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TL;DR: What 1 Corinthians 15 teaches about life beyond death contrasts with a nihilistic worldview that regards death as final. Paul’s teaching, which confronts denials of the resurrection, remains relevant in an age when even some clergy reject Jesus’ bodily resurrection. The Church of the Nazarene affirms this truth clearly in its Articles of Faith. Paul’s concluding “therefore” calls believers to respond with courage, steadfastness, joyful service, and unwavering commitment.
What do Paul’s words about the resurrection and transformation of believers in 1 Corinthians 15 mean?
Scripture quotations are from the 2011 New International Version (NIV).
51 Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed 52 in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. 53 For the perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality. 54 When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true: "Death has been swallowed up in victory."
55 "Where, O death, is your victory?
Where, O death, is your sting?"56 The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. 57 But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
58 Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.
"We're atheists," the man at the door explained as he refused to accept the calendar featuring Scripture texts that I offered him.
A Swiss mission had provided the Nazarene church in Florence, Italy, with a supply of these calendars at no charge. I used them in door-to-door canvassing in neighboring apartment buildings.
I met this professed atheist in the second tall building just west of the church. Unfortunately, the man didn't have time to talk, so I was not given a chance to learn more about his spiritual pilgrimage and perhaps even bear witness to my faith.
I wondered how someone with that worldview might feel when facing death. Does a sense of futility ever grip him if there are times when he realizes that his worldview makes death the final victor? [Missionary stories from Italy]
The message of 1 Corinthians 15 stands in sharp contrast to that worldview. There, Paul reminds us that we Christians have begun an existence that will never end. A glorious change awaits us: Our mortal bodies will one day be transformed into imperishable, immortal bodies. That king of all terrors—death itself—will finally be overthrown.
In 1 Corinthians 15, Paul directly confronts the heretical denial of the resurrection. Drawing on Isaiah and Hosea, Paul anchors his argument in Scripture. He caps his argument by pointing believers toward resurrection, transformation, and eternal life.
The importance of Jesus' resurrection is made clear: "If Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins" (15:17). In this way, the doctrines of bodily resurrection and the final transformation of Christians are linked to our justification and forgiveness of sins.
Unfortunately, Paul’s letter did not bring an end to denials of Jesus' bodily resurrection with his letter to the Corinthian believers. That denial has persisted and remains with us. An article in what is now Holiness Today reported widespread denial of Jesus' resurrection among the leaders of some Christian denominations. The article presented the results of a survey of 10,000 American Protestant clergy members. Of those who returned Jeffrey Hadden's questionnaire, half of the Presbyterian, Episcopal, and American Baptist ministers said they did not accept the accounts of Jesus' bodily resurrection as factual.
I'm glad to be a part of a church that asks its members to affirm clearly their belief that "Jesus Christ died for our sins, and that He truly arose from the dead and took again His body." Likewise, "We believe in the resurrection of the dead, that the bodies both of the just and of the unjust shall be raised to life and united with their spirits." (Articles of Faith, Church of the Nazarene Manual).
Take note, as well, of Paul's "therefore" at the end of the chapter. Our faith in Jesus as the risen Savior can keep us from being intimidated by the ultimate threats and terrors of a foe whose certain end is near. We can already taste victory. Because of that, we face the future with courage, hope, joy, and steadfast service.
— Howard Culbertson, hculbert@snu.edu
I wrote this devotional blog post when Barbara and I were serving as missionaries in Italy. It is one of a series of 52 brief devotionals written for The Standard, a weekly Faith Connections take-home curriculum piece published by the Church of the Nazarene for adult Sunday school classes.
Here are six lessons we can draw from 1 Corinthians 15:51–58 about the resurrection of the dead and the transformation of believers:
To sum up, 1 Corinthians 15:51–58 speaks about our hope, victory, steadfastness, perseverance, transformation, and gratitude in Christ. These truths can sustain us as we face life's challenges and continue our pilgrimage of faith.
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