THE SPIRITUAL BATTLE – 46 Was Jesus Raised From Death?

“12 Now if Christ be preached that he rose from the dead, how say some among you that there is no resurrection of the dead? 13 But if there be no resurrection of the dead, then is Christ not risen: 14 and if Christ be not risen, then is our preaching vain, and your faith is also vain. 15 Yea, 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. 16 For if the dead rise not, then is not Christ raised: 17 and if Christ be not raised, your faith is vain; ye are yet in your sins. 18 Then they also which are fallen asleep in Christ are perished. 19 If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable. 20 But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept” (1 Corinthians 15:12-20, KJV).

Loved ones, in our Spiritual Battle we must remember that one of the cardinal doctrines of the New Testament is the resurrection of Jesus Christ. There are 38 references to His resurrection in the books of the New Testament. His victory over death is mentioned at least 13 times in the Book of Acts alone, so it was the center of the preaching of the apostles and other inspired men.

If a person believes in the resurrection of our Lord, then all the other miracles listed in the Bible can be easily accepted as being true. Should a person deny the resurrection of Jesus, then the other miracles also would be denied.

In the epistle to the "church of God which is at Corinth" the apostle Paul wrote in detail concerning the resurrection, and in fact, the general resurrection at the Lord's Second Advent is predicated upon the fact that He Himself was resurrected physically from the dead. To deny one is to deny both.

In the time of Paul, the Greeks did not believe in the resurrection of the body. They felt like the spirit relieved of the body was actually a blessing, and the human body would never be resurrected. Even among the Jews there was a sect called the Sadducees that did not believe in the resurrection of the dead (Matthew 22:23).

In the great resurrection chapter of 1 Corinthians 15, the apostle dealt at length with this important subject. Here are some fateful conclusions that must be accepted IF CHRIST WAS NOT RAISED FROM THE DEAD.

1. Our Preaching Is Vain (v. 14).

The central theme of the apostolic message was the resurrection of Jesus; that is, " 3 …that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; 4 and that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures" (1 Corinthians 15:3-4).

The first Gospel sermon that was preached by the 12 apostles dealt with the death and resurrection of Christ (Acts 2:24, 30-31).

2. Your Faith Is In Vain (vs. 14, 17).

Our faith in the deity of Christ rests largely upon His resurrection. If He had not risen, His words were false because He Himself predicted His resurrection. “19 Jesus answered and said unto them, Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up. 20 Then said the Jews, Forty and six years was this temple in building, and wilt thou rear it up in three days? 21 But he spake of the temple of his body. 22 When therefore he was risen from the dead, his disciples remembered that he had said this unto them; and they believed the scripture, and the word which Jesus had said" (John 2:19-22; cf. Luke 9:22; Matthew 12:40).

If Jesus were not raised from the dead, He would have been proven to be inferior to death and the grave. The redemptive work of God was accomplished through the resurrection of Jesus. It gave spiritual power to those who believed to live a life of holiness and to possess the belief in eternal life. Please observe that the term "vain" in verse 14 is different from "vain" in verse 17. "Vain" in verse 14 means "void", and in verse 17 it means "devoid of force and truth."

3. We Are Found False Witness Of Christ (v. 15).

The apostles were told by Jesus that they were to be His witnesses (Acts 1:8). If Christ was not raised, the apostles were false witnesses in stating that they had seen Him after His resurrection. Either one of the following two things would have to be true: The apostles deceived themselves; or they were some of the world's greatest liars and imposters. To bear false witness against men is bad, but to bear false witness concerning Christ is even worse.

4. Ye Are Yet In Your Sins (v. 17).

A dead Redeemer who has not been raised is no redeemer at all! It is true that Jesus died for our sins, but Paul wrote in Romans 5:10: "For if; when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life."

Also, Jesus "was raised again for our justification" (Romans 4:25). The resurrection of Jesus lies at the foundation of faith and forgiveness of sins, and without it, a confession of faith in Jesus Christ is meaningless.

5. They Also That Have Fallen Asleep In Christ Have Perished (v. 18).

Their loved ones who had obeyed Christ and lived for Him, but who had died, were lost if Christ was not raised. It isn't that they were annihilated, but rather they were before God the Father without an Advocate and Mediator. There was no one to help them. They were in God's presence with their sins still upon them, if Christ be not raised.

If Christ was not raised from the dead, then the term "asleep in Jesus" is nothing but a mocking rhetoric, a worthless expression denoting no comfort whatsoever. But Jesus said, " 28 Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice, 29 and shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation" (John 5:28-29; cf. 1 Thessalonians 4:13-17).

6. If We Have Only Hoped In Christ In This Life, We Are Of All Men Most Pitiable (v. 19).

Believers in Christ are worse off than the unbeliever if Christ be not raised. Degrees of pitiableness are regulated by hope. Christians are most pitiable because of their willingness to suffer, to be mocked, and to die because of their hope in Christ, if He be not raised from the dead.

The apostle Paul described all his sufferings as "light afflictions" in comparison to that "eternal weight of glory” awaiting him in heaven (2 Corinthians 4:17). But such sufferings would be in vain if Christ be not raised.

However, the Christian has this precious promise: "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to his great mercy begat us again unto a living hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead" (1 Peter 1:3).

The apostle Paul wrote of the resurrection of Jesus Christ as being an established fact in chapter 15:20-22. During the 40 days between the resurrection of Christ and His ascension back to heaven, He appeared 10 times to different ones, beginning with His appearance to the women (Mary Magdalene and the other Mary (Matthew 18:1).

In 1 Corinthians 15:5-9 Paul mentioned several of the Lord's appearances: " 5 And that he was seen of Cephas, then of the twelve: 6 after that, he was seen of above five hundred brethren at once; of whom the greater part remain unto this present, but some are fallen asleep. 7 After that, he was seen of James; then of all the apostles. 8 And last of all he was seen of me also, as of one born out of due time. 9 For I am the least of the apostles, that am not meet to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God."

The evidence, therefore, is overwhelming that Jesus Christ did in fact arise from the grave. The lives of Jesus' apostles were changed after His resurrection. The Christian faith began to spread with great rapidity throughout the Roman World. Even after 2,000+ years, the resurrection of Jesus Christ is having a tremendous impact on the lives of countless men and women who believe in Him as being the divine Son of God.

Paul, in his letter to the church in Rome, wrote the following: “17 But God be thanked, that ye were the servants of sin, but ye have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine which was delivered you. 18 Being then made free from sin, ye became the servants of righteousness" (Romans 6:17-18).

A "form" is a likeness, and the "form" of the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ is found in Romans 6:1-4 when Paul wrote that the Christians had died to sin and were buried with their Lord in baptism and were raised to "walk in newness of life."

Paul wrote that Jesus Christ our Lord was, “declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead” (Romans 1:3-4). The empty tomb of Joseph of Arimathaea is proof beyond any reasonable doubt that we serve a risen Savior!

Through the free gift of God’s grace by Jesus’ blood (Ephesians 2:8; Revelation 1:5) and your obedient faith (Romans 1:5; 10:17; 16:26), salvation is offered.

Shared with you by Samuel A. Matthews, preaching with the Liberty NW church of Christ, meeting in Portland, Oregon, USA. The God of Heaven and Earth is so good, and His love reaches all. He is in control, so trust Him. We love you with the love of the Lord (John 13:34-35).