1 Corinthians 15:13 - Printer Friendly

ESV: But if there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised.

NIV: If there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised.

NASB: But if there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised;

CSB: If there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised;

NLT: For if there is no resurrection of the dead, then Christ has not been raised either.

KJV: But if there be no resurrection of the dead, then is Christ not risen:

NKJV: But if there is no resurrection of the dead, then Christ is not risen.

Some of the Christians in Corinth were saying there is no resurrection from the dead for Christians. They believed either that existence merely ends at death, even for believers, or that the spirit goes on into a non-physical eternity. In other words, they saw all the benefits of life in Christ as taking place either in this life alone or in a purely spiritual sense after this life is over.

Paul will emphatically reject these ideas and insist that every believer will be physically resurrected in bodily form, beginning with his argument in this verse. If nobody is resurrected from the dead, at all, then Christ was not raised from the dead either. It's possible that this group of Christians saw Christ's resurrection as a special circumstance, not the common reality of those who believe. Paul insists that both Christ's resurrection and common Christian resurrection must either be true or both must be false.

First Corinthians 15:12–34 describes all the implications for Christians if there is no resurrection, at all. Most importantly, that would mean that Christ was not raised from the dead. If Christ was not raised, then Paul's preaching of the gospel was false, and the faith of those who believed it was worthless. All remain in their sins. Christ, though, was raised from the dead, and when He returns for those who are His, all who have died in Christ will be resurrected to new life, as He was after the crucifixion. Finally, Christ will reign on earth before delivering the kingdom to the Father.

Paul provides thorough teaching about the resurrection of Christians from the dead. This is a direct counter to some group of Corinthians who did not believe in such a resurrection. He shows that natural death is not the end of life for Christians; it is the last step before receiving a glorified, resurrected body like that of the risen Christ. That ''spiritual'' body will be as different from our current bodies as a star is from a fish. In that moment, for all who have believed in Christ, living and dead, death will be defeated for good.

In chapters 12, 13, and 14, Scripture focused on the concept of spiritual gifts and how best to use them. This follows several other ideas where Paul corrected errors in the Corinthians' thinking. Chapter 15 contains extensive teaching on one last issue about which some Corinthians were confused or misled. Apparently, they harbored some doubts about the physical resurrection of Christians from the dead. After clearing up these confusions, Paul will address various other items, of a less doctrinal nature, and close out his letter.

First Corinthians is one of the more practical books of the New Testament. Paul writes to a church immersed in a city associated with trade, but also with corruption and immorality. These believers are struggling to properly apply spiritual gifts and to resist the ungodly practices of the surrounding culture. Paul's letter gives instructions for real-life concerns such as marriage and spirituality. He also deals with the importance of unity and gives one of the Bible's more well-known descriptions of love in chapter 13.

Accessed 5/4/2024 3:01:09 AM