Thursday, April 26, 2007
1 Peter 1:3 Blessed be the God and Father . . . who has begotten us again unto a living hope . . .
THE FIRST TRIUMPHANT RESURRECTION DAY
Many of this world's most brilliant scientists and doctors are trying to discover some kind of formula for staying young. They want to solve the problem of getting old. The Bible says: "In Adam all die" (1 Corinthians 15:22). The process of aging cannot be stopped by any medicine or technique known to man. Even Methuselah, who lived to be 969 years old, died.
Death is surely a depressing subject if we have nothing but the wisdom of the world or the evidence of our senses to guide us. The apostle Paul portrays a dying world as a hopeless place: "our preaching vain, your faith also vain, . . . ye are yet in your sins . . . they which are fallen asleep are perished, . . . we are of all men most miserable" (1 Corinthians 15:16-19). Such a world is without aim or purpose. If such a world were all we had, we would do well to become hedonists and heed the commercials that tell us we've got only one life to live, so let's eat and drink and get all the pleasure we can out of this one. The world is pervaded by just such a hopeless, godless, lifeless philosophy.
But like a dazzling light shining in the deep darkness there is heard the Good News of Easter. "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to His abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a living hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead" (1 Peter 1:3).
Jesus rose from the dead! This gives us a living hope in our own resurrection.
The resurrection of Jesus Christ is one of the best authenticated events of all history. God wants us to be sure of this, for so much depends on it. "He showed Himself alive after His passion by many infallible proofs" (Acts 1:3). How many witnesses are necessary to establish the fact of Christ's resurrection? Over 500 people saw Him alive at the same time. Paul said: "Last of all He was seen of me also" (1 Corinthians 15:8).
It is impossible to overemphasize the importance of Christ's resurrection. To His disciples and to us it establishes the fact of forgiveness for the whole world. "He was raised again for our justification" (Romans 4:25). His resurrection guarantees the certainty of another triumphant resurrection day at the end of the world. "Now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the first fruits of them that slept" (1 Corinthians 15:20).