The one interesting factor about this time of year is the sudden attention things of faith get. When so many people across this planet meet on one morning to celebrate the most historically verifiable event, it is hard to ignore. Yet every possible explanation about alternative theories in regards to Christ’s resurrection from the dead get a hearing. The radio, TV and print all seem to be scrambling to find the most radical deniers of the resurrection of Christ who want to get a spotlight. These individuals assure us though, that denial of the resurrection is just growing up. It is the casting off of myths and fables to embrace more personal realities like love and fellowship.
If this event did not happen then Christianity falls, we have no hope and we are wasting our time. Because it is the cornerstone of the gospel, the resurrection has been the target of Satan’s greatest attacks against the church. If the resurrection is eliminated, the life–giving power of the gospel is eliminated, the deity of Christ is eliminated, salvation from sin is eliminated, and eternal life is eliminated (1 Cor. 15:19). If Christ did not live past the grave, those who trust in Him surely cannot hope to do so.
1 Corinthians, chapter 15 is devoted entirely to doctrine, and to a single doctrine at that. In these 58 verses Paul gives the most extensive treatment of the resurrection in all of Scripture. Written c. 55 AD, about 20 years after the crucifixion, although most of the Corinthians believed in the resurrection, some, possible influenced by Sadducees, denied that Christ rose from the dead (v.12). Others failed to see the importance of a bodily resurrection.
• It was the common Greek viewpoint of the day. The Greeks believed the body was inherently evil and that it was the prison-house of the soul. When death came, the soul was finally released from its prison. The idea of the body being raised at some later time and reunited with the soul was, to this way of thinking, the most undesirable thing imaginable. (They thought) what joy could there be in the soul being placed in its prison again? (Roger Ellsworth: Strengthening Christ’s Church: The Message of 1 Corinthians. Welwyn Commentary Series. 1995. Evangelical Press. p. 234)
• Others, like Hymenaeus and Philetus (2 Tim. 2:17-18) spiritualized the resurrection by teaching that it was something each Christian experienced in himself when he came to the knowledge of Christ.
What does the resurrection of Christ mean to you? How are you different because of the resurrection? The answers to these questions impact faith, the reliability of scripture, our hope to see loved one’s who have died and to have eternal life ourselves.
The five evidences, or testimonies, for the resurrection of Jesus Christ presented in 1 Corinthians 15:1-11 are: 1) the Church; 2) the Scriptures; 3) the Eyewitnesses; 4) a Special Witness, and 6) the Common Message.
1) THE TESTIMONY OF THE CHURCH 1 Corinthians 15:1-2
1 Corinthians 15:1-2 [15:1]Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand, [2]and by which you are being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you--unless you believed in vain. (ESV)
The first testimony or evidence of the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, is not stated explicitly but is implied. The very fact that the Corinthian Christians themselves, and all other Christians everywhere, had received the gospel and believed in Jesus Christ and had been miraculously changed, was in itself a strong evidence of the power of the gospel, which power is in the resurrection of Christ.
Quote: Church historian Kenneth Scott Latourette wrote in History of the Expansion of Christianity:”It was the conviction of the resurrection of Jesus which lifted his followers out of the despair into which his death had cast them and which led to the perpetuation of the movement begun by him. But for their profound belief that the crucified had risen from the dead and they had seen him and talked with him, the death of Jesus and even Jesus himself would probably have been all but forgotten”. (vol. 1 [New York: Harper & Row, 1970], p. 59).
By addressing them again as brothers/brethren (cf. 1:10; 2:1; 3:1; 10:1; etc.) Paul assures those to whom he writes that he recognizes them to be fellow Christians. The term not only expresses his spiritual identity with them but also his love (cf. 15:58).
Please turn to Romans 5
Quote: John S. Whale said:
“The Gospels do not explain the Resurrection; the Resurrection explains the Gospels. Belief in the Resurrection is not an appendage to the Christian faith; it is the Christian faith”. (Barton, B. B., & Osborne, G. R. (1999). 1 & 2 Corinthians. Life application Bible commentary (217). Wheaton, Ill.: Tyndale House).
The apostle tells them that what he is about to say is nothing new to them, but is simply the gospel I preached to you, which you received. The point of the first two verses is that the Corinthian believers were themselves living evidence that this doctrine was true. The fact that they came out of the spiritual blindness and deadness of Judaism or paganism and into the light and life of Christ testified to the power of the gospel, and therefore to the power of the resurrection. It also testified that they already believed in the truth of Christ’s resurrection. It was the gospel of the resurrection of Jesus Christ that Paul had preached to them, that they had received, and in which he assures them they now stand
Romans 5:2-9 [2]Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God. [3]More than that, we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, [4]and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, [5]and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us. [6]For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. [7]For one will scarcely die for a righteous person--though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die-- [8]but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. [9]Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God. (ESV)
• The reference in 1 Cor. 15:2 and here in Romans 5:9 is an interesting one.
• Scripture talks about salvation as a past act-Judicially (have), a future reality-completion (shall), and a present reality-sanctification.
• In 1 Cor. 15:2, “God is the implied agent, as the passive construction reveals. He effects the sinner’s salvation. With the present tense of the verb to save, Paul indicated that God’s saving act is both effective and progressive.” (Simon J. Kistemaker: 1 Corinthians. New Testament Commentary. Baker Books. Michigan. 2004. p. 527)
• Therefore, the phrase in 1 Cor. 15:2 that we are being saved, means that we are presently being delivered from sin’s power and condemnation. Because of the reality of Christ’s resurrection and of their trust in it, they were now a part of Christ’s church and thereby were evidence of the power of that resurrection.
Now please turn forward to Romans 8
Paul’s qualifying phrase—if hold fast to the word I preached to you, unless you believed in vain—does not teach that true believers are in danger of losing their salvation, but it is a warning against non–saving “faith”.
• The Corinthians’ holding fast to what Paul had preached (see 11:2) was the result of and an evidence of their genuine salvation, just as their salvation and new life were an evidence of the power of Christ’s resurrection. It must be recognized, however, that some in Corinth lacked the true saving faith, and thus did not continue to obey the Word of God.
Genuine Christians are able to hold fast to the word that Paul preached to them because it is God in His power that not only brings about salvation, but sustains and completes the work He starts:
Romans 8:29-30 [29]For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. [30]And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified. (ESV)( cf. vv. 35–39; 5:9–10; 9:23; 1 Cor. 2:7; etc.).
• It is only by God’s power that we are saved and only by His power that we are kept saved. Our salvation is kept by Christ’s holding us fast, not primarily by our holding Him fast. Our holding onto Him is evidence that He is holding onto us.
Someone who professes faith but does not poses genuine faith, may hold to orthodox doctrine and living. If they ultimately reject faith it proves that his salvation was never real.
Someone is able to let go of the things of God if they are doing the holding. Such a person does not hold fast to the word because this professed faith is in vain. It was never real. Someone cannot hold fast if they are not held fast.
Our Lord repeatedly spoke of sham believers who had useless, non–saving faith.
• The implication of 1 Cor. 15:2 is that if the resurrection is denied, there is no ground for faith or in other words, it is an empty, and not a saving fath.
Some of the Corinthians apparently had intellectually and/or outwardly acknowledged Jesus’ lordship, savior-hood, and resurrection, but had not trusted in Him or committed themselves to Him. They believed as is warned in:
James 2:19 [19]You believe that God is one; you do well. Even the demons believe--and shudder! (ESV)
• They acknowledged Christ, but they had not received Him, did not stand in Him, were not saved by Him, and did not hold fast to the word, which Paul had preached to them. As Jesus made clear in the illustrations just cited above, many people make positive responses of one sort or another to the gospel, but only genuine faith in Jesus Christ results in salvation.
• It is those who “abide in My word,” Jesus said, those who hold fast to the word, who “are truly disciples of Mine” (John 8:31; cf. 2 Cor. 13:5; 2 John 9). The truly justified and righteous not only are saved by faith but continue to “live by faith” (Heb. 10:38). Obedience and continuous faithfulness mark the redeemed.
The fact that, despite their great immaturity and many weaknesses, the Corinthian church even continued to exist was a strong testimony to the power of the gospel. Who but the risen, living Christ could have taken extortioners, thieves, adulterers, fornicators, homosexuals, liars, idolaters, and such thoroughly worldly pagans and transformed them into a community of the redeemed? Despite their shortcomings and failures, and despite the presence of false followers in their assembly, Christ lived in and through the true saints. Paul was ashamed of much of what they did and did not do, but he was not ashamed to call them brothers/brethren.
Quote: “Though it is largely a subjective proof, the endurance of the church of Jesus Christ through over 2,000 years is evidence of His resurrection reality. His church and His Word have survived skepticism, persecution, heresy, unfaithfulness, and disobedience. Critics have denounced the resurrection as a hoax and fabrication, but have never explained the power of such a fabrication to produce men and women who gave up everything, including their freedom and lives when necessary, to love and to follow a dead Lord! His living church is evidence that Christ Himself is alive; and He could be alive only if He had been raised from the dead”. (MacArthur, J. F. (1984). First Corinthians. MacArthur New Testament commentary (395). Chicago: Moody Press.)
Evidence for the resurrection includes the testimony of: 1) the Church
2) THE TESTIMONY OF SCRIPTURE 1 Corinthians 15:3-4
1 Corinthians 15:3-4 [3]For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, [4]that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures, (ESV)
The second evidence for Christ’s resurrection was the Old Testament, the Scriptures of Judaism and of the early church. The Old Testament clearly predicted Christ’s death, burial, and resurrection. When Paul says I delivered to you, he means he brought authoritative teaching, not something of his own origination. He did not design it, he only delivered what God had authored.
Jesus Himself predicted His resurrection:
Matthew 16:21 [21]From that time Jesus began to show his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised. (ESV) (cf. Hos. 6:2; Jonah 1:17; Mt. 12:40).
Paul also indicated that it was of first importance. It was not first in reference to time; nor first to the Corinthians, which would not be historically true, as Paul did not preach first at Corinth; but it was of principal or first importance. It is foundational to the Gospel.
Romans 10:9 [9](because), if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. (ESV)
• If Christ did not die for our sins: then we would have no forgiveness of sins
Who did Christ die for:
Matthew 20:28 [28]even as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many." (ESV) (Cf. Mt. 26:28; Mk. 10:45)
• Christ did not die for everyone. Mt. 20:28, like Mk. 10:45 and elsewhere specifies that he intended to give his life as a ransom for many but not all, for as it says in:
John 10:11 [11]I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. (ESV)
Ephesians 5:25 [25]Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, (ESV)
• Christ’s life was not taken from Him. He voluntarily laid it down for those the Father would draw unto Himself.
o We know that he did, because the Romans were experts in death. He was so obviously dead, that they found no need to break his legs.
o Independent Jewish and Roman witnesses authenticated His death.
• If you deny the resurrection of Christ from the dead, you are not saved.
• The passive voice in the phrase was raised in reference to the resurrection denotes the God the father was the implied active agent, in the resurrection of His son. It is also in the perfect tense to indicate an action that occurred in the past but has lasting relevance for the present. (Simon J. Kistemaker: 1 Corinthians. New Testament Commentary. Baker Books. Michigan. 2004. p. 530).
• That Christ was raised and that there was an empty tomb, that He could be touched (Jn. 20:27) and that he ate and drank with his disciples (Acts 1:4; 10:41) emphasizes that Jesus’ resurrection was physical.
• Twice Paul repeats the phrase in accordance with the Scriptures, to emphasize that this is no new thing, and no contradiction of true Jewish belief.
• The strength of our testimony of the risen Christ is only as strong as our understanding of what exactly was promised and what exactly was fulfilled. Familiarity with the Old Testament predictions and how exactly they were fulfilled, turns our testimony of the resurrection from a subjective spirituality, to a exactly predicted series of confirmed facts.
Evidence for the resurrection includes the testimony of: 1) the Church 2) Scripture
3) THE TESTIMONY OF EYEWITNESSES
1 Corinthians 15:5-7 [5]and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. [6]Then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have fallen asleep. [7]Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles. (ESV)
Paul now changes his argument from the theological to the historical.
Throughout history the testimony of responsible and honest eyewitnesses has been considered one of the most reliable forms of evidence in a court of law. Paul’s third evidence for Christ’s resurrection is in that form.
Quote: The historian Thomas Arnold of Oxford has written:
“The evidence for our Lord’s life and death and resurrection may be and often has been shown to be satisfactory. It is good according to the common rules for distinguishing good evidence from bad. Thousands and tens of thousands of persons have gone through it piece by piece as carefully as every judge summing tip on an important case. I have myself done it many times over, not to persuade others but to satisfy myself. I have been used for many years to study the history of other times, and to examine and weigh the evidence of those who have written about them, and I know of no one fact in the history of mankind which is better proved by fuller evidence than the great sign that God has given as that Christ died and rose again from the dead”. (MacArthur, J. F. (1984). First Corinthians. MacArthur New Testament commentary (395). Chicago: Moody Press.)
THERE IS THE EYEWITNESS TESTOMONY OF FOUR AREAS MENTIONED:
A) JESUS’ APPEARANCE TO PETER
It is significant that Paul says that Jesus appeared to those who saw Him after the resurrection. Until He revealed His identity to them, not even Mary Magdelene (John 20:14–16), the two disciples on the Emmaus road (Luke 24:15, 31), or the disciples gathered together on Easter evening (John 20:19–20) recognized Him. The gospel accounts consistently speak of Jesus’ appearing or manifesting Himself after His resurrection (Matt. 28:9; Mark 16:9, 12, 14; Luke 24:31–39; John 21:1; etc.).
He was recognized only by those to whom He chose to reveal Himself, and there is no record that He revealed Himself to any others than His followers.
One of the requirements for apostleship was having seen the resurrected Christ (Acts 1:22), and the first apostle to whom He appeared was Cephas, that is, Peter. Cephas was the Aramatic name for Peter (Jn. 1:42; Lk. 24:34)
We are not told the exact time or occasion for that appearance. We only know that it was sometime after His appearance to Mary and before His appearance to the two disciples on the road to Emmaus (Luke 24:34). We are not told why the Lord appeared to Peter first or separately but it possibly was because of Peter’s great remorse over having denied his Lord, and because his role as a leader among the apostles and in the primitive church until the Council of Jerusalem (Acts 15). In going to Peter first, Jesus emphasized His grace. Peter had forsaken the Lord, but the Lord had not forsaken him. Christ did not appear to Peter because Peter deserved to see Him most, but perhaps because Peter needed to see Him most. Peter was the Lord’s spokesman at Pentecost and was crucially used in the expansion of the church for several years. As such he was the prime witness to the resurrected Christ.
• Perhaps you are here today and ashamed of what you have failed to do for the kingdom of God. Or you fear that there is a sin in your past beyond forgiveness.
• The example of Peter is such a great testimony of God’s Grace and forgiveness through the risen savior.
• There is nothing in your past nor any mistake that cannot be forgiven. Faith in a risen Christ can give you a strength beyond any human ability and enable to you do great things for God.
B) JESUS’ APPEARANCE TO THE TWELVE
Jesus next appeared to the twelve. As mentioned above, He appeared to the eleven disciples (though still often referred to as “the twelve” even before Judas was replaced) as they were fearfully assembled on Easter evening (John 20:19; Luke 24:36).
The apostles laid the foundation of the church (Eph. 2:20), which from the beginning based its beliefs and practices on their teaching (Acts 2:42). “Over a period of forty days” (Acts 1:3), between His resurrection and ascension, Jesus appeared to all the apostles on other occasions that are not specified (see John 21:1–14).
Please turn to 1 Cor. 1
• For all those who believe that they can’t rise above their circumstances or beyond past mistakes, the witness of the Apostles speaks. They changed from an ignorant, fearful and doubting bunch to leaders and bold witness to the truth because of the resurrection.
• I did not have a theological background, but like the fishermen and other humble backgrounds of the apostles,
• I doubted myself in the ability to proclaim the truth. In the fact of the resurrection and the power of the truth through the Holy Spirit, God explains why he chooses as he does:
1 Corinthians 1:26-31 [26]For consider your calling, brothers: not many of you were wise according to worldly standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth. [27]But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; [28]God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, [29]so that no human being might boast in the presence of God. [30]And because of him you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption, [31]so that, as it is written, "Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord." (ESV)
C) JESUS’ APPEARANCE TO THE FIVE HUNDRED
Then He appeared to more than five hundred brothers/brethren at one time. The quality of specific witnesses is represented by the apostles, all of whom were known by name and could easily be questioned. The quantity of witnesses is seen in the five hundred brothers/brethren who all saw the risen Christ at one time. Scripture gives no indication of who those people were, or where Jesus appeared to them, but they were surely well known in the early church, and, like the twelve, would often have been questioned about seeing the risen Savior.
• In a Jewish court of law, the presence of two or three witnesses was mandatory to prove the veracity of an event. By appearing to five hundred believers at one time, Jesus provided overwhelming proof of being alive. (Simon J. Kistemaker: 1 Corinthians. New Testament Commentary. Baker Books. Michigan. 2004. p. 532).
Even at the time of Paul’s writing, more than two decades later, most of the witnesses were still alive. They are still alive/remain until now, he adds, though some have fallen asleep, that is, died. At the same time and same place five hundred witnesses saw Jesus alive after His resurrection!
• God has left a multitude of witness to the truth. We are arrogant to think that we have come to the ultimate of understanding or are the only ones throughout history that God has illuminated. We can look to the multitudes who have come before us to see their testimony and their insight into truth.
• We can be most discouraged and in greatest danger to divorce our understanding apart from Church history. It is how cults become established and people fall into heresy.
• If you believe that William Shakespeare, Alexander the Great, Julius Caesar or anyone else from all of history ever existed, then you are relying on less evidence than there is to the resurrection of Jesus Christ.
D) JESUS’ APPEARANCE TO JAMES
We are not told to which James Christ then … appeared. Two of the apostles, one the son of Zebedee and the other the son of Alphaeus, were named James (Mark 3:17–18). It could have been James the half–brother of the Lord, the author of the letter of James and a key leader in the Jerusalem church (Acts 15:13–21).
James originally was a skeptic. Like his brothers he did not at first believe that Jesus was the Messiah (John 7:5). But now this member of Jesus’ own household, James came to saving faith.
• Family can impact fact in particularly special ways. Godly parents can set a great example and establish a sold base of biblical fact. For those of us who are parents it is an awesome responsibility.
• What about those who have had a difficult childhood and/or still exist in a dysfunctional family. Christ lived a perfect life in the family. It was nothing that he did or failed to do that James did not come to faith. God the Father has a timing that we don’t know. We must not be discouraged that a family member has yet to come to faith. Through the example of James, although someone we love in our families, may be an unbeliever, we should never give up on sharing the truth and implication of the resurrection with them.
Evidence for the resurrection includes the testimony of: 1) the Church 2) Scripture 3) Eyewitnesses
4) THE TESTIMONY OF A SPECIAL WITNESS 1 Corinthians 15:8-10
1 Corinthians 15:8-10 [8]Last of all, as to one untimely born, he appeared also to me. [9]For I am the least of the apostles, unworthy to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. [10]But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace toward me was not in vain. On the contrary, I worked harder than any of them, though it was not I, but the grace of God that is with me. (ESV)
The fourth major testimony of Christ’s resurrection was that of the apostle Paul himself, a special and unique witness of the risen Lord. Paul was not among the original apostles, all of whom had been disciples of Jesus during His earthly ministry. He was not among the five hundred other believers who had seen the resurrected Christ. Rather, he had for many years been an unbeliever and a chief persecutor of the church.
He was, however, last of all allowed to see the risen Christ. The Lord’s appearance to Paul not only was post-resurrection but post-ascension, making Paul’s testimony more unique still. It was not during the forty days in which He appeared to all the others but several years later.
All the others to whom Christ appeared, except perhaps James, were believers, whereas Paul (then known as Saul) was a violent, hateful unbeliever when the Lord manifested Himself on the Damascus road (Acts 9:1–8). There were also other appearances (Acts 18:9–10; 23:11; cf. 2 Cor. 12:1–7).
Jesus appeared to Paul as it were to one untimely born. Ektrôma (untimely born) ordinarily referred to an abortion, miscarriage, or premature birth—a life unable to sustain itself.
In Paul’s figure, the term could indicate hopelessness for life without divine intervention, and convey the idea that he was born without hope of meeting Christ. Before his conversion, which coincided with his vision of the resurrected Lord, Paul was spiritually unformed, dead, and useless, a person to be scorned by God. Even when he was born it was wrong timing. Christ was gone. How could he be an apostle? Yet, by special divine provision, He appeared to me also, Paul testifies.
• This is the message of the resurrection for all: Life cannot sustain itself apart from the risen Lord. We all have no hope apart from Christ but through the divine work of God in peoples hearts, we can leave behind a life of hopelessness to hopeful purpose and enjoy genuine life.
Though Paul never doubted his apostleship or hesitated to use the authority that office brought, he also never ceased to be amazed that, of all persons, Christ would have called him to that high position. He not only considered himself to be the least of the apostles, but not even unworthy/fit to be called an apostle, because [he] persecuted the church of God.
Paul knew all of his sins were forgiven, and he was not plagued by feelings of guilt over what he had once done against God’s people. But he could not forget that for which he had been forgiven, and it continually reminded him that by the grace of God I am what I am. That he deserved God’s forgiveness so little was a constant reminder of how graciously His grace is given.
• We celebrate the Lord’s table here each week as a visual reminder of the grace of God. We have the ability to be forgiven of sin and a frequent need to continue to confess our sin to God and receive His cleansing.
It is possible that Paul’s memory of having persecuted the church of God was a powerful motivation for his being determined that His grace toward me was not in vain/would not prove vain. (Compare his testimony in 1 Tim. 1:12–17.) As is clearly substantiated in the New Testament, Paul was able to truthfully say, I worked harder/labored even more than all of them. (Compare his commitment as chronicled in 2 Cor. 11:23—12:12.) Yet he was not boasting in his own spirituality or power but in God’s, because, as he hastened to add, though it was not I, but the grace of God that is with in me. The same grace responsible for his calling was responsible for his faithfulness. God sovereignly appointed Paul an apostle and sovereignly blessed his apostolic ministry. Paul believed, responded, obeyed, and was continually sensitive to the Lord’s leading and will. But apart from God’s prevenient grace the apostle knew that everything he did would have been in vain and worthless (cf. Eph. 4:15–16; Col. 1:28–29; etc.).
• In celebrating the resurrection today, it is not a memorial to sit back an observe. It is a celebration of grace and triumph over sin and death. We also therefore have a ministry of reconciliation to a world plagued by guilt and in the bondage of sin.
Quote: What can we see from Paul’s life in regards to the impact of the resurrected Christ? One commentator noted:
“The truth and power of the resurrected Christ had brought three great changes in Paul. 1) First was deep recognition of sin. For the first time he realized how far his external religious life was from being internally godly. He saw himself as he really was, an enemy of God and a persecutor of His church. 2) Second, he experienced a revolution of character. From a persecutor of the church he became her greatest defender. His life was transformed from one characterized by self–righteous hatred to one characterized by self–giving love. He changed from oppressor to servant, from imprisoner to deliverer, from judge to friend, from a taker of life to a giver of life. 3) Third, he experienced a dramatic redirection of energy. As zealously as he had once opposed God’s redeemed he now served them”. (MacArthur, J. F. (1984). First Corinthians. MacArthur New Testament commentary (395). Chicago: Moody Press.)
• The witness of Paul is encouragement for those who come to faith late in life. You can still be of tremendous use by God and accomplish great things for Him.
Evidence for the resurrection includes the testimony of: 1) the Church 2) Scripture 3) Eyewitnesses 4) A Special Witness and only in summary:
5) THE TESTIMONY OF THE COMMON MESSAGE
1 Corinthians 15:11 [11]Whether then it was I or they, so we preach and so you believed. (ESV)
The last testimony to Christ’s resurrection was that of the common message that every true apostle, prophet, and pastor preached. Whether then it was I or they—Peter, the twelve, the five hundred, James, or anyone else—so we preach and so you believed. Without exception, the preaching and teaching in the early church centered on the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ.
Except for a few isolated heresies, the doctrine of Christ’s resurrection has not been questioned within the church until our modern age of skepticism and humanism. New Testament Christianity, is all about a gospel whose heart is the risen Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
(Format Note: Outline and structure based on: MacArthur, J. F. (1984). First Corinthians. MacArthur New Testament commentary (395). Chicago: Moody Press.)
