NOW I make known
to you, brethren, the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received,
in which also you stand, by which also you are saved, if you hold fast the word
which I preached to you, unless you believed in vain. For I delivered to you as
of first importance what I also received, that Christ died for our sins
according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He was raised on
the third day according to the Scriptures. . .
(1 Corinthians 15:1-4)
Allow me to begin by paraphrasing Paul’s encouragement to a distressed
congregation:
I want to remind you who are now family in Christ of the good news you
heard from me. Please remember some essential facts about that good news and
you:
1. You decided to accept that good news.
2. You continued by choice in that good news—it grants your
life stability!
3. This good news is the source of your confident
relationship with God.
Your salvation relationship with God continues as long as you remember and
remain in that good news. Remember, three truths lie at the core of that good
news:
1. Jesus Christ died for all of us—his death makes our sins
history!
2. He actually died—his dead body was buried!
3. He was resurrected—whereas he was for certain dead, he is
now alive.
Paul continued his emphasis on the importance of Jesus Christ’s resurrection.
Paul said a lot of people saw Jesus alive after he died, including Paul. Jesus’
resurrection was not a Jewish phenomenon affecting only Jewish people—Jesus died
for everyone’s sins.
Very young people respond to God because He is the living God who loves them. As
adolescents become adults, conversions to God through Christ plummet.
Life often goes through stages for many people. Stage one: you can do anything
you desire because you are young and have opportunity. Stage two: you race
breathlessly, trying to manage all your responsibilities, get weary doing so,
but never admit weariness. Stage three: you have a tinge of fear as you wonder
if “this is what life is about” and if “life has passed you by.” Stage four:
life is all about your physical future, and your physical future looks less than
wonderful (doctors increasingly replace ambitions). Stage five: you are deeply
aware that you “cannot go back;” there is neither time, strength, nor energy to
“do” your life over; and experience and observation teach you how uncertain
anyone’s future is. Sounds increasingly dismal, does it not?
It is—unless . . . Unless what? Unless you are aware that death does not win!
Regardless of what age you are, you have choice. Yes, 20-year-olds and
70-year-olds have the same choice! Is life about physical indulgence with death
the unavoidable end, or is life an investment that destroys the fear-hold of
death? Amazingly, life often is only about the physical until our death is on
our horizon. Then, suddenly, Jesus’ resurrection becomes very relevant, things
are just things, and death’s defeat is relevant to the meaning of physical life.
Do not waste your collateral! Life is an investment! Invest the only thing that
is yours for now—yourself! Good news—God welcomes your investment!
Link to other Writings of David Chadwell