Epiphany Season · Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time · Year C
1 Corinthians 15:12, 16-20
The Resurrection of the Dead
February 13, 2028
Overview & Insights
“Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.” (1 Corinthians 15:20)
After solidly grounding the resurrection in the soil of history, Paul moves on to establish its theological significance. His theological argument moves through three stages. He begins with a theological restatement of his Scripture and eyewitness argument (15:12–18). From here he draws a direct connection between the resurrection of Christ and the resurrection of his followers (15:19–28), before concluding that this has significant ethical implications (15:29–34). Those rejecting the resurrection do not simply oppose Paul; they deny the cornerstone of the Christian message.
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Commentary
BibleHub: 1 Corinthians 15:12 Commentaries BibleHub
Aggregated classic commentaries on Paul's resurrection argument.
Enduring Word: 1 Corinthians 15 Enduring Word · David Guzik
David Guzik's verse-by-verse notes on the resurrection chapter.
Precept Austin: 1 Corinthians 15 Commentary Precept Austin
Verse-level study helps and gathered quotations on the resurrection argument.
StudyLight: 1 Corinthians 15 (Barnes' Notes) StudyLight
Albert Barnes' close reading of the if-then logic in verses 12-20.
Working Preacher: 1 Corinthians 15:12-20 Working Preacher
Luther Seminary exegesis on the stakes of denying the resurrection.
CEP: 1 Corinthians 15:12-20 Center for Excellence in Preaching
Reformed preaching commentary weighing how much to dwell on the resurrection's implications.
Catholic Productions: 6th Sunday of Ordinary Time, Year C Catholic Productions · Brant Pitre
Brant Pitre's video walk-through of all four Mass readings, including this one.
Background & Word Study
The Church Fathers
Questions preachers ask
What does Paul say about Christ’s reign?
Christ, risen as the firstfruits, must reign until every enemy, last of all death, is destroyed; then he hands the kingdom to the Father, “that God may be all in all” (1 Corinthians 15:20–28). It crowns the feast of Christ the King.
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