LORD’S DAY, APRIL 16
1 Corinthians 15:50-58
1 Thessalonians 4:13-18

"…be ye stedfast, unmoveable…"

RESURRECTION SUNDAY

Today is Resurrection Sunday. It is appropriate that we should meditate upon 1 Corinthians 15, the grand charter of the resurrection of Christ. It reminds us that we serve a living Saviour. Christ lives, and so we live!

Today, we commemorate our Saviour’s victory over the grave and corruption. Christ arose from the grave, so we too will arise from the dead with a glorified body that is suitable for the heavenly realm. It will be a body. Christ has saved not just our souls, but also our bodies. The Scriptures tell us that at the second coming of Christ, those who are the dead in Christ shall rise first, followed by the "catching up" of those who are alive. This event will occur in an "atomic" second (atomoi, 1 Cor 15:52), and we shall be forever with our Lord (1 Thess 4:17). What a comfort to our souls!

Resurrection Sunday is also a celebration of Christ’s victory over sin and death. Christ knew no sin, and thus death has no power over Him. Christ arose for the justification of our sins. All our sins are washed away by the blood of the Lamb. Indeed, "O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?" (1 Cor 15:55). We thus await with great expectation for the consummation of our resurrection hope. The new heavens and the new earth will be a place where sin and death can no longer molest. We will spend eternity in joyful worship of our glorious Lord.

In the meantime, there is still work to be done in this sin-sick world. The sure hope of the resurrection serves as our encouragement to faithfully serve the Lord in the midst of diverse trials and temptations. "Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord" (1 Cor 15:58). Let us press on with the work of Christ and be ready for His coming.

THOUGHT: Victory is complete in Christ.
PRAYER: Lord, help me to be ready for Christ’s return.