1 Corinthians 15:1-33 Now if there is no resurrection, what will those do who are baptized for the dead? If the dead are not raised at all, why are people baptized for them? And as for us, why do we endanger ourselves every hour? I die every day — I mean that, brothers — just as surely as I glory over you in Christ Jesus our Lord. If I fought wild beasts in Ephesus for merely human reasons, what have I gained? If the dead are not raised, “Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die.” Do not be misled: “Bad company corrupts good character.” Come back to your senses as you ought, and stop sinning; for there are some who are ignorant of God — I say this to your shame.
Paul tells those Christians who are double-minded that he dies every day. His life is all in for the gospel of Jesus Christ. As surely as he glories in the Corinthians' new births in Christ Jesus our Lord, he glories in his total commitment to God. Paul built his faith completely on the works of Jesus Christ. He also understood that if Christ had not been resurrected, his life, belief, and zealousness for the Good News was for nothing. If the resurrection had not happened, he had wasted his life. If Christ did not come out of that grave, all of the apostles' lives would consist of nothing more than fighting windmills, based on an illusion of something real that was not real at all. If the dead are not raised, then Peter's statement would be nothing more than illusionary, self-deceptive: Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade — kept in heaven for you, who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time. (1 Peter 1:3-5) But Peter knew because of his experience with Jesus after the resurrection that his hope of eternal life rested in the fact that Jesus was raised from the dead. Because of the resurrection, the apostles considered Jesus' words as God's words. As Jesus promised, after his death and resurrection, the Holy Spirit supernaturally caused the apostles to recall all that Jesus had said and done. As they reflected on his life and teaching, the apostles understood without a doubt that Jesus is the truth and the light. When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” (John 8:12) They would never abandon Jesus again as many of them did when Jesus was arrested. All of them except John would be killed because of their affiliation with Jesus and his resurrection. For them, dying daily was not just a statement of commitment to Jesus, but a physical possibility as they faced persecution and even death for the cause of Christ.
Some Corinthians probably disputed Paul's depiction of Christ's resurrection. To them, the Good News may have meant following Jesus as a great teacher or maybe following him as an example of how one should live his or her life to earn God's favor. But Paul resisted that attitude by saying, If the dead are not raised, “Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die." He rejected the attitude that Christ's life was intended just as a reflection of God. He claimed there is a new, supernatural life in every believer. This life, this new creation, has resurrection power within it. If Christians do not have this power, they must consider themselves mere humans with eternal death as their destination. This teaching of goodness per se was an anathema to Paul. He believed entirely in the supernatural works of Christ. Paul understood what it meant to just believe that serving God was enough to get to heaven, for he considered his life good before he met Jesus on the road to Damascus. He thought he was pleasing to God because of his good works as a Pharisee. But he wasn't good. As with the Pharisees that Jesus addressed when he was teaching, Paul was like them. Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of dead men’s bones and everything unclean. In the same way, on the outside you appear to people as righteous but on the inside you are full of hypocrisy and wickedness. (Matthew 23:27-28) Paul now understood that righteousness only came through the blood of Jesus Christ. He also knew the resurrection separated those who believed in Jesus as a teacher or a prophet only from those who believe He is the Son of God. For the latter, faith in Jesus and his shed blood brought supernatural life to them. They were no longer alone in this life, for they had a Savior who cared for their souls. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart. (Hebrews 12:1-3)
If we think of Jesus as a man who did admirable deeds, with no resurrection, we might lose heart when our goodness is not accepted by people. Life is often difficult: goodness in stressful times tends to fail us. Instead of acting the way we should behave under pressure, we find ourselves doing and saying sinful things. Our righteousness ceases, and the flesh promotes self: a me-first attitude. We all experience many trials. Paul ministered in troubles, hardships and distresses; in beatings, imprisonments and riots; in hard work, sleepless nights and hunger. (2 Corinthians 6:4-5) If we do not have the power and authority of God in our lives, how will we survive as believers or please God? The difference between life and death is the righteousness of Christ in us. Those who are righteous by God's saving grace will inherit his kingdom and go to be with God after death. Mere human goodness will fail you. Right living will fail you. Even your love for God will fail you if it is not divine love from a heart cleansed by Christ's blood. Your righteousness has to be complete, pure, holy. There is only one who met God's standard: Jesus Christ on the cross. His resurrection reveals that truth: He paid the price for our sins. Where is your trust when you face the difficulties of the world? Is it in you and your works, or is it in Christ and his works? If it is in the latter, Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. (James 1:2-4) We are to walk this world with a disciplined mind, for we will experience life as it is. Yet we will not face life as we were before we met Jesus. In all circumstances, we should stay faithful to the Resurrected One through the power of the Holy Spirit. If we do not, if we follow any others, we will experience what Paul says, bad company corrupts good character. If we wander astray, our lives will express the sinful nature of the world. No, dear breakfast companions, we believe in the Resurrected One. As Paul encourages us to do, Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as sons. (Hebrews 12:7) Do not fall away: Christ has risen. He has risen indeed! Remember, A double-minded man, is unstable in all he does. (James 1:8) Stand strong!
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