**Daily Devotional** **September 21** *12 Now if Christ be preached that he rose from the dead, how say some among you that there is no resurrection of the dead? 13 But if there be no resurrection of the dead, then is Christ not risen: - 1 Cor 15:12-13 (KJV)* Paul is confronting some people who have claimed that there will not be a resurrection of the dead. How can they believe in Jesus dying for us, and now being alive again in heaven, if He did not resurrect? These people did not want to believe in the resurrection, as they didn’t want to be accountable for their actions in this life. The fact is that we all will be resurrected either to be with the Lord forever (Revelation 21:3), or to be thrown into the lake of fire (Revelation 20:15). I choose to be with the Lord, and hope you do also. Paul goes on to say, that if there be no resurrection of the dead, then Christ is not risen, and our salvation is not complete, as His resurrection is necessary for us to have our sins forgiven, and be saved. Paul is saying the Gospel he preached was wrong if Christ was not raised back to life, and we all remain in our sins, and the dead are perished forever. Of course, this is not true, as the dead in Christ will rise first when Jesus comes again (1 Corinthians 15:52), and then the believers that are still alive will be changed in the twinkling of the eye. If we don’t have the resurrection hope for our future, then we will be miserable in this life (1 Corinthians 15:19). Knowing that we have such a wonderful life promised us, after we are resurrected, makes the trials and tribulations of this life bearable, as we have such a wonderful life promised us for eternity with our Lord. Praise God for all His promises. Devotional by Pastor Joe W. Green, www.infinite-faith.com