The Call to Hope in the Resurrection of Believers in Christ, Rev Dr John Kwasi Fosu
Amazing Grace Baptist Church, Hamburg Bible Study Material on 1 Cor. 15:35-58
Introduction
This study on 1 Corinthians 15:35-58 focuses on the believers’ resurrection. It explains how the believers who are dead in Christ will be raised. It further looks at the programme or the stages involved in the believers’ resurrection.
- The Process of the Believer’s Resurrection (1 Cor. 15:35-49)
“How are the dead raised?” is the key question here. Paul uses illustrations from nature to show that there is no life apart from death. The seed that is planted dies and bears fruit. The fruit, while identified with the original seed, is different from it. The resurrection body, like the bodies in the heavens, will have its own kind of glory. It is not the same body that was planted (verse 37), but there is continuity between the buried body and the resurrection body. The physical body laid in the grave is liable to decay. It is weak. It is suited to a natural environment. However, the resurrection body will not decay. It will have power and glory. It will be suited to a spiritual environment. It will bear the image of the heavenly.
The resurrection body of Christ illustrates what Paul is teaching here. The believers recognized Him, so there was continuity between His crucified body and His glorified body. But He was also able to change His appearance. He passed through locked doors, yet He also ate fish and honey (Luke 24:41-43) and invited the disciples to feel Him. It was the same body, yet it was also a different body. The resurrection body retains the personal identity and individuality of the believer, but it will be suited to a new way of life.
2. The Program of the Believer’s Resurrection (1 Cor. 15:50-58)
Death has two stages: 1) The permanent ending of all bodily vital functions and the separation of the spirit and soul from the body (James 2:26). And finally 2) Resurrection in Christ (Isaiah 26:19). Through His death and resurrection, Jesus gives to all the hope of everlasting life (John 5:24).
Here Paul deals with the “Second Coming of Jesus” (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18) and what it means to both the living and the dead. “We shall not all die,” because some saints will be alive when Jesus returns. “But we shall all be changed.” This mystery concerns the rapture of the church. When Jesus returns, the dead shall be raised first, the living caught up with them, and all will be changed to be like Jesus. All of this will happen in the twinkling of an eye.
Paul closes with a note of victory. There can be no sting in death when a person is a believer, for Jesus has taken out that sting. There can be no victory in the grave, for Jesus will one day empty the graves and bring forth His own in resurrection power. How hopeless the Greeks were when they thought about death! Inscriptions on tombs in ancient Greece and Rome indicate that death was their greatest enemy, that they saw no hope beyond the grave. In Jesus, we have life and hope!
From verse 58, we know that believers can be steadfast and immovable. They know that if their worst enemy (death) has been overcome, they need fear no other enemy. They can overflow in service to the Lord, for that work will count for eternity. Their labor is not in vain.
Several times in this chapter, Paul uses the phrase “in vain.” It means “empty, without content.” Because the tomb is empty, our faith is not empty! However, if the tomb is not empty, then everything else is in vain–our preaching is empty (verse 14), our faith is empty (verse 14) and our works are empty (verse 58).
The resurrection of Jesus is God’s answer to Solomon’s lament in Ecclesiastes 1:2: “Vanity of vanities, all is vanity!” Thanks be to God for the victory we have in the resurrection of Jesus Christ!
Conclusion
This lesson has looked at the believer’s resurrection in Christ. The process and programme of the believer’s resurrection have been looked at. It is important to note that the believer’s resurrection gives us hope and joy amid our present journey in faith.
