Of First Importance

-


Scripture: 1 Corinthians 15.3-5 (ESV)

3 For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, 4 that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures, 5 and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve.

Devotion:

            We turn now to a passage from 1 Corinthians 15 that contains the oldest creed of the church. Paul shortly after his conversion on the road to Damascus was taught this creed by the Christians that he associated with after he was converted. This would have been in the A.D. 35-40 range. Here we have it written to the church at Corinth in the A.D. 50’s. The early dating of this creed is importance because it dispels the notion the death and resurrection of Christ was a tradition that was somehow added later by the church.

            The creed reported here is important also because it has become part of the Bible and is thus considered inspired, infallible, and inerrant. All other creeds of the church must conform to the pattern found in this creed in order to be considered valid. This creed’s teaching conforms to the prophecies about Christ given in Psalm 22 and Isaiah 53. We can be confident in sharing the message of Christ’s death and resurrection because we can trust that the sources behind the message are ancient and reliable.

            This short and simple creed can be the bedrock on which we establish our faith. As Paul goes on to explain in the 15th chapter of 1 Corinthians the resurrection is the key to the integrity of our faith. Paul establishes that there were many witnesses to the post-resurrection appearances of Jesus. With up to 500 witnesses seeing their risen Lord at one time. While we cannot know that Jesus was raised with scientific or mathematical proofs, we can be confident that these events truly happened, and we can depend on them as a sound basis for belief in Christ Jesus.

Prayer:

            Lord thank you for giving us assurance in your word about the key events of our salvation story. These give us hope in the darkest of our dark nights of the soul. Help us to not only take comfort in these assurances but empower us to take this message and share it wherever and whenever we can do so. Help us to teach others the truth of Jesus’ death, burial, and resurrection with confidence and conviction. We ask these things in the name of our risen savior, Jesus Christ. Amen.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Welcoming the Unwelcome

-
  Scripture: Luke 7:36-38 (NIV) 36  When one of the Pharisees invited Jesus to have dinner with him, he went to the Pharisee’s house and reclined at the table. 37  A woman in that town who lived a sinful life learned that Jesus was eating at the Pharisee’s house, so she came there with an alabaster jar of perfume. 38  As she stood behind him at his feet weeping, she began to wet his feet with her tears. Then she wiped them with her hair, kissed them, and poured perfume on them. Devotion:             First of all, some warnings to my readers. This post will exceed the 500 words I try to limit my posts. Second, this post will contain content people may find offensive or otherwise unfit for print. Please understand that my purpose is neither to offend nor upset but to provoke thought and, hopefully, respectful dialog.             We will use Luke chapter seven as an aid to interpreting the events that occurred last Thursday at St. Patrick’s Cathedral in New York City. On that da
Read more

Father Forgive Them

-
  Scripture: Luke 23:33-34 (ESV) 33  And when they came to the place that is called The Skull, there they crucified him, and the criminals, one on his right and one on his left. 34  And Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.” Devotion:             The situation Jesus finds himself in here in today’s scripture is difficult for us to even imagine. A sham trial, no credible accusations of any kind, let alone any deserving of death, and yet here he is. A brilliant Rabbi, a teacher of the people who never led even one person astray from God’s will. This Holy One of God soon to be food for vultures.             This man who had done nothing wrong had no one in all the crowds who would speak up in his defense lest they be next to face the cross. An innocent man hung between two scoundrels. No voice from heaven declaring that this was the man that they were killing was actually the true Son of God. (See Matthew 3:17, Matthew 17:5, John 12:28) No the heaven
Read more

Transgenderism letter

-
  This is a copy of my letter to my senators, representative, and President Biden. January 15, 2024 Dear President Biden, Senators T. Duckworth, R. Durbin, and Representative D. LaHood             I am writing to you because I am concerned about the situation affecting our children and grandchildren, namely transitioning them from one gender to another. This nation must adjust course concerning these “interventions” because they are dangerous, irreversible, and life-changing. Our country should not be permitting these procedures on minor children under any circumstances. We must also make sure that adults who seek this care are given informed consent as to the risks versus benefits of sex reassignment treatments.             There are many drawbacks to gender-affirming care for minors. Besides the loss of any ability to give or receive sexual pleasure and sterility these treatments cause, there are social and psychological effects that we have no way of identifying because these
Read more