Your Belief in the Resurrection Will Shape How You Live

If the dead are not raised, "Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die."

1 Corinthians 15:32

When you look at the good that has been done in this world over the centuries, you will find that a large part of it has been done by people who believe that they are preparing for a world to come—hospitals built, schools opened, children fostered.

Believing in the resurrection will shape how you live. Here is a glimpse of how the apostle Paul lived: he was “in danger every hour” (15:30), and he “die[d] every day!” (15:31). Some people say, “Even if there was no heaven, Christianity would still be the best way to live.” But Paul would say, “No, not for me!”

This man gave up a comfortable life to take the gospel to people who were often hostile and violent. He served people who were often ungrateful, unfaithful, and unresponsive. He stuck with it, facing days without food, nights without sleep, and constant exposure to danger. What in the world could motivate someone to live like this? The knowledge that our time here is short, and that God is preparing us for life in another world.

If there is no resurrection, what did Paul gain by living such a life (15:32)? Paul is telling us, “I would not dream of living as I do if I was not wholly convinced that there will be a resurrection. The reason I live as I do is that Christ has been raised. And that means that I too will rise. An endless life in a world of joy lies ahead of me.”

How is your belief in the resurrection shaping the way you live?