Today’s readings: 1 Corinthians 15-16, 2 Corinthians 1, Psalm 139
1 Corinthians 15:1-18
Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand, 2 and by which you are being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you—unless you believed in vain.
3 For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, 4 that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures, 5 and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. 6 Then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have fallen asleep. 7 Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles. 8 Last of all, as to one untimely born, he appeared also to me. 9 For I am the least of the apostles, unworthy to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. 10 But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace toward me was not in vain. On the contrary, I worked harder than any of them, though it was not I, but the grace of God that is with me. 11 Whether then it was I or they, so we preach and so you believed.
12 Now if Christ is proclaimed as raised from the dead, how can some of you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? 13 But if there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised. 14 And if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain. 15 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. 16 For if the dead are not raised, not even Christ has been raised. 17 And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins. 18 Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. 19 If in Christ we have hope in this life only, we are of all people most to be pitied.
Perhaps it’s the books I’ve been reading or listening to lately. It’s especially true of the most recent one, The Women of the Castle. People portrayed as practicing Christians are described as religious. Those who don’t worship or pray say of themselves, “I’m not very religious.”
Religion is also blamed for all the wars and violence ever imagined. That was a line in the book I’m currently listening to – a novel about life in the aftermath of World War II. One character blames religion for the violence. Another responds, “Religion didn’t cause the war. An evil man did.” I suspect there’s enough blame to go around!
As Paul writes to the Corinthians, he has plenty to say about how followers of Jesus should live. He addresses marriage, worship, divisions within the church, and the role of women. But as he nears the end of his letter, he brings them back to what stands at the center of it all.
News Flash: Behind all these things are Jesus’ death for our sins and his resurrection from the grave!
Our faith is founded on these truths. Our life with God rests on what Jesus has done for us. Without his resurrection, our faith is futile and we have no hope. In fact, if Christ has not been raised from the dead, we are of all people most to be pitied.
There is yet another facet of Jesus’ resurrection. If the tomb is empty – and it surely is – then that changes everything! Our temporal troubles, big and small, are just that: temporary. They may be painful, difficult, and even overwhelming. But they do not have the final word. Our eternal hope reaches beyond whatever difficulties we may face.
This is the truth upon which our faith is built. It makes our faith much more than religious activity. It shapes the way we face troubles, treat one another, pray, and live every day.
We have a living Savior! That’s much more than being religious. It’s the foundation of our hope, the source of our life, and the assurance that whatever we face, death itself will not have the final word.
Follow the Word is a daily Bible reading and devotional ministry of St. John Lutheran Church, Cypress, Texas.
Leave a Reply