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Selected Verse: 1 Corinthians 15:14 - King James
| Verse |
Translation |
Text |
| 1Co 15:14 |
King James |
And if Christ be not risen, then is our preaching vain, and your faith is also vain. |
Summary Of Commentaries Associated With The Selected Verse
| A Commentary, Critical, Practical, and Explanatory on the Old and New Testaments, by Robert Jamieson, A.R. Fausset and David Brown [1882] |
| your faith . . . vain-- (Co1 15:11). The Greek for "vain" here is, empty, unreal: in Co1 15:17, on the other hand, it is, without use, frustrated. The principal argument of the first preachers in support of Christianity was that God had raised Christ from the dead (Act 1:22; Act 2:32; Act 4:10, Act 4:33; Act 13:37; Rom 1:4). If this fact were false, the faith built on it must be false too. |
| Notes on the Bible, by Albert Barnes, [1834] |
And if Christ is not risen, then is our preaching vain - Another consequence which must follow if it be held that there was no resurrection, and consequently that Christ was not risen. it would be vain and useless to preach. The substance of their preaching was that Christ was raised up; and all their preaching was based on that. If that were not true, the whole system was false, and Christianity was an imposition. The word vain here seems to include the idea of useless, idle, false. It would be "false" to affirm that the Christian system was from heaven; it would be useless to proclaim such a system, since it could save no one.
And your faith is also vain - It is useless to believe. It can be of no advantage. If Christ was not raised, he was an impostor, since he repeatedly declared that he would rise Mat 16:21; Mat 18:22-23; Luk 9:22, and since the whole of his religion depended on that. The system could not be true unless Christ had been raised, as he said he would be; and to believe a false system could be of no use to any man. The argument here is one addressed to all their feelings, their hopes, and their belief. It is drawn from all their convictions that the system was true. Were they, could they be prepared to admit a doctrine which involved the consequence that all the evidences which they had that the apostles preached the truth were delusive, and that all the evidences of the truth of Christianity which had affected their minds and won their hearts were false and deceptive? If they were not prepared for this, then it followed that they should not abandon or doubt the doctrine of the resurrection of the dead. |
| Vincent's Word Studies, by Marvin R. Vincent [1886] |
Vain (κενὸν)
Empty, a mere chimaera. |
| Explanatory Notes on the Whole Bible, by John Wesley [1754-65] |
| Then is our preaching - From a commission supposed to be given after the resurrection. Vain - Without any real foundation. |
| Adam Clarke Commentary on the Whole Bible - Published 1810-1826 |
Then is our preaching vain - Our whole doctrine is useless, nugatory and false.
And your faith is also vain - Your belief of a false doctrine must necessarily be to you unprofitable. |
4 And declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead:
37 But he, whom God raised again, saw no corruption.
33 And with great power gave the apostles witness of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus: and great grace was upon them all.
10 Be it known unto you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom ye crucified, whom God raised from the dead, even by him doth this man stand here before you whole.
32 This Jesus hath God raised up, whereof we all are witnesses.
22 Beginning from the baptism of John, unto that same day that he was taken up from us, must one be ordained to be a witness with us of his resurrection.
17 And if Christ be not raised, your faith is vain; ye are yet in your sins.
11 Therefore whether it were I or they, so we preach, and so ye believed.
22 Saying, The Son of man must suffer many things, and be rejected of the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be slain, and be raised the third day.
22 Jesus saith unto him, I say not unto thee, Until seven times: but, Until seventy times seven.
23 Therefore is the kingdom of heaven likened unto a certain king, which would take account of his servants.
21 From that time forth began Jesus to shew unto his disciples, how that he must go unto Jerusalem, and suffer many things of the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised again the third day.