Gustav Aulén writes in description of Christus Victor, "the work of Christ is first and foremost a victory over the powers which hold mankind in bondage: sin, death, and the devil."[3]:p.20
15 Now I make known to you, brethren,
the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received, in which
also you stand, 2 by which also you are saved, if
you hold fast the word which I preached to you, unless you believed
in vain.
3 For I delivered to you as of
first importance what I also received, that Christ died for our sins according
to the Scriptures, 4 and that He was buried, and
that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures,
5 and
that He appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. 6 After
that He appeared to more than five hundred brethren at one time, most of whom
remain until now, but some have fallen asleep; 7 then
He appeared to James, then to all the apostles;8 and
last of all, as to one untimely born, He appeared to me also. 9 For
I am the least of the apostles, and not fit to be called an apostle,
because I persecuted the church of God.
10 But
by the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace toward me did not prove
vain; but I laboured even more than all of them, yet not I, but the
grace of God with me.11 Whether then it was I
or they, so we preach and so you believed.
12 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? 13 But
if there is no resurrection of the dead, not even Christ has been raised; 14 and if
Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is vain, your faith also is
vain.
15 Moreover we are even found to be false witnesses of God,
because we testified against God that He raised Christ, whom He
did not raise, if in fact the dead are not raised. 16 For
if the dead are not raised, not even Christ has been raised; 17 and
if Christ has not been raised, your faith is worthless; you are still in
your sins. 18 Then those also who have fallen
asleep in Christ have perished.19 If we have hoped in
Christ in this life only, we are of all men most to be pitied.
The Order of Resurrection
20 But now Christ has been raised
from the dead, the first fruits of those who are asleep. 21 For
since by a man came death, by a man also came the
resurrection of the dead. 22 For as in Adam
all die, so also in Christ all will be made alive. 23 But
each in his own order: Christ the first fruits, after that those who
are Christ’s at His coming, 24 then comes
the end, when He hands over the kingdom to the God and Father,
when He has abolished all rule and all authority and power. 25 For
He must reign until He has put all His enemies under His feet. 26 The
last enemy that will be abolished is death. 27 For He has put all things in subjection under His
feet. But when He says, “All things are put in subjection,” it is
evident that He is excepted who put all things in subjection to Him. 28 When all
things are subjected to Him, then the Son Himself also will be subjected to the
One who subjected all things to Him, so that God may be all in all.
29 Otherwise, what will those do who are
baptized for the dead? If the dead are not raised at all, why then are they
baptized for them? 30 Why are we also in
danger every hour? 31 I affirm, brethren, by the
boasting in you which I have in Christ Jesus our Lord, I die daily. 32 If from
human motives I fought with wild beasts at Ephesus, what does it
profit me? If the dead are not raised, let
us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die. 33 Do
not be deceived: “Bad company corrupts good morals.” 34 Become
sober-minded as you ought, and stop sinning; for some have no
knowledge of God. I speak this to your shame.
35 But someone will say, “How are the
dead raised? And with what kind of body do they come?” 36 You
fool! That which you sow does not come to life unless it dies; 37 and
that which you sow, you do not sow the body which is to be, but a bare grain,
perhaps of wheat or of something else. 38 But
God gives it a body just as He wished, and to each of the seeds a body of
its own. 39 All flesh is not the same flesh, but
there is one flesh of men, and another flesh of beasts, and
another flesh of birds, and another of fish. 40 There
are also heavenly bodies and earthly bodies, but the glory of the heavenly is
one, and the glory of the earthly is another.
41 There
is one glory of the sun, and another glory of the moon, and another glory of
the stars; for star differs from star in glory.
42 So also is the resurrection of the
dead. It is sown a perishable body, it is raised an
imperishable body; 43 it is sown in
dishonor, it is raised in glory; it is sown in weakness, it is raised in
power; 44 it is sown a natural body, it is
raised a spiritual body. If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual body. 45 So
also it is written, “The first man,
Adam ,became a living soul.” The last
Adam became a life-giving spirit. 46 However,
the spiritual is not first, but the natural; then the spiritual. 47 The
first man is from the earth, earthy; the second man is from heaven. 48 As
is the earthy, so also are those who are earthy; and as is the heavenly, so
also are those who are heavenly. 49 Just as we have borne
the image of the earthy, we will also bear the image of the heavenly.
The Mystery of Resurrection
50 Now I say this, brethren, that flesh
and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; nor does the perishable
inherit the imperishable. 51 Behold, I tell
you a mystery; we will not all sleep, but we will all be changed, 52 in
a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet; for the trumpet
will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we
will be changed.
53 For this perishable must
put on the imperishable, and this mortal must put on immortality. 54 But
when this perishable will have put on the imperishable, and this
mortal will have put on immortality, then will come about the saying that is
written, “Death is swallowed up in
victory.
55 O death,
where is your victory? O death,
where is your sting?” 56 The sting of death is sin, and the
power of sin is the law; 57 but thanks be to
God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
58 Therefore, my beloved brethren, be
steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing
that your toil is not in vain in the Lord.
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