What if Christ had not risen from the dead?
Paul answers this in 1 Corinthians 15 where he says “if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain.”
But why?
Couldn’t we still look to Jesus for inspiration on virtuous living and be encouraged by his willingness to die for his beliefs?
While having a good attitude and choosing how we face adversity is helpful, there’s got to be more.
Without hope that things will ever get better, it becomes difficult to keep going day after day through struggle after struggle.
Paul doesn’t tell us to just put on a happy face.
Instead, he tells us the truth: if we have hope in this life only, we are of all people most to be pitied.
He points us to the sure and certain hope we have in Christ’s resurrection.
This hope isn’t found in our daily circumstances, but in the resurrection of Christ from the dead.
Without this promise, our lives would be just a mix of good and bad things, struggles and victories, and then we die. In other words, it would be meaningless.
But in Christ, our lives have meaning. We don’t just live and die.
Through His incarnation, Christ proves your life has value.
He took on human flesh to rescue you from corrupted, sinful flesh. He redeems you by His death on the cross, covering your sins with His shed blood.
But what if that was it? What if Christ was crucified, died for your sin, was buried, and never rose?
Paul tells us: if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins.
Without resurrection, there’s no assurance of victory over sin, death, and the devil.
However, your faith is not futile because Christ did rise from the dead. Your sins have been forgiven and your hope rests in Christ and his resurrection.
Anything you face in this life can be endured because of this relationship and the sure and certain hope of everlasting life.
Contributor Chad Hoover is the Campus Pastor at Concordia Lutheran High School in Fort Wayne, Indiana.
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