Does the resurrection make a difference in your life?
In 1 Corinthians 15, Paul famously writes that if there is no resurrection, his preaching of the gospel is in vain and that Christians are of all people most to be pitied. In other words, the resurrection is foundational to the gospel. Without it, we have no hope.
In 1 Corinthians 15, Paul famously writes that if there is no resurrection, his preaching of the gospel is in vain and that Christians are of all people most to be pitied. In other words, the resurrection is foundational to the gospel. Without it, we have no hope.
The inverse is also true, though. That is, if there is a resurrection, then Christians of all people have the greatest reason for hope. In other words, believing in the resurrection should make us live and die with conviction. Is that true for you? Are you living as though the resurrection has really happened?
As we prepare for Easter over the next few weeks, I'd like to show you from 1 Corinthians 15 four distinct ways the resurrection should make a difference in our daily lives. We've looked at the resurrection's implications for death, and below, we'll look at the resurrection's implications for hope. On April 4 and April 11, we'll look at the resurrection's implications for life and work, respectively.
In Romans 8:18-25, Paul explains that when Adam and Eve fell from the harmonious relationship they had enjoyed with God, God caused the rest of the creation to reflect that disharmony. God allowed pain, sickness, disrupted relationships, and the resistance of the earth to harvesting to enter his world in order to reflect the disharmony between God and man at the center.
Likewise, it is possible to think that your personal body will be resurrected, but it will live in some ethereal realm and God’s creation will be annihilated. The New Testament makes it clear that our hope is not only for a renewed and even more real body but also that we will live in a renewed and even more real earth without any of the effects of the curse. There will be no relational dysfunctions, no children’s hospitals, no cancer wards, no painful goodbyes, no natural disasters, no terrorism, no injustice, no discrimination, and no death. Life will be the way God intended it to be. . . and better!
Monday, March 28 — The Resurrection: A Foundation for Hoping Certainly
This week we continue to look at the foundation of the Gospel—the resurrection of Jesus Christ which guarantees the resurrection of the Christian. Last week we noticed that the resurrection is a foundation for dying well. This week Paul demonstrates that the resurrection is the foundation for hoping certainly for the future.
Every human being longs for some hope of life beyond this one, some purpose beyond this one, some purpose beyond this world. We do because the Bible says, "God has set eternity in their hearts" (Ecc. 3:11). And yet many live in despair because they deny that there is such a life or purpose beyond the grave.
Theirs is the hopeless of the famous lawyer Clarence Darrow: "All my life I have been seeking some definite proof of God—something I could put my finger on and say: 'This is fact.' But my doubts are at rest now. I now that such fact does not exist. When I die—as I shall soon—my body will decay. My mind will decay and my intellect will be gone. My soul? There is no such thing. [1] Bertrand Russell expressed the same hopelessness when he said, “The center of me is always and eternally a terrible pain–a curious wild pain–searching for something beyond what the world contains.” [2]
If you are a believer in the resurrection of Jesus Christ that guarantees your own, then you have a sure foundation of certain hope for purposeful life after this one. Therefore, we must face the end of this world and all things with certain hope.
Theirs is the hopeless of the famous lawyer Clarence Darrow: "All my life I have been seeking some definite proof of God—something I could put my finger on and say: 'This is fact.' But my doubts are at rest now. I now that such fact does not exist. When I die—as I shall soon—my body will decay. My mind will decay and my intellect will be gone. My soul? There is no such thing. [1] Bertrand Russell expressed the same hopelessness when he said, “The center of me is always and eternally a terrible pain–a curious wild pain–searching for something beyond what the world contains.” [2]
If you are a believer in the resurrection of Jesus Christ that guarantees your own, then you have a sure foundation of certain hope for purposeful life after this one. Therefore, we must face the end of this world and all things with certain hope.
Christ is the Firstfruits for Christians
By referring to the “firstfruits” (aparche) Paul is saying something very significant about the relationship between Christ’s resurrection and ours. As one scholar says, “This little word contains a thesis.” [3] However, to appreciate it we must understand its background.
Paul is alluding to the firstfruits offerings of wine, cattle, and grain commanded by the Mosaic law (Ex. 23:19; Lv. 23:10; Nu. 15:20ff; Dt. 18:4). The firstfruits was a representative part of the whole harvest. Its significance was not its timing (i.e. coming first) but rather its representation of the whole harvest. The Old Testament worshiper was giving early thanks to God for the gift of the whole harvest which would certainly follow.
Paul is alluding to the firstfruits offerings of wine, cattle, and grain commanded by the Mosaic law (Ex. 23:19; Lv. 23:10; Nu. 15:20ff; Dt. 18:4). The firstfruits was a representative part of the whole harvest. Its significance was not its timing (i.e. coming first) but rather its representation of the whole harvest. The Old Testament worshiper was giving early thanks to God for the gift of the whole harvest which would certainly follow.
Whenever Paul uses “firstfruits,” it is obvious that he intends to communicate an organic connection (cf. Ro. 11:16; 1 Co. 16:15). Therefore, when he says that Christ is the “firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep,” he is not simply saying that Christ rose first. Instead he is saying that Christ’s resurrection was a part for the whole. His resurrection is organically connected to the rest of the harvest, namely, the resurrection of all of his people. [4] His resurrection guarantees that ours will follow.
Just as Paul demonstrates that Christ’s resurrection as the firstfruits guarantees the resurrection of the rest of his people, so he now goes on to show that the resurrection of Christ’s people guarantees the renewal of the whole of creation which has been subjected to the ruin of sin.
Paul theologically explains this principle in vv. 21 and 22. From the beginning of the world, God wove a principle into his creation that the significance of one man’s actions could be applied to another. Or we could say that one man could make a positive or negative impact on his whole posterity by his success or failure. Therefore, when Adam was created he was placed in the Garden as our representative. Because of his human organic connection to us as well as the fact of this principle, his actions good or bad would have bearing on us.
So, when he sinned against God and fell from his original condition of being able to choose not to sin, we fell with him and inherited his sinful nature. That also means that every human being is under the curse of being a sinner. In the same way, if you are united to Christ, you will also be counted as righteous when you are raised with him.
So, when he sinned against God and fell from his original condition of being able to choose not to sin, we fell with him and inherited his sinful nature. That also means that every human being is under the curse of being a sinner. In the same way, if you are united to Christ, you will also be counted as righteous when you are raised with him.
You must believe that you are righteous before God and will be raised to life if you have been united to Christ your brother. You are organically connected to him. A spiritual DNA test would prove it! You may doubt it or question it at times. You may sink into depression or for a season live as if it is not true. You may get angry with God for a time because of some difficulty in your life. But you will never succeed in changing the fact that your life is organically connected to his.
Christians are the Firstfruits for the Creation
Just as Paul demonstrates that Christ’s resurrection as the firstfruits guarantees the resurrection of the rest of his people, so he now goes on to show that the resurrection of Christ’s people guarantees the renewal of the whole of creation which has been subjected to the ruin of sin.
In Romans 8:18-25, Paul explains that when Adam and Eve fell from the harmonious relationship they had enjoyed with God, God caused the rest of the creation to reflect that disharmony. God allowed pain, sickness, disrupted relationships, and the resistance of the earth to harvesting to enter his world in order to reflect the disharmony between God and man at the center.
And likewise, when our restoration is complete—when we are resurrected, confirming our new sinless condition—the creation will be completely restored reflecting that a perfectly harmonious relationship has been restored between God and his people. Then “there will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away” (Re. 21:4) and “no longer will there be any curse” (Re. 22:3).
Just as you must look to the resurrection of Christ as the guarantee of your resurrection because he is the firstfruits, so you must look to your own resurrection as the guarantee of the restoration of the whole of creation. Your resurrection is called the “firstfruits” of the creation’s liberation (Ro. 8:23).
Just as you must look to the resurrection of Christ as the guarantee of your resurrection because he is the firstfruits, so you must look to your own resurrection as the guarantee of the restoration of the whole of creation. Your resurrection is called the “firstfruits” of the creation’s liberation (Ro. 8:23).
In other words, just as it is possible to experience too little hope for your own resurrection, it is possible to experience too little hope for the restoration of the world. These Corinthians had concluded that there was no hope for their bodies; that the earthly experience of the Christian life as a human being was fake. One was only biding his time, limping along in this experience of what is not really real until his spirit is liberated from the body and he experiences true reality in the noumenal realm.
Likewise, it is possible to think that your personal body will be resurrected, but it will live in some ethereal realm and God’s creation will be annihilated. The New Testament makes it clear that our hope is not only for a renewed and even more real body but also that we will live in a renewed and even more real earth without any of the effects of the curse. There will be no relational dysfunctions, no children’s hospitals, no cancer wards, no painful goodbyes, no natural disasters, no terrorism, no injustice, no discrimination, and no death. Life will be the way God intended it to be. . . and better!