The consequences of the resurrection of Jesus (1 Corinthians 15:12-34)

As is obvious from the chapter, Paul is presenting information about the resurrection of Jesus that he believes are essential details of the gospel. This is a reminder about how big the gospel is and how much there is for us to think about and rejoice in when considering the amazing salvation that Jesus has provided.  

Does the resurrection of Jesus matter? 

In verses 12-19, Paul lists several ways in which the resurrection of Jesus is essential. He mentions a general point concerning resurrection. The Corinthians had listened to the emphasis of Greek culture, which denied the possibility of a resurrection. If that idea was right, it would mean that Jesus was still dead. 

If Jesus is not alive, we should not preach the gospel because it is an untrue message. In this scenario, preachers or others who mention the resurrection of Christ are telling lies about God, which would have meant at that time that the Jews were right when they said that the Christian message was false. 

If Jesus is not risen, then Christians on earth are not forgiven their sins. Moreover, there are no Christians in heaven because those who trusted in Jesus before they died were not actually forgiven. Instead of being offended by the gospel message, the people of the world should feel very sorry for us because we believe a delusion. 

There is no need to obey any of the commandments of God if Jesus is not risen from the dead. The gospel warns of coming judgement, but there is no need to fear a future judgment if Jesus is not risen, so why should anyone want to obey the commandments that he endorsed in this life? We can live as we like. 

There is no prospect of reunion after death if Jesus is not risen. Future reunion depends on death being overcome, but if Jesus is not alive it means that he failed to overcome death. If he is dead, we will remain dead as well and all who looked for future reunion through him will not experience it. 

The good news is that Jesus has risen from the dead as was explained by Paul earlier in the chapter when he mentioned several examples of witnesses who saw Jesus alive after he had risen. So, while we need not fear the consequences of non-resurrection of Jesus, we need to know the consequences of it for our own comfort and grasp of reality. Paul goes on to mention three important matters. 

Guarantee (v. 20) 

First, the resurrected Saviour is the guarantee of our resurrection. Paul mentions this aspect when he says that Jesus is ‘the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep’. The idea of firstfruits comes from the offering made at harvests in Israel when a sample of the crop was presented to the Lord in gratitude for the full harvest. Here, the application could be numerical, or it could be identification.  

By numerical is meant the vast number who will benefit from the resurrection of Jesus. Obviously, the amount of grain in a harvest was much greater than the amount given as firstfruits. Even so, the number who will experience the resurrection through Jesus will be very great. The one (Jesus) will be surrounded by the many (his people) on that great future day. 

If identification is in mind, then we can see how in a harvest the finished product was of the same kind as what was presented to God. All those who will participate in the future resurrection will be like Jesus, as the apostle John states in 1 John 3:1-2. Whichever one it is, the security and unity of believers is stressed. A great number will be with Jesus and all of them will be like him when he returns. 

We should observe the beautiful way by which Paul describes dead believers. They have ‘fallen asleep’. Usually a sleeping person is resting, waiting for the morning. At the moment, this description is of others, but if the Lord does not come for another few decades it will describe all of us here who believe in Jesus. The description does not mean that we will be inactive, but it reminds us that one day the toils of life will be over. 

Representative (vv. 21-22) 

Second, the resurrected Saviour is the representative of his people. Paul contrasts Jesus with Adam in these verses. Adam, our original representative at the beginning of time, failed disastrously when he disobeyed God in the Garden of Eden, and brought death into the human race. Jesus came to deal with the consequences of Adam’s sin, which was also our sin because he represented us. Some object to this arrangement, but if Adam did not represent us, neither would Jesus, so we would have to represent ourselves.  

The representative work of Jesus involved all that he did and does for his people. It is like a chain with many links in it, all of them essential. Even as everyone in Adam was affected by what he did, so all who are in Christ receive the benefits of what he did. Jesus lived for his people and provided a perfect righteousness for them; he died for his people and paid the penalty for their sins; he was raised as the head of a new race composed of those who will believe in him and to them he gives great blessings, including an eternal union with him.  

Each link in the chain is guaranteed. Some have already occurred, and nothing can stop the remaining ones from taking place. Union with Jesus is a basic, but very important, outlook for us to have when we consider where we are, not only with regard to life in this world, but also where we are in the purposes of God. 

Divine agenda (vv. 23-28) 

The resurrected Saviour is fulfilling a divine agenda and Paul now details what will take place when Jesus returns. There are three details to it. First, Jesus will raise his people from the dead. We have already thought about this amazing future event. Obviously, other activities will take place then and Paul mentions them for believers to know about. 

Second, Jesus will hand over the kingdom to the Father. This handing over cannot occur until Jesus has destroyed all the enemies of God. Those opponents are varied – human, demonic and impersonal. Among the last kind is death and it will not be defeated by Jesus fully until the resurrection of his people. But it will be fully overcome. It will be amazing to observe the completion of this aspect of the mediatorial reign of Jesus in which he achieved all the divine goals placed in his charge. He will have completed the church, and all his people will be there. 

Third, the eternal aspect of the kingdom will commence. In this endless expression of the kingdom, the Father will have supreme authority. When Paul says that Jesus will be subject to the Father, he is probably referring to the role of Jesus as the last Adam.  There is an allusion to the first Adam in the phrase, ‘he has put everything under his feet,’ which is taken from Psalm 8 which describes the reign of Adam over the creation under God. Paul points out the obvious detail which is that God cannot be among the things that are under the reign of Jesus. The outcome of the return of Jesus will be the onset of the eternal world of glory in which all opposition to God will be gone and he will be ‘all in all’. 

There is not a suggestion here that Jesus is not equal to God the Father as far as divine attributes are concerned. Rather, Paul here is describing specific roles that the Father and the Son fulfil in their plan. As far as Jesus is concerned, since his ascension he has been ruling over the kingdom fulfilling the requirement to gather in his people. In order to do this, he has been given all authority in heaven and on earth. The day will come when that task will have been achieved and all opponents of God’s kingdom will have been overcome. After that is accomplished, there will be a new stage in the life of the kingdom in which all will be perfection and in which Jesus as the God-man will continue to rule over the restored universe in a visible manner to all his subjects. And this state of affairs will be endless. 

Response 

We must understand that the current stage of the kingdom of God is not the ultimate stage. Good as it is to know that Jesus is King, we also know that he encounters many enemies, some very powerful, such as death and the devil. We look forward to when this expression of the kingdom will be replaced by the next one, and it will be marked by endless perfection, peace and glory. 

Nevertheless, at the moment, if we are Christians, we are part of a great movement under the guidance of the ascended Saviour. He rules in the midst of his enemies and they cannot prevent him achieving his goals. We will yet see him present the kingdom to the Father free from all presence of opposition. Our task at the moment is to get involved in the furtherance of the current kingdom of Jesus and not merely dream about what life will be like in the future kingdom of Jesus. 

Paul mentions those in Corinth who had been baptised for the dead. It is not clear who they were. Probably it is a reference to persons who replaced believers who had died. Why should such do this if the resurrection was not true? Similarly, why should the apostles and other Christians risk their lives if the resurrection was not true? Unlike them, the Corinthians were listening to those who were denying the resurrection. Doing so had led them to deprive themselves of great blessings in this life, and if they kept on doing that, they were in danger of losing blessings connected to the next world. 

In contrast to them, we should live for the glory of the one who has risen, who is reigning in heaven, who will recover the kingdom, and who will yet recreate the perfect new world.