S9E24: The First Fruits (Love Never Ends: Being the Body of Christ pt. 6)

Sermon #483

In Paul's time, people in the church in Corinth had some confused ideas about the theology of Christ (Christology).  Some of these ideas may have been influenced by the predominant schools of Jewish thought of the day - particularly the Sadducees and the Pharisees (of which Paul was one).  The Sadducees did not believe in a resurrection of the dead, and so Paul countered this flawed theology by presenting an argument thusly: If there is no resurrection of the dead, then Christ was not resurrected; and if Christ was not resurrected, we are still in our sins.  This bad theology, which grew into outright heresy in the time of Arius and the Council of Nicaea, continues today even among some prominent church leaders, despite church doctrine to the contrary.  But is it really necessary to believe in the resurrection of Christ?  Paul argues emphatically yes - and I agree with him.

1 Corinthians 15:12-28

Recorded at Ebenezer UMC on February 13, 2022

S.D.G.