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Corinth was in Greece and the Greeks didn’t believe in
bodily resurrection. They thought of the
body as a prison to be freed from. Now
Paul was having to deal with that belief popping up in the church, my
commentary said.
Paul had evidence
to show them that a resurrection had occurred. First,
there were all of the people who saw
the risen Christ, including Paul himself.
Secondly, the salvation of those who’d already believed could not have
happened if there’d been no resurrection.
And thirdly, the Old
Testament Scriptures spoke of the
resurrection.
More importantly, Paul listed reasons for resurrection. “Each
responsible person on earth will share in either the resurrection of life and go to heaven, or the
resurrection of judgment and go to
hell. Knowing this, resurrection becomes
a motivation for evangelism.
Next, he listed suffering.
Why endure it if death ends
it all? “What we do in the body in this life comes up for review at the
judgment seat of Christ. God deals with
the whole person, not just the soul …
If there is no future for the body,
then why suffer and die for the
cause of Christ?”
Then Paul spoke of separation
from sin. “If there is no resurrection,
then what we do with our bodies will have no
bearing on our future … It was time for the Corinthians to wake up and clean up.
Lastly, Paul mentioned death. “The heavenly kingdom is not made for the
kind of bodies we have now … So when Jesus returns, the bodies of living believers will instantly be
transformed to be like His body and the dead believers will be
raised with new glorified bodies …
not subject to decay or death.”
Father, help us to understand that Jesus’ death on the cross
for our sins was very important, but
His resurrection is what guarantees our future. Help me to look forward to that day, and
because of that hope, help me to make the most of the time until He returns to
win others to You and Your kingdom.
Your Brother In Christ,
Gary Ford
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