by Pastor Alan – Honorary Assistant
Just supposing it is all a myth. When we die that is the end of it. That is what some people claim. If what these people say is true then forget about Easter. Forget about talking about Jesus being raised from the dead. Take away the hope of the future Resurrection of the dead, and we have nothing left. The apostle Paul deals with this question in the 15th chapter of 1st Corinthians. What are the implications of what these people say in denial of the resurrection the dead? You see, this is not new. People denied the resurrection even in Paul’s day.
- He says if there is no resurrection of the dead, then Jesus Christ was not raised from the dead. (v. 13) You see our hope for eternity is tied in with the resurrection of Christ.
- Our preaching is useless. It has no authority. (v. 14)
- Consequently your faith is useless. It is no more than a pipe-dream. (v. 14)
- Those of us who seek to share the gospel are false witnesses about God and the Bible. (v. 15)
- We are all unforgiven sinners with no hope of ever being in right relationship with God. (v. 17)
All this would be true, if Jesus Christ was not raised from the dead.
But the truth is that Jesus Christ did rise from the dead. He appeared to His disciples on various occasions, for a period of 40 days, then He ascended back to heaven in order to prepare a place for us. When Jesus rose, He was what is called the firstfruits of them that slept. (v. 20) What this means is that the resurrection of Jesus is the pledge or guarantee that if we are believers in Jesus, we too will be raised at the second coming of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Consequently those who deny or reject the glorious message of Easter are lost and we should learn how to share our faith, and live lives which show the love of Christ. We need also to pray that the Holy Spirit shows that Jesus lives in us and that others will be attracted to Him!
Happy Easter!