But Now Is Christ Risen! – I Corinthians 15:20

“But Now Is Christ Risen!”
“But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the
firstfruits of them that slept.” I Corinthians 15:20
There is no religious system in the world that can claim its
founder is still alive except biblical Christianity. According to
Paul, all of our hopes are grounded in the literal, bodily
resurrection of Jesus from the dead.
Paul defines the “Gospel” as the death, burial and
resurrection of Jesus Christ (I Cor. 15:1-4). Then, Paul
demonstrates that there was a vast number of witnesses to
Christ’s appearance in a glorified body: Cephas (15:5); five
hundred, all at one time (vs.6); James (vs.7); all the apostles
(vs. 7); then at last by Paul on the road to Damascus (vs. 9).
If Christ did not rise, preaching is vain, our faith is in vain,
our witness is a fraud, we are yet in our sins and our hope is
vain (vss. 12-15). However, now that Christ has risen, we can
anticipate our own resurrection (vs. 20ff), preaching has
power, faith is fruitful, our witness is genuine, our sins have
been forgiven and our hope of Heaven is real. Oh, and by the
way, the last enemy has been destroyed! Death itself (vs. 26).
Death may brag and boast that it has won. Jesus responds, and
we can echo it, “Oh, no … just you wait and see!” For I read, “O
death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?” “But
thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord
Jesus Christ. ” (vss. 55, 57). – G.G.

Prepared by Roger Fulk, from the “Baptist Bread”, April 9, 2023, by author Dr. Guy Goodell, Pastor, Bible Baptist Church, Hudson Falls, NY. With permission from Tim Green, editor of Baptist Bread. The Baptist Bread