If Christ Is Not Raised, Live Comfortably

In this powerful episode of Light & Truth, host Dan Kruver presents a sermon by John Piper originally delivered in 1999, exploring the profound implications of the resurrection of Christ. Piper contrasts the Apostle Paul’s radical response to a world without resurrection—'if Christ is not raised, let us eat and drink'—with the more romanticized view of Christian sacrifice held by a Catholic abbot who claims holiness is valuable even without divine reward. Piper argues that Paul’s life of suffering, persecution, and self-denial would be utterly pitiable without the hope of resurrection, exposing the danger of American Christianity that reduces the gospel to a source of comfort and relational benefits. The episode delves into Paul’s theology of suffering, particularly in Colossians 1:24, where he says he 'fills up what is lacking in Christ’s afflictions.' Piper interprets this not as adding to Christ’s atoning work, but as the extension of Christ’s sufferings through the lives of believers—especially missionaries—so that the world may see Christ’s love and sacrifice through the pain of His followers. This mission-driven suffering, Piper insists, is not optional but essential to the Great Commission.