“Yes, and we are found false witnesses of God, because we have testified of God that He raised up Christ, whom He did not raise up—if in fact the dead do not rise. … For if the dead do not rise, then Christ is not risen” (1 Corinthians 15:15-16).
Paul has preached vigorously the resurrection of Jesus Christ to the Corinthians because false teaching has arisen among them. There are those who said the dead do not rise. In fact, some prominent Jews, the Sadducees, promoted that doctrine, even though some of them had been around when Jesus was resurrected.
The apostle here uses logic in refuting that doctrine, even calling himself a false witness if Jesus had not been raised. If the dead don’t rise, then Jesus could not have been raised; thus, all are still in their sins.
The scriptures are convincing as they affirm the reality of the resurrection. Jesus arose from the dead after His crucifixion; thus, the dead do rise. As a result, it is sobering to realize that we, too, will be resurrected and will receive our final judgment.