Have you ever heard of ifttt.com? It
stands for “if this, then that.” It’s a website I recently discovered where you
can set up parameters so that if X happens on the internet, Y will happen for
you; for example, if someone posts something on your Facebook page, a text is
sent to your phone. As a geek, I really like it.
For lack of a better illustration, I
thought of that while reading today’s passage. Remember that Paul’s opponents
in the church in Corinth were not (publically) denying the resurrection of
Christ. What they were either questioning or outright denying was the general
resurrection of believers when Christ returns.
This is where Paul’s logic shines
through, in the ultimate “If this, then that” statement. The proposition put
forward by the skeptics was “The dead are not raised to life again. It doesn’t
happen, ever.” The apostle’s rejoinder is simple yet profound: “Well, if the
dead are not ever raised, then you have to believe that Christ wasn’t raised
either.”
Then he steps backwards from that notion
and presents a lesson in reductio ad absurdum.
If you follow their line of “reasoning,” then their whole system falls like a
house of cards. If Christ has not been raised. . .
1)
Our
preaching is useless. Make no mistake, if Christ is still dead
somewhere (more like turned into dust at this point), then the entirety of the
Message of the Bible is “useless.” Anyone who says “I respect the Bible as a
good rule book, but I can’t swallow the miracles [like Thomas Jefferson did]”
hasn’t wrestled enough with what Paul is saying here. If there’s no
Resurrection, then anything else in the Bible is useless.
2)
So
is your faith. If you can’t believe in the Resurrection, then that’s
between you and God, but please don’t pretend that your “faith” is anything but
fairytales. Whatever it is, it’s not biblical Christianity.
3)
The
apostles are false witnesses. Each of them testified--frequently under
oath before God—that they’d seen the Lord Jesus walking around after his death.
Like the old “Liar, Lunatic, Lord” trilemma by C.
S. Lewis, they’re either liars, lunatics, or truth-tellers. Please keep in mind
that if they were making this up, then that means that all the apostles
preached not only a lie, but
something they knew was a lie. And were willing to die for it.
4)
You’re
still in your sins. The Resurrection is completely essential to our
salvation. Jesus frequently predicted it along with just about every prediction
of his Passion, so if he didn’t rise then he’s either a liar or lunatic,
neither of which I’m willing to put my trust in for salvation, thanks much. If he’s not raised, then my sins are not
forgiven, and Hell is my inevitable destiny.
5)
We’re
of all people most to be pitied. If Christ is still dead, then all the
martyrs—those who’ve shed their own blood instead of renouncing their Savior—have
all died in vain. Add to that all the countless men and women throughout history
who’ve given up their families, all their wealth, their homes, their
reputations, and anything else this world can give and take away. If Christ is
still dead, they’re all fools.
Point #5 is a good jumping off point
for addressing a really mysterious and obscure verse, namely vs. 29. Paul is
stretching out his reduction ad absurdum to “If there’s no resurrection, then
why are people baptized for the dead?” Taken in context with the rest of the
chapter and the Bible, here’s the best explanation I’ve read: It’s referring to
Christians who got baptized on behalf of other Christians who’d died (probably
martyred) before they’d been able to get baptized, and this was symbolic of the
truth that baptism represents: Our death to sin and our new life in Christ,
which will one day culminate in us coming out of our graves. Keep in mind that
Paul doesn’t necessarily commend the practice, just the truth behind it.
But however you interpret vs. 29,
the point in vss. 29-32 is the same: If there’s no resurrection, then any baptism is a lie and a cruel joke.
Along with this the dangers which the Corinthians faced with bravery was merely
acts of stupidity. And all the dangers which Paul himself had faced were all
for nothing. If there’s no resurrection, we might as well party like there’s no
tomorrow, since we’re all just dust and ashes in the end.
But Christ did rise from the dead.
And because he rose, we will rise. I went over much of this in our 1st
year in my Easter meditation
“What Difference Does The Resurrection Make?” But here’s a quick summary: Jesus
won everything,
and we’re winners along with him. The Father placed everything under his Son’s
feet: Death, Hell, Satan, along with all creation seen and unseen. All of the
enemies which we face or will ever face are under his feet. And one day we’ll
get to see the final coronation with our own (new) eyes. Can’t wait.
I need to make one final gleaning
from this passage: Doctrine matters. What you believe matters. Yes, we need to be
practical in our faith. But our faith has content. And our
faith—all that we discussed in points 1-5 above--stands or falls with the
Resurrection. If it’s true, then for us it can truly be said “The best is yet
to come.”
Like Jesus asked
Martha “Do you believe this?”
Lord Jesus, I believe. I really do. But I
need some help living that truth out. Please.
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