecuted the Christian church. He was one of the ones who put Christians to death – these Christians who died with hope – died believing they were going to something better. But Paul met the risen Jesus, and it changed his life. He too became a missionary, travelling vast distances and suffering because he preached the good news of Jesus.

Having met the risen Jesus, Paul obviously had no doubts about the resurrection. We are going to look at part of what he wrote in 1 Corinthians 15. It is divided into sections that answer some key questions:

1.     What is the central, most important message of Christianity?

2.     What if the resurrection is not true?

3.     What if the resurrection is true?

4.     So what?

1.     What is the central, most important message of Christianity?

READ 1 Corinthians 15:1-11

If you were asked, “At it’s very core, what is Christianity about?’ what would you say? What is the good news? What is the gospel?

In this passage Paul makes it clear. “I want to remind you of the gospel. This is what we preach. By this gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you… This is what I passed on to you as of first importance.”

Paul’s description is slightly longer but it boils down to: Jesus Christ died / for our sins / and rose again.

The good news is all about Jesus who is the Christ, the Messiah. There is salvation in no others name. There is no other message. The gospel centres on the fact that Jesus died. It centres on the Cross.

Why did Jesus die? “For our sins.” Sin is the problem; sin separates us from God. Jesus died for our sins. He died in our place. He took our sins on Himself and paid for them.

 “And rose again”. It is not just about the Cross; the resurrection is a key part of this good news message. In fact, the message would hardly be good news without the resurrection.

2.     What if the resurrection is not true?

READ 1 Corinthians 15:12-19

Apparently, some people were saying that there is no resurrection of the dead. No, people do not rise from the dead. Death is final. Maybe some members of the church in Corinth were even saying this. Paul asks, “How can some of you say that there is no resurrection from the dead?”

Lots of people today would say that Christianity is a fairy tale. Saying that Jesus rose from the dead is like saying that there’s a pot of gold at the end of a rainbow. Cute but primitive and not to be taken seriously. Of course, there are some in the church who will say the same thing. Unfortunately, 60 years ago, the Presbyterian Church was in all the media because one of its leaders had said that the resurrection had not happened. Jesus’ bones were somewhere in Palestine. Only relatively recently, someone objected to the resurrection being mentioned in a church leaders’ meeting because not everyone believes in the resurrection.

Well, what does Paul say (and Paul actually knew)?

If there is no resurrection – if there is no life after death – then Jesus wasn’t raised either. If there is no such thing as resurrection, then clearly Jesus could not have been raised. If Jesus was not raised… look at what Paul says:

·       Our preaching us useless

·       Your faith is useless

·       We are lying about God – because we are saying that He raised Jesus

·       Your faith is futile (again)

·       You are unforgiven

·       Those who have died are lost.

If the resurrection is not true, then there is nothing left. Christianity has got nothing to say if Jesus’ body was still in that tomb.

Look at v.19. If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are to be pitied more than all others.

Is this life the end? Is this all we can hope for? If that is true, then you have to feel sorry for these foolish Christians who hold onto this silly hope of another life. At least everyone else in the world is realistic about there being nothing after death. Christians have this huge dream. How disappointed they are going to be. You’ve got to feel sorry for them.

But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead. Yes, all that would be true if the resurrection wasn’t true, but it was, and that changes everything. Again, remember, Paul knew! He had met the risen Jesus.

3.     What if the resurrection is true?

READ 1 Corinthians 15:20-28

But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. The firstfruits means the first grapes to appear on the vine, the first stalks of wheat. The firstfruits are the sign that the harvest is coming and there is to be plenty more. Paul says that Jesus’ resurrection is the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep; that is those who have died. Jesus being raised is the sign that others will also be raised. His resurrection is the sign that there is life after death; there is another life after this one.

Death came into the world as a result of Adam’s sin – one man sinned but it impacted everybody (because we have also all sinned)! Eternal life also becomes a reality because of one man – Jesus – and becomes a possibility for everybody. He took our sins. He defeated death.

Then Paul describes what is going to happen at the end of the world. First, Jesus was raised. Then all who belong to Him will be raised. Then He will destroy all dominion, authority and power. Imagine how different it is going to be when all evil has been destroyed. Evil has been a huge reality for millennia. You could be forgiven for thinking evil is in control of the world and God is not, but, one day, God is going to exert His authority. One day, Jesus is going to say, “No more! You thought you were winning. Let me show you who is King. There is going to be a new Kingdom, and in my Kingdom there will be no evil. Your time is over.” All dominion, authority and powers will be destroyed. Then Jesus will hand the Kingdom over to His Father.

All God’s enemies will be destroyed – including death. There will be no more death, only eternal life. Everything will become subject to King Jesus – everything except God. Even Jesus will subject Himself to His Father. God’s Kingdom will have come. Every other kingdom will have come to an end. God will reign for ever and ever, amen.

If the resurrection is true there is eternal life for all those who belong to Jesus – eternal life in God’s Kingdom where there will be no suffering or death – an eternal life of bliss. The resurrection is true. It is not a fairytale; it is an historical fact. That day, 2000 years ago, Jesus lay dead in a tomb, but life re-entered His dead body; He walked out of that tomb. As Paul said earlier in this passage, hundreds of people saw Him and talked with Him and touched Him and ate with Him.

Did they really? Well, that’s what Paul says next. Why would I endure danger and suffering for something I knew was a lie? This is the “So what?” question.

READ 1 Corinthians 15:29-32

This is the only place in the Bible that talks about people being baptised for the dead. It is a bit of a puzzle. We don’t do that but presumably some people did at the time. The point is: Why? Why would people do that if they were not convinced that there was life after death?

Paul asks, “Why would I go through all this suffering? What is the point if there is no resurrection? Earlier he contrasted the Christian hope of eternity with God with what he called “hope for this life only”. Here again he talks of “human hopes”. If the resurrection wasn’t true; if I had only human hopes (not this God-given hope), why wouldn’t I just eat and drink for tomorrow we die? Just make the most of this life.

If there was no resurrection, it would make sense to simply make the most of this life, then die. If there was no life after death. But Jesus was raised, and He did defeat death. There is life after death. If there was no life after death it would make sense to simply have fun then die but that is why Paul finished this section by saying, “Do not make that mistake. Do not listen to those who deny the resurrection.”

READ 1 Corinthians 15:33-34

Although the resurrection is a massive celebration, there is also a warning here. Do not make the mistake of thinking there is nothing after death so you can live how you like. Do not listen to people who are ignorant of God. It is easy to be led astray by what people say, but come back to the reality. Jesus Christ rose from the dead and so will we. If the resurrection is true, you would be a fool not to believe and to live for God. What is going to happen to those who live godless lives thinking that death is the end? They are in for a rude shock because death is not the end. Come back to your sense and stop sinning. Live for Jesus!

The rest of the chapter is about what our resurrection bodies will be like. We do not have time to go there. Paul’s point at this stage is simply this: Jesus Christ was raised from the dead – a warning for those who say there is nothing after death but for those who “belong to Him” an amazingly wonderful promise of eternity with God.

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