He Arose!

What Did Jesus Do?

For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance…
1Corinthians 15.3

Paul told the Corinthians that what he was passing on to them were facts of “first importance,” essential and indispensable information that they needed more than anything. It wasn’t philosophy that he offered them. Paul didn’t leak stock tips. And Paul was touting for the upcoming chariot races. Paul was making sure that the Corinthians knew the essential facts about Jesus Christ. And right at the top were two things, “Christ died for our sins,” and “that he was raised on the third day.” (1Corinthians 15.3-4)

Not to put too fine a point on it, but it doesn’t matter what else you know about Jesus, in fact it doesn’t matter much what else may be true or false about Jesus, if Christ did not die for our sins, and, even more importantly, if he did not rise from the dead, well then the preaching of the Gospel is useless, and so is our faith! (15.14) Christianity is nothing more than a pitiful shame without the Risen Savior. (15.19)

This is so because it is the Resurrection, and only the Resurrection, that supplies us with unassailable hope in eternal life. If you will forgive my choice of expression, “If Jesus ain’t raised, ain’t no one getting raised!” End of story.

But every year one glorious day both recalls and declares anew that He was raised, and that He lives today. Christmas without Resurrection Sunday/Easter would just be what the world has tried to make of it, a secular gift-giving binge and commercial windfall. But even more, every day, life itself, would be void of all real hope, and most of its purpose if Christ remained in the tomb.

Thanks be to God that Christ has indeed been raise from the dead, the “first fruits,” as Paul said, of all who have “fallen asleep.” (15.20) And, inexplicable as the world finds the Resurrection of Jesus, there is another blessed piece of news we receive by faith which the world rejects by empiricism,

“We shall not all sleep (in death), but we will all be transformed--in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye…”
1Corinthians 15.51-52

Now, none of us can, as only the Risen Lord can, claim that we have swallowed death up in one big gulp. None of us can say that we have died an been raised, yet. But even before he went to Jerusalem Jesus told his followers what would happen to him, and he included the promise of his resurrection. When we share our faith with others do we ever talk about our own resurrection? Do we acknowledge the fact that we will die, but are certain that, dying, we will rise again? If hope so, because that is of first importance, and that’s what Jesus did.

S.D. G.

Jim
www.jimwilkenministries.org
Marion, NC
PS 37.4