1 Corinthians 15:15 - Printer Friendly

ESV: We are even found to be misrepresenting God, because we testified about God that he raised Christ, whom he did not raise if it is true that the dead are not raised.

NIV: More than that, we are then found to be false witnesses about God, for we have testified about God that he raised Christ from the dead. But he did not raise him if in fact the dead are not raised.

NASB: Moreover, we are even found to be false witnesses of God, because we testified against God that He raised Christ, whom He did not raise, if in fact the dead are not raised.

CSB: Moreover, we are found to be false witnesses about God, because we have testified wrongly about God that he raised up Christ--whom he did not raise up, if in fact the dead are not raised.

NLT: And we apostles would all be lying about God — for we have said that God raised Christ from the grave. But that can’t be true if there is no resurrection of the dead.

KJV: Yea, and we are found false witnesses of God; because we have testified of God that he raised up Christ: whom he raised not up, if so be that the dead rise not.

NKJV: Yes, and we are found false witnesses of God, because we have testified of God that He raised up Christ, whom He did not raise up—if in fact the dead do not rise.

Paul's chain of logic is leading to devastating conclusions. If there is no physical, bodily resurrection from the dead for Christians, then, logically, Christ himself was not raised from the dead. Since, as Paul already established, faith in Christ's resurrection is an essential part of the gospel message, then his preaching of the gospel was worthless. In the same way, the faith of the Corinthians in the gospel was also worthless.

Now it gets worse. Paul's point here is not merely theoretical; it's practical. If Christ was not raised from the dead, Paul and the other apostles are liars. Not just liars, but they have been lying about God Himself, the worst possible kind of lie. After all, they had preached that God raised Christ from the dead. If Christ was not raised from the dead, then God did not do that, and everyone who has told them so is guilty of a kind of blasphemy.

In this way, Paul's letter proves that the Christian ideal is not "blind faith," or a purely philosophy-based worldview. The gospel is innately tied to real-world events, and the truths of history.

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.