1 Corinthians 15: An Easter StudySample

An Important Reminder

Whenever I think about the Resurrection, I think of the significance. But before we dive into how significant the fact that Christ rose from death is, I’d like to challenge you. As you go through this five-day reading, consider reading all of 1 Corinthians 15 before you read, meditate, and pray through each day’s passage. I believe this will give you a deeper appreciation of what the Lord has done on our behalf through Easter.

A few Sundays ago, I got the opportunity to preach at my church. I told the congregation a gospel-centered reading of any Bible passage has to start with two leading questions:

1. How is this passage leading me to repent (dealing with my sinful nature)?
2. And the more important question: What is God doing in this passage?

We don’t have time to dive into each verse of 1 Corinthians 15 in this devotional, but we can ask these two questions. Specifically, what has the Lord done through the Resurrection?

Paul starts the chapter with an important reminder. His reminder is two-fold, based on both need and facts. We need the Resurrection. “By this gospel you are saved” (verse 2). This passage breathes into our inner being why we must fill ourselves with the hope that comes from Jesus coming back to life after three days.

Moreover, Paul affirms that in order to hold on to our faith and salvation, the Resurrection has to be true. Imagine life if we had no hope to be transformed from our body of decay, or even more, from our deeply sinful nature. That would be a hopeless life. The original readers of 1 Corinthians heard a great defense for the case of the Resurrection. The fact that Christ appeared to more than 500 people fulfilled their need for eyewitness evidence that Jesus did indeed defeat death by resurrecting. We base the foundation of our faith on the same conclusion.

The Resurrection reminds us of our need to be made new because the gospel offers a complete hope: on the one hand, our sinful nature died as He died for our sins; on the other hand, and even more incredible, we rise with Him as He shares the newness of His resurrection life. Glory to Him for He has risen.