Verses 16-18
Paul repeated his line of thought contained in 1 Corinthians 15:12-14 in different terms. If Christ was still dead and in the grave, then confidence in Him for salvation is futile. [Note: See Norman L. Geisler, "The Significance of Christ’s Physical Resurrection," Bibliotheca Sacra 146:582 (April-June 1989):148-70.] This means the believer is still dead in his or her sins. He or she is without any hope of forgiveness or eternal life. Christians who had already died would be lost forever, eternally separated from God.
"The denial of their future, that they are destined for resurrection on the basis of Christ’s resurrection, has the net effect of a denial of their past, that they have received forgiveness of sins on the basis of Christ’s death." [Note: Fee, The First . . ., p. 743.]
Paul evidently meant that, given the Corinthians’ position, the believer has no future of any kind. "Perished" probably has this meaning since even though they denied the resurrection they were baptizing for the dead (1 Corinthians 15:29). It seems unlikely that they would have done this if they believed that death ended all.
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