Hope for the Disenchanted

1 Corinthians 15:35-49

Summary
In 1 Corinthians 15:35-49, Paul addresses one of our deepest fears: not simply whether the resurrection is true, but whether resurrection hope can reach us in our weakness, dishonor, and dust. Using the image of a seed planted in the ground, Paul shows us that God does not abandon what is broken. He transforms it. The same God who gives glory to creation will raise his people in glory through Jesus Christ, the last Adam and the man of heaven. Because we belong to him, we can face the brokenness of this world with hope, knowing that what is sown in weakness will be raised in power.

Discussion Questions

1. What stood out to you most from the sermon or the passage?
2. Why do you think Paul responds so strongly to the question, “How are the dead raised? With what kind of body do they come?”
3. In what ways are we tempted to believe in the resurrection generally, but struggle to believe that resurrection hope applies to us personally?
4. Paul compares our present life to a seed and the resurrection life to the plant that grows from it. What does that image teach us about death, weakness, and transformation?
5. The sermon described three ways of facing life in this world: looking away, looking at, and looking through. Where do you tend to land? How so?
6. What are some ways Christians can honestly face the brokenness of the world without becoming cynical or despairing?
7. Paul points to the variety and glory of creation: humans, animals, birds, fish, sun, moon, and stars. How does creation help us believe that God can raise and transform our bodies?
8. Why is it important that the Christian hope is not escape from the body, but the resurrection and glorification of the body?
9. What does Paul mean when he says that Jesus is the “last Adam” and the “man of heaven”?
10. How does belonging to Jesus change the way we think about our weakness, suffering, aging, sickness, and death?
11. Where do you need to “look through” your present circumstances and see them in light of resurrection glory?
12. How can the promise “what is sown in weakness is raised in power” encourage you this week?

Quotes
“Cheer up! You're a worse sinner than you ever dared imagine, and you're more loved than you ever dared hope.”    –Jack Miller