Resurrection: The Foundation of Our Faith
What is the most important thing to know about Jesus Christ?
What does Biblical faith in Jesus Christ rest on?
The Biblical Truth that Jesus of Nazareth, The Christ, Died and was bodily resurrected is what it rests on!
1st Corinthians 15:1-20
Let me now remind you, dear brothers and sisters, of the Good News I preached to you before. You welcomed it then, and you still stand firm in it. It is this Good News that saves you if you continue to believe the message I told you—unless, of course, you believed something that was never true in the first place.
- Consistently standing firm in the unchanging message of the Gospel
- It is your faith in the truth of the Biblical message that make you right with God
- Truth is truth whether you believe it or not. Facts do not rely on your acceptance.
I passed on to you what was most important and what had also been passed on to me. Christ died for our sins, just as the Scriptures said. He was buried, and he was raised from the dead on the third day, just as the Scriptures said.
- What is most important is the key points of the Biblical ‘Good News’ / Gospel
- Fulfillment of Old Testament Covenants & Prophecy (‘just as the scripture said)
- God Himself Incarnated supernaturally / Virgin Birth
- Sinless Life / Self Declared Messiah
- God willingly sacrifices Himself to pay what no other thing could pay for: Our Sin!
- Christ Bodily Resurrected! Without the resurrection none of the rest hold up
- Most important: Died for Sin / Rose from the dead!
He was seen by Peter and then by the Twelve. After that, he was seen by more than 500 of his followers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have died. Then he was seen by James and later by all the apostles.
- The resurrected Christ was seen by hundreds.
- No source of refutation in contemporary literature
- Flavius Josephus, writing 60 yrs after Jesus, affirms the number of witnesses
Last of all, as though I had been born at the wrong time, I also saw him. For I am the least of all the apostles. In fact, I’m not even worthy to be called an apostle after the way I persecuted God’s church.
- Paul is one of those who saw The Resurrected Christ
- He became an Apostle in a different way than the rest (born differently)
But whatever I am now, it is all because God poured out his special favor on me—and not without results. For I have worked harder than any of the other apostles; yet it was not I but God who was working through me by his grace. So it makes no difference whether I preach or they preach, for we all preach the same message you have already believed.
- He testifies to the transforming power of faith in Christ
- I too can testify to the transforming power of faith in Christ by God’s Grace
- Paul’s transformation resulted in God using him to advance Christ’s Kingdom
- All of Paul’s accomplishments he credits to God by His Grace
- The power of God through the 12 Apostles or through Paul is just the same
- And the Biblical Gospel message is that consistent message of Jesus’ Apostles
But tell me this—since we preach that Christ rose from the dead, why are some of you saying there will be no resurrection of the dead? For if there is no resurrection of the dead, then Christ has not been raised either. And if Christ has not been raised, then all our preaching is useless, and your faith is useless.
- The critical nature of Christ’s resurrection to the Good News
- If
you don’t completely believe in Jesus Christ’s bodily
Resurrection…
- YOU DON’T BELIEVE THE BIBLICAL GOSPEL OF JESUS CHRIST
- Without the resurrection there is NO GOSPEL…No Good News
- Christ’s resurrection and His follower’s resurrection: The Gospel says both R true!
- A faith in God that doesn’t include the resurrection of Christ is ‘Non-Redemptive’
- My life is a complete farce without the resurrection of Christ being true!
And we apostles would all be lying about God—for we have said that God raised Christ from the grave. But that can’t be true if there is no resurrection of the dead. And if there is no resurrection of the dead, then Christ has not been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, then your faith is useless and you are still guilty of your sins.
- Everything I have devoted my life to is a lie without Jesus Christ’s resurrection
- Because He rose, those who surrender their life to Him will also rise
- Without the resurrected Christ, there is no hope for eternal life
- If Jesus dosen’t have the power over death than He cannot forgive your sins
In that case, all who have died believing in Christ are lost! And if our hope in Christ is only for this life, we are more to be pitied than anyone in the world. But in fact, Christ has been raised from the dead. He is the first of a great harvest of all who have died.
- If Christ’s resurrection didn’t happen than we are not saved from the guilt of sin
- If there is no eternal aspect of surrender to Christ Jesus than we are a joke
- But the truth of the Good New is: Christ IS resurrected and HE LIVES!
- And because He lives forever so will His followers:
“If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross, and follow me. If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake and for the sake of the Good News, you will save it.And what do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul?” ~ Jesus @ Mark 8:34-36
Respond to God during Communion
Application Questions:
What are the critical points of ‘The Gospel’ you stand firm in?
Based on this Scripture and others, how do you receive this Good News?
Is it possible to be a Biblical follower of Christ and not fully believe in ‘Resurrection’?
In what way do you find yourself living like your hope in Christ is only for this life?
How is your belief in Christ’s Resurrection and your hope of eternal life connected?