The Resurrection

The following passage in 1 Corinthians 15 has been used effectively in apologetics: arguments to persuade the unbeliever that the Christian world view is reasonable. However, this approach misses the point of the passage. Paul's intention for the passage seems to be slightly different. Paul is writing to the believers at Corinth that the physical reality of the Christ's resurrection should effect change in every aspect of their lives. Let's look at the passage.

1 Corinthians 15:1-19
Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand, and by which you are being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you—unless you believed in vain.

For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. Then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have fallen asleep. Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles. Last of all, as to one untimely born, he appeared also to me. For I am the least of the apostles, unworthy to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace toward me was not in vain. On the contrary, I worked harder than any of them, though it was not I, but the grace of God that is with me. Whether then it was I or they, so we preach and so you believed.

Now if Christ is proclaimed as raised from the dead, how can some of you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? But if there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain. We are even found to be misrepresenting God, because we testified about God that he raised Christ, whom he did not raise if it is true that the dead are not raised. For if the dead are not raised, not even Christ has been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins. Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. If in Christ we have hope in this life only, we are of all people most to be pitied.

Gordon Fee points out in his commentary that this passage is actually correcting the view of some of the believers in Corinth: they were denying the importance of the resurrection. Gordon Fee points out the importance of historical events that were witnessed on Easter is to reaffirm the importance of Christ's resurrection and thus, confirming our hope of our future resurrection in our daily lives.

Gordon Fee
There is a place for apologetics, that is, the defense of Christianity to the unconverted; but Easter is not that place. Easter, which should be celebrated more frequently in the church, and not just at the Easter season, calls for our reaffirming the faith to the converted. The resurrection of Christ has determined our existence for all time and eternity. We do not merely live out our length of days and then have the hope of resurrection as an addendum; rather, as Paul makes plain in this passage, Christ’s resurrection has set in motion a chain of inexorable events that absolutely determines our present and our future. Christ is the first fruits of those who are his, who will be raised at his coming. That ought both to reform the way the way we currently live and to reshape our worship into seasons of unbridled rejoicing. (Fee, p. 760)

Paul's point is that if the reality of our future bodily resurrection is false, then Christ's resurrection did not happen, thus why live for Christ?

Gordon Fee
His point, of course, is that he is indeed crazy to put his life in constant jeopardy for the sake of others, if neither he nor they have hope in the resurrection. But even more, this sentence also indicates the absolute central and crucial place that Christ’s resurrection played in his life. One must remember throughout that to deny the resurrection of the dead meant to deny the resurrection of Christ (vv. 12-19), which meant for Paul the denial of Christian life altogether. Thus everything Christians do a Christians—and especially the labors of an apostle—are an absurdity if there is no resurrection. (p. 768)

The reason we can live sacrificially and boldly for the Gospel is because our physical lives on earth is not all there is. We have eternal reward in heaven if we seek Christ now. We can have joy through suffering because God allows us to know him better through suffering and furthermore, we know will be with God with our physical bodies through all eternity.

The New International Commentary of on the New Testament: The First Epistile to the Corinthians