1 Corinthians 15: “Love Crucified” Arose!

Chapter 15 might seem abrupt when Paul switched from exercising spiritual gifts to the gospel. Unless we follow his train of thought from chapter 13 – it’s all about love.

Love crucified

Love does not seek its own (13:5) but the benefit of others (14:1,12); now in this chapter, the greatest expression of agape – dying for one’s friends (Jn 15:13) is seen as the compelling truth of the gospel. When Christ died for us (15:3; 2 Cor 5:14), we were not even friends but sinners, in fact enemies (Rom 5:8-10).

Christ the epitomic embodiment of agape was “love crucified”, but love can never be put to death (Songs 8:6-7), so Christ’s dying love is in fact His undying love.

The crucified arose

Love never fails (13:8), and is now exalted as triumphant love, rising above the realms of death, and destroying death itself (15:20-26,54-55)!

The resounding victory of love over death is beautifully captured in this song:

Love crucified, arose

The Risen One in splendour

Jehovah’s soul Defender

Has won the victory

Love crucified, arose

And the grave became a place of hope

For the heart that sin and sorrow broke

Is beating once again

The words of Hosea 13:14 which Paul borrowed, say in the original:

            O Death, I will be your plagues!

O Grave, I will be your destruction!

Who died for us and rose again

What Christ’s resurrection meant to Paul was that if Christ died for all, then all died; and He died for all, that we who live should live no longer for ourselves but for Him who died for us and rose again (2 Cor 5:14-15)

Labouring more abundantly than the other apostles, Paul proclaimed at the beginning of the chapter that God’s grace toward him was not in vain (15:10). Now he ended the epistle with the exhortation that our labour is not in vain in the Lord (15:28)

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