The cross centers our life and the resurrection gives us hope. The cross without the resurrection is a lesson in tragic hopelessness. This is something that Paul confronted the believers with in Corinth.Now if Christ is proclaimed as raised from the dead, how can some of you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? But if there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain. We are even found to be misrepresenting God, because we testified about God that he raised Christ, whom he did not raise if it is true that the dead are not raised. For if the dead are not raised, not even Christ has been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins. Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. If in Christ we have hope in this life only, we are of all people most to be pitied. (1 Corinthians 15:12-19 ESV)
Paul saw that underneath all the dismaying problems of the Corinthians lay one massive theological falsehood: they denied the resurrection of the dead. And by doing that, they denied the importance of the world that God created. They denied that these flawed bodies of ours are loved by God and we will be redeemed.
Notice the "if's" in the above passage, they are piled up and by doing this Paul is raising the stakes higher and higher. He ties Christ's resurrection in with our resurrection. Paul's point is simple: if the Corinthian position on the resurrection prevails then we have no past and no future! That is, if we have believed in Christ's resurrection as giving us hope for the future when there is no hope for the future, then we are truly the most miserable people on the planet.
But the resurrection is true and therefore our hope is real. And hope changes everything. Join us this Sunday as we focus on the resurrection of our great Shepherd, Jesus.
Grace & Peace,
Scott
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