1 Corinthians 15:12-19: a reflection

12Now if Christ is preached, that he has been raised from the dead, how do some among you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? 13But if there is no resurrection of the dead, neither has Christ been raised. 14If Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith also is in vain. 15Yes, we are also found false witnesses of God, because we testified about God that he raised up Christ, whom he didn’t raise up if it is true that the dead are not raised. 16For if the dead aren’t raised, neither has Christ been raised. 17If Christ has not been raised, your faith is vain; you are still in your sins. 18Then they also who are fallen asleep in Christ have perished. 19If we have only hoped in Christ in this life, we are of all men most pitiable.

Paul presses home how much rests on the resurrection of Christ: everything. If Christ has not been raised, he says, then our preaching is in vain, and your faith is in vain, and you are still in your sins. If Christ has not been raised, your faith is vain, Paul writes; you are still in your sins; and those who have died in Christ have perished. Everything hangs on whether Christ rose from the dead. If he did not rise, then the whole of the Christian faith collapses; but if he did rise, as the whole gospel proclaims, then everything holds: our faith is not in vain, our sins are forgiven, and those who have died in Christ have not perished. This shows that the resurrection of Christ is the foundation on which everything rests. Everything rests on the resurrection of Christ. If Christ is not raised, faith is vain; but he is raised. The resurrection is the foundation of our faith and hope. On Christ's resurrection everything holds.

Notice how completely Paul makes everything depend on the resurrection. He does not treat Christ's resurrection as one truth among many, an optional extra; he makes it the foundation on which everything else rests. If Christ has not been raised, then the preaching of the gospel is empty, faith is empty, we are still in our sins, and those who have died trusting Christ have simply perished. Without the resurrection, there is no Christian hope at all. But the whole gospel proclaims that Christ has indeed been raised; and on that foundation everything holds. Because Christ is risen, our faith is not in vain; our sins are truly forgiven, for his resurrection is God's vindication of the atoning death; and those who die in Christ have not perished but will be raised with him. This teaches us where the whole weight of our faith and hope rests: on the risen Christ. Our hope is not in a dead teacher's memory or a set of ideas, but in a living, risen Lord who conquered death. Because he is risen, everything holds. The resurrection is the ground of our forgiveness and our hope. Our faith rests on a risen, living Christ, not a dead memory. Because Christ is risen, our hope is sure. On the resurrection our whole faith and hope stand.

That is worth resting in, for the resurrection of Christ is the foundation on which everything rests, and because he is risen, our faith is not in vain, our sins are forgiven, and our hope is sure. We can treat Christ's resurrection as a minor point, or doubt whether it matters; but Paul shows that everything hangs on it: if Christ is not raised, our faith is vain and we are still in our sins, but if he is raised, as the gospel proclaims, everything holds. Because Christ is risen, our hope is sure. When your faith feels uncertain, remember that it rests on the risen Christ, who conquered death. Rest in the truth that the resurrection of Christ is the foundation on which everything rests, so that because he is risen our faith is not in vain, our sins are forgiven, and our hope is sure, as Paul pressed home that if Christ has not been raised then our preaching is in vain, our faith is in vain, we are still in our sins, and those who have died in Christ have perished; for Paul does not treat the resurrection as one truth among many but as the foundation on which everything else rests, so that without it there is no Christian hope at all, but the whole gospel proclaims that Christ has indeed been raised, and on that foundation everything holds, since because Christ is risen our faith is not empty, our sins are truly forgiven, for his resurrection is God's vindication of his atoning death, and those who die in Christ have not perished but will be raised with him, so that the whole weight of our faith and hope rests not on a dead teacher's memory but on a living, risen Lord who conquered death, and because he is risen our hope is sure.

Lord, Paul presses home how much rests on the resurrection of Christ: everything. If Christ has not been raised, he says, then our preaching is in vain, and your faith is in vain, and you are still in your sins. If Christ has not been raised, your faith is vain, Paul writes; you are still in your sins; and those who have died in Christ have perished. Everything hangs on whether Christ rose from the dead. If he did not rise, then the whole of the Christian faith collapses; but if he did rise, as the whole gospel proclaims, then everything holds: our faith is not in vain, our sins are forgiven, and those who have died in Christ have not perished. This shows that the resurrection of Christ is the foundation on which everything rests. Show me how completely Paul makes everything depend on the resurrection. He does not treat Christ's resurrection as one truth among many; he makes it the foundation on which everything else rests. Without the resurrection, there is no Christian hope at all. But the whole gospel proclaims that Christ has indeed been raised; and on that foundation everything holds. Because Christ is risen, my faith is not in vain; my sins are truly forgiven, for his resurrection is your vindication of his atoning death; and those who die in Christ have not perished but will be raised with him. This teaches me where the whole weight of my faith and hope rests: on the risen Christ. My hope is not in a dead teacher's memory or a set of ideas, but in a living, risen Lord who conquered death. Take that to my heart, for the resurrection of Christ is the foundation on which everything rests, and because he is risen my faith is not in vain, my sins are forgiven, and my hope is sure. When my faith feels uncertain, help me remember that it rests on the risen Christ, Lord, who conquered death, so that because he is risen my hope is sure.