“Now, since our message is that Christ
has been raised from death, how can some of you say that the dead will not
be raised to life? If that is true, it means that Christ was not raised; and if
Christ has not been raised from death, then we have nothing to preach and you
have nothing to believe. More than that, we are shown to be lying about God,
because we said that he raised Christ from death—but if it is true that the
dead are not raised to life, then he did not raise Christ. For if the dead are
not raised, neither has Christ been raised. And if Christ has not been raised,
then your faith is a delusion and you are still lost in your sins. It would
also mean that the believers in Christ who have died are lost. If our hope in
Christ is good for this life only and no more, then we deserve more pity than
anyone else in all the world.
But the truth is that Christ
has been raised from death, as the guarantee that those who sleep in death
will also be raised” (1 Corinthians 15:12-20, GNB).
The resurrection of Jesus from the dead is the central
fact of Christian history. On it, the church is built; without it, there
would be no Christian church today (Remember: ‘church’ is not a building but
people). Jesus’ resurrection is unique. Other religions have strong ethical
systems, concepts about paradise and afterlife, and various holy scriptures. Only
Christianity has a God who became human, literally died for his people, and was
raised again in power and glory to rule his church forever.
Why Resurrection of Christ is so important?
§ Because Christ was raised from the dead, we know that the kingdom of heaven has broken into earth’s
history. Our world is now headed for redemption, not disaster. God’s mighty
power is at work destroying sin, creating new lives, and preparing us for Jesus’
second coming.
§ Because of the Resurrection, we know that death has been conquered and that we,
too, will be raised from the dead to live forever with Christ.
§ The Resurrection gives authority to the church’s witness in the world. Look at the early
evangelistic sermons in the book of Acts: Apostles’ most important message was
the proclamation that Jesus Christ has been raised from the dead!
§ The Resurrection gives
meaning to the church’s regular feast, the Lord’s Supper. Like the
disciples on the road to Emmaus, we break bread with our risen Lord.
§ The Resurrection helps us find meaning even in great
tragedy. No matter what happens to us as we walk with the Lord, the
Resurrection gives us hope for the
future.
§ The Resurrection assures us that Christ is alive and ruling his kingdom. He is not legend; he is
alive and real.
§ God’s power that brought Jesus back from the dead is available to us so that we can live
for him in an evil world.
§ The power of God that brought Christ’s body back from
the dead is available to us to bring our morally and spiritually dead selves
back to life so that we can change and
grow.
Christians can look very different from one another, and they can hold widely varying beliefs about politics, lifestyle, and even theology. But one central belief unites and inspires all true Christians – Jesus Christ rose from the dead!
THINK BIG.
START SMALL. GO DEEP.
Reference:
Life Application Bible Commentary: Mark (Tyndale House Publishers, Inc: USA), Page 475-476.
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