1 Corinthians 15 reads like a philosophy essay, complete with conditionals, premises and conclusions - and a couple of quotes from the Old Testament for good measure. the point of this chapter is that justification lies in the resurrection of the Son of God.
"For if the dead are not raised, then Christ has not been raised either. And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins. Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ are lost. If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are to be pitied more than all men." - 1 Corinthians 15:16-19 (NIV)
of course, Jesus died on the cross for our sins. indeed, Jesus died on the cross as a penal substitute for our sins. but Paul does not say that God declares Jesus (and those who are in Him) righteous on the cross. just because Jesus died on the cross for our sins does not mean that He has overcome sin. it merely means that He has paid the price for sin. in fact, 'if Christ [has died but] has not been raised, [our] faith is futile; [we] are still in [our] sins' (1 Corinthians 15:17, NIV).
rather, Paul says that God 'gives us the victory [over death] through our Lord Jesus Christ' (1 Corinthians 15:57, NIV) - who 'has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep' (1 Corinthians 15:20, NIV). in other words, God declares Jesus (and those who are in Him) righteous in the resurrection.
more precisely, God declares Jesus righteous in His resurrection, and we are assured that God will declare us (who are in Christ) righteous in our resurrection. to this end, justification in the present is based on God’s past accomplishment in the Messiah, and anticipates the future verdict.
links: three kinds of justification (7 mar 09), the point of justification (14 apr 09)
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