We examine how resurrection transcends mere concept, becoming a vital pillar in Christian belief. Without it, as the apostle Paul states, our faith is in vain. This episode also features reflective journal entries that reiterate the victory over death offered through faith. Together, we’ll see how resurrection serves not only as a theological assertion but a personal promise of eternal life.
Welcome to Add Bible, an audio daily devotion from the Ezra Project. Allen J. Huth shares a Bible passage with comments from over 35 years of his personal Bible reading journals and applies the Word of God to our daily lives.
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Today we’re in 1 Corinthians chapter 15. It’s a long chapter, 58 verses. So let’s listen in to Faith Comes by Hearing’s reading of the 58 verses of 1 Corinthians 15.
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1 Corinthians 15 Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand, and by which you are being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you, unless you believed in vain. For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received, that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that He was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. Then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have fallen asleep. Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles. Last of all, as to one untimely born, he appeared also to me.” For I am the least of the apostles, unworthy to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. But by the grace of God, I am what I am, and His grace toward me was not in vain. On the contrary, I worked harder than any of them, though it was not I, but the grace of God that is with me. Whether then it was I or they, so we preach and so you believed.
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Now if Christ is proclaimed as raised from the dead, how can some of you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? But if there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain. We are even found to be misrepresenting God because we testified about God that he raised Christ whom he did not raise if it is true that the dead are not raised. For if the dead are not raised, not even Christ has been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins. Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. If in Christ we have hope in this life only, we are of all people most to be pitied.
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But in fact, Christ has been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who have fallen asleep. For as by a man came death, by a man has come also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive. But each in his own order. Christ the firstfruits, then at his coming those who belong to Christ. Then comes the end, when he delivers the kingdom to God the Father after destroying every rule and every authority and power. For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. The last enemy to be destroyed is death. For God has put all things in subjection under His feet. But when it says, All things are put in subjection, it is plain that He is accepted who put all things in subjection under Him. When all things are subjected to Him, then the Son Himself will also be subjected to Him who put all things in subjection under Him, that God may be all in all.” Otherwise, what do people mean by being baptized on behalf of the dead? If the dead are not raised at all, why are people baptized on their behalf? Why are we in danger every hour? I protest, brothers, by my pride in you, which I have in Christ Jesus our Lord. I die every day. What do I gain if, humanly speaking, I fought with beasts at Ephesus? If the dead are not raised, let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die. Do not be deceived. Bad company ruins good morals. But someone will ask, how are the dead raised? With what kind of body do they come?
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You foolish person! What you sow does not come to life unless it dies. And what you sow is not the body it is to be, but a bare kernel, perhaps of wheat or of some other grain. But God gives it a body as He has chosen, and to each kind of seed its own body.
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For not all flesh is the same, but there is one kind for humans, another for animals, another for birds, and another for fish. There are heavenly bodies and earthly bodies, but the glory of the heavenly is of one kind and the glory of the earthly is of another. There is one glory of the sun and another glory of the moon and another glory of the stars, for star differs from star in glory. So is it with the resurrection of the dead. What is sown is perishable. What is raised is imperishable. It is sown in dishonor. It is raised in glory. It is sown in weakness. It is raised in power. It is sown a natural body. It is raised a spiritual body. If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual body. Thus it is written, The first man, Adam, became a living being. The last Adam became a life-giving spirit.
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But it is not the spiritual that is first, but the natural, and then the spiritual. The first man was from the earth, a man of dust. The second man is from heaven. As was the man of dust, so also are those who are of the dust. And as is the man of heaven, so also are those who are of heaven. Just as we have borne the image of the man of dust, we shall also bear the image of the man of heaven.
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I tell you this, brothers, flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable. Behold, I tell you a mystery. We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable. and we shall be changed.
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For this perishable body must put on the imperishable, and this mortal body must put on immortality. When the perishable puts on the imperishable, and the mortal puts on immortality, then shall come to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?
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The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.
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Sometimes when you hear a passage of scripture, you just need to shout the amen. So amen, hallelujah. Way back at the beginning of the introduction of 1 Corinthians, we stated there were two firsts in 1 Corinthians. One was the recording of the first celebration of the Lord’s Supper, and that was in chapter 11. And here in this chapter is the second first. This is the first announcement of the resurrection, and we’re going to cover that. But before we do, let’s go back to these three journals, 1994, 2004, and 2015, on this chapter, 1 Corinthians 15. In 1994, I wrote about this chapter, mostly the end of it, when I wrote, I’d like to hear a sermon on this verse. And then referring to verse 33, I wrote, wow, what a verse. Bad company corrupts good morals. Then I moved on to verse 56. The sting of death is sin, but thanks be to God who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. And then that great last verse, verse 58. Be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your toil is not in vain in the Lord. In 2004, I wrote Reader’s Digest Version of the Gospel, 1 Corinthians 15, 3-4. 1 Corinthians 15, 14, and 17 lay it out. If Christ has not been raised from the dead, our faith is worthless, and we are still in our sins. But because Jesus was resurrected, we too will be. And then I moved on to verse 26. Jesus conquered the last enemy, death. In 2015, I repeated some of those same themes. I was referring to verses 3 through 8 when I wrote resurrection proof. And then I continued, I work hard for Jesus, Ezra, Gideon’s life, though it is not I, but the grace of God that is within me. And I was referring to verse 10. And then moving on, I wrote without a resurrection, your faith is futile and we are still in our sins. And then once again, that verse 33, bad company ruins good morals. We see this over and over. I continued on. The last enemy to be destroyed is death, and Jesus will raise us from death, thereby defeating it. So, with the hope of resurrection and eternal life, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain. There’s so many very important points in this that this podcast may be a little bit longer than normal. Let’s go back to verse 3, that summary of the gospel, that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the scriptures. Yes, that’s a summary of the gospel, but it also says twice in accordance with the scriptures. God is not a God of surprises. He already told us what would happen. This is a fulfillment of what was already written in the scriptures. And we just have to cover this issue about the resurrection. Verse 14, Paul writes, And if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain. We are even found to be misrepresenting God because we testified about God that he raised Christ. Verse 20 says though, Friends, without the resurrection, we don’t have Christianity. We have no faith. Paul goes on to say as much. In verse 32 he says, If the dead are not raised, let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die. So without a resurrection, without Jesus’ resurrection, there is no building block for Christian faith. But, and don’t you love the buts in scripture, but let’s go down to verse 51. Behold, I tell you a mystery. We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye. at the last trumpet, for the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed. So there is a resurrection, not only Jesus’ resurrection, but our own future resurrections. And those of us who believe in the resurrection, death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting? And because we believe in the resurrection, we believe in the resurrection of Jesus, we believe in our future resurrections, we can say verse 58 together, Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain. Hallelujah. Praise God. Thank you for the resurrection. Thank you for your own resurrection. And thank you for our resurrections. Thank you that you have defeated death, and we have eternal life, all of us who believe in your resurrection. Hallelujah, Lord. We give you the praise, glory, and honor. In Jesus’ name, amen. Thanks for listening to AdBible today. To support AdBible, visit EzraProject.net, the donate button. For a one-time gift of $39 or more, we will send you a free copy of one of our day-by-day through the Bible books. And for a gift of $100 a month, we will send you the entire 11-volume series covering all 66 books of the Bible chapter by chapter. 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