The Risen Christ, Our Only Hope!

Sabbath School

First and Second Corinthians 

The Power of Christ's Reurrection

Lesson 8 - Monday 

If Christ Has Not Been Raised

Scripture Reading: 1 Corinthians 15:9–19

The resurrection of Jesus Christ is not a minor detail of the Christian faith. It is the foundation of our hope. Paul makes this unmistakably clear in 1 Corinthians 15:9–19. He asks us to consider what would happen if Christ had not been raised from the dead.

The answer is sobering.

If Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is empty, our faith is empty, and our testimony about God is false. Paul even says that we would still be in our sins. Those who have died believing in Christ would have perished. And if our hope in Christ is limited to this present life, Paul says we are “of all men most miserable” (1 Cor. 15:19, KJV).

Without the resurrection, Christianity ultimately has nothing to offer beyond this temporary life.

But Christ has been raised!

That changes everything.

The Resurrection Gives Meaning to Our Faith

Paul connects the resurrection directly to the gospel. Jesus died for our sins, was buried, and rose again. The resurrection demonstrates that His sacrifice was accepted and that death could not hold Him.

The cross tells us that Jesus paid the price for sin. The empty tomb tells us that the One who paid that price conquered death.

Without the resurrection, we have no assurance that death has been defeated. But because Jesus lives, we can look forward to the day when those who have died trusting in Him will live again.

This is why Paul spends so much time defending the resurrection in 1 Corinthians 15. The resurrection is not simply something Christians believe because it sounds comforting. It is central to the gospel itself.

What Happens When a Christian Dies?

This passage also raises an important question: If believers go immediately to heaven when they die, why does Paul place so much emphasis on the future resurrection?

Paul says that if Christ has not been raised, “they also which are fallen asleep in Christ are perished” (1 Cor. 15:18, KJV).

Notice Paul's language. He repeatedly describes death as sleep.

The Bible does not portray death as the final end of a person. Neither does it present death as an eternal state of conscious existence apart from the resurrection. Instead, death is compared to sleep because the dead await the call of the Life-giver.

Jesus Himself used this language. When Lazarus died, Jesus told His disciples, “Our friend Lazarus sleepeth; but I go, that I may awake him out of sleep” (John 11:11, KJV). Lazarus was not described as already enjoying heaven. Jesus spoke of awakening him.

That picture makes the resurrection wonderfully clear.

A sleeping person does not experience the passage of time in the same way as someone who is awake. Likewise, for the believer who dies, the next conscious moment is the resurrection morning.

Why Does the Teaching of Death as Sleep Matter?

Understanding death as sleep protects the central biblical hope of the resurrection.

If the dead are already enjoying the fullness of heaven immediately after death, the resurrection can seem almost unnecessary. But Scripture presents the resurrection as the great future event when Christ returns and calls His sleeping saints from their graves.

Paul says, “The dead shall be raised incorruptible” (1 Cor. 15:52, KJV).

That is our hope.

We are not ultimately waiting to escape our bodies and live forever as disembodied spirits. We are waiting for Jesus to return, raise the dead, transform His people, and give them immortal life.

The resurrection means that God does not abandon His children to death. He remembers them. He will call them by name. The grave cannot permanently keep those who belong to Christ.

Christ's Resurrection Guarantees Ours

Paul says Christ has become “the firstfruits of them that slept” (1 Cor. 15:20, KJV).

Firstfruits are the beginning of the harvest and point toward what is still to come. Christ's resurrection is therefore a guarantee that the resurrection of His followers will follow.

Jesus went into the grave, but the grave could not hold Him.

And because He lives, those who trust Him can face death without despair.

We may grieve when someone we love dies. Jesus does not tell us that death is painless. Even He wept at Lazarus's tomb. But Christian grief is different from hopeless grief.

We grieve while looking forward.

We look forward to the morning when Jesus returns. We look forward to hearing His voice. We look forward to seeing loved ones who died in Christ. We look forward to a world where death will never separate us again.

Our Hope Is Bigger Than This Life

Paul's words in 1 Corinthians 15:19 challenge us to think beyond the present.

If Christ is only useful for making this life better, our hope is small. But Jesus offers something infinitely greater.

He offers resurrection.

He offers victory over death.

He offers eternal life in a world without sin, suffering, sickness, separation, or the grave.

The Christian hope is not merely, “Jesus will help me get through today.”

It is also, “Jesus will raise me from the dead.”

That is why the resurrection matters so much.

When circumstances are difficult, remember that this life is not the end. When death takes someone we love, remember that the grave does not have the final word. When we face our own mortality, remember that Jesus has already conquered death.

The One who came out of the tomb will one day call His children out of theirs.

And when that day comes, death will finally be destroyed.

“But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Cor. 15:57, KJV).

Prayer

Heavenly Father, thank You for the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Thank You that our faith is not built on an empty promise but on a risen Savior. Help us understand the hope of the resurrection and trust Your Word concerning death. When we grieve, remind us that death is not the end for those who sleep in Christ. Give us confidence that Jesus will return and call His faithful children from their graves. Help us live today with our hearts fixed on that glorious morning when death will be no more. Until then, strengthen our faith, deepen our love for You, and help us share the hope of the resurrection with others. In the name of our risen Savior, Jesus Christ, we pray. Amen.

More on Lesson 8:  The Power of Christ's Resurrection  

3rd Quarter Sabbath School: 1st and 2nd Corinthians