As was Peter’s message in the opening of his first letter, Paul, too, explained the importance of Christ’s resurrection to our eternal reward in Heaven. Through a lengthy discussion of the resurrection of the dead, Paul reminded the Christians in Corinth that Christ was in fact raised from the dead. By virtue of Christ’s resurrection, we have hope.
But Paul made a statement that ought to serve as a reminder for us even today. In 1 Corinthians 15:19, he wrote, “If in Christ we have hope in this life only, we are of all people most to be pitied.” He had explained that if the dead are not raised to new life, then neither was Christ raised. If Christ was not raised, then we are without hope and our faith is void. But God raised Christ from the grave, bringing Him from death to life.
As Paul stated, if our hope in Christ is only applicable to this life, then we are most pitiable of all the people on earth. But to Paul’s point, our hope in Christ goes beyond the grave. C. S. Lewis offered his definition of hope, writing that it is “a continual looking forward to the eternal world.” Because Christ was raised, we have hope, an eager expectation that we too will be raised from death to life. Our hope in Christ goes beyond this life and beyond the grave.
