1 Corinthians 15:1-11: Resurrection According to the Scriptures

15:1

Now I make known [1S Pres Act Indic gnorizo] to you, brethren, the gospel which I preached [1S 1 Aor Mid Indic euangellizo] to you, which also you received [2P 2 Aor Act Indic paralambano], in which also you stand [2P Perf Act Indic histemi], 2through which also you are saved [2P Pres Pass Indic sozo], if you hold fast [2P Pres Act Indic katecho] to which word I preached [1S 1 Aor Mid Indic euangellizo] to you,1 except unless2 in vain you believed [2P 1 Aor Act Indic pisteuo]. 3For I delivered [1S 1 Aor Act Indic paradidomi] to you first of all that which also I received [1S 2 Aor Act Indic paralambano], that Christ died [3S 2 Aor Act Indic apothnesko] for our sins according to the Scriptures. 4And that he was buried [3S 1 Aor Pass Indic thapto] and that he rose again [3S Perf Pass Indic egeiro] on the third day according to the Scriptures, 5and that he appeared [3S 1 Aor Pass Indic optanomai] to Cephas, then to the twelve; 6then he appeared [3S 1 Aor Pass Indic optanomai] to more than five hundred brethren at once, of whom the greater part remain [3P Pres Act Indic meno] until now, but some are fallen asleep [3P 1 Aor Pass Indic koimao]. 7Then, he appeared [3S 1 Aor Pass Indic optanomai] to James, then to all the apostles. 8But last of all, as an abortion, he appeared [3S 1 Aor Pass Indic optanomai] even to me. 9For I am [1S Pres Act Indic eimi] the least of the apostles, who am [1S Pres Act Indic eimi] not worthy to be called [Pres Pass Inf kaleo] an apostle, for I [1S 1 Aor Act Indic dioko] the church of God. 10But by the grace of God, I am [1S Pres Act Indic eimi] what I am [1S Pres Act Indic eimi], and his grace, which is unto me, is [3S 2 Aor Pass Indic ginomai] not in vain, but more abundantly than all of them I labored [1S 1 Aor Act Indic kopiao], yet not I, but the grace of God with me. 11Therefore, whether I or they, so we preach [1P Pres Act Indic kerusso], and so you believed [2P 1 Aor Act Indic pisteuo].

1 Paul places the words to the word I preached to you in this phrase before the words if you hold fast. The emphasis falls more on the word I preached to you than on if you hold fast. 2 This is a strong conditional phrase: ektos ei me - except unless.

Comment: 1 Corinthians 15 is Pauls deepest theological meditation on the importance of the7 resurrection of Jesus. In 1 Corinthians 15:1-11, Paul emphasizes (1) that the resurrection is of first importance; (2) that the resurrection is credible; and (3) that the resurrection is to be personally experienced, and not merely intellectual in nature. From here, Paul then moves on to address how Christs resurrection is the firstfruits of Gods project to raise the dead to life bodily at the last judgment, so that those who are in Christ will inherit the kingdom of God forever. David Garland situates this passage within a conversation between Paul and the Corinthians concerning life after death without a resurrection of the dead....The Corinthians error is not rooted in some deliberate doctrinal rebellion but in honest confusion, given their Greek worldview3. So, the passage from 15:1-11 points to the resurrection of Jesussomething the Corinthians do believeas the foundation from which Paul may go on to argue for the bodily resurrection of all the dead. Garland writes: In 15:1-11, Paul gives a prolonged recitation of the facts that provide the essential background for the discussion of the issue. This opening unit is set off by an emphasis on what was and is preached by Paul and others (euengelisamen [15:1], and keryssomen [15:11]) and by what the Corinthians believed (episteusate [15:2, 11]). In this introductory segment he establishes the resurrections connection to the essence of the gospel that has been preached from the very beginning and does not attempt to prove that the resurrection of Christ actually happened....By reiterating the tradition, he establishes the uniform apostolic witness to its truth and the continuity of the witness. The resurrection is and always has been the foundation of all preaching about Christ. Without it, the gospel dwindles into an inspiring story of a wise teacher who suffered heroically as a victim of human perfidy. Paul hints that if they deviate from this belief, it brings their salvation into question.4 15:1-3a The Resurrection We Preach: Of First Importance: As Paul closes his letter to the Corinthian church, he ends by circling back around to the most important note of his ministry: the message of the gospel of Jesus. To Paul, the good news of Jesus is everything. If the gospel were false, his ministry (and their faith) would be entirely in vain:
15:1

Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand, 2and by which you are being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to youunless you have believed in vain. In the first two verse of this passage, the verbs illuminate Pauls single-minded priority in the gospel:

He would remind them of the gospel at this point. This he does not because they had forgotten about the gospel, but because of the incredible value of the gospel. The gospel is worth repeating again, and again, and again. This gospel is the gospel that he preached to them. His ministry is his messagethe message of Jesus Christ. He has never wavered from his preaching because the gospel he preaches is the power of God unto salvation.

3 David E. Garland, 1 Corinthians, BECNT (Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2003), 678. 4 David E. Garland, 1 Corinthians, BECNT (Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2003), 679.

The gospel Paul has preached is the gospel that they received. The message of forgiveness of sins in Jesus name was received into their midst with joy and gladness, and it is Pauls privilege to remind them of the gospel again. The gospel that they received is still the gospel in which they stand. Although Paul has pointed out many faults through this letter, he nevertheless insists they continue to stand in the gospel. Also, by stating that they do stand in the gospel, Paul is subtly encouraging them to continue standing in the gospel. By this gospel, they are being saved. The verb describes a continuous, ongoing action (Present) that happens to them rather than by them (Passive), an action that is indeed happening (Indicative). Their salvation is not something relegated to the past, nor something that they are doing for themselves, nor something that Paul is trying to command them to do. By this gospel, they are in the midst of being saved. Pauls warning is that they must hold fast to this gospel. Many dangers, toils, and snares will certainly arise, and Paul urges them never to depart from the gospel, but rather to hold fast to it as their only hope in this life and the next. This gospel is so vital that Paul is concerned that the Corinthians might have believed in vain. All that they have believed, done, obeyed, followed, etc., is all worthless unless they hold firm to the gospel of Jesus Christ. There are no secondary benefits apart from the fullness of knowing Christ. This is all or nothingbelieve, and gain Christ and the kingdom; do not hold firm to the gospel, and everything will have been in vain.

Lenski focuses on the phrase by means of what statement I preached to you (15:2) as offering a glimpse into the all-encompassing nature of Pauls message: All that Paul preached in Corinth, no matter concerning what part of the gospel, centered in his statement of the facts of the death, the burial, and the resurrection of Christ. Without this statement all else would have been empty and without saving power.5 One of the traps that gospel people can fall into, however, is the trap of speaking incessantly about the gospel without ever really defining what the gospel entails. We speak of the priority of the gospel, the beauty of the gospel, the glory of the gospel, the gospel-centeredness of our ministries, etc., but sometimes we dont actually explain the nuts and bolts of the gospel. What is the gospel, and why is the gospel such good news? Paul gives the most basic explanation of the gospel of all his preserved writings in 15:3-4:
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, 4that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures.... First, Paul significantly notes that what he delivered to them as of first importance was what he also received. Received is the same word Paul used to describe the reception of the gospel among the Corinthians in v. 1: ...which you received.... The image is of Paul handing on something that he himself received from someone else, as though Paul is passing on a baton in the middle of a race to another runner that he himself received from an earlier runner. The gospel is precious, but not because it is Pauls unique, idiosyncratic messagePaul is simply a messenger passing the message along to the next generation of believers.
5 R. C. H. Lenski, The Interpretation of St. Pauls First and Second Epistles to the Corinthians (Minneapolis: Augsburg Publishing House, 1937), 628.

Garland puts it this way: Before citing the content of the tradition of faith he preached, Paul establishes that it was something he received and passed on to them like a baton. He stresses the continuity of tradition.6 So, again: What is the gospel, and why is the gospel such good news? 15:3b-7 The Resurrection We Believe: Historical Facts AND According to the Scriptures: In elegant simplicity, Paul lays out the gospel on two levels: (1) historical facts, and (2) theological interpretation of those facts. Both aspects of the gospel are vital. Paul writes:
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, 4that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures, 5and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. 6Then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have fallen asleep. 7Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles. The historical facts are that Jesus died, that he was buried, and that he was raised on the third day. We do not believe in fables, cleverly devised myths, or fairy tales. Our hope is grounded in historical fact. Jesus was crucified under the authority of a Roman governor named Pontius Pilate, at the urging of the people in Jerusalem to celebrate the Passover. He was pronounced dead by Roman soldiers, who were skilled at identifying death. They did not even have to break his legs to speed along his death by asphyxiating him more quickly on the crosswhen the time came to do so, they realized he was dead, pierced his side with a spear, and saw blood and water flow out. Whatever the flowing of the water and the blood might suggest physiologically (there are many suggestions, a few more plausible than the others), the point is that Jesus absolutely died. Even Bart Ehrman, an agnotistic with atheist leanings New Testament scholar who is no friend of Christianity, argues in a new book that Jesus absolutely did die on the cross.7 The main point of his book primarily to argue the silliness of thinking that Jesus did not actually exist. He writes: I am an agnostic with atheist leanings, and my life and views of the world would be approximately the same whether or not Jesus existed. My beliefs would vary little. The answer to the question of Jesuss [page] historical existence will not make me more or less happy, content, hopeful, likable, rich, famous, or immortal. But as a historian I think evidence matters. And the past matters. And for anyone to whom both evidence and the past matter, a dispassionate consideration of the case makes it quite plain: Jesus did exist. He may not have been the Jesus that your mother believes in or the Jesus of the stainedglass window or the Jesus of your least favorite televangelist or the Jesus proclaimed by the Vatican, the Southern Baptist Convention, the local megachurch, or the California Gnostic. But he did exist, and we can say a few things, with relative certainty, about him.8
6 David E. Garland, 1 Corinthians, BECNT (Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2003), 683. 7 Credit to Justin Taylor for directing my attention to this new book: <http://thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/justintaylor/2012/03/30/the-historical-evidence-of-the-existence-of-jesus-ofnazareth/>. 8 Bart Ehrman, Did Jesus Exist? The Historical Argument for Jesus of Nazareth (New York: HarperCollins, 2012), 5-6.

One of those things that Ehrman can say with relative certainty is that Jesus did, in fact, die on the cross. He disputes, of course, the significance of the event, and some of the ways in which the New Testament portrays this death; however, the fact that Jesus died is indisputable.9 In a blog post this week, Michael Horton10 cited three other unbelieving figures who further establish the death of Jesus as beyond doubt historically: Liberal Rabbi Samuel Sandmel observes, The Christ-myth theories are not accepted or even discussed by scholars today.11 Even Marcus Borg, co-founder of the radical Jesus Seminar, concedes that Christs death by Roman crucifixion is the most certain fact about the historical Jesus.12 There are numerous attestations to these facts from ancient Jewish and Roman sources. Even the liberal New Testament scholar John A. T. Robinson concluded that the burial of Jesus in the tomb is one of the earliest and best attested facts about Jesus.13 There is no way around it. The death of Jesus on the cross is a historical fact. Then, Jesus was buried. His body was taken from the cross and laid in a tomb by Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus, and a handful of women were there to witness the burial before they had to go prepare for the Sabbath. Furthermore, the Jewish religious leaders asked Pilate for a guard to be placed around the tomb so that Jesus disciples would not steal his body, and Pilate gave the order to make the tomb as secure as possible. Jesus was absolutely buried. This is a historical fact. But finally, Jesus was raised from the dead. No, we dont have footage available on YouTube of someone with a camera filming at the tomb on Easter Sunday morning; however, the quickest way to discredit Christianity would have been to produce the body of Jesusbut no one was ever able to do so. Whats more is that Paul provides names of eyewitnesses to the resurrection. He doesnt stammer, change the subject, or divert our attention from the fact at hand, but he boldly presses forward in the truth, giving us a witness list. He is almost challenging us, Go aheadask these people. They will validate with me not just that we believe in the resurrected Christ, but that we have seen him. Jesus was absolutely raised from the dead. The resurrection of Jesus is a historical fact. Christianity is not a religion of warm, fuzzy feelings, or a transcendent sense of the divine, or acknowledgment of some great being out thereChristianity is a faith established on historical fact. Jesus died, he was buried, and he rose again. If those events did not happen, then we are of all people most to be pitied. But historical facts, by themselves, are not enough. The Roman Empire crucified thousands of people, and killed many more through other means. Countless people have been buried after their death. There is nothing particularly unique about Jesus crucifixion, death, and burial. The resurrection, of course, is absolutely unique. But even if Jesus was raised from the dead, that doesnt necessarily mean that it is good news for us. If someone in Jerusalem today won the biggest lottery
9 Bart Ehrman, Did Jesus Exist? The Historical Argument for Jesus of Nazareth (New York: HarperCollins, 2012), 331. 10 Michael Horton, Communicating the Claims of Easter, April 6, 2012, <http://www.whitehorseinn.org/blog/2012/04/06/communicating-the-claims-of-easter/>. 11 Rabbi Samuel Sandmel, A Jewish Understanding of the New Testament, 3[rd] ed. (Woodstock, VT: Jewish Lights Publications, 2010), 197. 12 Marcus Borg, Jesus: A New Vision (San Francisco: HarperCollins, 1987), 179. 13 John A. T. Robinson, The Human Face of God (Philadelphia: Westminster Press, 1973), 131.

jackpot in historyor if they suddenly rose from the deadthat wouldnt be particularly good news for me in my life. More than naked historical facts, the Bible gives us theological insight into the significance of those facts. Twice, Paul says that what happened to Jesus took place in accordance with the Scriptures (15:3, 4). What happened to Jesus happened according to Gods grand design to save his peoplea design that he had foretold, hinted at, and anticipated in the (Old Testament) Scriptures. Paul gives us several theological insights to help make sense of what happened to Jesus: Notice that Paul tells us that Christ died. Not Jesus, but Christ. The word Christ is the Greek form of the Hebrew word Messiah, both of which mean Anointed One. To say that Jesus is the Anointed One is to assert that God had anointed him for a special purpose. The special purpose is that Christ died for our sins. His death was not merely the death of a political of religious martyr, who drew attention to his life and teaching upon his unjust execution. Rather, he died for our sins. At the cross, Jesus bore our sins in his own bodies, carrying them away into the grave, never more to resurface as evidence against us. This special purpose was foretold: Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures. The Old Testament, through the Law, the Prophets, and the Writings, anticipated a time when the Messiah would come to die for the sins of his people. Sometimes the Scriptures are clear about this with direct prophecy, and at other points we need the full revelation of Jesus to see that we had been looking at a type or a shadow of Christ the whole time. Everywhere, though, the Scriptures anticipate Jesus Christs death for our sins. Moreover, his burial and resurrection took place in accordance with the Scriptures. Not only did the Scriptures anticipate that the Christ would die, but that he would be raised up again. Jesus, in his conversation on the road to Emmaus, said, O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken! Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things and enter into his glory? And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself (Luke 24:25-27).

The historical facts of Jesus death, burial, and resurrection carry huge theological significance for us our hope of salvation depends on them! Paul carries out to its logical conclusion the necessity of these factors:
15:14

And if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain. 15We 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. 16For if the dead are not raised, not even Christ has been raised. 17And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins. 18Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. 19If in Christ we have hope in this life only, we are of all people most to be pitied. (1 Cor. 15:14-19) Garland includes an interesting note on why Paul refers to those who have died among the 500: Noting that many of these witnesses are alive while some have died may imply that many are still around to be consulted, if any should want to investigate this account. But Paul provides no names. How are they to check out the facts if they entertain doubts? The emphasis must fall instead on the fact that some have died. Paul uses a euphemism, ekoimethesan (fallen asleep; cf. 7:39; 11:30; 15:18, 51; 1 Thess. 4:13, 14, 15). Thiselton (2000: 1220) observes that the notion of sleep carries with it the expectation of awakening to a new dawn in a new day. Paul may wish [page] to convey that even encountering the risen Lord does not preserve one from death. It is

more likely, however, that he broaches the subject of these Christians deaths as preparation for his argument that the dead are raised (Lindemann 2000: 333). Their deaths are nothing alarming. Death precedes resurrection, and using the figure of sleep for death implies that it is not a permanent condition but one of waiting.14 If we dont have historical facts, our faith is a fantasy; if we dont have the theological significance behind those historical facts, the sufferings of Christ have no benefit to us. But because we have historical facts with deep theological significance, the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus is the greatest gospel good news we could ever hope to receive! 15:8-11 The Resurrection We Live: The Grace of God that is with me: Paul names the final eyewitness of his list: himself. He did not hold back his own testimony of having seen the resurrected Christ because he was saving the best for last, but quite the opposite. Paul understands himself as the least of the apostles, unworthy to be called an apostle:
15:8

Last of all, as to one untimely born, he appeared also to me. 9For I am the least of the apostles, unworthy to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. 10But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace toward me was not in vain. On the contrary, I worked harder than any of them, though it was not I, but the grace of God that is with me. 11Whether then it was I or they, so we preach and so you believed. Paul illustrates the incredible sovereignty and freedom of Gods grace. Paul did not apply for the position of apostle, nor did he work his way up through the ranks through faithful service, but in fact, he began as one who persecuted the church of God. Paul broke up believing communities, arrested Christians, and even facilitated executions whenever he could. He zealously persecuted the Christian church in order to destroy it, and only direct confrontation from the resurrected Christ himself dissuaded Paul from continuing to do so. Pauls position as an apostle, then, depends nothing on his own credentials or merit. His office depends exclusively on the grace of God: But by the grace of God I am what I am (15:10). Only because God graciously, sovereignly, and freely chose to save Paulby Gods grace alonedoes Paul find himself among the ranks of the believers, much less as an apostle in their midst. Paul has no illusions of his own worthiness, but sees everything he has as a gift. Paul does not, however, presume upon this lavish grace and rest on his laurels. Rather, the grace of God is the driving force and fuel behind his work of ministry: ...his grace toward me is not in vain. On the contrary, I worked harder than any of them, though it was not I, but the grace of God that is with me (15:10). Paul understood that he was no longer his own, but that he was bought with a price, and he worked hard to serve God with his whole life. And yet, Paul scarcely embarks upon his duty as a man paying back a debt. Garland is apt to write, Grace does not so much require response as it enkindles response. It empowers and equips.15 Lenski is helpful in understanding Pauls statements about working harder than any of them without giving self-praise. Lenski writes:

14 David E. Garland, 1 Corinthians, BECNT (Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2003), 689-90. 15 David E. Garland, 1 Corinthians, BECNT (Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2003), 694.

Yet this exertion on Pauls part is not the chief point as though Paul put more sensational effort into his work than the other apostles put into theirs. We should combine labored with more abundantly in the sense that, while Paul put much exertion into his work, he produced great results than the other apostles, no matter what exertion put forth....All this [hint of self-praise and criticism of the other apostles] disappears when the point of Pauls statement is perceived, namely that he is thinking about the result of his labor.16 Garland further provides a great analogy: Paul does not believe, however, that he is repaying the divine grace shown to him with hard work. Robertson and Plummer (1914: 342) compare it to the child who joyfully gives the parent a birthday present after having spent the parents own money to buy it.17 Moreover, Paul does not see his work as a vindication of himself so much as he sees his work as further testimony for the grace of God in his life: I worked harder than any of them, though it was not I, but the grace of God that is with me. Paul was not the one producing the work. Paul was not the one who could take credit. It was not Paul, but the grace of God with Paul. What Paul describes here is a final aspect of the resurrectionthe resurrection that we live. Yes, we preach the resurrection, and yes, we believe the resurrection, but we must also experience the resurrection firsthand in our lives. Christianity is not merely an ethical system, nor a belief system, nor even a religious systemChristianity is when dead people experience life through Jesus Christ. We get a taste of that life here through the regenerating work of the Holy Spirit (whom Paul calls the guarantee or the down payment of our future inheritance until we take possession of it2 Cor. 1:22, 5:5; Eph. 1:14), but we also look forward to our own resurrection on the Last Day, when Jesus Christ returns to judge the living and the dead. In fact, through the rest of 1 Corinthians 15, Paul defends and unfolds the importance of the doctrine of the future bodily resurrection for believers. Pauls final note in this passage is to deflect any focus on himself back to the gospel of the resurrection of Jesus: Whether then it was I or they, so we preach and so you believed (15:11). It matters little who worked how much, or under whose ministry someone came to Christ (cf. 1 Cor. 1:10-17). The main issue is whether or not Christ resurrection is proclaimed and believed upon for salvation. That Christ is resurrected is central; it is key; it is the sine qua non of Christianity. The messenger amounts to little; the message is all-important.

16 R. C. H. Lenski, The Interpretation of St. Pauls First and Second Epistles to the Corinthians (Minneapolis: Augsburg Publishing House, 1937), 642. 17 David E. Garland, 1 Corinthians, BECNT (Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2003), 694.