If Christ Has Not Been Raised

Paul addresses the claim that "there is no resurrection of the dead" by exposing its logical consequences. If resurrection is impossible, then Christ has not been raised; if Christ has not been raised, apostolic preaching is empty, faith is empty, the apostles misrepresent God, believers remain in their sins, and those who died in Christ have perished. The argument depends on the inseparability of Christ's resurrection from the future resurrection of those who belong to him.

Verses 20-28 reverse the hypothetical with the assertion "but now Christ has been raised." Christ is the "firstfruits" of those who have fallen asleep, invoking the first portion of a harvest that anticipates the rest. Paul constructs an Adam-Christ parallel: death comes through a human being, and resurrection likewise comes through a human being. "As in Adam all die, so also in Christ all will be made alive" has generated debate over the scope of "all," but the following sequence specifically identifies those "who belong to Christ" at his coming before the final subjection of every enemy, including death.

Verses 29-34 contain several difficult expressions. "Baptism for the dead" is nowhere else explained, and proposals include proxy baptism for deceased persons, baptism motivated by hope of reunion with dead believers, or a rhetorical reference to baptism into a death-bound community. Paul neither pauses to define nor explicitly endorse the practice; he uses it as an argument against resurrection denial. His own constant exposure to death serves the same purpose. The citation "bad company corrupts good morals" comes from Greek proverbial or dramatic tradition and introduces a call to recover theological sobriety.

1 Corinthians 15 addresses the resurrection, apparently because some Corinthians were denying a future resurrection of the dead. Paul begins by restating the gospel tradition he had previously delivered: Christ died for sins, was buried, was raised on the third day, and appeared to numerous witnesses. He then argues that Christ's resurrection and the resurrection of believers are inseparable; denying the latter undermines the former and empties Christian proclamation, faith, and hope.

The chapter moves from historical and theological argument in verses 1-34 to the nature of the resurrection body in verses 35-58. Paul uses analogies from seed, differing kinds of bodies, and Adam to explain continuity and transformation between present embodied existence and resurrection life. The climax announces a mystery: both the dead and the living will be transformed when mortality puts on immortality. Scriptural citations from Isaiah and Hosea then interpret resurrection as God's victory over death, bringing the chapter to an eschatological and theological conclusion.