What is the meaning of 1 Corinthians 15:15? In that case Paul is continuing a logical chain that began in 15:12–14. He has just supposed, for the sake of argument, that the dead are not raised. • If that supposition were true, every blessing that rests on Christ’s resurrection would collapse (see 1 Corinthians 15:17–18). • The phrase points back to verse 14: “And if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is worthless, and so is your faith”. • Paul is inviting the Corinthians to trace the consequences of denying bodily resurrection, the very hope affirmed in John 11:25–26 and 1 Thessalonians 4:14. we are also exposed as false witnesses about God To deny resurrection would brand the apostles as liars who misrepresent God’s work. • Acts 2:32, Acts 3:15, and Acts 10:40 record their public testimony that God Himself raised Jesus. • Breaking the ninth commandment (Exodus 20:16) is no light matter; calling God a partner in falsehood is far worse (Numbers 23:19). • Paul’s argument: if the central fact of their message is untrue, their entire witness collapses, and so does the credibility of Scripture itself (2 Timothy 3:16). For we have testified about God that He raised Christ from the dead Paul reminds them of what gospel preaching consistently proclaims: a bodily risen Lord. • Romans 10:9 links salvation to confessing “that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead.” • Peter anchors Christian hope in “the resurrection of Jesus Christ” (1 Peter 1:3). • This objective, historical event validates every promise Jesus made (Matthew 28:6; Revelation 1:18). Without it, faith would rest on a myth instead of on God’s mighty act. but He did not raise Him if in fact the dead are not raised Paul drives the point home: reject the general resurrection and you must reject Christ’s resurrection, because the two stand or fall together. • Christ is called “the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep” (1 Corinthians 15:20); firstfruits guarantee a coming harvest. • Jesus Himself tied His resurrection to the future resurrection of believers (John 5:28–29; 6:39–40). • Denying a future resurrection severs the vital union between Christ and His people (Romans 6:5). If no harvest is coming, neither were there firstfruits—an impossibility given the eyewitness record (1 Corinthians 15:5–8). summary 1 Corinthians 15:15 exposes the absurdity of denying bodily resurrection. Such denial would brand the apostles as deceitful, nullify the gospel’s core claim, and unravel every believer’s hope. Because Scripture is true and Christ is risen, Christian testimony stands firm, and the future resurrection of all who are in Him is certain. |
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