Raised

“If we have put our hope in Christ for this life only, we should be pitied more than anyone. But as it is, Christ has been raised from the dead. . .” – 1 Corinthians 15:19 – 20a CSB

As we have noted, the Corinthian church was messed up. How does one address the problems in a messed-up church, or in the life of the Christian? The context and content of Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians resoundingly answers, “the Gospel!”

The Apostle begins this chapter with an outlining of the essential elements of the Gospel: Christ died for our sins, He was buried, and He was raised. In the longest chapter of the letter and one of the longest of the New Testament, the Apostle Paul focuses on one thing: the Resurrection.

In many ways, Resurrection is one of the most neglected aspects of the Gospel. Often, many relegate its proclamation to one Sunday a year and unwittingly water down its importance. Many funeral messages and eulogies speak of Heaven, but not of the hope of the Resurrection. This is a doctrine worth recovering not only for Easter and funerals, but for our everyday lives.

Believing Christ has been raised secures our salvation (Rom. 4:25, 10:9). Knowing that one day our very bodies will be raised because Christ has been raised gives us hope not only for eternity, but for today. As New Testament scholar D.A. Carson once quipped, “I’m not suffering from anything that a good resurrection can’t fix.”

Prayer

“Father, thank you that I no longer have to fear death. Thank you that my Savior walked out of the tomb gloriously on Resurrection Sunday so that I may have the strength to walk through this grueling day.”