The Super Living Hope – 1 Corinthians 15:20

But now Christ has been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who are asleep. 1Cor 5:20

As believers we readily confess that Jesus died and rose again from the dead, but we must pause and ask ourselves, Is Jesus’s resurrection truly a part of my life? Or put another way, What is the greatest hope in my life?

There is no greater hope in this life than the resurrection. Without it, all other hopes are meaningless and misleading. Those who hope only in the crucifixion are- as Paul declared to the Corinthians who denied Jesus’s resurrection- of all people most to be pitied. Therefore, here in v.20 Paul transitions his argument towards reinforcing the truth of the resurrection to establish the hope of Jesus’s resurrection in the believer’s life.

Paul’s hope began with his conviction. Though Paul came across many who denied the resurrection, he did not waver in his faith in Jesus’s resurrection. (Acts 25:19) His conviction controlled him and kept hope alive amidst all persecution, because it was Christ who was raised from the dead. Everything changed for Paul when he encountered the risen Lord on the road to Damascus. Jesus Christ was with him; Jesus, the Son of God, from whom, through whom, and to whom are all things. Paul was a new creature; the old things passed away; new things had come. Paul’s hope was now in the risen Lord. (Col 1:15-17; 2Cor 5:17)

This same Jesus is alive today. He is moving, protecting, nurturing, leading, and empowering His church without fail, and He continues to speak to us through His living Word. We must not mock and insult Jesus by living as though He were dead, but like Paul, we must always rejoice in the presence of the Lord. Do you have this kind of conviction in this kind of Jesus? This is the proof of true faith: under any circumstances, they put Christ first. (Lk 24:5, Matt 28:20)

To grow in hope and sanctification, you must begin with the simple conviction of Jesus’s resurrection. The faith of the likes of Paul, Isaac, Abraham, and Elijah was always correlated with a high view of God. Therefore, examine the object of your faith. Only the risen Jesus of the Bible has resurrected to be the greatest hope for mankind. (Matt 22:29,32)