1 Corinthians 15:12-20 (NRSV)
Read 1 Corinthians 15:12-20 on biblegateway.com
Verse 12Now if Christ is proclaimed as raised from the dead, how can some of you say there is no resurrection of the dead? Verse 13If there is no resurrection of the dead, then Christ has not been raised; Verse 14and if Christ has not been raised, then our proclamation has been in vain and your faith has been in vain. Verse 15We are even found to be misrepresenting God, because we testified of God that he raised Christ-whom he did not raise if it is true that the dead are not raised. Verse 16For if the dead are not raised, then Christ has not been raised. Verse 17If Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins. Verse 18Then those also who have died in Christ have perished. Verse 19If for this life only we have hoped in Christ, we are of all people most to be pitied.
Verse 20But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who have died.
Devotion
“If for this life only we have hoped in Christ, we are of all people most to be pitied.” I Corinthians 15:19
Is the resurrection of Jesus a hoax or the most important fact of history?
We Christians declare that it is not a hoax. Our hope is built upon belief in the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Death is a powerful force that only God can overcome.
Do you believe in the resurrection of the dead? Some of my most profound moments of ministry have been with the body of a dead Christian and clutching hands in prayer with his or her family members. With each beat of our hearts the inspired words of the Apostle Paul give a holy and certain comfort and hope: “But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who have died.” 1 Corinthians 15:20
Prayer
Almighty God, help us, we pray, in the midst of things we cannot understand, to believe and trust in the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, and the resurrection to life everlasting. Amen. (Burial of the Dead, LBW, page 210)