1 Thessalonians 4:14 – The Foundation of Our Hope

14 For, if we are believing that Jesus died and rose…

Why do the Thessalonians not need to grieve like those who have no hope? Paul now gives the reason: Jesus died and rose again! That is the foundation of the expectation he is about to explain. Our hope does not rest on human conjectures or ideas about what happens after death, but on what has actually taken place: Jesus has died and has indeed been raised from the dead.

Paul speaks here of Jesus, who died, while referring to deceased believers as those who have fallen asleep. That difference in wording is not without reason. Jesus has undergone death and conquered it. He has been raised as the firstfruit of those who have fallen asleep (1 Cor. 15:20). His resurrection therefore does not stand alone, but guarantees that ultimately all who die in Adam will be made alive in Christ (1 Cor. 15:22).

When Paul writes “if we are believing,” he is not giving a complete definition of faith. As though faith in Jesus’ death and resurrection were all that mattered and everything else God reveals were irrelevant. Paul mentions these facts because they form the foundation of the teaching that now follows. What God will do with those who have fallen asleep is certain because Jesus died and rose again. That is why our hope is not wishful thinking, but certainty!

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