If Christ Is Not Raised, Shut The Church Down | 1 Corinthians 15

If Jesus didn’t physically walk out of that tomb, Christianity isn’t mistaken — it’s meaningless.

Summary

In 1 Corinthians 15, Paul stakes everything on one historical claim: Jesus Christ bodily rose from the dead. If the resurrection is metaphor, preaching is empty, faith is futile, sin still reigns, and the church is a fraud. But if Christ is raised, then death is defeated, the body matters, sin is judged, and obedience carries eternal weight. The resurrection is not inspirational symbolism — it is the foundation that makes holiness, courage, unity, and endurance rational.

Reflection & Small Group Discussion Questions

1. Why does Paul ground the resurrection in eyewitness testimony rather than personal experience?

2. What collapses in Christian theology if the resurrection is only symbolic?

3. How does treating the resurrection as metaphor subtly reshape views on sin and judgment?

4. Why does Paul say that without resurrection we are “still in our sins” (v.17)?

5. How does the resurrection affirm the goodness and future of the physical body?

6. In what ways does resurrection theology confront modern ideas about identity and embodiment?

7. How does believing in bodily resurrection shape how you endure suffering?

8. Why does Paul connect resurrection to steadfast obedience in verse 58?

9. Where are you tempted toward a “coping Christianity” instead of resurrection certainty?

10. If Christ is truly raised, what area of your life must become more immovable?