Today we mark the passing of one of the early and longtime brothers that attended the gatherings in my home over the years, up to about 4 years ago when he moved into a care facility. Ray Bordt. Ray could be challenging to hold a relationship with. He was a gentle man over all. Highly intelligent, but quirky. In an earlier time they probably would have placed Ray somewhere on the autism spectrum (I don’t know that, but I do think it true). He loved to laugh, and share his thoughts on many things. He was a bit of a computer language genius, and loved ciphers, and languages of all a types. He worked at Hebrew particularly hard and greeted us with Baruch Atah Adonai, Elohenu Melech Haolam (which I think is Blessed be the Lord God King of the Universe..)
It seems fitting here in short to remind us that our hope in the resurrection. Christianity is a resurrection centered faith. Yes we need a bleeding and dying savior in Jesus. But, the cross without the resurrection is a tragedy. The resurrection turns tragedy to triumph. Eternal Life is not in the dying and dead Jesus, but Him resurrected.
Paul put this truth this way:
[1Corinthians 15:12-19 NASB95] 12 Now if Christ is preached, that He has been raised from the dead, how do some among you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? 13 But if there is no resurrection of the dead, not even Christ has been raised; 14 and if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is vain, your faith also is vain. 15 Moreover we are even found [to be] false witnesses of God, because we testified against God that He raised Christ, whom He did not raise, if in fact the dead are not raised. 16 For if the dead are not raised, not even Christ has been raised; 17 and if Christ has not been raised, your faith is worthless; you are still in your sins. 18 Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. 19 If we have hoped in Christ in this life only, we are of all men most to be pitied.
It is striking to consider isn’t it. “if Christ has not been raised, your faith is worthless; you are still in your sins.” Our salvation, our eternal life is in the resurrected Jesus. We have a hope that is sure because He is alive. Paul opened this passage on resurrection saying of eye witness accounts:
[1Corinthians 15:3-8 NASB95] 3 For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received, that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, 4 and that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, 5 and that He appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. 6 After that He appeared to more than five hundred brethren at one time, most of whom remain until now, but some have fallen asleep; 7 then He appeared to James, then to all the apostles; 8 and last of all, as to one untimely born, He appeared to me also.
The apostle had more to say to those that would argue against resurrection of the dead at Corinth. But without exposition from me here just consider some of the rest of his writing here.
[1Corinthians 15:20-22, 42-46, 48-50, 53, 55-57 NASB95] 20 But now Christ has been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who are asleep. 21 For since by a man [came] death, by a man also [came] the resurrection of the dead. 22 For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ all will be made alive. …
42 So also is the resurrection of the dead. It is sown a perishable [body,] it is raised an imperishable [body;] 43 it is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory; it is sown in weakness, it is raised in power; 44 it is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body. If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual [body.] 45 So also it is written, “The first MAN, Adam, BECAME A LIVING SOUL.” The last Adam [became] a life-giving spirit. 46 However, the spiritual is not first, but the natural; then the spiritual.
… 48 As is the earthy, so also are those who are earthy; and as is the heavenly, so also are those who are heavenly. 49 Just as we have borne the image of the earthy, we will also bear the image of the heavenly. 50 Now I say this, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable. … 53 For this perishable must put on the imperishable, and this mortal must put on immortality. …
55 “O DEATH, WHERE IS YOUR VICTORY? O DEATH, WHERE IS YOUR STING?” 56 The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law; 57 but thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
Thank God we serve a risen Jesus who has conquered death and the grave and brought us into an Eternal Kingdom or Eternal Life in Him.
Just consider our victory in the living Christ from Paul’s letter to the Romans: (we too often get context separated by chapter divisions… forgetting these letters were written in complete thoughts, without such divisions)
[Romans 7:24-25 NASB95] 24 Wretched man that I am! Who will set me free from the body of this death? 25 Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, on the one hand I myself with my mind am serving the law of God, but on the other, with my flesh the law of sin.[Romans 8:10-14 NASB95] 10 If Christ is in you, though the body is dead because of sin, yet the spirit is alive because of righteousness. 11 But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you. 12 So then, brethren, we are under obligation, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh– 13 for if you are living according to the flesh, you must die; but if by the Spirit you are putting to death the deeds of the body, you will live. 14 For all who are being led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God. [Romans 8:33-39 NASB95] 33 Who will bring a charge against God’s elect? God is the one who justifies; 34 who is the one who condemns? Christ Jesus is He who died, yes, rather who was raised, who is at the right hand of God, who also intercedes for us. 35 Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? 36 Just as it is written, “FOR YOUR SAKE WE ARE BEING PUT TO DEATH ALL DAY LONG; WE WERE CONSIDERED AS SHEEP TO BE SLAUGHTERED.” 37 But in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us. 38 For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, 39 nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
(Here is another example of chapter division messing with the complete context of our life in Him, even at the right hand of the Father. Consider it and it may just shift you paradigm in an life altering understanding of the resurrection life we have in Him, by the Father’s love.)
[Ephesians 1:18-23 NASB95] 18 [I pray that] the eyes of your heart may be enlightened, so that you will know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, 19 and what is the surpassing greatness of His power toward us who believe. [These are] in accordance with the working of the strength of His might 20 which He brought about in Christ, when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly [places,] 21 far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come. 22 And He put all things in subjection under His feet, and gave Him as head over all things to the church, 23 which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all. [Ephesians 2:1-7 NASB95] 1 And you were dead in your trespasses and sins, 2 in which you formerly walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, of the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience. 3 Among them we too all formerly lived in the lusts of our flesh, indulging the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, even as the rest. 4 But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, 5 even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), 6 and raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly [places] in Christ Jesus, 7 so that in the ages to come He might show the surpassing riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.
Such is our hope! Such is our faith at His word!