“But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. For as by a man came death, by a man has come also the resurrection of the dead.” (1 Corinthians 15:20-21)
One of the errors that Paul addressed in the church at Corinth was that some there thought they had achieved spiritual perfection. One of the ways this manifested itself was in the widespread teaching that there was no bodily resurrection from the dead because they were already in their glorified state. Their bodies they deemed expendable and useless for the resurrection was spiritual not physical. This disdain for the body expressed as either ignoring it or by indulging its sinful cravings.
Paul reminded the believers of their common belief in the resurrection of Christ. He did not try to prove to them that Christ rose from the dead but demonstrated to them the foolishness of their belief. The literal bodily resurrection of Christ from the dead is a central truth of our faith. If we deny the resurrection of the body we deny Christ’s resurrection as well. And since His resurrection is the proof that Christ died for our sins, to deny that means that we are still spiritually dead. Christ’s bodily resurrection is the ultimate proof that He defeated sin and death on the cross. We who have faith in Christ need not fear death because we are certain what lies beyond the grave. We are sure we will be raised again to eternal glory for we are united with Christ.
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