Paul
the apostle told the church members in Corinth how Jesus, “was
buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the
scriptures:”,
and still some people doubted “resurrection” as even possible.
Paul wrote, “if there be no
resurrection of the dead, then is Christ not risen: and if Christ be
not risen, then is
our preaching vain, and your faith is
also vain.” In
chapter fifteen and verse fifteen of First Corinthians, Paul told the
church members in Corinth how he and his companions who shared the
“gospel” were, “found false witnesses of
God”, where
we read:
Yes,
and we are found false witnesses of God; because we have testified of
God that he raised up Christ: whom he raised not up, if so be that
the dead rise not.
The
verse begins, “Yes,
and we are found false witnesses of God; because we have testified of
God that he raised up Christ:” Paul
began with the word, “yes” or
“moreover and”, “and we are
found”
which means “Paul and his companions are discovered, seen and
understood to be” “false witnesses”
which means “bearers of untrue testimony” “of
God” which
refers to “the Godhead bodily and trinity which is comprised of God
the Father, Christ the Son and the Holy Spirit”; “because”
or “since” “we have testified”
which means “uttered honorable testimony, given a good report,
conjured and implored” “of God”
or “the Godhead bodily and trinity which is comprised of God the
Father, Christ the Son and the Holy Spirit” “he
raised up” which
means “God aroused and caused to rise”
“Christ” which
refers to “the anointed One, the Messiah and the Son of God”. If
Jesus did not “rise from the dead”, then Paul and his companions
were discovered to be “bearers of untrue testimony” because they
proclaimed that “God”
raised Jesus from the dead.
The
verse continues, “...whom
he raised not up, if so be that the dead rise not.”
Paul added
the word, “whom” which
refers to “Jesus” “he raised not
up” which
means “God did not arouse and cause to rise”, “if
so be”
which means “perhaps and seeing” “that
the dead”
or “those who have breathed their last, are lifeless, destitute of
life and inanimate” “rise not”
which means “do not arouse, raise up or cause to appear”. There
was no possibility that God “raise Jesus from the dead” if there
is no possibility for the “dead rising”.
When
we meditate upon these words from Paul, we see his logical and
practical summation concerning the “resurrection” of Jesus and
the uselessness of his “false” statements if the “dead”
are not raised to life again. Without the “resurrection”, there
would be no “raising of the dead”, and Jesus Christ Himself could
not have been “raised”. However, Jesus Christ was “resurrected”,
and now all who put their faith and trust in Him shall not only be
“eternally saved”, but also shall receive the “resurrection”
from the dead. This testimony is true, and may all who read these
words surrender their lives to Jesus Christ who created this
wonderful plan.
Next
time Paul tells
the church members,
“if the dead rise not, then
is not Christ raised”,
so read ahead, and we shall join together then.
Until tomorrow…there is more…
Look for the daily devotional book “Equipped for Battle – From Generation to Generation”, the marriage book “So, You Want to Be Married”, and the new devotional “One Year in the Sermon on the Mount” in all major bookstore sites, http://www.amazon.com ; http://www.barnesandnobles.com ; download to e-books, and find it locally at www.mrzlc.com/bookstore.
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