Summary: The resurrection is vital to the Christian faith.
1 Corinthians 15 starts with a reiteration of the core message Paul preached, i.e.,
“the Gospel.” Like 2 Timothy 2:8, where Paul also states his message, the emphasis is on
the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus. In the context of 1 Corinthians 15, Paul seems
to be saying this because some in Corinth are wondering if there may be no such thing
as resurrection.
When Paul preached in Athens in Acts 17, the idea that caused people to scoff at him
was the idea that Jesus was resurrected. The dominant outlook for the Greeks on the
physical body is that it was a negative feature of human life, as compared to the soul
and the possibility of being freed from a body. So resurrection seems like regression
instead of progress.
But Paul strongly reinforces the idea that the resurrection of Jesus is the linchpin of the
Christian message. If Christ has not been raised, there is no freedom from sin and there
is no hope after this life. But through Christ’ s resurrection, the story is one of hope
beyond death. The Christian practice of baptism symbolizes this move from death to
life.
Paul emphasizes that it is a big deal for this core idea to be threatened in the
Corinthian church. They, and all believers like them, should be vigilant in guarding
against the risk of losing this important concept.
Questions for Reflection/Discussion:
-What is the vision of the ideal destiny for a human in your cultural context?
-Is the vision of that ideal destiny in your cultural content primarily about success in this
life or after death?
-Has the concept of the resurrection been as significant in your own thinking as Paul
describes that it ought to be in 1 Corinthians 15?
