1 Corinthians 15:13 Commentary and Bible Study

‘But how can you be taken in by this false teaching?’ says the apostle Paul. If there be no resurrection of the dead, then Christ is not risen. You are in effect denying the resurrection of Christ which was preached so clearly to you. That is what they were saying: no resurrection under any circumstances. But Christ also had a body. If the body of believers does not go to heaven, because according to Greek philosophy the body is evil, then how can Christ’s body go to heaven? He is our forerunner and his resurrection is designed in part to show us what our hope should be fixed on. Don’t minimise that hope by removing this element of it: the supernatural transformation of the corrupt body, buried in the earth, into a glorious body fit for heaven. Christ’s bodily resurrection was essential, and so is ours. All that he has experienced as the perfect man is a pattern for each of his people. He was seen after his resurrection and it was so clearly attested because it is something we should hold onto with all our being. The death of the body is such a terrible event just because it separates what we instinctively know must never be separated – the body and soul. Christ’s victory over death would not be complete without it, and it is this victory which takes away our fear of death, the king of terrors.