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1 Corinthians 15:12 “Now if Christ is preached, that He has been raised from the dead, how do some among you say that there is no resurrection of the dead?

  The death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ is the core of the New Testament. Those facts fulfilled prophecy, God’s promises and assure both our salvation and our future. The apostles preached a resurrected Jesus.

  Our passage tells us one of the reasons for this chapter of Corinthians. Chapter 15 is the proof of Christ’s resurrection. Paul shows that it was according to Scriptures. Paul identifies the various witnesses who saw a resurrected Christ. Paul shows how this fits in with death that came about by Adam. Paul then describes what our resurrection will be like. What will we look like, is a common question. He ends this magnificent chapter by telling us that the resurrection takes away the fear of death. This is a powerful chapter. It is a chapter of proof and evidence.

  Our verse today reveals that some did not believe in resurrection, specifically, they did not believe that Jesus was raised.

  Two thoughts first: the passage states, “Now if Christ is preached, that He has been raised from the dead…” This just isn’t any ole’ preaching nor is this anyone preaching, implied is what the apostles had been doing. They were the first to preach this. This wasn’t their idea—it was God’s. They were directed by the Holy Spirit to say these things, which means it did happen.

  The other thought, “how do some among you say that there is no resurrection,” this was being done by non-apostles and by those who had no proof. Their proof would have been that Jesus was still in the grave. Their proof would have crushed Christianity. They didn’t have any. They were just saying stuff. Anyone can do that, and they usually do.

  So here is the grand picture, the great challenge, the Bible on one hand and what someone else says on the other. This is the same thing facing us today. We have the inspired word of God, the Bible and we have people who are denying what it says. Some do it in the pulpit. Time Magazine ran a cover feature recently about Rob Bell and his denial of Hell. Like our passage today, “How do some among you say there is no…” The Bible clearly teaches there is a Hell. Jesus spoke more about Hell than He did Heaven. In Mt 25 Jesus links Heaven and Hell in the same verse. If there is no Hell, then there is no Heaven. If there is a Heaven, then there is a Hell. We don’t like the thought of Hell and more so, we can’t figure out how a loving God and Hell fit together. Does that mean it doesn’t exist?

  Some among you can be in the form of a college lecture where the professor denies creation. Doesn’t the Bible teach God made? Not just in Genesis but all through the Bible, especially in the New Testament.

  Some among you can be in the form of a book where the author denies plain facts about the Bible.

  The great challenge before us is this: Do I, can I, believe the Bible as God gave it to us or do I believe the teachings of man? God provides evidence. Man doesn’t. God’s word is backed by the character and nature of God. It is a trust factor. Man’s ideas are often changing.

  This has everything to do with your faith and devotion to God. Do you accept and follow what you read in the Bible, or only the good stuff and you have mingled in the ideas and theories of man? For instance, a person may say, “I believe in God, yet I accept evolution.” By that statement, that person does not trust what God has said about origins. He doesn’t believe the Bible on that. If he can’t accept the Bible on that, how can he on salvation, or Heaven or anything else. Someone else says, “I love God, but I want to worship the way I feel.” That person doesn’t trust what God says about worship. Worship is a gift toward God and He tells us how to worship Him. He never says, “surprise me.”

  What about divorce? Do you know God has spoken on that? Do you accept what God said there? How about how a church is organized? Or, how a church can raise money?

  The very fiber of our religious life surrounds this question. The Corinthians had been given the inspired message, “Jesus was raised.” But now, they were listening to what someone else had to say and they were thinking, there is no resurrection.

  The question really isn’t about the resurrection, or organization, or divorce, or creation, but what does the Bible say and what am I following? Do I follow all the Bible or just some of it? If not all, why not? And who decides what is important and what isn’t? Who decides which parts are necessary and which ones are not? Do I? Do you? Does any man?

  This simple resurrection question opens a much larger door—one that maybe you’ve never thought of before. Just because a man stands in the pulpit and says stuff, does that mean it’s so? Those brave Bereans in the book of Acts faced similar things. They were hearing things and weren’t sure. They checked the Scriptures daily to see whether they were so (Acts 17:11).  What the Bible said was the final answer. They knew what God said. They stood with God.

  How about you?

Roger