What If Jesus Was Not Raised From the Dead?
“Christ Jesus .. which he [God] promised beforehand through his prophets in the holy Scriptures ... was declared to be the Son of God in power according to the Spirit of holiness by his resurrection from the dead.”
Devotional #2
Oh Death Where Is Your Sting?
Jesus' resurrection is the resounding declaration of his victory, power and everlasting dominion over our enemies: death, sin and the devil. It is proof that he is God's Messiah, that he bore the wrath of God for us and conquered once and for all. ‘He disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame by triumphing over them’. (b)
Jesus’ triumph over death is both physical and spiritual. When we first believed in him, we experienced a spiritual birth. He ended our spiritual death and gave us eternal life. One day, Jesus will also end physical death. He will raise our physical bodies from the dead and glorify them. Our bodies will be made like his: perfect, sinless, and able to behold and enjoy the full force of the Glory of God. Imagine that!
But if Jesus was not raised from the dead …
There would still be condemnation for you and me.
This is the most obvious answer and one given by Paul in 1 Cor. 15:17. If Jesus was not raised from the dead, Romans 8:1 (c) would be a lie. Our sins would not be forgiven and we would be damned to an eternal hell away from the presence of God.
Our sufferings & labors would be in vain.
The apostle Peter exhorts us to set our hope completely on the Hope we have through the resurrection of Jesus Christ. God promises us that our present sufferings and labor in Christ are necessary and not in vain. They are producing an eternal weight of glory beyond comparison, treasures that surpass our wildest dreams, all to be enjoyed when Jesus returns. Jesus Christ, Our Living Hope, is coming back for us and our inheritance in him is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept secure in heaven for us by God himself. In this we rejoice and endure, though for a little while we are grieved by various trials (d). We endure in the fight against sin, in the seasons of pain, and in all our works of faith. We forsake the pleasures of this life to gain Christ.
But if Jesus was not raised from the dead, this hope is dead and these promises are all rubbish. We Christians would be of all people on earth, most to be pitied. We would have wasted our earthly lives on a delusion only to spend the next eternally suffering under the wrath of God.
But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead …
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.
“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.”
NOTES & SCRIPTURE REFERENCES
All scripture references are from the ESV version, unless otherwise noted.
(a) Roman 1:1-4: Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God, which he promised beforehand through his prophets in the holy Scriptures, concerning his Son, who was descended from David according to the flesh and was declared to be the Son of God in power according to the Spirit of holiness by his resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord
(b) Colossians 2:13-15: 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.
(c) Romans 8:1:There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus
(d) 1 Peter 1:3-19;13: Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, who by God's power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory, obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls.
Therefore, preparing your minds for action, and being sober-minded, set your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.
