If no resurrection occurred, then the old connection between sin, judgment and death remain. If there is no resurrection, then Gentiles are not included in the promise. If there is no resurrection, for all their sophistication the Corinthians are in no better position than they were before Christ. The foolishness and pitifulness of such a proposition is self-evident to Paul. This is good news indeed for any age, and offers a power of living that lifts the believer above any of the ordinary anxieties and worries of life.
Death is a good thing.
We are moving on to our eternal home. Hope is one's answer to the question of whether you live or die. It's like Tim Robbins' character says in The Shawshank Redemption. When we are holding the resurrection trump card, we can get busy living. We are free to live hopefully.