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Many do not know the one particular thing which gives Christians reason to fight for their faith in Christ Jesus. We do not follow the Lord purposelessly and foolishly.
Knowledge of this one thing motivated the earliest apostles to risk their lives and die for their faith in Christ Jesus. They knew that following Christ demanded sacrificing, suffering and even dying yet they chose to serve Christ Jesus.
We also must arm ourselves with the same hope and motivation and be willing to endure and die for faith in Christ the Lord.
The reality of resurrection as demonstrated by Jesus Christ is the unique thing which forms the basis of our faith and devotion to God. Without resurrection, preaching and teaching would be useless and Christians would be the most miserable people in the world.
But thanks be to God that Jesus Christ was raised from the dead, giving believers who die in Christ great hope of being raised to eternal salvation on the last day (1 Corinthians 15: 12- 20).
The resurrection of Christ Jesus is the heart of the gospel. It is the usefulness of the preaching of the gospel. It is the usefulness of our faith in Christ.
By it, believers who die in the Lord shall be found. The resurrection makes believers think and see beyond the sufferings and things of the world. It is the reason for fighting the good fight of the faith.
Moreover, the message of the resurrection of Christ Jesus is the power of ministry. It is the wisdom of soul-winning. It is the motivation for enduring beatings, insults, name-calling, trials, temptations and all forms of persecution.
The resurrection is the reason we shun hedonism and embrace temperance.
Christianity starts, stands and ends with the resurrection of Jesus Christ.
This should remind us that the most important message for servants of Christ to preach and teach about is the resurrection of Jesus.
It is no wonder the Lord proclaimed, “I am the resurrection and the life…” (John 11: 25). This means Jesus Christ has the power to raise the dead and give life to the dead. Christ is the life of all Christians. He died and rose again to procure life for many who believe in Him.
Realizing that the resurrection of Jesus Christ is the pivot around which Christianity revolves and the seat on which Christianity sits, hundreds of unbelievers have since the beginning of the birth of the Church been disputing its truth.
They say Christ was never raised from the dead and that the early disciples of the Lord concocted the story to deceive people.
Others have propounded various baseless theories including the hallucination theory just to discredit the message of the resurrection of our Saviour Jesus Christ.
But the critics and doubters lost the war right from the start. The apostle Paul taught that Christ was raised from the dead. He disclosed the people who saw Him after His resurrection in 1 Corinthians 15: 3-8.
Only Jesus of Nazareth authoritatively said, “I am the resurrection and the life.” No man ever uttered, has ever uttered or will ever utter these words, “I am the resurrection and the life.”
Yes, that is the uniqueness of Jesus of Nazareth, who did what no man could or can. He is not a resurrection as if He has peers. But He is the resurrection. That means He is the origin, source and author of resurrection. In other words, He is the one who gives resurrection.
By James Quansah
