1 Corinthians 15

Paul takes an entire chapter to deal with a false theology the Corinthian church had allowed to creep into her thinking. Like the Sadducees a group within the church had begun to promote there was no resurrection of the dead. The last verse of the chapter does a great job of summing up what Paul is saying to the fellow believers. "Therefore, my dear brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always excelling in the Lord's work, knowing that your labor in the Lord is not in vain." Paul has spent the majority of these verses in chapter 15 detailing a case for the resurrection of the dead. His supreme example is Jesus Christ himself. Paul states that if Christ were not raised from the dead then their sins have not been erased and their hope is in vain. He also preaches that unless Christ had been raised from the dead then their preaching is in vain and makes no sense. He even speaks with a sense of sarcasm and rhetoric by saying, "If I fought wild animals in Ephesus with only human hope, what good did that do me? If the dead are not raised, Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die." The bottom-line is that Paul passionately offers a strong apologetic for the reason to believe in a resurrection of the dead.

So what does this mean to us? Does it matter if we believe or even think about a resurrection of the dead? Absolutely! While we may not actively discuss this subject on a regular basis our actions and our urgency in sharing Christ vocalize our beliefs. Tim McGraw sings a song titled, "Live Like Your Dying." While this may make for a great song title, there is another side to that, "Live Like Your Dying and Can Live Again." I believe that is what Paul is urging the early church to do in verse 58 when he says, "Therefore, my dear brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always excelling in the Lord's work, knowing that your labor in the Lord is not in vain."

Takeaways

1. If we are in Christ we will live again after a physical death.
2. Live as though you will live again in Christ after death.
3. False theology is always prevalent to combat the Lord's work; therefore, recognize it as of Satan and rebuke it!