WEEKLY DEVOTION

GENTRY — “And if Christ be not raised, your faith is vain; ye are yet in your sins Then they also which are fallen asleep in Christ are perished. If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable. But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept.” 1 Cor. 15:17-20

On Sunday, Christians from around the world celebrated the bodily resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, following His crucifixion.

But not all believe in the resurrection. Even among so called “Christians” there are some who question and deny the resurrection of Jesus and treat the whole issue of Jesus’ bodily resurrection as an insignificant matter, speaking only of a spiritual resurrection in which Jesus’ followers carry on His work by showing love and doing charitable works for the good of all mankind.

Is the historical fact of Jesus’ resurrection really important? Does our faith really depend upon it? I invite you to listen to the inspired Word of God penned by the hand of the Apostle Paul and consider the hypothetical question: What “if Christ be not raised”?

“And if Christ be not raised, your faith is vain; ye are yet in your sins. Then they also which are fallen asleep in Christ are perished. If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable.”

If Jesus did not truly rise from the dead, our faith is vain, empty and useless! We would still be dead in our sins and have no hope of forgiveness and lifeeverlasting. If Jesus’ body decayed in some ancient tomb near Jerusalem, all those who died trusting in Jesus Christ - from Adam and Eve, Abraham and David to our very own loved ones who fell asleep in the confidence that Jesus would raise them up - are lost forever. And if our faith and hope in Christ Jesus is only of benefit in this life - a crutch to help us cope with life’s problems - we are, as St. Paul writes, “of all men most miserable.”

"But now is Christ risen from the dead....” Jesus did rise bodily from the grave! The tomb was empty. Angels announced His resurrection, and Jesus Himself appeared to His disciples, showing Himself to be risen and alive by many infallible proofs over a period of 40 days (cf. Acts 1:3). Jesus appeared to the women, to His apostles and to many other of His disciples on numerous occasions.

St. Paul sums up Jesus’ resurrection appearances in this way: “For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; and that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures: And that he was seen of Cephas, then of the twelve: After that, he was seen of above five hundred brethren at once; of whom the greater part remain unto this present, but some are fallen asleep. After that, he was seen of James; then of all the apostles. And last of all he was seen of me also, as of one born out of due time” (1 Cor.15:3-8).

If anyone during the First Century had questions or doubts about Jesus’resurrection, there was no shortage of witnesses. Jesus even appeared to more than 500 disciples at once, and most of them were still alive if anyone wanted to talk to them and hear their eyewitness accounts.

And what does the historical fact of Jesus’ resurrection mean for us today? It means our faith is not empty or vain. Jesus did indeed pay in full the just punishment for the sins of the whole world, for God raised Him up on the third day (cf. Romans 4:25). We, by the grace of God, are not still dead in our sins. Our sins are paid for in full and forgiven because of Christ’s perfect sacrifice.

We too will be raised up. Christ was the first fruits, and we will arise when He returns. Those who have fallen asleep before us, trusting in the Lord Jesus, have not perished. They are not lost forever. Rather, those who “sleep in Jesus will God bring with Him” on the Last Day (1 Thess. 4:13-18).

Everything depends on the resurrection of Jesus. If Jesus did not rise, all is lost and no one can be saved. But Jesus did rise! And, because He died for all our sins and rose again in victory, we have the assurance of forgiveness for all sins and life everlasting with Jesus forever in paradise!

Dearest Lord Jesus, we give You thanks and praise for Your bitter sufferings and death in our stead, and for Your glorious resurrection on the third day, that we might be assured of our salvation and await Your return in the sure hope of life everlasting, Graciously keep us unto that Day. Amen.

Devotion by Randy Moll