As the apostle Paul concludes his first letter to the church of Corinth in 1 Corinthians 15. His parting message in this chapter is divided into two major parts: the first part is on the resurrection of Christ and then of the believers resurrection at the second advent of Christ. The first resurrection is for our faith in God and the second is for our living hope in Christ (1 Peter 1:3). Couple of days back as we would have celebrated the resurrection of Jesus Christ nearly 2000 years ago. The tomb of Joseph of Arimathea still remains empty. The work of salvation is always two-fold in the believer’s life as Jesus showed us through the cross and the empty tomb. On Calvary’s hill we find forgiveness for our sins and at the empty tomb we find victory over our sins. Just 6 days before His own crucifixion Jesus would raise his dear friend Lazarus to life (John 12:1). Martha, Lazarus’s older sister, believed in the resurrection of her brother on the last day as Jesus asked her (John 11:24). Yet, Jesus would witness at that moment that He Himself is that resurrection and life (John 11:25-26). And He would go on to pose this question to her: Do you believe this? (v26). Martha would affirm her belief in Christ with her answer. And this same question is now being posed by Jesus to each of us: Do you believe in the new life that is in me? (2 Corinthians 5:17, Romans 6:4, 6-7, 11-12). If we have been crucified with Christ to our old, carnal man (Galatians 2:20). We cannot lie dead in our old Adamic nature, the power of resurrection of God compels us out of our graves into life (Philippians 3:10-11, Romans 6:11). The voice of Christ that called out to a dead man just outside of Bethany: Lazarus, come forth (John 11:43), is the same voice rippling across the fabric of time calling out dead people to life. It does not stop there. This voice follows by commanding: “Unbind him, and let him go” (John 11:44). The seemingly unbreakable chains of lies, hypocrisy, lust, unbelief, fornication, idolatry, pride and all sin –broken like a dried twig because of the victory of the empty tomb. The message of Easter is one of a victory cry. Like the jubilant and invigorated shout of a victorious army which see’s that the enemy is now defeated and are on the run. The glory is to the one who believes in this (John 11:40) –that the war with sin is long won and victory is ours today through Christ against every power of sin in our lives (Colossians 2:15). It is also a message of renewed hope. That as the one certainty in this life –death confronts us. We know it has no power over our souls (Revelation 20:6). We live not in the fear of death, or of what awaits us in the unseen realm (Hebrews 2:14-15). Nor in foolish, blissful ignorance of it. But we with a blessed hope await our reunion with the faithful risen Christ (Titus 2:13). 

In John Bunyan’s “The Pilgrim’s Progress – Part ii.” As the final scene in this fictional, allegorical story of faith concludes. We see the traveling party with many characters of faith have made it to the very edge of life itself, seen as a river of death to be crossed into eternal glory. Each of them wait for a messenger of God to come and call forth their name to cross over. And as the name of Mr. Valiant-for-truth is called. This beautifully imagined and written scene that plays out grips my heart. And my hope is it does yours as well and becomes the realized reality of all our faiths!

“Then, said he, I am going to my Father’s; and though with great difficulty I am got hither, yet now I do not repent me of all the trouble I have been at to arrive where I am…When the day that he must go hence was come, many accompanied him to the river-side, into which as he went, he said, “Death, where is thy sting?” And as he went down deeper, he said, “Grave, where is thy victory?” So he passed over, and all the trumpets sounded for him on the other side.

“Death is swallowed up in victory.

O death, where is your victory?

O death, where is your sting?”

The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law; but thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

1 Corinthians 15:54-57