In Christ shall all be made alive

Scripture Lessons

Isaiah 65:17-25

Psalm 16:1-11

1 Corinthians 15:19-26

Luke 24:1-12

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Alleluia! Christ is risen! He is risen indeed! Alleluia!

Christ reigns from the cross, where He died for your sins and the sins of the whole world. But if He stayed in the cross, or stayed in the tomb, then what assurance would we have that He was anything more than a false prophet? The answer is…none. Thus 1 Corinthians, “If in Christ we have hope in this life only, we are of all people most to be pitied.” In other words, if the Christian life is simply a means to a pleasant worldly existence, then we are pathetic and without hope. The Christian life can be one of deprivation. Certainly, the Christian does not focus on squeezing out the most for himself. We are called to self-sacrificing love for our neighbor. We are called to forgive others even as God in Christ has forgiven us. We may even suffer injustice without seeking retribution but trusting that God will sort it out. So, at the end of this life, if all of this ‘Jesus stuff’ is a vacuous dream, then we are most of all to be pitied.

But! But! Notice in 1 Corinthians the emphatic adversative. “But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead.” If you were worried that you would end this life a pitiable fool, fear not! Christ has in fact been raised from the dead. This fact is attested to by more than ample evidence from both friendly and hostile witnesses. Secular historians recorded the resurrection. There is enough evidence to sustain the resurrection as fact in a court of law. The skeptic denies the resurrection. ‘People don’t come back from the dead,’ they say. Yes, that’s what makes it so amazing when someone does come back from the dead.

The resurrection of our Lord is, “the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.” In other words, the tip of the iceberg. There is more to come. The resurrection is good news for all people. Romans 4(24-25) says, “[Righteousness] will be counted to us who believe in him who raised from the dead Jesus our Lord, ²⁵ who was delivered up for our trespasses and raised for our justification.” Jesus was crucified to make atonement for your sins and He was raised for your justification. Justification, that is righteousness, you have received by faith. “Because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” Romans 10:9. God’s word is true. He cannot lie. You who confess the resurrection of Jesus Christ will be saved.

How can we know that? 1 Corinthians 15 provides the explanation. “For as by a man came death, by a man has come also the resurrection of the dead.” For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive.” I wonder about those who consider themselves Christian but deny the Scripture. Those who deny the Biblical account of creation (i.e. God created Adam and put him in the garden). Instead of trusting God’s Word, they put their faith in a scientific-sounding theory of macro-evolution in which millions of years and lots of death brought about life. In this worldview, there is no original sin because there is no Adam. There is no fall by which death came. If 1 Corinthians 15 is to make any sense, then you must recognize an historic person, the first man, Adam, by which came death through the fall. When people talk about creation as a secondary matter for Christians, reject that error. Historic Adam and the historic Biblical account of creation are of primary importance. This is why we read the creation narrative from Genesis 1 and 2 each Vigil of Easter.

One man, that is Adam, brought sin and death into the world. The child who dies in the womb did not die because of sin that they committed. They died because of the sin that they inherited from Adam. Likewise, each of us has inherited sin from our father Adam and stands condemned before God. But! But! “By a man has come also the resurrection of the dead.” In Jesus Christ, God became man. He became the man that lived the perfect sinless life that you and I cannot live. He was crucified for your sins. He was raised for your justification.

Alleluia! Christ is risen! He is risen indeed! Alleluia!

The peace of God, which passes all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.