What If There Was No Resurrection? (1 Corinthians 15)

Scripture reading – 1 Corinthians 15

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* Please note that words and phrases in brackets are the author’s amplification.

1 Corinthians 15

Today’s Scripture reading shifts from spiritual gifts (1 Corinthians 12-14) to the central doctrine of our faith: the bodily resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead (1 Corinthians 15). Paul’s exposition of the Gospel (the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, 1 Corinthians 15:1-4) makes 1 Corinthians 15 one of Scripture’s most significant chapters.

Are You Guilty of Blind Faith?

“Blind faith” means placing trust or confidence in something or someone that has not been, or cannot be, proven. Some say glibly, “You’ve just got to have faith.” Faith in what? Faith in whom? Many follow religious personalities and cults that require “blind faith.” Are Bible believers to be numbered among the “blind faith” followers of men and religions?

In what or in whom do we put our faith? The writer of Hebrews defined faith as “the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen” (Hebrews 11:1). Was the author of Hebrews advocating blind faith? Not at all. The author stated that true faith produces tangible, concrete answers. True faith is not blind. It is the opposite of blindness. True faith walks circumspectly, following a set, concrete path. God never asks His people to walk in darkness. Rather, He asks His followers to walk in the Light, follow His path, and rest (trust) in Him along the journey.

To state plainly, ours is not blind faith but a confident faith in God’s Word, truths, and promises. The apostle John wrote, “These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God” (1 John 5:13).

The Heart of the Gospel: The Certainty of Christ’s Resurrection (1 Corinthians 15:1-7)

In 1 Corinthians 15, Paul assured believers that Jesus Christ had risen from the dead. Some in Corinth were saying, “that there is no resurrection of the dead” (1 Corinthians 15:12). Paul responded by pointing to the heart of the Gospel: the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

Paul did not urge believers in Corinth to have “blind faith.” Instead, he assured them, saying, “I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand” (1 Corinthians 15:1).

The apostle again shared three great truths. First, “Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures” (1 Corinthians 15:3; Isaiah 53:5-7). He continued, “that he was buried” (1 Corinthians 15:4a), leaving no doubt that Jesus was dead and that His body was lifeless when it was removed from the cross. Finally, “he rose again the third day according to the scriptures” (1 Corinthians 15:4b; Psalm 16:10; Matthew 12:40).

Rather than “blind faith,” eyewitnesses attested to Christ’s resurrection from the dead (1 Corinthians 15:5-8). Among them were “Cephas” (i.e., the apostle Peter) and “the twelve” disciples, excluding the traitor Judas (1 Corinthians 15:5). Then, Jesus was “seen of above five hundred brethren at once” (the greater part of whom were still alive when Paul penned this letter, 1 Corinthians 15:6). One, named James, was a witness to Jesus’ resurrection (1 Corinthians 15:7a). Scholars believe he was the half-brother of Jesus (Galatians 1:19), who became the head of the church in Jerusalem (Acts 15:13-21). Paul also identified other witnesses as apostles (1 Corinthians 15:7b).

Paul’s Encounter with Christ (1 Corinthians 15:8-9)

Paul then gave his account and observation of the risen Christ, whom he encountered on the road to Damascus when the Lord’s heavenly glory temporarily blinded him (Acts 9:3-9). Paul wrote, “Last of all he was seen of me also, as of one born out of due time” (1 Corinthians 15:8). He went on to express his sense of unworthiness that he, the persecutor of the church, should see Christ in His heavenly glory and be called an apostle (1 Corinthians 15:9).

Christ is Resurrected from the Dead. (1 Corinthians 15:10-19) 

Jesus Christ’s resurrection from the dead is central to our faith and motivates our bold, unapologetic declaration of the Gospel. Without the resurrection, preaching a crucified Savior would be a hollow, lifeless, and hopeless message. Without the resurrection, there is no Gospel, no good news, no hope of salvation, no forgiveness of sins, and no eternal life (1 Corinthians 15:14, 17-19).

Paul assured the believers in Corinth, “But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits [the first of many raised from the dead] of them that slept [who died in faith, believing]. ²¹ For since by man [Adam, the first man] came death, by man [Jesus Christ, the last Adam, 1 Corinthians 15:45] came also the resurrection of the dead. ²² For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive” (1 Corinthians 15:20-22). 

Closing thoughts –

Every man, woman, boy, and girl is a son or daughter of Adam. We are born with his fallen, sinful nature and bear the curse and penalty of sin (1 Corinthians 15:22a; Romans 5:12; 6:23a). When a sinner confesses his sin and believes that Christ paid the penalty for his sin by His substitutionary death on the cross (Ephesians 2:13), he is made alive in spirit (i.e., our inner man; Ephesians 2:1, 5). He is also promised that he shall “be made alive” in the resurrection, raised from the dead to life eternal (1 Corinthians 15:22b-23).

What about faith? Simply this: We who are saved put our faith in this: “By grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: ⁹ Not of works, lest any man should boast” (Ephesians 2:8-9).

Blind faith? No! We join Paul in declaring:

“O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? ⁵⁶The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law. ⁵⁷But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Corinthians 15:55–57).

Copyright © 2026 – Travis D. Smith 

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