The core of Paul's gospel to the Corinthians is the fact of Jesus' resurrection from the dead. After giving sufficient evidence of His resurrection (1 Cor 15:1-11), he then focused on a group within their congregation who did not believe in the resurrection of the dead (vs.12). He carries out their flawed reasoning to its hopeless conclusion, that Christianity would be a vain religion to follow if there were no resurrection from the dead (vs.13-19).
Paul reassures them that Christ has been raised from the dead (vs.20) and proceeds to use the teaching of types (vs.21-23) to illustrate from O.T. scriptures Jesus and the resurrection.
- He likened the Festival of the First Fruits to be
- a foreshadow of Jesus being the first to be eternally raised from the dead
- a pledge or promise that the rest of the harvest would follow.
- And as in Adam, all who sin die,
- so in Christ, all who believe will be made alive through the resurrection.
The apostle then explains post resurrections events, Jesus will turn His kingdom, the church, over to His Father, after He destroys His enemies by casting them all into the Lake of Fire, they are those who rejected the gospel of Jesus; Satan and the demons; and death and Hades itself (vs.24-28). Those who believe in a risen Savior have their names written in the Book of Life, at the resurrection they rise to live eternally in heaven, those whose names are not found in the Book of Life rise to judgment and end up in the Lake of Fire for all eternity. (Luke 12:4-5, Rev.20:12-15) - Jim