Resurrection - 1 Corinthians 15:1-11

I really struggle with a lot of what Paul says, not because I disagree but because I can’t understand it. Chapter 15 is very much like that for me because all of these ideas that he’s discussing seem to be so random that I can’t really follow from one context to the next. The IM is very helpful with background information going into chapter 15 saying, “It had been reported to Paul that some individuals in Corinth were teaching that there was no Resurrection of the dead. As one of the many eyewitnesses of the risen Lord, the Apostle Paul clearly and powerfully taught the Corinthian branch about the reality of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ and of all mankind.” With all the different information in these writings, it’s difficult for me to remember that all of this is in response to specific issues brought to Paul’s attention in incoming letters. Paul must know that this epistle is winding down so he’s probably trying to tie it all together, so with that background information, it makes sense that he makes a sudden and dramatic shift in topics. 

There’s an interesting phrase in verse 3 where Paul says, “for I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures.” I didn’t think anything about this verse until I read what the IM had to say about it. The IM explained that “since the epistles to the Corinthians were likely written before any of the Gospel narratives, Paul’s references to the final events of the Savior’s life and to His Resurrection are probably the earliest accounts of these events recorded in the New Testament.” Being 2,000 years removed from when all this happened, and having all the information that we do all gathered together. It’s hard to remember that at this time, there were no printing presses, there was no internet, even hand written books were less common than they are today. The IM further explains that all these events were probably transmitted through oral histories and word of mouth. I can’t even imagine putting the only precious words and events pertaining to the Savior in my brain to teach others, but it was a different time and they focused on different skills. It would take massive amounts of training, but I could probably do it if I had to.

The basic principles of the gospel, which is the only reason that it works, according to Paul and as also later told by Joseph Smith, “how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; and that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day.” The IM quotes Joseph Smith as teaching, “The fundamental principles of our religion are the testimony of the Apostles and Prophets, concerning Jesus Christ, that He died, was buried, and rose again the third day, and ascended into heaven; and all other things which pertain to our religion are only appendages to it.” I mean, really, what else matters? If these statements weren’t true, if Christ didn’t die and wasn’t resurrected, then nothing else would matter because we would all be doomed, and it would become an “eat, drink, and be merry” situation because literally nothing else would matter.

Paul’s constant reference to “according to the scriptures” is not super specific, but it’s really interesting reading through the IM because it points out that Paul referenced Deuteronomy 21:23, Isaiah 25:8, Hosea 13:14, Jonah 1:17 and others. What’s the most interesting is that these scriptures, that were considered ancient even at the time of Paul, foretell the life and death of the Savior and teach about basic gospel principles. I love the Old Testament, but I think it’s mostly for it’s historical value, and I really didn’t understand just how much of the gospel is taught in it. I guess it makes sense if we remember that the only scriptures that the Jews had at the time of Christ were these ancient texts, and that as a scriptorian, Paul would have been intimately acquainted with them. 

What I think is the most perplexing to me is why people would teach against the resurrection if that was a basic tenant of Christianity. The IM points out that it’s possible that some of the Saints in Corinth were influenced “by the prevalent Greek philosophy that accepted the immortality of the spirit but rejected the resurrection of the body.” If we remember that many of the Corinthian members were converts who did not have a background in Judaism, the concept of resurrection might have been a very difficult one to accept, especially considering that it had never been done before. To emphasize just how literal Christ’s resurrection was “Paul listed an impressive number of people who had witnessed the resurrected Jesus Christ.” Paul lists, “Cephas” or Peter, the twelve apostles, 500 “brethren at once,” James Jesus’ half-brother, interestingly there is no mention of this anywhere except verse 7, and “last of all he was seen of me also.”

In our modern day, we have so many people and voices always talking to us, always telling us stuff, always trying to get us to believe something that probably isn’t true. I think it’s because of this constant barrage of “information” that always has ulterior motives, that we become skeptical of what other people say, to the point where having all those people as “witnesses” honestly probably wouldn’t persuade me to believe something that I didn’t want to believe. But I think that back during this time, there must have been significantly less noise and the world’s population was much smaller so 500+ people must have seemed like such a bigger number than it could be considered today.

Kind of as a way of putting some perspective to his intentions, Paul reminds them “I am the least of the apostles, that am not meet to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. I don’t know if it is to reassure them of his purposes and motivations, or if it is to help them see that Jesus is a personal and forgiving God. Paul attributes his ability to change who he is and become an apostle of the Lord “by the grace of God I am what I am,” and says that he teaches and preaches along with the other apostles because they are unified in purpose and message.