WHY THE RESURRECTION OF JESUS IS CENTRAL

Paul tells the Corinthians exactly what follows if Jesus wasn't raised. “And if Christ be not raised, your faith is vain; ye are yet in your sins.” First Corinthians 15:17 KJV. He doesn't treat the resurrection as an optional symbol. Forgiveness, apostolic preaching, and the future of those who died in Christ all stand within his argument. The chapter begins with the message Paul had received and preached: Christ died for our sins, was buried, rose again the third day, and appeared to witnesses. Paul names people and groups, including more than five hundred brethren at once. The Gospels describe a bodily resurrection. In Luke 24, Jesus invites His disciples to see His hands and feet and eats before them. In John 20, Thomas is confronted with the wounds of the risen Lord. Acts 1:3 records appearances over forty days. These are the accounts the apostles proclaimed and the church is called to examine and preserve. We should state the testimony accurately. The New Testament reports the appearances; we aren't entitled to invent a surviving signed statement from every witness or claim more about each apostle's later death than the historical sources establish. Paul also calls Christ the firstfruits of those who sleep. His resurrection leads into the promised resurrection of His people. The Savior who bore our sins came out of the grave. That is why the gospel can offer forgiveness and why a Christian funeral can speak of a coming resurrection. #MoreJoyMinistries