And if Christ is not risen, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins! 1 Corinthians 15:17
The resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ is so vital especially for us who believe who, by nature, were "dead in sins and trespasses (Ephesians 2:1)". Now, the Apostle Paul made it absolutely clear that if Christ is not risen, our preaching is vain, faith is futile, and we are still in our sins. But why is that? This is because:
...faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. Hebrews 11:1
and without Christ's resurrection, there's really nothing to hope for. Paul wrote in his letter to the Romans, "even we ourselves groan within ourselves, eagerly waiting for the adoption, the redemption of our body. For we were saved in this hope... (Romans 8:23-24)". So, if our Lord Himself did not rise, how can we be sure that our body will be fully redeemed? We have to remember that faith has an object and that must be Christ. True faith is faith in Christ. Faith is not empty only when Christ is risen...and He is, He is alive forevermore!
In Christ's work we cling and His is the very image to which we will be conformed. Moreover, without His resurrection, we are still in our sins. But why? Because God will only justify the ungodly once His justice is fully satisfied. Now, if Christ is not risen, it must mean that His sacrifice was not enough and therefore not accepted by God, and divine justice was not satisfied. But Christ is risen indeed which means that God vindicated His work by raising Him from the dead. Truly, He "was raise because of our justification (Romans 4:25)".
So then, a futile faith is truly empty and leaves a person hopeless and unjustified (still in sins). By faith alone can a man be justified so thanks be to our God for Christ is risen and because of that we are now justified by faith in Him.
Soli Deo Gloria!
