Hope in Christ

Hope in Christ

If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men the most pitiable.

I Corinthians 15:19

We find ourselves in the middle of ‘The Resurrection Chapter.’ Here, the Apostle Paul expounds for us most thoroughly, the important things that we, who are in Christ, must know regarding this most important subject. Having argued forcibly for the truth that Christ has, in fact, risen from the dead, Paul makes a captivating statement in the verse which serves as our text today. He says, ‘If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men the most pitiable.’ Let us take a few moments please, to contemplate just one portion of the text, ‘we have hope in Christ.’ Although in the broader discussion, Paul is speaking of the resurrection, the fact remains that we have hope in Christ now. We have hope in Christ that He has rendered perfect obedience to the Law of God, and has satisfied it in precept on our behalf. We have hope in Christ that He has died as the substitutionary Sacrifice and satisfied the Law of God in penalty. We have hope that He has appeased the wrath of God against us for our sin. We have hope in Christ that He has purchased our redemption. We have hope in Christ that He is by the process of sanctification making us more like Himself. Before we take this subject a step farther, let us contemplate these things as a reflection of the hope we have in Christ already. What is lovely is that there is more to come.

‘Great God of Wonders,
all Your ways are Matchless, God-like, and Divine.’
We rejoice, that in this life, we have hope in Christ,
and that there are greater things to come,
which give us even greater hope.

Tomm Tice
Where the Bush is Burning