Resurrection: Our Future Hope
As we approach the conclusion of Holy Week, and look toward resurrection Sunday, the fact of Jesus’ resurrection and the empty tomb is the foundation of the believer’s future hope. We look to the empty tomb as part of the proof of Jesus resurrection and our salvation. Without the empty tomb, our hope for life with God eternally, is in vain. Paul addressed concerns and questions about the truth of Christ’s resurrection and what it means for beleivers in1 Corinthians 15:13–20, 51–58. His message to believers? Christ’s resurrection is real, and it gave believers victory over sin and death. Our hope in Christ and eternal life with God in new imperishable bodies is not in vain! I pray that you will be blessed during this Holy Week and would know the hope and the power of Christ’s resurrection in your life. Amen
If there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith. More than that, we are then found to be false witnesses about God, for we have testified about God that he raised Christ from the dead. But he did not raise him if in fact the dead are not raised. For if the dead are not raised, then Christ has not been raised either. And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins. Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ are lost. If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are of all people most to be pitied. (1 Corinthians 15:13–19)
Paul argued that Christ’s resurrection is not just an imaginary story, it is real. It is the determining factor of our faith and is essential to our salvation. Without it, our faith is futile and our salvation is not real. Therefore, if the resurrection is not real, we are lost in our sins. And not only are we lost, those who have passed on in the faith are lost. Paul concluded by saying that if the resurrection was not real, then those of us who have faith should be pitied for holding on to the hope we have in Christ.
But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. (1 Corinthians 15:20)
But Paul said that all of the aforementioned monologue is moot (has no relevance), because Christ was indeed raised from the dead. And because he was, He is the first among us who will also be raised from the dead.
Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed — in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. For the perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality. When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true: “Death has been swallowed up in victory.”
“Where, O death, is your victory?
Where, O death, is your sting?”
The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. (1 Corinthians 15:51–57)
Paul answered questions about what the resurrection bodies would be for those who are already dead. Paul called this a “mystery” (something difficult or even impossible to explain). The mystery that Paul is referring to is that the bodies we will take on when Christ returns, won’t be the same as we are used to in this world. Whether we are alive or dead when that moment occurs, Paul said that we will take on new bodies. The perishable bodies that we are accustomed to in this world, will be replaced with bodies fit for eternity (imperishable). The resurrection will, Paul said, prove the truth of the saying regarding our victory over death’s sting and sin’s victory. Neither will hold sway over believers because we will have eternal life thanks to Christ’s resurrection and His victory over sin and death.
Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain. (1 Corinthians 15:58)
Paul urged believers to hold firm to their faith, because Christ’s resurrection is real and the salvation we have received through our faith in Him is real. Therefore we do not hope or work in service to the Lord in vain.
Conclusion
The apostle Paul was clear in addressing believers about the certainty of Christ’s resurrection and its implications for our salvation. Because Christ was raised from the dead, our hope is in Him for our salvation and eternal life. At the rapture, those who are in Christ, whether alive or dead will meet Him in the sky. While the bodies of those who were dead will have decayed, Paul says that we will all receive new bodies that will not decay or perish. They will be bodies fit for eternity. Having addressed questions and concerns of believers around the subject of bodily resurrection and salvation, Paul concluded by urging us to stand firm in our faith. Concerning ourselves with the work of the Lord, secure in the knowledge that because of Christ’s resurrection, that work will not be in vain. And because of Christ’s resurrection, the hope that we have for eternal life with Him is also not in vain!
Blessings, Rev. Glenn
