WEDNESDAY September 30, 2026 “The Futility of Christianity?” (1 Cor. 15:12-19)

Hello, my ‘Walking with Jesus’ friends,

Many people consider Christianity to be nothing more than wishful thinking, offering false hope to people who believe in things they cannot prove tangibly. What if? What if they are right?  

That’s what many people in mid-first century Corinth were saying about those people who claimed to be Christians. So, Paul was led by the Holy Spirit of God to address this issue head on in chapter 15 of Paul’s letter we’ve been reviewing. Yesterday we looked at Paul’s foundational claims about the greatest news of all time, ‘the Gospel’. (1 Cor. 15:1-7) 

Today let’s watch as Paul tackles THE cornerstone issue of the Christian faith which is doubted by most people then and now… the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. I wonder if you believe the resurrection we celebrate at Easter is true and what has convinced you? And have you considered the implications for you and our world if the resurrection of Jesus is a myth, an outright lie?

Paul wrote: “If it is proclaimed that Jesus Christ has been raised from the dead, how can some of you say that there is NO resurrection of the dead? If there is NO resurrection from death, then not even Jesus Christ has been raised. And if Jesus Christ has NOT been raised from the dead, our preaching is useless and so is your faith. More than that, we are then found to be false witnesses about God, for we have testified that God raised Jesus Christ from the dead…” (1 Cor. 15:12-15) It’s a straightforward and legitimate question, isn’t it? In fact, it’s a line of demarcation between essential, fundamental truth and deception.

Death is very real and undeniable. Death is verifiable for we have all seen dead bodies. Death is scientifically the assured eventual experience of EVERY living thing, especially humans. Once death happens, decay begins immediately. 

Resurrection would be an experience that reversed the inevitable reality of death. Resurrection would restore to life that which was confirmed as dead and decaying. As death is easily verifiable by a wide range of metrics, so resurrection would need to be equally verifiable, isn’t that logical? So, how many resurrected human beings have you seen, touched, talked with, had a meal with? And so how can you be sure resurrection is real if you’ve never seen a resurrection or a resurrected person? 

Paul was writing this letter about 30 years after the events we celebrate each year at Easter… the death, resurrection and ascension of Jesus Christ. We can safely presume no one alive in Corinth had seen the resurrected Jesus in Jerusalem 30 years before. Paul was writing from Ephesus to Corinth and the claims about Jesus were all based in Jerusalem several hundred miles away. So, what proof could Paul offer to support his claims about the resurrection of Jesus as he faced the doubters?

Then and now it is more than a debate about the truth or lie of a resurrection claim. More important are the implications of NO resurrection. So, Paul wrote: “If the dead are NOT raised then Jesus Christ has not been raised either. And if Jesus Christ has not been raised your faith [in God] is futile and you are still in your sins. Then those who have fallen asleep in Christ are also lost. If only for this life we have hope in Jesus Christ, we are of all people most to be pitied.” (1 Cor. 15:16-19) 

Could the consequence of believing the resurrection is true but then discovering that it’s a lie be any more disastrous, detrimental, tragic, or traumatic? Is Paul telling the horrific truth? YES, absolutely YES! 

If the resurrection of Jesus Christ is NOT TRUTH, then…

First… Jesus must still be dead and long ago decayed to nothing but dust… without His resurrection. 

Second… ALL our faith in God is futile and worthless. God cannot be trusted, without the resurrection of Jesus.

Third… Everything Jesus Christ said and did, including His miracles and His death on the cross are all meaningless without His resurrection.

Fourth…We are all still inescapably enslaved to our sin and sin forgiveness is impossible without Jesus’ resurrection. 

Fifth… There is no possibility of our rescue from our sin condemnation without the resurrection of Jesus! And therefore we, and all our deceased Christian loved ones, are destined for hell without the resurrection of Jesus Christ! 

Sixth… Without the hope of heaven after death, or the hope of living life here and now in a sin forgiven relationship with God, then human life is nothing but despair without the resurrection of Jesus! 

Pause… do you understand how those six statements are terrible reality without the resurrection of Jesus Christ? Without the resurrection of Jesus, I have no reason to wake up tomorrow morning or live one more day, what about you, my friends? And yet this is how most of our world’s population is living right now, do you know that? Either they’ve never heard about the resurrection of Jesus, or they deny that it’s true. 

Oh my, we need to look closely at the ‘lessons learned’ notes at the link below, before we take one step out into this day. And I’m NOT giving us a song today, because without the resurrection of Jesus ALL the worship songs I have used are nothing but lies! And I’ll be here tomorrow ready to look at what the alternative is… what if the resurrection IS true?