Objectives

Introduction

The Linch pin

Main Body

As we celebrate the resurrection of our Savior we must never forget either what was accomplished or what is to come.

Don't Forget (v. 1-2)

The Gospel

• Note that the Gospel has been previously preached. The people of Corinth new the Gospel, why was Paul taking the time to go over that same old message again? The answer is simple, because the Gospel is that which knit them together. For us today, the news of the Gospel is nothing new, but that same Gospel is why we can join together as more than friends but as brothers and sisters in Christ. The Gospel is what unites us and the Gospel is what we share. there is nothing more significant than the gospel.

The Result

• The Gospel is that upon which we
  • Stand
    • The verb stand is in the perfect tense and carries the idea of an action that took place in the past and has result into the future.
  • Are saved
    • The verb for saved is in the present tense and carries the idea of an ongoing action. i.e. being saved, we are positionally sanctified, progressively sanctified and await being perfectively sanctified. The Gospel is something that we accepted in the past but it continues to save us.
  • Hold fast
    • We need to be reminded of the Gospel because we need to take-care that we hold fast. There are people who are being saved and people who are perishing. Once someone is saved, they remain saved, but that doesn't mean we cannot fall away from following Christ.

As Christians we need to be reminded of the Gospel.

Our Faith (v. 3-7)

Significance

• Notice the use of the phrase, according to the scripture. Nothing in the Gospel is a surprise, it all happened according to the perfect plan of God mapped out in Scripture.

• Notice the significant events
  • Died
    • Isa. 53:1-12
  • Buried
    • Jesus was literally dead and buried, there was no question in the mind of his followers that he was gone.
  • Raised on the third day
    • Psalm 16:9-11 (Note this passage was referenced by Peter in the sermon at Pentacost in Acts 2:27-28).

• As we notice the significant events we also need to note that there is something here that English simply cannot capture.
  • Died - Aorist, it happened
  • Buried - Aorist, it happened
  • Raised on the third day - Perfect, it happened and continues to change our life today.

• The Gospel is a summary of the entire Old Testament, the Linch Pin.

Faith Made Sight

• Paul provides a strong argument for believing in the resurrection. Many of the people mentioned here were still alive at the time of the writing of 1 Cor. Had Paul been lying they could have called him out. Given the cost of following Christ, the temporal closeness of the writing of 1 Cor. to the resurrection, and the sheer number of witnesses mentioned, the resurrection of Christ is one of the best attested events in history. Paul gives enough detail to fact check his story but also little enough detail that we infer the story was well known. The resurrection is something upon which we can depend.
• Notice all the people who had the opportunity to see the risen Christ
  • Peter
  • The 12 disciples (Paul is probably including Matthias here)
  • More than 500 other people
  • James (Probably the brother of Christ upon whom it had a profound impact and made a believer)
  • Apostles (Probably other church leaders who have not been mentioned)
• Paul

• What is “faith?”
  • A lot of people mean unfounded optimism when they talk about faith. Others mean some type of perceived probabilistic belief that something will happen. People also think of faith as a blind leap. Finally, faith is often thought of as existing where reason does not. But none of those is faith, at least not what the Bible teaches about faith. Faith involves knowledge, assent, and confidence. Specifically, faith is a level of agreement with, and commitment to, something believed to be true and exercised by placing one’s confidence in that truth. We do not blindly believe in some optimistic perspective, we weigh the evidence, assent to the results, and confidently hold on to our commitment that Christ was raised from the dead.

As Christians, we need to eagerly wait in anticipation of the day when our faith will be made sight.

Our Responsibility (v.8-11)

Unworthy

• The word stillborn-child could also refer to an aborted fetus. The picture is one of wretched unworthiness. We are each all but dead if not for the saving work of Christ.

But God takes each of us and makes us new, as useful for his purposes.

The Responsibility of Grace

• In verse 10 Paul provides an interesting point sandwiched between God's grace Paul tells us that he has worked hard. I think sometimes we are so afraid of works righteousness or works based salvation that we ignore the fact that God does ask us to work. It is not that the work saves us or even makes us better in God's eyes but rather that we have a responsibility to work.
• In verse 11 we see that the responsibility is to labor to testify to the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

The Result

As Christians, we need to live as indentured servants to the one who purchased us.

Our Hope (v. 12-20)

The Resurrection Matters

• Paul starts with a rhetorical question that actually functions more like an exclamation "How?"
  • There were as many as 4 erroneous beliefs
    • Immortality of the soul but rejection of bodily resurrection (stemming from Greek dualism)
    • Hellenistic Greeks who adopted the Sadducee view of denying the resurrection.
    • Epicurean philosophy that denied life after death. "Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die."
    • A belief that the resurrection has already taken place and so when a Christian dies only their spiritual state continues.
• In verses 12-18 we see a logical progression No Resurrection -> Christ was not Raised -> We are Waisting our time -> God is himself not to be trusted-> Your faith is futile -> We are hop
• The conclusion in verse 19 is that without the resurrection there really isn't a point to all of this. By the way, similar logic states that without eternity there really isn't any point in the present.

But Christ Arose

As Christians, we need to live with hope

• Verse 20 begins a whole new consequence of the resurrection and that consequence is worth study but for today let's just focus on this one aspect. The resurrection brings hope.