Sermon Tone Analysis

Sermon audio available [[here|http://www.firwoodchurch.com/podcast/the-most-important-thing-part-2-gospel-truth-1-corinthians-15/]].

! 1. INTRODUCTION – THE GOSPEL TRUTH DEFENDED

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!! a. Gospel grounded

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1 Corinthians 15 is the Apostle Paul’s response to a church embroiled in doctrinal and moral error.

Throughout the letter we see that the church has been led astray by competing factions (‘I follow Paul or I follow Apollos or I follow Cephas’, 1 Corinthians 3), sexual immorality (chapter 5), a blatant disregard for fellow believers (for example, 8:11) and unbelievers coming into the church (for example, 14:23).

It appears that wrong thinking underpins much of this wrong living, and so Paul addresses their arrogant sense of superiority,

'Already you have all you want!

Already you have become rich!

Without us you have become kings!

And would that you did reign, so that we might share the rule with you!' (1 Corinthians 4:8)

And later, there misunderstanding of what it means to be truly spiritual,

'If anyone thinks that he is a prophet, or spiritual, he should acknowledge that the things I am writing to you are a command of the Lord.' (1 Corinthians 14:37)

Against this backdrop of reproof, exhortation and correction, chapter 15 stands as pivotal.

Paul reminds his fellow believers of the gospel truth,

'Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand, and by which you are being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you— unless you believed in vain.' (1 Corinthians 15:1-2)

As we considered last week, Paul reminds his brothers and sisters that their grounding in the gospel is rooted in the past, they received the gospel; grounded in the present, they stand in the gospel; and looks towards a future consummation, their ultimate salvation is secured upon their holding fast to the gospel.

Similarly, Paul explains that the gospel itself is founded upon a historic event,

'…that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, 4that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures' (1 Corinthians 15:3-4)

Paul continues, from verse 12, by explaining that this historically grounded gospel also anticipates future consummation.

!! b.

Gospel truth challenged

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'Now if Christ is proclaimed as raised from the dead, how can some of you say that there is no resurrection of the dead?' (1 Corinthians 15:12)

As we read Chapter 15, it becomes clear that a faction within the church is denying a future resurrection of believers.

This is important to note.

Often times 1 Corinthians 15 is taken as a defence of the resurrection of Jesus Christ and is used to argue apologetically for the truthfulness of the gospel account.

Now this is not entirely inappropriate, it is important, however, to recognise Paul is addressing opponents who propose ‘that there is no resurrection of the dead.

One must always exercise great care when reconstructing context from fragmentary evidence.

Paul does not explain the precise position of his opponents or the exact nature of this false teaching.

It is clear, however, that the prospect of a future bodily resurrection was totally alien to the prevailing pagan world view.

It is most likely, therefore, that in a predominantly Gentile congregation in an area notorious for idol worship, the idea of a bodily resurrection was mostly at odds with their belief system prior to coming to faith and was almost certainly derived entirely from Paul’s teaching.

It is further likely that this denial of a future resurrection relates to the Corinthians’ misunderstand of what it meant to be spiritual.

It is possible that they looked at the manifestation of tongues and other spiritual gifts and believed that they had received all that is promised in Christ and were, in a sense, living in a resurrected ‘spiritual’ state.

Consider then how Paul sets about correcting this misunderstanding.

!! c.

Gospel truth defended

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'Now if Christ is proclaimed as raised from the dead, how can some of you say that there is no resurrection of the dead?

But if there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised.'

(1 Corinthians 15:12-14)

Notice how Paul changes the terms of the debate: the issue is that some are denying a future resurrection, Paul, however, focuses in on the resurrection of the Son of God.

This is interesting for three reasons.

Firstly, consider the nature of the error.

It does not appear that the opponents of Paul were directly challenging the gospel foundations.

There is no evidence that they were denying the person of Christ, his actual death or even the resurrection.

Taken at face value, it might seem that Paul is overreacting in spending so much time and effort on matter which initially seems peripheral to the core gospel truths.

Paul, however, understands that the implications of this false teaching strikes at the very heart of all that he sets out in verse 1 to 11. Paul understands that to deny the possibility of the future resurrection of believers is, by implication, to deny the resurrection of Christ himself.

There is an important principle at work here.

Last week we discussed the importance of holding fast and contending for foundational gospel truths.

All Christians hold to the truth of the incarnation, that Jesus Christ, the God-Man came, that God became flesh.

Similarly all Christians hold to the truth that ‘Christ died for our sins’ and that ‘he was raised on the third day’.

These matters are of first importance and so believers throughout the ages defend, contend for and proclaim these truths.

We must, however, exercise extreme care in dealing with other apparently less central truths of the gospel.

It is good and right that Christians should seek to live in peace with one another and Scripture does exhort us to avoid pointless controversy.

It is, however, sadly true that some believers avoid taking a stand on gospel issues because they are afraid of conflict.

In such circumstances it is too easy to dodge the issue and disengage from the battle with a shrug of the shoulders in expectation that the truth will out in the end.

Paul however understood the gospel deeply and, as such, recognised the implications of this false teaching.

He understood that to deny a future resurrection of the dead would eventually lead to a challenging, and perhaps dismissal, of Christ’s resurrection.

He further saw that such teachings impacted in a very real way upon the lives of behaviour of believers in Corinth (Paul addresses this directly from verse 29).

It is important to note that believers must show wisdom in dealing with error to ensure that the central truth of the gospel is not undermined no matter how subtly or indirectly.

We rightly defend foundational gospel truths.

It is important, however, that we are sensitive in dealing with seemingly peripheral issues to ensure that we do not allow the gospel to be eroded from the edges.

Secondly, note how Paul deals with error.

Now when I talk about the Corinthian error, I talk about it in the broadest possible terms.

As we read the chapter, we will discover that Paul strongly hints that much of the moral degeneration of the Corinthian believers is rooted in this over-realised eschatology and over-emphasis on the now.

Paul corrects error with the gospel.

This is so important for believers to understand.

You and I, whether in the home, with our friends and family, in church or in ministry, find ourselves having to confront moral and doctrinal error.

We must be careful to follow Paul’s example to apply the gospel to every situation.

To the person struggling with very real temptation and sin, we must point them towards the sufficiency of the cross and the promise of new life in Christ.

To the couple struggling in their marriage, we must point them to the example of the cross in which Christ, the perfect husband, dies for the good of his wife, the church.

To the employee unhappy in their job, perhaps facing injustice and hardship on account of their faith, we point to Christ who took the role of a servant and humbled himself even to death.

Paul understood, and we must be reminded, that the gospel is the solution to every problem, because, at its heart, every problem is a sin problem and the answer and solution to the sin problem is found in the death and resurrection of the Son of God.

And so Paul answers this error by pointing believers to the resurrection of Christ and the hope that we have in him.

Thirdly, consider the way in which Paul defends the gospel position: he argues systematically and logically.

Again this is important as this stems from Paul’s conviction that the gospel is historically, objectively and verifiably true.

The sad truth is that Christians so rarely defend the gospel in this way because we lack confidence in our position.

Paul applies logic to the gospel confident that the gospel can bear such scrutiny and so must we.

Paul points toward nine foundational truths regarding the resurrection of Christ.

! 2. THE GOSPEL TRUTH EXPLAINED

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!! a. Hope grounded

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'Now if Christ is proclaimed as raised from the dead, how can some of you say that there is no resurrection of the dead?

But if there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised.

And if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain.

We are even found to be misrepresenting God, because we testified about God that he raised Christ, whom he did not raise if it is true that the dead are not raised.

For if the dead are not raised, not even Christ has been raised.

And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins.

Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished.

If in Christ we have hope in this life only, we are of all people most to be pitied.

(1 Corinthians 15:12-19)

Paul understands that the denial of a future resurrection of believers denies the historic resurrection of Christ and that such a denial utterly dismantles the gospel.

Paul systematically exposes the folly of his opponents’ position by unpacking the centrality of the resurrection.

!!! i.

The resurrection of Christ confirms the truthfulness of the gospel

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'And if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain.

We are even found to be misrepresenting God, because we testified about God that he raised Christ, whom he did not raise if it is true that the dead are not raised.'

(1 Corinthians 15:14-15)

Paul argues that if the resurrection did not take place, his preaching and our believing are pointless.

Notice the way in which Paul argues throughout this section in exposing the implications in denying the gospel truth of the resurrection.

Paul understands that, in so doing, his readers will understand the centrality of this doctrine.

And so we must begin by asking why Paul’s preaching and our believing would be in vain if the resurrection did not take place?

Can we not, as one senior figure in the Anglican Church suggested, simply extract moral and metaphorical meaning from this story without accepting it as being literally true?