I selected the graphic for this week specifically because of what it says – Jesus is. Not Jesus was or maybe Jesus will be, but Jesus IS.

We live in a world where many doubt that Jesus was literally resurrected. Some think the resurrection was merely symbolic or spiritual. Even in the first century, there were at least some in the church at Corinth who had also wandered off course and needed to be corrected in their belief about the literal resurrection. Evidently, they held to a belief that there was “no resurrection of the dead.” Consider Paul’s words –

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. We are even found to be misrepresenting God because we testified about God that he raised Christ, whom he did not raise if it is true that the dead are not raised. For if the dead are not raised, not even Christ has been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins. Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. If in this life only we have hoped in Christ, we are of all people most to be pitied. 

1 Corinthians 15: 12-19

Why pity us? I think we need to give serious thought to this idea. As Stott says in the quote above, Christianity without the Resurrection is destroyed. And Paul wrote without the Resurrection the Gospel is false and you are wasting your time reading the words of another person to be pitied.

The resurrection is key, isn’t it?  Knowing that you believe in the resurrection of Christ may be a tipping point in your life, but knowing why you believe takes you to a deeper level and help you shine a more effective light in our culture today.