Paul proves this point by showing how those who deny the resurrection are wrong. If Jesus did not rise, then our faith has no basis, and our hope is pointless and tragic. The Apostle even says that Christians would be the “most pitiable” people because they have put their hope in Christ “only for this life” (19). That would be a disaster for those already dead and a vast emptiness for those still alive. A vague idea of immortality of the “soul” without the body, as Greek philosophy suggests, is repulsive to both the Paul of Jewish tradition and the Christian Paul. These verses are a strong declaration of Christian hope. Finally, referring to himself, Paul assures them that he would be suffering for them in vain if he didn’t believe in the resurrection.