Our Hope - Eternal Life With a Living Savior [1 Corinthians 15:12-19]
12Now if Christ is preached, that He has been raised from the dead, how do some among you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? 13But if there is no resurrection of the dead, not even Christ has been raised; 14and if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is vain, your faith also is vain. 15Moreover we are even found to be false witnesses of God, because we testified against God that He raised Christ, whom He did not raise, if in fact the dead are not raised. 16For if the dead are not raised, not even Christ has been raised; 17and if Christ has not been raised, your faith is worthless; you are still in your sins. 18Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. 19If we have hoped in Christ in this life only, we are of all men most to be pitied.
Did you know that the whole gospel is resting on the fact that Christ was raised from the dead? It is not enough to believe that Christ was that perfect sacrifice who died for our sins. He had to come back to life in order to be our Living Savior. The fullness of our salvation is that we too will be raised from the dead and live for eternity along with our Savior. We are to be pitied if our hope in Christ is only for this life.
Contemplate the truth of Christ's resurrection today. "If Christ has not been raised, your faith is worthless; you are still in your sins."
Praise God that He DID raise Christ and that you too will be raised.
Verna McCrillis, 12/12/2008