Recently, as Pastor Pauley carefully preached through the Gospels, reaching the climax of Jesus Christ’s resurrection, I found myself mulling over the Apostle Paul’s first epistle to the Corinthians, particularly the first half of the fifteenth chapter. There, Paul sheds light on the necessity for all Christians to believe in Jesus’ resurrection. Paul not only presents the truth of the Resurrection itself, but also how vain Christianity would be if the event never occurred. Belief in the Resurrection is the foundation of Christianity and the most important event in all of human history!
Of course, believing in the resurrection of Christ requires a strong exhibition of faith; a faith that even many professing Christians struggle to possess. Christ’s own disciples and followers were noticeably despondent after His crucifixion and burial. They had doubts about what He had prophesied. He declared that He would be delivered over to evil men to be crucified, but, would indeed “rise from the dead.” At times, I’ve wondered how such weak faith was possible, especially from those who walked with Jesus, sat under His teaching, witnessed His miracles, and were privy to many of His inerrant prophesies. Yet, I myself am often guilty of this very thing!
Human beings (even Christians) have difficulty believing in something unless it is proven tangibly or confirmed by “science.” So, isn’t it all the more glorious and wonderful that God’s children are made to know some of God’s mysteries; the resurrection of Jesus Christ being among them? Those who are among the called, God’s elect, are believers in the resurrection of Jesus Christ because of the saving faith God gives them! Such faith can never be fully explained to the unconverted, but it is life-giving truth to the redeemed.
Nearly 2,000 years after the Resurrection, Christians still must live by faith. The laws of time, space and dimension limit the finite human mind. Thus, to the unregenerate person life after death is often inconceivable. However, true Christians put faith into action and, to them, faith is a fundamental manifestation of who they are in Christ. No matter how biblically knowledgeable or theologically prudent one becomes, if childlike faith is not exercised regarding what is read in the Bible, genuine Christianity cannot be claimed. Belief in Christ’s bodily resurrection is essential to authentic Christianity, and without this belief the profession is a sham!
So, what exactly is “faith” and how is it acquired? In part, faith is to believe on things without actually seeing them (Romans 1:17; 2 Corinthians 5:6; Hebrews 11:1). Faith involves living a godly life despite the consequences that may be incurred. Jesus Christ defined faith with the following: “Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed” (John 20:29). But remember, faith is not obtained by doing good works or by human reasoning, but rather it is a gift of God’s grace (Ephesians 2:8-9). Those who sometimes struggle with “little” faith, therefore, are free to fervently pray for God’s grace to increase their faith. May I humbly do so myself. Amen!
Posted on October 1st, 2008 by Robert
Filed under: From the Pew
