teaching notes : 1 cor. 15:1

note : v1,2

preached/heard -> received -> stand/are saved
christians must endure to the end
christians will endure to the end

a. v3,4 christ's resurrection narrarated

died -> buried -> raised

b. v5-8 christ's resurrection witnessed

peter -> 12 -> 500 bretheren -> james -> all apostles (even paul)
v6 notice paul's use of the word 'sleep' for death...

c. v9-11 christ's resurrection preached

paul has carried this message as an apostle

(v3b-7 : an early creed?)
1. he establishes that the resurrection has been the core of the gospel since the start of their christianity.
2. he establishes that the resurrection has been the core of the gospel since the start of the church.
3. he establishes the type of truth and style of communication

- historical truth : my least favorite type of truth (it seems harder to prove)
- 'special revelation' shown as needed in chapter 2

recall chap 2..

- christianity is not wordly wisdom (v1-5)
- christianity is wisdom not accepted by the world (it's better than that) (v6-9)
- the spirit reveals this wisdom to us (v10-13)
- 'natural man' doesn't accept this wisdom (v14-16)

the enormous contrast between general and revealed knowledge...
this includes the work of the spirit; v10

- historical evidence all boils down to eye-witness accounts

note : v10 "but by the grace of god i am what i am"; a true statement for all of us that echoes the correct approach of self-esteem, as opposed to the corinthian attitude rebuked in 4:7.

a. v12 some deny christ's resurrection

epicurians? sadducees?
today, movements such as neo-orthodoxy, subjectivism, post-modernism
all of these share the idea that truth can be subjective, and some will take these views to the point that 'proof' is not only impossible but unnecessary, irrelevant, and misguided.

b. v13-15 christ's resurrection must be absolutely true

v13,14 if we deny the resurrection, we deny christ's resurrection and the gospel
v15 this means that we are 'false witnesses of god'

c. v16-19 christ is our only hope

v17 "if christ has not been raised, your faith is worthless; you are still in your sins"

all of our hope is in christ; our hope to avoid 'death', our hope to gain fellowship with god, 'fulness' (4:8)

v18 "those who have fallen asleep in christ have perished

our hope! death for christians is temporary and minor; a pause. without resurrection however, we are truly lost.

v19 "if we have hoped of christ in this life only, we of all men are most to be pitied"

we who live our lives based on our future hope...
- ...avoiding selfish desires
- ...putting off sin (that might be fun)
if there is no future for us, then we are to be pitied; we 'saved' for nothing.

summary :

- we become christians convinced of the need for resurrection
- we forget the absolute truth of it amidst our shoes, yards, and fingernails; the mundane replaces the supreme.
- the reality is that without christ we have nothing; we are nothing, we are worth nothing, and we never will be anything

a. v20-22 adam vs christ

rom 5:12 - 21 : adam's sin, christ's sacrifice
1cor 15:20 - 22 : adam's death, christ's life

b. v23-26 christ is the first fruits of the resurrection

the resurrection of christ is an assurance of our resurrection
v23 - each in his order; first christ, then us.

c. v27,28 - all is subjected to christ, all is subjected to the father

a la piper - the best that can be for us is the pleasure and glory of god