Raised from the Dead?
Scripture: 1
Corinthians 15:12-19 (NIV)
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. 15 More
than that, we are then found to be false witnesses about God, for we have
testified about God that he raised Christ from the dead. But he did not raise
him if in fact the dead are not raised. 16 For if the dead are
not raised, then Christ has not been raised either. 17 And if
Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins. 18 Then
those also who have fallen asleep in Christ are lost. 19 If
only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are of all people most to be
pitied.
Devotion:
In this scripture Paul confronts
believers who say they believe in Christ but deny the resurrection of the dead.
Paul’s logic is for what he says is self-evident. If the dead are not raised,
then Jesus Christ was not raised, and our faith is of no use. Paul exposes this
“faith” for what it is a dangerous lie.
The Corinthians are not the only
ones to believe in this lie, however. This idea that the resurrection never occurred
persists throughout time right down to today. There are some who call
themselves Christians, who despite the scripture above and others like it that
clearly proclaim that Christ Jesus was raised from the dead, simply refuse to
believe. They say that the resurrection was a miracle and therefore it cannot
be believed.
Such people are deceived into believing
that if the disciples claim to have seen Jesus alive there must be some
explanation for that besides the resurrection of the dead. They believe that there
must be some “natural” explanation for the claimed appearances other than a miracle
happened.
We as believers must resist this
teaching with all of our strength. We must rely on the teachings of both the New
and Old Testaments to explain that the resurrection was foretold in the Old
Testament and confirmed in the New Testament. We will look at these scriptures in
the days to come. That we may be firmly established in our faith in the truth
of the resurrection.
Prayer:
Lord God almighty who raised Jesus
from the dead thank you for your indescribable gift of your son Jesus to be our
savior. We could not reach up to heaven because of our sin nature, so you came
down and became flesh that we might be judged righteous before you. Thank you,
Father. We lift our praises to thee throughout the whole world and from ages
long past to today and tomorrow. You are worthy to be worshiped for your saving
power. Amen.
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