March 15

A Man Worthy of Our Hope

1 Peter 1:3-5

Christ’s resurrection is not open for theological
debate. There are many people who think it’s
sufficient to believe that Jesus lived and died.
However, the Savior’s restoration to life is central to
what He claimed about His identity and to Christianity
as a faith. Picking up on our question from
yesterday’s devotion, we must ask what kind of man
is this who rose from the dead?

The answer is that Jesus Christ is the Son of God,
who died for our sins and rose again because death
had no power over Him. The resurrection validated
Jesus’ whole ministry. All along, He said and did
things to reveal Himself as Lord. When the Lamb of
God—the perfect sacrifice for sin—conquered death,
He confirmed His identity. Who but the Creator could
return Himself to life?

We could also answer the question by saying that the
kind of man *****turns from the dead is one worthy
of our hope. Since Jesus Christ affirmed God’s
power to give His followers eternal life, their earthly
existence is not marching toward an end; rather, it is
the opening chapter of a beautiful and infinite
relationship with God. Paul said that at death,
Christians are absent from their bodies and present
with the Lord (2 Cor. 5:8). So the best is yet to come!

Apart from Jesus’ resurrection, there is no hope.
Those who chase after their own versions of
immortality have no assurance of life after death,
because there is none. Yet believers face death with
the confidence that nothing can separate them from
the love of God. Death is just a short trip home.