Mona Selden writes daily devotions for her church, Marion Baptist, in south-central Virginia. She is co-host with her pastor on The Mosaic of Marion podcast. She is the author of two 31-day devotionals. Her writing and teaching are done with the desire to help others get to know God better through His Word. Mona’s husband is USAF Retired. They are enjoying their newly empty nest and have become grandparents for the first time.
But we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about those who are asleep, that you maynot grieve as others do who have no hope.
(1 Thessalonians 4:13, ESV)
Answering the question, “How was your summer?” is a bit difficult this year because my dad passed away after a time in the hospital. Although the end of his earthly life came after a brief illness, he had many health struggles over the past few years. The sorrow of his passing is accompanied by the relief that he is no longer suffering as he had been.
On the day of my dad’s home-going, 1 Thessalonians 4:13 kept running through my mind and my heart. I clung to the truth that I was not grieving as those who have no hope. I clung—and I still cling—to the hope I have because of Jesus’ Resurrection. Jesus defeated death, hell, and the grave when He arose from the dead. And so, I know that one day I will see my dad again.
In 1 Corinthians 15, Paul gives a great defense of the resurrection. He tells us that our faith would be in vain if Jesus had not risen from the dead (verse 14). In fact, he says, if Jesus had not risen, we would still be in our sins (verse 15). Without the truth of the Resurrection, we would have no hope because then those who died would have perished, not just “fallen asleep” (verse 18). If that were to be true, our hope would be in this life only—which isn’t really hope at all.
Paul says if being in Christ—being believers—gives us hope in this life only, we are to be most pitied (verse 19). If our hope is only in this life, there is nothing to gain for us.
There is nothing to hold on to. No promises. Nothing.
“But in fact,” Paul says, “Christ has been raised from the dead” (verse 20). That deserves more exclamation marks than editors will allow. In fact—it is true, it is proven, it is not a myth or a made-up story. Christ has indeed risen from the dead. And because He has risen from the dead, those who accept His free gift of salvation will also be raised from the dead. We are no longer under the curse of death, hell, and the grave. Those who are believers don’t perish, but they leave this earth and immediately go into the presence of Jesus.
On one of my last visits with my dad, I told him I was a little bit jealous—okay, a lot jealous—because soon he would gaze at the face of his Savior. I said an earthly goodbye to him, knowing that it was really a “see you later.” That is the hope of the Resurrection.
