The gospel is that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures. That He was buried. That He raised on the third day according to the Scriptures. Then He appeared to Peter, the Twelve, and more than five-hundred people at the same time. He then appeared to James, the apostles, and last of all Paul.
If Christ is risen from the dead, how can we say that there is no resurrection of the dead? If Christ has not risen then preaching is useless. Furthermore, our faith is useless. Without the resurrection of the dead we become false witnesses. For our witness is that God has raised Christ from the dead. Without the resurrection of Christ we are still in our sins. There is no hope. No hope for us who are alive, and no hope for those who have died. Without the resurrection we are eternally lost. The resurrection of Christ gives us hope in this life and in the next.
In Adam we all die, but in Christ we all live. Christ is the first fruits of this hope. At the appointed time, those who belong to Him will be made alive with Him. One day the end will come. At that time Christ will have placed every enemy under His feet. The last enemy is death.
Why have Christians endangered themselves for generations for the sake of the gospel? Why have we endured persecution, peril, and pain? Why? Because Christ is risen!
We believe that what has been sown does not come to life unless it dies. When Christ died He did not plant the body that was raised. The body that was sown was perishable. The one raised was imperishable. It was sown in dishonor. It was raised in glory. It was sown in weakness. It was raised in power. It was sown a natural body. It was raised a spiritual body. This is also the hope of those who belong to Him.
Jesus has become for us, a life-giving spirit. Adam was of dust. Jesus from heaven. We have borne the likeness of Adam. We shall soon bear the likeness of the Heavenly man. Christ! Our risen Savior! We will be changed! The dead will be raised. Death has been swallowed by victory! Thanks be to God! We have the victory through Christ, our risen Lord!
The day is coming (because He is risen) that He will return. That day “He will wipe every tear from our eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things will have passed away.” (Rev. 21:4)
Then He will proclaim from His throne, “I am making everything new!” As J.R.R. Tolkien once said, “He is risen! One day everything sad will come untrue!”
Yes, all will be new…the sad untrue.
Reflections from 1 Corinthians 15.
