The resurrection holds the key to hope; it promises forgiveness, relationship with God, and eternity in heaven
1 Corinthians 15:12 – 15:19
12 Now if Christ be preached that he rose from the dead, how say some among you that there is no resurrection of the dead?
13 But if there be no resurrection of the dead, then is Christ not risen:
14 And if Christ be not risen, then [is] our preaching vain, and your faith [is] also vain.
15 Yea, and we are found false witnesses of God; because we have testified of God that he raised up Christ: whom he raised not up, if so be that the dead rise not.
16 For if the dead rise not, then is not Christ raised:
17 And if Christ be not raised, your faith [is] vain; ye are yet in your sins.
18 Then they also which are fallen asleep in Christ are perished.
19 If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable.
On a very cold November afternoon, I sat under a green tent with my mother’s coffin in front of me. How many times had I stood in cemeteries, offering comfort and the Word of God to those who had lost a loved one? But this was my first experience being on the other side of the casket. As I sat there, a shocking thought popped into my head: Suppose there is no resurrection! This idea was quickly driven away by my faith and confidence in Christ. But it had lasted just long enough for me to feel the despair and hopelessness of such a belief.
To help us appreciate Christ’s victory over the grave, let’s consider what the outcome of life and death would be without the resurrection. First of all, Jesus would still be dead. That means our faith in Him would be worthless and our message to the world would be a lie. What’s more, Jesus Himself would be proved a liar since He claimed that He would rise from the dead.
There would be no forgiveness of our sins, no possibility of reconciliation with God, and no hope of heaven. All deceased believers throughout history would have perished. Without the resurrection, there would be nothing positive for anyone to look forward to. Everybody’s destiny after death would be hell.
Thank God, none of these scenarios are true. Our Savior lives, our sins are forgiven, death has been defeated, and believers in Christ have assurance of eternity in heaven with Him. After considering how hopeless we would be without a resurrection, let’s rejoice all the more in the greatness of our salvation.
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