Paul makes two distinctions about our bodies in these verses—a distinction of kind and a distinction of glory.

God has made more than one kind of body.
God has made different bodies that are designed for living in different environments. For example, fish have bodies for life under water. Birds have bodies for life in the air. Animals have bodies for life on the ground. They all have bodies of flesh, but their flesh is of different kinds. God has given us bodies suited to our short lives in this world. They wear out over time, and God will give us bodies that are suited to eternal life in the world that is to come.

God has made some bodies more glorious than others.
God’s glory is reflected in all that He has made, but God has made some things more glorious than others. The sun is more glorious than the moon. Some stars are brighter than others. And Paul says, “So is it with the resurrection of the dead” (15:42). The bodies God will give us in the resurrection will be far more glorious than the bodies we have now.

This is really important. The bodies we have now are the only ones we have ever known. So, it is natural for us to live with the sneaking suspicion that the bodies we will have in the resurrection will be something less, or that life beyond this world will be a shadow of what we enjoy now. Nothing could be further from the truth.

Do you tend to think of your resurrection body as less or more?

It seems that the false teachers at Corinth were asking these questions cynically. That may be why Paul's first response is, “You foolish person!” (15:36). It’s not foolish to ask questions; it’s foolish to ridicule God’s truth (Gal. 6:7). But having rebuked the cynics for pouring scorn on the resurrection, Paul offers an answer.

Q: “How are the dead raised?”
A: “What you sow does not come to life unless it dies” (15:36).

God said, “You are dust, and to dust you shall return” (Gen. 3:19). How could a body that has returned to the dust be raised again? Suppose you plant a sunflower seed in the ground. The seed disintegrates. It dies. But when the seed dies, a new life begins. Paul says, “Look at the world of seeds and plants, and you will see that this happens all the time.” For a person who is in Christ, death is how we get into the glorious new life God has promised.

Q: “With what kind of body do they come?”
A: “What you sow is not the body that is to be, but a bare kernel” (15:37).

The life of the seed that disintegrates in the ground continues in the plant. But the two are very different. What comes out of the ground is not a giant seed. It is a sunflower, and it is far more beautiful than the seed from which it came. The sunflower is not the seed put back together. And the resurrection body is not the recomposing of the bodies we have now. “God gives… to each kind of seed its own body” (15:38). In the same way, God will give us new bodies that will be far more glorious than the ones we have right now.

Do you think about the resurrection with more cynicism or wonder? What is your response to Paul’s analogy and explanation?

The theme of 1 Corinthians 15 is the glorious truth of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the resurrection life that all who believe will share with Him.

If our hope is limited to what we can do or become in this world, we will be disappointed. But Jesus has risen to a glorious new life, and He is the firstfruits! A glorious new life lies ahead of all who belong to Him, and in this chapter, Paul is giving us a little glimpse of the resurrection life that we will share with Christ.

Earlier in his letter, Paul said, “But, as it is written, ‘What no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man imagined, what God has prepared for those who love him’—these things God has revealed to us through the Spirit” (1 Cor. 2:9-10).

God has prepared a resurrection life that every Christian will one day share with Jesus. But we are told here that no one has ever seen or heard of the things that God has prepared for us. In fact, no one has ever even imagined what God has prepared for us. So, no Christian should expect to read about the resurrection life and say, “Ah, I get it now. It’s all perfectly clear to me.”

What Jesus has prepared for us is so great that it is beyond our capacity to grasp. We can’t take in the full brightness of the sun. But we can all see something of its brilliance and enjoy living in its heat and its light.

Make it your prayer that you will see enough of the glory and joy of your future life to gain strength and anticipation as you press on in following and serving the Lord Jesus Christ.

As long as you feel that this life is all you have, you will feel that you have to hold on to it and preserve it for yourself. But if you truly come to believe in the resurrection, you will feel that you can spend your life, and if need be, lay down your life, in serving God by serving others.

• Who will be ready to endure hardship so that the gospel will be taken to the ends of the earth? Those who truly believe that there will be a resurrection.
• Who will see the wealth they acquire as a trust to be stewarded for the advance of the gospel and the good of others? Those who truly believe there will be a resurrection.
• Who will awaken from their stupor and quit sinning? Those who truly believe there will be a resurrection.
• Who will show grace and forgiveness? Who will pursue peace in this world of hostility and conflict? Those who truly believe that there will be a resurrection.

Believing in the resurrection will shape how you live. Are you living in a way that is fitting for a person who believes in the resurrection? If someone were to examine your life; your priorities, your diary, and your bank accounts, would they conclude that you are living for this life only? Or would it be clear that you are preparing for life in the world to come?

What would an examination of your life—your priorities, diary and bank accounts—say about what you are living for?

When you look at the good that has been done in this world over the centuries, you will find that a large part of it has been done by people who believe that they are preparing for a world to come—hospitals built, schools opened, children fostered.

Believing in the resurrection will shape how you live. Here is a glimpse of how the apostle Paul lived: he was “in danger every hour” (15:30), and he “die[d] every day!” (15:31). Some people say, “Even if there was no heaven, Christianity would still be the best way to live.” But Paul would say, “No, not for me!”

This man gave up a comfortable life to take the gospel to people who were often hostile and violent. He served people who were often ungrateful, unfaithful, and unresponsive. He stuck with it, facing days without food, nights without sleep, and constant exposure to danger. What in the world could motivate someone to live like this? The knowledge that our time here is short, and that God is preparing us for life in another world.

If there is no resurrection, what did Paul gain by living such a life (15:32)? Paul is telling us, “I would not dream of living as I do if I was not wholly convinced that there will be a resurrection. The reason I live as I do is that Christ has been raised. And that means that I too will rise. An endless life in a world of joy lies ahead of me.”

How is your belief in the resurrection shaping the way you live?

A faith for “this life only” sounds liberating, but it leads to indulgence.

The words “Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die”, are in quotation marks because Paul is quoting a popular proverb. This is what people were saying about life in this world, and the saying is so old that it was quoted by Isaiah in the Old Testament (Isa. 22:13). This is the wisdom of this world, as it has been through the ages. That’s why Paul goes on to say, “Wake up from your drunken stupor, as is right, and do not go on sinning” (1 Cor. 15:34).

If people really believed that life in this world is all there is, you would think that they might focus their energy on doing all they could to make the world a better place. But, unfortunately, that is not the case. The reality is that when people come to believe that life in this world is all there is, they become increasingly self-indulgent.

Yes, there are examples of secular people living sacrificial lives. But across the mass of humanity, it is surely an observable fact that when people come to believe that this life is all there is, they pour themselves into gaining as much of this world as they can. They pack in as many experiences as possible, and they pursue as many pleasures as they can find.

And who can blame them? If this short life is all you’ve got, you had better hold on to all you have. If we “have hope in this life only, we are of all people most to be pitied” (15:19).

Would you say that you are spending your life trying to hold on to all you have, or living sacrificially for the sake of others? What does this tell you about your hope?

Paul shows us that although a faith for “this life only” sounds relevant, it cannot deliver.

Every generation wants to make the world a better place, and we can thank God for progress in medicine, science, technology, education, justice, and human rights. But there is also a profound sense in which the world never changes. Every human innovation brings new challenges. The evils of greed, violence, hatred, and corruption remain as deeply rooted as ever.

We can thank God for every way in which these evils are held in check, but at no point have they ever been removed. No generation has been able to overcome them. So how will we ever get to a place where righteousness and peace will flourish?

Paul has the answer: “Then comes the end, when he delivers the kingdom to God the Father after destroying every rule and every authority and power. For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet” (15:24-25).

The focus is not on us and what we will do, but on Jesus and what He will do. Jesus will destroy every rule and authority and power. Jesus will deliver the kingdom to God the Father. Jesus will reign until He has put all His enemies under His feet.

Every generation has longed for a world of perfect justice, peace, and love. And no generation has been able to bring it about. But one Person can, and He will. Hope has a name, and His name is Jesus.

Do you believe people have the potential to overcome the evils in this world, or can you see that our only hope is in Jesus’ final victory?

The resurrection matters, and believing in the resurrection will give you a new hope, a new confidence, and a new purpose. But a “this life only” message will leave you without hope for at least three reasons.

1. Without the resurrection, your faith would be futile
“If Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile” (15: 17). Dead men can teach you through their writings, inspire you with their example, and help you through their wisdom. But a dead man cannot save you. So, if you’ve trusted your life and future to a dead man, your faith is futile.

2. Without the resurrection, you would still be in your sins
“If Christ has not been raised... you are still in your sins” (15:17). Christ was the Lamb of God whose unique calling was to take away the sins of the world by carrying them Himself. “The LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all” (Isa. 53:6). If Jesus had remained in the tomb, He would have been unsuccessful in removing our sins. They would still be on us.

3. Without the resurrection, your believing loved ones would be lost
“Those also who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished” (15:18). If death still holds Jesus, then death holds our believing loved ones too. And if Jesus was unsuccessful in taking away their sins, they died in their sins, and they would perish. Without the resurrection, there would be no hope for them, and no hope for us. All would perish.

Thank God for the resurrection of Jesus and for this promise to all who believe in Him: “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand” (John 10:27–28).