1 Corinthians ~ Part 27

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 As I emphasized in my previous post, we are delving into the profound significance of Sha’ul’s Letters to the Corinthians, a crucial cornerstone of our faith.

 Regarding the Resurrection ~ Part 1b

 The Resurrection Is a Provable Fact ~ Part 2

We pick up where we left off in our last post.

 ⁵ and He was seen by Kefa, then by the Twelve; ⁶ and afterwards He was seen by more than five hundred brothers at one time, the majority of whom are still alive, though some have died. ⁷ Later, He was seen by Ya‘akov, then by all the emissaries; 8 and last of all, He was seen by me, even though I was born at the wrong time.

 A rational person skeptical of Yeshua’s Resurrection needs compelling evidence that Yeshua fulfilled this aspect of the Tanakh’s prophetic description of the Messiah. In providing this evidence, Sha’ul speaks to one of the oldest philosophical questions about religion—can the content of faith be “proved”? His answer falls somewhere between a medieval theologian’s “proof of the existence of God” and the existentialist’s call for a “leap of faith.” He does not assert that his data compel belief. Still, he tries to reduce the required “leap” to a tiny step that logically follows and builds upon instead of being in opposition to the rational and the objective. In these four verses, Sha’ul implicitly challenges his readers to explain the observed phenomena better than Yeshua’s being the promised Messiah who rose from the dead.^[1]

⁹ For I am the least of all the emissaries, unfit to be called an emissary because I persecuted the Messianic Community of God.

 Sha’ul considers his apostleship a sign of God’s grace and mercy because he did not deserve it.

¹⁰ But by God’s grace I am what I am, and his grace towards me was not in vain; on the contrary, I have worked harder than all of them, although it was not I but the grace of God with me. ¹¹ Anyhow, whether I or they, this is what we proclaim, and this is what you believed.

Sha’ul insists on this Gospel (15:3–8) as that which all the Emissaries preached and that which the Corinthian kehilah received, as though to say, “Don’t turn away from it now!”

Resurrection Is Central

 ¹² But if it has been proclaimed that the Messiah has been raised from the dead, how is it that some of you are saying there is no such thing as a resurrection of the dead?

Though it is uncertain what caused some Corinthian Believers to deny the resurrection of the dead, Greeks viewed bodily death as final, with some saying the spirit survived disembodied. This view likely influenced the kehilah at Corinth.

¹³ If there is no resurrection of the dead, then the Messiah has not been raised; ¹⁴ and if the Messiah has not been raised, then what we have proclaimed is in vain; also your trust is in vain; ¹⁵ furthermore, we are shown up as false witnesses for God in having testified that God raised up the Messiah, whom he did not raise if it is true that the dead are not raised.

If Yeshua had not been raised, apostolic preaching of the resurrection would have been in vain, the Corinthians’ trust would have been void, and the apostles would have been false witnesses. “Trust” here refers to the content of the Gospel message and is synonymous with a “system of beliefs.”

¹⁶ For if the dead are not raised, then the Messiah has not been raised either; ¹⁷ and if the Messiah has not been raised, your trust is useless, and you are still in your sins. ¹⁸ Also, if this is the case, those who died in union with the Messiah are lost. ¹⁹ If it is only for this life that we have put our hope in the Messiah, we are more pitiable than anyone. ^[2]

Yeshua’s resurrection is essential for our salvation. It is God’s “amen” to Yeshua’s “it is finished.” If Yeshua is not raised, death has not been conquered. Dr. Tony Evans has stated: Our faith would be empty and useless if not for the resurrection. The fact is, the Lamb of God has been raised.”  ^[3]

 

In our next post, we will eagerly explore Sha’ul’s Letters to the Corinthians, starting with 1 Corinthians 15:20 and delving deeper into our topic of Regarding The Resurrection. Stay tuned for more insights and revelations.

Click here for the PDF version.

^[1] David H. Stern, Jewish New Testament Commentary ~ 1 Corinthians 15:5.

^[2] 1 Corinthians 15:5–19.

[3] Dr. Tony Evans, Transformed by the Trinity, Page 102.