You Understand The Relationship Of Cause & ...

You understand the relationship of cause & effect. If that happened, then this results.

When you enter a dark room and flip a light switch you expect the room to brighten. If you flip that switch and the windows open, you’re pretty surprised because the two aren’t related.

When you get in your car and turn the key, you assume the engine will come to life. If instead, the tires fall off, that’s an odd coincidence. I had a car like that.

You can have a cause & effect response to your environment. Picture yourself on beautiful tropical beach, feeling the warm breeze, hearing the gentle surf and distant gulls. How do you feel? Does that feeling change if I tell you there’s lightning striking nearby, the wind is carrying away your beach umbrella and the driving rain stings your skin?

Look at these verses in Paul’s great chapter about resurrection, 1 Corinthians 15:

Let me remind you, dear brothers and sisters, of the Good News I preached to you before. You welcomed it then and still do now, for your faith is built on this wonderful message. 2 And it is this Good News that saves you if you firmly believe it… [see the cause and effect? Believe the gospel, receive salvation.]

3 I passed on to you what was most important… that Christ died for our sins, just as the Scriptures said. 4 He was buried, and he was raised from the dead on the third day, as the Scriptures said. (1 Cor. 15:1-4, NLT)

Notice the centrality of Jesus’ death & resurrection to the gospel & our faith. They are symbolized by the cross & empty tomb. Here again, is cause and effect. The cross; effective for atonement, forgiveness. The empty tomb; effective for promise, hope, life.