Is Jesus' Resurrection from the Dead More Than Just a Nice Story?

Image result for did jesus rise from the dead

The Resurrection of the Dead

12 But if it is preached that Christ has been raised from the dead, how can some of you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? 13 If there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised. 14 And if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith
Paul gets down to the "brass tacks" today.  Some in the Corinthian church were saying the physical, bodily resurrection of Jesus was not really all that important.  They thought it was really a nice story but people don't just rise from the dead.  Paul says, "Wait a minute! We've got a problem here.  If Jesus did not raise from the dead, then no one has been raised from the dead.  And we are preaching a lie." 
At the heart of Paul and the other apostle's testimony was that Jesus literally rose from the dead not just in a spiritual kind of way.  The original 12 disciples had LITERALLY seen the risen Christ, and this was at the heart of their preaching and message.  But the Corinthians still regarded it as a fairy tale.  For Paul the physical, bodily resurrection of Jesus was the "linchpin" of the Christian faith and on which everything stood or fell. Why? 
Jesus claimed to be God.  Jesus claimed that he would die and then be raised from the dead; and all who believed in him would do the same.  So if Jesus really didn't do it, he was not telling the truth.  There really isn't a gray area here.  Jesus couldn't just have SORT OF been raised from the dead.  Paul is so bold to say that if Jesus didn't really rise from the dead then his preaching was useless and their faith was in vain.  
So you can see why the resurrection of Christ is so important and non-negotiable.  And the GOOD NEWS is that if Jesus did rise from the dead then those who trust in Him will live even though they die.  Take a moment to think this truth and reality.  I don't think there is really any more important truth to consider in this life.  I am betting my life that Jesus really did rise from the dead and I think I have a lot of evidence to base my faith on.   How about you?  What do you think about this matter?

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Acts 22 - Paul Sees the Light

Image
6  “About noon as I came near Damascus, suddenly a bright light from heaven flashed around me.   7  I fell to the ground and heard a voice say to me,  ‘Saul! Saul! Why do you persecute me?’  8  “‘Who are you, Lord?’ I asked.  “  ‘I am Jesus of Nazareth,  whom you are persecuting,’  he replied.   9  My companions saw the light,  but they did not understand the voice  of him who was speaking to me.  10  “‘What shall I do, Lord?’ I asked. “  ‘Get up,’  the Lord said,  ‘and go into Damascus. There you will be told all that you have been assigned to do. This is the famous story of the apostle Paul's conversion on the road to Damascus.  Paul was going there to persecute Jewish Christians and throw them into prison and he meets Jesus is a spectacular way.  Not only is he blinded by a briliant light, but he hears the Lord's voice audibly.  And the Lord asks him, "Lord, Lord why are you persecuting me!"  Paul thought he was serving the Lord, but he was persecuting him b
Read more

2 Timothy 4 - Fight the Good Fight! Finish the Race!

Click Here to Read or Listen to 2 Timothy 4 4 In the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who will judge the living and the dead, and in view of his appearing and his kingdom, I give you this charge: 2 Preach the word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage—with great patience and careful instruction. 3 For the time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. 4 They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths. 5 But you, keep your head in all situations, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, discharge all the duties of your ministry. Paul gives a closing charge to Timothy. First of all, he is to preach the word. God's Word speaks to all situations and seasons. The Word of God will sometimes correct us. Our lives can get of out alignment with God's will as outlined in
Read more

Hebrews 6 - Have You Graduated From Elementary School of Faith Yet?

Click Here to Read or Listen to Hebrews 6 6 Therefore let us move beyond the elementary teachings about Christ and be taken forward to maturity, not laying again the foundation of repentance from acts that lead to death, and of faith in God, 2 instruction about cleansing rites, the laying on of hands, the resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment. 3 And God permitting, we will do so. The author once again picks up with the theme of moving on to Christian maturity.  He teaches them to move on from the "elementary" teachings about Christ. What does he mean by that?  He gives clues by citing repentance, faith, cleansing rites, the laying on of hands, and teaching on the judgment and resurrection from the dead. We might call these the basics of the Christian faith. If you read through the Apostle's Creed, which our church confesses in our 8am service, it contains many of these core doctrines.  Click here to see the Apostle's Creed Written Around “When we consider the
Read more