TEXT: I Corinthians 15:12-20

SUBJECT: Reductio Ad Absurdum

The resurrection of Jesus Christ is the centerpiece of Christian theology and life. If it did not occur, we have nothing. If it did take place, we have everything.

Because of its importance, believers have always tried to prove it to their unsaved neighbors, and in various ways.

The first argument they used was the one every ordinary person relies on a million times a day. And that is what they saw. On the Day of Pentecost, Peter cried,

Thousands saw the Lord die on the cross, but Peter says We saw Him alive after His death!

Because of their friendship with Christ, the Apostles were public men. Had they been fools or known liars, somebody would have called them on it and the Resurrection would have been discredited from the start.

But nobody did. This is quite remarkable because nearly everyone in Israel had a motive for wanting Him dead. If He was alive, the whole nation was guilty of an unspeakable crime—Priest, Pharisee, Scribe, and Ordinary Man had conspired to kill the Lord of Glory!

Yet nobody had the guts to say Peter is a fool and John is a liar! Because they weren’t. The men were both sane and honest. And they saw Him alive,

And not just they, but "more than five hundred brethren" saw Him alive--including His archenemy, Saul of Tarsus.

This was the first argument for the resurrection of Christ. And the most effective—for a while.

But before long, the eye witnesses were all dead. By 100 A.D. (or thereabouts) no living person had ever seen the Lord—either before the resurrection or afterwards.

But they still had their proof. Although Peter, John, Paul, and the others were dead, their writings could still be had. We call them The New Testament.

It bears powerful witness to the Resurrection of our Lord. All Four Gospels record it; it is part of every sermon in the Book of Acts; it is explicitly taught or assumed in the Epistles. The writers of the New Testament used their own words and had their own emphases, of course, but they all told the Same Story.

But what about for people who don’t believe the Bible? Or, at least, aren’t familiar with it? Is there any proof for them? There is. One of the most powerful evangelists in the Early Church was a man named Tertullian (b. 160). In trying to persuade the Romans to believe in Christ, he turned first to the Bible. But when they wouldn’t accept its authority, he turned elsewhere—and with real success.

If Jesus Christ is dead—he asked—how can He change so many lives? How can a dead man make a drunk man sober? How can a dead man make a coward brave enough to face the lions? If millions of formerly bad people are now living holy and heroic lives because of Christ, how can He be a dead?

The Romans were stumped. Living Christians prove a Living Christ.

Paul knew all these arguments, of course, and used them at times. But here he uses another one. For the sake of argument, he says, all right, Christ didn’t rise. But from that premise, he draws some devastating inferences. What if He didn’t rise from the dead? If He didn’t, certain things must follow. It’s not that they may follow, but they must. If Christ is still dead, then…

1. All preachers are fools, liars, and blasphemers.

"Our preaching is vain…Yes, and we are found

false witnesses of God because we have testified

of God that He raised up Christ, Whom He did not

raise up—if in fact, the dead do not rise".

If Christ did not rise from the dead then Gospel preaching is a waste of time. Paul would have been better off staying with the Pharisees; Peter should have stuck to fishing; Matthew should have remained with the IRS. The Apostles were fools!

And not only the Apostles, but all preachers are. Ordinary men like myself should have gone into some other line of work. Flipping burgers, maybe, or picking up garbage. There’s real value in these things—they feed the hungry and prevent disease. But preaching? It’s worthless.

And so is all Christian ministry. Thus, Jim Eliot was murdered by the Indians of Ecuador for nothing. John G. Paton wasted fifty years in the New Hebrides. Father Damien threw away his life serving the lepers of Molokai.

Can anyone believe this? I mean really believe it? Setting aside the hypocrites who preach the Word for money or comfort or prestige, can anyone look at the lives of great missionaries, pastors, and martyrs, and say What a Waste?

If Christ did not rise from the dead, their lives were meaningless.

And worse. They were also wicked. If Christ is not risen, then Paul, Augustine, Luther, the Puritans, Bunyan, Spurgeon, and all the best preachers of today are liars. Not good men who are naïve or mistaken here and there, but dirty, rotten liars!

No real preacher says "I believe He rose" or "He may have risen" or "the resurrection is a lovely thought". No! We say

"The Lord is risen!

The Lord is risen indeed!"

Thus, if He didn’t rise, we’re all lying to you. Not just the preachers who get caught in scandals or the ones who rake in millions a year from old ladies, but every one of us!

Can you believe that? If you cannot, then Christ is risen.

One more thing here: Paul says if our Lord didn’t rise from the dead, we’re all false witnesses to God. This is a curious choice of words. He could have said liars, which is also true. But he chose false witnesses. If you know your Old Testament, you know that refers to a very special kind of sin. We call it perjury (or lying under oath). But the Jews called it something else: Taking the Lord’s Name in Vain, that is, swearing a lie in the name of God. If a man were guilty of that, he would be stoned to death by his neighbors and sent to hell by the Lord.

If Jesus Christ is not risen from the dead, the Apostles and all preachers are guilty of blasphemy and deserve death and everlasting fire!

Can you believe that? If not, then Christ is risen.

2. If Christ is still dead, then all believers are stupid, guilty, and under the wrath of God.

Faith is no better than the Object it which it is placed. Young men were willing to die for Hitler, but their faith—though sincere and passionate—was foolish, because their god wasn’t worthy of it. If Christ isn’t risen from the dead, then the most loyal Christians you know are also the biggest fools!

And not just fools, but guilty fools. If the Lord is not risen, then He’s not the Messiah. And that means the people who believe in Him have not received the forgiveness of sins, but only made things worse by