In 1532-1533 Martin Luther preached on I Corinthians 15, seventeen times. Below are a few snippets from those sermons.

If Christ is not risen from the dead, then sin and death have devoured and killed Him.  Since we could not rid ourselves of our sins, Christ took them upon Himself that He might tread sin, death, and hell underfoot and become their Lord.  But if he did not rise, He did not overcome sin but was overcome by sin.  But if He was overcome by sin, He did not rise.  If He did not rise, He did not redeem you, then you are still in sins.

We are called Christians because we may look at the Christ and say: Dear Lord, You took all my sins upon Yourself, You became Martin, Peter, and Paul, and thus You crushed and destroyed my sin.  There (on the cross) I must seek my sin.  You have directed me to find it there.  On Good Friday I still clearly see my sin, but on the Day of Easter no sin is any longer to be seen.

He who would really possess the benefit of Christ’s resurrection must shed his old skin, must enter into Christ and become a new man.  If he does not do so, he is none better for the resurrection of Christ.

To wise reason and worldly wisdom it seems to be a big stout lie that the entire human race should die because of the guilt of a single human being.  For it certainly appears exceedingly unfair and absurd on the part of God to react so oddly to Adam’s folly and to take a position so foolish as to judge that because Adam bit into an apple he brought about the death of all human beings who come after him down to the end of the world.

The life of the world is nothing but a progress toward death; indeed, it is like the progress of people who rush toward the grave backward; for they revel and riot and are unmindful of death until they suddenly drop into it.

Prayer for the Tuesday of Holy Week:

Almighty and everlasting God, grant us by Your grace so to pass through this holy time of our Lord’s passion that we may obtain the forgiveness of our sins; through Jesus Christ, Your Son our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.