Thursday, August 24

THURSDAY, AUGUST 24, 2017

In 1 Corinthians 15, we find Paul's vigorous presentation of the Resurrection and its implications.  He rightly states that, without the Resurrection, the message of the Gospel falls short, but, with the Resurrection, we have every assurance of hope and coming glory.

The passage reminded me of the tremendous personal cost that Paul assumed in proclaiming the Gospel. Raised in the Pharasaic tradition and having received the finest education under Gamaliel, Paul aggressively pursued the early church, looking to stamp out these rebels and their wayward doctrines as pollutants to true Judaism.  In that rabid quest, however, he encountered the Risen Lord Jesus Christ during his journey to Damascus, an encounter that propelled the spread of the Gospel to the Gentiles and led to 13 of our 27 New Testament books.

Truly, only the certainty of the Resurrection through Jesus's appearance can explain Paul's change.  He had staked out a clear niche and had not been dissuaded by ethical standards (Acts 7-8).  Yet, God's sovereign plan included making Paul His chosen ambassador to the Gentiles.

"For I am the least of the apostles and do not even deserve to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God.  But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace to me was not without effect. No, I worked harder than all of them—yet not I, but the grace of God that was with me." (1 Corinthians 15:9,10)

Paul had staked his life on the validity of the Gospel and the Resurrection that supported it.  He knew that Christ had indeed been raised from the dead, the "firstfruits" of the Resurrection of all believers.

Paul then urges us to honor God, given the certainty of the Resurrection.  Indeed, the Resurrection highlights the consequences of our lives; without the reality of God's judgment, we should simple "eat, drink, and be merry."  But our obedience does matter, and it prepares us for the glory that God has prepared for us.

Lord God, thank You for the reality of the Resurrection and the hope that it brings to our lives.  Thank You for sharing the mystery of the Gospel with us and awakening our hearts to its truth.  Give us clean hands and pure hearts that we might honor You today and each day.  In Jesus's Name, amen.