< Back

READ: 1 Corinthians 15:1-27
LISTEN: 1 Corinthians 15

For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures. 1 Corinthians 15:3-4

After spending a year and a half in Corinth, Paul writes a series of letters to this new Jesus community to help them on their journey of following Jesus. Paul wants to help these struggling believers understand the fundamentals of the faith and how such truths should affect their lives. At the heart of Paul’s teaching is the truth of the resurrection. Paul writes that the resurrection is of “first importance.” It is a truth that should affect how these believers think about their past, present and future.

What was true for the believers in Corinth is certainly true for us. The resurrection is central to our faith. Paul said that if the resurrection did not happen, our faith would be useless (1 Corinthians 15:14,17). No resurrection means no faith and no hope. Because of Jesus’s resurrection, we can know our past sins are forgiven. Because Jesus rose, we can trust that his power is enough to transform our lives here and now. Because of Jesus’s resurrection, we can be assured of our own resurrection in the future. In short, the resurrection provides freedom from our sinful past, hope for our future and power for our present.

TODAY: Thank God for the reality and power of the resurrection and the hope and confidence it brings. “Father, thank you for Easter and the hope Jesus’s resurrection provides. I praise you that one day, because of Jesus, my body will be resurrected and that until then, there is power for each day.”