Since He is Risen
Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable… 1 Corinthians 15:58
In 1 Corinthians 15, Paul teaches Christ’s resurrection as a fact of history, an event that has been confirmed by the testimony of many independent witnesses that saw Jesus alive after He had been put to death and buried. Like every other undeniable event of history, the resurrection cannot be changed. It stands as a rebuke to all who say that such a thing is impossible.
Because Christ’s resurrection is an established fact, all that follows from it also cannot be overthrown. He “is risen from the dead and has become the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.” (v. 20) His resurrection is God the Father’s declaration that He has accepted His Son’s sacrifice for our sins. The cause of our death has been removed. Because He lives we and all who believe in Him will live also. (John 14:19)
In the last verse of this great chapter Paul tells us what the resurrection means for our lives as believers. It is a solid rock on which we are to stand. Since Christ’s rising from the dead is a fact that cannot be overthrown, we can be steadfast and immovable in our faith in it and our confession of it. We don’t have to spend our lives in uncertainty about what we should believe. We don’t have to experiment with religious ideas that come our way as if there might be something better. We can be firmly fixed in our convictions, “grounded and steadfast, not moved away from the hope of the gospel.” (Colossians 1:23)
The hope of eternal life that we have in the resurrection is something that we can hold throughout life and in the hour of our death. Our hope is anchored in the living Christ.
Lord Jesus Christ, by the Holy Spirit keep before our eyes at all times Your victory over death. Amen.