Proof of Jesus' Resurrection? 1 Corinthians 15

Christians and non-Christians alike agree that the validity of Christianity hinges on the resurrection. Now, being strong in faith means that we shouldn't need unequivocal proof of that event. In fact, in the 20th chapter of John, Jesus (lightly) rebukes Thomas for demanding such proof.

But, unfortunately, we all face times in which our faith wavers. And when we face such wavering, there's no better place to turn that the 15th chapter of 1 Corinthians. It's arguably the most important chapter in the entire Bible. Importantly, 1 Corinthians 15 was written before any of the gospel accounts, making it the earliest written account of Jesus' resurrection. Further, Paul mentions in verse 8 that he actually encountered the resurrected Jesus. (Of course, Paul is referring to the famous Road to Damascus event.)

For a moment, let's view Paul's claim of seeing Jesus through the lens of a skeptic. Let's consider two possibilities.

First, perhaps Paul was insane, or misinterpreted what he saw. This seems unlikely, because in verses 5-7 (ESV), Paul notes that the resurrected Jesus appeared to lots of other people,

He appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. Then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have fallen asleep. Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles.

For the insanity/misinterpretation theory to hold water, all of those eyewitnesses must similarly have experienced insanity or misinterpretation. That seems unlikely.

Second, perhaps Paul was lying, most likely for his own personal gain. However, even a casual reading of Paul's letters marks this theory as even less likely than the insanity/misinterpretation theory. Before encountering Jesus on the road to Damascus, Paul was fairly high up on the pecking order of Jewish intellectuals. He was living the good life! But after encountering Jesus, as Paul comments in Philippians 3:8 (ESV),

I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ.

Paul also notes in 1 Corinthians 9 that he intentionally avoids reaping material gain from his preaching, lest such rewards compromise the validity of his testimony. So Paul gained nothing of earthy significance, and, in fact, lost everything, including, eventually, his life. That's quite a price to pay for some alleged deception!

So it seems unlikely that Paul was insane or misinterpreted his experience, and it also seems unlikely that he was engaged in deception. By process of elimination, it seems likely that Paul was telling the truth about the resurrected Jesus!

All of which brings us to the final verse in 1 Corinthian 15 (ESV), a verse that should remain on the forefront of our minds as we pray,

Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.