Ever since I was in seminary in the middle 1990’s, I have been a fan of the band Third Day. Their music has always been insightful if not worshipful. In an interview about the title song from their 2012 album, the band talks about a conversation with a couple whose son was ready to end his life when he turned on the radio and another song of theirs came on the radio, causing him to turn around and go home for help. The band made the comment that it was remarkable how one song would build on another. If they had not written a song about a family losing a small child, a man wanting to end his life wouldn’t have heard their song testifying of God’s love for him. One song built on another and the trust of each one built on the truth of the next.
In 1 Corinthians 15, Paul speaks of the importance of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ. He details that it was witnessed by multiple people, at multiple times, in multiple places, and that the details have been agreed upon multiple times. He then switches to addressing those who deny that Jesus was raised from the dead yet believing that they can believe other facets without believing in that single truth. He systematically tears apart a poor logic built on nonsense. Each truth builds on another, built on another. Taking one away unravels the entire logic and system of truth to leave us hopeless, helpless, and waiting to die.
We often view the Resurrection as “getting our body back” and living our lives again. The reality is that the Resurrection is not about bringing us back to life, but instead bringing true life back to us. If we are to believe the description of the Resurrection of All of God’s People in the Book of Revelation, it resembles the Garden in Genesis, where Adam and Eve had a face to face, heart to heart interaction with God. Free of Sin, fear, pain, and suffering, but also free of hatred, anger, avarice, and selfishness., the Resurrection is about us being whole, complete, and at peace in God’s presence and each other’s presence as well. And throughout our ministry together, we should be striving to resemble that reality now, having been saved from the sin that surrounds us by possessing Christ’s message within us, and being purified by the Holy Spirit.
As we celebrate the Eternal Life that Christ has won for us, we should dedicate ourselves to claiming the Resurrected Life that we can have now and standing on the promises that were made to us when He saved us.
Am I waiting for a future event to raise me from the grave of my sin?
Going Deeper 