The Certainty of the Resurrection
1 Corinthians 15:1-11, 56-58
We live in a world where the only thing that seems certain anymore is uncertainty itself. People make promises then break them. Doctors offer wildly different diagnoses for your health condition. News outlets report the same events with opposing details. Weather forecasts change by the hour. Financial markets swing unpredictably between boom and bust. Politicians revise policies frequently. Even our technology goes from cutting-edge to outdated in only months or even weeks.
In a recent journal article published by Frontiers in Psychology, the authors point out that uncertainty is a neglected field of study, especially with regard to research on how uncertainty affects human behavior. It observes, “Uncertainty has important psychological effects…but more often uncertainty has negative or potentially maladaptive [mental], emotional, and behavioral effects.”
A more recent article published by Science Direct concludes “uncertainty is a permanent condition in human lives, a fundamental experiential realm of human existence.” This article observed what seemed to be strong links between uncertainty and: anger, anxiety, depression, fear, frustration, hopelessness, sadness, stress and distress, and worry.
In other words, uncertainties are a regular feature of our human experience, and this has a significant, wide-ranging effect on our personal well-being, including not only our physical health but every other aspect of our existence. Think about it. How much of your own anxiety, fear, and other negative feelings, thoughts, and conditions may be traced back to your response to some kind of uncertainty as root cause? The timing and means of our death, for instance, and what will happen afterwards is by itself an uncertainty which affects us in more ways than we may easily realize.
In this letter called 1 Corinthians, Paul addresses some significant causes of uncertainty in the church at Corinth. This uncertainty in the church was rooted a cluster practical, moral, and relational problems in that church as well as a series of challenging theological questions the church was asking.
The real-life problems they were facing included interpersonal divisions, lawsuits between members, sexual immorality within the church, and even a case of incest (1 Cor 1:10-6:20). The theological questions they were asking included (1 Cor 7:1-14:40):
Needless to say, these problems and questions caused a lot of uncertainty for the members of this church. At one point, Paul even said, “For this reason many are weak and sick among you, and many sleep [ahem, are dying]” (1 Cor 11:30).
It’s easy for a church to be distracted by problems and questions and to lose focus due to uncertainty. So, after addressing these problems and answering these questions, Paul closes this letter by bringing into focus something which gives certainty in the face of uncertainty, courage in the face of fear, and hope in the face of hopelessness. This is the gospel, the good news of death, burial, and resurrection of Christ – with a special focus and emphasis on the resurrection.
In a world marked by uncertainty, we can find great certainty, confidence, and hope in the resurrection of Christ. As Paul makes clear, this good news about Christ’s resurrection is not only a certainty on which we can begin a life of faith, forgiveness, and salvation, it is also a certainty that makes possible a life of continual, persevering faithfulness in our daily mindset, routines, and service for Christ.
Because the resurrection is both a historical and timeless certainty, it not only deserves our faith for salvation, but it also strengthens our faithfulness for life and service – no matter how many problems we experience in our lives or questions we ask in our hearts.
We live in a world where the only thing that seems certain anymore is uncertainty itself. People make promises then break them. Doctors offer wildly different diagnoses for your health condition. News outlets report the same events with opposing details. Weather forecasts change by the hour. Financial markets swing unpredictably between boom and bust. Politicians revise policies frequently. Even our technology goes from cutting-edge to outdated in only months or even weeks.
In a recent journal article published by Frontiers in Psychology, the authors point out that uncertainty is a neglected field of study, especially with regard to research on how uncertainty affects human behavior. It observes, “Uncertainty has important psychological effects…but more often uncertainty has negative or potentially maladaptive [mental], emotional, and behavioral effects.”
A more recent article published by Science Direct concludes “uncertainty is a permanent condition in human lives, a fundamental experiential realm of human existence.” This article observed what seemed to be strong links between uncertainty and: anger, anxiety, depression, fear, frustration, hopelessness, sadness, stress and distress, and worry.
In other words, uncertainties are a regular feature of our human experience, and this has a significant, wide-ranging effect on our personal well-being, including not only our physical health but every other aspect of our existence. Think about it. How much of your own anxiety, fear, and other negative feelings, thoughts, and conditions may be traced back to your response to some kind of uncertainty as root cause? The timing and means of our death, for instance, and what will happen afterwards is by itself an uncertainty which affects us in more ways than we may easily realize.
In this letter called 1 Corinthians, Paul addresses some significant causes of uncertainty in the church at Corinth. This uncertainty in the church was rooted a cluster practical, moral, and relational problems in that church as well as a series of challenging theological questions the church was asking.
The real-life problems they were facing included interpersonal divisions, lawsuits between members, sexual immorality within the church, and even a case of incest (1 Cor 1:10-6:20). The theological questions they were asking included (1 Cor 7:1-14:40):
- How to view marriage (7:1-24)
- How to view singleness (whether virgin and widow) (7:25-40)
- How to handle doubtful things (8:1-11:1)
- How to view the role of women in church worship (11:2-16)
- How to view and practice the Lord’s Supper (11:17-34)
- How to view spiritual gifts (12:1-14:40)
Needless to say, these problems and questions caused a lot of uncertainty for the members of this church. At one point, Paul even said, “For this reason many are weak and sick among you, and many sleep [ahem, are dying]” (1 Cor 11:30).
It’s easy for a church to be distracted by problems and questions and to lose focus due to uncertainty. So, after addressing these problems and answering these questions, Paul closes this letter by bringing into focus something which gives certainty in the face of uncertainty, courage in the face of fear, and hope in the face of hopelessness. This is the gospel, the good news of death, burial, and resurrection of Christ – with a special focus and emphasis on the resurrection.
In a world marked by uncertainty, we can find great certainty, confidence, and hope in the resurrection of Christ. As Paul makes clear, this good news about Christ’s resurrection is not only a certainty on which we can begin a life of faith, forgiveness, and salvation, it is also a certainty that makes possible a life of continual, persevering faithfulness in our daily mindset, routines, and service for Christ.
Because the resurrection is both a historical and timeless certainty, it not only deserves our faith for salvation, but it also strengthens our faithfulness for life and service – no matter how many problems we experience in our lives or questions we ask in our hearts.
The resurrection is a historical certainty that deserves our faith.
As Paul brings his letter to the church at Corinth to a close, he does what he did for them the first time he met them – he preaches to them the gospel (15:1, 3). And what is the gospel? This word means “good news” and it describes the kind of good news a war-weary, out-of-breath foot soldier brings as he runs on adrenaline to announce to the women and children back at camp that their husbands and sons have won the long, bloody battle in the valley below.
How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him who brings good news, who proclaims peace, who brings glad tidings of good things, who proclaims salvation, who says to Zion, “Your God reigns!” (Isa 52:7)
Only, instead of describing the play-by-play tactics of a victorious battle plan which secured the victory, or the heroic moves of the soldiers who did the fighting, Paul describes the death and resurrection of one man who won the greatest victory for all of us – that Jesus died on the cross and rose again.
But for the resurrection to be good news that brings certainty, confidence, and hope to our lives, we must first know that he died. For a resurrection without a death is no resurrection at all.
Jesus definitely died – his burial proves it. (15:3-4)
Four books in the NT (the four gospels: Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John) each give details about the death and burial of Jesus. These four men wrote these books independently of one another, yet their conclusions are the same – that Jesus died. We know this for many documented reasons.
The procedures for Roman executions made survival impossible. They scourged and whipped Jesus severely, then they crucified him, then they pierced through his chest with a spear to verify that he was dead. Multiple independent witnesses verified his death, including Roman soldiers, a Roman centurion, multiple faithful women at the cross, a man named Joseph of Arimathea, and another man named Nicodemus. These two men in particular handled his body and confirmed he was dead, and Pilate even required an official, certified confirmation before releasing the corpse to them. In the ancient world, only dead people were buried, and the Gospel writers emphasize the physicality of the burial. Burial itself functioned as the public certification of death.
Furthermore, the burial details themselves make any survival scenario impossible.
“Then they took the body of Jesus, and bound it in strips of linen with the spices, as the custom of the Jews is to bury.” (Jn 19:40).
Here is how the burial process worked. While they didn’t embalm him, bleed him, or remove internal organs as the Egyptians and other cultures did, they slathered his body with an excessive amount of aromatic ointments and spices, far more than normal (Jn 19:39). The gospel of John indicates about 66 lbs., so can you imagine a 50-gal. bucket of exotic, aromatic cream being slathered onto your body, with 3 more gallons for good measure?
This mixture created a thick, glue‑like resin that hardened around the body. The smell alone would have overwhelmed any living person, not to mention that amount of weight covering his body making it impossible to breath well. But more importantly, the wrappings would have completely immobilized him, too. No one in a state of extreme trauma – much less unconscious, comatose, or barely alive – could breathe under those layers, let alone unwrap himself from the inside. You can’t even unwrap yourself if someone wraps plastic saran wrap around your bed on April Fool’s day, even if you’re the stronger, healthiest person in town – what’s more a comatose person with the severe physical damage and wounds that Christ had suffered that day.
So, even if Christ had somehow fainted, swooned, and then came back to consciousness, he could not have freed himself, then rolled away a massive stone, and then slipped past or wrestled triumphantly with armed Roman guards. Every physical detail of the burial proves with certainty that he certainly died.
Taken together, the historical, medical, and procedural facts lead to one unavoidable conclusion, that Jesus truly and completely died. Christ’s suffering and physical condition ensured it, witnesses confirmed it, burial practices sealed it, and physical realities of the tomb made any alternative impossible. The early church therefore proclaimed not a metaphorical or spiritual death, nor a near‑death, but a real, bodily death. That’s what makes Christ’s resurrection so incredible. Because he actually died, then he actually resurrected from the dead – which is astounding.
Jesus definitely resurrected – his appearances confirm it. (15:4-8)
Just as the four NT gospels give many proofs for the real death of Jesus, so they also give many proofs for the real resurrection of Jesus three days later.
All four accounts – again, written independently – agree that Jesus’ followers visited his tomb early on the first day of the week, that they verified his body was gone, and that he appeared physically, repeatedly, and unmistakably to many of his followers. The empty tomb itself is powerful evidence: the large, heavy, and sealed stone was found rolled away and the graveclothes were left behind in an orderly, undisturbed state.
John highlights that the linen wrappings were still lying there, and the face cloth was folded separately (Jn 20:6-7), a detail which makes grave robbery an impossible explanation for what happened and signals an intentional, calm departure by Christ.
The women who were the first witnesses in all four Gospels experienced both confusion and an angelic proclamation: “He is not here, for He has risen, as He said” (Mt 28:6). Their testimony is especially significant because women were not considered legally reliable witnesses in the ancient world, yet the Gospels boldly put them forward as key witnesses, showing that this was a real resurrection because they were unconcerned about relying on women as their first witnesses.
The resurrection appearances confirm a real, physical resurrection, not some kind of spiritual-only alternative, like the appearance of Jesus as a ghost, spirit, or something unphysical. After his resurrection, Jesus spoke, walked, taught, ate, and invited physical contact and touch, first from his disciples who knew his well (Lk 24:39-43), and also by the one who had been absent at first, Thomas (Jn 20:27).
He appeared to other individuals, like Mary Magdalene, small groups like the disciples on the road to Emmaus, and large gatherings, like the eleven, and later more than 500 at once, as Paul records. In fact, it is upon these many witnesses of the resurrected Christ that Paul leans most heavily to show the certainty of the resurrection (15:4-8).
Perhaps you or someone you know might argue, “Well, with that many people claiming to have seen the resurrected Christ, were there also people who dispute those claims. Are there any historical records which indicate that these people may have been wrong?
The answer to this question is ‘no.’ There are no ancient historical records that counter, dispute, or refute these claims of witnesses. No Jewish or Roman sources ever produced a body, denied the empty tomb, or refuted the resurrection appearances in any way. The only historic attempt to explain away the resurrection of Christ is the “stolen body” lie recorded in Mt 28:11-15. Ironically, this attempt actually admits the tomb was empty and that eyewitnesses existed immediately. Early opponents never argued that “no one saw Jesus” or that “he was still buried.” Instead, they tried to explain away the facts they could not deny. What’s more, no ancient critic, whether Jewish, Roman, or otherwise, ever challenged Paul’s claim that more than five hundred people saw the risen Christ, many of whom were still alive and available for questioning at that time.
In other words, the historical record contains no denial of the witnesses, no alternative account of the body, and no document claiming Jesus remained dead. The earliest critics conceded the evidence and only attempted to come up with alternative explanations, hoping people would think that though it looked like Jesus has risen from the dead, he actually didn’t.
About these witnesses, we should note that when people encountered the resurrected Christ, they did not go away unaffected or unchanged. If they were fearful and hiding, they turned into bold, unafraid proclaimers of the resurrection, instead. If they were tired, sad witnesses, they changed into people who ran quickly to go tell others what they had seen. Seeing the resurrected Christ changed people.
Most importantly, we must not only accept the historical factuality of Christ’s resurrection.
We must believe this message to be saved.
When Paul reminds the members of the church at Corinth of the resurrection of Christ, he does not only speak about the historical certainty of the resurrection, he speaks about the way both he and they responded to it personally. He said they “received it” (15:1), he “received it” (15:3), and they “believed” (15:11).
In Paul’s case, he had been a very religious person, following all of the laws and rituals of Jewish orthodoxy to a tee. And as you know, Jewish orthodoxy denies the resurrection of Jesus, and they deny that Jesus is the Messiah, King, and Savior. As you know, it as the Jewish religious leaders (like Paul) who spread the “stolen body” theory. And they even, as Paul did, punished by beatings, imprisonment, and even execution anyone who publicly promoted the idea that Jesus had risen from the dead. To this day, orthodox Jews claim that biblical and historical records of the resurrection of Christ are either mistaken, misunderstood, or intentionally embellished by his followers.
But when Christ himself appeared to Paul on the road to Damascus, he knew that he had risen from the dead. At that moment, he turned from his sin and unbelief to believe on Jesus Christ as his God and Savior – even though this put his own life in danger at the hands of his own Jewish colleagues and friends.
As result of his life-changing belief in the resurrection of Christ, Paul devoted his life to spreading this message to others. On a journey to Greece, he did this very thing in the city of Corinth, where he met and spoke about Jesus to people for the length of one and a half years (1 Cor 18:1-11). As a result of his time there, many of them had also come to believe on Christ for salvation after hearing about the death and resurrection of Christ.
Why is it important to believe that Christ died and rose again? In part, so that we will receive forgiveness of sins from God. As Paul says clearly, with emphasis, Christ didn’t just die, he died “for our sins” (1 Cor 15:3).
This means that Christ, who himself never sinned, voluntarily accepted the role of taking full punishment and judgment for your sins and mine upon himself. In this way, he essentially “swapped places” with us so that the punishment of God’s wrath we deserve for our sins fell on him (who was innocent) instead of on us (who are guilty).
You see, if Jesus did not die for our sins, then his death is nothing more than a horrible tragedy at worst or else an example of extreme love at best, but one which we can never live up to. But Scripture teaches that our sin brings about real guilt, real separation, and real judgment, and only a real substitute can remove these things. When we confess that Christ died for our sins, we are embracing the heart of the gospel: that Jesus willingly took our place, bore our guilt, satisfied God’s justice, and opened the way for real forgiveness, peace, and new life through his real death.
Notice how Paul said Christ did this “according to the Scripture.” This reminds us of what the prophet Isaiah, hundreds of years before, said Jesus would do for us when he died:
Surely He has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed Him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement for our peace was upon Him, and by His stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned, every one, to his own way; and the LORD has laid on Him the iniquity of us all. (Isa 53:4-6)
Since Christ not only really died “for our sins” but he also really resurrected, then we know that his death “really worked” and was “really victorious” not only over the cause of our failure and guilt – which is sin, but also over the consequence of our sin – which is death.
When this corruptible has put on incorruption, and this mortal has put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written: “Death is swallowed up in victory.” “O Death, where is your sting? O Hades, where is your victory?” The sting of death is sin, and the strength of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. (1 Cor 15:54-57)
So, to experience the certainty of forgiveness from sin and salvation in Christ, you must believe in the good news of salvation – that Jesus died for your sins and that he rose again. These things are not a myth or wishful thinking. They were promised by God and they actually occurred in history. The certainty of the resurrection deserves our faith.
But the resurrection of Christ not only a historical certainty that deserves our faith, it is also a timeless certainty that strengthens our faithfulness.
As Paul brings his letter to the church at Corinth to a close, he does what he did for them the first time he met them – he preaches to them the gospel (15:1, 3). And what is the gospel? This word means “good news” and it describes the kind of good news a war-weary, out-of-breath foot soldier brings as he runs on adrenaline to announce to the women and children back at camp that their husbands and sons have won the long, bloody battle in the valley below.
How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him who brings good news, who proclaims peace, who brings glad tidings of good things, who proclaims salvation, who says to Zion, “Your God reigns!” (Isa 52:7)
Only, instead of describing the play-by-play tactics of a victorious battle plan which secured the victory, or the heroic moves of the soldiers who did the fighting, Paul describes the death and resurrection of one man who won the greatest victory for all of us – that Jesus died on the cross and rose again.
But for the resurrection to be good news that brings certainty, confidence, and hope to our lives, we must first know that he died. For a resurrection without a death is no resurrection at all.
Jesus definitely died – his burial proves it. (15:3-4)
Four books in the NT (the four gospels: Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John) each give details about the death and burial of Jesus. These four men wrote these books independently of one another, yet their conclusions are the same – that Jesus died. We know this for many documented reasons.
The procedures for Roman executions made survival impossible. They scourged and whipped Jesus severely, then they crucified him, then they pierced through his chest with a spear to verify that he was dead. Multiple independent witnesses verified his death, including Roman soldiers, a Roman centurion, multiple faithful women at the cross, a man named Joseph of Arimathea, and another man named Nicodemus. These two men in particular handled his body and confirmed he was dead, and Pilate even required an official, certified confirmation before releasing the corpse to them. In the ancient world, only dead people were buried, and the Gospel writers emphasize the physicality of the burial. Burial itself functioned as the public certification of death.
Furthermore, the burial details themselves make any survival scenario impossible.
“Then they took the body of Jesus, and bound it in strips of linen with the spices, as the custom of the Jews is to bury.” (Jn 19:40).
Here is how the burial process worked. While they didn’t embalm him, bleed him, or remove internal organs as the Egyptians and other cultures did, they slathered his body with an excessive amount of aromatic ointments and spices, far more than normal (Jn 19:39). The gospel of John indicates about 66 lbs., so can you imagine a 50-gal. bucket of exotic, aromatic cream being slathered onto your body, with 3 more gallons for good measure?
This mixture created a thick, glue‑like resin that hardened around the body. The smell alone would have overwhelmed any living person, not to mention that amount of weight covering his body making it impossible to breath well. But more importantly, the wrappings would have completely immobilized him, too. No one in a state of extreme trauma – much less unconscious, comatose, or barely alive – could breathe under those layers, let alone unwrap himself from the inside. You can’t even unwrap yourself if someone wraps plastic saran wrap around your bed on April Fool’s day, even if you’re the stronger, healthiest person in town – what’s more a comatose person with the severe physical damage and wounds that Christ had suffered that day.
So, even if Christ had somehow fainted, swooned, and then came back to consciousness, he could not have freed himself, then rolled away a massive stone, and then slipped past or wrestled triumphantly with armed Roman guards. Every physical detail of the burial proves with certainty that he certainly died.
Taken together, the historical, medical, and procedural facts lead to one unavoidable conclusion, that Jesus truly and completely died. Christ’s suffering and physical condition ensured it, witnesses confirmed it, burial practices sealed it, and physical realities of the tomb made any alternative impossible. The early church therefore proclaimed not a metaphorical or spiritual death, nor a near‑death, but a real, bodily death. That’s what makes Christ’s resurrection so incredible. Because he actually died, then he actually resurrected from the dead – which is astounding.
Jesus definitely resurrected – his appearances confirm it. (15:4-8)
Just as the four NT gospels give many proofs for the real death of Jesus, so they also give many proofs for the real resurrection of Jesus three days later.
All four accounts – again, written independently – agree that Jesus’ followers visited his tomb early on the first day of the week, that they verified his body was gone, and that he appeared physically, repeatedly, and unmistakably to many of his followers. The empty tomb itself is powerful evidence: the large, heavy, and sealed stone was found rolled away and the graveclothes were left behind in an orderly, undisturbed state.
John highlights that the linen wrappings were still lying there, and the face cloth was folded separately (Jn 20:6-7), a detail which makes grave robbery an impossible explanation for what happened and signals an intentional, calm departure by Christ.
The women who were the first witnesses in all four Gospels experienced both confusion and an angelic proclamation: “He is not here, for He has risen, as He said” (Mt 28:6). Their testimony is especially significant because women were not considered legally reliable witnesses in the ancient world, yet the Gospels boldly put them forward as key witnesses, showing that this was a real resurrection because they were unconcerned about relying on women as their first witnesses.
The resurrection appearances confirm a real, physical resurrection, not some kind of spiritual-only alternative, like the appearance of Jesus as a ghost, spirit, or something unphysical. After his resurrection, Jesus spoke, walked, taught, ate, and invited physical contact and touch, first from his disciples who knew his well (Lk 24:39-43), and also by the one who had been absent at first, Thomas (Jn 20:27).
He appeared to other individuals, like Mary Magdalene, small groups like the disciples on the road to Emmaus, and large gatherings, like the eleven, and later more than 500 at once, as Paul records. In fact, it is upon these many witnesses of the resurrected Christ that Paul leans most heavily to show the certainty of the resurrection (15:4-8).
Perhaps you or someone you know might argue, “Well, with that many people claiming to have seen the resurrected Christ, were there also people who dispute those claims. Are there any historical records which indicate that these people may have been wrong?
The answer to this question is ‘no.’ There are no ancient historical records that counter, dispute, or refute these claims of witnesses. No Jewish or Roman sources ever produced a body, denied the empty tomb, or refuted the resurrection appearances in any way. The only historic attempt to explain away the resurrection of Christ is the “stolen body” lie recorded in Mt 28:11-15. Ironically, this attempt actually admits the tomb was empty and that eyewitnesses existed immediately. Early opponents never argued that “no one saw Jesus” or that “he was still buried.” Instead, they tried to explain away the facts they could not deny. What’s more, no ancient critic, whether Jewish, Roman, or otherwise, ever challenged Paul’s claim that more than five hundred people saw the risen Christ, many of whom were still alive and available for questioning at that time.
In other words, the historical record contains no denial of the witnesses, no alternative account of the body, and no document claiming Jesus remained dead. The earliest critics conceded the evidence and only attempted to come up with alternative explanations, hoping people would think that though it looked like Jesus has risen from the dead, he actually didn’t.
About these witnesses, we should note that when people encountered the resurrected Christ, they did not go away unaffected or unchanged. If they were fearful and hiding, they turned into bold, unafraid proclaimers of the resurrection, instead. If they were tired, sad witnesses, they changed into people who ran quickly to go tell others what they had seen. Seeing the resurrected Christ changed people.
Most importantly, we must not only accept the historical factuality of Christ’s resurrection.
We must believe this message to be saved.
When Paul reminds the members of the church at Corinth of the resurrection of Christ, he does not only speak about the historical certainty of the resurrection, he speaks about the way both he and they responded to it personally. He said they “received it” (15:1), he “received it” (15:3), and they “believed” (15:11).
In Paul’s case, he had been a very religious person, following all of the laws and rituals of Jewish orthodoxy to a tee. And as you know, Jewish orthodoxy denies the resurrection of Jesus, and they deny that Jesus is the Messiah, King, and Savior. As you know, it as the Jewish religious leaders (like Paul) who spread the “stolen body” theory. And they even, as Paul did, punished by beatings, imprisonment, and even execution anyone who publicly promoted the idea that Jesus had risen from the dead. To this day, orthodox Jews claim that biblical and historical records of the resurrection of Christ are either mistaken, misunderstood, or intentionally embellished by his followers.
But when Christ himself appeared to Paul on the road to Damascus, he knew that he had risen from the dead. At that moment, he turned from his sin and unbelief to believe on Jesus Christ as his God and Savior – even though this put his own life in danger at the hands of his own Jewish colleagues and friends.
As result of his life-changing belief in the resurrection of Christ, Paul devoted his life to spreading this message to others. On a journey to Greece, he did this very thing in the city of Corinth, where he met and spoke about Jesus to people for the length of one and a half years (1 Cor 18:1-11). As a result of his time there, many of them had also come to believe on Christ for salvation after hearing about the death and resurrection of Christ.
Why is it important to believe that Christ died and rose again? In part, so that we will receive forgiveness of sins from God. As Paul says clearly, with emphasis, Christ didn’t just die, he died “for our sins” (1 Cor 15:3).
This means that Christ, who himself never sinned, voluntarily accepted the role of taking full punishment and judgment for your sins and mine upon himself. In this way, he essentially “swapped places” with us so that the punishment of God’s wrath we deserve for our sins fell on him (who was innocent) instead of on us (who are guilty).
You see, if Jesus did not die for our sins, then his death is nothing more than a horrible tragedy at worst or else an example of extreme love at best, but one which we can never live up to. But Scripture teaches that our sin brings about real guilt, real separation, and real judgment, and only a real substitute can remove these things. When we confess that Christ died for our sins, we are embracing the heart of the gospel: that Jesus willingly took our place, bore our guilt, satisfied God’s justice, and opened the way for real forgiveness, peace, and new life through his real death.
Notice how Paul said Christ did this “according to the Scripture.” This reminds us of what the prophet Isaiah, hundreds of years before, said Jesus would do for us when he died:
Surely He has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed Him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement for our peace was upon Him, and by His stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned, every one, to his own way; and the LORD has laid on Him the iniquity of us all. (Isa 53:4-6)
Since Christ not only really died “for our sins” but he also really resurrected, then we know that his death “really worked” and was “really victorious” not only over the cause of our failure and guilt – which is sin, but also over the consequence of our sin – which is death.
When this corruptible has put on incorruption, and this mortal has put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written: “Death is swallowed up in victory.” “O Death, where is your sting? O Hades, where is your victory?” The sting of death is sin, and the strength of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. (1 Cor 15:54-57)
So, to experience the certainty of forgiveness from sin and salvation in Christ, you must believe in the good news of salvation – that Jesus died for your sins and that he rose again. These things are not a myth or wishful thinking. They were promised by God and they actually occurred in history. The certainty of the resurrection deserves our faith.
But the resurrection of Christ not only a historical certainty that deserves our faith, it is also a timeless certainty that strengthens our faithfulness.
The resurrection is a timeless certainty that strengthens our faithfulness.
As we noted at the start of this message, we live in a world where the only thing that seems certain anymore is uncertainty itself. And we live in a world where uncertainty affects our physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual condition. But thankfully, the resurrection of Christ gives us certainty and hope not only for a moment when we believe on Christ for forgiveness of sins and salvation, but to keep on believing on Christ through the difficulties of this life to the end.
We must continue to believe this message to be saved.
Notice what Paul says in 1 Cor 15:2, “By which also you are saved, if you hold fast that word which I preached to you—unless you believed in vain.” With this statement, Paul places a kind of condition on believing the gospel. This is a condition which – if met – will render a person’s faith for salvation null and void and, in fact, literally “meaningless.”
This condition he frames as a contrasts between “holding fast” and “believing in vain.” If a person “holds fast” then they will be saved, but if they “believe in vain” then they will not be saved. What does this mean? It means that a person who believes in Christ for salvation must believe genuinely. The alternative to genuine belief, though, is “vain” belief, which is “empty of meaning” and “of no real purpose.”
How can a person know whether they have genuine or vain faith? By whether or not they “hold fast” to the word of the gospel they believed in the beginning. In other words, we test the genuineness of our faith in Christ not by analyzing in a retrospective way our psychological state at the moment we believed the gospel initially, but by holding firmly and tightly to the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ for salvation on a daily basis.
A person who believes to the end of their life is saved, but a person whose faith is empty does not. This does not mean that a person who believes on Christ can be saved for a while then abandon or withdraw from their faith and salvation. Instead, it means that a person who abandons or withdraws from their faith and salvation never believed on Christ in a genuine way at all – their initial faith, then, was empty and meaningless, not real.
As Bible commentator David Prior helpfully explains: “We constantly need to reiterate the heart of the gospel, and that involves taking a firm grip on the historical facts.”
So, here Paul makes clear that saving faith is not momentary or superficial. It does not come and go. Like the death and resurrection of Christ itself, it is does not come and go – it is certain. If it is genuine, it will be enduring. True belief receives the gospel and then holds fast to it, while a faith that proves empty eventually lets go – because it was never genuine in the first place. Real saving faith in Christ believes the gospel and then clings daily to the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ for the rest of your days.
Finally, this daily firm grip of faith on the gospel does not remain passive or private. The same resurrection that secures our salvation and gives us confidence of salvation throughout our lives also motivates us to go forward in faithful, steadfast service for Christ.
We must continually labor so that others will believe this message.
In Paul’s conclusion to this section of his letter about the certainty of the resurrection of Christ, he says these encouraging, inspiring words:
Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord. (1 Cor 15:58)
What does this mean? While it is true that this means in a general sense that because Christ rose from the dead, we should be able to persevere through life with a calm, clear confidence, peace, and purpose, no matter what hard trials come our way. Yes, this is true. But Paul has an even more specific purpose in mind, though.
To close, let us zoom in on a word in this verse – the word “labor.” This word speaks of difficult, hard work. It speaks of the kind of work we might call toil, the kind which makes us feel tired, weak, and weary. Earlier in this letter, Paul uses this word to describe how he worked hard at cutting, tanning, and stitching animal hides to make tents to earn income to support himself when needed (1 Cor 4:12). This was difficult, hard work.
But Paul uses this word labor four other times in this letter. And in these majority of times, he uses the word to describe not manual, physical labor but rather gospel ministry efforts, instead (1 Cor 13:8; 15:10, 58; 16:16). From what Paul says about these gospel ministry efforts, we see that God expects us not only to believe the gospel for salvation and forgiveness of sins but also to work hard so that others will believe this message also.
And this makes sense, right? If Christ really died for our sins and really resurrected from the dead to bring salvation, then not only should this energize us to persevere in telling others this amazing good news, but it should compel us to do so. If we do not actively work hard at getting this message to others and persuading them to believe it, too, then how well do we comprehend or understand the significance of the gospel?
According to Paul, doing what we can so for others to believe the gospel should not be viewed as a casual side quest, an occasional half-hearted attempt, or a special calling and task for special, gifted people. No, it is the duty and should also be the delight of a person who has not only depended on Christ for salvation but devoted themselves to helping others do the same.
When a man goes to work to provide for his family, or a woman roles up her sleeves day-in-and-day-out to care for the home God has given her, they need a deep, relentless motivation that pushes them through the difficult moments, the endless days, the long hours, and the sleepless nights. People do not work just for work’s sake.
The same is even more true with the gospel. If we are going to labor and work hard as individuals and together as a church to bring others to believe in the death for their salvation, then we must be motivated by the certainty of the resurrection. Those first disciples were so transformed that they moved from depression and sadness to confidence and courage, bringing other people to faith in Christ, as well. Does this describe the life you live today? Have you been that kind of transformed by the certainty of the resurrection?
On this Resurrection Sunday, we celebrate not only a feeling, tradition, or inspiring story, but a certainty that changes everything. Jesus really died, he was truly buried, and he definitely rose again. Let that sink in. And because he lives, we can face tomorrow. Because he lives, all fear is gone. Because he lives, our faith is not in vain.
If you have never believed on Christ for salvation, today he calls you from the other side of the grave to turn from your sin and trust in him alone for forgiveness, salvation, and new life.
And for those who believe, the resurrection urges us to keep on believing, since this is what genuine faith does. And it sends us into our lives with courage, steadiness, and purpose, knowing that nothing done for Christ, to bring others into this faith, is wasted or forgotten, no matter how difficult and wearisome that labor may seem to be.
In a world filled with uncertainty, the risen Christ gives us certainty for today, confidence for tomorrow, and hope beyond the grave. This is the good news our anxious, fearful, sad, and stressed-out world needs. The resurrection of Christ is God’s answer to uncertainty. There is nothing more certain than the resurrection of Christ.
“Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord” (1 Cor 15:58).
As we noted at the start of this message, we live in a world where the only thing that seems certain anymore is uncertainty itself. And we live in a world where uncertainty affects our physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual condition. But thankfully, the resurrection of Christ gives us certainty and hope not only for a moment when we believe on Christ for forgiveness of sins and salvation, but to keep on believing on Christ through the difficulties of this life to the end.
We must continue to believe this message to be saved.
Notice what Paul says in 1 Cor 15:2, “By which also you are saved, if you hold fast that word which I preached to you—unless you believed in vain.” With this statement, Paul places a kind of condition on believing the gospel. This is a condition which – if met – will render a person’s faith for salvation null and void and, in fact, literally “meaningless.”
This condition he frames as a contrasts between “holding fast” and “believing in vain.” If a person “holds fast” then they will be saved, but if they “believe in vain” then they will not be saved. What does this mean? It means that a person who believes in Christ for salvation must believe genuinely. The alternative to genuine belief, though, is “vain” belief, which is “empty of meaning” and “of no real purpose.”
How can a person know whether they have genuine or vain faith? By whether or not they “hold fast” to the word of the gospel they believed in the beginning. In other words, we test the genuineness of our faith in Christ not by analyzing in a retrospective way our psychological state at the moment we believed the gospel initially, but by holding firmly and tightly to the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ for salvation on a daily basis.
A person who believes to the end of their life is saved, but a person whose faith is empty does not. This does not mean that a person who believes on Christ can be saved for a while then abandon or withdraw from their faith and salvation. Instead, it means that a person who abandons or withdraws from their faith and salvation never believed on Christ in a genuine way at all – their initial faith, then, was empty and meaningless, not real.
As Bible commentator David Prior helpfully explains: “We constantly need to reiterate the heart of the gospel, and that involves taking a firm grip on the historical facts.”
So, here Paul makes clear that saving faith is not momentary or superficial. It does not come and go. Like the death and resurrection of Christ itself, it is does not come and go – it is certain. If it is genuine, it will be enduring. True belief receives the gospel and then holds fast to it, while a faith that proves empty eventually lets go – because it was never genuine in the first place. Real saving faith in Christ believes the gospel and then clings daily to the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ for the rest of your days.
Finally, this daily firm grip of faith on the gospel does not remain passive or private. The same resurrection that secures our salvation and gives us confidence of salvation throughout our lives also motivates us to go forward in faithful, steadfast service for Christ.
We must continually labor so that others will believe this message.
In Paul’s conclusion to this section of his letter about the certainty of the resurrection of Christ, he says these encouraging, inspiring words:
Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord. (1 Cor 15:58)
What does this mean? While it is true that this means in a general sense that because Christ rose from the dead, we should be able to persevere through life with a calm, clear confidence, peace, and purpose, no matter what hard trials come our way. Yes, this is true. But Paul has an even more specific purpose in mind, though.
To close, let us zoom in on a word in this verse – the word “labor.” This word speaks of difficult, hard work. It speaks of the kind of work we might call toil, the kind which makes us feel tired, weak, and weary. Earlier in this letter, Paul uses this word to describe how he worked hard at cutting, tanning, and stitching animal hides to make tents to earn income to support himself when needed (1 Cor 4:12). This was difficult, hard work.
But Paul uses this word labor four other times in this letter. And in these majority of times, he uses the word to describe not manual, physical labor but rather gospel ministry efforts, instead (1 Cor 13:8; 15:10, 58; 16:16). From what Paul says about these gospel ministry efforts, we see that God expects us not only to believe the gospel for salvation and forgiveness of sins but also to work hard so that others will believe this message also.
And this makes sense, right? If Christ really died for our sins and really resurrected from the dead to bring salvation, then not only should this energize us to persevere in telling others this amazing good news, but it should compel us to do so. If we do not actively work hard at getting this message to others and persuading them to believe it, too, then how well do we comprehend or understand the significance of the gospel?
According to Paul, doing what we can so for others to believe the gospel should not be viewed as a casual side quest, an occasional half-hearted attempt, or a special calling and task for special, gifted people. No, it is the duty and should also be the delight of a person who has not only depended on Christ for salvation but devoted themselves to helping others do the same.
When a man goes to work to provide for his family, or a woman roles up her sleeves day-in-and-day-out to care for the home God has given her, they need a deep, relentless motivation that pushes them through the difficult moments, the endless days, the long hours, and the sleepless nights. People do not work just for work’s sake.
The same is even more true with the gospel. If we are going to labor and work hard as individuals and together as a church to bring others to believe in the death for their salvation, then we must be motivated by the certainty of the resurrection. Those first disciples were so transformed that they moved from depression and sadness to confidence and courage, bringing other people to faith in Christ, as well. Does this describe the life you live today? Have you been that kind of transformed by the certainty of the resurrection?
On this Resurrection Sunday, we celebrate not only a feeling, tradition, or inspiring story, but a certainty that changes everything. Jesus really died, he was truly buried, and he definitely rose again. Let that sink in. And because he lives, we can face tomorrow. Because he lives, all fear is gone. Because he lives, our faith is not in vain.
If you have never believed on Christ for salvation, today he calls you from the other side of the grave to turn from your sin and trust in him alone for forgiveness, salvation, and new life.
And for those who believe, the resurrection urges us to keep on believing, since this is what genuine faith does. And it sends us into our lives with courage, steadiness, and purpose, knowing that nothing done for Christ, to bring others into this faith, is wasted or forgotten, no matter how difficult and wearisome that labor may seem to be.
In a world filled with uncertainty, the risen Christ gives us certainty for today, confidence for tomorrow, and hope beyond the grave. This is the good news our anxious, fearful, sad, and stressed-out world needs. The resurrection of Christ is God’s answer to uncertainty. There is nothing more certain than the resurrection of Christ.
“Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord” (1 Cor 15:58).
Posted in Easter, Sermon Manuscript
Posted in Easter, Resurrection, 1 Corinthians, Certainty, Faith, Faithfulness, Perseverance, Evangelism, Gospel
Posted in Easter, Resurrection, 1 Corinthians, Certainty, Faith, Faithfulness, Perseverance, Evangelism, Gospel
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