Aug 22 – 2 Chronicles 16, 2 Chronicles 17, 2 Chronicles 18:1-27 1 Corinthians 15:1-34 Psalm 102:1-11

1 Cor 15:3-6

For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. Then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have fallen asleep. 

This passage is interesting. Paul gives a list who who Jesus appeared to when He rose again.

But someone is missing. Mary Magdalene – the first person to see the risen Jesus. Why? Well it’s interesting – the testimony of a woman was considered unreliable back then. It seems as though Paul was a bit embarrassed to have her on the list so dropped her from his letter. This gives a good hint that the gospels were written early – as they contained that information, it was already known and well established that Mary was there. The fact that the first witness to the resurrection was a woman gives a great bit of evidence that it really happened, because you wouldn’t have used Mary in the story if you were making it up – as Pauls’ hesitance to include her shows.

1 Cor 15:12-14

Now if Christ is proclaimed as raised from the dead, how can some of you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? But if there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain. 

Thank God our hope is not in vain. Because Jesus rose from the dead, we too shall rise. Jesus was raised – bodily – therefore we have hope that we too shall. Our hope isn’t just in heaven, but in the new earth.

If there were no resurrection then we are fools! We are still in our sin.

It was at the cross that sin was defeated. That it was broken. But it was with the resurrection of Christ that death was defeated! Where would be the sense in defeating sin without beating death?

We’d still be lost. The wages of sin are death. If death is not beaten then we are still in the consequences of our sin. What would it mean if Jesus hadn’t risen from the dead physically and just went to heaven? What would that mean for us?

The resurrection of Christ was an event that changed everything!