Articles
Jesus Was Raised - 1 Cor. 15
Jesus Was Raised - 1 Cor. 15
It is almost universally admitted that there was a man named Jesus who lived in the first century. It is also admitted that He was Jewish, He was a teacher among the Jewish people, He was crucified, and He was buried. What separates believers from the rest of humanity is our belief that He was raised up the third day.
With the resurrection He was declared to be the Son of God (Rom. 1:4).
With the resurrection He overcame death and destroyed the very power of Satan (Heb. 2:14-15; Col. 2:15).
With the resurrection He showed what God can and will do for those who trust in Jesus: we too will be raised (1Cor. 15, 1 Thess. 4:17f ).
Such belief in the resurrection of Jesus is absolutely foundational to one's faith in Jesus. If He was not raised, our faith is to no avail. If He was not raised, the apostles are liars and their writings are lies.
It is this core belief that separates us from others. Of course atheists deny not only that there is a God but that Jesus could not have then been raised. Islam denies the very death of Jesus and with that the resurrection. The unbelieving Jews denied the resurrection. The philosophers of ancient Greece scoffed at the idea of such a resurrection. We believe.
We believe He was raised from the dead. We are baptized into His death and raised to walk in newness of life. We celebrate His death and resurrection every week in the Lord's supper. We sing not only about his death and burial, but also of His resurrection and glory. We believe!
Let us never be ashamed of this belief. Let us never give up the hope it provides for our resurrection. Let us forever comfort one another with this greatest event in history. Let us go into all the world and proclaim that Jesus is alive by resurrection.
Hugh DeLong
