Peace and Resurrection - Pt 2

Why are we in danger every hour? I protest, brothers, by my pride in you, which I have in Christ Jesus our Lord, I die every day! What do I gain if, humanly speaking, I fought with beasts at Ephesus? If the dead are not raised, “Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die.” Do not be deceived: “Bad company ruins good morals.” Wake up from your drunken stupor, as is right, and do not go on sinning. For some have no knowledge of God. I say this to your shame. (1 Corinthians 15:30-34 ESV).

Let me say something counter-intuitive to “good marketing”: There is a better way than Christianity to maximize your earthly comforts and pleasures. G. K. Chesterton said: “Christianity has not been tried and found wanting; it has been found difficult and not tried.” If your goal in life is to maximize the joy and pleasure and comfort and success on this planet, Christianity is not for you. You can find another gospel, and there are plenty of them out there, to help you on that crusade. That’s not what Christianity is designed to do. It won’t do it for you. Paul knew this. Paul knew, when he wrote 1 Corinthians 15, that there was a better way to maximize comforts and pleasures on earth than Christianity than following Jesus, which is why he said, “If the dead are not raised, let us eat and drink, for tomorrow, we die” (v. 32). He did not mean let’s all become gluttons and drunkards, because gluttons and drunkards in this life are to be pitied just like stupid Christians who have bought into a myth that isn’t going to come true. That’s not the way to maximize your pleasures in this world, to become a glutton and a drunkard. When he says, “If there’s no resurrection, let us eat and drink,” he means be normal. Be middle-class. Just eat and drink and exercise. Clearly, people are concerned about health and Paul said, “That’s exactly where you should devote your energies if you want to maximize your pleasures on this earth.” He is admitting that to those who merely want maximum pleasure in this life, then heaven is irrelevant, hell is irrelevant, resurrection is irrelevant, eternity is irrelevant, but this life, today’s pleasure, that’s relevant. So, you must maximize how long you live here and how fit you are or you won’t enjoy this life as much. We’re going to look more specifically at this tomorrow; however, let’s just agree that health and well-being is important in this life. The real key is how to get it. You cannot get well being from just a good life here. As good as you may be, it will never be enough to bring peace. That can only come from know that as long as there is a “future” you are secure in it. Try as much as you like, without that hope, the bad things that always seem to come our way will destroy any peace you may have mustered. Resurrection brings ultimate hope and peace!