He Reigns!

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. (1 Corinthians 15:13-14)

I read through 1 Corinthians last week, and it was good to get the big picture of the whole book again, as we are going through 1 Corinthians 15 in our church's morning services right now. And though I’m not going to dig deeply into the whole chapter, these verses have often stood out to me when reading through this passage.

They might not seem particularly encouraging at first glance, as they’re written in a “negative” tone. But both verses start with “if”, too. If there is no resurrection of the dead, then Christ hasn’t been raised. If Christ hasn’t been raised, then preaching Christ and faith in Christ would be senseless. But it’s because of that little word “if”, that these two sentences take on a new meaning.

There is a resurrection of all the dead.
But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body to be like his glorious body, by the power that enables him even to subject all things to himself. (Philippians 3:20-21)

For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord. (1 Thessalonians 4:16-17)

Christ has been raised.
When I [John] saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. But he laid his right hand on me, saying, “Fear not, I am the first and the last, and the living one. I died, and behold I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of Death and Hades.” (Revelation 1:17-18)

But when Christ had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God. (Hebrews 10:12)

There is a resurrection of all the dead, as Jesus promised, and Christ has indeed been raised, as He said He would be. Therefore, those who preach Christ, preach not in vain. They have staked their lives on the promise that their Savior is risen and that His promises hold true. And those who place their faith in the promise of a risen Christ, don’t believe in vain, for though faith is based on the unseen, faith in the Son of God is a secure faith, an unshakeable faith.

Christ is risen and seated at the right hand of the Father. He lives to intercede for us. He prays for us. He prays that our faith wouldn’t falter. We can have faith in our faith, not because we able to keep faith perfectly, but because there is One who never breaks faith—that same One is our faith. So we must hold fast to that hope without wavering, because the Christ who promised a resurrection is faithful. The King and His Son reign, and we will reign with Him one day!

And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses, by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross. He disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in him. (Colossians 2:13-15)

We have a resurrection, because Christ triumphed over death by His resurrection. “He died for all, that those who live might no longer live for themselves but for him who for their sake died and was raised.” (2 Corinthians 5:15) “Jesus paid the debt you owed, so you could live the life He lived.” (Chris Kouba) Live your faith so that others know that your life is based on the Cornerstone of a heavenly foundation. His resurrection secured your future resurrection.

So read His Word. Live for Him. Be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain. (1 Corinthians15:58) Not in vain, because He reigns.