1 Corinthians 15:14 Commentary and Bible Study

If Christ is not risen – which he cannot be, if the dead do not rise – then it makes our preaching futile, and your faith is also futile. Why is that? Because the resurrection was not just a demonstration of the power of God in overcoming death. It actually accomplished essential things in the plan of salvation. Without Christ rising from the dead, sins committed in the body have not been paid for, death has not been overcome, and God’s purposes for mankind – who has both soul and body – remain unfulfilled; his victory over the devil is incomplete. The Greek word translated ‘vain’ means empty. Our preaching is empty; it is meaningless. All we promise you through the gospel, all we say about salvation, is empty; and your faith is also empty. The resurrection is at the centre of our message, and yet you say the resurrection could not have happened. If you remove the resurrection from the gospel, it is a message without power, without the demonstration that Christ has gained the victory. Satan has the power of death (Hebrews 2:14), but without the resurrection he retains that power. What indication does the church have that Christ can set his people free from Satan’s tyranny?