CHAPTER 15

(A.D. 59)

THE RESURRECTION

¹Moreover, Brethren, I declare unto you the Gospel which I Preached unto you (it was to Paul that the meaning of the New Covenant was given, which, in effect, was the meaning of the Cross and the Resurrection), which also you have received (unto Salvation), and wherein you stand (live a victorious life);

²By which also you are saved (means that belief in the Resurrection is absolutely indispensable to ones Salvation), if ye keep in memory what I Preached unto you (Heb. 2:1), unless ye have believed in vain. (This refers to believing at first and then drawing back, which will cause one to lose ones soul. This also causes the unscriptural Doctrine of Unconditional Eternal Security to fall to the ground.)

³For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received (the meaning of the New Covenant), how that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures ([Ps. 22:15], speaks of the Cross of Christ);

⁴And that He was buried (because He really died, not merely swoon as some claim), and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures ([Isa. 53:10; Hos. 6:2], the Resurrection of Christ was the demonstration of the perfection and efficacy of His Atonement):

⁵And that He was seen (after His Resurrection) of Cephas (Peter), then of the Twelve (proving that Paul was not meant to be the Twelfth Apostle, as some claim):

⁶After that (after those appearances), He was seen of above five hundred Brethren at once (many think this appearance took place in Galilee); of whom the greater part remain unto this present (are still alive), but some are fallen asleep (have died).

⁷After that, He was seen of James (the Lords Brother, who did not believe on Him during His earthly Ministry [Jn. 7:5]); then of all the Apostles (Lk. 24:50].

⁸And last of all He was seen of me also (this was after the Ascension of Christ), as of one born out of due time. (He did not mean the timing was wrong, but rather that he was not worthy of what the Lord did for him.)

⁹For I am the least of the Apostles (not mock modesty, but rather the most deep humility), that am not meet (worthy) to be called an Apostle, because I persecuted the Church of God (before his conversion).

¹⁰But by the Grace of God I am what I am (concerns the Favor or Mercy of God): and His Grace which was bestowed upon me was not in vain (it was not without effect, telling us that it is without effect with many); but I laboured more abundantly than they all (proclaims that which Grace enabled Paul to do because he had a greater grasp of Grace than anyone else, which speaks of the Cross, the means of Grace): yet not I, but the Grace of God which was with me (is with all Believers who look toward the Cross [I Cor. 1:17]).

¹¹Therefore whether it were I or they (in this case, the other Apostles), so we Preach (what they Preached), and so you believed. (False teachers had been attempting to turn their Faith away from the coming Resurrection. Let the reader understand that the Resurrection and the Rapture are one and the same!)

IMPORTANCE OF THE RESURRECTION

¹²Now if Christ be preached that He rose from the dead, how say some among you that there is no Resurrection of the dead? (Some were actually repudiating the Doctrine of the Resurrection.)

¹³But if there be no Resurrection of the dead, then is Christ not risen (Atonement and Resurrection are the two great foundation stones of the Gospel, and if either of them is denied, then the Gospel ceases to exist; once again, let us state the Truth that if one doesnt believe in the Rapture, then one doesnt believe in the Resurrection because they are one and the same):

¹⁴And if Christ be not risen (if even one sin had been left unatoned, then Christ could not have risen from the dead, for the wages of sin is death [Rom. 6:23]; the fact of His Resurrection proves the Atonement of all sin, past, present, and future, at least for those who will believe [Jn. 3:16]), then is our Preaching vain, and your Faith is also vain (empty nothings).

¹⁵Yea, 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. (The Resurrection of all the Saints hinges completely upon the Resurrection of Christ. The former guarantees the latter, and without the former there is no latter.)

¹⁶For if the dead rise not (if there is no Resurrection of all the Saints), then is not Christ raised (a repetition of Verse 13 to emphasize the argument that the Christian Faith in the Resurrection rests not on philosophical theory, but on historic fact):

¹⁷And if Christ be not raised, your Faith is vain (all who do not believe in the Atonement and the Resurrection have a useless faith); you are yet in your sins. (Sins are forgiven and cleansed only by and through what Christ did at the Cross and in the Resurrection, and our Faith in that Finished Work. Otherwise the sins remain, which presents a situation of calamitous proportions.)

¹⁸Then they also which are fallen asleep in Christ are perished (lost forever).

¹⁹If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable. (That which is coming in the Resurrection is so far ahead of that which presently is, that there is no comparison.)

R ESURRECTION OF BELIEVERS

²⁰But now is Christ risen from the dead (so says the Holy Spirit), and become the Firstfruits of them who slept. (The Resurrection of Christ guarantees the Resurrection of all Saints.)

²¹For since by man came death (refers to Adam and the Fall in the Garden of Eden, and speaks of spiritual death, separation from God), by Man came also the Resurrection of the dead. (This refers to the Lord Jesus Christ Who Atoned for all sin, thereby, making it possible for man to be united once again with God, which guarantees the Resurrection.)

²²For as in Adam all die (spiritual death, separation from God), even so in Christ shall all be made alive. (In the first man, all died. In the Second Man, all shall be made alive, at least all who will believe [Jn. 3:16].)

²³But every man in his own order (Christ first, and then all Believers thereafter): Christ the Firstfruits (He was the First One to be raised from the dead, never to die again); afterward they who are Christs at His coming. (This pertains to the Rapture of the Church, not the Second Coming [I Thess. 4:13-18].)

²⁴Then comes the end (does not refer to the time immediately following the Rapture or even the Second Coming, but rather to when all Satanic rule and authority have been put down, which will take place at the conclusion of the Millennial Reign [Rev., Chpt. 20]), when He (Jesus) shall have delivered up the Kingdom to God, even the Father; when He shall have put down all rule and all authority and power. (He will have put down all of Satans rule, etc.; the means of which were made possible by the Cross and the Resurrection.)

²⁵For He (Jesus) must reign (refers to the 1,000 year reign of Christ on Earth after He returns), till He has put all enemies under His Feet (the subjugation of all evil powers, which will take place at the conclusion of the Millennial Reign [Rev., Chpt. 20]).

²⁶The last enemy that shall be destroyed (abolished)is death (Death is the result of sin [Rom. 6:23], and the Cross addressed all sin. After the Resurrection, when all Saints are given glorified bodies, it will be impossible to sin. Even during the Millennial Reign, sin will still be in the world, but not in the Glorified Saints. It will be eradicated when Satan and all his fallen angels and demons spirits, plus all people who followed him, are cast into the Lake of Fire, where they will remain forever [Rev., Chpt. 20]. Death will then be no more.)

²⁷For He has put all things under His feet. (God the Father has put all things under the Feet of Jesus.) But when He said all things are put under Him, it is manifest that He is excepted, which did put all things under Him. (This has reference to the fact that all things do not include God the Father being made subject to Jesus. God is excepted, as should be obvious.)

²⁸And when all things shall be subdued unto Him (implies that in Pauls day, this total dominion had not yet been exercised and, in fact, has not done so unto this present hour; but the time will come when it definitely shall be, which will be at the close of the Millennial Reign), then shall the Son also Himself be sub ject unto Him Who put all things under Him, that God may be all in all. (There will be no trace of evil left anywhere in the Universe.)

²⁹Else what shall they do which are baptized for the dead, if the dead rise not at all? why are they then baptized for the dead? (Paul is actually saying, It is a fruitless point to Baptize for the dead, which is unscriptural anyway, if there is no Resurrection as some are teaching.)

IMPLICATIONS

³⁰And why stand we in jeopardy every hour? (The idea is he wouldnt live a life of constant jeopardy if there were no Resurrection.)

³¹I protest by your rejoicing which I have in Christ Jesus our Lord (the Corinthians were able to rejoice in the Lord because Paul had brought the Message of Redemption to them), I die daily. (The Apostle is referring here to his life being in constant danger on a daily basis. He is not referring to dying out to sin daily. He argued that we should become dead to sin once, and then stay dead to sin always [Rom. 6:6-11; Gal. 2:20].)

³²If after the manner of men I have fought with beasts at Ephesus, what does it advantage me, if the dead rise not? (It is not to be taken literally. He is actually saying, I am risking my life daily, just as surely as those who fight the wild beasts in the arenas; as well, as surely as these gladiators will sooner or later be killed, so will I.) let us eat and drink; for to morrow we die. (These words present the fatalism of those who do not believe in a coming Resurrection. So the Apostle is saying, if there is no Resurrection there is no Hope.)

³³Be not deceived (the statement actually says, Do not go on being deceived! meaning that many Corinthians had already been deceived into believing there was no Resurrection): evil communications corrupt good manners (should have been translated, evil occasions corrupt excellent morals).

³⁴Awake to Righteousness, and sin not (in effect, says, come to your senses); for some have not the Knowledge of God (in effect, says, for some are ignorant of God and His Ways): I speak this to your shame. (I am speaking to shame you.)

THE RESURRECTED BODY

³⁵But some man(skeptic) will say, How are the dead raised up? (The skeptics use sarcasm.) and with what body do they come? (This refers to the form, shape, size, etc. False teachers were making fun of the Doctrine of the Resurrection of the human body.)

³⁶You fool (the Holy Spirits answer to those who taught this false doctrine), that which you sow is not quickened, except it die (Paul takes this from the Words of Christ, when He spoke of the seed falling to the ground and dying, and then bringing forth much fruit, which is the nature of harvest [Jn. 12:24]):

³⁷And that which you sow, you sow not that body that shall be, but bear grain (the little seed, when sown, will bring forth a beautiful plant), it may chance of wheat, or of some other grain(one cannot tell from the seed exactly what the plant will be):

³⁸But God gives it a body as it has pleased Him (the Resurrection process is in the Hands of God, Who can do all things), and to every seed his own body. (This thwarts every evolutionary speculation. Every person will have their own body, not that of another. They will have their own color, appearance, etc., minus imperfections.)

³⁹All flesh is not the same flesh (once again, a point that definitely contradicts the theory of evolution): but there is one kind of flesh of men, another flesh of beasts, another of fish, and another of birds (refers to all being flesh, but of different types).

⁴⁰There are also celestial bodies (heavenly bodies, such as the Sun, Moon, etc.), and bodies terrestrial (earthly bodies, which refer to human beings, animals, trees, etc.): but the glory of the celestial is one, and the glory of the terrestrial is another (the glory differs).

⁴¹There is one glory of the Sun, and another glory of the Moon, and another glory of the Stars: for one Star differs from another Star in glory. (Paul has a point here, which we will see in the next Verse.)

⁴²So also is the Resurrection of the dead. (Some Saints, due to greater faithfulness, will have greater glory than others, which is the point of the previous Verse.) It is sown in corruption (refers to the grave); it is raised in incorruption (refers to the Glorified Form and the type of Body God will provide):

⁴³It is sown in dishonour (refers to the awful indignity of dust to dust); it is raised in glory (the same body, but glorified): it is sown in weakness (death); it is raised in power (life):

⁴⁴It is sown a natural body (was energized by blood, before death); it is raised a Spiritual Body (energized by the Holy Spirit, not blood, and will be of immortal substance). There is a natural body (which we now have), and there is a Spiritual Body. (The Glorified Body of our Lord is the example, and our Glorified Body will be like His [I Jn. 3:2].)

NECESSITY

⁴⁵And so it is written (Gen. 2:7), The first man Adam was made a living soul (the natural body); the last Adam (Christ)was made a quickening Spirit. (The word last is used. No other will ever be needed. Quickening refers to making all alive who trust Him.)

⁴⁶Howbeit that was not first which is spiritual, but that which is natural (Adam came first); and afterward that which is spiritual. (Christ, as the Last Adam, came second in order to undo that which occurred at the Fall.)

⁴⁷The first man (Adam)is of the earth, earthy (materialistic): the Second Man (Christ)is the Lord from Heaven (a vast difference between the first man and the Second Man).

⁴⁸As is the earthy, such are they also who are earthy (it is the body and its present condition to which Paul points with the term earthy): and as is the Heavenly, such are they also who are Heavenly. (Christ is the Heavenly One, and all who are the Heavenly ones are like Him. Paul is continuing to speak of the Resurrection, and what it will be like.)

⁴⁹And as we have borne the image of the earthy (refers to the fact that as our first father, we are frail, decaying, and dying), we shall also bear the image of the Heavenly. (This tells us what we will be like in the Resurrection, i.e., like Him.)

⁵⁰Now this I say, Brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the Kingdom of God (pertains to our present physical bodies as they are now); neither does corruption inherit incorruption. (Flesh and blood comes under corruption, while the Kingdom of God comes under incorruption.)

THE ULTIMATE VICTORY

⁵¹Behold, I show you a mystery (a new Revelation given by the Holy Spirit to Paul concerning the Resurrection, i.e., Rapture); We shall not all sleep (at the time of the Resurrection [Rapture], many Christians will be alive), but we shall all be changed (both those who are dead and those who are alive),

⁵²In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye (proclaims how long it will take for this change to take place), at the last trump (does not denote by the use of the word last that there will be successive trumpet blasts, but rather denotes that this is the close of things, referring to the Church Age): for the trumpet shall sound (it is the Trump of God [I Thess. 4:16]), and the dead shall be raised incorruptible (the Sainted dead, with no sin nature), and we shall be changed (put on the Glorified Body).

⁵³For this corruptible (sin nature) must put on incorruption (a Glorified Body with no sin nature), and this mortal (subject to death)must put on immortality (will never die).

⁵⁴So when this corruptible (sin nature) shall have put on incorruption (the Divine Nature in total control by the Holy Spirit), and this mortal (subject to death) shall have put on immortality (will never die), then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in Victory ([Isa. 25:8], the full benefits of the Cross will then be ours, of which we now have only the Firstfruits [Rom. 8:23]).

⁵⁵O death, where is your sting? (This presents the Apostle looking ahead, and exulting in this great coming victory. Sin was forever Atoned at the Cross, which took away the sting of death.) O grave, where is your victory? (Due to death being conquered, the grave is no more and, once again, all because of what Christ did at the Cross [Col. 2:14-15].)

⁵⁶The sting of death is sin (actually says, The sting of the death is the sin; the words the sin refer to the sin nature, which came about at the Fall, and results in death [Rom. 6:23]); and the strength of sin is the Law. (This is the Law of Moses. It defined sin and stressed its penalty, which is death [Col. 2:14-15].)

⁵⁷But thanks be to God, which gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. (This victory was won exclusively at the Cross, with the Resurrection ratifying what had been done.)

⁵⁸Therefore, my beloved Brethren, be ye stedfast (established, with your Faith firmly attached to the Cross of Christ), unmoveable (not allowing your Faith to be moved from the Cross of Christ), always abounding in the Work of the Lord (telling others of what Jesus has done, regarding His great victory of the Cross), forasmuch as you know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord. (This is proclaiming that the Word of the Cross will always bring glorious results [I Cor. 1:18].)