Philippians 4:2

Textus Receptus:
ευωδιαν παρακαλω και συντυχην παρακαλω το αυτο φρονειν εν κυριω

King James:
I beseech Euodias, and beseech Syntyche, that they be of the same mind in the Lord.

Comments:
I beseech... I beseech: Paul pleads with each one individually, as if to emphasize the division in their current relationship.

Euodias... Syntyche: It is at least interesting that the names of these women in conflict mean something like "pleasant way" and "serendipity."

same mind: This is the third time in the book of Philippians Paul has used the same expression to refer to having the mind of Christ in unity with each other. The other times are chapter 2:2 and 3:16.

Expanded Paraphrase:
I implore Euodias to share the way with Syntyche. And I implore Syntyche to be brought together with Euodias. Christ only has one mind. If both had His mind they would have peace with each other.

References:
Philippians 2:2 Fulfil ye my joy, that ye be likeminded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind.

Philippians 3:16 Nevertheless, whereto we have already attained, let us walk by the same rule, let us mind the same thing.

Philippians 4:1

Textus Receptus:
ωστε αδελφοι μου αγαπητοι και επιποθητοι χαρα και στεφανος μου ουτως στηκετε εν κυριω αγαπητοι

King James:
Therefore, my brethren dearly beloved and longed for, my joy and crown, so stand fast in the Lord, my dearly beloved.

Comments:
dearly beloved... dearly beloved: Paul uses the same word in chapter 2:12 where he also gives them an edict regarding their behavior. He is not simply sugar-coating medicine. He is grounding obedience the same way the Lord does in passages like John 15:12.

stand fast: The same word in chapter 1:27 describes what Paul hopes to find the Philippians doing when (and if) he visits them, and it is used in the same context of unity.

Expanded Paraphrase:
Since Christ is transforming you and your only enemies are the enemies of the cross, as I count you my brothers in Christ, loving and missing you, regarding you fondly and realizing my own victory in your obedience, so persevere in Christ, allowing your love for Him to be revealed in how you treat each other, just as I love you.

References:
John 15:12 This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you.

Philippians 1:27 Only let your conversation be as it becometh the gospel of Christ: that whether I come and see you, or else be absent, I may hear of your affairs, that ye stand fast in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel;

Philippians 2:12 Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.

Philippians 3:21

Textus Receptus:
ος μετασχηματισει το σωμα της ταπεινωσεως ημων εις το γενεσθαι αυτο συμμορφον τω σωματι της δοξης αυτου κατα την ενεργειαν του δυνασθαι αυτον και υποταξαι εαυτω τα παντα

King James:
Who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body, according to the working whereby he is able even to subdue all things unto himself.

Comments:
change: The word for change is very strong, as in "transform," and is from the compound of the prefix "meta" and the Greek word used about Jesus' "fashion as a man" in chapter 2:8.

vile: This word is translated "humble" or "lowly" in other places and is used about Jesus as a verb in chapter 2:8.

fashioned like: This word is the Greek prefix for "together" and the word used about Jesus being in the "form" of God in chapter 2:6.

glorious: It is only after the humiliating crucifixion of Christ that His exaltation becomes apparent in chapter 2:9-11. Paul's command for believers to avoid "vainglory" in chapter 2:3 (a compound of this word) is followed by his command for them to have the mind of Christ who then humbles Himself to the cross before He is exalted by His Father. Paul is telling believers they must make the same journey, as he does in 2 Timothy 2:11-12 as well.

working...subdue all things: Paul is specific here about the confidence he exhibits in chapter 1:6. Jesus will finish His work in believers because He has led the way with His own sacrifice and example and because He will return to receive His rightful inheritance, including their full submission to Him.

Expanded Paraphrase:
And when He does fulfill our expectation--when He does come back for us--He will transform the humbled body we endure in this world so that it becomes like His perfected and exalted body. Just as His death led to His glory, He will accomplish the work of transforming our sacrifice and loss into reward. But for us, the reward is that we will finally be fully submitted to Him.

References:
Philippians 2:3-11 Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves. 4 Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others. 5 Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: 6 Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: 7 But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: 8 And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. 9 Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: 10 That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; 11 And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

2 Timothy 2:11-12 It is a faithful saying: For if we be dead with him, we shall also live with him: 12 If we suffer, we shall also reign with him: if we deny him, he also will deny us:

Philippians 1:6 Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ:

Philippians 3:20

Textus Receptus:
ημων γαρ το πολιτευμα εν ουρανοις υπαρχει εξ ου και σωτηρα απεκδεχομεθα κυριον ιησουν χριστον

King James:
For our conversation is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ:

Comments:
conversation: This word is not the one usually translated (in the King James) into English as "conversation." This word is from a Greek word meaning "citizenship." It is the same word Paul uses in chapter 1:27. The point is to contrast the enemies' focus on the world with the disciples' true citizenship in heaven.

is: This word is more packed with meaning than the normal copulative. In this case, as in the other passage in Philippians with this word, chapter 2:6, it implies an original, natural submission to something else. In this case, believers are under heaven literally and teleologically--it sets the pattern of their lives.

we look for the Saviour: Colossians 3:1-4 makes the same connection between disciples' anticipation of Christ's return and their transformation here and now.

Expanded Paraphrase:
The reason you can follow me and others who give you the same example is that we are citizens of heaven. Because our hope is there, so is our purpose. It is from there that we will see our Saviour and Lord, Jesus Christ, return to save us from this world. So it is to there that we look now for deliverance from bondage to the destruction inherent in living for this world.

References:
Philippians 1:27 Only let your conversation be as it becometh the gospel of Christ: that whether I come and see you, or else be absent, I may hear of your affairs, that ye stand fast in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel;

Philippians 2:6 Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God:

Colossians 3:1-4 If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. 2 Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth. 3 For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God. 4 When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory.

Philippians 3:19

Textus Receptus:
ων το τελος απωλεια ων ο θεος η κοιλια και η δοξα εν τη αισχυνη αυτων οι τα επιγεια φρονουντες

King James:
Whose end is destruction, whose God is their belly, and whose glory is in their shame, who mind earthly things.)

Comments:
whose end is destruction... belly... earthly things: That the telos (end, purpose) of these enemies of the cross is to be destroyed is, in this verse, more a commentary on the nature of things they have chosen than on the unilateral activity of God. Particularly, the "earthly things" they have chosen to value above all else are not just of the earth, but literally "of the surface of the earth." In other words, because they have chosen the passing things of the earth, they will perish with their desire. Compare Galatians 6:7-8 and contrast chapter 1:21.

whose glory is in their shame: Paul may be speaking of the kind of shame John identifies in Revelation 3:18.

mind: Paul uses the same word for mind here that he used in chapter 2:5 to charge believers with having the mind of Christ.

Expanded Paraphrase:
Now their purpose is the very thing which shall be taken from them in the end, so that they have no future but ruin. They serve and long after their own appetites. They treat their most despicable acts as things that ought to be exalted. They have set their minds on the superficial things of the world.

References:
Galatians 6:7-8 Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. 8 For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting.

Philippians 1:21 For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.

1 Corinthians 6:13 Meats for the belly, and the belly for meats: but God shall destroy both it and them. Now the body is not for fornication, but for the Lord; and the Lord for the body.

Revelation 3:18 I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see.

Philippians 3:18

Textus Receptus:
πολλοι γαρ περιπατουσιν ους πολλακις ελεγον υμιν νυν δε και κλαιων λεγω τους εχθρους του σταυρου του χριστου

King James:
(For many walk, of whom I have told you often, and now tell you even weeping, that they are the enemies of the cross of Christ:

Comments:
For many walk: The others to whom Paul refers here are those who not only err, but also somehow entice believers to follow them. While tolerance is lauded in Western culture, discernment and often exclusion is what is needed. The nature of these false leaders' errors is in the next verse.

weeping: Paul's grief at the error of the leaders he describes here is consistent with God's own attitude toward those who need to be judged. Ezekiel 18:23, 31-32.

Expanded Paraphrase:
But you must be particular about whom you follow. Not everyone who appears to serve Christ really follows Him. I have spoken to you over and over again about many who are walking as the enemies of the very thing they ought to embrace--the cross of Christ. I am not glad to be right about them; rather I weep both for the cause of Christ and for their condition and impending judgment.

Reference:
Ezekiel 18:23, 31-32 Have I any pleasure at all that the wicked should die? saith the Lord GOD: and not that he should return from his ways, and live? 31 Cast away from you all your transgressions, whereby ye have transgressed; and make you a new heart and a new spirit: for why will ye die, O house of Israel? 32 For I have no pleasure in the death of him that dieth, saith the Lord GOD: wherefore turn yourselves , and live ye.

Philippians 3:17

Textus Receptus:
συμμιμηται μου γινεσθε αδελφοι και σκοπειτε τους ουτως περιπατουντας καθως εχετε τυπον ημας

King James:
Brethren, be followers together of me, and mark them which walk so as ye have us for an ensample.

Comments:
followers together: Paul puts a prefix ("together") on a word he uses to make this same point in 2 Thessalonians 3:7-9, much like 1 Corinthians 11:1. The author of Hebrews and John also argue that believers ought to imitate mature, faithful, Christian leaders with that word in Hebrews 13:7 and 3 John 11.

Expanded Paraphrase:
You are not yet complete in your Christian growth. You may not be sure how to behave to become more like Christ. But you are my brothers and sisters in Christ and you can set your sights on my Christian walk and the walk of those who are similarly faithful. Then imitate that walk.

Philippians 3:16

Textus Receptus:
πλην εις ο εφθασαμεν τω αυτω στοιχειν κανονι το αυτο φρονειν

King James:
Nevertheless, whereto we have already attained, let us walk by the same rule, let us mind the same thing.

Comments:
the same rule...the same thing: Galatians 5:1, Ephesians 4:1, and Colossians 2:6 each deal with different, specific aspects of the same general point made by this verse. Galatians' liberty, Ephesians' walk, and Colossians' faith are all things received at salvation but lived out in the world only as the believer conforms his behavior to his real status in Christ. The "rule" to which the believer should conform is set by the believer's secure salvation in Christ.

walk: This word is stronger than usual, implying that the believer marches in obedience to a set standard.

Expanded Paraphrase:
Completing the point, we ought to march according to the standard set by what we already possess in Christ. All of our values should be set by the most valuable thing we possess, our salvation.

Philippians 3:15

Textus Receptus:
οσοι ουν τελειοι τουτο φρονωμεν και ει τι ετερως φρονειτε και τουτο ο θεος υμιν αποκαλυψει

King James:
Let us therefore, as many as be perfect, be thus minded: and if in any thing ye be otherwise minded, God shall reveal even this unto you.

Comments:
as many as be perfect: There is a sense of perfection (completeness) among those who realize they are not perfect (complete.) Verse 12 is where Paul makes the contrasting statement about himself--that he is not perfect. Chapter 1:6 implies one reason why a person who is not complete is complete. But in this context, the explanation is in the next verse--that is, there are some things Christ has completed (perfected) in the believer and other things He is in the process of completing in the believer.

God shall reveal even this unto you: Paul makes it clear here that God addresses specific deficiencies in believers' lives as the need arises. Of course, God may use scripture, other believers, or His Spirit in the believer to reveal where they are errantly minded. The point is only that He will do it, making much of the evaluation and judgment believers perform on each other unnecessary at best and no less than a hindrance or distraction at worst.

Expanded Paraphrase:
Those of us who have been transformed by Christ and are secure in Him should regard what Christ has already done. If there are areas in your life where things other than Christ are taking first priority, God will let you know about it.

Philippians 3:14

Textus Receptus:
κατα σκοπον διωκω επι το βραβειον της ανω κλησεως του θεου εν χριστω ιησου

King James:
I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.

Comments:
I press: Here is finally the one thing Paul says he does in verse 13. And he uses exactly the same word (same vocabulary and form) in verse 12, translated "I follow" in the King James. The picture is simple. While he is ignoring the starting line and stretching out toward the finish line Paul is faithfully pressing forward (taking the next step) in the race. He certainly has no interest in returning to the starting line. What could there be for him in a place he was so anxious to leave at his conversion? And simply anticipating the future goal does not bring it any closer to fulfillment. So it is consistently and diligently pressing on which makes his Christian life what it is, a model of Christian growth both in humility and confidence.

high calling: Paul's reference to the calling here is very similar to Ephesians 1:18 and Ephesians 4:1. The point is both that the believer's current condition is inferior to his true identity and that his true identity is heavenly.

Expanded Paraphrase:
Now focused on my future fulfillment in Christ, the one thing I do is press on both steadily and with perseverance. Motivating me is my ultimate goal in the race--what I will receive when the race is finished--the reward of the heavenly calling God has given me in Jesus Christ.

Philippians 3:13

Textus Receptus:
αδελφοι εγω εμαυτον ου λογιζομαι κατειληφεναι εν δε τα μεν οπισω επιλανθανομενος τοις δε εμπροσθεν επεκτεινομενος

King James:
Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before,

Comments:
count not myself to have apprehended: As Paul reckons ("count" here is the word "reckon" in Romans 8:18) he has not yet "laid hold on eternal life" (to borrow the wording of 1 Timothy 6:12.) As in that passage, his honest reckoning reveals both that he securely belongs to Christ (with the future implied by that belonging) and that his current state in this world (both in terms of persecution and personal failure) does not fully reveal that belonging.

this one thing I do: The one thing he does is in the next verse. The two participles ("forgetting" and "reaching forth") only modify the one thing he does--press toward the mark.

forgetting: Paul cannot mean by forgetting that he is unable to recollect his past. He recalls that very past in the opening verses of this chapter (verses 4-7, where he names the thing he has now disregarded.) Instead, he means that he has chosen not to hold those things important any more--just as God can speak of "forgetting" Judah in passages like Jeremiah 23:39.

reaching forth: Before Paul names the one thing he does, he puts it in a temporal context using the analogy of a race. He disregards the past and ardently anticipates the future. But the activity that marks his Christianity in this world is in the next verse.

Expanded Paraphrase:
You share my condition as my brothers in Christ. I do not reason through and conclude that I have already achieved my perfection. But I do relegate to insignificance what used to be most important to me. And I do diligently look forward to my future fulfillment. No, more. While I do the one thing that makes a difference here and now I refuse to look back (as if it would help to return to the starting line) and I stretch out desperately toward the finish line (as if getting there is my only goal.)

Philippians 3:12

Textus Receptus:
ουχ οτι ηδη ελαβον η ηδη τετελειωμαι διωκω δε ει και καταλαβω εφ ω και κατεληφθην υπο του χριστου ιησου

King James:
Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect: but I follow after, if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus.

Comments:
attained: Paul uses the same word to describe his future receiving of the resurrection that he uses to describe Christ's relinquishment of heaven to take the form of a servant in chapter 2:7. Christ released heaven to receive death on Paul's behalf. Paul releases this life to receive heaven through Christ's provision.

perfect: Paul acknowledges here that he is not perfect, while in verse 15 that he is. The only conclusion to be drawn is that he is incomplete (imperfect) in not having obtained the resurrection but secure (perfect) in having been assured his future in the resurrection.

follow after: He will use the same word to describe pressing toward the mark in verse 14. There is more commitment and energy in this word than simply "following." "Pursuing" might be a good way to get the point across.

I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended: Christ fully has Paul, explaining the perfection of verse 15. But Paul has a ways to go before he fully realizes Christ's work in him, explaining the imperfection of this verse.

Expanded Paraphrase:
I long for the full realization of perfection which will come with the resurrection, but know that I have not grasped it yet--I have not been completed yet. But I am pursuing that perfection because my highest goal in life now is to realize fully that for which Christ saved me. I am yet completely but not complete in Him.

Philippians 3:11

Textus Receptus:
ει πως καταντησω εις την εξαναστασιν των νεκρων

King James:
If by any means I might attain unto the resurrection of the dead.

Comments:
If by any means: The conditionality is not about Paul doubting whether he will ever be resurrected. Rather, he is making emphatic that there is only one route to the resurrection: through Christ's death and suffering. So, as the previous verse makes clear, to choose the resurrection is a vapid choice unless the subject also chooses Christ's death and sufferings.

Expanded Paraphrase:
I choose Christ's death and sufferings because there is no other "how" by which to arrive at the resurrection-no one else who ever conquered death.

Philippians 3:10

Textus Receptus:
του γνωναι αυτον και την δυναμιν της αναστασεως αυτου και την κοινωνιαν των παθηματων αυτου συμμορφουμενος τω θανατω αυτου

King James:
That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death;

Comments:
know him...power...resurrection...fellowship...sufferings...death: Paul works backwards here from the ultimate result through the purposive means finally to the cause of it all. That is, Paul will attain his ultimate goal in everything (to know Christ perfectly) after (even inasmuch as) he holds suffering in common with Christ, which will result from his being conformed to the death of Christ. The "conformity" of which Paul speaks is clearly an appeal to Christ's transformation in chapter 2:6-7 from the "form" of God to the "form" of a servant. It is significant that Paul's identification with Christ (knowing Him) begins with the decision to be conformed to His death, which will mean both suffering in this life and in the words of 2 Corinthians 1:5-7 comfort later.

Expanded Paraphrase:
As I said, knowing Christ is always what everything has been about. So I anticipate finally the unique power of His resurrection as my consolation. But I only hope for that resurrection because I have chosen to die as Christ gave His life, and to serve and suffer as He did.

Philippians 3:9

Textus Receptus:
και ευρεθω εν αυτω μη εχων εμην δικαιοσυνην την εκ νομου αλλα την δια πιστεως χριστου την εκ θεου δικαιοσυνην επι τη πιστει

King James:
And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith:

Comments:
being found: The last time Paul used this word in Philippians was in chapter 2:8, describing Christ being found in fashion as a man. Now he describes himself being found having righteousness through faith in Christ.

mine own righteousness which is of the law: The righteousness Paul identifies as inadequate is that which would be associated with his own effort to obey the law. It is unlikely that it is inadequate because of the law, which is itself fine. Rather, it (his righteousness) is inadequate because he does not satisfactorily live up to it (the law,) a lesson he teaches in some detail in Romans 8:3.

Expanded Paraphrase:
My only hope for gain now is to have Christ and to be found ultimately to be in Him. There no one will even notice the feeble effort I made to keep the law. All that will matter is being in Him, having faith in Him, and having the righteousness that comes from God because of that faith.

Philippians 3:8

Textus Receptus:
αλλα μενουνγε και ηγουμαι παντα ζημιαν ειναι δια το υπερεχον της γνωσεως χριστου ιησου του κυριου μου δι ον τα παντα εζημιωθην και ηγουμαι σκυβαλα ειναι ινα χριστον κερδησω

King James:
Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ,

Comments:
count...loss...excellency...suffered the loss...count...win: The most obviously remarkable thing about this verse is how many words in it are reprisals of the same vocabulary, particularly throughout chapters 2 and 3. "Count" is the word for "esteem" in 2:3, "supposed" in 2:25, and "counted" in 3:7. "Loss" is a repetition from the previous verse, 3:7, and is repeated again as a verb for "suffered the loss" in this verse. "Excellency" is "better" in 2:3 and "passeth" in 4:7. "Win" is the verbal form of "gain" from 3:7 and 1:21. This verse takes the disciple (through Paul's autobiography) from choosing Christ over self, through the imitation of Christ in relation to others, all the way to receiving the reward associated with Christ. It is at least a, if not the, pivotal point of the book.

Expanded Paraphrase:
But now I can say without any doubt whatsoever that I esteem everything only detrimental to me on account of the far surpassing knowledge of my Lord Jesus Christ. It is for Him that I have suffered the loss of all things--but without regret. In fact, all of that loss--all the things I used to pursue so ardently, I think of now as worth nothing more than being thrown out.

Fideism in 1 Corinthians 15

No chapter argues more significantly or more voluminously for the truth of the resurrection than 1 Corinthians 15. Interestingly, however, Paul is neither asserting nor proving that truth to unbelievers. Rather, he speaks to Christians (albeit weak and even carnal ones) who are part of the church at Corinth. So his argument actually works through a different means and in a different direction than how it is usually preached. Normally the passage is used apologetically--that is, it is given as if to say the historical veracity of the resurrection is empirically undeniable, having been witnessed by those identified in verses 5-9. But that direction is not where Paul takes the argument at all.
The heart of his argument for the resurrection is in the syllogism he presents in verses 13-19, to which he then adds verses 20ff to make obvious the impact of the syllogism and to clarify that the relationship between the resurrection of Christ and everyone else's resurrection is efficient rather than simply implicit. To save space, take DR to represent the proposition "that there is a resurrection of the dead," CR to be "that Christ has risen from the dead," PV to be "that the apostle's preaching is vain," FV to be "that the Corinthians' (believers') faith is vain," SS to be "that the believers are still in their sins," SP to be "that those who sleep (have physically died) in Christ are destroyed," and MM to be "that believers are the most miserable (pitiable) of people." Also, take "that we have hope in Christ in this life only" as equivalent to the denial of DR ("that there is a resurrection of the dead." Paul's syllogism then should be fairly obvious, beginning in verse 13 and ending in verse 19. (For those not familiar with the symbols, "~" means "not," "-->" means "implies," "^" means "and," and ". :" means "therefore.")
Verse 13 provides the first premise (in this case the minor premise) and is supported by (or simply restated in) verse 16. Verse 14 provides the beginning of the second premise (in this case the major premise) completed and supported in verses 15, 17, and 18. Finally, verse 19 provides the conclusion, which is, as it turns out, a reduction to absurdity (a reductio ad absurdum argument.) So the syllogism starts out looking like this:
~DR --> ~CR
~CR --> PV ^ FV ^ SP ^ SS
. : ~DR --> MM
The lack of syllogistic structure above is resolved with the simple observation that Paul refers to believers as the most miserable (pitiable) of people in verse 19 in order to abbreviate his (hypothetical) claim that the apostle's preaching is vain (in verse 15), that the believers' faith is vain (in verse 17), that the dead in Christ are simply rotting in the grave (in verse 18) and that the Corinthians are still in their sins (in verse 17.) (To be a bit more precise, SS is actually an implication of FV in Paul's argument, but that fact does not change the value of this structure.) With that equivalence, the structure is straight up.
~DR --> ~CR
~CR --> MM
. : ~DR --> MM
Here's the point, especially clarifying verse 19: Paul is not saying that if there is no resurrection, Christian life is an abysmal disappointment. Rather, Paul expects his readers to see MM as an absurdity. Since the structure of his argument is undeniable and he has emphasized (if not proven) the truth of the implicit relationship between each subject and predicate in the premises, then the absurdity of the predicate of the conclusion can lead to only one conclusion, the denial of the subject of the first (minor) premise, that the dead rise not. Like this:
~DR --> MM
~MM
. : DR
In other words, Paul assumes (for good reason) the Corinthians will respond to verse 19 by asserting that they certainly are not the most pitiable of all people. That is, he believes they will assert that the preaching they have heard is not vain, that their faith is not vain, that they have been delivered from their sins, and that their dead loved ones are not just decaying in the grave. And he has argued such that if they make that assertion, they will have to acknowledge that the dead do indeed rise. That acknowledgment then at least allows for the possibility that Christ also rose. Of course, the possibility of Christ rising is not at all the final disposition of the argument for Paul, which is why he asserts in the next verse (20) not only that Christ has risen from the dead, but that Christ's resurrection not only makes the resurrection of the dead necessarily possible (the contrapositive of the original first premise in verse 13,) but more importantly that Christ's resurrection of the dead paves the way for the resurrection of the dead more generally.
Now back to the weight of the reductio ad absurdum argument in verses 13-19: Paul does not begin with the fact of the resurrection then argue that the Corinthians ought to be more holy as a result of the fact for which he has provided evidence. Rather, he argues that their commitment to the faith is already real (although poorly lived, as the rest of the epistle attests) and that therefore the resurrection is undeniable. It is a more fideist than evidentialist argument. Of course, it could hardly be otherwise, written not as an apology to unbelievers but an appeal to believers.
The point here is simply that if believers' lives have been changed by the gospel then the objective content of the gospel message, including the literal nature of the resurrection, is thereby validated. As always, miracles (even the greatest miracle: the resurrection) do not produce faith; rather, in this case epistemologically, faith (and its subsequent transforming power in the lives of the Corinthians) justifies the miracle--a fideist position indeed!

An explanatory note and a followup question:
An explanatory note: Fideism here is not just that salvation is by faith alone, nor does it include the idea that faith is purely subjective, without regard to objective content. It is simply the advocation of initial, volitional faith as the foundation within which Christianity is preached both to the lost and saved. That commitment of faith is independent of sufficient evidence or any other prior cause and therefore an expression of the free will (a gracious gift from God to humans.) The lost ought to make that commitment-choice. The saved have made that commitment-choice.
A followup question: But is it not possible that Paul made his evidential apologetic (based on the witnesses) first, then argues from that fact to the conclusion that without the resurrection they would be the most pitiable of men? The answer is no, because he already introduced the belief they have in reality in verse 2. In fact, he premises all his claims with the necessary relationship between their faith (unless you believed in vain,) their salvation, and their standing in what he preached to them. First they believe in the content of his message, which includes the objective truth of the resurrection. Everything else follows.