Paul And The Resurrection

Good morning and welcome to Our Daily Walk.

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Perhaps the most significant fact of Christianity is summed up in one word—resurrection. Without the resurrection of Jesus Christ we would all be without hope. Even though hundreds of people attested to seeing Jesus alive after the resurrection, still many would not believe.

Many people today, even some who claim to be Christians, deny the resurrection of Jesus. For the life of me, I can’t imagine why they would still be Christians if they didn’t believe that Jesus rose from the grave that third day. One such person, a scholar no less, declared his belief that Jesus died and was buried in a shallow rock grave. Then wild dogs came and dug up his body and ate it. And this fellow claimed to be a Christian!

Friends, one cannot deny the resurrection of Christ and still claim to be a Christian, for the resurrection is the essence of the good news that we proclaim to the world! To deny that Jesus rose from the grave is to commit a serious religious error.

Paul was one of the first ones to confront the error of those who claimed that there could be no resurrection. In 1 Corinthians 15, which is dealing mostly with the resurrection, Paul uses logic to help counteract those who denied the resurrection.

Listen to how Paul lays out this argument in 1 Corinthians 15:12-19.

Now if Christ is preached that He has been raised from the dead, how do some among you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? But if there is no resurrection of the dead, then Christ is not risen. And if Christ is not risen, then our preaching is empty and your faith is also empty. Yes, and we are found false witnesses of God, because we have testified of God that He raised up Christ, whom He did not raise up — if in fact the dead do not rise. For if the dead do not rise, then Christ is not risen. And if Christ is not risen, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins! Then also those who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men the most pitiable.

Logic should be our tool and our friend when examining evidence before us. What we learn as facts helps us to later apply logical thinking to a given situation in order to determine if we can believe it or not.

Notice again the line of logic that Paul uses.

1. If no resurrection, then Christ is still dead.

2. If Christ is still dead, then our preaching is empty and your faith is empty.

3. If Christ is still dead then the apostles were lying when they said he arose.

4. If Christ is still dead, then your faith is futile.

5. If Christ is still dead, then you are still in your sins.

6. If Christ is still dead, then those who died trusting in him are lost.

You see, it really doesn’t make any sense to try to be a Christian if you deny that Jesus Christ was resurrected from the grave. All of the benefits of Christianity hinge on the fact of that resurrection.

Earlier in that chapter Paul says that Jesus was seen by the apostles and then by over five hundred people at one time—and most of those people were still alive at the time of Paul’s writing.

The resurrection of Jesus was so important that the chief priests and elders of the Jews conspired to spread a rumor that the body of Jesus had been stolen from the grave. They even bribed the guards to say that this is what happened. But that story didn’t hold up.

Of course, the really good news for us is that one day we will also be resurrected. 1 Corinthians 15:51-52 says, “Behold, I tell you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed—in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet shall sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.”

Without the resurrection of Jesus we are all without hope. With the resurrection of our Lord, the promises of God are validated, the hope of mankind is restored and the good news of the gospel can be proclaimed. Jesus conquered death and invites us to join Him in eternity.

On Our Daily Walk today, may we look for ways to use logic to validate the truths of the Bible to ourselves and to our friends. May we always put our trust in the inspired word of God which is our guide for this life leading to the next.

Our thought for the day: “Our Lord has written the promise of the resurrection, not on books alone, but on every leaf in springtime.” Martin Luther

May God bless you on your daily walk.

© Our Daily Walk, Mike Baker, 2007. Permission is granted to copy these articles provided they are not sold and the author's name and copyright are included.