What If There Was No Resurrection?

“But if it is preached that Christ has been raised from the dead, how can some of you say that there is no resurrection of the dead?” – I Corinthians 15:12

 

From what Paul writes in the first 11 verses of 1 Corinthians 15, it’s clear that the Corinthian Christians believed in Jesus’ resurrection. But some of them weren’t so sure about their own.

 

Many Corinthian Christians were still clinging to their Greek culture’s belief in dualism. They’d been taught that human beings are made of two basic parts. The first part, the physical body, is intrinsically evil; the second part, the spirit, is intrinsically good. So the Greeks believed that if there is an afterlife, the spirit will shed the wicked corpse it’s shackled to here on earth, becoming pure spirit.

 

In other words, some Corinthians still believed that – aside from Jesus – there is no resurrection of the dead. Paul’s response? “My dear brothers in Christ … you’re talking NONSENSE!”

 

Paul explained that it is illogical to believe Jesus is the ONLY man who will ever rise from dead. There are only two logical options: Either EVERYONE is resurrected, or NO ONE is resurrected.

 

And in verses 13-19, Paul plays devil’s advocate: What if there is NO bodily resurrection? Well …

 

If there is no resurrection, Jesus Christ would still be dead (v. 13). In that case, our preaching is pointless (v. 14). After all, If Jesus wasn’t resurrected, then what’s the point of listening to someone blather on about some ancient dead guy who lived halfway around the world?

 

Without the resurrection, our faith would be a sham (vs. 14 & 17) – and we would be liars (v. 15). If there is no resurrection, we’re still under God’s condemnation because of our sins (v. 17). Our faith in Jesus would make no difference on Judgment Day. And if there is no resurrection, our Christian family members who have died in Christ are lost forever (v. 18).

 

Finally, without the resurrection, we should be the most pitied people on earth (v. 19). If there’s no hope beyond the grave, we Christians are a pretty sorry lot. ALL of our preaching, ALL of our praying, our trusting, our hoping, our sacrificing … ALL of it would be … for nothing.

 

Fortunately, here are 3 things that the resurrection proves:

 

#1: The resurrection proves that good is stronger than evil. In this life, evil might win a battle or two, but the goodness of God will always win the war.

 

#2: The resurrection proves that God’s “agape” love is stronger than hatred. The religious leaders hated Jesus, and today Satan continues to fuel hatred against Christians around the world.

But Christian haters can only kill our bodies once … which leads us straight into Jesus’ eternal arms of agape love.

 

#3: The resurrection proves that life is stronger than death. As Paul writes in verse 54: “Death has been swallowed up in victory.” The gospel is truly good news!

 

Dane Davis is the pastor of Impact Christian Church in Victorville. Join us at Impact for Sunday services at 9am: at 17746 George Blvd. in Victorville, or at 9 a.m. on Facebook Live or YouTube. For more information, visit www.GreaterImpact.cc.

The Power of a Mother’s Faith

“I am reminded of your sincere faith, which first lived in your grandmother Lois and in your mother Eunice and, I am persuaded, now lives in you also.” – 2 Timothy 1:5

 

It’s been said, “An ounce of mother is worth a pound of preacher.”

 

Every child needs to have a good Bible-packing preacher in his or her life. But a good preacher can’t impact a young child’s life as much as a good mother who points her kids to Christ and shows them every day how to trust Him, love Him and serve Him.

 

In 2 Timothy, the Apostle Paul recognizes the importance of a godly upbringing. He writes to his young disciple, Timothy: “I have been reminded of your sincere faith, which first lived in your grandmother Lois and in your mother Eunice and, I am persuaded, now lives in you also” (v. 5). Paul makes it clear that before TIMOTHY was saved, his mom and grandmother were saved.

 

It’s apparent that these two godly women, since they were absolutely sincere in their faith, prioritized weekly worship and taught Timothy the Word of God. By the time Paul writes his second letter to Timothy, he is convinced that Timothy’s faith is sincere as well – the spitting image of his mother’s and grandmother’s faith. Warren Wiersbe writes, “Timothy’s heritage was a great one, for he was reared in a godly home, trained by a wonderful apostle, and given marvelous opportunities for serving the Lord.”

 

Parents, are you making sure that your children’s heritage is a great one? Are you making sure your faith in Christ is sincere, to increase the chances that your kids’ faith in Christ will be sincere?

 

If you’re just going through the motions of your faith, they’ll pick up on that and likely follow in your footsteps. Research consistently shows that our children are more likely to own their faith as independent adults IF we lead them to Christ and to church consistently while they are still dependent on us.

 

And one reason that moms have such an impact on their children is because in most families, kids spend more time with their moms than with anyone else, especially when they’re young. A 2021 survey by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics found that during their waking hours, moms spend, on average, 7 ½ hours a day with their kids under the age of 6; more than 5 ½ hours a day with their kids between the ages of 6 and 12; and more than 3 ½ hours with their teenagers.

 

When moms are spending several hours every day with their kids, you KNOW they’re going to be a big influence on their young lives. And when that influence is Christ-centered and consistent from day to day, we can say with confidence: “An ounce of mother IS worth a pound of preacher.”

 

Dane Davis is the pastor of Impact Christian Church in Victorville. Join us at Impact for Sunday services at 9am: at 17746 George Blvd. in Victorville, or at 9 a.m. on Facebook Live or YouTube. For more information, visit www.GreaterImpact.cc.