The Blessings of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ

“And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins. Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ are lost. If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are of all people most to be pitied. But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.” (1 Cor. 15:17-20)
 
Review
Last Sunday, we shared a message about the resurrection of Jesus Christ through the Book of Colossians.
The church in Colossae was not established by Paul himself, but by his disciple Epaphras. Epaphras visited him to share news about the Colossian church while Paul was under house arrest in Rome. He brought the good news that the believers were growing in faith, love, and hope, but also the bad news that false teachers had entered the church, distorting the gospel with philosophy and other teachings.
In response, Paul wrote the letter to the Colossians to let the believers in the church know that only Jesus Christ is the mystery of God and the truth that leads them to salvation.
So, the central theme of Colossians is the supremacy and sufficiency of Jesus Christ. In Colossians Chapter 1, Paul lists the reasons why Jesus Christ is superior to all things. Jesus is the image of the invisible God, and in Him, all the fullness of God dwells. He is superior to all creation because He existed before all things and they were made by Him, in Him and for Him. Jesus is the head of the church, and He is the "firstborn" in the new creation of all things, namely, the resurrection.
The reason Paul explained the supremacy of Jesus Christ was to emphasize that He is sufficient to lead us to God and bring us true salvation.
Among these reasons, we focused specifically on the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Paul called Jesus the "firstfruits of the resurrection" in 1 Corinthians.
This does not mean He was the first person ever to be brought back to life, as there are records in the Bible of people being raised from the dead before Him. Rather, being the "firstfruits of the resurrection" means that He was the first to completely conquer death and rise with a glorious, resurrected body.
 
Paul explained four characteristics of Jesus' resurrected body. The first characteristic is that while the current physical body is perishable, the resurrected body is imperishable. The bodies we currently possess age over time, undergo senescence, and eventually die. However, Jesus' resurrected body is an eternal, immortal body that will never experience death again.
The second characteristic of the resurrected body is that it is ‘glorious.’ The body we currently have is in a state of dishonor. We live with the body exposed to fleshly desires and a sinful nature. But the body Jesus possesses is completely free from sin. It is a glorious body.
The third characteristic of the resurrected body is that it is a powerful body. Currently, our bodies are in a state of weakness. All kinds of diseases, fatigue, and stress afflict us. However, Jesus' body was a strong body—a body that no longer experiences sickness, pain, or exhaustion.
The fourth characteristic of Jesus' resurrected body is that it is spiritual. It is not sustained by physical food but is a spiritual body, much like an angel, sustained and moved by the Holy Spirit.
That is the resurrected body we will put on at the last day. Paul called Jesus the firstfruits of the resurrection, which implies that there will be subsequent fruits.
On the day Jesus Christ returns, those who believe in Him will receive Him and be transformed just like Him. On that day, Jesus will transform not only those who believe but also this entire world into a New Heaven and a New Earth. In this way, all creation will participate in the glorious resurrection. Jesus' resurrection was the signal fire announcing this event.
This is the ultimate hope we hold as Christians. The reason we do not place our hope in our current lives or in this earth is that we know the blessings Jesus Christ will give us are far greater and more eternal than any blessings we can enjoy on this earth.
 
The Blessings of the Resurrection
All right. Today, I want to continue talking about the resurrection. Why is the resurrection of Jesus Christ good news for us? What do we learn through His resurrection, and what blessings does it bring us?
We can find the answer to these questions in 1 Corinthians 15. In this chapter, Paul explains two blessings that the resurrection brings us: one is the forgiveness of sins, and the other is eternal life.
 
1. Forgiveness of Sins
First, let us read 1 Corinthians 15:17. “And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins.” (1 Co 15:17)
Here, Paul connects the resurrection of Jesus Christ with the forgiveness of sins. But how exactly is the resurrection connected to the forgiveness of sins? Usually, when Christians think of forgiveness, the first thing that comes to mind is Jesus' shedding of blood on the cross or His death. This is true. Jesus suffered and died on the cross to pay the price for our sins.
Before Jesus was crucified, He shared the Last Supper with His disciples and said, “This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.” (Mt 26:28)
The blood that Jesus shed on the cross was for the forgiveness of sins. Just as animals in the Old Testament were sacrificed and their blood was shed to pay for people’s sins, Jesus also shed His precious blood on the cross to save us from sin and to pay the debt we owed. We are made righteous and receive salvation not because of our goodness or righteous deeds, but only through the blood of Jesus Christ.
The Apostle Paul says in Ephesians 1:7, “In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace.” (Eph 1:7)
 
The Cross: Jesus’ Payment
Therefore, the event of the cross can be understood as an act of payment. The price Jesus paid to redeem us from sin was His own blood—His very life. We are a people purchased with His blood.
Paul also said,  “He bought the church of God with his own blood.” (Ac 20:28) and “You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies.” (1 Co 6:19–20).
Likewise, the Apostle John declares in Revelation, “You were slain, and with your blood you purchased for God persons from every tribe and language and people and nation.” (Rev 5:9)
So, again, the event of the cross can be understood as Jesus paying the price of His own blood and life to redeem us from sin—to “purchase” us. However, here we might ask a question: To whom did Jesus pay that price? The answer is clear: to God Himself, because only God has the right and authority to judge sinners.
 
The Resurrection: God’s Receipt
But we know that a transaction is not complete merely by making a payment. Imagine you are in a store to buy something. You find an item you really like, so you placed that item into your shopping cart. but it is not yet yours. When does it actually become your possession? Not simply when you pay for it. The transaction is complete only when the store owner accepts your payment, confirms that it is sufficient, and gives you a receipt as proof of purchase. Only when you receive that receipt does the item truly become yours.
If you find a piece of clothing you like priced at $100, but you only have $50, and you ask the store owner if you can buy it for that price, but the owner says, “No.” In that case, even though you tried to pay something, the transaction doesn’t go through, and the item doesn’t become yours.
We can understand Jesus’ death and resurrection in a similar way. Imagine Jesus standing in God’s store. The “product” He wishes to purchase is sinners—us. Jesus offers His payment to God, and that payment is His own blood, His death on the cross. But what if that payment had not been sufficient in God’s eyes? Then the transaction would not have been completed.
However, Jesus’ sacrifice and death were more than enough to pay for the sins of all humanity, in every generation. He was a only person without sin and had the full right to represent all humankind because He is the Son of God. He could stand as the representative of all people since “all things were created through Him and for Him.” Therefore, the value of Jesus’ life far surpasses that of all creation combined including us.
So, the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross completely satisfied God’s righteousness. It was sufficient to turn away all of God’s wrath that was directed toward our sins. God accepted the price that Jesus paid, and as proof that the transaction was fully completed, He gave a receipt—and that receipt is the resurrection. In other words, if the shedding of Jesus’ blood and His death on the cross were His act of payment to purchase sinners, then His resurrection was God’s acceptance of that payment—the divine receipt that the price was fully paid.
With that in mind, let us read Romans 4:25 together. “He was delivered over to death for our sins and was raised to life for our justification.” (Rom 4:25)
The Lord was handed over to death to pay the price for our sins. But that was not the end of the story. The sacrifice and death of Jesus on the cross alone could not yet give us full assurance that the price for our sins had been completely paid, that all our sins were forgiven, and that we had been made righteous.
However, God didn’t leave Jesus in the grave. He raised Him from the dead. This means that God was fully satisfied with the price Jesus paid on the cross. The resurrection is the proof that God accepted His sacrifice as sufficient. At that moment, the work of our salvation—the forgiveness of our sins—was completely accomplished. In other words, our salvation was made perfect not at the cross, but at the empty tomb.
So this is the first blessing we receive from the resurrection of Jesus Christ: the forgiveness of sins, our freedom and liberation from the slavery of sin, Satan, and death, and our adoption as the righteous children of God.
This is why the resurrection is the most important event in Christianity. The cross was not a place of victory—it was a place of sin, of failure, of God’s wrath, and of curse. But the resurrection is the place of complete victory. Through His death and resurrection, Jesus fully defeated the powers of sin, Satan, and death. No longer can sin claim dominion over us. God’s grace, and the resurrection of Jesus Christ, now reigns over us.
So, Paul’s main point in today’s passage is clear: if Jesus Christ had not been raised from the dead, the problem of sin would remain unresolved. If Christ were still a corpse in the tomb, His death for our sins would be meaningless.
The Bible portrays death as the inevitable and ultimate consequence of sin: “For the wages of sin is death.” (Rom. 6:23)
Sin brings separation from God, the source of eternal life, and its ultimate result is death. Therefore, if Jesus remained dead, there are only two possible conclusions. One is that Jesus Himself was a sinner, and thus ultimately separated from God. The other is that, even if He was without sin, His attempt to atone for the sins of the world through His blood and death was not validated by God. In either case, if Jesus remained in death, we would still be separated from God in our sins, facing God’s curse and wrath.
But the greatest good news we find in Scripture is that Jesus Christ conquered death and rose again on the third day. After stating that “the wages of sin is death,” Paul continues: “But the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Rom 6:23)
The resurrection tells us that our sins have been fully forgiven. It means that we are now regarded as righteous before God, that our relationship with Him has been restored, and that we have become His children.
 
2. Eternal Life
Now let’s look at the second blessing that the resurrection of Jesus Christ brings us. The resurrection of Jesus Christ informs us that death is not the end and that an eternal life awaits us after death.
One of the reasons Paul discusses the resurrection in 1 Corinthians is that some people in the Corinthian church believed there was no resurrection. In verse 12, Paul says: “But if it is preached that Christ has been raised from the dead, how can some of you say that there is no resurrection of the dead?” (1 Cor 15:12)
Here, Paul explains the truth that “there is a resurrection of the dead” through the resurrection of Jesus Christ. If Jesus truly conquered death and was raised to life, then those who believe in Him will also share in His resurrection.
This is one of the most important points about the resurrection. What do we learn from the resurrection of Jesus Christ? It is that death is not the end. This goes against our human experience and common sense. None of us has ever seen someone conquer death and rise again. That is why we naturally think that there is nothing after death, and that death itself is the end of life.
This is also why we grieve when someone we love dies. It is because we believe we will never see that person again. Jesus’ disciples experienced the same thing. After His death, they were filled with fear, sorrow, and despair.
But when they saw the risen Jesus, all their fear, sorrow, and despair vanished. Through the resurrection, they saw that death was no longer the end, and that eternal life exists. This transformed their lives: it gave them courage instead of fear, joy instead of sorrow, and hope instead of despair. Death—the most feared reality in the world—had already been defeated.
And their courage, joy, and hope were revealed through their proclamation of the gospel even amid persecution. In fact, the period immediately following Jesus’ crucifixion was the most difficult time to claim belief in Him. Followers risked being associated with Him and sharing the same fate.
The irony, however, is that the number of believers grew far more explosively after Jesus’ death than while He was alive. Even more remarkable, this faith began to spread beyond the ethnic boundaries of the Jewish people to the Gentiles, reaching beyond the geographical limits of Jerusalem and Judea to Samaria, Asia Minor, Europe, and Rome. All of this happened in less than thirty years after Jesus’ death.
No other religion has ever shown such rapid growth. Yet early Christianity achieved this extraordinary expansion even in the face of intense persecution.
So, what made this possible? There is only one answer: Jesus’ disciples truly witnessed His resurrection and, despite persecution, continued to testify to His gospel with the joy and hope of the resurrection. Records of this exist both inside and outside of Scripture. Even historians who deny the resurrection of Jesus Christ don’t deny that His followers boldly proclaimed it despite tremendous persecution.
This is the evidence for the resurrection that Paul presents. He speaks to believers who deny the resurrection: “Look at us preaching the gospel! Look at the suffering we endure for proclaiming it! Why would we endure such hardships if it were not true?”
Paul writes: "If Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith. More than that, we are then found to be false witnesses about God, for we have testified about God that he raised Christ from the dead. But he did not raise him if in fact the dead are not raised… If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are of all people most to be pitied.” (1 Cor 15:15, 19)
Paul said that if there were no resurrection of Christ, he would be the most miserable of all people. Why is that? It is because he lived such a difficult and challenging life because of his proclamation of the gospel of Jesus Christ.
In his second letter to the Corinthians, Paul lists the hardships he endured. He says in 2 Corinthians 11:23–27: “…I have worked much harder, been in prison more frequently, been flogged more severely, and been exposed to death again and again. Five times I received from the Jews the forty lashes minus one. Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was pelted with stones, three times I was shipwrecked, I spent a night and a day in the open sea, I have been constantly on the move. I have been in danger from rivers, in danger from bandits, in danger from my fellow Jews, in danger from Gentiles; in danger in the city, in danger in the country, in danger at sea; and in danger from false believers. I have labored and toiled and have often gone without sleep; I have known hunger and thirst and have often gone without food; I have been cold and naked” (2 Cor 11:23–27).
These are the hardships Paul faced while proclaiming the gospel of Jesus Christ. None of these were trivial. Even one of these alone would be almost unbearable for us. Looking at this life, what do you think? Does it look valuable, admirable, and worth following? Or does it seem pitiful? Naturally, it seems pitiful. No one wants to live like this. Who would enjoy suffering?
Yet Paul willingly and even joyfully lived this kind of life. Despite countless hardships and repeated threats of death, he never stopped preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ for even a moment.
When Paul was returning to Jerusalem after his third missionary journey, the Holy Spirit warned him that chains and persecutions awaited him in every city. He knew he might even die if he went to Jerusalem. Yet he did not turn back. He pressed on resolutely, knowing suffering and persecution awaited him, because he considered the mission God entrusted to him more important than his own life.
This is what he said when he gave his final farewell to the Ephesian elders in Miletus. Let’s read it together:  “And now, compelled by the Spirit, I am going to Jerusalem, not knowing what will happen to me there. I only know that in every city the Holy Spirit warns me that prison and hardships are facing me. However, I consider my life worth nothing to me; my only aim is to finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me—the task of testifying to the good news of God’s grace” (Acts 20:22–24).
In this world, nothing is more valuable than life. Yet Paul said that completing the mission given to him by the Lord Jesus was worth more than his very life. This was not an exaggeration. Paul truly thought this and lived accordingly.
So, why did he consider fulfilling his mission more important than his own life? It was not because he thought his life had little value. Rather, Paul was looking beyond the present life, beyond the life he currently had, toward the life after death and the eternal reward he would receive there. Through his encounter with the risen Jesus Christ, Paul had glimpsed and tasted eternal life. It was so clear and certain that it caused him to dedicate the rest of his life to Christ.
In fact, Paul was socially prominent at the time. He was a Jew, a Pharisee, trained under Gamaliel, one of the most respected teachers of the law. He was fluent in Greek, Hebrew, and Aramaic, and even held Roman citizenship. By worldly standards, he lacked nothing. When he went to Damascus to persecute Christians, he even had the authorization of the high priest. He was a recognized and respected figure within Judaism.
If Paul had continued to persecute the church and lived to maintain his Jewish identity, he would have avoided all the hardships, persecutions, and toil he described in 2 Corinthians 11. He could have lived a peaceful and respected life among the Jews.
Yet Paul chose to give up that comfortable life and take up a life of labor and suffering. From a worldly perspective, Paul’s decision was foolish. He turned away from the good path and chose, not just a difficult path, but the worst path. That is why he could say, “If there is no resurrection, I am the most miserable of all people.” In reality, he did live a truly miserable life.
But was his life truly worthless? If there were no resurrection, then yes—his life had no value, because he had given up his life for something fictional. But if the resurrection is real, then his life was the most meaningful of all, because the reward he would receive in God’s kingdom after death is immeasurable.
Paul writes in 2 Timothy 4:6–8: “For I am already being poured out like a drink offering, and the time for my departure is near. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day—and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing” (2 Tim 4:6–8).
When Paul wrote this letter, he was in a Roman prison, awaiting his execution. He sensed that his death was near, yet he was neither sad nor despairing. What we see here is certainty, calm, and peace. The source of Paul’s peace was his assurance that he would participate in the resurrection of Jesus Christ and that the Lord would give him the crown of righteousness. With this faith, Paul lived his life fulfilling his mission amidst suffering and persecution.
Paul was not unique in this. All of Jesus’ disciples, except John, were martyred while proclaiming the gospel. Many early Christians chose to endure suffering, torture, and even death rather than live a comfortable and secure life, in order to maintain their faith in Jesus Christ.
The book of Hebrews was written at the height of Christian persecution. In chapter 11:35–38, we read:  “Some women received back their dead, raised to life again. Others were tortured and refused to be released, so that they might gain a better resurrection. Some faced jeers and flogging, and even chains and imprisonment. They were put to death by stoning; they were sawed in two; they were killed by the sword. They went about in sheepskins and goatskins, destitute, persecuted and mistreated—the world was not worthy of them. They wandered in deserts and mountains, living in caves and in holes in the ground” (Heb 11:35–38).
How does this life appear to you? If there were no resurrection—no eternal life or reward after death—then all of these people would have lived the most miserable and unfortunate lives imaginable. How could they possibly have lived such lives? They could only have done so with the certainty of the resurrection. Through these people’s lives, we can see that they had full confidence in the resurrection and eternal life.
Then this is the great blessing that the resurrection of Jesus Christ gives us: it reveals that there is eternal life after death. After saying that without the resurrection we would be the most miserable of all people, Paul writes: “But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man. For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive” (1 Cor 15:20–22).
Through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, we are assured that death is not the end. Just as Christ has been raised, all who belong to Him will share in eternal life. This is the ultimate hope and the most profound blessing of the resurrection.
This is the truth I want everyone here today to grasp. The world tells us that what we see is all there is, that this life is everything, so enjoy it to the fullest, doing whatever you want to do. But that is a lie. Through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, we know that what is visible is not all there is.
There is an unseen world—the Kingdom of God. There is life beyond this present existence—eternal life that awaits us after death. So how should we live? Please don’t be deceived by the lies of Satan and the world. Instead, hold fast to God’s Word and His truth.
May we boldly proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ without shame, just as our faithful ancestors did. No matter what sacrifices, hardships, or trials come our way, may we place our hope in Jesus Christ, our living hope, in the Kingdom of God, and in the eternal life He promises. May we persevere to the end, faithfully witnessing His gospel. That is what a truly blessed life looks like. Amen.
Let’s pray.
 
Prayer
Heavenly Father, we come before You with hearts full of gratitude for the truth of the resurrection. We thank You for sending Your Son, Jesus Christ, who did not stay in the grave but conquered death once and for all.
Lord, thank You for the forgiveness of Sins. We acknowledge that our salvation was made perfect at the empty tomb. We thank You for the "divine receipt" of the resurrection, which assures us that the debt of our sin has been fully paid and that we are now Your righteous children.
We also thank You for the promise of Eternal Life. Just as Jesus did, as the Apostle Paul did, and as the other apostles did, may we also live with the hope of the resurrection and eternal life, boldly testifying to Jesus Christ and His Gospel in our current lives without being ashamed
Father, as we leave this place, protect us from the lies of the world. Instead, fill us with the same courage that transformed Jesus’ disciples. Empower us to testify to Your grace, even when it is inconvenient or difficult, knowing that our labor in the Lord is never in vain.
May our hope remain fixed on the New Heaven and the New Earth. Guide us to live holy and meaningful lives until the day we see You face to face and receive the crown of righteousness.
In the mighty and living name of Jesus Christ, we pray,
Amen.
 
[Reflection Questions]
1. Do you have the full assurance of the forgiveness of your sins? What is it that gave you that assurance? If you are still living bound by guilt from certain sins of the past, what truth of the Gospel must you proclaim over yourself to be set free from it?
 
2. The Apostle Paul willingly endured hardships on this earth because of the hope of the resurrection. Are there any inconveniences or sufferings that you are willingly embracing for the sake of Christ or the Gospel?
 
3. Paul said that if there were no resurrection, Christians would be the most to be pitied. Conversely, if the resurrection is certain, how should the purpose and priorities of your daily life change?