Without Hope?

In his first letter to Corinthians, Paul grounds the gospel in real history. He says if Christ didn’t die and was not actually raised back to life, then our faith is useless and we’re without hope.

And Paul connects the historical reality of the resurrection back to Genesis! He says that just as the first Adam sinned and brought death, so the Last Adam, Jesus, brings the resurrection of the dead and life.

Paul also says that death is the “last enemy.” Death, as an enemy, is an intruder into God’s once “very good” creation.

Paul, inspired by the Holy Spirit, clearly taught a historical Adam and Genesis, and grounded the Christian faith in that history.

Dig Deeper

• In Defense of the Historical Adam
• Adam and Eve