Read 1 Corinthians 15:12-19 12 Now if Christ is proclaimed as raised from the dead, how can some of you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? . . . 17 And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins. 18 Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. 19 If in this life only we have hoped in Christ, we are of all people most to be pitied. 1 Corinthians 15:12, 17-19

Life has a way of driving our faith dangerously close to the edge. If God is good, why did this happen? If God is all-powerful, why didn’t He stop this? If God really loves me, why am I not happier?

Questions like these quickly dampen our spiritual enthusiasm and threaten to leave our faith stale and stoic. Most of us grin and bear it, and hope that no one ever asks us
these questions. We may even come to believe that in order to maintain spiritual sanity, we need to park our brains and questions outside the door and separate the spiritual realm from the realities of life.

But disconnecting through denial falsely assumes that all the answers are found in this world. If we believe that this world is a place where comfort, happiness, and peace should be found, we’ll never understand why bad things happen. But, as someone rightly observed, “This is the short, nasty, brutish world!”

All of life has been damaged by the fall of Adam and is now under the management of our adversary the devil—lord of destruction! Actually, if we understood the damage of the fall and the destructive impulses of the underworld, we would be surprised that anything good happens at all!

But here’s the good news: For those of us who have been rescued by Jesus, the best world is yet to come. The world where comfort and peace will reign in unhindered joy forever! And in that day, God will make all things new and show us how all things worked together for good.

Paul had it right when he said: “If in this life only we have hoped in Christ, we are of all people most to be pitied” (1 Corinthians 15:19). Thankfully, we are people of two worlds. Let’s stop blaming God for Satan’s evil schemes and start praising God that in the end justice will be done, questions will be answered, and God’s glory will be vindicated! —Joe Stowell

responding What are some questions that threaten my spiritual sanity? What’s the significance of Christ’s resurrection on my life? How does the anticipation of heaven bring me hope and joy today?
following Faith bridges chasm that reason cannot fathom.

Get your subscription at Walk in the Word