True Certainty

1 Corinthians 15:1-28

by Rev Jackie Stoneman

What do you think might have been going through the Apostle Paul’s mind as he wrote this passage? Do you remember Paul’s story of conversion?

It is recorded in Acts 9. Paul believed that he was serving God by imprisoning and killing Christians. He wanted to wipe out any talk of Jesus. But then when he was on his way to Damascus to arrest more Christians, he encountered the risen Christ. From that moment on his life was changed. He became the one who was now so often persecuted. Yet he stood firm and continued to proclaim the Gospel because He knew that Jesus Christ had indeed conquered death and was the Lord and saviour of the world.

When Paul was writing to the Corinthian Church – a church that was struggling with lots of issues, he wanted them to be absolutely certain that they knew that the Resurrection of Jesus was true. As he said in v2 ‘otherwise, you have believed in vain’. In other words, Christianity falls apart if Jesus is still dead. All his teaching would be void. They would be empty words.

However, Paul knew that Jesus was alive and he outlines some of the eye witnesses in verses 3-8. They included 500 people who saw Jesus all at once, the Apostles and himself. Interesting that Paul didn’t include the women in this list. Possibly because women were not seen as reliable witnesses in that culture. (That’s what makes it so amazing that Jesus chose women to be the first witnesses to His resurrection!)

Let’s be reassured that the claim of the Bible that Jesus Christ died and was raised from the dead is based on historical fact and reliable eyewitnesses. We can be confident that when we tell people about the risen Jesus, we have evidence to back it up.

For Paul the resurrection of Jesus from the dead was personally amazing to him. Even though he had been so against Jesus he had experienced the personal forgiveness of Jesus. The living God had forgiven him and even more incredible had called him to share the Gospel with people –especially the gentiles. Paul talks about this in v9-11. Do we have a sense of wonder as well at the grace of God in our lives? The risen Jesus has forgiven us, accepted us into His family and given us the privilege of sharing the Gospel in our world today?

Lastly Paul knows that the resurrection of Jesus means the best is yet to come for us. We too will be raised with new spiritual bodies. I don’t know about you, but I can’t wait to get mine! Our pain and suffering will one day come to an end. Paul talks about this in v20-28. God’s plan of salvation will be complete in every way. Whatever you are going through at the moment, remember that the risen Christ, through the Holy Spirit is with you. Remember that the best is yet to come and because of Jesus’ resurrection we can be absolutely certain it will. Remember too that we have the privilege of sharing the risen Jesus with our lost world. Don’t ever assume someone is beyond change. Remember the Apostle Paul.

Let’s particularly remember our persecuted brothers and sisters in our prayers and be encouraged by this story from history.

There is a famous story told about an important communist official from 1930’s Soviet Russia. Nikolai Bukharin had helped to lead the Bolshevik Revolution in 1917 and became not only the editor of the famous Soviet newspaper Pravda but also a member the governing Politburo. Around Easter one year, he travelled to Kiev in Ukraine, where he addressed a huge assembly on the subject of atheism. Addressing the crowd, he derided Christianity, hurling insults, arguments and proof against this “opium of the people”. An hour later he was finished. He looked out at what seemed to be the pitiful remnants of his audience’s faith. “Are there any questions?” Bukharin demanded. Deafening silence filled the auditorium but then one man, an Orthodox priest, stood up and mounted the platform, standing near the communist leader. He surveyed the crowd, first to the left then to the right. Finally, he shouted the ancient greeting known well in the Russian Orthodox Church: “CHRIST IS RISEN!”. En masse the crowd arose as one and the response came crashing like the sound of thunder: “HE IS RISEN INDEED!”.