BIG IDEA:
THE FAITHFUL PROCLAMATION OF THE GOSPEL – FOCUSED IN THE DEATH AND ESPECIALLY THE HISTORICALLY ATTESTED RESURRECTION OF THE PERSON OF JESUS CHRIST – ACCOMPLISHES SALVATION BY THE GRACE OF GOD
INTRODUCTION:
Paul Gardner: First Corinthians 15 can appear at first sight to sit at a distance from the rest of this epistle. It is one of Paul’s longest expositions on one particular subject in all his writings and deals with the resurrection of Jesus and the consequent resurrection of those who belong to him. Without doubt this chapter has always been regarded as of crucial importance for the whole of the Christian faith in the way it spells out the facts of the faith and develops the subject of the resurrection with all its implications for Christians. However, its links to the rest of the book are clear and must not be overlooked. Paul began the epistle with an emphasis on God’s grace given to the Corinthian church in Christ. They had received grace-gifts from God, but only as part of God’s gracious calling of them to be his people. Paul repeatedly drew his readers back to their commitment to Christ as Lord (e.g., 1:2, 10, 31; 2:8; 5:4; 8:6; 10:21–22), to an understanding of the implications of their belief in Christ crucified (1:17–25; 5:7; 6:20; 11:17–32), and to the recognition that until “the end,” the “day of the Lord” (e.g., 1:7–8; 3:13; 4:5), they are sustained by God’s grace (1:4; 3:10) because God is faithful (1:9; 10:13). He has repeatedly demonstrated that they must live, knowing that the present age will come to an end in judgment and resurrection (1:2, 7–8; 2:9; 6:2–3, 13; 7:29; 9:24; 10:11). Therefore, it is always to the “faith,” the “gospel” of Jesus Christ, that Christians must constantly return.
The Facts of the Gospel Secured by the Resurrection of Christ (15:1–11)
- A Reminder of the Gospel and Its Results (15:1–2)
- The Content of the Gospel That Was Preached and Received (15:3–5)
- Witnesses to the Resurrected Christ (15:6–8)
- Paul Preached the Same Gospel as Other Apostles with the Same Result (15:9–11)
John MacArthur: Just as the heart pumps life-giving blood to every part of the body, so the truth of the resurrection gives life to every other area of gospel truth. The resurrection is the pivot on which all of Christianity turns and without which none of the other truths would much matter. Without the resurrection, Christianity would be so much wishful thinking, taking its place alongside all other human philosophy and religious speculation.
Richard Hays: Paul is quoting an early confessional formula (vv. 3b-5). The face that he “received” this tradition from others (presumably from the witnesses mentioned in vv. 5-7) shows that this confession is very ancient indeed, probably datable to the time surrounding Paul’s own call to apostleship – in other words, back to within about three years after Jesus was crucified in Jerusalem. Thus, the opening paragraph of 1 Corinthians 15 is a testimony of inestimable value concerning the form in which the gospel was preached in the very first generation of Christianity.
Paul goes back to this bedrock confession in order to make the point that “the resurrection of the dead” is not merely some idiosyncratic speculation that can be set aside by those who claim more sophisticated knowledge; rather, it is a matter “of first importance” (v. 3). It is an integral part of the euaggelion (“good news”) on which those who believe take their stand (v. 1; cf. Gal. 1:11). The resurrection of Jesus and his subsequent appearance to a long list of witnesses is at the heart of the gospel proclaimed in the church; without this foundational truth, there would be no church because there would be no gospel. Those who hold fast to this truth are saved by it – unless, Paul remarks in a deft foreshadowing of verses 12-19, the whole thing is a sham and their faith is “in vain” (v. 2; cf. vv. 10, 14, 17, 58).
Karl Barth: The Resurrection of the Dead is the point from which Paul is speaking and to which he points. The resurrection … forms not only the close and crown of the whole epistle, but also provides the clue to its meaning, from which place light is shed on the whole … as a unity.
Mark Taylor: In light of what follows in 15:12–19, Paul’s major premise is that the resurrection of Christ, which is central to the gospel, proves that the resurrection of the dead is possible. The concise, formulaic presentation of the components of the gospel in 15:1–5 suggests traditional, creedal material uniformly proclaimed by apostolic witnesses. It is possible that the formulation is Paul’s own, or that he expanded on an existing creed to include a larger circle of witnesses beyond Peter and the Twelve (15:6–8). Either way, there are four components of the gospel listed, each introduced by the same conjunction in Greek.
- Paul delivered to the Corinthians what he received, namely, that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures,
- that he was buried,
- that he was raised the third day according to the Scriptures,
- and that he appeared to others.
Paul expands considerably on the fourth component of the gospel in order to demonstrate a constant chain of witnesses to the resurrection of Christ beginning with Peter and the Twelve and culminating with his own personal encounter with the risen Lord. Paul mentions some resurrection appearances that are not recorded elsewhere in the New Testament, such as Jesus’ appearance to five hundred people on one occasion and his appearance to James (15:6–7).
Craig Blomberg: Chapter 15 falls into two main sections. Verses 1–34 present Paul’s arguments for the certainty of the bodily resurrection, while verses 35–58 discuss the nature of resurrection bodies. The first section also divides into two parts. Verses 1–11 reiterate the fact of Christ’s bodily resurrection. Verses 12–34 outline the consequences of disbelief and belief in this fact. The first of these parts in turn has three components. Verses 1–2 provide an introduction to Paul’s treatment of resurrection. Verses 3–8 rehearse the early Christian creed or confession about Christ’s death and resurrection. And verses 9–11 highlight Paul’s unique role as an “untimely” witness to the risen Lord.
Daniel Akin: Main Idea: The gospel is the most important message in the history of the world, for it alone is an eternally saving message and is therefore to be a universally shared message.
I. We Must Prioritize the Message of the Gospel (15:1-3).
II. We Must Recognize the Meaning of the Gospel (15:3-8).
III. We Must Emphasize the Might of the Gospel (15:2, 9-11).
Gordon Fee: Although the enumeration of appearances might suggest otherwise, Paul is not here setting out to prove the resurrection of Jesus. Rather, he is reasserting the commonly held ground from which he will argue against their assertion that there is no resurrection of the dead.
I. (:1-2) THE EFFICACY OF THE GOSPEL MESSAGE – THE GOSPEL SAVES ALL WHO PERSEVERE IN FAITH –
WHAT THE GOSPEL DOES
A. The Faithful Communication of the True Gospel
“Now I make known to you, brethren, the gospel which I preached to you”
R.C.H. Lenski: force = “I remind you of” truths you already know very well
Paul Gardner: Paul begins a remarkable chapter that will discuss in detail the nature of the resurrection by reminding the Corinthians of the content of the gospel that he first preached to them. He intends them to understand that they received the gospel through his preaching and owe their present status as saved people to their reception of the message. Unless they have failed properly to believe the gospel, then they should accept that they hold in common with Paul the gospel facts laid out in vv. 3–7. . .
For Paul the content aspect of the good news can never be separated from the power inherent in the gospel as the word of God that brings salvation. This is God’s message that is in itself a performative action. The gospel is a speech act with perlocutionary force. Thus, it is that God’s gracious act in Jesus Christ is both the content of the gospel and the power of the gospel in producing salvation (Rom 1:16).
Daniel Akin: Obviously, these Corinthians knew and understood the gospel enough to be saved by it. But for reasons to be seen, Paul obviously felt the need to make crystal clear the true essence of the gospel again. In the early church there was a need to continuously clarify the heart of the gospel.
B. The Power of the Gospel to Create and Sustain Spiritual Life and Stability
“in which also you stand”
C. The Need for Perseverance in Believing the Gospel for Genuine, Lasting Salvation
“by which also you are saved”
- Positive Condition
“if you hold fast the word which I preached to you”
Charles Hodge: not retaining in the memory, but persevering in the faith
Thomas Schreiner: Warnings and admonitions are a constituent part of the Pauline gospel. . . . Eschatological salvation is conditioned on perseverance in the gospel. Paul never views faith as a static reality that cancels out the need for present and future faith.
- Negative Possibility
“Unless you believed in vain.”
Empty, worthless faith; without effect; to no purpose (Gal. 3:4; 4:11)
Charles Hodge: Their salvation, however, is conditioned on their perseverance. If they do not persevere, they will not only fail of the consummation of the work of salvation, but it becomes manifest that they never were justified or renewed.
John MacArthur: Our Lord repeatedly spoke of sham believers who had useless, non-saving faith. The parable of the sower (Matt. 13:1-23) tells us that some of the seeds of the gospel fall on shallow or weedy soil, and that tares often look like wheat, but are not (13:24-30, 34-43). Jesus spoke of many kinds of fish being caught in the same net, with the good being kept and the bad being thrown away (13:47-50). He spoke of houses without foundations (7:24-27), virgins without oil for their lamps, and servants who wasted their talents and so were “cast out” (25:1-30). He warned of gates and paths that seem right, but that lead to destruction (7:13-14).
II. (:3-8) THE ESSENTIALS OF THE GOSPEL MESSAGE – THE GOSPEL CENTERS ON THE DEATH AND RESURRECTION OF JESUS CHRIST AS PROPHECIED IN THE OT –
WHAT THE GOSPEL IS
A. Paul’s Faithful Stewardship of the Gospel Message
- The Delivery
“For I delivered to you”
- The Priority
“as of first importance”
- The Reception
“what I also received”
Paul received this gospel by direct revelation
B. The Death of Jesus Christ
- The Historical Event
“that Christ died”
David Garland: Christ’s death is unique because of
- the manner of his death, which is so foolish and scandalous to the world;
- the purpose of his death as an atonement that expiates human sins and extricates them from the tentacles of sin and death;
- the universal consequences of his death for all who will trust, not just for a particular city, nation, or group;
- the conformity of his death to God’s purposes revealed in the Scriptures;
- and his being raised by God to life after death.
- The Significance
“for our sins”
As a sacrifice or propitiation for our sins
James Boyer: these historic facts alone . . . are not in themselves the good news . . . It is the scripturally interpreted significance of those historic events which constitute the good news.
Gordon Fee: This is the language of atonement. In saying “Christ died for our sins,” the creed presupposes alienation between God and human beings because of human rebellion and sinfulness, for which the just penalty is death. Death “for our sins” means that one died on behalf of others to satisfy the penalty and to overcome the alienation. Thus, even though there is no “theory” of atonement here, simply the affirmation, the concept of substitution is woven into the very earliest of the Christian creeds. In Pauline theology this includes not only forgiveness of past sins, but in a very real sense deliverance from the bondage of one’s sinfulness as well.
- The Scriptural Prophecy
“according to the Scriptures”
Anthony Thiselton: This very early confession of Christian and apostolic faith declares that the Scriptures of the Old Testament provide the frame of reference or the interpretive key for understanding how or in what sense the events of Christ’s death and resurrection were saving events “for us” or for our sins. The phrase does not imply that Christ’s death and resurrection relate to one specific scriptural reference. The pre-Pauline creed or confession of faith thus reflects the tradition behind Luke 24:27.
Paul Gardner: The twice-repeated phrase (“according to the Scriptures”; 1 Cor 15:3–4) therefore serves in both instances to affirm that all this happened according to God’s plan and according to his promises (cf. Acts 2:23) and helps explain Christ’s death and resurrection. On the first occasion it is used to corroborate the teaching of Christ’s death for sin. We have seen how Scripture may help explain this enigmatic idea of death for sin. While Isaiah 53 may provide substantial background, the reference is no doubt broader than simply one text and refers to the broad flow of Scripture regarding punishment for sin and related sacrifices resulting in God’s mercy being shown and forgiveness received.
- The Undeniable Proof
“and that He was buried”
Ray Stedman: Did you ever realize how hard it was for them to accept the fact that he died? They did not want to believe it when he himself told them that was what he was going to do. They refused; they shut their minds to it. When it actually happened they went away stunned and unbelieving, agonizing and unwilling to believe that all their hopes and dreams, all they had built up in those marvelous years with him, should come crashing down and become nothing but empty hopes, empty dreams, all in ashes at their feet. But somewhere along the line some realist among them faced up to it and said, “We have got to go get his body, and bury him.” Joseph of Arimathea came forward and offered a tomb, and with loving hands they took his body down from the tree. They wrapped it in grave clothes, bound it tightly, took his head and wrapped it with a separate cloth. (By the way, that answers the claims of the so-called “Shroud of Turin” as to whether it was the legitimate garment that was about Jesus. According to the Scriptures, his grave clothes came in two pieces; one was wrapped around the head and the other around the body.) They embalmed him with spices, and then they placed him in a tomb where he lay for three days and three nights. There is no question that the disciples believed that he was dead. In their minds there was no doubt about it. They could never have entertained any idea that he had merely fainted on the cross, or entered into a coma, for they themselves had performed the burial service. That is why Paul adds that here. It marked the acceptance of the disciples that Jesus was truly dead.
R.C.H. Lenski: This addition is necessary; first, because it attests the reality of Christ’s death, and secondly, because it shows that his death was like ours, for we, too, are buried after death. The latter is important because, like Christ we who die shall have our bodies raised again. Paul intends to write at length regarding this resurrection of our bodies.
Anthony Thiselton: The purpose of this clause is twofold. It demonstrates the undeniable reality of the death of Jesus; and it excludes any notion of a “docetic” Christ, namely, one whose flesh and blood were merely “what appeared to be the case” but were illusory “clothing” for a being of pure spirit. Such a view rested upon the Greek notion that a flesh-and-blood body would have been an unworthy vehicle for a heavenly Christ figure. But apart from its false assumption about the body, such a view would deny the reality of the suffering and death of Jesus Christ. Hence “He was buried” became an important early article of Christian belief.
B. The Resurrection of Jesus Christ
- The Historical Event
“and that He was raised on the third day”
Craig Blomberg: “On the third day” uses inclusive reckoning: Good Friday is day one, Saturday is day two, and Easter morning is day three. It is less clear which Scriptures point to the resurrection on the third day. Perhaps Paul meant only that the Scriptures testified to Christ’s resurrection, with passages like Psalms 16:8–11 and 110:1–4 in view (cf. Acts 2:24–36). In that case, “according to the Scriptures” would modify only the verb “raised” and not the phrase “on the third day.” But he may also have found some typological significance in the third-day references to God’s vindication of his people in such texts as Genesis 42:18, Exodus 19:16, Joshua 2:22, Ezra 8:32, Esther 5:1, Jonah 1:17 (cf. Matt. 12:40), and especially Hosea 6:2.
Paul Gardner: The use of the perfect here no doubt reflects the tense’s regular “stative” function. That is, the tense points not simply to the point of Christ’s resurrection but to the state of having been raised. Christ remains raised.
David Garland: If they do not hold firmly to what has been preached about the resurrection, they jeopardize their future with God. If they do not have faith that holds out, they believed in vain (cf. 15:58; 16:13). If they have faith in something that is untrue, they believed in vain (15:14). The resurrection is the keystone that integrates the incarnation and Christ’s atoning death. If it is removed, the whole gospel will collapse. If there is no resurrection of the dead (15:12), humans remain under the tyranny of sin and death, and their bouts of doubt and despair are fully justified.
- The Significance
[will be the subject of much of the remainder of Chapter 15]
- The Scriptural Prophecy (Ps. 16:10)
“according to the Scriptures”
- The Undeniable Proof = Numerous Post Resurrection Appearances – 6 Listed Here
a. Peter
“and that He appeared to Cephas”
Gordon Fee: In the gospel narratives, the first appearances are to women; in the tradition Paul is citing these appearances are skipped over in favor of those to Peter and the Twelve, which are also recorded in the Gospels.
Paul Gardner: The addition of the reference to the appearance to Cephas (the Aramaic name for Peter, also at 1:12, 3:22, and 9:5) is unsurprising. The Gospels record Jesus’s appearance to this apostle as one of the first appearances (Mark 16:7; Luke 24:34), but he was already prominent as a witness in the early church, having been the one who identified Jesus as the Messiah (Matt 16:15–20). It is likely that this was part of the original formula and reflects the significant role that Peter played in the early church in proclaiming the gospel and Christ’s resurrection on the day of Pentecost (Acts 2:14–36). He was also prominent in the work among the Samaritans (Acts 8:14–17), and among Gentiles (Acts 10:40).
b. Apostles
“ then to the twelve”
Paul Gardner: At the end of Jesus’s life, Matthew writes about the “eleven” disciples (Matt 28:16), so the use of “Twelve” suggests that the replacement described at the start of Acts was well known even though we hear nothing further about this particular “Twelve” in the New Testament. Since the original “Twelve” did not all witness the resurrection, and here Paul is clearly not including himself, this number most likely includes Matthias. The main criterion for the replacement apostle was that he had to come from among the small group of men who had witnessed the resurrection (Acts 1:22).
c. Multitude of Brethren – more than 500 – most still alive
“After that He appeared to more than five hundred brethren
at one time, most of whom remain until now,
but some have fallen asleep”
Paul Gardner: Mention of five hundred “at once” (ἐφάπαξ), together with the other people mentioned, adds weight to the truth of the witness. Too many had seen the risen Christ for the story to have been fabricated, and, as Paul makes clear, “many remain alive” (οἱ πλείονες μένουσιν) and so can be checked for the accuracy of their witness.
d. James (half brother of Jesus)
“then He appeared to James,”
Paul Gardner: This James is almost certainly the Lord’s brother on whom Jesus’s resurrection clearly had a profound impact. Paul regarded this James as an apostle (Gal 1:18–21) and he was a leader (a “pillar,” Gal 2:9) of the church in Jerusalem and so would have been widely known throughout the early church.
e. Apostles Again
“then to all the apostles”
Paul Gardner: Paul’s mention of the apostles, as distinct from the “Twelve,” reveals Paul’s wider use of the term to describe those leaders regarded as witnesses to Christ’s resurrection in the early church, who took the gospel message out to the world.
Mark Taylor: It is not clear who would have been included in the third group designated “all the apostles,” but it presumably extends beyond the Twelve mentioned in 15:5.
Gordon Fee: Most likely this designation, as elsewhere in Paul, is a functional term rather than an official one. Or to put that in another way, “the Twelve” were a definite group who had a special relationship to Jesus and in the early church probably served in some kind of authoritative capacity. But the “apostles,” a term that included the Twelve, were a larger group who in Paul’s understanding had seen the risen Lord and were commissioned by him to proclaim the gospel and found churches (cf. 9:1–2). They, too, had authority in the churches, especially those they founded, but they scarcely formed a “body” or served as a “council.” Their authority was that of ministry rather than jurisdiction.
f. Paul Himself
“and last of all, as to one untimely born, He appeared to me also”
David Garland: Paul is not trying to legitimize his apostolic authority in this section (contra Wilckens 1963: 62–69; 1968: 73) or to make the case that he stands on the same level with Peter and the Twelve as an apostle. Instead, he seeks to authenticate the gospel he preached (Plevnik 1988), which assumes the facticity of the resurrection (Sider 1977: 131; Lambrecht 1991: 669–70). He is responding to those Corinthians who say that there is no resurrection of the dead, not to those who say that Paul is no apostle. He argues more for “the equivalence of the appearances” than for the equality of the witnesses (Schrage 2001: 66). Schütz (1975: 99) points out that Paul does not ground his sufficiency as an apostle in the resurrection appearance given him, “but in the surpassing ‘grace’ of God manifested in his missionary labors” (cf. 2 Cor. 3:1–6). Paul is not on the defense here (contra Schmithals 1969: 73–80) and is not taking their criticism of him a step further (contra Fee 1987: 734). We must not take everything he says about his apostleship as a defensive remark. Schütz (1975: 101) is correct that Paul identifies himself “with a wider apostolic circle,” but he is interested not in “the size of the circle” but in the “nature and function of the apostle.”
Paul Gardner: The word for “stillborn child” (ἔκτρωμα) is a New Testament hapax legomenon, but Paul’s intention in using the word here is not obvious. The word appears in LXX Numbers 12:12, Job 3:16, and Ecclesiastes 6:3 where it refers to a stillborn child, but it can also designate an aborted fetus. In each of the passages cited, a stillborn birth is used to describe a dreadful and wretched situation in which people find themselves. It is possible that this was some horrible term of abuse that Paul’s opponents hurled at him as an insult, and that he now picks up and acknowledges to emphasize the glory of the grace that he had received from the Lord. Yet Paul does not seem to be concerned here with opponents. Another possibility is that it is the suddenness and unexpected nature of a stillborn birth that causes Paul to use this term of his own calling. A third alternative is that Paul uses the word as a vivid picture of his wretched state much as it is used in the LXX. Given v. 10 and Paul’s insistence that as an apostle he is what he is by God’s grace, it may be best to understand him as drawing attention to his state as all but “dead” save for the sovereign redeeming work of Christ that gave him a new and purposeful life (2 Cor 5:16–18).
David Prior: Perhaps the most significant phrase in this account of the gospel facts is in verse 8: Last of all . . . he appeared also to me. By this terminology Paul is saying at least two things:
- first, his own encounter with the risen Jesus (after the ascension) is of equal validity and identical in nature to the others he has just recorded;
- second, once the risen Jesus had appeared to Paul, there were no further appearances of that nature (Last of all).
Mark Taylor: The simplest contextual explanation is that Paul employs the metaphor of the stillborn child in order to highlight the grace and the power of God. As an unbeliever and persecutor of the church, Paul was in a deplorable condition of spiritual death. The image of a stillborn child is an especially powerful image in an argument for resurrection. The next two verses highlight the undeserved grace of God, “who chooses to give life and new creation to those reckoned as dead.”
III. (:9-11) THE ENIGMA OF THE GOSPEL MESSAGE – THE GOSPEL SHOWCASES THE GRACE OF GOD POURED OUT UPON UNDESERVING ENEMIES –
WHAT THE GOSPEL SHOWCASES
Craig Blomberg: In verses 9–11, Paul acknowledges his inferiority as an apostle because he had persecuted the first Christians (v. 9; cf. Acts 8:1; 9:1–2). But he turns this admission of weakness into an opportunity to magnify God’s grace. And that grace did not lead to sloth but to greater effort and substantial accomplishment (v. 10). Yet lest his remarks be seen as prideful or competitive, he closes this paragraph by stressing that all the apostles agree on the message of the resurrection and that this belief is what initially led to the Corinthians’ salvation as well (v. 11). Verse 11b repeats the thoughts of verse 1 to bring this first section of chapter 15 to a close.
A. (:9) Supreme Example of the Grace of God = Personal Testimony of the Apostle Paul Himself
- His Undeserving Character
a. “For I am the least of the apostles”
b. “and not fit to be called an apostle”
- His Unrelenting Persecution of the Church
“because I persecuted the church of God”
B. (:10A) Transformed Identity – by the Grace of God
“But by the grace of God I am what I am”
C. (:10B) Supreme Effort Directed Towards Sanctification and Service – Energized by the Grace of God
“And His grace toward me did not prove vain,
but I labored even more than all of them, yet not I, but the grace of God with me.”
Anthony Thiselton: Paul labored to an even greater degree (v. 10b) to express and to convey his gratitude for such exceptional grace; but it was not a fruitless attempt to “pay God back” for it. Grace in this way worked with [him]. This reflects closely the maxim of Jesus, “Freely you received, freely give” (Matt. 10:8). But whether, anyway, it is I or they (v. 11a), all of the witnesses stand under grace, and all share together in the privilege of the apostolic proclamation that you came to believe (v. 11b).
Paul Gardner: This section lays the groundwork for part of Paul’s argument yet to come in v. 14, where he talks about the possibility of preaching “in vain” and so also of the possibility of the Corinthians’ having believed “in vain.” At the end of this section, in v. 58, Paul will urge the Corinthians to “abound in the work of the Lord” and so ensure that their own “labor is not in vain.”
Gordon Fee: Even my intense labors in the gospel are ultimately not the result of a personal need to compensate God for his grace, but are themselves the reflection of that very grace at work in my life. Thus, in Pauline theology, even though his labor is a response to grace, it is more properly seen as the effect of grace. All is of grace; nothing is deserved. Neither therefore can he lay claim to his own ministry nor can they reject it; it is God’s activity in him in their behalf.
(:11) CONCLUSION: THE CORINTHIANS HAVE RESPONDED TO THE FAITHFUL PREACHING BY THE APOSTLES OF THE MESSAGE OF THE GOSPEL OF GOD’S GRACE IN THE PERSON OF JESUS CHRIST
“Whether then it was I or they, so we preach and so you believed”
Paul Gardner: The same gospel tradition has been handed down to him and preached by him as has been preached by all the apostles. Whether they wish to acknowledge him is unimportant. They are where they are because they received and believed the gospel that he and the apostles and the Corinthians hold in common. At the heart of that gospel is God’s sovereign grace, something Paul has experienced as deeply as anyone to whom he writes. That grace is seen in the preaching of the gospel and especially in the death of Christ for his people, followed by his resurrection. Paul will now expound upon the nature of the resurrection and its implications for Christians.
Gordon Fee: On the basis of this common faith, Paul will next turn to a direct confrontation with the Corinthians over their denial of the resurrection of the dead. The nature of that argument makes it plain that the purpose of this opening paragraph is not to prove Christ’s resurrection but to reestablish this fundamental premise as the common denominator between him and them, and from this to argue with them as he will in the next step of the present argument (vv. 12–34). The reason for the catalogue of witnesses is therefore not to prove that Jesus rose but to emphasize that the resurrection of Christ, which they believed, had objective reality and was held universally by all true believers and thus to emphasize that it is they who were desperately out of line.
Mark Taylor: The summary statement of 15:11 closes out the prologue to chap. 15 and paves the way for Paul’s confrontation of some who were saying, “There is no resurrection of the dead.”
Applications:
- The message is more important than the messenger
- Preaching the gospel remains God’s method of saving sinners
- Repentance and Faith are essential for salvation
- God’s Grace Accomplishes it all