Truth Or Consequences

There is a town in New Mexico called Truth or Consequences. Being a western history buff, I imagined an old fashioned shootout at the OK corral as the background for this moniker. However, a quick search on the Internet revealed the truth. It was not a western-style gunfight at all. Rather, the origin of the name goes back to 1950. A popular radio program hosted by Ralph Edwards was called “Truth or Consequences.” In honor of the show’s tenth anniversary, Edwards offered to broadcast the show from any city that would change its name to Truth or Consequences. Some residents in Hot Springs, New Mexico thought it was a good idea, so they held a special election and residents voted in favour of the name change. True to his word, Ralph Edwards hosted his radio show from Truth or Consequences, New Mexico on April 1, 1950. No fooling.

Addressing the church in Corinth, Greece 2,000 years ago, the apostle Paul confronted the gospel’s own “truth or consequences.” What if the gospel is not true? Some Christians in Corinth questioned a future bodily resurrection of believers. Ancient Greek understanding of death and the afterlife viewed the body as the prison of the soul. The reasoning went something like this: “When the earth has drunk up a person’s blood, once he is dead, there is no resurrection.” This belief struck at the heart of the gospel. Paul argued that if the dead are not raised then the truth of the gospel is in jeopardy.

What if the gospel is not true? What is at stake? Both then and now the gospel has its own “truth or consequences.” We need to face up to this. What is lost if the gospel is not true? Our text today points out the stark consequences.

I. The facts of the gospel are not reliable. (v.14)

In Paul’s summary of the facts of the gospel (vv. 3-4), Christ’s death and resurrection is foundational. If the gospel is not true, then the preaching of Christ’s death and resurrection is empty. The word “empty” means to be without content, without any basis, without truth, without power. In the case of the gospel, Jesus’ death on the cross was just one more crucified Jew who ran afoul of Roman law. In the first century there were hundreds of Jews crucified by the Romans.

Not only was Jesus’ death empty but his resurrection as well. His dead body could have been stolen by his enemies, relocated by his friends, or simply decomposed in an unmarked grave. It really didn’t matter since dead men don’t rise.

II. The fruits of the gospel are meaningless. (vv. 14, 17)