I Corinthians 15:11-20
Continuing our study through this chapter:
Whether, then, it was I or they,
It doesn't matter which preacher, or which evangelist, preached this Truth.
This is what we preach,
The Truth never changes, no matter who told you, Truth is still true.
and this is what you believed.
These people in Corinth believed the Truth they were originally taught.
But if it is preached that Christ has been raised from the dead,
If other preachers are still teaching you what you learned from us.
how can some of you say that there is no resurrection of the dead?
This is a contradiction.
If there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised.
Either there is Resurrection of the dead, and it applies to all,or there isn't, and can't apply to anyone, even to Christ.
And if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith.
The whole of Christianity is based on the Resurrection of Christ: If He wasn't raised, then our whole faith is null and void, being based on a lie.
More than that, we are then found to be false witnesses about God, for we have testified about God that He raised Christ from the dead.
So we would be spreading lies about God, and have deceived others into believing what would turn out to be not true.
But He did not raise Him if in fact the dead are not raised.
If it is true (a fact) that the dead will not be resurrected, then even Christ was not raised from the dead, either.
For if the dead are not raised, then Christ has not been raised, either.
Either the dead will be raised, including Christ having been raised, or no one, even Christ, will be raised. All or nothing.
And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile, you are still in your sins.
The Christian faith is based on the Death and Resurrection of Christ for the forgiveness of sins; if this teaching is false, then sins cannot be forgiven after all and we have no hope of New Birth or cleansing.
Then those, also, who have fallen asleep in Christ are lost.
And there would also be no hope for our loved ones who have been saved and died; we will all perish, with no hope at all.
If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are to be pitied more than all men.
If our faith is only for living in this world, on this Earth now, then we are fools to be pitied, looking forward to destruction.
But
This word just erased everything before it!
Christ has indeed been raised from the dead,
The Truth cannot be denied.
The first fruits of those who have fallen asleep [died].
This is the First Fruits Feast fulfilled in Jesus Christ, the first who has been Resurrected of everyone who has ever or will ever die believing in Christ.
This is the lengthy, full argument explaining the importance of the basis of our faith. The Good News (Gospel) is that Jesus is God's Son, born as a genuine human baby, grew up just like we all grow up, then died as the Lamb of God, the sacrificial Lamb, to take our sinful human nature upon Himself on the Cross to pay in full our debt To God. Since we are the ones who deserve the death, not Him, then Death had no hold on Him; and God raised Him from the dead, with a new, Resurrection body, which looked similar to the body He grew up in, but had extraordinary qualities. Jesus' mortal body "put on" immortality, and showed us what we will be like when we also are Resurrected.
Paul discusses this Resurrection Body later in this chapter.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
