Silver Thread Of The Resurrection
And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins … But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who have fallen asleep.
1 Corinthians 15:17,20
Resurrection, the grand theme of 1 Corinthians 15, is the heart of the Christian faith. Expose it as a fraud, and all else becomes meaningless.
Yet the resurrection is no mere illusion. It is a fact of history, confirmed by hundreds of eyewitnesses and abundant evidence.
Charles Spurgeon expands these thoughts.
WALK WITH CHARLES SPURGEON
“Christianity rests upon the fact that ‘He [Christ] has risen from the dead’ (Matthew 28:7). The deity of Christ finds its surest proof in his resurrection, since he was ‘appointed the Son of God in power by his resurrection from the dead’ (Romans 1:4). It would be reasonable to doubt his deity if he had not risen.
“Moreover, Christ’s sovereignty depends upon his resurrection, ‘for this very reason, Christ died and returned to life so that he might be Lord of both the dead and the living’ (Romans 14:9).
“Our justification is linked with Christ’s triumphant victory over death and the grave; for he ‘was delivered over to death for our sins and was raised to life for our justification’ (Romans 4:25).
“And most certainly our ultimate resurrection rests here; for ‘he who raised up Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies because of his Spirit who lives in you’ (Romans 8:11).
“The silver thread of resurrection runs through all the believer’s blessings, from his regeneration to his eternal glory, binding them together.”
WALK CLOSER TO GOD
Many have scoffed at the resurrection, only to find themselves later bowing in submission to the risen Christ. The Athenians responded with mocking and ridicule (see Acts 17:32); the Bereans, with careful investigation and belief (see Acts 17:11-12).
And you? What will you do with the compelling evidence for the resurrection—evidence only a scoffer would ignore?