Exploring the Scripture

In this passage, Paul writes the church in Corinth. He defends Christ’s resurrection and its meaning to a congregation of new Christians.

Why is Paul teaching and proclaiming the resurrection to this new church of Christians in Corinth? The city is far from Jerusalem, where a group called Sadducees did not believe in bodily resurrection. They are not in Paul’s audience. However, in the Roman Empire, many groups had various beliefs. Some believed in life after death. Others did not.

Corinth was a Greek city, now part of the Roman Empire. The population was mostly Gentiles. The city was a major seaport, a city of commerce. It had a mix of cultures, religions, and pleasures. Why is faith in Christ’s resurrection so important?

Historians’ best understanding is the church in Corinth is about five years old. Paul explains the meaning of Christ’s resurrection to a diverse group brought together by faith in this man called Jesus Christ. Two possible reasons explain why Paul is highlighting this doctrine.

One is that Paul met the resurrected Christ on the road to Damascus (Acts 9:1–19, 22:6–21 and 26:12–18). Paul is an apostle who did not walk with Jesus on the streets of Judea.

A second reason is Paul’s theology centers on what God has done in Christ. God’s love through Christ’s resurrection releases all from the grip of death and sin. Faith in this liberation is essential. For Paul, this is a key meaning of resurrection or life after death.

Faith in Christ is not faith in a miraculous one-time event. Faith in the resurrected One is faith in the resurrection itself. Faith in what God has done is faith in God as the source of life and creation. Paul’s God is a God of life. In Christ’s resurrection, life over death has won.

Project Zion Podcast

Hosts Karin Peter and Blake Smith consider how this week's scripture connects to our lives today.

LISTEN

Central Ideas

1. For Paul, believing in the resurrection is essential. Through Christ’s resurrection, God shows purpose for offering new life and making a new creation.
2. God’s purpose in Jesus is the resurrection and new life for us and all creation.
3. We cannot know the full meaning of resurrection unless we include an understanding of life after death and the spiritual rebirth faith in Christ brings. Even as a metaphor, Paul’s teaching is powerful.
4. God is a God of life. If we focus on sin, death, and judgment, we miss the point of the gospel.

Questions to Consider

1. What do Jesus’s death and resurrection mean to you? How do you understand the meaning of resurrection? How do others understand it?
2. How do you understand Paul’s idea that death is the price for sin? To answer this question, we must consider sin beyond personal sin and think about the world, human brokenness, and shared sins of the world. What does a full restoration and new life mean to you, and how does it affect all creation?
3. If we die with Christ, as Paul preaches, how does faith in the resurrection bring about new life and new creation?
4. How might we live this faith in God’s power of new life each day?