1 Corinthians 15

Chapter 15 is the great chapter on the resurrection. It is in this chapter that he talks about baptism for the dead and the three degrees of glory. My thoughts are lead to two things. First this is a message of great hope as he says in verse 19. If this life is where all our hope is placed, we are missing the big picture and missing out on a great source of peace and happiness. If, as some people believe, this life is all there is, there is little purpose; this is no ultimate justice, there is no final healing of what we suffer, there is an end to all of the deep and choice relationships we begin in this life. But there is so much more. This life is the Dick and Jane book of our experience. Paul's words are beautiful. He says we will be clothed in immortality, that death is swallowed up in victory. He promises us that the work we do in the Lord will not be for nothing, so we should be steadfast and immovable. I like those two words.

Look at the line of reasoning Paul uses

1. If there is no resurrection, then Christ no longer exists.
2. If there is no resurrection, we're wasting our time and our faith is a terrible joke.
3. If there is no resurrection, then the apostles are liars.
4. If there is no resurrection, there is no life for the spirit or the body after this.
5. If there is no resurrection, why do we perform baptisms for the dead?
6. If there is no resurrection, then why am I working so hard and killing myself off?

The second thing is Paul's testimony of Christ's having risen from the grave and how it parallels that of Joseph Smith's. Paul first bears witness that Christ has risen from the grave, that he lives, that his body is physical, immortal and incorruptible, just as Joseph Smith did. Paul is doing missionary work to teach the people of the Gospel and it's establishment just as Joseph bore witness of its establishment in our time. If you think about it, there is little difference between Paul and Joseph. Both of these men brought forth something that was fundamentally different then anything that was being taught at the time. Both men were dealing with an apostasy, Paul the Jewish apostasy and Joseph the Christian. Both dealt with apostasy among their own members. Both were persecuted, frequently jailed, and eventually killed for their testimony. Paul essentially says (like President Hinckley did of Joseph Smith and the restoration) that if this isn't true, it is the greatest hoax ever presented to mankind.