Let’s imagine together a world without summer. In the state of Vermont where I call home, the people are hardy and tough and used to enduring long winters, but what if there was no summer? What if after 6 months of snow and freezing temperatures there was only more snow and more freezing temperatures. Of course there are places on earth that are like that but what if it was like that here in Vermont?
No more summer baseball.
No more concerts on the park.
No more boiling sap and making syrup.
No more maple creamies.
No more tubing down the river.
And many other things would also come to an end. Of course it would also mean most of the plants and animals around here would die. Life would be very harsh and few things could survive here. Many many things would change—not for the better—if summer never came here in Vermont.
A Thought Experiment
Paul is going to wrestle with a similar question in 1 Corinthians 15. He is going to ponder the question “What if there is no resurrection?”
Apparently some in the Corinthian church were denying the resurrection. So Paul explores what that would mean. We are going to see that this leads to some truly dreadful consequences. Like a series of dominoes, falling one after another, Christian hope is systematically destroyed, piece by piece.
Your Faith is in Vain
Let’s look at verses 12 through 14 to see the first domino:
Now if Christ is proclaimed as raised from the dead, how can some of you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? But if there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain.
The resurrection is so important that if there is no resurrection, Paul says, then our faith is completely in vain. That word “vain” means useless. Paul says, without the resurrection our faith is useless. It accomplishes nothing. If there is no resurrection, that means that Jesus was not raised and if Jesus was not raised, even if we consider His perfect life and the cross—these have no power or meaning for us. If there is no power or meaning in the death of Christ, then our faith is in vain and our preaching is in vain and all of our Holy Week celebrations this week are in vain.
Misrepresenting God
As if that would not be dreadful enough, Paul has more to say. Look at the next two verses, verses 15 and 16.
We are even found to be misrepresenting God, because we testified about God that he raised Christ, whom he did not raise if it is true that the dead are not raised. For if the dead are not raised, not even Christ has been raised.
As a student athlete in college one of the things our coach drilled into us was that we represented the school. Our behavior not only reflected upon ourselves but upon our teammates and the entire school. How we behaved when we traveled on a plane when there were many others on the plane with us mattered because we represented others. Of course our coach wanted us to represent the school well. We were to dress nicely and not be disruptive. Paul here says that if the resurrection did not happen and we are saying that it did, we are misrepresenting God. Certainly an unwise, dangerous thing to do.
You Are Still in Your Sins
Now, verse 17:
17 And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins.
This point is similar to what we saw in verses 12-14. “Futile” basically means the same thing as vain. The idea is that it is useless. What was the proof that Jesus’s death upon the cross actually counted as a substitutionary sacrifice? Was it not the resurrection? The resurrection was God’s “amen” to what Christ accomplished. It was the father’s stamp of approval of all that Jesus did. If the resurrection did not happen then you and I have no hope that his death mattered at all for you and I and we are still in our sins. What an absolutely dreadful thought.
Loved Ones in Christ Have Perished
Yet, there’s still more. Verse 18:
Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished.
I remember several years ago when we first learned that there was a Chipotle in Rutland. We were looking for something to do and all hopped in the car and drove over to have dinner one evening there. We arrived only to find a note on the door saying they were closed. Needless to say it was disappointing. If Christ has not been raised, our disappointment will be immeasurably greater. If he has not been raised then all of our hope of life with God after this is dashed.
Pitied Above All Others
Finally, Paul gives us one more thing to ponder in this thought experiment of sorts. He says, in verse 19:
If in Christ we have hope in this life only, we are of all people most to be pitied.
Now why would Paul say that? Walking with Jesus is not easy. There are a great many temptations, struggles, and challenges for the Christian believer. Just like in marriage, it is a beautiful and wonderful gift but it’s also a big sacrifice. But what if you make all of these sacrifices only to find out that your hope was in vain and that we are still in our sins. What an absolutely awful fate that would be. Paul wants the Corinthian Church to recognize the implications of what some of them are entertaining. If there is no resurrection of the dead, then it leads to all of these terrible conclusions.
Imagine one year if summer never came. Imagine if snow just continually came and the temperatures just never got above freezing. The sap didn’t run and the days remained short. It’s hard to imagine but that would be infinitely less serious than the prospect of what Paul considers here. What if the resurrection did not happen?
As Paul’s thought experiment demonstrates, the resurrection is at the very heart of what it means to be a Christian. This is the heart of our hope. I cannot wait to gather this coming Sunday with my church to celebrate and proclaim the good news that Christ is risen! [1]
[1] Some may be wondering about evidence for the resurrection. Here is a compelling recent article that discusses the best evidence: https://michaeljkruger.com/whats-the-best-argument-for-the-resurrection/, accessed March 31st, 2026.
