Resurrection Guaranteed

                                        Sunday School Lesson                                

Lesson: I Corinthians 11:1-11, 20-22;
                                                                                            
Golden Text: “For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive” (I Corinthians 15:22).
I.  INTRODUCTION.  In this week’s lesson, Paul explained the meaning of Christ’s resurrection to the Corinthian believers.  He stressed that the glorious future resurrection of Christians is guaranteed by Christ’s resurrection.  This Easter morning, as we study this lesson we have the opportunity to glory in the understanding and blessings of Christ’s resurrection.
II. BACKGROUND FOR THE LESSON.  As Greeks, the people of Corinth were most likely influenced by Greek philosophers, who scoffed, or made fun of the very idea of a resurrection (see Acts 17:32).  While it is unlikely that the Corinthian believers doubted the resurrection of Christ, it was apparent from I Corinthians 15:12 that they had doubts concerning the future resurrection of Christians.  This prompted Paul to write fully about the resurrection in I Corinthians chapter 15.

III. THE GOSPEL AND CHRIST’S RESURRECTION (I Corinthians 15:1-4) 

A. The gospel and salvation (I Corinthians 15:1-2). 
1. (vs. 1).  In our first verse Paul says “Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand.”  The word “Moreover” indicates a change from what Paul wrote in chapter 14 to what he was about to write now.  Of course he called the Corinthian believers “brethren” because they were all members of the same family, the church of God (see I Corinthians 1:2).  He went on to say “I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you.”  Paul was about to remind the Corinthian believers of the gospel that he had preached to them on his second missionary journey (see Acts 18:1, 4).  The word “gospel” means good news.  Paul told them that the gospel he preached “ye have received, and wherein ye stand.”  In other words, by faith they had accepted the message of the gospel, which included the resurrection.  However, false teaching had entered in saying that there was no resurrection for Christians who had died, even though they accepted Christ’s resurrection (see I Corinthians 15:12).  With the words “wherein ye stand,” Paul affirmed their faith as they stood firmly in that same gospel he preached.
2. (vs. 2).  Paul continued to say in this verse “By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain.”  The words “By which” refers to the gospel message.  The Corinthian believers were “saved” by the gospel.  However, the gospel alone does not save.  Paul was simply affirming that salvation comes through the preaching of the gospel (see Romans 10:14-15).  The phrase “keep in memory” means to persevere or hold fast by faith.  With the words “if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain” Paul was saying that the Corinthians demonstrated their salvation by holding fast and being obedient to the gospel message.  The only way that their salvation would not be sure was if they “believed in vain.”  In other words, their salvation wouldn’t be sure if the gospel that Paul preached and they believed was “vain” meaning worthless or phony.  A person can have all the faith in the world, but it means nothing if the message that they believe is false or phony.
B. The gospel defined (I Corinthians 15:3-4).
1. (vs. 3).  In this verse, Paul defined the gospel by giving the facts of it to prove that it is the basis of salvation.  He began by saying “For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures.”  With the words “For I delivered unto you” Paul was preparing to repeat the same gospel message that he had previously given to them.  The phrase “first of all” does not refer to the first time Paul preached to them, but it means that the gospel message itself was of first importance to Paul.  The apostle then said that the gospel message he gave to them was “which I also received.”  In other words, Paul taught the Corinthian converts what he had been taught.  He received the gospel message directly from the Lord (see Galatians 1:11-12, 15-19).  Paul went on to say that the gospel or good news consisted of two basic historic facts.  He gives the first historic fact here as he said “Christ died for our sins.”  The death of Christ was good news because it was for “our sins.”  Jesus was crucified for all sinners and satisfied the justice of a righteous God. No message can claim to be the gospel unless it presents Christ’s death as God’s remedy for sin.  Note:  As a result of man’s rebellion and sinfulness (see Romans 3:23), alienation exists between God and man.  The just penalty for that rebellion is eternal death (see Romans 6:23).  Christ died on behalf of sinful people to satisfy the just or right penalty and to deliver them from the bondage of sin (see Romans 3:25-26; 6:8-10).  Paul also said that Christ’s death was “according to the scriptures.”  This refers to the Old Testament Scriptures.  Paul made sure that these believers understood that Jesus’ death was foretold in sacred Scripture long before it happened.  Jesus also told His disciples that everything written in the Scriptures had to be fulfilled (see Luke 24:44-47).  Paul was no doubt thinking of Psalms 16:10, all of Psalms 22, and Isaiah 53.  These Scriptures among others declared that Christ would suffer and die.
2. (vs. 4).  Paul continued his definition of the gospel by saying “And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures.”  The evidence of Jesus’ death was “that he was buried.”  Christ was taken down from the cross and laid in a tomb (see Acts 13:29).  His burial was important because it confirms both His death and resurrection.  Not only was Jesus buried but “he rose again the third day according to the scriptures.”   The burial of Jesus was a prelude to the empty tomb.  Note:  Witnesses saw a stone placed at the entrance of His tomb (see Mark 15:42-47).  They knew that no one could have stolen the body (see Matthew 28:1-13).  The resurrection that followed Jesus’ burial was real not merely a spiritual phenomenon.   Christ’s resurrection was permanent and triumphant.  His victory over death gives us our victory over death (see I Corinthians 15:20-23).  Paul also said that Jesus rose on “the third day.”  This would be three days after His crucifixion.  Jesus foretold this and it happened just as He said (see Matthew 12:40; John 2:19-21).     Paul said that Christ’s resurrection, like His death was also “according to the scriptures.”  The Old Testament Scriptures do teach His resurrection (see Psalms 16:10; Isaiah 53:10-12).
IV. EVIDENCE OF CHRIST’S RESURRECTION (I Corinthians 15:5-11)

A.  Christ’s earliest appearances (I Corinthians 15:5).  Paul continued to say in this verse “And that he was seen of Cephas, then of the twelve.”  The words “And that” indicates that Paul considered the appearances of Jesus to be as much of the gospel as His death and resurrection.  The testimony of the Scriptures should be enough to satisfy anyone that Jesus rose from the dead.  However, Paul assured the Corinthians that many witnesses had seen the risen Christ.  Paul first said that Jesus “was seen of Cephas” or Peter (see Luke 24:34).  “Cephas” is Aramaic for the Greek name Peter.  Jesus gave him this name (see John 1:42) and like Peter it also means “stone.”  Paul then said Jesus was seen “of the twelve.”  The words “the twelve” refer to Christ’s disciples and was used here as a general term for them.  When he appeared to His disciples the first time after His resurrection, there were only ten disciples present.  Judas had committed suicide and Thomas was not present (see John 20:19-24). 

B. Christ’s later appearances (I Corinthians 15:6-7).  
1. (vs. 6).  Still identifying those who saw Jesus after His resurrection, in this verse, Paul said “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.”  After appearing to the Twelve, Paul said Jesus appeared to “above five hundred brethren at once.”  Paul doesn’t say exactly when the more than five hundred people saw Christ, but he did say that “the greater part remain unto this present.”  In other words, a large part of the more than five hundred people were still alive so the Corinthians could check with them if they felt it was necessary.  Even though some were still alive, Paul also said that “some are fallen asleep” which was a phrase used to describe a believer’s death (see I Thessalonians 4:13).
2. (vs. 7).  Paul went on to say in this verse “After that, he was seen of James; then of all the apostles.”  The next person to see Jesus Paul said was James, Jesus’ half-brother (see Matthew 13:55).  James didn’t believe in Jesus until after His resurrection (see John 7:5; Acts 1:14).  James was a leader in the church in Jerusalem (see Acts 15:13; 21:18) and he wrote the book of James.  After appearing to James, Paul said Jesus appeared to “all the apostles” (see Matthew 28:16-20; Acts 1:4-9).  Although prior to Jesus death, the word “apostle” meaning “sent ones” only referred to Jesus’ twelve disciples (see Matthew 10:2; Mark 6:30; Luke 6:13; 9:10), Paul seems to use the word “apostles” here to describe anyone who had seen Christ and was commissioned by Him after His resurrection (see I Corinthians 9:1).
C. Christ’s appearance to Paul (I Corinthians 15:8-10).
1. (vs. 8).  Paul now says in this verse “And last of all he was seen of me also, as of one born out of due time.”  The last person to witness the resurrected Christ was Paul himself (see I Corinthians chapter 9).  Although he was an apostle, Paul considered himself “as of one born out of due time.”  This was a phrase used in ancient Greek literature to describe a dead or miscarried baby.  It has the idea of a violent or untimely birth.  Paul was saying that unlike the other apostles, who were nurtured gradually by Jesus, he saw himself as being suddenly ripped from the womb of anti-Christian Judaism when he met Jesus.
2. (vs. 9).  Still referring to himself, Paul went on to say “For I am the least of the apostles, that am not meet to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God.”  By describing himself as “the least of the apostles, that am not meet to be called an apostle” Paul considered himself unworthy to be an apostle and also “not meet” or unfit to be called an apostle.  He never denied his apostleship, but he recognized that he was not worthy of it.  The reason Paul gave for feeling unworthy to be an apostle was “because I persecuted the church of God.”  He often remembered his past life of persecuting the church of God (see Acts 22:4-5; 26:9-11; Galatians 1:13; I Timothy 1:12-13).  Persecuting the church was terrible because when he persecuted the church he was persecuting God (see Acts 9:4-5).
3. (vs. 10).  Now Paul says “But by the grace of God I am what I am: and his grace which was bestowed upon me was not in vain; but I laboured more abundantly than they all: yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me.”  The apostle realized that God’s grace changed his life.  The phrase “by the grace of God I am what I am” means that because of God’s unearned favor Paul was called to be an apostle with a special ministry to the Gentiles (see Romans 11:13; Ephesians 3:8).  Paul then said “his (God’s) grace which was bestowed upon me was not in vain.”  In other words, the grace that God bestowed on Paul was profitable and not “in vain” or worthless.  As a result, he said “I laboured more abundantly than they all.”  In other words, Paul worked harder than all the other apostles; suffered more than they did; he travelled more miles to spread the gospel and he established more churches (see II Corinthians 11:23-29).  Paul concluded that he was only able to do these things because of “the grace of God which was with me.” 
D. The summary (I Corinthians 15:11).  In this verse Paul concluded saying “Therefore whether it were I or they, so we preach, and so ye believed.”  In other words, Paul told the Corinthian believers that they could look at him or any of the apostles and see the same thing: they all preached the same gospel of the resurrected Christ and having heard it the Corinthians believed.  The bottom line was that it didn’t matter whether Paul or another apostle preached the gospel: Christ’s death for sins, his burial, and resurrection.  The most important thing was the message which they believed not the messenger.  That’s still true today!
V. FUTURE IMPLICATIONS OF CHRIST’S RESURRECTION (I Coronthians 15:20-22).   Our printed text doesn’t include verse 12-19 but they are significant.  In those verses, posing hypothetical situations, Paul first addressed the false teaching concerning Christ’s resurrection.  Even though it had been preached that Christ rose from the dead, it was being falsely taught that there is no further resurrection of the dead (see verse 12).  If this was the case, then Christ didn’t rise either, and their preaching and the Corinthians’ faith both were in vain (see verses 13-14).  And if all this was true, then Paul and all the apostles would be false witnesses because they preached that God raised Christ up when He really didn’t (see verse 15).  Paul went on to say that if the dead don’t rise neither did Christ and therefore the Corinthians’ faith was vain or worthless, and they were still in their sins (see verses 16-17).  In addition, those believers who had already died have perished and if they only had faith in Christ for this present life, they all were most miserable (see verses 18-19).  Of course, all of that was not true.  This is where the remainder of our lesson begins.

A. Christ as the first fruits (I Corinthians 15:20).  In this verse Paul said “But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept.”  The resurrection of Christ is a historical fact, so Paul could rightly declare “But now is Christ risen from the dead.”  There would be no gospel message if Christ didn’t rise from the dead.  Paul also used an agricultural symbol to illustrate how Christ’s resurrection is a pledge or guarantee of the resurrection of all believers.  Paul said that since Christ rose from the dead, He had “become the firstfruits of them that slept.”  The word “slept” was a way of describing the death of saints.  The word “firstfruits” refers to the Feast of Firstfruits in the Old Testament (see Leviticus 23:9-14), when the first ripened grain harvested was presented to God.  This was considered to be a guarantee that the rest of the grain yet to be gathered would come to fruition.  Since Jesus conquered the grave and rose from the dead first making Him the firstfruits, He was God’s guarantee to all of us who are believers that we too will either rise from the grave when Jesus Christ returns in the air, or be translated to be with the Lord if we are still living when He returns (see I Thessalonians 4:13-18). 

B. Christ as the last Adam (I Corinthians 15:21-22).

1. (vs. 21).  In this verse Paul says “For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead.”  Paul further supported the certainty of the resurrection using an analogy between Adam and Christ.  He said that by a “man came death” into the world (see Romans 5:12).  Of course this first man was Adam.  Likewise, by a “man came also the resurrection of the dead.”  This second man was Jesus Christ.  Adam’s sin brought disaster upon himself and the entire human race.  Jesus Christ initiated resurrection from the dead, and those who are united with Him will join Him in new life. 
2. (vs. 22).   Paul goes on to say in the final verse “For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.”  The phrase “in Adam all die” means that the entire human race is subject to death due to our kinship with Adam.  But in contrast those who are “in Christ shall all be made alive.”  There is no doubt that the “all” in the phrase “in Adam all die” refers to everyone who has ever been born into this world, because everyone dies.  However, there is some discussion as to who is included in the word “all” in the phrase “in Christ all be made alive.”  Many believe that Paul was saying that all mankind will be given new life as a result of Christ’s resurrection.  Jesus did teach that there would be a resurrection for both the good and the evil: the good are resurrected to life and the evil are resurrected to damnation (see John 5:28-29; Revelation 20:5-6, 12-13).  However, in the context of our lesson, Paul was dealing with the question of whether dead believers will be raised (see I Corinthians 15:18, 23, 53-58).  It’s difficult to see how unbelievers could be “in Christ.”  Therefore, it appears best to understand that the “all” in the phrase “in Christ all be made alive” only includes the resurrection of believers.
                                    
VI. Conclusion.  The fact that Christ rose from the dead assures us that all believers shall also rise to new life.  We have a glorious prospect of resurrection life, but it’s only because of the work of Christ.  Jesus is not dead in some Jerusalem tomb.  He is alive forevermore.  This is why we have Easter, the grand climax of God’s story of salvation.