Wednesday, February 5, 2025
Scripture Readings
- Primary Reading: 1 Corinthians 15-16
Key Verse
1 Corinthians 15:42 — “So also is the resurrection of the dead. It is sown in corruption; it is raised in incorruption:”
Devotional Thought
The church at Corinth was a congregation of real people with real problems—factions, lawsuits, confusion about gifts, and now, some among them were saying there is no resurrection of the dead. Into that doubt, Paul writes the longest chapter in his letters, a soaring argument for the bodily resurrection of Christ and of His people. He begins by reminding them of the gospel they had received: that Christ died for our sins, was buried, and rose again the third day. He lists the witnesses—Cephas, the twelve, over five hundred brethren at once, James, and finally Paul himself, “as of one born out of due time.” Paul never got over the grace that saved a persecutor of the church.
Then he presses the logic: if the dead do not rise, Christ is not risen, and if Christ is not risen, our faith is vain, we are yet in our sins, and those who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. If our hope in Christ is only for this life, we are of all men most miserable. But Paul does not leave us there. “But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept.” That word “firstfruits” is the hinge—the first sheaf of the harvest, guaranteeing that the rest will follow. As in Adam all die, so in Christ shall all be made alive.
In February, when the earth is still cold and the trees look dead, we remember that spring is not a hope but a certainty. The seed sown in the ground must die before it is quickened, and God gives it a body as it pleases Him. So it is with the resurrection. Our bodies are sown in corruption, dishonour, and weakness; they will be raised in incorruption, glory, and power. This mortal must put on immortality, and then shall be brought to pass the saying, “Death is swallowed up in victory.” The sting of death is sin, but thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
Because this is true, Paul ends with a call to steadfastness: “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.” Then he turns to practical matters—the collection for the saints, travel plans, the coming of Timothy and Apollos, the household of Stephanas who addicted themselves to the ministry. Doctrine and daily duty belong together. The resurrection is not an abstract idea; it makes our labour meaningful and our love durable. “Watch ye, stand fast in the faith, quit you like men, be strong. Let all your things be done with charity.”
Reflection
- If Christ is truly risen and is the firstfruits of those who sleep, how should that certainty reshape the way you face your own mortality and the loss of those you love?
- Paul says your labour is not in vain in the Lord. Where are you tempted to believe your faithful, unseen work does not matter—and how does the resurrection answer that temptation?
Prayer
O God, we thank You for the victory You have given us through our Lord Jesus Christ. We confess that we often live as though this life were all there is, fearing death and measuring our labour by what we can see. Forgive us, and fix our eyes on the risen Christ, the firstfruits of those who sleep. Make us steadfast and unmoveable, always abounding in Your work, knowing that our labour in You is never in vain. Let all our things be done with charity, and keep us watching and standing fast in the faith until that day when this corruptible puts on incorruption. In the name of Jesus, Amen.