Wrong Reason (3)

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 Christ is not risen. And if Christ is not risen, then our preaching is empty and your faith is also empty.1 Corinthians 15.12-14

The protocols of reason
Sound reason works according to a well-known formula: Given a premise and certain facts, one uses reason to work toward a conclusion that follows logically.

Paul demonstrates this “if/then” protocol of reason in his argument for the resurrection to the Christians in Corinth. Apparently the influence of the Sadducees, who denied the resurrection before the Lord Jesus, was still operating in Paul’s day. False theologians followed him around wherever he went, seeking to corrupt his pure teaching of the Gospel by one or another form of Jewish or philosophical heresy. In Corinth they had been trying to make the faith of Jesus a purely “this world” matter, saying that there was no resurrection and throwing the churches in Corinth into confusion.

So notice Paul’s response: “If” there is no resurrection, “then” Christ is not raised. “If” Christ is not raised, “then” our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain. He goes further: “If” it is true that the dead are not raised, “then” we who have preached the resurrection have been misrepresenting God. For, as he writes in verses 16 and 17, “For if the dead do not rise, then Christ is not risen. And if Christ is not risen, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins!” And it gets worse: “If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men the most pitiable.” (v. 19).

The secularist’s mistake
And that’s approximately where many in the secular world see believers today – except, of course, for the pitying part.

The secular premise is that people do not rise from the dead; thus, to stake your life on such a belief is to be a fool. The reason secularists cannot accept the resurrection of Christ is because of an even more fundamental premise, namely, that there is no spiritual realm, no God or angels, at least, not any that we must contend with or will be held accountable to, whether in this life or the next. They’re happy for the Bible to be a good book, an important book, and even a useful book, as long as you leave out the part about God, spirits, and rising from the dead.

And here is the secular believer’s problem, at precisely the same place of the Jewish heretics of Paul’s day: They have mistaken their fundamental premise for a proven fact.

What do I mean? Well, in a logical formula, “if” is a conditional statement which may or may not be true. We can only arrive at a reliable “then” conclusion after all the facts have been weighed. “If” we mistake our conditional premise – the “if” component – for an established fact, rather than a premise awaiting proof, “then” we are going to select our facts accordingly and skewer the “then” component of our argument.

The Sadducees who came to Jesus with their little logic game did not come with an “if/then” formula to be considered. They accepted their fundamental premise as a fact so that they were not saying, “If there is no resurrection...” but “Since there is no resurrection…”, as much as if to say, “Since it’s true and everybody knows that there is no resurrection…” Jesus’ approach was to expose the folly of that fatal “if” by pointing out that they had not considered all the facts that should have gone into their conclusion.

And we who know that God exists, that there is a spiritual realm, and that human beings, made in the image of God are spiritual and reasoning creatures, and that a day of resurrection is surely coming, understand that our unbelieving contemporaries have made the fatal logical mistake of taking their premise as a fact before they’ve carefully considered all the relevant facts in the matter.

Setting forth the facts
Paul did the same thing at Corinth. The heretics there were saying “In fact, since there is no resurrection from the dead…” to which Paul answered, in verse 20, “But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead…” He simply reminded his readers that the view of his opponents was mistaken, and they knew it.

Secularism is wrong in its view of spiritual realities, for it takes as a widely-accepted fact what should be regarded merely as a premise, that there is no spiritual realm, no God of any consequence, no angels, and no resurrection. Nothing in the secular arsenal of reason, logic, science, philosophy, or hocus-pocus can prove that premise so that it should be regarded as a fact.

Thus, to accept it as a fact, while, at the same time, disregarding abundant evidence to the contrary, well, that’s simply wrong reason.

For reflection or discussion
1.  What’s the difference between a “premise” and a “fact”? Give some examples:

2.  What’s the role of evidence in moving from a premise to a conclusion, or, a fact? What do we mean by “evidence”? What evidence would you point to concerning the existence of God, a spiritual realm, and the hope of resurrection?

3.  Are “Christian facts” different from “other facts”? Explain:

Next steps – Conversation: Have you ever tried to discover the underlying premises behind the worldview of your unbelieving friends? Try talking to some unbelievers in your Personal Mission Field. Ask them what they believe, for example, about spiritual things – about God and heaven and the resurrection. Then ask them whether they hold these views as facts or as premises awaiting further facts before they reach a conclusion. Talk with some Christian friends about what you discover.

T. M. Moore

Each of our “next steps” exercises is tied into goals and disciplines involved in working your Personal Mission Field. If you have not yet identified your Personal Mission Field, watch the brief video showing you how to get started right away (click here). Then click here to download your Personal Mission Field worksheet. Learn how to work your Personal Mission Field by finding a friend and signing-up for our Mission Partners Outreach.

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Except as indicated, Scripture taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.