1-2. Which wonderful hope servants of God get?

HOPE really dey important. Some people get hope say their marriage go sweet, they go born children wey strong for body, or they go well from their serious sickness. As servants of Jehovah, we fit want the same things. But our hope pass that one. We get the hope say we go live forever and our people wey don die go come back to life.

² Apostle Paul talk say: ‘I get hope for God say righteous people and people wey no dey righteous go come back to life.’ (Acts 24:15) Paul no be the first person wey say people wey don die go come back to life. Job for Bible talk-am too. E dey sure say God go remember-am and bring-am back to life.​—Job 14:7-10, 12-15.

3. Why we fit gain from 1 Corinthians chapter 15?

³ One of the main things wey Christians believe na say, people wey don die go come back to life. (Heb. 6:1, 2) The things wey Paul discuss about resurrection dey 1 Corinthians chapter 15. The things wey e write go don encourage Christians for e time. No matter how long you don believe say people wey die go come back to life, that chapter go encourage you and give you strong hope say e go happen.

4. Why we dey sure say our people wey don die go come back to life?

⁴ As Jesus come back to life, this one make us dey sure say if people wey we love die, they go come back to life. Na part of “the good news” wey Paul tell the brothers for Corinth. (1 Cor. 15:1, 2) E talk say if any Christian no believe say people go come back to life, e faith dey useless. (1 Cor. 15:17) Because we believe say Jesus come back to life, na this one make us still believe say other people go come back to life.

5-6. With wetin dey for 1 Corinthians 15:3, 4, wetin we go gain?

 ⁵ When Paul start to write about resurrection, na three truth e talk about. They be (1) “Christ die for our sins.” (2) “They bury-am.” (3) God “bring-am back to life for the third day as the Scriptures talk-am.”​—Read 1 Corinthians 15:3, 4.

⁶ Wetin we go gain as Jesus die, as they bury-am, and as e come back to life? Prophet Isaiah talk say they go “cut [Messiah] comot from among people wey dey alive” and they go “bury-am for place wey they bury wicked people.” But another thing go happen. Isaiah still talk say the Messiah go “carry the sin of plenty people.” Jesus do this one when e die to save people. (Isa. 53:8, 9, 12; Matt. 20:28; Rom. 5:8) So Jesus give us good reasons to get the hope say we fit dey free from sin and death and we go see our people wey don die.

7-8. Wetin help Christians believe say Jesus come back to life?

⁷ So that we go believe say people go come back to life, we need to first believe say Jesus come back to life. Why we fit dey sure say Jehovah bring Jesus come back to life?

⁸ Many people see Jesus after e come back to life, and they talk about-am. (1 Cor. 15:5-7) The first person wey Paul talk say e see-am na apostle Peter (Cephas). Some group of disciples still talk say Peter see Jesus after e come back to life. (Luke 24:33, 34) Apart from that one, the apostles see Jesus after e come back to life. Then Jesus “appear to more than 500 brothers for the same time.” This one fit be for the better meeting wey they do for Galilee wey Matthew 28:16-20 talk about. Jesus still “appear to James.” This James fit be the half brother of Jesus, wey no first believe say Jesus na the Messiah. (John 7:5) James believe say na Jesus be the Messiah after e see Jesus say e don come back to life. Notice say around 55 C.E. when Paul write this letter, plenty people wey see Jesus after e come back to life still dey alive. So anybody wey de doubt, fit ask this people wey dey alive and wey see-am.

9. Wetin Acts 9:3-5 talk wey show say Paul fit prove more-more say Jesus really come back to life?

⁹ After, Jesus appear to Paul. (1 Cor. 15:8) Paul (Saul) dey road de go Damascus when e hear the voice of Jesus and see-am for vision as e dey for heaven. (Read Acts 9:3-5.) The thing wey happen to Paul add join wetin show say the resurrection of Jesus really happen.​—Acts 26:12-15.

10. As Paul believe say Jesus come back to life, wetin this one make-am do?

¹⁰ Some people go really get interest for the thing wey Paul talk because before Jesus appear to Paul, Paul don really suffer Christians. After Paul don believe say Jesus come back to life, e work hard to make other people believe this truth. Paul endure many things as e de preach the truth say Jesus die but e come back to life again. People beat Paul, they put-am for prison, and the ship wey e enter scatter for water. (1 Cor. 15:9-11; 2 Cor. 11:23-27) Paul really dey sure say Jesus don come back to life sotey e dey ready to die as e de tell people about this thing wey e believe. Christians that time wey know say Jesus don come back to life make us believe-am too, no be so? This one no make you believe more-more say people go come back to life again for future?

11. Why some Christians for Corinth believe things wey no correct about resurrection?

¹¹ Some Christians for the city of Corinth, for Greece, believe things wey no correct about resurrection. Some of them even talk say “dead people no go come back to life.” Why? (1 Cor. 15:12) People wey de teach the sense of the world, wey come from another city for Greece wey the name na Athens, don de laugh the idea say Jesus come back to life. And so, some people for Corinth fit de think like that too. (Acts 17:18, 31, 32) Other people fit don think say the resurrection no dey real. Instead, they feel say when they talk say person don die, this one mean say the person na sinner; but when they talk say person dey alive, this one mean say the person don become Christian and God don forgive-am e sin. No matter the reason why they no believe say resurrection dey, their faith dey useless. If God no really bring Jesus back to life, that one mean say Jesus no die for their sin and God never forgive them. So people wey no believe say resurrection dey, no get hope at all.​—1 Cor. 15:13-19; Heb. 9:12, 14.

12. With wetin dey for 1 Peter 3:18, 22, how the resurrection of Jesus dey different from the ones wey happen before e own?

¹² Paul know say “Christ don come back to life.” The resurrection wey Jesus get better pass the ones wey don happen before, because the people wey come back to life for earth still die after. Paul talk say Jesus na the “firstfruits among people wey don die.” How Jesus be the first? Na Jesus be the first person wey come back to life as spirit person and the first person among human wey go heaven.​—1 Cor. 15:20; Acts 26:23; read 1 Peter 3:18, 22.

13. Wetin Paul talk wey show say Adam dey different from Jesus?

¹³ How the death of one man fit make millions of people get life? Paul answer that question well. E explain the difference between wetin happen because of the thing wey Adam do and wetin go happen because Jesus die for us. Paul write about Adam say: “Na because of one man people de die.” When Adam sin, e bring death for e self and e children. We still de suffer from the bad things wey Adam cause as e no obey God. But because God bring e Son back to life, we fit get better future! Paul talk say: “Na still because of one man people go come back to life. Just as everybody de die because of Adam, na so everybody go still dey alive again because of Christ.”​—1 Cor. 15:21, 22.

14. Adam go come back to life? Explain.

¹⁴ Wetin Paul mean when e talk say “everybody de die because of Adam”? Paul de talk about all Adam children wey get sin from Adam and because of this one they go die. (Rom. 5:12) Adam no dey among people wey go “dey alive again.” Adam no go gain from the sacrifice of Jesus. This one na because Adam no get sin and e no de make mistake but e decide say e no go obey God. The thing wey happen to Adam na wetin go still happen to the people wey Jesus go judge as “goat.” This one mean say they “go die forever.”​—Matt. 25:31-33, 46; Heb. 5:9.

15. Who dey among the “everybody” wey “go dey alive again”?

¹⁵ Notice-am say, Paul talk say ‘everybody go dey alive again because of Christ.’  (1 Cor. 15:22) Paul write e letter to anointed Christians for Corinth wey God go resurrect go heaven. This Christians na “one with Christ Jesus and God don separate [them] for e self, and e don call [them] to be holy people.” Paul still talk about “people wey don die wey be one with Christ.” (1 Cor. 1:2; 15:18; 2 Cor. 5:17) For another letter wey Paul write, e talk say people wey “be one with Jesus so that [they] go die as e die, . . . go surely be one with Jesus to resurrect as e resurrect.” (Rom. 6:3-5) Jesus come back to life as spirit and e go heaven. So, na the thing wey go happen to all the people wey “be one with Christ,” and this people na all the anointed Christians.

16. Wetin Paul mean when e call Jesus the “firstfruits”?

¹⁶ Paul write say Jesus come back to life as “firstfruits among people wey don die.” Remember say, other people like Lazarus, don come back to life for earth before. But, na Jesus be the first person wey God don bring back to life as spirit and wey live forever. Jesus just be like the firstfruits wey Israel people de give God as sacrifice from the things wey they harvest. And the thing wey Paul mean na say, after Jesus, God go resurrect other people to live for heaven. When the time reach, God go resurrect the apostles and other people to live for heaven, like Jesus.

17. Which time God go resurrect people wey “be one with Christ” to go live for heaven?

¹⁷ When Paul write this letter to people for Corinth, God never begin resurrect people wey “be one with Christ” go heaven. Instead, Paul talk say the resurrection go happen for future. E talk say: “Na turn by turn e go be: Na Christ be the firstfruits, and after, people wey be Christ own when e go dey around.” (1 Cor. 15:23; 1 Thess. 4:15, 16) Today, we don de live for the time wey Christ “dey around.” True-true, the apostles and other anointed Christians wey don already die, wait until Jesus don dey around before they get their reward for heaven and “be one with Jesus to resurrect as e resurrect.”

18. (a) Why we fit talk say another resurrection go follow the one for heaven? (b) With wetin dey 1 Corinthians 15:24-26, wetin go happen for heaven?

¹⁸ But, wetin go happen to faithful Christians wey no get the hope to live with  Christ for heaven? God go still resurrect them. Bible talk say Paul and other people wey go go heaven, go dey among people wey “go get the first resurrection.” (Phil. 3:11) This one show say another resurrection go happen after that one, no be so? That one agree with the thing wey Job talk about e future. (Job 14:15) “People wey be Christ own when e go dey around” go dey with Jesus for heaven when e go destroy all government and all authority and power. Even “the last enemy, [wey be] death,” no go dey again. The truth be say, all the people wey God go resurrect go heaven no go ever die again. But, what about other people?​—Read 1 Corinthians 15:24-26.

19. Wetin people wey their hope na to live for earth fit expect?

¹⁹ Wetin people wey their hope na to live for earth fit expect? The thing wey Paul write go fit give them hope, when e say: ‘I get hope say righteous people and people wey no dey righteous go come back to life.’ (Acts 24:15) Since person wey no dey righteous no go fit enter heaven, that verse de talk about another resurrection for future wey go happen for earth.

20. How your hope don strong more?

²⁰ True-true, people “go come back to life”! People wey go come back to life for earth, go expect to live forever for this earth. You fit dey sure say this promise go happen. That hope fit make your mind come down when you think about your people wey don die. They go fit come back when the time reach for Jesus and other people to “rule as kings . . . for 1,000 years.” (Rev. 20:6) And you fit dey sure say even if you die before Jesus start to rule for 1,000 years, you go come back to life. This “hope no de fail.” (Rom. 5:5) E fit make you dey strong now and make you continue to get joy as you de serve God. But, more things dey wey we fit learn from 1 Corinthians chapter 15, as we go see for the next topic.