Apostles Anglican Church
Fr. John A. Roop

If Christ Is Not Raised: A Homily on 1 Corinthians 15
(1 Sam 7, Pascha Nostrum, 1 Cor 15:1-34)

Collect
Let your merciful ears, O Lord, be open to the prayers of your humble servants; and, that we may receive what we ask, teach us by your Holy Spirit to ask only those things that are pleasing to you; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who with you and the same Spirit lives and reigns for ever and ever. Amen.

But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep (1 Cor 15:20).

In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Whenever the lectionary affords me the opportunity to preach or teach on 1 Corinthians, I gladly take it. I may have mentioned before — I almost certainly have — that 1 Corinthians is my favorite of St. Paul’s letters. That’s quite a claim given the glories of Ephesians, Philippians, and Colossians — the breathtaking Christology and ecclesiology of those epistles — and the height, depth, and breadth of the theology in Romans. But, I’ll take 1 Corinthians for its down-to-earth, boots-on-the-ground, how-to-be-the-Church character. The church(es) in Corinth were trying their best to be faithful in the midst of a very pagan culture, and that is a messy business. They were a cantankerous group, divided along social, ethnic, and religious fault lines. They were confused about many things, and they seemed certain about many things that they were actually arrogantly wrong about. It may be that the phrase “herding cats” — or its Greek equivalent — was coined by St. Paul about the Corinthian Christians. And I love them, and St. Paul, for all that. Bless them, they were trying. And St. Paul’s answers to their questions, answer many of our questions. St. Paul’s instructions and corrections to that church, keep this church, and all those churches that give heed to the epistle, on the straight and narrow.

St. Paul has dealt with a host of issues in the first fourteen chapters of the letter. It’s sort of a clearing of the deck so that, as he nears the end of the letter, he can finally focus on the most important thing, on the thing that is absolutely central, on the thing that is of first importance. And what is it? It is the proclamation of the Gospel centered on the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

15 Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand, 2 and by which you are being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you—unless you believed in vain.

3 For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, 4 that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures, 5 and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. 6 Then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have fallen asleep. 7 Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles. 8 Last of all, as to one untimely born, he appeared also to me (1 Cor 15:1-8).

St. Paul writes very dense text; there is much to tease out, much to unpack in these few verses. He says that the Corinthians are in the process of being saved through the Gospel, indicating that salvation isn’t a one-and-done event, but an ongoing process. That would be interesting to explore, wouldn’t it? But, alas, we haven’t the time. He also notes the importance of holding fast to the Gospel and the possibility of not doing so, of believing in vain. Again, important ideas that we don’t have time for just now. I want us to focus on what Paul focuses on, as shown by the following text in chapter fifteen; and that is the resurrection.

What is the first thing Paul says about Jesus’ resurrection? It was in accordance with the Scriptures (1 Cor 15:4b). That means that the resurrection was the climax, the fulfillment of the story of Israel. And since Israel was God’s answer — God’s solution — to man’s captivity to sin, death, and the dark powers, the resurrection is the culminating event that declares victory over that unholy trinity. The resurrection proclaims forgiveness, life, and freedom. Let’s go further. The overarching theme of Scripture is God’s resolute commitment to live among his people as their God, to be united to them as a groom is to his bride. The resurrection ushers in God’s kingdom — new creation — in which this dwelling of God with man, this in-dwelling of God in man, is realized. Strip the resurrection from the Gospel, and nothing is left of value. That is the very point that St. Paul makes in the following verses.

12 Now if Christ is proclaimed as raised from the dead, how can some of you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? 13 But if there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised. 14 And if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain. 15 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. 16 For if the dead are not raised, not even Christ has been raised. 17 And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins. 18 Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. 19 If in Christ we have hope in this life only, we are of all people most to be pitied (1 Cor 15:12-19).

This whole passage is one dismal, one brutal, conditional — if-then — statement. If Christ has not been raised, then: (1) our preaching and your faith are empty, (2) we are blasphemers, (3) you are still in slavery to sin, (4) the dead have truly perished, (5) we are without hope and thus we are the most pitiable of people because we have lived in false hope. Take away the resurrection and our faith is nothing more than a house of cards that comes tumbling down around us.

That analysis by St. Paul presents a challenge to us and to all Christians. Have we so built our faith and our lives around the resurrection of Jesus — is it so integral to who we are — that we would be absolutely devastated to learn that Christ was not raised? Is it so central to us that we would see no reason to continue living if it were somehow proven false? I don’t want to jump too quickly to the expected answer. Over sixty-nine percent of the people in the world put no stock in the resurrection. They either actively reject it in favor of another religious narrative or they give it no thought at all. And, they go right on living apparently without a crushing sense of hopelessness and lack of meaning. So, it is possible. The question is whether it’s possible for us. How central is the resurrection to us? Have we truly built our lives around it? Do we really know what is at stake? I think it is good to ponder that as a way of reorienting our lives, if need be. It’s all too possible to build our lives around and to find our meaning in lesser things. Far too many do.

For St. Paul, the only way to deal with such a conditional argument is to deny the premise:

20 But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep (1 Cor 15:20).

How do you know, Paul? How do you know that Christ has been raised from the dead? To which Paul would answer: “It’s all right there in the Scriptures; it’s what they pointed to all along. And even more than that, I’ve seen him. All the Apostles have seen him. His brother James has seen him. Hundreds have seen him.” Well, good for them, and I mean that not flippantly. Good for them and for those who heard and believed their testimony. Good for us who have heard and believed their testimony written in the pages of Scripture, handed down in the Tradition of the Church, codified in the Creeds, proclaimed in our liturgies. But, there is something else that compels me to believe in the resurrection, too. These people — many of them who had seen Jesus after the crucifixion — died precisely for proclaiming the resurrection. And they didn’t have to. They could simply have held on to the teachings of Jesus without worshipping him as God or insisting on his resurrection. There are many who do that today, who say Jesus was a good man, a good moral teacher and the world would be better if we all followed his teaching. But the resurrection? No — it’s not necessary to them. But these eyewitnesses of the resurrection that Paul enumerates died for insisting that it was necessary, that it was true. And, again, that presents a great challenge to us, doesn’t it? Are we so convinced of the resurrection that we would die rather than repudiate it? And, I think more importantly, are we so convinced of the resurrection and of its non-negotiable importance that we will live for it, center our lives around it, and proclaim it not only with our lips but in our lives? It is good to ponder that from time to time as a way to re-orient our lives.

It is not just that the resurrection somehow proved that Jesus is God. It’s not just the hope that if Jesus was raised from the dead, then we will be, too. All of that is important, yes, but the reality is much bigger than that. The resurrection ushers in an entirely new reality: the new creation, the kingdom of God.

20 But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. 21 For as by a man came death, by a man has come also the resurrection of the dead. 22 For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive. 23 But each in his own order: Christ the firstfruits, then at his coming those who belong to Christ. 24 Then comes the end, when he delivers the kingdom to God the Father after destroying every rule and every authority and power. 25 For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. 26 The last enemy to be destroyed is death. 27 For “God has put all things in subjection under his feet.” But when it says, “all things are put in subjection,” it is plain that he is excepted who put all things in subjection under him. 28 When all things are subjected to him, then the Son himself will also be subjected to him who put all things in subjection under him, that God may be all in all (1 Cor 15:20-28).

What was done by Adam in the beginning of the story — what took the whole story in the wrong direction — has been undone by Christ — the story has been put back on track — and the resurrection is the agent and the evidence of that. Adam brought death — which was never God’s intent — and Christ brings life. Adam introduced death into the world, and Christ will destroy death; his resurrection is the proclamation and firstfruits of that. In the end, of which the resurrection was the beginning, everything, every power, that attempts to stand athwart the will of God, will be brought into subjection under Christ and God will be all in all, as was always intended. The resurrection is the proclamation that all shall be well, and all shall be well, and all manner of things shall be well. It is a new world out there. The old has passed away. Behold, the new has come. And the resurrection was the dawn of that new world.

St. Paul walks his dear Corinthian brothers and sisters through all this great theology, and he answers so many of their speculative questions like those concerning the composition and nature of the resurrection body. But, in the end, he moves beyond theology and minute details. He is simply overcome with the glory of the resurrection and only poetic words of doxology will do:

50 I tell you this, brothers: flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable. 51 Behold! I tell you a mystery. We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, 52 in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed. 53 For this perishable body must put on the imperishable, and this mortal body must put on immortality. 54 When the perishable puts on the imperishable, and the mortal puts on immortality, then shall come to pass the saying that is written:

“Death is swallowed up in victory.”

55 “O death, where is your victory?

O death, where is your sting?”

56 The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. 57 But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ (1 Cor 15:50-56).

Because of the resurrection, St. Paul can taunt death, and so can we. Its sting is gone. Its power is gone. Its ability to make us afraid is gone. And we, with St. Paul, can say, “Thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.”

But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep (1 Cor 15:20). Amen.