Living in the Light of the Resurrection

By

For the month of April, Crossway Books has graciously allowed our readers to freely download The Cross by Martin Lloyd-Jones. This book is a collection of excellent sermons from one of the foremost preachers of the twentieth century.

On a day-to-day basis, do you consider your life significant, important, or worthwhile? I mean apart from landmark events like marriage, the birth of children, baptism, and other special moments or seasons of life. Do you find yourself at times just going through the motions, thinking that as soon as this week, month, or season is over you’ll accomplish all the things you’ve been meaning to do? Maybe you’re struggling with living by faith and you’re caught in a loop of temptation and sin. If you resonate with any of those descriptions, I have one more question: How does the second coming of Jesus and the future resurrection affect your daily life?

Of course, in times of crisis, tragedy, and loss, we look forward in hope to the day of Jesus’s return and the resurrection. In that hope we endure hardships of various kinds. Paul wrote to the Thessalonians about Jesus’s return and the resurrection so that they “may not grieve as others do who have no hope” (1 Thess. 4:13), and he expected his teaching to be a source of encouragement (4:18). We do not, however, always live in times of grief.

In the New Testament, the future that began in the resurrection of Jesus is meant to shape and influence daily life. For instance, Jesus frequently exhorts his disciples to live in expectation and anticipation, always ready for his return (e.g., Matt. 25:13; Mark 13:35; Luke 12:37). Peter expects belief in Jesus’s return and the apocalyptic destruction of the present order to flow into obedience. In view of what God promises to do, “what sort of people ought you to be in lives of holiness and godliness?” (2 Pet. 3:11). This future perspective on life in the present is nowhere more evident than in 1 Corinthians 15.

The Eschatological “So-What?”

First Corinthians 15 begins with Paul’s summary of the gospel. Paul proclaims Christ’s death for sins and his resurrection. His resurrection was witnessed by the Apostles, another 500 people, and finally by Paul himself (1 Cor. 15:3–8). On that foundation, he refutes false teaching about the resurrection.

Simply put, if there is no future resurrection, then Christ is not raised—there is no gospel. Without the resurrection there is no forgiveness of sin, and there is no hope for the dead (1 Cor. 15:16–18). Yet, Christ is raised, and he guarantees the resurrection of the dead. As all died in Adam, all (believers) will live in Christ (1 Cor. 15:20–23). Without the resurrection Paul’s suffering in ministry is inexplicable (1 Cor. 15:30–32).

Paul rounds out this section by drawing a connection between the resurrection and the Christian life, namely with regard to ongoing sin. Continuing in sin means living as though there is no resurrection: “Wake up from your drunken stupor, as is right, and do not go on sinning. For some have no knowledge of God. I say this to your shame” (1 Cor. 15:34).

We rightly emphasize the necessity to walk in obedience and to resist temptation and sin—but how often do we consider obedience as reflecting the truth of what we confess about the future, and disobedience as a practical denial of the resurrection? Sin flourishes in the absence of hope. If there is no future hope then what we do today doesn’t matter. Why not do whatever we sinfully please? (1 Cor. 15:32).

If we pursue sin as believers, we live as though there is nothing beyond this life and Christ is still in the tomb. It is not enough, however, simply to affirm the truth of Christ’s resurrection. You will be tempted to turn away from the truth of this text, from the assurance of God’s promise, from the eschatological life God has given you in Christ. Today, in one way or another, you’ll face temptation. In 1 Corinthians 15, God offers you a way out (1 Cor. 10:13). Here in his word, you may turn your back on sin and the hopelessness of death, and live by faith in Christ and his resurrection that guarantees God’s promise for the future.

In the next section Paul writes about the nature of the resurrection and the resurrection body. Christ, the last Adam, guarantees our future. We come from the dust like the first Adam, but in the resurrection we will be identified in Christ, we will “bear the image of the man from heaven” (15:49). We who are mortal and perishable, must be made immortal and imperishable (15:53). This will be the consummation of salvation in Jesus. God will destroy death once and for all. Sin, the sting of death that the law empowers (Rom. 3:19; 5:20; 7:7–14), will one day be defeated. Then, in the climax of the chapter, Paul proclaims, “But thanks be to God who gives us the victory though our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Cor. 15:57). In the future, we will experience fully what Christ has already accomplished in his life, death, and resurrection.

Why Your Work Matters

The final verse of the chapter is Paul’s inference—the practical implication— that follows on from his teaching about the resurrection: “Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain (1 Cor. 15:58).” Paul speaks frequently in 1 Corinthians of his work as an Apostle and the work of his co-laborers (1 Cor. 3:8; 9:1; 16:10), but “labor” in 15:58 is not limited to full-time ministry or to the times believers engage in explicit Christian service. Otherwise, we have a lot of time off. The work in view includes explicit labor in the Gospel and the work God gives each person according to his will and in accordance to the gifts he supplies (1 Cor. 12) The reality and power of the resurrection permeates whatever work God calls you to do.

Your work, done in faith and in the hope of the resurrection, is meaningful, important, and significant to God. Think of it this way—“your work of faith and labor of love” (1 Thess. 1:3) is full-time in all vocations and callings. You are a worker for the risen Christ, in whose imperishable and immortal image you will be raised. Whether at work, sitting at a desk, or changing diapers at home, hope in the resurrection empowers you to persevere and thrive in whatever work God gives you.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Author

  • Brian Vickers

    Brian Vickers is professor of New Testament interpretation at the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. He is the author of “Acts” in the ESV Expository Commentary: John–Acts (Crossway, 2019) and Justification by Grace through Faith (P&R, 2013). He, his wife, and his daughter live in Louisville, Kentucky, where they are members of Sojourn Church J-Town.

Brian Vickers

Brian Vickers

Brian Vickers is professor of New Testament interpretation at the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. He is the author of “Acts” in the ESV Expository Commentary: John–Acts (Crossway, 2019) and Justification by Grace through Faith (P&R, 2013). He, his wife, and his daughter live in Louisville, Kentucky, where they are members of Sojourn Church J-Town.