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. 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 15:16-17

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In today’s passage, Paul is speaking to his fellow believers. He is encouraging them to hold fast to the gospel that was preached to them as he addresses the rumor that there was no resurrection. The point Paul is trying to make is, what hope do we have if all of this is fake? If there was no resurrection then Jesus was just a man like the rest of them. 

My favorite pastor said if you can believe in American history, then you shouldn’t have a hard time believing in Biblical history. I love this. I’ve never met Abraham Lincoln or George Washington. What we believe to be true about them is because someone who knew them testified about them and wrote about them. Same difference. Peter, John, Matthew, Mark and several others walked with Jesus, and they testified to the things they saw with their own eyes, and they wrote about them. 

Paul is reminding the believers in Corinth that Peter, John, and many others saw Jesus dead on the cross and, three days later, alive and well. He even ate in their presence. Luke 24:45 says, “Then he opened their minds so they could understand the scriptures.” Christ died, Christ is risen, and Christ will come again. One day he is coming back for us to live with him. John 14:3 says “And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.” 

We so often need to be reminded and encouraged to hold on to the truth of Jesus and the gospel. This life gets hard and this world is dark. We as believers need to remember that this is not our home and this life is not the end. Life here on earth is only the beginning of our story because Jesus bridged the gap between a holy perfect God and mankind. Earth, as it is, is not the end of our story.

Next Steps

Contemplate what the resurrection means for your day-to-day life with Jesus. Consider the fact that the same power that rose Jesus from the dead lives within you. How does that change things for you today?