The Pulpit Commentary — 1 Corinthians — Section 486

Vers. 12-19.-Terrible conclusions resulting from the denial of two great gospel facts. "Now if Christ be preached that he rose from the dead, how say.some among you that there is no resurrection of the dead? But if there be no resurrection of the dead, then is Christ not risen: and if Christ be not risen, then is our preaching vain, and your faith is also vain. Yea, and we are found false witnesses of God; because we have testified of God that he raised up Christ: whom he raised not up, if so be that the dead rise not. For if the dead rise not, then is not Christ raised : and if Christ be not raised, your faith is vain ; ye are yet in your sins. Then they also which are fallen asleep in Christ are perished, If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable." In this paragraph the apostle refers to two great facts fundamental to Christianity, and peculiar to it as a system of religion. 'l'he one is the general resurrection from the dead, and the other is the resurrection of Christ himself. In order to make clear Paul's process of reasoning here, I see no better way than to ex:hibit the conclusions which he draws from the denial of these facts. I. Conclusions resulting from the denial of the GENERAL RESURRECTION OF THE DEAD. These conclusions are threefold. 1. The non-resurrection of Christ. ·" If there is no resurrection of the dead, then is Christ not risen." If you can demonstrate the impossibility of men coming to life again after they have been buried, then you prove, .of course, that Christ has not risen. What is true of the whole is true of all the parts. If no man can rise from the dead, then Christ is still numbered ·amongst the dead. There were evidently men in the Church at Corinth who, like the Sadducees, denied the doctrine of a future resurrection. Hence Paul informs them that. ·doing sc> is tantamount to the denial of the resurrection of Christ from the dead, which fact he had proclaimed amongst them. 2. That departed Christians are no more. "Then ih~y also which are fallen asleep in Christ are perished." 'fhey also, as well as others. If dead men do not rise, then our fellow-disciples who have departed this life, and who believed in a risen Christ, are no more. Those thousands who from the day of Pentecost accepted Christ, lived according to his teaching, and who quitted this world, have perished. Can you believe it? Are they quenched in eternal midnight? 3. That there is no more pitiable condition in this life than that of Christians. "If in this life -only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable." How many things are implied in this language! It is implied that there are men in a pitiable condition on this earth; it is implied that the pitiable condition exists in different degrees; it is irnpli~d that the degrees of pitiableness are regulated by hope. Man 'is always hoping; man is always, therefore, enduring one of the greatest elements of suffering, viz. dis- appointment. It is implied that the hope of a Christian, if false, will make him of all men the most to be pitied. (For an amplification of these points, see llomilist, vol. xi. p. 61.) Of course it is not intended to kach that, apart from the resurrection of Christ, <:H. xv. 1~58.] THE FIIlST EPISTLE TO THE CORINTHIANS. 495