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Ask God: All believers are in danger of drifting away from the teachings of Christ. It is good to pause and evaluate where you are in your Spiritual life. A honest evaluation may surprise you.

Good Evening Reader,

In this lesson we will revisit the foundation of our faith. Christ died and He was raised to life. We, too, will be raised to reign with Christ.

Paul encouraged the church at Corinth to look within and evaluate their spiritual life. Our goal is to grow in Christ and strengthen our relations with God.

May God bless you and keep you in His love.

All Glory to God.

Elvin

Resurrection: The Heart of the Gospel

Is it time for a Spiritual Check-up?

In 1 Corinthians 15, verses 1–28, Paul reminds the church at Corinth that the heart of the gospel is the resurrection of Christ. Christ died for our sins, was buried, and rose on the third day. He conquered death, and because He conquered death on the cross, we will be raised from death to be with Him.

Chapter 15 of First Corinthians is known as the “Resurrection Chapter.” In this chapter, along with 1 Thessalonians chapter 4, Paul provides many of the details of the sequence of events that will occur when Christ returns for the believers.

But first, Paul wants all the Christians to understand the importance of knowing that Christ rose. He doesn’t just state that Christ died and then rose to life; he goes through a list of witnesses of Jesus after His resurrection. This list includes Peter, the disciples, over five hundred brethren, James, and finally Paul himself.

Paul emphasizes that the resurrection is not a minor detail—it is the very foundation of our hope. If Christ has not been raised, then preaching is useless, faith is empty, and believers are still in their sins (verses 14–17). Without the resurrection, death would remain undefeated, and eternity would offer no promise.

Paul felt that a refresher course was in order since it appeared that many had forgotten what he had taught them several years earlier. It was vitally important to Paul that the church in Corinth understand the resurrection. When Christ conquered death on the cross, that event paved the way for believers to be raised from the dead.

If Christ is not raised, faith is empty, and believers remain in their sins. But Christ has indeed been raised, assuring us that death is not the end. Just as death came through Adam, resurrection comes through Christ. In Him, all who believe will be made alive.

Christ was the firstborn to be raised, and when Christ comes, believers will be raised to be with Christ forever. Believers in the grave will be raised first, and then the living.

The Resurrection and the Rapture

Many have questions about the resurrection and the rapture. Paul wanted to put to rest many of those questions. Some of the questions asked are: What happens to believers who have already died? What is the difference between the resurrection and the rapture? What are the tribulation and the Millennium, and when will these take place?

Answers to these questions give hope to every believer. God has a plan which He has laid out in the Bible. Understanding God’s plan gives hope to all who follow Christ.

The resurrection of believers: The resurrection of believers from the grave is one of the most significant promises of Scripture. Paul writes, “The dead in Christ will rise first” (1 Thessalonians 4:16). At the sound of the trumpet, those who have died trusting in Jesus will be raised with new, glorified bodies. Their mortal remains, once subject to decay, will be transformed into imperishable bodies, no longer touched by sin, sickness, or death (1 Corinthians 15:52–53).

This is not a vague hope but a guaranteed reality, because Jesus Himself declared, “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die” (John 11:25).

The rapture of the living: The rapture of the living is the glorious moment when Jesus returns for His church. Paul describes it in 1 Thessalonians 4:17: “After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air.” In an instant, believers who are alive will be changed, clothed with immortality, and lifted from earth to join the resurrected saints.

Paul calls it a mystery: “We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye” (1 Corinthians 15:51–52). This divine event will unite all believers, past and present, with Christ forever. The rapture fills us with comfort and expectation.

The tribulation: It is a future period of great distress, unlike anything the world has ever seen. Jesus said, “For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been from the beginning of the world until now, no, and never will be” (Matthew 24:21).

Revelation describes it as a time when God’s judgments are poured out, the Antichrist rises to power, and nations rage against God. Its purpose is twofold: first, to bring judgment on a rebellious world that has rejected Christ (Isaiah 13:11; Revelation 6–16), and second, to purify and bring Israel and many Gentiles to faith in Jesus as Messiah (Jeremiah 30:7; Revelation 7:14).

The Millennium: The Millennium is the thousand-year reign of Christ on earth following His return, described in Revelation 20:1–6. During this time, Satan will be bound, unable to deceive the nations. Christ will rule with perfect justice and peace, and believers who have shared in the first resurrection will reign with Him as priests of God. The prophets envisioned this era as a time of harmony: “The wolf will live with the lamb” (Isaiah 11:6).

Eternity: Eternity with Christ is the final and glorious hope of every believer. After the final judgment, John writes, “Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth… and I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, ‘Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and He will dwell with them’” (Revelation 21:1–3).

Spiritual Check-Up

Paul was encouraging the church at Corinth to do a Spiritual Check-Up. They had drifted away from the teachings of Paul. Rarely does a believer make a conscious decision to follow the pathway of sin. Still, it is very easy to drift into sin.

Paul urged the church to look within, reminding them, “Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves” (2 Corinthians 13:5). His concern was that many professed Christ but lived in compromise.

This self-examination meant looking honestly at their motives and actions to see if Christ was truly ruling in their hearts. Were they walking in holiness and holding fast to the gospel, or simply going through motions?

Paul wanted them to measure their lives by God’s Word, not worldly standards. A true spiritual check-up leads to repentance and renewal, through which Christ lives and works in them.

Summary

Paul wanted the Corinthians to understand that the resurrection gives meaning to faith and secures eternal life. Because He lives, believers can face death with confidence, knowing that one day we will be raised to reign with Him forever.

Elvin

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Use Your Spiritual Gift to Glorify God.

Ask God For Help

Christian faith

Reader,

Hosea said his people were destroyed for lack of knowledge. Knowledge give believers and non-believers a choice. When a person does not know, they cannot choose.

Feel free to forward this lesson to your friends and family.

Grow in the knowledge of God.

Elvin

Send your comments to elvin.aycock@AskGodForHelp.net and let me know what you think of the lessons.

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