Bizarre as it sounds, some people might regard the resurrection of the Lord Jesus not happening, and the Gospel not being true as very convenient:
As we saw on Sunday evening from 1 Corinthians ch 15, no resurrection would mean our bodies are disposable like single-use plastic rather than renewable, and we can (mis)use them now however we want!
Yet it would mean that even if there IS a God, there is no way to know, let alone placate Him. We would only be left with the hopelessness of whatever life we now live. As Paul put it:
“If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are of all people most to be pitied.”
(1 Cor 15:19)
We saw the hopelessness of the situation in the book of Ecclesiastes, whose message I recently heard summarised: “If there’s no Gospel, then like a skydiver whose parachute won’t open, we might as well just enjoy the view!”
However, the wonderful truth of Easter Sunday is that Christ IS risen! The Gospel IS true! There really is real hope! One day God will make EVERYTHING new, including the gradually declining bodies of those who trust Him!
The unshakeable reality of that hope casts light over the rest of life with its joys and struggles. We can know that our current experience is temporary, there is something infinitely better coming as we put our faith in the Lord Jesus, His finished work on the cross and resurrection from the dead.
No wonder Paul finished with this wonderful encouragement:
Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labour in the Lord is not in vain. (1 Cor 15:58)
Spencer Shaw