This is the second time in 48 hours that I have encountered this same passage from Paul. When something like that happens, I lean in to see what extra-important or timely message is waiting. For me, having just lost my dad a couple of months ago and having this reading come up on the anniversary of my mom’s death over thirty years ago, I am thankful for the promise we will all join Jesus in his resurrection one day.
According to Paul, Jesus was the first to be resurrected, and we will likewise follow. “He is the first of a great harvest of all who have died.” We will not simply be raised from the dead like Lazarus (John 11:17-44) and Jairus’ daughter (Mark 5:35-42). Their lives eventually ended, but Jesus lives forever. When it’s our turn, our resurrection begins our forever lives with Jesus, no more death, no more pain.
Apparently, for Paul’s audience, there were questions about resurrection, including whether it existed or not. You have to admit it’s a difficult concept to wrap your head around. Yet, without Christ’s resurrection, our faith is meaningless. Our Christian faith relies on Jesus’ work on the cross followed by his victory over death and the grave. Jesus may have left this earth and ascended to heaven after his resurrection, but that doesn’t change what he did and why he did it.
As believers, we profess Jesus as Lord and acknowledge his saving work of forgiveness. It was more than just the sacrifice on the cross. The empty tomb and Jesus’ resurrection from the dead are key. Romans 10:9 helps us: “If you openly declare that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” Our salvation comes from believing in Jesus and his resurrection.
There will be naysayers out there who say we’re crazy to believe such a thing. Paul and the early apostles were putting their lives on the line to share this Good News. Let Paul’s words from verse 19 cut through the muck and sit with you. “And if our hope in Christ is only for this life, we are more to be pitied than anyone in the world.” Paul was convinced there was something more. Jesus himself had promised it.
I’m with Paul. We can put our trust and hope in Christ today, tomorrow, and always. Such devotion opens the door to eternal life with Jesus. We’re not the ones to be pitied. My heart breaks for those friends and loved ones who have chosen NOT to believe or trust in Jesus and the resurrection power that awaits us.
We can’t outrun death; nobody can. But “everyone who belongs to Christ will be given new life.” When we die, it is only the beginning, not the end. I want that new life, don’t you? In fact, it’s the hope of new life that gets me through some hard days when I look around and feel the world getting darker.
Paul was seeing that trend, too. People who didn’t understand the importance of faith and trusting in Jesus would perish. Death would be the end for them. Paul wanted to make the point that believers should be careful. He didn’t want them to fall into the traps of the world. “Don’t be fooled by those who say such things, for ‘bad company corrupts good character.’ Think carefully about what is right, and stop sinning. For to your shame I say that some of you don’t know God at all.”
If that sounds a little harsh, remember Paul’s commitment to his appointed ministry. He was teaching about Jesus everywhere he went. We can know God a lot more easily than the people in Paul’s day. We have easy access to God’s Word, the whole of Scripture at our fingertips! We can read about the heart of God, know His desires, what angers Him, and what He expects from us. Knowing God gives us what we need to get through each day. Who can you help know God better? Who else do you want to see resurrected with Christ?
Let’s pray. Lord Jesus, you have gone before me to prepare a place for me. Thank you for how you sacrificed your life and for the power that brought you back to life, breaking the power of sin and death. It’s hard to wrap my head around such love and such power. Continue to guide me and draw me closer to you every day. My heart breaks for people who don’t know your life-changing power and love. Use me to help them see the truth. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
