“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. But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man. For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive.” (1 Corinthians 15:16-22)
Corinth was a hodgepodge of various influences from the East and the West with Romans, Greeks, Egyptians and Jews all living together in one city. A wide variety of beliefs were proclaimed side by side on the city streets. Divisions had occurred in the Corinth church with spiritual arrogance becoming an issue. Apparently some, like the Sadducees in Jesus day, did not believe in the resurrection of the dead. Paul is addressing that issue in the portion of the letter shown above.
Paul makes the case that if the resurrection of the dead did not take place our faith in Christ would be a waste of our time. Paul first saw Christ on the road to Damascus (Acts 9:1-19). He was in His resurrected state and appeared as an intense heavenly light. So while Paul did not know or see Jesus while He was alive on this earth, he had a very real encounter with the risen Lord which caused him to repent and do as he was instructed, be a light to the Gentiles. The thought of Christ being resurrected is a fact to him and he forcefully defended its reality.
Without Christ’s resurrection, our faith is useless. If all we have is hope of salvation in this life with no hope of an afterlife with God, then we are indeed without any true hope at all. For hope is what ignites passion and enables us to present the gospel message with such assurance. Christians today stand firm in their belief that Jesus Christ was raised by the power of the Holy Spirit from His grave to stand among men once again before He ascended to heaven to sit at the right hand of the Father. Those who deny the resurrection of Christ have not experienced the life changing event that salvation brings. When we encounter the truth we are compelled to stare wide eyed at its validity and embrace it as absolute truth. Because of the resurrection of Christ we have a life worth living.
WALK WITH THE KING TODAY AND BE A BLESSING!
