1 Corinthians, Day 9
Resurrection (1 Corinthians 15)
“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. Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles. Last of all, as to one untimely born, he appeared also to me” (1 Corinthians 15:3 – 8).
Have you ever tried to prove something to someone without evidence? It can be extremely frustrating, especially when you know the truth, but you have nothing to back it up. Some people may say, “Prove it!” before they believe you. In this chapter, the apostle Paul is doing exactly that. He is giving proof that Jesus is the One Whom the Scriptures spoke about.
Genesis 3:15b says, “He shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel.” According to Matthew 27:51 – 54, there is more proof of Who Jesus is. “And behold, the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from the top to the bottom. And the earth shook, and the rocks were split. The tombs were opened. And many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised, and coming out the tombs after His resurrection they went into the holy city and appeared to many. When the centurion and those who were with Him, keeping watch over Jesus, saw the earthquake and what took place, they were filled with awe and said, ‘Truly this was the Son of God.’” Wow! Can you imagine being there when all of that transpired after Jesus’ death?
In addition, did Paul (a devoted missionary for our Lord) believe in Jesus while He was alive on Earth? No. Did he believe in Jesus after He died and rose again? No. Paul did not believe that Jesus was the Messiah until he met Him while traveling to Damascus. Seeing the evidence caused Paul to make a dramatic change in his life. He went from persecuting Christians to being one of their most outspoken supporters. Paul was beaten, imprisoned, and eventually put to death for his belief in Christ. He acknowledged that evidence.
Today, how do we know that Jesus is risen? Jesus’ resurrection is one of the main differences from other religions because their founders died but did not come back. We can look at historical evidence to confirm that Jesus was Who He said He was. Paul gives a list of over 500 people who saw Christ after His death. That is a lot of witnesses. Can you imagine a current court case with over 500 witnesses? How many witnesses do you think a judge would allow before deciding that no more are needed in order to come up with a verdict?
As we trust and believe that Jesus is the Son of God Who saved us from our sins, how are we going to “prove” it to others around us? Pray and ask God for opportunities to share Who Jesus is and ask God for opportunities to share your testimony. God has given us one life to live. May we reflect Christ and show people how to be Christlike. That will be a start to the “evidence of proof” that there is a wonderful God Who loves us so much that He died to save each one of us. Can people around you see “proof” that God is the Lord of your life?
Pastor David Guenin