And if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain. We are even found to be misrepresenting God, because we testified about God that He raised Christ, whom He did not raise if it is true that the dead are not raised. For if the dead are not raised, not even Christ has been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins. (I Corinthians15:14-17 ESV)
The Gospel
What if you labored all week, but your boss decided to pay you in kale, instead of dollars? What if you travelled for hours, but your GPS misdirected you to a hardware store instead of the amusement park you expected? What if you studied for a degree, but instead of a diploma the school gave you a gift certificate for a tire rotation?
All of those things would be frustrating, disappointing, and useless.
But even worse, what if the salvation God offered and promised led to nothingness, eternal death, and darkness?
But it does not!
Because Christ arose, our salvation’s result is shown. God is glorified and we have eternal life! God promised both as the result our Christ’s life, and death, and life.
His resurrection paves the road for us, enables the gift to us, and displays the result of God’s salvation.
The Gospel ends in Resurrection!