“For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance.” 1 Corinthians 15:3
The above passage and what follows is among the earliest statements of what early Christianity believed. This statement circulated certainly no later than a few years after Jesus’ death. It is so simple . . the cross and the resurrection. And Paul proceeds to mention the hundreds who saw Jesus alive after his death. Paul, writing in 56, 20+ years after the crucifixion, even says that many of those who saw him alive are still living.
I find the resurrection of Jesus, the “picture” of restoration, resurrection, renewal of all things, including me and my family, to be the most encouraging thing in my life. Resurrection for believers CAN’T NOT HAPPEN! There is absolutely no reason to be gloomy about the future. Also the story of your life is really about what God is doing. All of my failures, missteps and sins cannot stand in the face of God’s determination to set my life right. Resurrection and renewal are the final word. Resurrection wins against sin, failure and death. Your future could not be brighter as a Christ follower.
I love how one scholar put it, “I am neither an optimist nor a pessimist. Jesus Christ is risen from the dead.”
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