Commentary - 1 Corinthians 15:12-34

Bird's-eye view

In this central passage of the great resurrection chapter, Paul confronts a catastrophic theological error that had crept into the Corinthian church: the denial of the future bodily resurrection. He begins not with abstract philosophy but with the bedrock of the gospel message itself, the resurrection of Jesus Christ. He then masterfully employs a logical argument, a reductio ad absurdum, to show the Corinthians the devastating cascade of consequences that follows from their denial (vv. 12-19). If there is no resurrection, then Christ is not raised, the apostles are liars, our faith is an empty delusion, we are still unforgiven, our departed loved ones are annihilated, and Christians are the most pathetic people on earth.

Having shown them the abyss, Paul pivots with one of the most glorious declarations in Scripture: "But now Christ has been raised from the dead" (v. 20). He then unpacks the triumphant reality of this fact. Christ's resurrection is not a standalone miracle but the first fruits, the guarantee of the great harvest to come. Paul lays out the grand sweep of redemptive history, contrasting the death that came through Adam with the life that comes through Christ. He outlines the order of this new creation: Christ first, then His people at His coming. This leads to a magnificent vision of Christ's present cosmic reign, where He is actively subjugating all His enemies until the very last one, death itself, is abolished. Finally, Paul brings the argument back down to earth, pointing out the practical inconsistencies and foolishness of living as though the resurrection were not true (vv. 29-34). He challenges their strange practices and their worldly hedonism, calling them to sober up theologically and morally.

Outline

Commentary

12 Now if Christ is preached, that He has been raised from the dead, how do some among you say that there is no resurrection of the dead?

Paul begins with the established fact, the central proclamation of the apostolic gospel, which he has already reminded them of at the beginning of the chapter. The sermon they heard, the gospel they received, was that Christ has been raised. This is the fixed point. Given this premise, Paul expresses a kind of logical astonishment. How can you hold to the premise and then deny the necessary conclusion? It is a flat contradiction. If you affirm the particular resurrection of Christ, you have no logical standing to deny the general resurrection of the dead. To deny the possibility of a general resurrection is to pull the rug out from under the specific resurrection of Jesus. The Corinthians were trying to be sophisticated Greeks, spiritualizing everything and jettisoning the "crude" idea of a bodily resurrection. Paul shows them this is not a peripheral issue; it is the whole thing.

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

Here is the first domino to fall. Paul forces them to see the implication of their denial. If the category "resurrection of the dead" is an empty set, then nothing can be in it. If resurrections are impossible, then Christ's resurrection is impossible. You cannot make a special exception for Jesus if you have already declared the whole concept to be a fiction. The Corinthians wanted a spiritual Christ, a risen idea, but not a risen body. Paul binds the two together inextricably. The general truth undergirds the particular event.

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

The second domino. If Christ is still in the tomb, then the apostolic message is hollow, empty noise. The word for "vain" here (kenon) means empty or without content. The gospel is not a collection of ethical teachings or spiritual insights that remain true regardless of what happened to Jesus's body. The gospel is the announcement of a historical event: He died for our sins and was raised on the third day. If that event did not happen, the preaching has no substance. And consequently, their faith is just as empty. Faith must have an object, and the object of Christian faith is the resurrected Christ. Believing in a dead savior is not saving faith; it is just a sad delusion.

15 Moreover we are even found to be false witnesses of God, because we bore witness against God that He raised Christ, whom He did not raise, if in fact the dead are not raised.

The consequences get worse. It is not just that the apostles are mistaken, like someone who gets a fact wrong. They are liars. And not just any liars, but false witnesses of God. They are testifying in God's name to something God did not do. This is blasphemy. They have been telling the world that God the Father vindicated His Son by raising Him, but if the resurrection is a fiction, then they are slandering the character of God Himself. Paul is turning the screws. This is not a matter of polite disagreement over a fine point of theology. This is a matter of truth and lies, of honoring God or blaspheming Him.

16-17 For if the dead are not raised, not even Christ has been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is worthless; you are still in your sins.

Paul repeats the core of his argument for emphasis and then adds the most devastating consequence for his hearers. If Christ is not raised, your faith is not just empty, it is mataiain, which means useless, futile, without result. It accomplishes nothing. Why? Because you are still in your sins. Christ's death on the cross paid the penalty for sin. But His resurrection is the receipt. It is God the Father's public declaration that the payment was accepted, that the debt is canceled. Without the resurrection, we have no divine confirmation that the atonement was successful. A dead savior can't save anybody. If Jesus is still dead, then sin and death won, and we are still under their dominion, unforgiven and without hope.

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

The tragedy extends to those who have already died. The gentle Christian euphemism "fallen asleep" is now a cruel joke. If there is no resurrection, they did not fall asleep in Christ; they were annihilated in Christ. They are gone. Perished. The pagan despair in the face of death would be the correct response. All the comfort the gospel offers to the grieving is a lie. Their hope was a fantasy, and their end was oblivion.

19 If we have hoped in Christ in this life only, we are of all men most to be pitied.

This is the pathetic conclusion of the whole sorry affair. If the Christian hope is limited to the benefits we get in this life, a bit of moral improvement, a nice community, a comforting philosophy, then we are fools. We have endured persecution, practiced self-denial, and staked our entire existence on a lie. The world, which lives for the moment, is wiser than we are. We are pitiable creatures, sacrificing earthly pleasures for a heavenly reward that doesn't exist. Paul's logic is relentless. He wants the Corinthians to feel the full weight of their casual denial. This is not an idea to be toyed with; it is the linchpin of everything.

20 But now Christ has been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who have fallen asleep.

And here is the great turn. Having led them to the edge of the cliff, Paul snatches them back with this glorious, triumphant declaration. The "if" statements are over. This is the fact. "But now..." The entire argument is reversed. Christ has been raised. And His resurrection is not an isolated event. He is the first fruits. This is an Old Testament harvest metaphor. The first fruits were the first sheaf of the barley harvest, offered to God as a pledge and a guarantee of the full harvest that was sure to follow. Christ's resurrection is that first sheaf. He is the prototype of the new humanity. What happened to Him is what will happen to all who are in Him. His resurrection guarantees ours.

21-22 For since by a man came death, by a man also came the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ all will be made alive.

Paul now grounds this reality in the great covenantal structure of Scripture. History is defined by two men, two federal heads: Adam and Christ. Through the one man, Adam, sin and death entered the world and infected his entire race. All who are "in Adam" by natural birth share in his condemnation and death. But God has provided a new head for a new humanity. Through the one man, Jesus Christ, resurrection and life have entered the world. All who are "in Christ" by faith will be made alive. The parallel is sweeping and total. The ruin of Adam is comprehensive, but the restoration in Christ is just as comprehensive, and ultimately more glorious.

23 But each in his own order: Christ the first fruits, after that those who are Christ’s at His coming.

There is a divinely appointed sequence to this harvest. Christ is first. His resurrection has already happened. The next great event in this sequence is the resurrection of "those who are Christ's," which will occur at His parousia, His coming. The harvest is guaranteed, but it unfolds in God's timing. This counters any over-realized eschatology that might claim we already have it all now. The power of the resurrection is at work in us, but the fullness of it awaits the return of the King.

24-26 Then comes the end, when He hands over the kingdom to the God and Father, when He has abolished all rule and all authority and power. For He must reign UNTIL HE HAS PUT ALL HIS ENEMIES UNDER HIS FEET. The last enemy to be abolished is death.

This is one of the most potent descriptions of Christ's present work in all of Scripture. Between His resurrection and the final consummation ("the end"), Christ is reigning. This is not a passive waiting. It is an active, progressive subjugation of His enemies. He must reign. It is a divine necessity. And the purpose of this reign is to abolish all rival claims to authority. This is happening now, in history, through the preaching of the gospel and the advancement of His Church. The kingdom of God is discipling the nations, pulling down strongholds, and putting all things under the feet of Jesus. This process continues until all enemies are subdued. And notice the order: the last enemy to be abolished is death. This means that all other enemies, sin, Satan, rebellious ideologies, tyrannical states, are being dealt with before the final resurrection. This is the engine of a robust, optimistic, postmillennial eschatology. Christ is winning now.

27-28 For HE HAS PUT ALL THINGS IN SUBJECTION UNDER HIS FEET. But when He says, “All things are put in subjection,” it is evident that He is excepted who put all things in subjection to Him. And when all things are subjected to Him, then the Son Himself also will be subjected to the One who subjected all things to Him, so that God may be all in all.

Paul quotes Psalm 8 to confirm the totality of Christ's dominion. All things are put under His feet. Paul adds a clarifying comment: obviously, "all things" does not include the Father who is doing the subjecting. Then he describes the ultimate end. When Christ's mediatorial work is complete, when every enemy is conquered, He will present the perfected kingdom to the Father. The Son's subjection here is not a diminishing of His deity, but rather the successful completion of His mission as the God-man, the Mediator. The goal of all of redemptive history is this: that the triune God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, may be all in all, filling the new creation with His glory.

29 Otherwise, what will those do who are baptized for the dead? If the dead are not raised at all, why then are they baptized for them?

Paul now returns to some practical arguments. This is a notoriously difficult verse, but we don't need to invent strange heretical practices to understand it. Paul is likely making an argument from the common Christian experience. People get baptized and join the church. They are, in a sense, filling the ranks of the saints who have gone before them, who have "fallen asleep." They are being baptized "for" or "with a view to" joining the dead in the hope of the resurrection. If there is no resurrection, this act of joining the ranks of the dead saints is meaningless. Why enlist in an army whose veterans have all been annihilated? The practice of baptism itself testifies to a hope that transcends the grave.

30-32 Why are we also in danger every hour? I affirm, brothers, by the boasting in you which I have in Christ Jesus our Lord, I die daily. If from human motives I fought with wild beasts at Ephesus, what does it profit me? If the dead are not raised, LET US EAT AND DRDRINK, FOR TOMORROW WE DIE.

Paul's second practical argument is his own life. Why would he and the other apostles endure constant suffering, persecution, and the daily risk of death? If this life is all there is, their behavior is insane. His "fighting with wild beasts at Ephesus" may be metaphorical for intense opposition, but the point is the same. He undergoes this suffering for a reward that will come after death. If there is no resurrection, then the Epicurean motto is the only sane philosophy: "Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die." Get what pleasure you can now, because this is all there is. The denial of the resurrection logically leads to hedonism.

33-34 Do not be deceived: “Bad company corrupts good morals.” Become righteously sober-minded, and stop sinning; for some have no knowledge of God. I speak this to your shame.

Paul concludes with a sharp warning. He quotes a common proverb, likely from a Greek play. The point is clear: bad theology leads to bad morality. Hanging around people who deny the resurrection will corrupt you. Their godless philosophy will erode your character. The solution is to "become righteously sober-minded." Wake up from your intellectual and spiritual stupor. Stop sinning, because your sin is connected to your bad doctrine. The fact that some in their church have "no knowledge of God", meaning a true, saving knowledge, is the root of the problem. And Paul says this to their shame. They should be ashamed that such fundamental error and its resulting immorality have found a home among them.