AS OF FIRST IMPORTANCE

 

April 22, 2025

1 Corinthians 15:14

And if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith.

1 Corinthians 15:17
And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins.

1 Corinthians 15:19
If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are of all people most to be pitied.

Matthew 12:39-40

He answered, “A wicked and adulterous generation asks for a sign! But none will be given it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of a huge fish, so the Son of Man will be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.

The Apostle Paul wanted to ensure that the church in Corinth remembered “as of first importance”, the vital significance of the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

Simply put, Paul tells them and us very clearly that if the resurrection didn’t actually happen as a real, physical event in history, Christianity is of no value. He says that if Christ has not been raised, preaching the gospel is useless, faith is futile, and those who believe are the most pitiful people (1 Cor. 15:14, 17, 19). 

Why is Paul so firm regarding the importance of the resurrection? Well, it seems to me that it is because everything about Jesus is confirmed as true by the resurrection event. 

Remember that Jesus made claims about Himself, claims to messiahship, claims  about his relationship with God as Father, and many others. Writer  C. S. Lewis pointed out that Jesus was either an outright liar, a lunatic, or He was indeed Lord. Those were the three choices left open for us according to C. S. Lewis.

Jesus also predicted His bodily resurrection and pointed to it as the “sign of Jonah” (Matt. 12:39; see also Luke 11:29). The resurrection is on a solid historical foundation. We will look at this historical foundation the rest of the week and we will find there a some very good reasons that we can be confident that Jesus wasn’t a liar or a madman, but was and is The Lord of All!!


What do you think your first reaction would have been if you had heard the news that Jesus had risen?