Resurrection 2 - 1 Corinthians 15:12-19

I was reading the article on this chapter from gospeldoctrine.com and it gave an excellent explanation about why there is such a difficult time with people accepting the resurrection, whether it be the saints in Corinth or the Sadducees. The article says, “the resurrection is something to which the world cannot relate empirically; it has to be understood by faith and by the Holy Ghost. Consequently it is not readily accepted or believed in the world. Paul’s magnificent statement about the resurrection recorded in 1 Cor. 15 apparently was written to convince the intellectuals of his day, those who trusted in reason, that the resurrection was logical, spiritual, and necessary. He said that his knowledge of the resurrection came by revelation but that the doctrine was reasonable even so. The testimony of the scriptures and of the Holy Ghost is that the resurrection of Jesus, and eventually of all mankind, is literal, historical, and factual truth.”

I don’t know how I was looking at Paul’s words in chapter 15 but it certainly wasn’t from a logical or academic way. We know that Paul was very educated and clearly a critical thinker, but I didn’t see how he had applied those skills to his teachings of the resurrection, or really, any principle. After testifying that Jesus had in fact been resurrected from the dead and appears to hundreds of people, Paul asks his audience, “Now if Christ be preached that he rose from the dead, how say some among you that there is not resurrection of the dead?” Because if there was no resurrection, “then is Christ not risen: and if Christ be not risen, then is our preaching vain, and your faith is also vain.”

I was thinking about something along these lines a couple of weeks ago as I was thinking about the Church and if I really believe that it’s true. It’s really hard because of all my friends that I grew up with in church and in school, and even most of my adult friends, there are only two of us left who remain in the church. Everyone else has left whether because they feel like their time is better spent elsewhere, or certain policies have made them reconsider their membership, or illnesses and life changes happen and their whole world gets flipped on their head. There are so many reasons why people leave, and every time I hear about one of my friends leaving the church, I stop and wonder if my own testimony is strong enough to stay. I mean, if everyone’s doing it, then am I the one who is wrong? 

As I was going through the testimony evaluation process, I had to ask myself what I really knew, what deep in my heart I could not walk away from. The first one is that I believe that Jesus Christ is the Savior of the world and that he loves us personally and intensely. I know that to be true because I’ve felt it deeply and repeatedly, and it’s one of those things that I know and that I know that God knows, and I can’t deny it. Ok, so if I believe that Jesus is the Christ, then can I just go with some other religion then, some other form of Christianity? I had to think about that, because the second thing that I know to be true, honestly in my heart, is that the Book of Mormon is the word of God. Doing my deep study of it has given me so many logical reasons to accept why it was not possible for Joseph Smith to have written the Book of Mormon. But even with all that, the spiritual aspects in which I’ve grown just because of my study of the Book, cements for me that it is God’s work.

The third point for me is that I truly believe that Joseph Smith is the Prophet of the restoration, and if those two things are true and I know them to be so, then I can’t walk away from this religion. Nothing else makes sense to me, and this does 100%. I asked myself how I would feel if I didn’t have the gospel in my life, and I immediately knew the answer to that question was “miserable,” because I’ve lived that way for so long. It was my circular logic here that helped me to understand that while other issues might arise, if I know these things to be true, then I can work out the other stuff later, and this is Paul’s point here. If the resurrection wasn’t real, then it doesn’t matter if Jesus died for our sins or gave us the ability to repent. None of that matters because ultimately, in the end, we would all be dead, we wouldn’t have glorified, eternal, resurrected bodies, there would be no point of our existence.

The IM quotes President Howard W. Hunter as making a very interesting point concerning the logic of the resurrection, saying, “Even with the logic of nature’s regeneration and even with the testimony of that empty garden tomb, there are still those who feel the grace is a final destination. But the doctrine of the Resurrection is the single most fundamental and crucial doctrine in the Christian religion.” One of my biggest testimonial points, like that of Alma, is that everything in nature tells me there is a God, the stars, the plants, the animals, the constant regeneration. Our existence on this planet only makes sense to me if I accept that there is a God. This just drove home President Hunter’s point that there is constant rebirth in nature, a life cycle, and energy transfers. It would only make sense that if there is a God and his crowning achievement is man, then we would be treated with the same tender regard that any plant or animal is as well.

Paul really hammers home the importance of Christ’s resurrection saying that if “Christ be not risen,” then their teachings and everyone faith is for nothing, and “we are found false witnesses of God” because they testified of a risen Savior. And if Christ is not risen, then “ye are yet in your sins,” and there is no salvation for those who “are fallen asleep in Christ,” which I think means either died without knowledge of the gospel or have died for the sake of the gospel, either one is applicable though. He puts simply, “If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable.” The way that I like to think about it is, “If Christ can only help us in this life, then we will be miserable.”

All of this begs the question, was Jesus really risen from the dead? And will we one day be risen from the dead too? The article quotes Bruce R. McConkie as asking, “How can Paul, or Peter, or anyone prove that Christ rose from the dead? The fact of resurrection is a spiritual reality, one wholly outside the realm of scientific investigation or proof; it cannot be established by research, or reason, or laboratory experiment. Spiritual truths can be known only be revelation.” Even though there have been hundreds of people who proport to have seen a resurrected Jesus Christ, they are all dead now. I haven’t talked to them at all or heard their account of what happened, so how am I really supposed to believe that a man came back from the dead, and in fact many of them have? I believe that with all my heart and soul because nothing else makes sense to me. I can’t live in a world where there is no after life. It doesn’t make sense to me that I live a life, single, trying my best to keep the commandments and I’m happier than I ever was when I was not keeping them. I asked myself the other day if I was happier now living this lifestyle and believing these things than I was when I wasn’t living them, and I can say 100% without reservation that I am happier now.

And that’s really the point, isn’t it? Paul doesn’t say that without hope of the resurrection we are “confused” or “wandering” or anything ambiguous like that. He says that without the hope of the resurrection “we are of all men most miserable.” He uses the word “miserable.” That’s a very strong explanation of feelings that come if we believe that this life is it for us. Logically, the idea that our existence ends in the grave of this life, makes absolutely no sense to me. But spiritually, the belief that life continues beyond this mortality, and indeed, significantly improves is critical to keeping me going.

The IM quotes Elder Dallin H. Oakes as teaching, “The ‘lively hope’ we are given by the resurrection is our conviction that death is not the conclusion of our identity but merely a necessary step in the destined transition from mortality to immortality. This hope changes the whole perspective of mortal life. The assurance of resurrection and immortality affects how we look on the physical challenges of mortality, how we live our mortal lives, and how we relate to those around us. The assurance of resurrection gives us the strength and perspective to endure the mortal challenges faced by each of us and by those we love, such things as the physical, mental, or emotional deficiencies we bring with us at birth or acquire during mortal life. Because of the resurrection, we know that these mortal deficiencies are only temporary! The assurance of resurrection also gives us a powerful incentive to keep the commandments of God during our mortal lives.” This is a perfect summation of what I know, believe, and love about the principle of the resurrection.