Now if Christ is preached, that He has been raised from the dead, how do some among 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, your faith also is in vain. Moreover, we are even found to be false witnesses of God, because we testified against God that He raised Christ, whom He did not raise, if in fact the dead are not raised. For if the dead are not raised, then not even Christ has been raised; and if Christ has not been raised, your faith is worthless; you are still in your sins. Then also those who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. If we have hoped in Christ only in this life, we are of all people most to be pitied. (vv. 12-19)

Theologians and ministers often insist that the cross is only for the forgiveness of sins. They argue that Christ needed to keep the law perfectly in order to give us eternal life, claiming that this theory is derived from Romans 5. However, we know this is not true. Their argument is flawed, and the proof can be found in 1 Corinthians 15.

We must understand that everything Christ did was for the kingdom of God and its people. Even before creation, God planned His kingdom and the church. We cannot separate Christ’s works. Christ died in order to resurrect.

As true Christians, we do not believe that we earn salvation by works. However, some believe that eternal life is earned through good deeds. They think this is possible because their sins have been forgiven. They believe Adam was holy and could earn eternal life by works, and that now, having returned to Adam’s original status through Christ’s death, we too can work to earn eternal life. This, in a nutshell, is Covenant Theology. Theologians and ministers present this theory in a polished way, but salvation by works is its true nature. It is no different from Arminianism.

Systematic theology has become the mainstream approach to theology, and I believe it has caused significant harm. We must have a bird’s-eye view of Scripture. Revelation was planned before creation, and the new covenant was planned before the old covenant.

When we speak about Adam, we should not speculate about his nature. Many insist that he was holy, but I do not believe this to be the case. He was sinless, yet he did not truly understand God; that is why he rebelled. Holiness belongs only to God, and all holy people both understand God and have faith in Him. Paul’s point is simple: through one man, all died, and through one man, we live.

For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ all will be made alive. (v 22)

We live by faith in Christ, which is given by God. We did nothing and do nothing to earn our salvation. The cross of Christ cannot be separated from His resurrection. No one can say that death dealt only with the problem of sin while the resurrection brought eternal life.

The old covenant was given so that we could understand the new covenant. The old came first, and the new came later, but the new lasts for eternity. You do not need to read theology books or the words of philosophers to understand the gospel. God did not choose the learned to be apostles. Read God’s Word with a simple and humble understanding. Do not follow those theologians and ministers who delight in philosophical arguments and speculative theories.

So also is the resurrection of the dead. It is sown a perishable body, it is raised an imperishable body; it is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory; it is sown in weakness, it is raised in power; it is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body. If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual body. So also it is written: “The first man, Adam, became a living person.” The last Adam was a life-giving spirit. However, the spiritual is not first, but the natural; then the spiritual. The first man is from the earth, earthy; the second Man is from heaven. As is the earthy one, so also are those who are earthy; and as is the heavenly One, so also are those who are heavenly. Just as we have borne the image of the earthy, we will also bear the image of the heavenly. (vv. 42-29)