Paul
the apostle told the church members in Corinth, “if
the dead rise not, then is not Christ raised:”,
their “faith”
was in “vain”
and they continued in their “sins”.
He also shared those who “are fallen
asleep in Christ are perished”,
and in chapter fifteen and verse nineteen
of First Corinthians, Paul wrote,
if there was no “hope in Christ in this life”,
“we are of all men most miserable”,
where we read:
If in
this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most
miserable.
The
verse begins, “If
in this life only we have hope in Christ,...”
Paul began
with the word, “if” or
“whether” “in this life”
which means “this same state of one who possesses vitality or
animation” “only”
or “alone” “we have hope”
which means “waiting for salvation with joy and full confidence”
“in Christ”
which refers to “the anointed One, the Messiah and the Son of God”.
Paul referred to the “hope”
we have in Jesus Christ while living on earth.
The
verse continues, “... we
are of all men most miserable.”
Paul
continued with the words, “we are of
all men” which
means “Paul, the church members and his companions are of each,
every, the whole and everyone of people whether male or female”
“most miserable”
which means “pitied”. If there is only the “hope of Christ”
during our lifetime, then those who are believers in Jesus Christ are
the most to be “pitied”.
When
we think through these words from Paul, we see how he infers there is
more to “belief in Christ” than the “hope” we have in
Him in our lifetimes. If there is no resurrection, then Jesus did not
“rise from the dead”, and we are all living in a fantasy that
ends in nothingness. Our “sins” remain, and salvation with
eternal life is impossible. This makes us the “most miserable”
among people because we have “believed in vain”.
However, Jesus did rise from the dead, and those who put their
“faith” and “trust” in Him are promised “everlasting
life” with God, and therefore let all who read these words deeply
consider these words of Paul.
Next
time Paul shares with
the church members about,
“the first-fruits of them
that slept”,
so read ahead, and we shall join together then.
Until tomorrow…there is more…
Look for the daily devotional book “Equipped for Battle – From Generation to Generation”, the marriage book “So, You Want to Be Married”, and the new devotional “One Year in the Sermon on the Mount” in all major bookstore sites, http://www.amazon.com ; http://www.barnesandnobles.com ; download to e-books, and find it locally at www.mrzlc.com/bookstore.
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