Gospel
If the dead are not raised, "Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die." 1 Corinthians 15:32b
Many people scoff at the idea that Jesus rose from the dead. And they cannot understand why we believe in a God we have never personally seen.
So, how do these people who deny Christ live? They live as if there is no tomorrow. They live for themselves. They drink and eat…for tomorrow they die. And why not? Without the resurrection, there would be nothing for us to look forward to on the other side. We would be damned for all eternity.
Paul said that without the resurrection, his work would have been in vain. He would have no hope and he could not share hope with others. Without the resurrection, he would have fought the good fight for a lie. He said our faith would have been worthless.
You see, we often speak about the Cross and how important it is to our faith. But without the resurrection, Jesus would have been nothing more than another man dying for a cause. We would have no hope in a future resurrection. We would have no hope, but to die in our sins.
Imagine sharing our faith with others about a man named Jesus, who remains dead, but died for our sins. And because He died, we’re free from sin. Well, truth is our faith would be no different from other faiths. All of their founders’ bodies died and remained in the grave. So, without the resurrection, we have no story. We have nothing, but a story about another man who died for his personal cause.
Fortunately, this is not the case for us. We have Christ. We have a resurrected Savior. Jesus rose from the grave. All attempts to discount this, flies in the face of 500 witnesses to this fact. We have a court system that can put a man or woman in prison because of one or two witnesses. Yet, there were five hundred who witnessed the resurrected Christ. God left nothing to chance. He made sure no one could lie about this fact. He could have given us one or two witnesses, but five hundred. How can anyone argue against five hundred witnesses?
Yet, they do, because the God-haters know if Christ rose from the dead – they’re toast. They know if Jesus is the Christ, then there is a hell and there is a Judgment Day. So, they live in their own world, speaking against Christ as if He were just another man with another cause. But for the resurrection, they would be right. Thankfully, they are wrong. Thankfully, we have a resurrection we can point to as the reason for our hope.
Therefore, live for Christ today and not as someone without hope. Paul said we are to live right-minded and not be deceived. We are to stop sinning, and look to the One who can save us. Our resurrected Savior – the reason for our hope.
Copyright 2010, GodFire Revival and Discipleship Outreach
Author: Lynn E. Sheldon
http://godfire.org
Modern Day Discipleship | Disciple Bible Study
Author writes and distributes discipleship material and articles to train believers in the Word.
The Holy Bible, New International Version, Copyright and Usage Information, Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. The “NIV†and “New International Version†trademarks are registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by International Bible Society. Use of either trademark requires the permission of International Bible Society
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The resurrection is so central, and you're right, often brushed aside. Thank you for this.
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