Chapter 15 explores the resurrection of Jesus. This second part of that chapter focuses on the reality of resurrection bodies through faith in Jesus. (1 Corinthians 15:35-58)
Sermon Outline
For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. For the perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality. (1 Corinthians 52b-53)
How Could Our Bodies Possibly Be Resurrected? (1 Corinthians 15:35-44)
- God can manipulate matter.
- Learn from the analogy of seeds and plants.
Why Will Our Bodies Be Resurrected? (1 Corinthians 15:45-50)
- The first man (Adam) and the heavenly man (Jesus) both have far-reaching effects on humanity.
- Our natural bodies can’t survive in the new, heavenly environment.
When Will Our Bodies Be Resurrected? (1 Corinthians 15:51-56)
- Our bodies will be raised at Jesus’ 2nd coming.
- There are two possibilities of what happens to us between death and the 2nd Coming.
- In Christ, we will experience victory over death.
What Does This Radical Passage in 1 Corinthians 15 Mean for Us Today? (1 Corinthians 15:57-58)
- Your body is part of God’s plan.
- We’re on the right side of history with our faith.
- Everything we do for the Lord counts eternally.
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
- God’s creation of human beings was his highest work in Genesis. How does Paul’s order of created beings in 1 Corinthians 15:39-41 compare to the order laid out in Genesis 1 and 2?
- The Corinthians were scaling overspiritualizing the resurrection and thus were scaling down the gospel. Are you ever tempted to scale down your Christian beliefs to make them seem less strange or more palatable to non-believers?
- Read Matthew 22:23-32. How is Jesus’ response in Matthew 22:29 similar to what Paul says in 1 Corinthians 15:36?
- Many Christians believe in a non-somatic immortality, i.e. that our souls live forever, separate from our bodies. Why do you think some Christians have trouble believing in our bodily resurrection? Read Phil 3:20-21.
- Do you think the Christian belief in the bodily resurrection has any implications for respecting corpses? What about any implications for or against cremation?
- Look at 1 Corinthians 15:1-2 and then compare to 1 Corinthians 15:58. On what exactly does Paul say Christians should stand firm?
- How does Colossians 3:23-24 help us understand 1 Corinthians 15:58?
- Discuss this quote from Eugene Peterson: “Christian beliefs are often out of fashion. We don’t take a vote every year on what beliefs are in vogue and modify our creed accordingly.”
DIG DEEPER
- Watch “The Trumpet Shall Sound” from Handel’s Messiah
- Read William Lane Craig’s piece on what happens when we die
- Read Heaven by Randy Alcorn
- Memorize 1 Corinthians 15:58: “Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.”