The Resurrection of Christ

Beth Moore went through 1 Corinthians 15 during her conference.  The chapter is divided into three sections:  The Resurrection of Christ, The Resurrection of the Dead, and the Resurrection Body.  I want to spend some time sharing my thoughts about each section.  How appropriate that this Easter weekend I will be talking about the Resurrection of Christ!

Paul starts out in verse 3 sharing what is of "first importance."  What he says next is the backbone of our faith, it is what we must believe to call ourselves Christians.  He says Christ died for our sins, he was buried, (meaning he was really, truly, completely dead) and was raised again on the third day.  This is of first importance.  If I trust in nothing else, let it be that I trust in Christ's death, burial and resurrection.

Then Paul lists everyone that resurrected Christ appeared to.  The first person Paul mentions is Peter.  At sometime before he appeared to his disciples, Jesus found a time to appear to Peter.  Just the two of them.  No where else in the Bible is this encounter recorded, and certainly no where in the Bible are the details shared.  We don't know and may never know what Jesus said to Peter.  That's between Jesus and Peter.  I think that is amazing.  I like that.  What God intends to be secret will stay secret, and there are some dealings between God and me that I would rather stay secret.

Next, Paul says, Jesus appeared to the Twelve (called so, even though now there are eleven of them) and then to more than 500 people at once.  Our faith is based on fact!  More than 500 people saw the resurrected Christ.  All of his disciples saw the resurrected Christ, and most of them died horrible deaths defending what they saw.  We today may not be able to see and touch Jesus Christ, but we know that there were in fact people who did.  Lots of people.

Jesus also appeared to James, his brother.  James, who grew up with Jesus, and, during his life, didn't believe him.  James didn't follow Jesus and didn't think he was the Son of God.  Then, James watches his brother die on the cross, and three days later is visited by that brother.  What a shock that must have been!  Again, we don't know what was said during this encounter, but consider this:  James later writes this in regards to Jesus: [I am] a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ. (James 1:1).  Whoa.  This is James's brother that he is calling himself a servant of.  Can you imagine calling yourself a servant of your brother?  Ya, right.  But, something in that encounter with Jesus totally changes James's perspective.  He goes from not believing in the deity of Jesus, to calling Jesus the Lord Jesus Christ, and making himself a servant of his brother.  That must have been one powerful conversation.

Lastly, Paul says that Jesus appeared to himself.  To Paul, the least of the apostles.  Paul doesn't deserve to be among the other apostles, he says, but by God's grace, he is one.  By God's grace, and by God's grace alone, Paul is what he is.  The same is true for us.  We are only what we are by the grace of God and it would behoove us to not forget that fact.  Our God is a jealous God and he will NOT share his glory.  God is not interested in what we can do on our own.  He is only interested in who can give him glory.

Paul says that God's grace was not without effect.  It was not hollow, not worthless, not empty.  God's glory made a difference in Paul's life, it made his life full.

Tomorrow I will celebrate the resurrection of my Lord and my Savior, Jesus Christ.  It it because of his glorious resurrection that I am what I am, and it is because of his glorious resurrection that my life is not empty.  Let me not forget what he has done for me through his death and resurrection, and let me not take any of the glory for myself, but rather proclaim the mighty works and loving kindness of my God and my Jesus.