1 Corinthians 15:1-4 Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand; By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain. For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures: 

Belief in the resurrection of Jesus Christ is a cardinal doctrine of the Christian faith. The Apostle Paul said that salvation is dependant upon it: Romans 10:9 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. 

Almost all who read this blog believe in the resurrection of Jesus Christ, but there is an element of this that sometimes gets neglected: that is the power that the resurrection of Christ gives us to overcome sin and live a victorious Christian life. Not only are we saved from the penalty of sin, but from sin's power over us. The same power that raised Christ from the dead raises us to newness of life. (Romans 6)

1 Corinthians 15 is sometimes called the resurrection chapter of the Bible. It was written to persuade the Corinthians to believe in the future resurrection for the saved and also to believe in the resurrection of Jesus Christ. It tells us of the victory we have over death. It ends with a verse that starts with "Therefore." We know what the therefore is there for. The grace and power we receive from the resurrection of Jesus Christ should transform the way we serve Christ.

1 Corinthians 15:58 Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord. 

"Wherever you are, be all there! Live to the hilt every situation you believe to be the will of God." Jim Elliot, martyr for Christ in Equador

Ron Cox - Director of HOPE Ministry