No Resurrection of the Dead?
1 Corinthians 15:12 Now if Christ is proclaimed as raised from the dead, how can some of you say, “There is no resurrection of the dead”? 13 If there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised; 14 and if Christ has not been raised, then our proclamation is in vain, and so is your faith. 15 Moreover, we are found to be false witnesses about God, because we have testified wrongly about God that he raised up Christ—whom he did not raise up, if in fact the dead are not raised. 16 For if the dead are not raised, not even Christ has been raised. 17 And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is worthless; you are still in your sins. 18 Those, then, who have fallen asleep in Christ have also perished. 19 If we have put our hope in Christ for this life only, we should be pitied more than anyone.
20 But as it is, Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.
Are there Christians today who struggle with the resurrection of the dead? Who believe or who say, “There is no resurrection of dead bodies, of corpses”? We may think this was a thing of the past and settled for us by Christ and Paul and then included it in our creeds: “I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy Christian Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting.” So, there it is, in our most basic confession of faith recited by Christian churches over the last 2,000 years.
And yet, there are some in the Christian church today – just like when Paul wrote to the church at Corinth – who wonder about, doubt, or even deny the resurrection of dead bodies.
The resurrection of dead bodies on the last days has not been the most popular view over the centuries. Back in the days of the Roman Empire the most common religious and philosophical view was that the soul would continue after death but the body, the dead body, would remain dead. In Acts 17, when Paul was debating and explaining to Stoic and Epicurean philosophers, he was written off and ridiculed mainly because of his teaching on the resurrection of corpses, including the resurrection of the dead body of Christ (Acts 17:18, 30-32).
Throughout history right up until today, most religions deny the resurrection of dead bodies. They have a different understanding. Hinduism instead teaches reincarnation, and something called Moksha (basically when one is liberated from reincarnation and the soul is united or becomes a part of an eternal bliss). Buddhism is similar. Buddhists reject the resurrection the body, believe in reincarnation, but because they don’t believe in the soul in the usual sense, they believe in Nirvana which is a place or condition where the individual self does not exist – a condition of no suffering but also a condition of total emptiness. Then there is what can be called Spiritism which rejects the resurrection of dead bodies and instead teaches that upon death the soul joins the spirit world: they become spirits or ghosts that can sometimes communicate with the living. This would include the occult, many native American religions, and what we call pagan and polytheistic religions.
But here’s something interesting: today many liberal Christian church denominations – those that do not respect the inspiration and inerrancy of the Word of God – often question or doubt or deny the resurrection of the dead. They believe the soul lives on, but the body, once it is dead, is dead.
These liberal churches have been influenced by another worldview that denies the resurrection of dead bodies: Modernism, that essentially says all that exists is the natural world: there is no soul to live on and definitely no chance of dead bodies coming back to life.
So, resurrection body deniers or doubters are everywhere, in every generation, in most religions and worldviews and philosophies. “There is no resurrection of dead bodies,” they say.
But a few (and only a few) religions believe in the resurrection of the dead: biblical Christianity (of course), Judaism (though not all branches), and Islam (though with Islam, their understanding of the resurrection of the dead is quite bizarre and, in many ways, contrary to the Christian teaching on the resurrection).
Why is this important? Why is it important to understand and believe in the resurrection of dead bodies on the last day? That is what Paul focuses on in our text. It can be summed up in this one phrase: Ideas have consequences.
“Let’s carry this further,” he says. “If Christ and his body have not been raised, our preaching is in vain, your faith is useless, we are a bunch of liars for we have been claiming he has been raised from the dead when, according to your thinking, the dead are not raised. And this means your sins are not really forgiven for they depend on a crucified and risen Christ. It means you and your loved ones who have believed in Christ have no real hope, you will all perish. It also means we Christians are just a bunch of idiots, the most pitiful creatures on the face of the earth.”
In other words, there’s a lot riding on this one idea. There are severe and eternal consequences that can and will become a reality if you start with the idea that dead bodies will not be resurrected.
How in the world did this happen to some of those at the church in Corinth? And can it happen today?
In the case of the Corinthian Christians, some brought with them this idea and belief of their former religion, or their popular culture – a belief they should have not brought with them. When people by grace and the Holy Spirit are converted and become Christians, they are to leave behind all that is not in keeping with true biblical teachings. We say “yes” to the Word of God and “no” to anything contrary to it, no matter where it comes from. This some of the members at Corinth failed to do. They brought with them the idea that there is no resurrection of dead bodies.
The same is true for those who do not come into the Christian Church from some other religion or worldview but have been brought up in the church practically their whole lives. Ideas, teachings, assumptions, beliefs – no matter how reasonable they may seem; no matter how “factual,” “scientific,” “fair,” “tolerant,” “loving,” or “just” they may seem – if they conflict with and are contrary to clear biblical teachings, we do not allow them entrance into the teaching and practice of the church and into the heart, soul, and mind of the Christian.
Think about it: some will say, “The resurrection of the dead is not reasonable! It’s not scientific!” First of all, the resurrection is not unreasonable, and it is not unscientific. It is not contrary to either reason or science. But most importantly, it is biblical. And so we say, “Here I stand” and not “No, I stand over there with the majority” or whatever.
What this calls for and means for you, first of all, is careful and thorough instruction in and meditation upon the Word of God. This is why we have sermons. And this is why you have a Bible. It also why we have Sunday School, youth and adult instruction classes, Bible studies. It is why there are great things to read: devotion books, commentaries, the Small Catechism, other confessions of faith, magazines like the Lutheran Sentinel, and other sound Christian books. Today there are a number of good Christian podcasts to listen to.
But this also calls for making sure we are not unnecessarily immersed in or dependent on or attached to or blindly and uncritically follow or casually read or listen to the ideas and views of popular culture, for they can be and often are anti-Christian. That’s a loaded statement, so me repeat it. For the sake of the essential truths about Christ, the events of his life, and the free forgiveness he brought, we must make sure we are not unnecessarily immersed in or dependent on or attached to or blindly and uncritically follow or casually read or listen to the ideas and views of popular culture. Social media, news media, K-12 education, college, company policies, politicians, our favorite movie stars, singers, and athletes, popular books (especially children’s books) – all these can sometimes promote ideas and beliefs that end up in a head-on crash with Christianity. Not always, but often enough so that what is required is wisdom and discernment and restraint on the part of the Christian. I say this because too many times I have seen simple faith in Christ polluted and die. I have talked to many over the years who profess to be Christians but who have ideas that are not good, not biblical. Sometimes I have been able to ask them, “Where did you come up with this?” And they will on occasion say, “I heard it on the news.” Or “I read it in National Geographic.” Or “I learned it in my college course.”
We could say the Christian approach to life involves three things. First, we hear and learn the Word of God and believe what is says. Second, we approach the world with discernment and wisdom, marking that which is false wherever it is found and say “no” to it. Third, because we are in an ever-constant battle with our sinful nature, the world, and Satan, we need his unconditional and never-failing grace; we come to means of grace, the gospel in Word and Sacrament; we come to and receive the crucified and risen Christ, we come to and receive his free forgiveness, his free redemption, his unrelenting comfort and strength. So today, you not only hear the message of Jesus, but many of you also receive him in the Sacrament. That is what you need to do.
These verses of St. Paul are a warning. It is why he ends this subsection in v. 34 with the words, “Come to your senses and stop sinning; for some people are ignorant about God. I say this to your shame.” But today’s verses, and especially the whole chapter, are for our comfort, encouragement, guidance, and strengthening. So we close with the last verse of our text: “But as it is, Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.” Jesus, who died for the forgiveness of all your sins, is first to rise; then we, who truly believe in him and his forgiveness, will be next. Just wait and see, just hope and see, just believe and see. As it happened to him, it will happen to you. As he said, “Because I live, you also will live” (John 14:19).
Amen
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