“If Christ has not been raised,” 1 Cor. 15:13-26

1 Cor. 15:13-26


Pastor Tom Johnson, March 27, 2016

Our second Scripture reading invites us to imagine a world—a world where there is no resurrection of the dead—as if Christ has not been raised—as if life after death is the myth that some say it is. What would lives be like if he is, indeed, not risen? “If Christ has not been raised from the dead then our preaching is in vain.” All those Sunday mornings when you could have slept in—all those sermons you’ve listened to—it was all in vain. It was a waste of time. If Christ has not been raised, Paul says, “We are misrepresenting God.”

All those people you know, pastors, DCEs, teachers, parents, or grandparents who told you about Jesus, they are all liars. They are propagators of a fantasy world. Whether they know it or not, they are purveyors of falsehood. They are tellers of idle tales. If Christ has not been raised, Paul says, “your faith is futile”—your faith in a Creator is a delusion. You were not loved before the foundation of the world. You are not fearfully and wonderfully made. God did not knit you together in your mother’s womb. No one knows the number of hairs on your head. If Christ has not been raised, “You are still in your sins”—you and I are still broken, unhappy, and hazardous human beings. “Amazing myth, how bitter the sound, that deludes a wretch like me. I once was lost, am still not found; was blind and never shall see.” If Christ has not been raised, Paul says, “We are above all people most to be pitied.” We are the most sorry lot of humanity on the planet. If Christ has not been raised, then Karl Marx is right: religion is the opiate of the masses; our faith is the heroin epidemic we abuse to self-medicate our hopeless lives. If Christ has not been raised, the world should be reaching out to us in compassion. There should be mercy ministries to Christians to rescue us from mass-generational delusion. If Christ has not been raised, we are indeed a pathetic people.

If Christ has not been raised, Paul says, “Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished.” There is no one to lead us through the valley of the shadow of death. Death is eternal lights out. Death is permanent silence. No angels. No streets paved in gold. No tree of life. No Savior. Nothing. If Christ has not been
raised, death is ultimate reality. Death is the end of all things. Science tells us that even the Sun will run out of energy and die. The galaxies will one day collapse on each other or collide. The universe will one day implode. If Christ has not been raised, we should certainly eat, drink, and be merry now, for tomorrow we die.

I’m so glad that our Scripture only wants us to entertain this imaginary world for so long. I am so happy that we can leave the ifs behind. This is Resurrection Sunday. There is no if. Christ is risen indeed. “But in fact,” our text says, “Christ has been raised from the dead.” Death has entered into the world. But so has the resurrection! We all know death is part of the human experience. But, as Christians, we believe eternal life to be the outcome of our hope in the resurrected Christ.

Since Christ is risen, we have an anchor in life. We have the assurance of grace to calm our anxious lives. Since Christ is risen, we know that we have overcome death. “He is not here,” the angel says, “but has risen.” Actually, when I think about this Scripture, “If for this life only we have hoped in Christ, we are of all people to be pitied,” I feel badly for those who do not have this hope. In fact, I know God looks at all of us with compassion. He wants the whole world to have the same joy we Christians have this Sunday morning. He wants us all to know that hope prevails over despair, good over evil, and life over death. We can live our lives with true and holy optimism.

Because Christ has been raised, faithful preaching will powerfully proclaim and deliver eternal life. Because Christ has been raised, we have the privilege of passing on this treasure from generation to generation. Because Christ has been raised, “faith is the assurance of things hoped for, [and] the conviction of things not seen” (Heb 11:1). Because Christ has been raised, we are not temporary occupants of a dying planet but citizens of a heavenly kingdom. Because Christ has been raised, we are not in our sins but have received the full pardon and forgiveness of our sins. Because Christ has been raised, all those who fall asleep in Christ “have not perished but have eternal life” (Jn 3:16). Because Christ has been raised, “even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil.” Because Christ has been raised, “Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life. And I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever” (Ps 23). Because Christ has been raised,

I know that my Redeemer lives;
What comfort this sweet sentence gives!
He lives, He lives, who once was dead;
He lives, my everliving head.

He lives and grants me daily breath;
He lives, and I shall conquer death;
He lives my mansion to prepare;
He lives to bring me safely there.

Alleluia, Christ is risen! He is risen indeed, Alleluia!